Chapter 634: Brother San Sheng, long time no see |
The carriage moved slowly through the vast, snow-covered landscape.
Heavy snow fell from the sky, lightning crackled like thunder, and fierce winds howled.
The closer they got to the far north, the more terrifying celestial phenomena and cosmic wonders appeared everywhere.
Even a True God would find it difficult to traverse such a place.
However, with the Mountain Lord of Heavenly King Mountain, a Dao God, driving the carriage, these obstacles were nothing.
Qi Yuan reclined lazily, gazing at the endless snow and strange cosmic phenomena outside.
"There are quite a few powerhouses in this world."
Behind these countless wonders, Qi Yuan's omniscience and omnipotence allowed him to sense many powerful beings.
These powerhouses, whether as a wisp of true spirit or a trace of aura, hung high in the sky, watching from an immeasurable distance, as if observing a battle.
At that moment, a fragmented voice reached Qi Yuan's ears.
Clearly, someone was sending a friendly signal.
Or perhaps, they were an enemy of the Heavenly God and didn't want to see Qi Yuan walk to his death.
But the sender didn't want to reveal their identity, so they sent the message covertly.
Qi Yuan smiled.
The voice was like a message in a bottle, with no clear recipient, making it impossible for him to respond directly.
After all, the sender was clearly a powerhouse who had overcome the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations, on par with the Divine Emperor, with unfathomable abilities.
However... Qi Yuan's special abilities were still intact.
He could even converse with the "soundless sound," like his master, Ruan Yixi, let alone this voice.
"Thank you for the reminder."
Qi Yuan replied lightly.
At the same time, in an unknown space beyond the heavens, a shadow seemed to shudder.
"He actually knows it's me?"
He had overcome the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations and had even visited the Origin Mountain, standing at the peak just below the sixth stage of Yang God.
One could say that, with no sixth-stage Yang God present, he was nearly invincible.
His covert message, he believed, would be difficult even for a legendary sixth-stage Yang God to detect and respond to.
Yet, Qi Yuan had replied so effortlessly.
How could he not be shocked?
"If he can reply, it means he can pinpoint my location... If..."
This revealed too much information.
At their level, true forms were rarely revealed.
Their true bodies existed in secrecy and mystery.
"Who... is he?"
He was deeply curious about Qi Yuan's identity.
After all, if this feat were revealed, even the top powerhouses would be astonished.
Meanwhile, in a spiritual realm, whispers began to spread.
"Rumors say this Qi Yuan hails from the Yin Realm?"
"A being from the Yin Realm?"
"Strange. Most beings from the Yin Realm cannot overcome the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations. How does he possess such strength?"
"Could it be that he has already overcome the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations?"
Very few beings could overcome the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations on their own.
Many powerhouses relied on the Nine Heavens Divine Palace to achieve this.
In return, these powerhouses would assist the Heavenly God in resisting "Return to Nothingness."
"His strength is unfathomable, but compared to the Heavenly God, he should still be at a disadvantage."
"Indeed. No matter what, the Heavenly God has reached the sixth stage of Yang God. Although it's somewhat different from other sixth-stage Yang Gods and not complete, it's still beyond our ability to contend with."
Although Qi Yuan was confident in challenging the Heavenly God, in the eyes of the top powerhouses, there was a 99% chance he would lose.
In this world, there had never been an instance of a fifth-stage Yang God challenging a sixth-stage Yang God.
Even among these top powerhouses, no one dared to challenge a sixth-stage Yang God.
Because, before the challenge even began, they knew they would lose, or even die.
Or perhaps, the moment they entertained the thought of challenging a sixth-stage Yang God, something catastrophic would happen.
Sixth-stage Yang Gods... were not just at that level because of their cultivation. Rather... the sixth stage of Yang God was the ultimate destination of all cultivation paths.
"Anything is possible. Variables exist. Perhaps... Qi Yuan might win this battle," the shadowy figure said.
The fact that Qi Yuan could reply to him suggested he was no ordinary figure. Perhaps he even had a sliver of hope against the Heavenly God.
"Variables and possibilities are all in the hands of sixth-stage Yang Gods. How can a fifth-stage Yang God win?"
Someone laughed.
The path of cultivation was indeed filled with variables and possibilities.
Especially at their level, even a one-in-a-million chance could become absolute.
"Aside from 'Return to Nothingness,' is there anything a sixth-stage Yang God cannot handle?
Even 'Return to Nothingness' is on par with sixth-stage Yang Gods and cannot harm them in the slightest."
"Can a sixth-stage Yang God handle another sixth-stage Yang God?" someone asked.
Instantly, the spiritual realm fell silent. No one spoke.
Sixth-stage Yang Gods couldn't handle many things.
They couldn't break the cycle.
They couldn't truly confront fourth-stage Yang Gods who existed in the past and future.
They couldn't completely eradicate "Return to Nothingness."
Because, in a sense, these were all within the domain of sixth-stage Yang Gods.
"He's here."
At that moment, a murmur rang out.
The spiritual realm fell completely silent, and many gazes turned toward the far north, their eyes flickering.
Because Qi Yuan had arrived at the far north.
A great battle... was about to begin.
Many eyes, including the shadowy figure and the Divine Emperor, turned to the far north.
In a corner of the vast void, a carriage came to a stop.
A tall, slender man lifted the curtain and stepped out.
The world was vast, and he walked alone.
Many eyes watched this young man, but they kept their distance.
After all, a battle at this level could easily spread to them.
