Chapter 283: The Karmic Threads of Yang Erlang, Yuanshi Tianzun

Yuanshi Tianzun, the legendary "Ancestor Who Presides Over the Heavenly Realm."

Born before Chaos, prior to the Formless, at the origin of Primordial Qi, hence named "Yuanshi."

He is Yuanshi; this Daoist is Yuanshi Tianzun!

'He knows my origins!'

The secret of the Heavenly Eye technique was exposed to external cultivators due to unavoidable factors, but as for his own origins—this was Qu Yanping's greatest secret!

'Tianzun.'

Without further thought, Qu Yanping instantly abandoned any notion of resistance; the Daoist before him radiated an incomparably powerful aura, inhaling and exhaling Chaotic Qi, myriad rays of light bursting forth then condensing onto a single wick of a bronze lamp.

Thud.

Qu Yanping knelt fearfully in empty space, within this unparalleled mist, trembling with dread, like a mayfly in a surging ocean, feeling the overwhelming heavenly might.

'He didn't strike me down directly.'

'I have a chance, a chance!'

Though his thoughts were momentarily blocked, his instinctive craving for life remained—his will to survive, honed through countless life-or-death crises, had not faded but grown stronger.

'From the Hengyu Realm, a lone cultivator, Qu Yanping, pays homage to Yuanshi the Great Tianzun!' Qu Yanping bowed as he remembered the manner of those cultivators, then prostrated himself.

The Daoist said nothing, so he made no other move.

As for using a Heaven's Way artifact to resist or flee? Under these circumstances, even a thousand would not suffice.

Why he had appeared here, and how the Heavenly Eye had ended up in Yuanshi Tianzun's hands—these were obvious.

Absolute disparity—before such a being, not even a single disrespectful thought should or could arise!

Around him, Chaos defied description—no sense of speed or slowness; Qu Yanping felt as if awaiting judgment, sweat dripping drop by drop from his brow, yet his body felt icy cold, his soul sensing the Daoist—whose direction was indiscernible—now everywhere, yet when he tried to focus, he saw only 'One.'

'In the ancient era of Tai Chu, even if I took no interest in mortal affairs, had I encountered a cultivator like you, I would have removed you effortlessly—unrelated to right or wrong, good or evil, merely a matter of preference.'

The Daoist's voice seemed to come from an immeasurable distance, making Qu Yanping's crouched form tense further.

'In the ancient era of the Middle Ages, your existence or nonexistence meant nothing to me; all things in the world follow their own causal destiny.'

Qu Yanping felt a surge of relief, yet dared not act rashly.

Then, within the void born of Chaos, Qu Yanping sensed time surging, rivers rushing—order seemed to emerge from Chaos.

'Rise.'

After the Daoist spoke, Qu Yanping felt as if granted divine pardon, ecstatic; he stood with utmost reverence, attempting to speak:

'Grateful for Tianzun's mercy, since entering this realm I have never done evil; past karmic debts are mine alone, and if I ever achieve cultivation success, I vow to spare no effort to make amends.'

He did not know why Yuanshi Tianzun spared his life, but as long as he could live, even if he turned from evil and performed a hundred good deeds daily, he would do it.

'Heh.' Yuanshi Tianzun merely smiled lightly, as if his words meant nothing, then picked up the Heavenly Eye and said to Qu Yanping: 'That is all for later. Now, Yang Erlang, come here.'

Yang Erlang?!

Is Huangshan Zhenjun also here?!

He frantically scanned his surroundings, but saw only the mist encompassing all things, within which countless possibilities and pasts and futures seemed to swirl.

'Why don't you come?' Yuanshi Tianzun's voice carried sternness yet evoked no fear, like a kind elder questioning a younger one's misdeed.

Qu Yanping froze for half a moment, then, after triple-checking, realized the Daoist was gazing at him with a half-smile.

His eyes widened, his mouth slightly open, his blood momentarily still—absurdity spread through his body; he could not believe what he had heard.

'Is the Tianzun calling me?'

'Am I Yang Erlang?!'

'I'

'You didn't even realize you were being used as a pawn.' Yuanshi Tianzun's tone carried mild reprimand; a pure light shot from the bronze ancient lamp before him and struck Qu Yanping's mind before he could react.

