Chapter 165

You resolved to protect the remaining living beings with all your might, even though you knew this cycle was no longer perfect… yet you still chose to protect.

In the eyes of your "other self," this cycle's simulation is merely a test subject, a step toward the perfect ending, so the "other self" can easily issue correct and ruthless orders.

But in your eyes, each lifetime is actually real!

In the previous lifetime, faced with irreconcilable contradictions, to prevent the primordial future from falling into a worse ending, you could only pull the world back to its original line, thereby being forced to indulge Rahu and sacrifice countless beings…

Thus you chose to atone for all lives with the honor of a quasi-sage, voluntarily ending the second lifetime, abandoning the beautiful blueprint Hongjun had granted, even though it was within reach.

In this lifetime, you again face irreconcilable contradictions; reason tells you you should follow the previous lifetime, continue sacrificing others to avoid a worse ending—at worst, you'll pay with your life!

But… do you really want to stumble twice in the same place? Do you really want to sacrifice those people again?

Sacrifice them, then exchange for their counterparts in the next lifetime?

The you of the next lifetime is still you, but are the them of the next lifetime really… still them?

Answer: No!

Having experienced three lifetimes, you clearly know: the "them" of the next lifetime will no longer be them; they simply have no next lifetime. This lifetime after lifetime of reincarnation, the protagonist has always been only yourself!

This lifetime's Ancestor Phoenix is your lover; the previous lifetime's was a precious object. This lifetime's Hongjun is your friend; the previous lifetime's was half an elder…

They merely look alike and share the same status, but they are definitely not the same person.

This lifetime's them are people you could meet only once even after countless reincarnations; to them, this lifetime is the only one!

They do not live for the "them" of the next lifetime; they have always just been themselves!

You ultimately cannot sacrifice this lifetime's reality to exchange for the "reality" of the next lifetime, because your worldview and that of your "other self" are exactly opposite: there is no "reality" of the next lifetime; the reality you are experiencing now is the true reality!

This true lifetime naturally cannot be perfect, but you also absolutely refuse to let it become more deficient.

Real? False?

You have already distinguished them.

As for the cost… whether good or bad, you are willing to bear it all!

……

Monster Calendar seven yuan, three meetings, eight fortunes: the Primeval funeral conductor, the pioneer of civilization, the guardian of all spirits, the sole true one—Jiao Ming, together with Hongjun and Ancestor Phoenix, three peak Great Luo Golden Immortal powerhouses, confront the Ancestors Qiankun and YinYang!

Three vs. two: among five peak Great Luo Golden Immortal powerhouses, a battle of life and death erupts, the highest-grade top-tier since the creation of heaven and earth!

Ancestor Qiankun wears the top-grade innate spiritual treasure Qiankun Cauldron on his head; Ancestor YinYang holds the innate supreme treasure Taiji Diagram; their Dharma treasures are sharp, their cultivation top-tier—they are originally no less than Hongjun's primordial innate divine beings, and together they surpass Hongjun!

If Hongjun were to become a sage according to the original plot, then besides the three ancestors, these two would be his greatest enemies in life… they had long been on Hongjun's kill list, and action was inevitable sooner or later.

And now you strike first; for Hongjun this is hard to bear, but it's merely moving the kill list up a notch—nothing too surprising…

Faced with this sudden attack, Ancestor Qiankun was quite bewildered, momentarily unaware of what had happened: "Hongjun old man, aren't you my teammate?"

Ancestor YinYang, whose thoughts have always been deep, had always suspected Hongjun of deceit; after all, a friend who rarely keeps in touch suddenly comes to you saying they will become sages together—however you think about it, there's something off!

Hongjun's betrayal is not strange; if he didn't betray, that would be strange.

But Ancestor YinYang cannot fathom one point: what exactly is Hongjun trying to do?

The required number of true spirits is still short by about half; the great undertaking of sagehood remains unfinished, so why did he kill so many people—just to put the two of you in mortal danger? Brother, this isn't worth it…

The increasingly puzzled Ancestor YinYang could only sigh: "Divine metal, you've killed me!"

