Chapter 1 The Parting

Wuwu~

The cold wind swept through, scattering the night mist.

Outside Ding Tian City, on the boundless wilderness, wild grasses rustled, revealing the tombs within, appearing exceptionally desolate as the branches swayed.

Huhu~

In the bleak cold wind, Yuan Duxiu walked step by step across the wilderness.

Eighteen hundred years. The seas can turn into mulberry fields, yet this wilderness filled with graves remains unchanged, as if frozen in time.

"Eighteen hundred years..."

Walking through the wilderness, Yuan Duxiu felt a sense of melancholy.

In the long passage of nearly two thousand years, Ding Tian City, and even the Tian Ding Kingdom, had few faces familiar to him.

In this mortal world, the only thing he seemed to care about was this graveyard in the wilderness.

"Having been together for nearly two thousand years, I have gained much from you. Now it seems that the time has finally come for us to part..."

Suddenly, Mu Longcheng's voice echoed in Yuan Duxiu's heart.

Who can be without feelings?

Mu Longcheng was merely emotionally detached, not a heartless being. After nearly two thousand years of companionship, there was, after all, a bond between them.

"Part?"

Yuan Duxiu frowned slightly.

"You have cultivated the Wan Fa Si Jie Xin Sheng Gong very well. Although it has gone astray, and can even be said to be completely different, it has given me a lot of inspiration."

Mu Longcheng sighed softly:

"From now on, you must rely on yourself. Fortunately, you have grown up, so I don't need to worry about you anymore."

"This disciple will never forget Teacher's kindness."

Yuan Duxiu was reluctant, but he still bid farewell to his teacher frankly.

He had already seen the white-haired Daoist standing before the distant tomb, as well as Zhu Dahai, who was as burly as a giant.

This day had been foreseen long ago.

"Yes, it's time to go."

Mu Longcheng murmured, and suddenly transformed into a stream of light, passing through Yuan Duxiu's body and entering An Qisheng's body.

"Teacher..."

Yuan Duxiu took a deep breath, calming his emotions: "Teacher, he?"

He had long guessed his teacher's origins, and although he felt reluctant at this scene, he was not too shocked.

"He is fine."

An Qisheng turned around and glanced at Yuan Duxiu: "This place is where you and I first met. Meeting here before parting can be considered having a beginning and an end."

A beginning and an end...

Looking at the white-haired Daoist before him, Yuan Duxiu couldn't help but recall more than a thousand years ago.

On a similar night with a crescent moon hanging high, he, whose martial arts had been crippled, his arm broken, and his family destroyed, knelt before a straw mat, wailing and crying, his heart filled with despair.

In a flash, nearly two thousand years had passed.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Yuan Duxiu paused for a long time, his heart still rippling with emotion, his tone complex:

"What should I call you now?"

"Whatever you call me, I am still me. You can call me Yuan Yang, or Little Brother."

At this point, An Qisheng paused slightly:

"If you ask my name, my surname is An, An Qisheng."

"An Qisheng."

Yuan Duxiu savored the name, imprinting it deeply in his heart. He collected his thoughts and said seriously, "Yuan Yang is still more comfortable to say."

"That's up to you."

An Qisheng smiled, not minding.

He didn't speak, and Yuan Duxiu was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to start. He clearly had thousands of questions he wanted to ask, but he couldn't bring himself to say them.

An Qisheng spoke first, breaking the silence: "I'm leaving."

"Where to?"

Yuan Duxiu came back to his senses, a trace of reluctance rising in his heart: "Are you going back to where you came from?"

"That's right."

An Qisheng nodded.

"Did you come here just to say goodbye?" Suppressing the stirring in his heart, Yuan Duxiu's expression was calm, his emotions no longer showing on his face.

"Not just to say goodbye."

An Qisheng glanced at the big傻 (shǎ) fellow beside him, and the Jinchi Dapeng (Golden-Winged Great Roc) bird lying in his ear:

"I also wanted to leave these few to you."

Entering the dream of the Grand Thousand is not omnipotent, nor is dreaming back to the Ancient Times.

When he dreamt back to the Ancient Times, it was difficult to truly connect with the existences of that era. Only the Supreme Ones were exceptions. These Supreme Ones imprinted their Dao on the heart of Heaven, their traces permanently residing in the river of time.