【Origin of the Heavenly Eye Technique: Taiqing Empress Ju Chang'e; the so-called opportunity was deliberately arranged—every move of his was transmitted back to Hengyu Realm, all his actions could be influenced by her; I am.】

'A pawn?' Qu Yanping's lips turned white, his color gone; he had never imagined he was all along a pawn in the hands of that noble, unfathomable Empress of Hengyu Realm—a pawn used to explore this realm!

'So that's why.'

'So that's why.'

Now everything made sense: why, over the years, he sometimes acted in ways utterly alien to his nature; why, upon seeing Heaven's Way artifacts, he would recklessly satisfy sudden, inexplicable curiosity.

All because he was a pawn, disposable at any moment—why, in that cave in Hengyu Realm, had he encountered those mortal affairs?

'Tianzun, I—' Qu Yanping's words were cut short as another beam of light pierced his body from beyond the azure mist; his brow itched, and beneath the rune-rotating Heavenly Eye, a golden inscription of a divine eye appeared.

'The remnants of the Time River devised quite a play—translating their own conception of the Heavenly Eye into reality and giving it to you. But'—Yuanshi Tianzun crushed the Heavenly Eye in his hand into boundless aurora, as if declaring a truth—

'It failed at the final step.'

'From now on, you are Yang Erlang of the Yu Xu Sect!'

Qu Yanping's spirit trembled; he did not know why he had suddenly become that legendary deity, nor why Yuanshi Tianzun had done this.

'The affairs of Hengyu Realm—grudges, karmic debts—resolve them yourself in the future.' No sooner had Yuanshi Tianzun spoken than a streak of golden light shot from the newly opened universe like a meteor.

Qu Yanping reached out and caught it—it was a talisman.

'Later, you may use this talisman to relearn the **Xuán Gōng.' Yuanshi Tianzun finished speaking; his form ceased being elusive, transforming into a handsome young man in dark Daoist robes, stepping before Qu Yanping and looking down upon him.

'Relearn… I…' A possibility flashed through Qu Yanping's mind, then he rejected it, trembling: 'May I ask, Tianzun, am I the reincarnation of Yang Erlang?'

Even as he spoke, Qu Yanping himself did not believe it—he only could not understand why Yuanshi Tianzun had done this.

'Do you even deserve it?' Meng Qi sneered inwardly, hiding the Azure Yu Xu Sword in his robes, turning away, using the resonance between them to let unabsorbed power spill out, revealing a scene of primordial creation.

He slowly paced through empty space, ensuring his true form appeared as clearly as possible before the lens, and began reciting his lines:

'After the ancient cataclysm, all worlds collapsed and fused; countless beings atop their respective worlds perished one after another. The Nine Heavens, the Underworld, the Wheel of Rebirth Sea, the Nether Realms could not contain so many powerful souls nor guide them through reincarnation—thus, the Six Realms shattered, and countless ghosts opened the gates of Yin.'

'Some beings whose souls scattered relied on the memories of mortals and their own Dao to return from the Primordial Age, but the Time River had been severed, the Great Dao erased, the blood of Heaven's Way blocking ancient history—so they transformed themselves into the new world's Time River.'

'Ghosts tainted with the aura of reincarnation fused together to become the remnants of the Time River—immortal, indestructible—called the Immortal Wicked Beings.'

'In that hour of peril, two young friends from another world sacrificed themselves, using their bodies as tombs to suppress eternity, sealing a tombstone atop the ruins of the old world—thus, the Time River could no longer interfere with the new world.'

After the great battle with Yang Jian, he had fallen into slumber, but when he saw the mortal world turned into a hell, with vengeful ghosts roaming freely, he sought out the ruins of the Underworld, replacing his divine power with endless reincarnation energy, forging his body from the principles of the stars, and linking his divine soul to the destinies of all living beings, becoming the Star God who hunts destinies.

Accompanied by the azure starlight rising around Yuan Shi Tianzun, countless stars seemed to appear in this newborn universe—these stars transformed into beings resembling humans, beasts, gods, or things beyond naming, with the great Dao of the universe flowing through them.

Creation occurred in this casual word and gesture—this was the realm of the Supreme!?

With Yuan Shi Tianzun's words, Qu Yanping understood why such a monster had appeared in the River of Time, and why that monster could halt the River of Time at will.

He himself was part of the River of Time!

What was the Catastrophe of Ruin?

And why had these ancient masters fallen one after another?

This world, with its complex power systems and such abundant resources, was born from the corpses of countless other worlds?!

But what had they once granted him the Heavenly Eye for, within the River of Time?!

