Ao Rui exclaimed in shock, "Who are you?"
The ethereal voice sounded again, "In ancient times, you would have called me Ancestor."
"Ancient times? Ancestor?" Ao Rui murmured softly, then suddenly remembered something. He quickly bowed and respectfully said, "This humble dragon, Ao Rui, pays respects to the Sage."
A phantom image of Qing Ling appeared before him.
"Indeed, you are quite intelligent. It is also your fate to encounter this tribulation," Qing Ling sighed. "But rest assured, after this great tribulation passes, this other shore flower will send you into reincarnation to cultivate a dragon body once more."
As he spoke, Qing Ling pointed a finger, and a trace of creative energy merged into Ao Rui's body.
"If you had cultivated with peace of mind in your past life, you could have at most reached the Tai Yi realm. Now, starting anew, the Da Luo realm is within reach!"
Ao Rui was overjoyed and immediately prostrated himself again. "Thank you, Sage, for your mercy, allowing this humble dragon to avoid being conscripted onto the Investiture of the Gods list."
Qing Ling's phantom smile faded, and he dissipated.
His Luosheng Realm encompassed the Primordial World and could contend with the power of the Investiture of the Gods. If he wished, all souls who died and were conscripted onto the list would be drawn into his Luosheng Realm, bypassing reincarnation and being reborn into the world.
However, Qing Ling would not rebirth everyone who was conscripted. Each person had their own destiny. Even though they were controlled by the Investiture of the Gods, some were willing to accept it.
Qing Ling simply did not want to see the same regrets of the heavens and earth repeated.
This current tribulation, although he seemed to be retreating behind the scenes, even acting as someone who did not contend, had Kong Xuan contending.
Kong Xuan represented not only the Phoenix Clan but, as long as he did not emerge, he represented the will of all sentient beings and saints.
Qing Ling intended to use this vast and turbulent tribulation to gather the forces of Mount Fuyu and forge another Hunyuan Supreme Being!
Even if the hope was slim, there was still a glimmer of light.
Qing Ling's pursuit differed from that of the other Saints. The other Saints represented orthodoxy, while Qing Ling was an anomaly. The Heavenly Dao could not tolerate variables, and the world could not tolerate unconventional beings.
Yet, Qing Ling was recognized by heaven and earth from his very inception, his anomalous identity erased, even hidden from the Heavenly Dao. This was a great kindness that Qing Ling owed to the Primordial World.
Now, he was repaying that debt of gratitude.
He knew the outcome of the Investiture of the Gods tribulation, but Qing Ling did not wish to see that result, and perhaps the heavens and earth did not wish to see it either.
The collapse of the world, the loss of its essence, the degeneration of spiritual energy, the dawn of the age of decline, the fall of countless immortals, and a vast Primordial World with no successors!
On the other side, in Chentang Pass, Taiyi Zhenren and Chi Jing arrived belatedly, sighing helplessly.
Madam Chen glared at Taiyi Zhenren, saying, "Taiyi Zhenren! If you hadn't indulged Nezha's nature and failed to discipline him, how could my son have suffered such a fate today?"
Taiyi Zhenren sighed, "Madam, please accept my condolences. It is indeed my fault, but such is the will of heaven, and I can do nothing about it. However, according to my master's instructions, Nezha will not perish."
Chi Jing reacted and quickly used his Yin-Yang Mirror to cover Nezha's comatose three souls and seven spirits, protecting them from dissipation.
At that moment, a phoenix cry suddenly echoed from beyond the heavens. It was the Golden Phoenix from under Empress Nuwa's command.
The Golden Phoenix manifested its form, hovering in the air, calling out from afar, "Everyone, do not worry.
Empress Nuwa has specially bestowed the Three Light Divine Water and the Nine Heavens Xi Soil to recast Nezha's flesh and blood, using seven-colored lotus flowers for his meridians and bones.
Place them in the Heavenly Treasure Pool on Kunlun Mountain and refine them for eighty-one days, and only then will his souls return, and he will be reborn."
With that, he waved his hand and bestowed the Three Light Divine Water and Nine Heavens Xi Soil, two supreme treasures that drove countless immortals mad.
Li Jing and his wife bowed in joy, and Taiyi Zhenren also smiled broadly.
