Qingyi did not decline in the slightest. Although she did not ask about Gu Changge's plans or intentions, she understood that the entire Vast Expanse would likely undergo changes unprecedented since ancient times. Without formidable cultivation and strength, it would be very difficult to stand firm. Lin
Gu Changge's intention to slay Heaven would undoubtedly encounter unprecedented obstacles.
All those beings and existences that once only existed in ancient records and legends would appear one after another. The Ji Chan Clan had a clear understanding and knowledge of the movements of the heavenly order.
Gu Changge had planted the Epoch Mother Tree in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. In the short term, although there was no visible impact—indeed, it even caused the Alliance's fortunes to surge and seethe—
Qingyi knew full well that this was because Gu Changge had used his supreme mighty power to distort the Heavenly Will and eliminate many of the repercussions. Yet this hidden peril still existed, and it would absolutely erupt in the future.
Gu Changge had helped her immensely; although he had never demanded anything in return, she wished to be able to assist him, even if she could only provide a small, feeble wisp of strength.
Qingyi went into seclusion to refine the Master of Fate Pill.
Gu Changge returned to the central hall of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. A figure was already waiting there, clad in a black dress like a lotus, with a cold and beautiful countenance—Ji Ziyi.
"Alliance Leader…"
She cupped her hands, her eyes filled with unconcealed reverence, and reported, "The Ji Chan Clan has now settled. My second sister has taken full control, and the clan elders have not raised further objections."
"It's just that…"
She suddenly hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
"Is there a problem with the Epoch Mother Tree?" Gu Changge's expression was calm, as if he had anticipated this.
Ji Ziyi replied, "Second sister discovered that on some of the Epoch Mother Tree's main trunks, black spots have appeared, with a tendency to gradually corrode and spread. On some of the branches and leaves that condense world essence, strange little bugs have also been born—on their backs are black spots, white spots, and gray spots—gnawing at the leaves…"
"Second sister consulted some ancient records of the clan and learned that these bugs are called World-Devouring Insects. When the Epoch Mother Tree is about to wither and die of old age, it attracts the World-Devouring Mother Insect from the unknown void to come and lay its eggs. When the larvae hatch, the World-Devouring Insects have no physical form and cannot be seen by cultivators; they only reveal their shapes when they come into contact with world essence."
"When the World-Devouring Insects mature, they burrow deep into the trunk of the Epoch Mother Tree, drawing out all its various substances, until the Epoch Mother Tree rots and perishes…"
"According to the records, this is a sign that the Heaven and Earth Epoch is about to end."
Her face was filled with worry. The Ji Chan Clan had only just relocated to the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, and now this situation had appeared with the Epoch Mother Tree.
Several elders close to the Alliance had specially used the clan's secret arts for divination and augury, attempting to discern a strand of the Heavenly Will from this. But all of them suffered severe backlash, horrible black spots appearing on their bodies, their lives soon to end.
All signs indicated that the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's Heaven-slaying endeavor had begun to incur the backlash of the Heavenly Will.
The Epoch Mother Tree was the first to bear the brunt.
The ending of a Heaven and Earth Epoch was far more terrifying than any Epoch Cataclysm or Major Reckoning. For it meant that the Heavenly Will had sensed the emergence of something that exceeded its own deductions and control—something that even an Epoch Cataclysm could no longer resolve.
Therefore, it would reduce heaven and earth to ruins, thoroughly ending this epoch. The scope of its involvement and the extent of its reach would far exceed an Epoch Cataclysm.
Ji Ziyi even worried that after the Heaven and Earth Epoch ended, an unknown number of civilizations would be completely obliterated, the Vast Expanse would become barren, and everything would have to begin anew.
Even previous Epoch Cataclysms or Major Reckonings could not lead to such a terrifying outcome.
"And this is only the premonition. The elders have all declared that even more horrific backlash is still to come. Once the Heavenly Will fully manifests, by then, it will be too late." Ji Ziyi was thoroughly worried.
Gu Changge clasped his hands behind his back and said, "It's of no matter. Since the Heavenly Will has sensed it, then we shall simply alter the Heavenly Will. I will go inspect the Epoch Mother Tree. As for the matter of the World-Devouring Insects, do not disclose it for the time being."