"The Star God who hunts destinies has been corrupted by reincarnation energy; he now acts solely on a single command to pursue immortal evil entities. But now, with the Sword Tomb collapsing and the two types of immortal evil entities merging, he has lost his consciousness and divine powers, and stands alone, unable to hold back the tide." Yuan Shi Tianzun projected an image: a godlike figure composed of golden light and stars, moving intermittently, standing still at times, devoid of any self-awareness.

"And what of you?" Qu Yanping, understanding the reason, ventured to ask: "If you were to act—"

"I have long since perished," Meng Qi smiled and said, "what you see now is merely a lingering thought I left behind."

Only a single thought! Only now did Qu Yanping truly feel the power of these beings of the Supreme Realm—could even a single thought achieve such a feat!?

"In the first half of your life, you spared no means to achieve your goals, pursuing power without regard for reason, falling into the demonic path and regarding mortals as mere grass and dogs."

"Now, I give you a chance: from this day forward, you are Yang Jian—not a reincarnation."

"I want you to absorb the Star God, consume his essence, and roam for the sake of all beings across the myriad worlds, hunting these—"

"Immortal, indestructible ghosts!"

Meng Qi swept his sleeve, and a broken, ancient, crack-ridden three-pronged, two-edged spear fell from beyond the heavens, hurtling toward Qu Yanping with power enough to destroy heaven and earth.

"For cultivating the Heavenly Eye, you bear the fruit of the Pure Source's Marvelous Dao! Yang Jian! Do you have the resolve?!"

Qu Yanping did not hesitate—he understood this was an opportunity, his chance to ascend to the heavens in a single step!

Demonic path? Evil villain? Hahaha!

When I become the Huangshan Zhenjun, all my past will vanish like smoke.

Qu Yanping caught the three-pronged, two-edged spear and knelt on one knee before Yuan Shi Tianzun: "Yang Jian accepts the order!"

Meng Qi smiled faintly, and the chaotic universe around him, like a curtain, was drawn and absorbed into his body: "Remember, though I have perished, I shall one day return from the legends of the myriad worlds. If in the future you fail your mission—"

"Yang Jian shall gladly accept death!" Qu Yanping declared with righteous vigor: "Please, Zhang Sect, have no fear!"

"Good," Meng Qi raised his hand, and a portal appeared beside Qu Yanping: "Go join the hunt. All your past sins and virtues are but necessary sacrifices before this great deed."

"Yes!" Qu Yanping stepped without hesitation into the azure portal; the next moment, he appeared upon a desolate land forged of bronze.

The golden pattern on his brow split open, the Heavenly Eye reappearing on his forehead, while the token in his hand blazed with light—phantom staircases emerged, as if to guide him toward the infinite heights of the sky.

Simultaneously, a Dao art of transforming falsehood into truth appeared in his mind: the method of consuming the "Star Hunter" destiny.

His lips twitched, as if he wished to laugh aloud—but he restrained himself, for he did not know whether Yuan Shi Tianzun still watched him.

"Righteous path? Demonic path? The path of the Star Hunter!" Qu Yanping walked up the phantom staircases, reciting verses of this world, his years of suppressed bitterness swept away: "A golden scale is no mere fish of the pond; once it meets water, it becomes a dragon!"

On the screen of Shuijing Peak, the scene had just reached Qu Yanping entering the portal.

Then, the vanished Yuan Shi Tianzun reappeared—but this time, layers of deep darkness gathered behind Him.

"Yuan Shi Tianzun? Yuan Shi Tianzun?!! Hahaha!" The Yuan Shi Tianzun covered his face and laughed uproariously, his laughter echoing with irregular rhythm: "How long has it been since anyone called me Yuan Shi Tianzun!"

"Yes, I am Yuan Shi!" The handsome youth He had become wept blood from his eyes; dark energy and corruption coalesced, and the yin-yang fish beneath His feet gradually turned entirely black.

His black Dao robe transformed into a robe woven of radiant light, yet His appearance grew grotesque, as seething demonic aura burst forth, staining heaven and earth with ink-like darkness.

"Before the age reaches its end, I truly was Yuan Shi Tianzun—Hahaha!"

He reverted to the indescribable form of the Daoist, neither old nor young, and looked up at the heavens, coldly speaking:

"Now, I am"

"Yuan Shi Tian Mo!!!"

A mist swirled forth, layer upon layer; in this newly formed world, ruin and death reigned.

End of Chapter