"The passage has long been fully constructed; now we are only repairing some minor flaws. There won't be any problems,"
The Lord of Reincarnation looked at the cyan boat before him; in the depths of his eyes, countless runes and divine abilities were unfolding, trillions upon trillions of deductions passing in an instant.
Before each Cataclysmic Tribulation descended, reckoning envoys from the Land of Truth would come. The passage connecting the two places had always existed in the deepest part of the Ancient Treasure Civilization, which was the deepest part of the Realm of Reincarnation.
This was a secret that only each Lord of Reincarnation could know.
Reincarnation was the most mysterious, and also the most important, indispensable force in the world, the most crucial cornerstone maintaining the orderly and steady development of the future.
Therefore, the Authority of Reincarnation had always been passed down through the generations by the Ancient Treasure Civilization.
To gain the recognition of the Authority of Reincarnation, one had to become a "puppet" of the Land of Truth, serving as the vanguard before each Tribulation Reckoning Cycle, and suffering the contempt of countless civilizations and true worlds throughout the immeasurable epochs of the Vast Expanse.
The Lord of Reincarnation, strictly speaking, could only be considered the one recognized by the Authority of Reincarnation. He was not like other True Path existences who controlled authorities and existed in a symbiotic, interdependent state with the Authority of Heaven and Earth, merged with the Heavenly Dao, each occupying the most primordial and fundamental portions of their authority.
"If there are no problems, that would be best. Once the slightest mistake occurs, even you and I would end up with nothing, our lives and Daos extinguished."
"In the future that I have seen, everything is chaotic and disorderly; an unknown power shrouds the entire Vast Expanse, and it is no longer something you and I can control," the World Lord said, his gaze profound. Within it, trillions of bubble-like worlds seemed to burst and unfold with every breath.
"That is no longer important. The future of the Vast Expanse—what does the fate of all living beings in this world have to do with you?"
"Isn't what you and I seek still the same Transcendence? Transcendence from this, transcendence from realms, transcendence from the Vast Expanse and the Other Shore, breaking through all mysteries, truly leaping out beyond, no longer constrained..." The Lord of Reincarnation shook his head slightly.
"What is your view on the flesh and blood of the Lord of Heaven's Proxy provided by Progenitor Xu?" The World Lord did not dwell on this topic for long.
The Lord of Reincarnation spread his palm, and a piece of flesh radiating a misty, bloody glow appeared. Within it seemed to exist many secrets that even they found difficult to pry into, as if it were a mass of air current that should not exist in this world, or a substance without a fixed form, changing every moment yet carrying an inconceivable vitality, as if it were the source of all matter.
"The level of this flesh is above you and me. This sufficiently proves that there is still a path to walk on the True Path Realm, and someone has already reached it. The Land of Truth may be like the Vast Expanse, but perhaps not. However, I can be certain that within the bodies of those beings in the Land of Truth, there absolutely exists the secret we have been searching for—that is the Other Shore we wish to reach."
"But this piece of flesh, we cannot fully investigate its secrets in a short time. Progenitor Xu obviously concealed many things from us. He handed over this flesh only to let us know that there are extraordinary secrets on the Lord of Heaven's Proxy..."
"Just like now, with all the changes occurring in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, even you, who hold the Authority of Creation, cannot achieve what he does—creating something from nothing," said the Lord of Reincarnation.
In his mind, in that instant, trillions upon trillions of figures emerged, their faces identical to his, each one gazing at this piece of flesh, trying to analyze and probe its secrets.
A single thought could, in an instant, deduce and simulate trillions of possible futures. At their level, there were almost no secrets left in this world.
Given enough time, they could also, like Progenitor Xu, thoroughly investigate the many secrets contained within this flesh, and thereby ascertain the origin of the Lord of Heaven's Proxy.
But they had to admit that this flesh indeed contained secrets that they currently could not analyze and understand.
"The Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance cannot create something from nothing either. The flourishing situation he has created in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance is merely extracting from fortune and faith a kind of substance that we cannot analyze—a substance that can create opportunities and help beings rapidly increase their cultivation strength. However, this has tremendous drawbacks..."