In short, the war has begun; you, who have already distinguished false from true, real from fake, launch an attack filled with fury against Qiankun and YinYang, driven by your love and obsession for all beings of this lifetime.

This is both an early enactment of "heaven-sent justice" and your struggle to break free from all past shackles; you have already caused irreparable casualties under the command of a transcendent being; all you can do is immediately halt this correct yet mistaken transcendent command!

Regardless of the outcome.

……

From this day onward, a second round of sun rises in the vast expanse of the Western Wasteland heavens and earth, this sun coming from the Primeval Era's scorching blaze, violently colliding with a strand of black-and-white qi.

The sun's platinum-white fire light suppresses the black-and-white qi, then is pressed back by it, then presses again, then is pressed back again… heaven and earth change color, nothing else but this!

Meanwhile, the Southern Brightness Fire and a strand of purple qi jointly press down a heavy azure qi.

The azure qi, facing two opponents, is inevitably outmatched; in panic it tries to flee the battlefield, but unbeknownst to it, the Heavenly Court's myriad Great Luo Immortals, having already received the message, happen to arrive, thus three small suns and a fire phoenix jointly encircle the azure qi!

Under the sea-of-people tactics, the azure qi suffers immensely; it cannot win in fight nor escape, so it can only desperately curl up, relying on the sturdy great cauldron's defense to barely cling to life.

But a long defense inevitably fails—this heavenly principle is verified time and again…

The great cauldron struggles to hold until the next day, finally letting out a mournful cry; the protective azure qi no longer droops, revealing the Ancestor Qiankun whose face is ashen like dead ash.

"Hongjun..."

On the verge of death, he seemed to want to say something, but a strand of purple qi fiercely cut him off: "Heretics and evil ways, everyone shall punish them!"

Image and reputation are the two most important aspects for wandering the Primordial Wasteland; those who cherish their feathers always act thus.

Soon after, Ancestor Qiankun didn't even manage to leave a complete last word before perishing; the Qiankun Cauldron also fell to the ground, emitting a dull thud……

As one of the primordial deities born at the dawn of creation, Ancestor Qiankun fell ahead of time!

Yet no one spared even a moment to mourn Ancestor Qiankun's fall; they immediately rushed to another battlefield……

Seeing Qiankun's demise, the Ancestor YinYang, who was locked in an indecisive battle with you, naturally foresaw his own fate and let out a faint sigh.

It seemed a sigh for his own death, yet also a sigh for Hongjun's unexpected choice……

After a long while, under the combined assault of all, the Taiji Golden Bridge, capable of suppressing earth, wind, water, and fire, finally shattered, turning into a scroll of the Taiji Diagram that slowly drifted down.

Ancestor YinYang, perished!

Their demise marks both the end of two top-tier innate divine beings and the formal conclusion of the Great Luo's wanton slaughter of all spirits, which had persisted since the Monster Calendar seven yuan, two meetings, six fortunes up to now, spanning one meeting and two fortunes.

The deaths of these two renowned Primeval deities also signal the complete dissipation of the Primeval Era's lingering echo.

When the Ancestor Dragon and Ancestor Qilin died one after another, then the Heavenly Court was established, and finally the deaths of Qiankun and YinYang… the iconic figures of the Primeval Era, aside from you, Hongjun, and the Ancestor Phoenix, have all finally passed away.

The course of the times is decided by people; since they have died, the era naturally turns a page……

If the establishment of the Heavenly Court's Monster Calendar declares the narrow sense of the "Primeval Era" to be ended.

Then you, an outsider not belonging to history, Jiao Ming…… on this utterly ordinary day of the Monster Calendar seven yuan, three meetings, eight fortunes, personally brought to an end the broad sense of the "Primeval Era"!

On the Western Wasteland's earth, one round after another of sun gradually faded out.

Xi He, Di Jun, and Taiyi successively took human form, their faces lit with joy as they went up to greet Jiao Ming:

"Adoptive father! I knew you would definitely make a move!"

