Chapter 1355: Beyond Time (Final)

Time flowed on.

Three hundred years had passed in Wanggu. During these three centuries, Wanggu remained peaceful, and no more anomalies appeared between heaven and earth. Most of the deities of Wanggu, following Xu Qing's return three hundred years ago, had chosen to depart. Few remained. After the disappearance of the God Venerable, the entire Ninth Star Ring's divine system had dissipated. Only Shang Huang remained. It still hung high above Wanggu, its complete face forever closed in slumber.

As for the old acquaintances Xu Qing knew, each had found their own opportunities and fortunes over these three centuries. Among them, Seventh Master, due to the unique nature of his cultivation method and having reached the end of his own practice, chose to do as he always had: he re-entered reincarnation. However, this time, he did not enter Wanggu's cycle of rebirth. He went to Houtu, to be reborn there. This was his path. After making this decision, he told Xu Qing, “We will meet again in the future.” Xu Qing naturally did not obstruct him. After a silent nod, he personally escorted Seventh Master to Houtu, watching him dissipate into the Houtu Star Ring, and bowed deeply.

Afterward, Xu Qing went to Huangtian. There, he gazed at his Eldest Senior Brother, who was still in a deep slumber. With Xu Qing's current cultivation and experience, he had more or less figured out the origin of his Eldest Senior Brother. “It has nothing to do with the original Mother Star. Eldest Senior Brother... should be related to the Divine Umbilical Cord,” Xu Qing whispered, then turned and left Huangtian, returning to Chaoxia Mountain. He resumed his cultivation progression, which had been ongoing for three hundred years. For Xu Qing, the Immortal Venerable realm was already within reach. The fusion of the twin stars would truly bring about unity, marking the path to Immortal Venerable. But the time required would be incredibly long. However, Xu Qing was not in a hurry. He was not even entirely immersed in this cultivation; rather, with a calm heart, he quietly experienced life, passing through the changes of seasons with Zi Xuan, year after year.

One day, many years later, on Chaoxia Mountain, Xu Qing was listening with a smile as Zi Xuan recounted their initial meeting when he suddenly felt a stirring in his heart and looked up at the sky. In the next instant, while he remained on Chaoxia Mountain, another version of him appeared above the firmament, before the high-hanging Shang Huang. Gazing at the closed eyes of Shang Huang, Xu Qing sat down cross-legged and waited silently. After several dozen breaths, Shang Huang, which had remained motionless for a thousand years, slowly opened its eyes! They were no longer one crimson and one void, as they had been back then. The opened eyes revealed clarity as they looked towards Xu Qing. “You’ve awakened,” Xu Qing said calmly. Shang Huang remained silent. After a long moment, a thunderous roar echoed throughout Wanggu. If one were to look at Wanggu from space beyond it at that moment, they would clearly see Shang Huang's spine, which had been coiled around Wanggu like a centipede, now stretching out! In an instant, it completely unfurled, no longer coiling, but instead rapidly shrinking as it stretched, along with Shang Huang's complete face! Everything, in a fleeting moment, seemed to vanish! On this day, at this moment, all living beings in Wanggu felt their hearts churn intensely. Because the fragmented face, which had hung in the sky in the memories of their ancestors, had disappeared! And in the sky, before Xu Qing, an additional figure appeared. Clad in a black robe, with long black hair, the figure sat cross-legged in front of Xu Qing, raising its head to reveal a face similar to Xu Qing's.

“Through these years, my appearance has caused trouble for you and your world. This is the karma of my destiny, and it will remain with my destiny forever,” the figure spoke softly. “Therefore, on the day I become a god, I swore a divine oath: All beings who perished because of me will, in the future, shine brightly alongside me!” Xu Qing looked deeply at the figure before him. “Should I call you Zi Qing, or Shang Huang?” “I don’t know who I am either. Perhaps Shang Huang, or Zi Qing, or even a combined consciousness of both. But I prefer the name Zi Qing.” Zi Qing looked at Xu Qing and smiled. “Then, can you tell me now about my origin?” Xu Qing asked calmly.