Taiyi returned to Kunlun with Nezha's souls to aid in his rebirth.
As days turned into months, Xiqi gradually strengthened its military might. In countless planes throughout the Great Thousand World where the Chan Sect was the supreme sect, countless immortals arrived at Xiqi.
Meanwhile, in Chaoge, the Great Shang dynasty, Daji broke through to the Da Luo realm and sought to become the empress, forcing King Wucheng to rebel.
Huang Feihu rebelled from Chaoge and defected to Xiqi.
The martial fortune of the Great Shang began to collapse, and its literary fortune declined daily.
Xiqi thus proclaimed its mandate from heaven and launched an expedition against Shang to pacify the realm!
In a distant land, the Southern Marquis and the Eastern Marquis also rose in rebellion, attacking the Great Shang.
Originally, the position of Empress belonged to the Eastern Marquis's lineage. Now, having lost that position and suffered a loss of interests, coupled with the machinations of the Chan Sect, the Eastern Marquis rebelled.
Except for the Northern Marquis, who feared Chen Tang Pass, where Li Jing was stationed, and dared not rebel, the Great Shang realm had already descended into chaos.
Above Chaoge, Kong Xuan lowered his gaze and glanced at Daji. Daji, seated on the empress's throne, felt a chill run down her spine.
Daji saw the cold ruthlessness in Kong Xuan's eyes. Her heart trembled, and she quickly said, "Daji will never cause trouble again. Please rest assured."
Kong Xuan withdrew his gaze and looked into the distance.
In the court, Grand Tutor Wen schemed and ordered Zhang Guifang, the commander of Qinglong Pass, to lead an expedition westward to quell Xiqi.
After all, if they continued to let Xiqi grow unchecked, it would be detrimental to the prestige of the Great Shang and allow Xiqi to become increasingly powerful.
However, Zhang Guifang felt uneasy. Xiqi was home to many disciples of the Chan Sect. He was merely a cultivator of the Tai Yi realm and feared it would be a journey of no return.
Grand Tutor Wen understood his thoughts and chuckled, "There is no need to worry. The Chan and Jie sects still have some camaraderie. As a junior, the Chan sect would not be so shameless as to use their elders to trouble you.
Moreover, you are only the vanguard. Following you will be countless elite armies of our Great Shang. I will also invite my fellow disciples to assist. You will not suffer any losses!"
Zhang Guifang was greatly reassured and said with a smile, "Thank you, Grand Tutor! As long as no Da Luo appears, I will not let our Great Shang down!"
Thus, an army was mobilized, and one hundred thousand immortals crossed mountains and ridges to march towards Xiqi.
It should be known that in this heaven and earth, mortals are infinite, and cultivators are numerous. Even the soldiers in the army cultivate and temper their bodies.
The various human dao lineages were passed down by the Hunyuan Saints, and countless powerful beings accepted humans as disciples to inherit their techniques. After countless years of accumulation, the human race has largely become a race of cultivators.
In addition to the various realms passed down since the beginning of heaven and earth, there are also innumerable realms specified by various lineages and sects, making them difficult to count.
Fortunately, the realms were divided and propagated throughout the world by the Hall of All Beings, and these divisions were recognized by various forces.
This was because the Hall of All Beings was not of the Wu, Yao, Dragon, Phoenix, or Qilin clans, nor was it of the Dao, Buddhist, or Demonic paths. The hall's envoys came from all races, and it possessed the accumulated heritage from the rise and fall of countless large and small forces, making it a neutral entity in the myriad worlds.
Many disciples of Mount Fuyu held positions in the Hall of All Beings, but those who truly acted were the indigenous people from the various great thousand worlds.
The actions of the disciples of Mount Fuyu did not represent the will of the Hall of All Beings.
The disciples of Mount Fuyu viewed the Hall of All Beings as an anomaly. In their hearts, this hall should have belonged to their sect, but it did not obey their commands or follow the decrees of Mount Fuyu.
If they were pressured with the authority of the Sage of All Beings, the people of the Hall of All Beings would present the Hall's motto, which was spoken by the Sage himself: "The Hall of All Beings is for the good of all beings. It does not follow the Sage, nor does it follow all paths."
