Tai Yi stood before him, his gaze burning, "You are still the same as you were back then, not changed one bit."
Qing Ling smiled faintly, "And you?"
"Naturally, I have not," Tai Yi's bright eyes were as fervent as the sun.
...
The gates of the Sun God Palace opened, and Qing Ling walked out of the Solar Star. He turned back and said softly, "I will wait for you on the other side of chaos."
Inside the divine hall, Tai Yi tightly clutched a green scale in his hand. It was the natal scale of some kind of snake, and even the chaos, wind, water, and fire could not sever its connection with its original body.
Tai Yi smiled as brilliantly as the sun, "Then wait for this Emperor's arrival."
Qing Ling entered the thirty-third heaven and declared to the billions of beings in the Primordial World, "Now, I, the Sage of All Beings, have completed my teachings. From this day forth, there shall be no more Sage of All Beings between heaven and earth!"
As his voice faded, Qing Ling felt his authority over heaven and earth rapidly dissipate, returning to the great expanse. Boundless Yellow Merit flooded towards the Primordial World and was scattered among all beings.
All beings felt this and bowed down in unison, kowtowing in gratitude, shouting, "We respectfully bid farewell to the Sage of All Beings!"
Within Fu Yu Mountain, disciples bowed one by one, saying, "We respectfully bid farewell to our Ancestor!"
Kong Xuan bowed, "We respectfully bid farewell to Master. This disciple will surely find you one day!"
Shen Nong said with sadness, "We respectfully bid farewell to Teacher!"
The Heavenly Emperor clasped his hands, "We respectfully bid farewell, fellow Daoist!"
Beings from the twelve cardinal directions, the three thousand worlds, and all heavens bowed and bid farewell. World masters saluted the departing sage.
On Xi Mountain, Qi's eyes were red, tears welling up as he shouted, "Elder Brother! Wait for me!"
On the Yellow Springs Road, countless black and white impermanence figures bowed in farewell.
On the Naihe Bridge, Meng Po looked up and murmured, "Qing'er, may your journey be smooth."
All the great powers in the Netherworld respectfully bid farewell to the sage.
Houtu sighed, "I am far inferior to him." She clasped her hands in a salute, "We respectfully bid farewell, fellow Daoist!"
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva joined his palms in respect.
On Shouyang Mountain, Laozi bowed in farewell.
Yuanshi said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for awakening me!"
Tongtian laughed, "Fellow Daoist, go on your way, Tongtian shall follow!"
The Two Sages of the West ceased their meditation and rose to bid farewell.
Great powers from all over heaven and earth bid farewell. Zhen Yuanzi sighed; he had not seen the sage's final moments, but the sage still remembered him.
Outside the chaos, Hong Yun rose and bowed, expressing his gratitude.
Qing Ling had renounced his sage position and severed his karma with the Primordial World and its beings. He felt only clarity in his mind and peace in his heart.
He walked to the edge of the realm and looked at the Primordial Creation Green Lotus, smiling, "I shall leave one last gift for the Primordial World."
With that, Qing Ling took out "Zhan Shen" and placed it into the Green Lotus Dao. He left behind his Dao force, divided into three portions. One portion was to protect the Primordial World, one to protect the Green Lotus, and the last portion was for a certain old friend.
Having done all this, Qing Ling, with sleeves as clean as the wind and no spiritual treasures, departed the Primordial World.
Qing Ling walked step by step towards the depths of chaos. He passed by the Purple霄 Palace but did not enter, merely offering a respectful salute.
Inside the Purple霄 Palace, the Dao Ancestor rose and returned a simple bow.
Qing Ling leisurely stepped into the chaotic tides, yet he did not stir even a ripple. He journeyed further into the depths.
Qing Ling gazed back at the Primordial World from afar. In that Primordial World, there had been joy and sorrow, fear and humility. He had also walked the supreme Dao, stood at the pinnacle of heaven and earth, and journeyed alongside fellow seekers of the Dao.
The Primordial World held so many stories that shocked the heavens and moved the spirits, such a colorful Primordial World.
Qing Ling smiled as he entered the deeper reaches of chaos. On the other side of chaos lay the origin and end of the Hong Meng Wood Dao, and he intended to go and see.
Time flowed on. After more than a hundred Yuan Hui, the Shang Dynasty fell, and the Western Zhou unified the land, enfeoffing the realms.
Three hundred Yuan Hui later, the Great Zhou's dominion descended into chaos, with over a hundred vassal states rising to power.
Laozi's incarnation descended to the mortal realm, founding Taoism, and attained the title of Heavenly Venerable of Morality in the thirty-third heaven.
Yuanshi preached in the mortal realm, propagating the Great Unity's rule, and established the Jade Purity Heaven in the thirty-second heaven, attaining the title of Heavenly Venerable of Primordial Beginning.
Tongtian disseminated teachings in the mortal realm, embracing all without discrimination, and creating all spirits. He established the Upper Purity Heaven in the thirty-first heaven, attaining the title of Heavenly Venerable of Spiritual Treasure.
In the Primordial World, on the East Sea, Tongtian, carrying Qing Ping on his back, waved farewell to the disciples of the Jie Sect and set off for Kunlun.
At the peak of Kunlun, Yuanshi had dismissed all his disciples. All that needed to be said had been spoken, and he only wished to cherish the memory of Kunlun.
"Senior Brother!"
A voice suddenly broke the silence. Yuanshi turned abruptly. The mountain wind blew, and the Daoist still stood behind him.