A profound look appeared in Zi Qing's eyes. “Do you truly wish to know?” Xu Qing nodded. Zi Qing fell silent, then after a moment, looked up towards the distant void. Its voice seemed to come from the depths of time, echoing in Xu Qing's ears. “Your integration has reached its limit; perhaps you can complete the final step of ascending the star rings at any moment. And whether it is the God Venerable or the Immortal Venerable path you follow, there is actually no distinction between higher and lower realms; only the strength of the authority one comprehends. To a certain extent... once you reach it, you have reached it. This is the limit of ascension. But it is not the limit for us, or for many predecessors. According to the earliest records of the Abyssal Realm, beyond our current realms, there exists an even higher level. The Abyssal Realm calls it Guiming. And the current ascendant beings call it ‘Divine Being’. As for you cultivators, in the future, you will also have a special name for it: Xiyi, which is also the essence of the Dao.” At this point, Zi Qing's gaze returned from the distance and settled on Xu Qing. Xu Qing looked at Zi Qing, thoughtfully, and spoke slowly. “To reach the level you speak of, one must leave the realm of ascension and walk the Divine Umbilical Cord!” Upon hearing this, Zi Qing nodded. “The name Divine Umbilical Cord originated in the Abyssal Realm. In the era when the Abyssal Realm dominated, it was called the Aberrant Umbilical Cord. It is the only path to leave the realm of ascension; only by treading that path can one pursue a higher realm. And I, back then, ventured to the deepest part of the Divine Umbilical Cord... This process was also my advancement. Or rather, every being who steps onto the Divine Umbilical Cord begins their self-advancement the moment they enter. If someone can fully emerge, they can become a Divine Being. And I was just one step away.” Zi Qing sighed softly.

“Is it related to me?” Xu Qing suddenly asked. Zi Qing's gaze deepened further, and it slowly nodded. “In the deepest part of the Divine Umbilical Cord, I saw a long corridor with many doors. Each door represented a God Venerable or an Abyssal Venerable! For every new Venerable in this world, an additional door appears there.” Xu Qing's eyes narrowed upon hearing this. Zi Qing continued. “To truly advance, one must carve their name on a door, push it open, and walk through it. And at the end of that corridor, there was a chair... on which sat a person. In their hand, they held a purple crystal, and beside them were a woman's skeleton and a withered blue worm, both long dead. They sat there alone, enveloped in an ancient aura that seemed to trace back to the Abyssal Realm... I don't know who they were, but the moment I saw them, two words appeared in my mind: Si Yu! They were on the verge of death, while I was in my prime. They blocked me from carving my name, so a life-and-death battle ensued between us! In that battle, I lost, escaping with only a remnant of my body. But they didn't truly win either... Because they passed away in the deepest part of the Divine Umbilical Cord. And before their passing, through my power of return, they sent out a possibility. Even now, as I recall, their obstruction of me might have been because they had already reached their limit before me, and my appearance gave them hope. So, after my defeat, they didn't kill me but deliberately let me go, precisely to... carry away their possibility. That possibility merged with mine, and together, they went to the original Mother Star in Huangtian. Then, you became you.” Zi Qing looked at Xu Qing. Xu Qing was silent, these words stirring ripples in his heart. He thought of his own purple crystal, the corridor deep within his soul, and that chair... Most importantly, the woman's skeleton and the blue worm Zi Qing spoke of...

After a long pause, Zi Qing stood up. “Since I have awakened, I shall continue my journey on the Divine Umbilical Cord.” Zi Qing asked with a smile, “This time, no one will stop me. And you... will you see me off?” Upon hearing this, Xu Qing slowly nodded. The Divine Umbilical Cord could exist anywhere within the ascending star rings. However, to open it, the will of the ascending realm itself had to willingly open. This opening was something the ascending will was reluctant to do. But for Zi Qing, this was not an issue. The moment it chose to enter the Divine Umbilical Cord from the Eighth Star Ring, the will of the Eighth Star Ring spontaneously trembled and willingly opened itself for it. A massive vortex was released; that was the entrance to the Divine Umbilical Cord. Zi Qing did not conceal its departure, so on that day, all the God Venerables across the entire ascending star rings appeared, including the Great Beast and the Black Tower. They understood that if Shang Huang intended to act, their presence or absence would lead to the same outcome. Thus, it was better to face it calmly. Among them were the Immortal Venerable of the Fifth Star Ring and Master Bai by his side. The two of them, along with all the God Venerables, watched Zi Qing and Xu Qing. Gazing at them, Zi Qing, standing at the entrance of the Divine Umbilical Cord, suddenly spoke, “Are there any among you willing to travel with me?” As its voice rang out, the hearts of all the surrounding God Venerables rippled. They were well aware of the dangers of the Divine Umbilical Cord, but it was the path to a higher realm. Those who could reach the God Venerable realm possessed their own aspirations and courage. If a possibility existed, they would naturally not be content with their current realm. Therefore, this was an opportunity! Ultimately, some God Venerables, driven by their various needs and thoughts, chose to enter the Divine Umbilical Cord with Zi Qing. But many more God Venerables did not; they, along with Xu Qing, watched the departure. Xu Qing's gaze slowly retracted only after the Divine Umbilical Cord's vortex disappeared. He had not seen the corridor Zi Qing spoke of. And the other Venerables departed one by one. At the level of God Venerables and Immortal Venerables, they would not easily engage in conflict with each other, and the two paths of divine beings and cultivators seemed insignificant before the Divine Umbilical Cord. However, the Immortal Venerable of the Fifth Star Ring and Master Bai reminisced with Xu Qing before leaving. They then returned to their respective star rings. As for Xu Qing, he returned to Chaoxia Mountain, continuing to listen to Zi Xuan recount the stories of their past encounters, a gentle smile on his face.