Ji Ziyi still looked worried. "Second sister spoke to me about this matter. The issue of the World-Devouring Insects is of great importance. Without your final decision, Alliance Leader, we would not dare act recklessly. The ancient records only contain descriptions of the World-Devouring Insects, but no method of dealing with them is recorded…"
"Their forms exist in a state between existence and non-existence. Divine powers and arts simply have no effect on them."
Once the Epoch Mother Tree rotted and died, then unless all of creation was renewed and a new epoch was born, there would be no new Epoch Mother Tree.
For the Ji Chan Clan, which had always depended on the Epoch Mother Tree, this was nothing short of an exterminating calamity.
They all now felt that this was very likely the punishment and consequence for the Ji Chan Clan migrating away from the Ancient Treasure Civilization and betraying the Heavenly Will.
"The Heavenly Will?"
After Ji Ziyi left, Gu Changge murmured these two words, then smiled faintly.
No matter how the Heavenly Will manifested, it was merely a small breeze or a tiny wave. No matter how huge the turmoil in the Vast Expanse grew, in the eyes of the Three True Ancestors, it was at most a ripple stirred by a gentle wind.
In this whole process, only if an existence capable of threatening the Three True Ancestors were to emerge would They turn Their gaze here.
His grand plan to slay Heaven—rather than simply slaying Heaven—was in reality merely to gather the power still left within the Vast Expanse, in preparation for the next stage of the plan.
Relying on the power of this body he now possessed, it was impossible to shake the foundations of the Three True Ancestors. Even if he were to wield the power of a True Ancestor, it would be difficult to change anything.
A True Ancestor cannot be opposed.
The only way forward was for him to possess power comparable to a True Ancestor himself. But this path of ascension was nearly impossible to achieve by human capability.
And fundamentally, Gu Changge was not human either. Thus, what humans could not do, he could.
Yet for this matter to succeed, a very critical opportunity was needed. In truth, it was exactly as the Master of Fate had glimpsed a sliver of future scene before his death: the future no longer existed.
What Gu Changge intended to do was utterly beyond the imagination and understanding of people in this present age.
Back when the Shanhai True World had not yet been renamed, there had been a figure shrouded in the great fog of future time—an Immortal Emperor from the future. He had sought to reverse the River of Time and arrive in the present, to eliminate Gu Changge while he was still weak.
But that Immortal Emperor had grossly underestimated Gu Changge's power, and in the end, could only collapse and disintegrate in despair.
In fact, from that very moment, Gu Changge had already sensed a kind of great momentum. His very existence would sever and bury the future. Therefore, the true future no longer existed. If, at this time, an existence with power comparable to his were to peer into the future, they would find that everything was chaotic and unknown, that nothing existed anymore.
The appearance of that Immortal Emperor—was it not precisely a backlash from the future timeline of the Shanhai True World back then? Only by resolving the unpredictable, unimaginable anomaly that was Gu Changge could they set things right and return the future to its normal trajectory.
But even the Shanhai True World itself had been renamed and changed masters under Gu Changge's will. How could the future timeline possibly backlash against him?
Swish!!!
Gu Changge's figure vanished from the central hall and reappeared atop the crown of the Epoch Mother Tree.
The vast, boundless leaves were already showing signs of yellowing. On the droplets of world essence that dripped and were exhaled, small specks of tricolored insects could be seen: black, white, and gray, representing the most primordial colors. These were the World-Devouring Insects Ji Ziyi had spoken of.
These World-Devouring Insects existed in a state between existence and non-existence, now real, now illusory, already beyond material contact.
However, as Gu Changge's gaze swept over them, these World-Devouring Insects immediately let out pained, hoarse shrieks, as if they had encountered some natural enemy. Feeling fear, they all attempted to detach from the Epoch Mother Tree and flee into the unknown void.
At that moment, another figure silently appeared on the Epoch Mother Tree. She was dressed in colorful robes, her eyes hazy as mist—none other than the second princess of the Ji Chan Clan, Ji Xiangmiao.
She had felt an emotion of unease and fear emanating from the Epoch Mother Tree. Her heart stirred with a premonition, and worried that a problem had arisen, she had come here.
"Greetings, Alliance Leader."
Ji Xiangmiao offered a salute, and then her gaze was drawn to those World-Devouring Insects retreating and fleeing. Her heart was shaken.
Gu Changge did not pay her any attention. He simply beckoned casually, and a golden, resplendent mass of light, constantly radiating a terrifying devouring power, flew out from within the Epoch Mother Tree.
