Chapter 349: The Divine Path Collapses, the Immortal Path Hunts Gods! (Combined)

Xuanling Jie'e Yansheng Xingjun was the first mortal to ascend to godhood in antiquity!

Now, he relinquishes his divine status and proclaims it to all heavens!

This voice is the sound of the Divine Path's collapse, spreading throughout the cosmos, heard by all cultivators in the world.

The higher one's cultivation, the grander and more vast the voice sounds; Qi Condensation cultivators hear only faint murmurs, indistinct and blurred, while Foundation Establishment cultivators hear clear, resonant words.

By the Jin Dan and Nascent Soul realms, it is as if countless voices shout in unison, shaking their spiritual cores violently.

And the sole Soul Transformation cultivator of the 【Steal Qi Dao】 felt ten thousand thunderclaps exploding at his ears—his body, flesh, magic power, and primordial spirit were all shaken to the brink of disintegration!

In contrast, ordinary mortals felt absolutely nothing…

He Yunqi had spent this period accompanying Seeing Hong Zun visiting legacy caves from the previous epoch, receiving Seeing Hong Zun's guidance on cultivation insights, and had already forged his Dao foundation.

Thus, he heard that voice echoing across the cosmos with perfect clarity.

"Xuanling Jie'e Yansheng Xingjun…"

emm…

Come to think of it, I didn't die at his hands after all.

Before he could make sense of it all, the voice of divine relinquishment—solemn, sinister, detached, or gentle—sounded again in his ears.

"I am Yangming Tanlang Xingjun; today I relinquish my divine position, returning authority to the Great Dao of All Heavens—may Heaven and Earth bear witness!"

"I am Yinjing Jumen Xingjun; today I relinquish my divine position, returning authority to the Great Dao of All Heavens—may Heaven and Earth bear witness!"

It was as if a chain reaction had begun—voice after voice spread across the cosmos, echoing through all heavens within the realm!

Some overlapped, yet each remained distinct and crystal-clear when heard.

"I am True Person Lu Cun Xingjun; today I relinquish my divine position, returning authority to the Great Dao of All Heavens…"

"I am Dan Yuan Lianzhen Xingjun; today I relinquish my divine position…"

"I am Tian Guan Pojun Xingjun…"

"I am Tian Liang Silu…"

One by one, divine beings—familiar or unknown, all True Jun deities who had ascended from mortals—now shed their divine titles and returned their authority.

He Yunqi froze completely, motionless, staring at the sky.

In the Dao Yan Da Qian Lu's divine projection, it had merely brushed over the event with the phrase: "Divine beings relinquish their positions, True Jun return authority to the mortal realm, daylight starlight outshines the sun's radiance…"

He never imagined that witnessing it firsthand, the divine relinquishment would be so overwhelmingly majestic!

Zhum~!

As numerous Xingjun-level deities relinquished their positions, the stars in the heavens responded.

Without warning, a single point of light appeared in the sky—violet, brilliant, dazzling.

Then, one after another, stars of all colors ignited, scattered like chess pieces across the heavens; the sun's brilliance was utterly drowned out.

A celestial omen, visible to all living beings.

"Daylight starlight outshines the sun's radiance…"

These words reappeared in He Yunqi's mind.

Li!

A cry rang out—solemn yet sorrowful, as if mourning the final requiem of this epoch's Divine Path…

Wait.

Why did it sound to him like a scream?

Could the Golden Crow Great God be screaming?

Impossible, impossible!

He must have imagined it.

He banished that absurd thought from his mind.

Once the Xingjun-level divine relinquishment declarations ended, it was now the Tianjun-level's turn.

The Tianjun-level relinquishment brought no such grand celestial phenomena; unenlightened mortals sensed nothing at all.

But for cultivators, it was far more significant than before.

If the authority held by Xingjun-level deities was abstract concepts—life and death, longevity, fortune and misfortune—

then the authority held by Tianjun-level deities was tied directly to the "celestial spirits" cultivators required.

In the Divine Path era, laws were strict: "spirit" belonged to the gods, so spiritual substances on earth were exceedingly rare.

For cultivators to find even one spiritual substance was nearly impossible.

But as Tianjun-level True Jun deities returned their authority, the world's spiritual energy was no longer restricted, and countless spiritual substances would gradually grow over time!

"I am Yuxu Tianjun; today I relinquish my divine position, returning authority to the Great Dao of All Heavens—may Heaven and Earth bear witness!"