Seeing the familiar Daoist with windblown hair and a long sword on his back, Yuanshi's eyes were momentarily misted by the wind. He blurted out in response, "Junior Brother."
"The karma of heaven and earth has been cleared. Senior Brother, will you uphold Pangu's dying wish with me and see the vast chaos in her stead?" Tongtian's brows were like rainbows, and his smile was like a clear breeze as he looked at him.
Yuanshi's heart warmed, and he smiled, "Good!"
"The Three Pure Ones of Pangu are one entity. How can I be absent?" Laozi, who had appeared beside them at some unknown time, stroked his beard and smiled at them.
The Three Pure Ones reunited, and the snow of Kunlun remained the same.
On this day, all beings in heaven and earth were stirred by the sage's magnificent pronouncements.
"I, the Taiqing Sage of the Human Religion, have completed my teachings. From now on, there shall be no more Sage of the Human Religion in the Primordial World!"
"I, the Yuqing Sage of the Chan Sect, have completed my teachings. From now on, there shall be no more Sage of the Chan Sect in the Primordial World!"
"I, the Shangqing Sage of the Jie Sect, have completed my teachings. From now on, there shall be no more Sage of the Jie Sect in the Primordial World!"
Heaven and earth responded, reclaiming the sages' authority over the Primordial World. The three sages, with a wave of their hands, scattered immeasurable Yellow Merit to create heaven and earth and all beings.
The three sages departed together, the Three Pure Ones as one, eternally united.
Another day, all beings were once again stirred by the Sages of the West.
"I, Zhunti, the Buddha Mother of the Buddhist Sect, have now prospered the great Western Religion. After countless eons and tribulations, I have finally restored the great cause of the West. From now on, there shall be no more Sage Zhunti in this world!"
"I, Jie Yin, of the Buddhist Sect, have now restored the great cause of the West. The era of sage rule has ended. From now on, there shall be no more Sage Jie Yin in this world!"
The two Western Sages looked at the sky filled with Buddhas seated in the Great Thunder Sound Temple, with the heavens flourishing with Buddhas. They smiled with satisfaction and departed.
From then on, no sages appeared between heaven and earth. The ultimate great powers were the pinnacle of the Primordial World.
All the great powers believed that the sages were cultivating in the heavens beyond heavens within the chaos, unaware that the seven sages had already passed away.
In the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor came to see the Queen Mother of the West. The Jade Emperor smiled and asked, "Now that the Three Realms are without a master, this should be an era of great prosperity for my Heavenly Court!"
The Queen Mother shook her head and said, "Your Majesty's words are mistaken. The saints renounced their positions to leave the foundation of the Hunyuan Great Dao for the billions of beings in the Primordial World. If the seven saints had not retired, not a single new sage could ever emerge in heaven and earth.
And now, with the sage positions vacant, who knows how many old fellows are eyeing them. If your Majesty were to antagonize those planar rulers, I fear even the three hundred and sixty divine generals of the Heavenly Court would not be enough to protect you."
The Jade Emperor's heart trembled upon hearing this, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your guidance. My perception was indeed shallow."
"May I ask, in the Queen Mother's eyes, who is most likely to seize a sage position in this new era?"
The Queen Mother chuckled, "Even if the sage positions are vacant, not just anyone can covet them.
That Kunpeng of the North Sea has slumbered for countless ages, emerging unscathed from the Dragon-Phoenix and Witch-Demon calamities. He can be considered an elite existence. Besides him, there is the Azure Dragon of the Dragon Clan, that immortal old man, as well as Hong Yun, who already possesses a foundation in the Great Dao and is a Divine Virtue of the Earthly Dao. We must also consider Zhen Yuanzi, who lives apart from the world. And Dong Huang Tai Yi of the Solar Star, who once shook the ancient Primordial World. There is also Xuan Du, the disciple of the Taiqing Sage, and Kong Xuan, the disciple of the Sage of All Beings. Even the Beast Emperor Shen Ni from beyond the heavens, that ancient relic, can be counted.
Then there are the second-tier ones like Ming He and the Southern Pole Immortal Weng, and Tongtian Sage's four personal disciples and Yun Xiao. Speaking of which, if Duo Bao had joined the Buddhist Sect, the Patriarch of Ten Thousand Buddhas would be him, Duo Bao Tathagata, rather than the current Great Sun Tathagata, which has severed one path. Besides these, there are countless great powers in the world, with a multitude of strong individuals. Currently, the Primordial World, excluding the saints, is far more powerful than in any era since the creation of heaven and earth. No one can be certain which terrifying old beings are hidden among these myriad heavens and myriad realms.
Your Majesty's cultivation has barely reached the peak realm, but you are still too far from half a step of Hunyuan. In a Primordial World without saints, you must still be cautious!"
Thus, the years of the Primordial World continued to flow. Chaos began to emerge in the heavens, and a storm was approaching.
But all were accumulating strength, waiting for that moment to arrive.
The three thousand chaotic demon gods on the other shore.
Those demon gods would never have imagined that their arrival had already been noticed by the ants they looked down upon in the Primordial World!
Three hundred Yuan Hui later, time and space intertwined, and that old man finally descended into the chaos outside the Primordial World with the will of the three thousand demon gods.
The three thousand demon gods roared with frenzied excitement. Within the Primordial World, the great powers, the ancestral patriarchs, the sect leaders, the great figures, and the quasi-sages were all filled with anticipation, awaiting the opportunity to achieve Hunyuan enlightenment!
This karmic retribution that had continued for three epochs was finally about to be settled. The Pangu Primordial World and the world of demon gods would engage in a battle of world-shattering proportions!
(End of the book)