Time flowed ceaselessly. Years passed by in silent succession. The story of time continued to unfold, event by event, incident by incident. New cultivators rose, and old ones faced bitter ends. The same was true for the divine beings. It was a cycle, repeating over and over, as if its trajectory had barely changed since ancient times. As for the Divine Umbilical Cord, it opened several more times during the subsequent years. Each time, God Venerables chose to depart, pursuing the divine! But no one knew whether Zi Qing and the others from that time had succeeded, nor whether the God Venerables who later entered the Divine Umbilical Cord were still alive. What lay beyond the ascending realm, much like what lay beyond time itself, was unfathomable.

Until this particular year. March, during the Awakening of Insects. Er Niu awoke. The moment he awoke, all of Huangtian boomed. The immense sound, accompanied by his boastful declarations and laughter, echoed throughout Wanggu. “Little Ah Qing, your Eldest Senior Brother is awake! I'm even more powerful now than before. That Zi Qing fellow, I'll help you deal with him!” “And the fragmented face, I...” Er Niu's expression was arrogant as he spoke, his body bursting through Huangtian and appearing in the sky above Wanggu. He raised a hand and pointed to the firmament, to where the fragmented face had once been. But in the next instant, his eyes widened, and his voice cut off abruptly as he stared blankly at the empty sky. After a long moment, he quickly turned his head, searching the sky several times. “Uh... what's going on? Where's the fragmented face?” “Eldest Senior Brother...” Xu Qing's voice, as Er Niu stood bewildered, came from the void. Then the sky rippled, and Xu Qing, holding Zi Xuan's hand, appeared, smiling as he looked at Er Niu. Er Niu stared blankly at Xu Qing, then gasped. He sensed an aura on Xu Qing that far surpassed that of a God Lord, an aura that was... “God Venerable? Immortal Venerable?” “What... what is happening? How did everything change after I fell asleep... The fragmented face in the sky is gone? Zi Qing is gone? How did Little Ah Qing become a Venerable?” Er Niu was bewildered. Xu Qing smiled, his voice gentle. “Eldest Senior Brother, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. I am going to walk the Divine Umbilical Cord. Will you... come with me?”

The Divine Umbilical Cord, in these endless years, opened for the seventh time since Zi Qing's departure. This time, it opened in the Ninth Star Ring. The Immortal Venerable and Master Bai came to bid farewell; they did not choose to go. Instead, they decided to remain in the ascending star rings. So, outside the swirling entrance of the Divine Umbilical Cord, Xu Qing stood with Zi Xuan and Er Niu, looking at the Immortal Venerable and Master Bai. Master Bai nodded slightly. “Do you still remember what I said back then? Heaven and Earth are inns for all beings, and time is a fleeting guest of ages past... That year, you saw me off; today, I see you off.” “As long as we don't die, we will meet again.” Upon hearing this, Xu Qing bowed deeply to Master Bai. Then, he turned to look back at Wanggu. With a raised hand, he scooped out the true spirits of countless people from his memories, including his own parents. After doing this, determination shone in his eyes as he looked at Zi Xuan and Er Niu. Zi Xuan nodded gently, sheltered within Xu Qing's protection. And Er Niu transformed into a blue worm, perching on Xu Qing's shoulder, letting out a clamorous cry. “Let's go! It’s just a broken umbilical cord, right? Let's see if there's anything good to eat inside!” Xu Qing chuckled at this, no longer hesitating, and took the final step towards the vortex before them. He stepped into the Divine Umbilical Cord, pursuing the higher realm of Xiyi! “I don’t know how many times this is, but this time, I will surely succeed!”

The End.

Regarding the people of Wanggu, I wanted to write each of their stories in more detail, but due to space limitations, concerns about dragging out the pace, and my update frequency, it wasn't possible. Therefore, for those interested in these characters from Wanggu, please refer to the multiple epilogue chapters that will be released after the main story concludes. I will write about them in detail in the epilogues, which will be set as free chapters.