"I am Gengjin Tianjun…"

"I am Renshui Tianjun…"

Merely three Tianjun relinquishing their positions and returning authority caused the world's spiritual energy to surge by several orders of magnitude.

Within the earth's veins, jade grew hidden; metal and ore brimmed with spirit; in rivers and streams, spiritual substances took root—given time, they could become array foundations, be forged into magical weapons, or be infused into pills.

The transformation of Heaven and Earth was complete in a single day!

Is this what the collapse of the Divine Path system looks like…

He Yunqi's expression was complex; no matter how many times the Dao Yan Da Qian projection had shown it, nothing compared to experiencing it firsthand.

"Senior…"

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something.

But the words stuck in his throat—he felt anything he said now would be superfluous.

His heart was a tangle of chaos.

"Here is my final advice," Seeing Hong Zun said, extending his hand, drawing forth threads of spiritual energy from the void and gathering them into his palm.

"I listen," He Yunqi replied solemnly.

"The Divine Path has ended; the Immortal Path has begun—but you were once protected by the God of Virtue."

As he spoke, the threads of spiritual energy coalesced in Seeing Hong Zun's palm into a crystal-clear spiritual energy crystal.

"With the collapse of the Divine Path, the empowering strength of divine positions has diminished. Cultivators across the world now seek to hunt gods for cultivation. Therefore, should you ever encounter the God of Virtue in distress, lend aid."

Aid... the God of Virtue?

His heart stirred, but then hardened; he bowed deeply.

"Your disciple understands."

Hunt the evil gods. Aid the good gods.

"If you ever grow confused in the future, go to the Taiping Dao."

As these words reached his ears, He Yunqi looked up—but Seeing Hong Zun had vanished, leaving only the crystal-clear spiritual energy crystal, shimmering with myriad radiant auspicious signs, floating silently before him.

Mingxin Stone: it reveals the past deeds of a cultivator's spirit; good and evil become clear.

Chengming Mountain, Yunhai Pavilion.

Inside the alchemy chamber, flames blazed fiercely, but as Jiang Lin swept his sleeve, the fire ceased.

With a flick of his hand, he sent forth a thread of magic power, drawing out eighty-one snow-white pills, each one falling in sequence into a gourd beside him.

Dozens of such gourds rested near him, and several wooden shelves beside them were piled high with them.

After this period of nonstop alchemy, his alchemical technique had grown far more refined; now, a single furnace could produce eighty-one pills at once.

"These should be sufficient for now..."

Jiang Lin murmured, picking up one of the gourds.

Held in his hand, it still radiated the faint warmth of freshly forged pills.

He rose and swept his sleeve again; the remaining gourds were swept up and landed with perfect precision on the empty spaces of the nearby wooden shelves.

Having finished, he turned and walked toward the alchemy chamber's exit.

As the wooden door creaked open with a sluggish groan, golden sunlight flooded into the chamber.

This prolonged stretch of continuous alchemy had left no trace of fatigue upon him.

Instead, his demeanor now carried an air of transcendence, purity, and natural ease...

Most of his disciples had descended the mountain; only a delicate, doll-like girl sat on the steps before the alchemy chamber, holding a wooden stick and listlessly poking the ground before her.

Sensing the door behind her open, she sprang to her feet, brushing off faint dust from her clothes.

"Master!"

Lin Yueyue.

She was the little girl Jiang Lin had brought back after encountering Xiong Shen, and now his youngest disciple.

The food at Yunhai Pavilion was decent, and since Jiang Lin had learned alchemy, he often brewed pills to nourish his disciples.

After this period of care, her figure was no longer gaunt; her complexion was ruddy, her blood and qi abundant, her spirit full and vibrant—and she had even reached the first level of Qi Condensation.

Jiang Lin stepped forward and patted his disciple's small head: "Has Little Yueyue been studying hard lately?"

Lin Yueyue nodded vigorously: "Mm-hmm! I've worked so hard!"

Jiang Lin smiled, then looked up toward the horizon.

The time had come.

"I am Xuanling Jie'e Yansheng Star Jun. Today, I relinquish my divine position..."

Everything He Yunqi had witnessed...

More precisely, everything witnessed by all living beings in the world—was also witnessed by this master and disciple within the pavilion.

The Star Jun relinquishes his divine position, returning authority to the Great Dao of Heaven.

"Master, what is that?"