Moreover, at their most extreme, they could capture the aura of the river of time, using it to peer into the past and future.

Rooted in these two points, he could see the various Emperors in his dream.

But Yan Kuangtu was not a Supreme One. His traces were too scattered throughout the Heavens and Earth. Even after nearly two thousand years, it was difficult to retrieve the memories of the former Yan Kuangtu.

But there was still an effect. Perhaps in the future when the various Emperors return, he will have the chance to retrieve his own imprint and memories.

"Master?"

Zhu Dahai was somewhat dazed, asking in a muffled voice, "You don't want me anymore?"

An Qisheng didn't answer, only looking at Yuan Duxiu calmly.

"Leave them to me?"

Yuan Duxiu was somewhat surprised.

Everything manifested above the Divine Court was earth-shattering, far stronger than he was now. Leaving them to him seemed unnecessary.

"In the near future, the Heavens and Earth will undergo a great change. It will be a truly great change. At that time, the Heavens and Earth may be in chaos. I hope you can help me with a few things."

An Qisheng stated his intentions frankly, without the slightest intention of hiding anything: "This matter is not easy. Even a slight mistake may lead to your death."

"Great change?"

Yuan Duxiu's heart stirred. He had also sensed the aura of the Heavenly Mandate and the river of time before.

An Qisheng did not hide anything, telling Yuan Duxiu everything that was about to happen.

"The various Emperors are returning?"

Yuan Duxiu was somewhat alarmed.

If a former Dao-achiever came to this era, wouldn't the path to becoming a Supreme One in the future be more terrifying than ever before?

"I cannot fully know what will happen, but this matter may have both advantages and disadvantages."

An Qisheng glanced at Yuan Duxiu.

"I agree."

Yuan Duxiu agreed without hesitation, his straightforwardness surprising Zhu Dahai and even himself.

His expression was somewhat strange and complex.

Since eighteen hundred years ago, he seemed to have been waiting for this day to come, longing for his request...

"I established the Divine Court, but there are no living beings within. The aura of life contained within the various Divine Halls is not that of true living beings, let alone gods, comparing the ranks..."

An Qisheng seemed to have known that Yuan Duxiu would not refuse, and directly stated what he wanted him to do.

"What worries me is not the various Emperors, nor the Heavenly Demons, but certain things that I cannot yet draw a conclusion about..."

An Qisheng considered for a moment before saying:

"I want you to take charge of the Divine Court, to be 'Yuan Yang'!"

"To be Yuan Yang..."

Yuan Duxiu's heart shook, and then he smiled wryly: "What you can do, I may not be able to do..."

More than just "may not"?

It was almost certainly impossible!

Not to mention that in the future, many former Dao-achievers might return. Even if they didn't, he feared he would not be able to suppress prodigies like Feng Jinhuang, Long Aotian, Feng Xinglie, Chu Mengyao, and Di Mitu like An Qisheng.

To be Yuan Yang, three ordinary words, but the meaning contained within was truly incomparably heavy.

An Qisheng did not speak, only looking at Yuan Duxiu quietly.

Huhu~

Under the blowing of the cold wind, Yuan Duxiu stood for a long time before nodding in agreement:

"I will try."

"Good!"

An Qisheng gazed for a long time, and seeing Yuan Duxiu nod in agreement, he raised his palm and pointed, causing the latter's body to tremble slightly as it landed on his brow:

"I have gained much from the Myriad Yangs, so I should repay it. This is not the Heavenly Dao, but my Dao!"

Buzz~

Above the wilderness, there seemed to be a wind rising.

As An Qisheng pointed, Yuan Duxiu only felt his mind sea roaring, and endless laws poured out like a flood, vast and boundless.

Yuan Duxiu focused his mind to the extreme, vaguely seeing boundless laws, supernatural powers, and Daoist scriptures.

What he had learned, what he had seen, what he had not learned, and even what he had not heard of, of the current era, the near ancient times, the middle ages, the ancient times, the remote antiquity...

Endless Daoist essences intertwined and descended, and Yuan Duxiu's heart rose with shock.