It was a creature resembling a silkworm cocoon, as if forged from immortal gold. Its tiny, mung-bean-sized eyes revealed intense fear. The vibration of its wings actually produced a rumbling sound akin to worlds shaking, causing the boundless spacetime around it to tremble.
This was the Mother Insect of the World-Devouring Insects, laying eggs at every moment. Though its numbers seemed few, if even a single egg fell into any of those True Worlds, it would unleash boundless upheaval and catastrophe. The World-Devouring Insects would parasitize the true spirit and will of a True World, silently consuming and controlling it, turning that True World into a hotbed for its growth.
"A premonition that the Heaven and Earth Epoch is about to end. In the ancient histories, it is recorded as a self-destructive instinct that heaven and earth manifest when sensing a great catastrophe, a great tribulation," Ji Xiangmiao said softly.
Gu Changge smiled faintly. "The Heavenly Will senses the threat and reacts—is that not perfectly normal?"
"I fear that in the days to come, all sorts of terrifying omens will appear."
Ji Xiangmiao said, "The Pseudo-Heaven's Will has not yet fully awakened. I consulted the ancient records and found records of some past Heaven-Slaying endeavors. But they were always done in secret, slowly plotting. Never before has it been done so openly and directly as it is now…"
Gu Changge gave a casual squeeze, and the Mother Insect of the World-Devouring Insects exploded, dispersing into a sky full of golden streams of light. Once the Mother Insect died, the other larvae also shrieked and crumbled apart in terror.
"Are you trying to tell me that I'm being too hasty?" he asked with a faint smile.
Ji Xiangmiao shook her head. "I am not questioning your decision, Alliance Leader. Heaven-Slaying is inherently an act of defying Heaven; it is perfectly normal for it to incur backlash. Rather than hiding and skulking, it is better to gather the great momentum of the entire world, to gather all the power and will of past, present, and future, and engage in a great game. Win or lose, it will still be a magnificent feat."
"Even if we fail, we will still establish hope and a spark for future generations. As long as such will is passed on, and the spark is not extinguished, there will come a day of true success."
"Thus, when I learned of your decision and great plan from my third sister, I felt incomparable admiration and reverence."
This was her first direct encounter with Gu Changge, yet her words were full of profound admiration.
What ordinary people dared not imagine or do, what countless heaven-defying geniuses and brilliant heroes throughout history dared not even conceive—Gu Changge had done it.
Moreover, he had established such a formidable Heaven-Slaying Alliance, coalescing an unprecedented great momentum.
Ordinary True World civilizations, ordinary living beings, might not comprehend or understand what this signifies.
But the Ji Chan Clan, having been steeped in the history of heaven and earth since childhood, deeply understood what this represented… to overhaul everything, to change everything. Since heaven and earth were already decayed, they would be overthrown and a new Heavenly Dao established.
This path was destined to be filled with thorns and hardships, with no hope in sight. Yet he had resolutely stepped onto it.
To not admire him—that was impossible.
"You see things quite clearly. No wonder you helped Ji Ziyi at that critical moment. If all in the world were as clear-headed as you, then many troubles would not exist. Take the Ancient Treasure Civilization, for example: even now, they remain stubbornly deluded," Gu Changge said with a smile.
Ji Xiangmiao said, "All that you are doing, Alliance Leader, is destined to be unimaginable and incomprehensible to the world. The common people busy themselves with petty gains right before their eyes; how could they understand that after sweeping away the old and ushering in the new, after overhauling everything, unprecedented vitality and hope may be infused into the world?"
"To seek change, one must be resolute and determined, cutting away decay and severing the past. Only then can one change heaven and replace earth."
Gu Changge showed some approval for her insights. Truly, she was worthy of being from the Ji Chan Clan, steeped in the historical tomes of heaven and earth. Her vision and perspective far surpassed those of ordinary people.
"Yet this path is truly too difficult, with almost no hope in sight…" Ji Xiangmiao then added.
"Do you also believe this is an utterly impossible feat?" Gu Changge asked.
Ji Xiangmiao fell silent. Just the thought of the Three True Ancestors, suspended high above the Heavenly Will like eternal suns, overshadowing trillions of billions of mega-universes and spacetimes, was enough to make one feel despair.
This was no longer a question of possible or impossible… it was something one simply dared not even consider.