It might even shatter a third or half of the Rebirth realm, or perhaps all of it.
"That must be him, Qi Yuan!" the Black Crow Dao Lord said, his gaze focused.
In the Yin Realm, there were no images of Qi Yuan.
Because other powerhouses couldn't record Qi Yuan's appearance, let alone manifest it.
But now, seeing Qi Yuan, they felt in their hearts that this was the Qi Yuan from the Yin Realm, the one they knew.
Several Dao Lords hid in the darkness, their forms concealed by divine treasures.
"Should we make contact now?" someone asked.
"It's too late now."
"We must strike the Heavenly God by surprise. Any information leakage could ruin our plans!"
The Dao Lords reached a consensus.
Once the plan was set, their true spirits were all enveloped by this divine treasure, preventing any information from leaking.
Even their thoughts were isolated.
"Revealing ourselves now would alert the enemy."
These Dao Lords were prepared to die.
The battle between Qi Yuan and the Heavenly God was their only chance to enter the Yang Realm.
Once in the Yang Realm, they might also reach the Origin Mountain, ascend to the peak, and achieve the sixth stage of Yang God.
Although the odds were less than one in a billion.
After all, over countless epochs and ages, countless beings had visited the Origin Mountain, but only a handful had reached the sixth stage of Yang God.
"Do not act rashly. Do everything to conceal yourselves. The Heavenly God is coming!"
The Black Crow Dao Lord spoke, his body trembling with fear.
Because, above the far north, the sky seemed to split open, and a terrifying being was about to descend.
Although it hadn't revealed its form or leaked any aura, these fifth-stage Yang God Dao Lords couldn't help but tremble inwardly.
Of course, this was related to the Heavenly God being an unconventional sixth-stage Yang God.
It wasn't like those... legitimate sixth-stage Yang Gods.
Under the extreme light of myriad Daos, the Heavenly God's form was invisible, unfathomable, unseeable, unhearable, and unsmellable.
All the Dao Lords and top powerhouses tried to sense it, but they found nothing.
It was as if the Heavenly God didn't exist.
"Is this the sixth stage of Yang God? I know it's here, but I can't perceive it at all?"
"What... is the Heavenly God?"
"The path of the sixth stage of Yang God... is mysterious and unfathomable."
For fifth-stage Yang Gods, the sixth stage was indeed too powerful.
It was like the symbols representing the sixth stage of Yang God on the Origin Mountain. There weren't many.
But these fifth-stage Yang Gods couldn't even count how many there were.
Sixth-stage Yang Gods could interfere with the perceptions of all living beings.
They could even manipulate the Great Dao, the rules of heaven and earth, and the rules of the universe, dictating them with a single word.
Dao Lords could set the rules within their own universes, but a sixth-stage Yang God's word... could dictate the rules of countless worlds across the myriad realms.
"I take back my earlier words. Qi Yuan stands no chance against the Heavenly God."
A powerhouse who had overcome the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations spoke.
With a single glance, the Heavenly God was completely unknown to him.
But if the Heavenly God were to glance at him, all his secrets would be laid bare.
With such a gap, how could they fight?
Without seeing a sixth-stage Yang God, how could one understand their power?
Unfortunately, fifth-stage Yang Gods... didn't even have the right to see a sixth-stage Yang God.
So how could Qi Yuan fight this battle?
At the same time, in the far north, an ethereal, desolate voice echoed.
Or rather, this voice resonated in the hearts of all beings in the Rebirth realm.
"Senior Brother San Sheng, it's been a long time."
This voice, ancient and distant, fell into the hearts of countless beings, stirring various thoughts.
"Wait... Qi Yuan is the Heavenly God's senior brother?"
"San Sheng... that name... wait... the Cycle!"
"San Sheng... the Lord of the Cycle who rejected the sixth stage of Yang God?"
These top powerhouses were filled with fear and shock.
The name San Sheng, though hidden and ancient, was known to many.
After all, this figure was one of the most legendary in countless epochs.
Inside the divine treasure, a Dao Lord's body trembled violently. "He is... Lord San Sheng?"
Back in the Yin Realm, he had served a great and majestic being.
That being could answer countless questions and guide all directions with a single word.
That being could have stepped into the fifth stage of Yang God but chose the fourth stage instead.
Seventy percent of his achievements as a Dao Lord were thanks to San Sheng.
Now, hearing that Qi Yuan was San Sheng, how could he not be shocked?
Though he was a Dao Lord, he regarded San Sheng as a teacher.
"He's San Sheng?"
"What do we do? He's not from the Yin Realm?"
The Dao Lords hesitated, unsure of what to do.
If Qi Yuan were from the Yin Realm, they would naturally ally with him to infiltrate the Yang Realm.
But if he wasn't...
"Strange. He clearly has the deepest ties to the Yin Realm. How could he be San Sheng from the Yang Realm?" The Dao Lord who mastered fate was puzzled and confused.
At that moment, in the Forbidden Land, a woman surrounded by snow-covered trees opened her eyes, a trace of killing intent emanating from her.
"San Sheng isn't dead yet?"
Her consciousness awakened, and her form entered the Dark Void.
...
"I am not your Senior Brother San Sheng, and you are not my junior brother."
Qi Yuan spoke, his tone calm.
He also couldn't see the Heavenly God's form.
Hearing Qi Yuan's words, the Heavenly God seemed to fall into a long silence.
"You're right. Senior Brother San Sheng is a part of you, and I... am merely a part of your junior brother."
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