This single point seemed to contain all the supernatural powers, combat skills, and all the Daos and laws that had been born in this world from ancient times to the present!

Involuntarily, Yuan Duxiu became immersed in this seemingly endless Daoist essence and supernatural powers, feeling as if he was a small boat drifting in the boundless sea of stars.

Vaguely, he didn't know where he was.

It seemed that after a long, long time, his heart suddenly shook, and at the end of the endless laws, he saw a majestic and endless, incomparably sacred Divine Court palace.

That was...

...

Heaven and Earth are ruthless, and time flows endlessly. Heaven and Earth will not stop turning because of one person's departure.

Yuan Yang pointed to the ground and drew the sky, from then on the sky was divided into thirty-six, and the earth had seventy-two. The Divine Court hung in the Nine Heavens, suppressing the world for thousands of years.

The Great Era descended for one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six years.

The Great Sun Heavenly Son, Yuan Duxiu, connected to the top of the Heavenly Tower, ascended the thirty-six heavens, climbed the peak of the Divine Court, combined with the "Jade Emperor" to bear the weight of the Divine Court, and became the new "Yuan Yang."

On this day, the world was shocked and the Imperial Extremes trembled.

Amidst the interweaving of endless immortal light and laws, and the boundless phenomena surrounding it, a new era descended.

The reborn Hegemon, Feng Xinglie, the Empress, Chu Mengyao, the Buddha Son, Di Mitu, and the Heavenly Master, Sun En, were invited to enter the Divine Court to take charge of one side.

The six, together with Yuan Duxiu, formed the "Six Imperial Yuan Yangs," each holding the authority of the Divine Court, suppressing the current era.

This year was also known as "Yuan Yang's First Year."

On this day, enemies from the Sea of Stars descended, and their vast divine might shook the heavens and the earth. Yuan Duxiu took action and fought with the enemies in the Sea of Stars. The battle shook the heavens and suppressed the enemies in the Sea of Stars.

Only then was the name of Yuan Yang accepted by the people.

One hundred years into Yuan Yang's reign, the contemporary Yuan Yang, Yuan Duxiu, feeling that the Divine Court was empty, established a Dao altar and spread the law throughout the world. On the day of the law's transmission, experts gathered, and experts from all races gathered in the Divine Court.

On this day, Yuan Yang transmitted the law, without any reservations, transmitting all kinds of supernatural laws and principles from ancient times to the present. He also invited heroes from all over the world to discuss the Dao in the Divine Court.

The heroes were shocked by the vastness of his inheritance, and also admired his magnanimity. They no longer kept anything hidden, offering their own Daoist methods and supernatural powers, and discussing them with many experts.

From this day on, the sound of supernatural powers often rumbled above the Divine Court, and countless sparks of supernatural powers were born from the collision of endless wills.

After a hundred years of Dao discussion, some experts felt something and were promoted to Tongtian above the Divine Court, becoming kings in one fell swoop!

The myriad races were shocked, and more experts ascended to the heavens to participate in this Dao discussion.

In the following thousand years, almost every day, experts broke through minor and major realms, and countless experts gathered in the Divine Court to participate in the Dao discussion.

Almost visibly, the Divine Court transformed from being deserted to a truly sought-after place. Without anyone's acknowledgment, it had become the strongest force suppressing the Imperial Extremes.

On this day, the discussion in the Divine Court was intense, and the experts展开 (zhǎn kāi - unfolded) another debate from true form to Cave Heaven, from Guiyi to Tongtian.

Yuan Duxiu, who had become the "Jade Emperor," sat on the throne with Miao Meng, and suddenly, as if sensing something, he gazed at the long sky, faintly feeling a deep change in the heavens and the earth.

Above the Heart of Heaven, the Guanglong Dao seal, which had not dissipated for tens of thousands of years, suddenly disappeared, and along with it, an invisible threshold pressing on the heads of all living beings.

"Finally, it's here?"

Flames flashed in Yuan Duxiu's eyes, as if reflecting the shooting stars dissipating in the Sea of Stars: "I'm looking forward to it..."

In the one thousand one hundredth year of Yuan Yang, the Great Era, which had been prophesied by countless Supreme Ones, finally descended.

The Emperors descended!