Half a month—neither very long nor very short.
Yet during this time, many great events occurred.
Ever since Gu Changge had appeared in the Ancient Treasure Civilization, cowed the Imperial Ruler of the Ancient Treasure Civilization, and proposed gathering the forces of all worlds to slay Heaven, the entire Vast Expanse was like oil set aflame. Every True World and civilization was thrown into a frenzy.
Originally, the world had only known that the Land of the Nine Heavens and the Ancient Treasure Civilization had End of the Path figures, even existences surpassing the End of the Path, presiding over them.
But during this period, worlds of the Super Multiverse level emerged one after another. Like icebergs that had long been submerged underwater, they began to gradually surface.
Deep within Lesser Western Heaven, the Tathagata Buddha Lord established the Tathagata Buddha Kingdom, and with supreme Buddhist Dharma drew back three thousand Buddha kingdoms from the unseen spacetime. The light of the three thousand Buddha kingdoms illuminated all realms. Almost all living beings could see the brilliant, dazzling Buddha-light shining upon everything. Many Bodhisattvas, Buddhas, and Arhats manifested, Buddha-light shining upon all worlds, and the great sound, its form so faint, echoed throughout the universe.
They were returning; the once heaven-pervading gods and Buddhas were all returning.
In the unseen world, a certain force and voice seemed to be summoning those figures of the past back.
At the ruins of the Three Pure Ones Dao Realm, long since shattered and returned to naught, vitality suddenly flourished with breathtaking vigor. Some living beings witnessed an elderly man riding a cyan ox appear there, purple energy spreading across all heavenly realms.
Many asserted that this was the Three Pure Ones Dao Lord, who once established the Ten Great Daoist True Mansions and left behind the Daoist teachings and heritage.
The Wuji Immortal Realm, previously only existing in records, likewise seemed to be awakened and reflected from the ancient histories. The Great Luo Dao Lord, who had interpreted the Great Luo Law and whose disciples filled all worlds, appeared. With his emergence, his numerous disciples also returned from various points in spacetime.
The pioneers of the Yuan Dao Civilization, Shamanic Dao System, and Barbarian Dao System—Yuan Zhu, Shaman Lord, Barbarian Lord… one by one, existences of the End of the Path realm appeared across the many worlds of the Vast Expanse.
Though they had been gone for a long time, and even the records about them had been erased, with their appearance, those legends and records concerning them seemed to be renewed, once again surfacing in the minds of billions upon billions of living beings.
Scene after scene reflected across the trillionfold mega-universes and spacetimes of the Vast Expanse's many worlds. The majestic Dharma-forms of these existences radiated to every part of the void, surging into all dimensions, illuminating countless worlds.
Without a doubt, these figures who had pioneered systems of Dao and laid out the paths forward all truly stood within the End of the Path realm.
Even if eras had perished, and the systems they created had shattered and vanished, as long as they themselves still existed, then all traces of the past would manifest.
The many worlds of the Vast Expanse were thoroughly stunned. No one had imagined that there were still so many End of the Path figures in heaven and earth, now all surging forth together in this era. It was truly inconceivable.
Where had they existed before? Why had they completely vanished from the minds of the world, as if they had never even existed?
Countless questions and bewilderments filled the hearts of all living beings. Even within the Divine Dao Civilization, eroded by the Dark Clans, a Divine Lord appeared.
His might was so vast that he interpreted his own Divine Kingdom, self-contained and self-sufficient, leaping beyond the time line and causality line. His power far exceeded that of ordinary Ancestral Gods.
With the emergence of one End of the Path figure after another, the situation in the Vast Expanse became even more chaotic and tense. It was as if, in a single river, one originally thought there were only one or two giant crocodiles; but now that the river had become thoroughly muddied, the other giant crocodiles hidden in the silt began to emerge one after another. In comparison, existences in the Ancestral Dao Realm were utterly no different from tiny shrimps or minnows.
The successive news caused a sensation no less than the scene that day in the Ancient Treasure Civilization, when Gu Changge had suppressed and intimidated the Imperial Ruler of the Ancient Treasure Civilization.
The return of these End of the Path figures was also transmitting a signal: the Vast Expanse truly seemed to be on the verge of an upheaval unprecedented in history, perhaps even a total reshuffling. Thus, these End of the Path figures, hidden the deepest, could finally no longer hold back.