"Because that substance is extracted by him, he has a way to completely control it. Those beings who are forced to grow prematurely will, in the end, merely be his puppets."
The World Lord clearly already knew about the many actions and the so-called "truth" of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, yet his words were calm, without disdain, but instead carried a faint sense of admiration.
At their level, all individual living beings in the various worlds were no longer on the same dimension as them. Whether those beings or true worlds were puppets of others made no difference in their eyes; penned livestock and free-range livestock were all the same.
They were merely marveling at the origin and miraculous nature of that substance which they could not know.
"Could the Lord of Heaven's Proxy be a being who came from the Land of Truth by stowing away? Is there any similarity between this flesh and the blood traces on that cyan boat?" the World Lord suddenly asked.
The Lord of Reincarnation shook his head slightly. "I cannot tell, nor can I deduce its origin or karmic connections. But the Lord of Heaven's Proxy is indeed very likely from the Land of Truth."
"Unless he shattered our understanding of all inherent laws and an orderly future, and forcibly reached that inconceivable step."
Since ancient times, only when the heavens and earth underwent great upheavals, when everything was chaotic and unclear, and everything surpassed worldly imagination and investigation, might the Authority of Heaven and Earth emerge.
It was regarded as the sole key to exploring the Heavenly Dao. Only by seizing an authority could one be called a True Path-level existence.
As for whether this True Path actually existed or was real, no one could verify it, nor could anyone verify it. Upon reaching the True Path Realm, one truly no longer knew how to proceed further, yet was essentially omnipotent in this world.
Only those who possessed the Authority of the Heavenly Dao could sense each other's location. Yet on the Lord of Heaven's Proxy, the Lord of Reincarnation and the World Lord could not perceive any corresponding authority.
But on the Lord of Heaven's Proxy, there was also no aura of Supreme Shattering.
That indomitable will and spirit that crushed everything, even one's own physical body and all future paths, and the subsequent supreme determination to survive by placing oneself in death's ground, could not be concealed at all.
That was why some End of the Path figures speculated that he had embarked on a third path unknown to the world, one that had never appeared in the past, future, or present, a path that belonged solely to him, and he had clearly already leaped beyond the past, future, present...
"The Cataclysmic Tribulation is about to descend. This is a great upheaval of heaven and earth unprecedented in history. In this era, the Authority of the Heavenly Dao will emerge once more. The Master of Fate wants to borrow our strength to contend for it."
"In my deductions, the Authority of the Heavenly Dao of this era indeed has some affinity with the Dao of Fate that the Master of Fate cultivates..."
The voices of the two gradually lowered.
Existences of the End of the Path Realm were those who had reached the end of a certain Dao, figures who could be called Lords or Ancestors. The Lord of Reincarnation and the World Lord were both like this; what set them apart was that they controlled the Authority of the Heavenly Dao.
Meanwhile, in another deep underground palace, Progenitor Xu, the Master of Fate, and the Calamity Master were gathered together. Before the three floated a jade disc that seemed immovable since ancient times. Within it, it was hazy and indistinct, as if the myriad forms of living beings were unfolding, but also currents of yin and yang qi circulated, as if transforming into a yin-yang fish.
"The Jade Disc of Reincarnation—this is a supreme treasure that the Lord of Reincarnation once condensed using the Authority of Reincarnation..."
"If you wish to retrieve someone from the Reincarnation Sea, without interfering with the original Heavenly Dao, you can use this treasure," the Calamity Master said.
Progenitor Xu nodded slightly and smiled. "Thank you, Brother Calamity, for your help. I owe you another favor."
The Calamity Master said, "I once owed you an enormous karmic debt. This is merely repaying a part of it."
The Master of Fate did not know what entanglements and karma the two had. By coming to the Ancient Treasure Civilization this time, he indeed gained insight into many things he had never encountered before.
Whether it was the Lord of Reincarnation or the World Lord, they were existences he had never come into contact with before.
The power of Authorities...
As for Progenitor Xu, he was far too mysterious. He clearly felt that the other was, like himself, standing in the End of the Path Realm, yet his methods and strength were far above his own.
