Chapter 442

The Tang Dynasty, Changancheng.

Gu Qing summoned his son in this world, extracted the remnants of Xu Yi’s thoughts—already purified by Gu Qing—and gave them to Gu Yi, instructing him to slowly refine them. As his biological son in this world, Gu Yi’s body was now made of divine stone, possessing the potential to shatter vacuum; further refining Xu Yi’s thoughts would allow him to make rapid progress in his soul.

“Is Xu Yi not your match?”

Meng Bingyun’s eyes sparkled with delight. Before marrying Gu Qing, she could not discern the upper limit of his power; after marrying him, she still could not. After all, Gu Qing had not reached the corresponding realm, yet the latent power within him and his various techniques could even produce effects that shattered vacuum.

Now Xu Yi has been defeated by Gu Qing.

This filled Meng Bingyun’s heart with joy.

“Only if his true body arrives will he stir my interest. A mere minor spirit? I can crush him with ease.”

Gu Qing spoke calmly, watching Gu Yi refine Xu Yi’s spirit, saying: “Hong Yi gained recognition from the Great Chan Temple and the Hundred Schools during his campaign against the Southern Dalaopai. As a scholar, he recently vowed the grand aspiration of ‘All People Become Dragons.’ In this vast world, the identity of the Yi Son belongs to none but him.”

Hong Yi’s rapid cultivation progress stems primarily from this vow. Because of it, his heart is vast and his thoughts upright, capable of embracing all kinds of ‘heroes.’ Yet it is also this vow that, even when his soul becomes Yangshen, his body shatters vacuum, his power ascends infinitely, and his ears hear the cheers from the Other Shore, he still cannot cross over to it.

“So you are guiding our child toward the path of the ancient sage-kings.”

Meng Bingyun said gently.

Hong Yi’s path was too perilous, so Gu Qing did not lead Gu Yi toward it. Instead, he guided Gu Yi toward the path of the ancient sage-kings, removing the dangers of that lineage, balancing the wager between the ancient sage-kings and the Hundred Schools, helping his own son reach the pinnacle.

The path of the ancient sage-kings shall be inherited by Gu Qing’s blood son.

The path of the middle-age scholars shall be inherited by Gu Qing’s spiritual son.

When these two boys unite in the future, they may just send their father across the Other Shore.

“A father must always plan a path for his children.”

Gu Qing retrieved the Imperishable Stele. The Supreme Soul, containing the Lord of the Future, underwent countless transformations in a single thought. At this moment, nine eyes fixed upon the Imperishable Stele, their pupils darting as they recorded forty-eight million tiny arrays one by one.

“As for us…”

Gu Qing glanced at Meng Bingyun, thinking of the future of this Yangshen world and the eventual annihilation of heaven and earth after twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty years, and said: “I must prepare another path for you.”

Another path?

Amid Meng Bingyun’s confusion, the scriptures of the Immortal Emperor of Longevity began to surface within the Imperishable Stele.

“The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao.”

Gu Qing memorized the Immortal Emperor of Longevity’s secret texts, while extending his hand to sense the terrifying Divine King’s flesh transformations. Under the condition of using good merit to retain memory, the myriad acupoints and deepest layers of flesh changes within his body revealed themselves before Gu Qing. In this state, he gained new insights into transformation arts.

“Bingyun!”

Gu Qing called Meng Bingyun over, meeting her gaze, and said: “In the legacy of the Supreme Dao, there is the Eternal Kingdom; in the legacy of the Creation Dao, there is the Boat of Creation. Both are divine artifacts of supreme rank, each hoping to preserve those within when heaven and earth perish. If heaven and earth perish but I do not, even if it is not the Other Shore, it is still a kind of immortality.”

“Therefore, by studying the flesh of the ancient Divine King, I intend to transform you into a state of immortality.”

The ancient gods, divine race, demon race, and Nüwa clan of Immortal Sword Hero Legend all possess nearly endless lifespans, but when they bear children, they suffer damage. Yet in this world, cultivation methods exist to avoid such consequences.