The firelight around Jiao Ming gradually faded, as he changed from a huge firebird into that slender figure in red robes.

Hearing the cheers of his children, Jiao Ming's heart shuddered, and then he finally let out a sigh.

"I... will of course make a move."

Having said that, he turned his head again to look at Hongjun.

Meanwhile, Hongjun was silently gazing at the Heaven and Earth Cauldron and the Supreme Ultimate Diagram, his eyes showing both confusion and sorrow…

He wasn't feeling sorrow over the deaths of the two old ancestors; they were already on his kill list, merely a matter of early or late killing.

He was simply feeling lost about what to do in the future.

The two reluctant tools he had painstakingly chosen died, their deaths utterly meaningless.

Myriad Spirits had already sacrificed more than half of the plan, yet the formation of the Heavenly Dao was still far off.

Neither advancing nor retreating!

Faced with this absurd turn of events, even the old Daoist Hongjun could only feel numb…

"Dao friend……"

Jiao Ming fell silent for a moment, then stepped forward.

Hongjun looked at him helplessly and sighed:

"Dao friend, once an arrow is loosed there is no turning back…… I can turn back for you once, but not a second time…… Do as you will."

With a long sigh, Hongjun turned and left, his aged figure seeming even more worn…

"Dao friend!"

Jiao Ming suddenly called out to him:

"How much more is needed?"

Hongjun turned in surprise, then understood his meaning, and on the spot took out a Jade Slip, did a quick calculation, and said in a low voice:

"The Ancestor Qilin and Ancestor Dragon, plus the Red, White, and Black Dragons, plus Heaven and Earth Yin Yang, plus the sacrificed Myriad Spirits…… we're still short by a small half."

"How much is a small half?"

Jiao Ming asked.

Hongjun pondered for a moment:

"About the amount of one Ancestor Dragon…… why are you asking this?"

"One Ancestor Dragon……"

Jiao Ming silently recited it, then lifted his head again, his expression lightened as if a burden had been lifted, and even smiled.

"Dao friend, you will surely become a sage."

Huh?

Hongjun was completely bewildered:

"What does that mean?"

Jiao Ming, however, offered no explanation and turned to walk toward Ancestor Phoenix.

"What are you doing?"

Ancestor Phoenix was scolding the listless Vermilion Bird, blaming him for some problem with the Southern Brightness Detached Fire earlier; seeing Jiao Ming approach, she tilted her head in confusion.

Upon seeing her, Jiao Ming said nothing, and in her astonished gaze he seized her hand!

Ancestor Phoenix's heart leapt; this ancient ancestor rarely lost his composure, and instinctively tried to pull his hand back.

Jiao Ming did not let go, but her words caused the courage he had mustered with difficulty to drain away by half.

After a long while he recovered, about to speak decisively, but at that moment everyone sensed something amiss and turned curious glances…

Under the gaze of all, the courage Jiao Ming had mustered again drained by half, and he finally timidly asked in a weak voice:

"... Do you lay eggs?"

Ancestor Phoenix: …

Her mouth twitched; although she found Jiao Ming's words abstract, she wasn't overly opposed, and she sighed, nodding silently.

"Give birth……"

【Yaoli Calendar Seven Elements Three Meetings Eight Fortunes, you gathered your courage and asked Ancestor Phoenix that original question!】

【And Ancestor Phoenix, this time she didn't brush you off with excuses as in her first life; everything proceeded naturally…】

【Yaoli Calendar Seven Elements Five Meetings One Fortune, the joyful Heavenly Emperor, beneath Mount Buzhou in the new capital of the Heavenly Court, held for adoptive father Jiao Ming and the Phoenix Clan's chief Ancestor Phoenix a wedding of the highest standard and greatest grandeur in the history of the Primordial Wilds.】

【Amidst the curious gaze of myriad demons, amidst the congratulations of the younger generation, amidst the convergence of the ages, amidst your three-lifetime wish, the two final direct controllers of the Primordial Era have come together.】

【The wedding is complete!】

……

(End of chapter)