The number one below the True Path Realm?
The Master of Fate looked deeply at the conversing Progenitor Xu and Calamity Master, not knowing who Progenitor Xu intended to retrieve from the Reincarnation Sea.
If they had long since reincarnated, could they still be found? Even if found, would they still be the person from the past, or merely a similar flower?
"The Weiyang Immortal Dynasty has descended, forcing me to hand over Jiang Yun. But from the current situation, the Lord of Reincarnation and the World Lord do not take them seriously at all."
"Jiang Yun possesses vast and dense fortune, and can be refined into one of my lost Bodies of Five Aggregates. How could I possibly hand him over?"
The Master of Fate then cupped his hands in salute, bade farewell to the two, and did not stay long.
Given his status and strength, even within the Ancient Treasure Civilization, he was an existence that could be counted on one's fingers. He had opened up a separate spacetime in the endless void for himself and his many subordinates to rest and recover at present.
After that battle in the Nightmare Demon Domain, he had still not recovered to his peak even now.
After the Master of Fate left, the Calamity Master's gaze flickered slightly, and he suddenly said, "The existence of the Master of Fate will inevitably provoke conflict between the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and the Ancient Treasure Civilization. What were you thinking, bringing him here?"
"Could it be that you intend to use the Lord of Reincarnation and the World Lord to probe the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance? But now, that is already meaningless. The Lord of Heaven's Proxy has revived; even the Land of the Nine Heavens has probed him. His identity is already self-evident."
Although the Lord of Reincarnation was stationed in the deepest part of the Realm of Reincarnation, and also guarded the entire Ancient Treasure Civilization, he was not the master of the Five Great Royal Clans or the Ancient Treasure Imperial Family; at most, he could be considered a "superior" in relation.
Usually, the Five Great Royal Clans had to follow the orders and commands of the Lord of Reincarnation.
Since ancient times, the Lord of Reincarnation had been replaced many times, but the Five Great Royal Clans and the Ancient Treasure Imperial Family had never changed.
Calamity, Karma, Longevity, Extinction, Emptiness—these five End of the Path figures could, in a sense, be considered the spokespersons of the Land of Truth within the Vast Expanse. Their existence was closely bound to the entire Ancient Treasure Civilization for good or ill.
The Lord of Reincarnation was merely a puppet who allowed the Authority of Reincarnation to attach itself, capable of maintaining the operation of reincarnation and ensuring the orderly evolution and development of the future.
"The Lord of Reincarnation has grand designs. He is unwilling to remain guarding the depths of the Realm of Reincarnation forever. I am giving him an opportunity," Progenitor Xu said with a smile, his expression unfathomable, making even the Calamity Master's brows furrow tightly.
The Calamity Master looked at him and did not ask further. They bore upon themselves a certain supreme, indescribable will that ensured that the Tribulation Reckoning Cycle could proceed without interference or disruption through countless ages.
Aside from matters concerning cataclysmic tribulations, they would not interfere or care about anything else.
In a sense, they could also be considered existences akin to the Heavenly Dao's Will, simply functioning as certain rules, indispensable "components."
After departing with the Jade Disc of Reincarnation, Progenitor Xu's figure flickered and appeared outside the vast, boundless roots of the Epoch Mother Tree, which was filled with the mysterious aura of the Vast Expanse. Without employing any means or abilities, he stood there at normal size. Before the entire Epoch Mother Tree, he was like a speck of dust facing a great sun hanging high in the world.
But at this moment, because of his arrival, the Epoch Mother Tree seemed to tremble slightly.
"What a pity, it was actually intercepted by that supreme existence..."
"Is there complete reincarnation in the Land of Truth? Can it truly resurrect the dead—not similar flowers, but with complete memories, complete physical bodies, and complete past karma..."
Progenitor Xu sighed softly.
In the legends throughout the worlds, the progenitor of the Heavenly Decline Faction once controlled the Dao of Reality and Illusion, creating a Technique of Turning Falsehood into Reality that could even resurrect real people from vanished eras and ancient histories, transcending the six paths of reincarnation and conventional karma.
