Chapter 153

At this moment, Sheng Xuanyi's gaze toward Ye Wuque also completely changed.

Amid the previous calm and determination to prevail, there was now an unprecedented solemnity and astonishment.

That finger he had just flicked, though not at full power, still contained seventy percent of the might of his Holy Derivation Secret; an ordinary Heavenly Pride could not withstand it, yet the opponent merely relied on the sharp edge of his Flesh fist to withstand it head-on, even sending a faint rebound that made his qi and blood surge slightly.

This person's Flesh is absurdly strong!

The sheer depth of his foundation is simply unheard of!

His fighting spirit had not faded, but the desperate determination to fight to the death quietly waned a bit.

At their level, it is not always necessary to fight to the death, especially when their strengths are nearly equal and their goals align.

Sheng Xuanyi gradually restrained the surging aura around him, and the suffocating pressure receded like a tide.

He looked at Ye Wuque, a slightly complex expression crossing his face, then spoke again, his tone much softer: "Friend Dao, your strength truly astonishes and impresses me. My earlier rash attack—I hope you can forgive me."

He shifted his tone, probing: "You and I both know this golden paper is no trivial matter; it contains a tremendous secret. Now that we each hold a portion, if we continue fighting, even if we could decide a victor, it would surely end in mutual loss, and then we might never get to see the secret of this golden paper. I wonder… is there a possibility for us to cooperate?"

He gazed intensely at Ye Wuque: "To be frank, I have four sheets of golden paper in my hand, including the one I just acquired. Perhaps only by our two sides cooperating, combining the golden papers we each hold, can we unveil the ultimate mystery of these divine sheets."

He paused, then asked: "May I ask, Fellow Daoist Ye, how many golden papers do you have?"

Ye Wuque's thoughts raced.

Sheng Xuanyi is formidable in strength and deep in background; if not necessary, it is indeed unwise to forge a deadly enmity with him.

Moreover, what he said makes sense; the golden papers are scattered, making it ultimately difficult to see the whole picture.

Cooperation seems to be the wisest choice at present.

He pondered for a moment, did not conceal anything, and directly said: "Four."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Xuanyi's eyes suddenly burst with brilliant light, and for the first time his face showed unreserved joy: "Excellent! Indeed four! I also have four! Eight golden papers, they perfectly combine into one!"

He spoke with a hint of excitement: "Fellow Daoist Ye, why not cooperate? We will piece together the eight golden papers; if they conceal a secret, we will share it; if there is an opportunity, we will split it. How about that? I, Sheng Xuanyi, swear by the name of the Holy Clan that I will not go back on my word."

Ye Wuque looked at Sheng Xuanyi; the other's eyes were open and sincere, his oath sworn in the name of the Holy Clan carrying great weight. After a brief thought, he nodded: "Alright. Pleasant cooperation."

Seeing Ye Wuque's agreement, Sheng Xuanyi's smile widened; he solemnly clasped his hands toward Ye Wuque in a greeting and formally introduced himself: "I am Sheng Xuanyi, from the Eastern Domain of the Holy Clan in Boundless Heaven. It is a fortune to meet you, Fellow Daoist."

Ye Wuque returned the salute with clasped hands: "Ye Wuque, a mere wandering cultivator."

The War Prince beside them also gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

"Brother Ye, this place is not suitable for lingering; the commotion just now was considerable and may draw unnecessary trouble. I know a secluded spot where we can study the secret of these golden papers in peace." Sheng Xuanyi proposed.

Ye Wuque had no objection.

Under the gazes of countless astonished, bewildered, and shocked onlookers, the three who had just been battling until the starry sky shattered—like mortal enemies—now seemed to turn from foes to allies, transforming into streams of light and vanishing instantly into the depths of the starry void, leaving only a disordered battlefield and a crowd of spectators filled with doubt.

"What's going on? Are they not fighting anymore?"

"It seems Dong Sheng and that Ye Wuque… have shaken hands and made peace?"

"They even left together? This… this change is too fast!"

No one could comprehend this sudden change.

