Chapter 449

The Tomb of the Masters.

Gu Qing finally arrived at this region, the origin, the source of wisdom; as his steps neared this place, he felt the transformations of the Origin Land, sensed the edge of heaven and earth where a sun rose beyond the horizon, and perceived the void being erased.

“Someone has achieved Yangshen!”

Gouli Shenwang said.

“It’s Meng Shenji!”

Meng Bingyun confirmed.

In the battle at the Imperial City, Meng Shenji sacrificed countless masters of the Central World of Panxing, accumulating immense power; after arriving at the Origin Land, he ruthlessly plundered, seized countless lineages, and gained numerous rare encounters—quietly, he had already surpassed them all, reaching the Yangshen realm; this primordial Taiji perfection at the Yuanshen level multiplied his strength manifold.

The Tomb of the Masters, once his intended destination, had now become a den of dragons and tigers.

“You cannot go in any further.”

Gu Qing sensed the aura within and said: “Inside, I may not be able to protect you fully.” As he spoke, he activated the Unyielding Stele, halting everyone just outside the Tomb of the Masters, suspending a circular mirror of light so they could witness events within through its glow.

The place was filled with intricate traps, but Gu Qing passed through them all without hindrance, his steps treading the void, everything around him unaffected and uninvolved.

Nurtured together, yet harming not; coexisting, yet never contradicting.

The aura surrounding Gu Qing could no longer be described merely as unity with heaven and earth.

At the very center of the Tomb of the Masters hung a long rainbow bridge, descending from the heavens, one end anchored to the Tomb of the Masters, the other suspended in the void, awaiting connection to a distant and mysterious shore.

Changsheng Emperor sat upon this Bridge to the Shore, the highest point of heaven, earth, and the cosmos—the very place where the Dao was born.

Changsheng Emperor, clad in ancient Daoist robes, his eyes piercing through time and space, spoke softly: “This realm’s heaven, earth, and cosmos were once a chaotic whole; but the emergence of the Bridge to the Shore elevated this place. Standing upon the Bridge, one can see the River of Time—but its ultimate limits remain unclear. Thus, we established the Eternal Wager here, to decide the fate of all sentient beings.”

Whether Changsheng Emperor or the Masters of the Middle Ages, all ultimately sought transcendence beyond the Shore.

But how to transcend the Shore remained uncertain—yet now, Changsheng Emperor gazed at Gu Qing and saw the hope of such transcendence.

“Your arrival has introduced a variable into this world.”

Changsheng Emperor affirmed.

Having learned of Gu Qing, Yi Zi no longer mattered; the Eternal Wager no longer mattered. Changsheng Emperor looked at Gu Qing and pointed to the extreme end of the Bridge to the Shore: “If you are embedded into the Bridge to the Shore, it will point toward a mysterious shore—a new future beyond heaven, earth, and the cosmos.”

Changsheng Emperor was certain of this.

Zao Hua Dao Ren, too, was certain. He appeared moments after Gu Qing stepped onto the site, no longer a projection, but having rebuilt his body using the Origin Seed and Tianjing, restored fully to his prime.

“Not enough—there’s still Meng Shenji.”

Gu Qing said.

Changsheng Emperor gazed into the void; in an instant, layers of space tore open, and Meng Shenji, seated within the Eternal Realm, his eyes bright, stepped forward and arrived at the scene.

The chance to achieve the Shore now rested entirely on Gu Qing.

“You’ve devoured the Immortal Shenwang.”

Seeing Meng Shenji’s aura, Gu Qing understood the foundation of his Yangshen attainment: the Immortal Shenwang, known as the “Child of the Dao,” possessed a body infused with the power to shatter emptiness; Meng Shenji’s reserves were already at their peak—now, having devoured the Immortal Shenwang, his ascension to Yangshen was inevitable.

“Only you remain!”

Meng Shenji, now a Yangshen, wielded boundless power; the Eternal Realm blazed with light. As the supreme artifact’s eternal radiance erupted, it instantly drowned all else—this vast, serene, transcendent yet violently boundless power reached every corner, penetrated every space, and converged entirely upon Gu Qing.

Changsheng Emperor and Zao Hua Dao Ren watched Gu Qing; as he channeled his power, they finally discerned the mysterious essence within him.

Within Gu Qing’s body lay nine suns, their balance subtle, their cultivation method enigmatic; any external force striking in would be effortlessly dissolved as the nine suns shifted their formation.

“Zao Hua’s Boat!”

Zao Hua Dao Ren casually beckoned; Zao Hua’s Boat flew from his grasp, naturally returning to his hand. In that instant, his power surged infinitely—he merged completely with Zao Hua’s Boat, stepped upon the River of Time, and slammed violently toward Gu Qing’s body!

At that moment, Gu Qing, one hand resisting Meng Shenji, the other striking a casual punch, once again merged with heaven, earth, and the cosmos; colliding with Zao Hua Dao Ren’s body, it was as if space struck time—time eroded space, yet space could also influence time; in their collision, the most primordial flow of the Dao surged forth, transforming heaven and earth as if creation and destruction had begun anew.

“Boom!”

A thunderous explosion erupted within Zao Hua Dao Ren’s body, cracking his flesh with countless bloody fissures.

“Zao Hua’s Boat was originally yours—but after I refined it for so long, how could I let you control it so effortlessly?”

At that moment, Gu Qing broke free from the chaos, raised his hand, and slashed directly toward Changsheng Emperor.

Zao Hua Dao Ren’s body cracked like spiderweb, his eyes filled with regret: “I had hoped to spar with you properly.”

From the moment he first met Gu Qing, Zao Hua Dao Ren had felt Zao Hua’s Boat still belonged to him—and though he showed no sign, he never imagined Gu Qing had already begun laying his groundwork: within Zao Hua’s Boat, Gu Qing’s Tai Shi Yuanshen had emerged, activating a formation that subtly influenced Zao Hua Dao Ren from within.

Meng Shenji turned his body, blocking Gu Qing and Changsheng Emperor, fully activating the Eternal Realm—just as Zao Hua Dao Ren had done—and charged at Gu Qing.

Gu Qing casually pointed; Meng Shenji’s body froze upon the Bridge to the Shore—and at that instant, Gu Qing had already passed him by.

“Hong Xuanji.”