Lin Yueyue pointed to the starlight above the sky.

Because she was only at the first level of Qi Condensation, the sound reached her as barely a whisper.

Jiang Lin activated his cultivation method, calming his trembling spirit: "That... is the omen of a new era dawning."

Lin Yueyue looked up blankly, not understanding the meaning.

Jiang Lin offered no further explanation, continuing to gaze calmly at the sky.

So it is...

During this period of meditating on the four scriptures, his understanding of the great currents of heaven and earth had grown ever clearer.

As each Star Jun relinquished their divine position, he felt with absolute clarity: the lifespans of cultivators across the world were steadily increasing, and all restrictions were being lifted. 'Great chaos approaches...'

He sighed inwardly.

True Jun spirits who ascended from humanity may relinquish their divine positions and return their authority—but what of those spirits born from divine positions and authority?

To relinquish the divine position and return authority means self-annihilation. How could they possibly consent?

But the cultivators of the Immortal Path, now gradually breaking free from their bonds—would they allow the 'Divine Path' to remain as a shackle upon them?

Clearly not.

Originally, there was a vast gulf between them; the Divine Path towered far above the Immortal Path.

But with these 'True Jun' descending to the mortal realm, this fragile balance shattered instantly!

The Immortal Path seeks to break free and roam unbound; the Divine Path clings to its position to prevent dissolution.

With the turning of the age, Immortals and gods must clash—and a great war is inevitable.

In such a turbulent age, can I protect these common people?

What role can these four sect scriptures play in this age where the Divine Path is gradually declining...

This novel's latest update is ##!! Updated!

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Jiang Lin suddenly spoke:

"Worthless deity Tong Li, summon forth at once!"

Hum~

A thread of Jin Guang came from afar, swift and urgent.

In less than half a breath, it landed before Jiang Lin, taking form as a four-armed Jin Jiashen, wielding a six-faceted Golden Flail of Purification, eyes blazing gold, waist entwined with the forms of dragon and tiger, divine aura vast and overwhelming.

It was Tongli Shenjun.

Lin Yueyue hid behind Jiang Lin, curiously poking her head out to peek.

"Tong Li bows before the Master!" Tongli Shenjun bowed his head, kneeling half-low, voice reverent.

I may never escape this lifetime—better to submit...

"I ask you: as so many Zhenjun have descended to reclaim their authority, how much of your divine position's power has diminished?"

"Huh?" Tongli Shenjun looked up, bewildered. "Your servant... does not understand your meaning."

Zhenjun descending to reclaim authority...

What does that have to do with divine position power?

Jiang Lin froze at this, a wildly implausible possibility occurring to him.

The Divine Path system trembled as many Zhenjun descended.

Those who foresaw this, those Immortal Path seeds reborn, would not miss this opportunity.

Great Tong Dynasty, Pingzhou.

Mingze River!

This river cuts through all of Pingzhou, the most famed watercourse in the region, with countless tributaries sustaining countless lives.

Yet now, waves churned violently upon its surface, and a lithe figure walked atop them, strangely wondrous.

She was a bright woman clad in coarse hemp robes, holding a dull gray longsword.

Towering waves, each carrying the force of a thousand jin, crashed toward her repeatedly!

But the woman merely swung her dull gray longsword, effortlessly severing each thunderous wave.

In her bright eyes, purple Lei Guang flickered, elevating her combat power to the Nascent Soul realm.

"Damnable mortal! How dare you defy your superior, offend a deity!"

Before the clear-featured woman.

Upon the Mingze River, a blue figure fled swiftly, resembling a azure dragon, its body rippling with heavy water-current power.

It was the Mingze River Water God!

He raged inwardly, hurling furious curses.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion darkened the sky as if in that instant; fierce lightning writhed within.

Then, the river's surface was split open.

The broad river seemed divided by a single straight line.

It was a swordlight—swordlight capable of toppling mountains and rivers, reversing seas.

The Mingze River Water God's soul nearly fled his body; every scale on his body stood erect from the swordlight's icy killing intent.

Damn it!

Normally, summoning the water-current power of these three hundred li of Mingze River would have easily blocked this swordstroke.

But now, he was in the weak phase of a Zhenjun's descent—he had no strength to evade the incoming swordlight!

The vast purple swordlight engulfed him entirely.

His resilient scales shattered in bursts of blazing white light; flesh peeled back, then instantly charred, releasing the scent of roasted meat.