Sheng Xuanyi led Ye Wuque and the War Prince through the starry void, finally arriving at an extremely desolate star domain where even stars were scarce.

He waved his hand and laid down several powerful concealment and isolation seals, ensuring absolute safety.

"This is the place." Sheng Xuanyi looked at Ye Wuque, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Ye Wuque nodded, without delay; with a thought, four sheets of mysterious golden paper that emitted a soft glow and flowed with an ancient, mottled aura emerged from within him, hovering in the Void.

Sheng Xuanyi did the same, taking out the four golden papers he possessed.

When the eight golden papers appeared together beneath this starry sky, they seemed to generate some profound resonance between them, beginning to tremble faintly, while the light flowing across their surfaces grew ever more brilliant.

"Join!"

As Ye Wuque and Sheng Xuanyi simultaneously directed their will, the eight golden papers seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, slowly converging toward the center.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no violent energy surge—only a harmonious blending like water and milk, a natural Dao Rhythm permeating the air.

Under the gaze of Ye Wuque, Sheng Xuanyi, and the War Prince, the edges of the eight golden papers joined seamlessly; light flowed between them, the gaps vanished completely, and ultimately… they transformed into a single, intact, enormous dark-golden scroll about three feet square!

"Hum——!!!"

At the very moment the scroll became whole, an incredible transformation occurred!

It was immensely fierce and brilliantly radiant, as if containing the first gleam of light from the moment Heaven was opened and Earth split; a dazzling divine radiance burst forth from the scroll, instantly illuminating this desolate star domain, even piercing through the layers of seals Sheng Xuanyi had laid, bathing the distant stars of the outside world in brilliant light!

The scroll lay stretched across the Void, no longer a scattering of loose pages, but transformed into… a true ancient painting!

This painting is so ancient as to be unimaginable, as if it had traversed the Eternal Time and Space River.

Upon the scroll, light flowed, not static but slowly evolving and moving!

Within it seemed to contain everything: grand scenes of ancient ancestors offering sacrifices, brutal vistas of gods and demons at war, the vigorous vitality of all things growing, and the eternal loneliness of stars extinguishing…

It is not merely a painting; it is more like a segment intercepted and solidified—a dazzling, boundless… ancient chronicle of civilization!

A vast, mighty, mysterious, and profound aura, like a tide, engulfed the hearts and minds of the three.

At the same time, above the flowing scroll, the Void twisted; five characters, ancient to the extreme, with structures utterly unlike modern script, emerged, exuding an unfathomably ancient Dao Rhythm, their meaning hard to grasp, slowly condensing and shining!

At the instant he saw those five characters, Ye Wuque's body shuddered violently!

Deep within his soul and spirit, it seemed as if those five characters had stirred something; a surge rose, an indescribable sense of familiarity and palpitation welled up, as if in an unimaginably distant past he had once had some connection with these characters…

But that memory was too hazy and remote, buried deep beneath the dust of reincarnation; no matter how hard he tried, he could not clearly recall it in full.

Meanwhile, Sheng Xuanyi furrowed his brows tightly, staring fixedly at those five ancient characters, his eyes revealing a look of pursuit and recollection.

As an heir of the Undying Aristocratic Family, he had read widely, his knowledge extensive; he had especially studied the characters and secrets of various ancient epochs.

After a moment, he seemed to recall something; his eyes suddenly burst with incredulous light, and he abruptly lifted his gaze to Ye Wuque.

And almost at the same time, Ye Wuque, relying on that subtle reincarnation sense combined with the mysterious aura emanating from the scroll, was suddenly enlightened and understood its meaning.

Their gazes met in midair, as if an invisible spark had scattered.

The next moment, they spoke in unison, with a hint of shock and affirmation, slowly uttering the concrete meaning of those five ancient characters:

"Desolate… Immortal… Epoch… Chart!"

Five words, like five bolts of thunder, boomed beneath this desolate starry sky!

Wasteland Immortal Era illustration!

A picture that seems to record an epoch named the Wild Immortal Faction, its complete civilization and history…… a mysterious ancient illustration!