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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
Empress Huang Yu had not reemerged after all. It was merely the remnants of a piece of her soul that she left behind…
Those from the Ascension Celestial Dynasty who rushed over at once were thunderstruck. They could not believe what was happening. They could not accept it. The first Empress, who became a Nirvana Realm Expert after the Great Annihilation, had long since left this world…
Her body had faded with time as well. All that was left was a skull. Other traces had vanished, save for her emotional desire to search for something.
Empress Huang Yu had been the most peerless woman of her generation. Who was she trying to look for? Who was deserving of her efforts?
The fluctuations from that wisp of soul made the hearts of those from Ascension Celestial Dynasty quiver. They could not believe it. Alas, it had been aeons since the Era of the Great Annihilation. How could Empress Huang Yu possibly be alive after such a despairingly long period of time?
Still, this outcome was reasonable. It had been such a long time ago. Even Immortals might not live for so long. Furthermore, there was a dearth of life-extending issues in the present world. A True Daoist could only live for tens of thousands of years. Thus, no matter how heaven-defying Empress Huang Yu was, she could not have gone against Heaven to the point where she remained alive till now.
“Fate has decided that it is time for the Ascension Celestial Dynasty to come to an end after all…”
The Emperor of Ascension Celestial Dynasty was the first to be overwhelmed by this reality. His sight went dark. He would have crumpled to the ground if his officials had not held him steady.
Their emotions had swung like a pendulum. They came over filled with hope and all they got was soul-crushing despair.
Empress Huang Yu had long since passed on. Her true body was not here.
“That’s not Empress Huang Yu’s true body. It’s only a Dharma Body that she left behind which contains a bit of her soul, but it has also already begun to dissipate…”
“I knew it. How could anyone stay alive for so long? Empress Huang Yu became a True Daoist after the Era of the Great Annihilation. That was so very long ago.”
“Even if she became an Immortal, she might not have been able to live that long either.”
A sea of divine senses flooded above the Northern Dipper Star Territory.
Some of the Quasi-Nirvana Realm experts who sensed the fluctuations earlier came over with Nirvana Grade Artifacts in hand. They wanted to see if Empress Huang Yu was indeed still alive or if she had left a trump card behind.
However, they soon realised that the silhouette in the phoenix dress that exerted pressure over all the lands earlier was slowly vanishing. The mighty power was dissipating like a shooting star that shone only briefly before it lost its spark and fell into eternal darkness.
They even sensed the remnants of fluctuations from a soul. They picked out the feelings of regret, longing, and yearning…
“What’s going on? Why is it that Empress Huang Yu, even in her final moments, was still searching for something? Was she searching for someone?”
“Why did that wisp of Empress Huang Yu’s soul awaken now? Did she sense something…”
They were stunned and disbelieving.
According to historical records, Empress Huang Yu was a peerless woman who shone brightly. Everyone looked up to her. She reigned supreme over her era, and even future generations felt nothing but awe and respect for her.
Yet, this remarkable woman died with regrets as she passed on deep within the Ascension Celestial Dynasty.
For a brief moment, everyone saw a silhouette in a phoenix dress staring off at a specific location with a look of regret.
She once left this part of the universe in search of someone. She stayed outside Gods’ Ruins for a very long time. Alas, it had all been for nothing. Her life came to an end, and she died of old age within the Ascension Celestial Dynasty.
A long and clear sigh of regret echoed in everyone’s ears. They seemed to hear a lament.
“So, you’re not from this world after all…”
The strongest cultivators within the Northern Dipper Star Territory and even the surrounding Star Territories reacted in shock. They felt as if they had seen a ghost.
Was the remnants of a fragment of her soul this powerful?
For a brief moment, they even got the feeling that Empress Huang Yu was still alive somehow. She simply lived on in a different form.
What did she mean by those words? Was she referring to the person she was looking for?
“It was said that in Empress Huang Yu’s youth, she once stumbled into Gods’ Ruins by accident and was taught by the Lord of Gods’ Ruins. Later on, she tried to look for Gods’ Ruins again. Could it be that she was searching for that mysterious Lord of Gods’ Ruins…”
“A major change recently happened within Gods’ Ruins, and that remnant piece of Empress Huang Yu’s soul awakened at the same time. Is it because she sensed the presence of the Lord of Gods’ Ruins?”
“How could that be? Even though Gods’ Ruins is ancient and mysterious beyond compare, who would stay alive for such a long time? It is said that Gods’ Ruins had been around since before the Era of the Great Annihilation. That enigmatic Lord of Gods’ Ruins was said to have unparalleled cultivation, but even an Immortal could not have lived for that long.”