There were also three hundred major precepts and seven thousand minor precepts that stipulated the Hall of All Beings' conduct in any situation.
The current Hall of All Beings saw the disciples of Mount Fuyu serving only as Hall Guardians, acting as a force of martial power and a deterrent, essentially mascots.
The true power and leadership of the hall rested with the Xuan Dian Shi, recognized by the will of the Hall of All Beings from the various great thousand worlds, and the Chuan Dian Shi, representatives of the interests of various planes and worlds. In addition, there were only nine Shang Zheng Dian Shi in the great thousand worlds who enforced punishments on those who violated the Hall's tenets in the Primordial World and twelve planes, and one hundred and eight Xia Zheng Dian Shi who patrolled the great thousand worlds to punish those who violated the Hall's tenets.
The Hall of All Beings had truly become the Hall of All Beings, not the Hall of All Beings belonging to the Sage of All Beings, nor the Hall of All Beings of Mount Fuyu.
Therefore, all unified understandings of the Primordial World and the myriad worlds would acknowledge the decisions made by the Hall of All Beings.
For example, the realms below the Immortal Dao were divided into three major realms: Qi Refining, Divine Transformation, and Void Return, each applicable to all races.
Above the Immortal Dao, the initial ascent to the Immortal Dao was the Earth Immortal; comprehending the divine abilities of heaven and earth was the Heavenly Immortal; comprehending the profound Dao and mastering one law was the Golden Immortal; reaching the extreme of comprehending the Dao law was the Tai Yi realm; and above Tai Yi, one achieved their own Dao and grasped a trace of the authority of heaven and earth, becoming indestructible through myriad tribulations, and immortal in all the myriad worlds, which was the Great Luo Golden Immortal!
Of course, these myriad worlds did not include the Primordial World.
In other words, a Great Luo Golden Immortal would only perish in the Primordial World; even in the twelve main planes and other worlds, no one could destroy them.
The Great Luo Golden Immortal was already a powerful being in the world, but in the countless Sands of the Primordial World and the myriad heavens, the truly countable powerhouses were the Great Mighty Beings of Heaven and Earth!
The Daoist sect called them Quasi-Saints with one corpse; the Buddhist sect called them ancient Buddhas; the demon race called them demon gods, and so on.
Although the names differed among the various factions, in their interactions, they all referred to them by the title of Great Mighty Beings of Heaven and Earth from the ancient era. This realm required reaching the eleventh heaven of the Great Luo Golden Immortal.
Further up was the realm of the twenty-first heaven of the Great Luo, also known as Ancestor, Progenitor, Demon Emperor, or Sect Master by various factions...
The Primordial World, with its myriad heavens, was structured like a pyramid, with mortals at the bottom, followed by the first three realms of the Immortal Dao, and at the very top were the extremely few ultimate mighty beings. Strictly speaking, even a half-step Hunyuan at the thirty-first heaven was considered an ultimate realm.
As for the Hunyuan Saints, they were outside this pyramid of countless beings.
The Great Shang, the current realm of humanity, involved these reclusive old ancestors and mighty beings within the myriad worlds.
Whenever a tribulation arrived, the relationship between the pyramid of countless beings and the Saints was like that of chess pieces within a game and the player outside the game.
Even a powerful Great Luo Golden Immortal was merely dust beneath the might of a Saint. Only those supreme powerhouses could be considered ants in the eyes of a Saint.
Some understood this cruel reality, while others did not.
Qing Ling prayed for these countless beings within his Luosheng Realm, wishing them to overcome this tribulation.
This was because he was the creator of these myriad worlds. Without him, the Primordial World would not need to support so many beings. However, without the myriad worlds, the monotonous Primordial World would be a stagnant pool, gradually weakening under the tribulation of the Heavenly Dao.
Qing Ling could pray for all beings, but he could not change the fate of all beings. He could only preserve a sliver of hope for them; the rest depended on themselves.
Beyond the Primordial World, and beyond the myriad heavens, flowers of the other shore bloomed in the ruins of time, protecting countless beings.
Qing Ling protected all beings, and also his Dao.
After this tribulation, Qing Ling would no longer be the Sage among the Seven Saints, but a harmonious Dao dual Saint.