Therefore, he had traversed several Great Epoch Cataclysms, trekking alone through past, present, and future, starting from a single speck of dust to create a world belonging only to himself. Because he believed the world he was in was real, he used it to resurrect his former friends, family, and homeland. However, the price was eternal loss, sinking into that illusory dreamscape belonging solely to him.
And the Lord of Heaven's Proxy once pointed out the flaws of his Technique of Turning Falsehood into Reality and showed him a new path. Yet that new path also had flaws...
The people he mirrored were not the ones he wished to see. After he awoke, he felt that he had been deceived by the Lord of Heaven's Proxy, that he had been toyed with.
The Lord of Heaven's Proxy bluntly stated that his was not a technique to deceive heaven, but merely an illusion to deceive himself...
"He damaged my Dao heart, ruined my persistence—how could there be no fault?"
The Jade Disc of Reincarnation emitted a hazy, faint glow, like a firefly's light across the vast expanse of the Reincarnation Sea.
Progenitor Xu sat cross-legged there. An ancient, clean robe appeared on his body, and his originally blurred features became youthful and handsome, bearing a scholarly temperament.
His consciousness delved into the Jade Disc of Reincarnation, and then a vast, boundless power radiated out, sweeping over.
On the shore of the Reincarnation Sea, atop a reef, the gentle Qingyi with a green conch hair bun seemed to notice this scene. She gazed into the distance and saw rolling waves where countless true spirits boiled, gathering like a storm.
"Master, shall we go over and take a look?" Xiao Wangyue circled around her, transforming into a silver-haired maiden.
"Yet another miserable person who has come to the Realm of Reincarnation looking for similar flowers..." Qingyi merely glanced before shaking her head gently, retracting her gaze, and continuing to guide those true spirits wandering in the lost paths back into the sea.
As she walked, the chains on her ankles clattered again, with traces of blood spreading amidst the coldness.
Atop the crown of the Epoch Mother Tree, countless magnificent palaces were situated.
Within the boundless, bubble-like world called the Ancestral Court, a woman in multicolored robes stood calmly, as if standing in the void. A strange aura surged around her, radiating outward in all directions, causing the Ancestral Court ahead to fall utterly silent, with no sound emerging.
Meanwhile, in the various cave mansions and palaces throughout the Epoch Mother Tree, many members of the Ji Chan Clan appeared puzzled, feeling that the Epoch Mother Tree had trembled slightly for no apparent reason during this period.
That kind of movement was not great; it would tremble often with the arrival of world tides, but it was not as frequent as now.
Quite a few clansmen wanted to go ask the Second Princess Ji Xiangmiao, but they learned that she was in secluded cultivation and seeing no one, so they had no choice but to withdraw.
The Third Princess Ji Ziyi, who had returned to the clan, was also nowhere to be found, with no one knowing where she had gone.
The roots of the Epoch Mother Tree were a forbidden area called the Epoch Abyssal Ruins. It was guarded by experts of the Ji Chan Clan from generation to generation; without a jade token, one could not approach. That place was the burial ground where the remnants of universes and fragments of true worlds flowed after the return of all realms to the void, providing nourishment for the Epoch Mother Tree.
And at this very moment, a cold and captivating figure in a black dress within was enduring unimaginable agony, as if the crushing and washing force of trillions of universes, continuously stepping forward. All around was deep darkness, with no sense of direction.
The foundation of the Epoch Mother Tree was rooted here. If placed in the vast true worlds outside, it would be a majestic and grand sight comparable to a starry river; a single tiny root could take root across countless layers of spacetime dimensions. Now, sensing her arrival, those roots trembled slightly, quivering because of the white jade precious bottle in her hand, as if in fear.
If not for the shared bloodline aura of the Ji Chan Clan on her, this place would have absolutely descended into chaos.
"The Epoch Abyssal Ruins contain the secrets after the destruction of all worlds, and many hidden mysteries unknown to the world. It's a pity they cannot be investigated..."
The black-dressed woman gritted her teeth and persevered, wanting to reach the depths and scatter the substance in the white jade precious bottle.