"Summon the Five Thunder Dominion Body—open!"

A hundred-zhang divine body, woven through with thunder, raised a longsword of Lei Guang; countless Lei Guang talisman characters circled the blade, Lei She writhed fiercely, radiating endless destruction.

At this moment, the three-hundred-li Mingze River seemed tiny!

"Today I slay this evil deity—offer him to my Dao path!"

The Lei Guang longsword slowly rose...

"Cut!"

In her clear cry, thunderous light exploded with surging winds; the air crackled with the smell of burning.

The Lei Guang longsword, radiating endless destruction, slammed into the dying Mingze River Water God!

Boom!

Boom—boom—boom!

Waves surged skyward; amid the mist, a golden divine origin slowly rose.

Like a tiny sun, radiating light in all directions.

The massive hundred-zhang divine body dissolved; the girl holding the gray longsword appeared before the divine origin, reaching out to seize it.

Gazing at the apple-sized divine origin in her hand, her eyes flickered with complexity.

Long moments passed before she clasped her palms together, sealing away the divine origin, then sighed toward the horizon.

"Father, mother—I have avenged you."

Her parents were killed by one of the Mingze River Water God's shrimp soldiers.

In her previous life, she wasted many years and only began cultivation very late; by the time she gained the strength to seek revenge, the Mingze River Water God had already been slain by the Qianyan Dao Master…

Fortunately, this time, she finally did not miss it again.

After closing her eyes to steady her breath, she opened them and stepped upon the waves as she departed.

She was going to seek out the next evil god!

……

……

Because this celestial and divine era's transition involved the Heavenly Sovereign deliberately extending the Divine Path's era, the number of Immortal Path catalysts is greater than in previous epochs.

As the saying goes, the bigger the forest, the more kinds of birds there are.

Some Immortal Path catalysts kill only evil gods, while others have no such scruples.

For instance, that extremely unlucky Cangyun Yaojun.

A desolate little mountain.

Cangyun Yaojun stared at the divine path origin in his palm—no larger than a grain of rice—his face as dark as water.

Beside him lay a wild boar over two meters tall, its tusks sharp, a fist-sized blood hole beneath its neck.

It was the local mountain god.

His Shanhe Pearl was damaged, and he had suffered heavy injuries, leaving him unable to establish his Dao foundation even now.

Thus, even a village-level Earth God might now be his match.

He could only bully minor gods in these remote places…

Of course, the divine path origin he gained from such targets was extremely minimal.

Not to mention gaining an early lead in cultivation resources—he wasn't even sure he could keep up with the first tier after missing this opportunity.

"Damn Qianyan Dao Master!" he gritted his teeth.

True, Jiang Lin had shattered his Shanhe Pearl and robbed him of the chance to harvest divine path origin, but what he hated even more was He Yunqi!

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Cangyun Yaojun turned and left.

He knew of another mountain god, whose divine position's power had been greatly diminished—now no stronger than Qi Condensation seventh or eighth layer…

Though the divine path origin gained would be small.

But even a mosquito's leg is meat!

High in the heavens.

Xu Xing, Bie Xuening, and Xiang Yuanjun stood atop the clouds.

As they traveled and gathered divine path information, they completed collecting all such data just before the Zixuan Zhenjun descended.

The "Divine Path Information Vessel" now glowed with extraordinary splendor.

Beside the golden-threaded spherical orb floated countless shifting colored light dots, the whole resembling a strange nebula.

"It has finally begun," Xu Xing said, gazing into the distance.

All within this world—the actions of the Immortal Path catalysts—were laid bare before his gaze.

emm…

Seeing Hong Zun, my friend, certainly has a taste for amusement.

Still, under normal circumstances, I might have joined in the fun myself.

"The Immortal Path catalysts' tactics are truly endless."

No wonder each of them is cheating.

In less than a day since the great change, several divine beings above the Tongli Shenjun rank have perished.

And all were slain by "reincarnation-stream" Immortal Path catalysts.

"The Divine Path will soon retaliate," Bie Xuening said.

A dying camel is still bigger than a horse; the Immortal Path catalysts have merely caught the Divine Path spirits off guard.

Once the Divine Path responds, it won't be so easy anymore.

For a long time ahead, it will be a game of strategy between the descending Zixuan Zhenjun and the Divine Path spirits—only a few like Jiang Lin, who already possess considerable cultivation, can join the fray. (End of Chapter)