Divine senses fluctuated more than ever as numerous formidable figures stood above the Northern Dipper Star Territory. Their silhouettes were surrounded by circling runes that looked like a cage of Chaos Qi.
Some appeared with their massive true bodies but some appeared in human form. They were wary and suspicious as they kept their eyes fixed on the changes within the Northern Dipper Star Territory.
Divine light was still bursting forth from Gods’ Ruins. An endless stream of Grand Runes hung in the air. One after the other, they crashed like waves as they gave off a mighty energy that could destroy all of existence.
A towering Immortal Tree stood tall with its branches spread out. It looked like a flourishing world of its own. It gave off a rumbling sound that terrified those who heard it and brought their souls to the brink of collapse.
They were Quasi-Nirvana Realm Beings, but none of them dared to even head in that direction, let alone step into Gods’ Ruins.
If that scrap of Empress Huang Yu’s soul had awakened because it sensed the aura of the Lord of Gods’ Ruins, that was bound to shock all of existence.
After all, just how long had the Lord of Gods’ Ruins lived?
That number alone sent chills down their spine.
…
Meanwhile, deep within Gods’ Ruins.
*Whoosh!*
The leaves and branches crashed against each other as the Tree of Epoch shook. Every leaf was covered in patterns of a world. The sounds were thunderous.
A vague silhouette in white sat beneath the Tree of Epoch. Celestial Light shone through as Chaos Qi burst forth.
The silhouette sat deep within Reincarnation. Its aura was shrouded and imperceptible. Even someone who was deeply connected to the person would not be able to ascertain his identity.
Peculiar Grand Runes floated around, with might strong enough to suppress all Principles.
All of a sudden, the seated silhouette in white shifted ever so slightly before it grew fuzzy. It seemed to oscillate between solidifying and disappearing.
In just the blink of an eye, it fully solidified.
“I came just in time.” Gu Changge opened his eyes which deepened as the visions of the destruction of the world, the annihilation of the universe, and other such scenes of the end of the world appeared in them, but soon, everything quietened down again.
Though he left a Dharma Body in this place to keep an eye on the Epoch Dao Fruit, it also served as a point in space where the true body could simply descend without having to waste all that time travelling.
From the looks of it now, he came just in time. The armies of the Upper Realm had not truly arrived yet. The only ones here were the vanguards who were simply delivering themselves up to the slaughter.
“You’ve worked hard during this time.” Gu Changge looked at the beautiful figure on the other side of the Tree of Epoch.
Tao Yao nodded in response without saying anything, though she surveyed him with a complicated look in her eyes.
Although she agreed to help Gu Changge, she had not expected him to set a trap of this scale. He had drawn the whole Upper Realm over with the Tree of Epoch as his bait. It looked as if he intended to sacrifice this part of the universe to exterminate these Forces of the Upper Realm to help himself.
Based on the accumulation of cultivation alone, Gu Changge could not compare to the hidden experts, so he wanted to rely on this shortcut to become an Immortal.
…
“Forget it. It is not our place to unearth the secrets hidden within Gods’ Ruins over at the Northern Dipper Star Territory. Based on the news from the other star Territories, experts from other universes have arrived with four True Daoists in the lead…”
Back above the Northern Dipper Star Territory, a Quasi-Nirvana Realm expert suddenly spoke up. His expression had changed when he heard the news from the distant Star Territories.
Resplendence Universe was a vast universe, but for True Daoists, it was merely a short distance. Thus, they would soon be arriving.
“Our most crucial task right now is to leave the Northern Dipper Star Territory and flee from this universe.”
“Those invaders are definitely here for that Immortal Tree inside Gods’ Ruins. If the Lord of Gods’ Ruins is still alive, someone with that level of cultivation would surely destroy the world with just a single flick of his hand. Even just a glimmer of his power would be enough to kill us a million times over.”
“Soon, this place would be caught up in the chaos. There’s no good reason for us to stick around any longer.”
The crowd were decisive and the figures soon left the Northern Dipper Star Territory. They were heading back to their respective territories and ancient stars to lead their Family away.
However, at the very next moment, a terrifying rumbling echoed across the entire universe.
“Oh, no… It’s too late. We can’t make it in time.”
“They are too quick…”
The Quasi-Nirvana Realm Beings in the Northern Dipper Star Territory were thunderstruck.
It had only been a few breaths of time since they heard the news and made to leave the Northern Dipper Star Territory, but that terrifying army had arrived.
They trembled with fear.
The sea of dark silhouettes rushed past like thundering waves. They saw riders sitting on their beasts and carrying heavenly weapons.
It was a monstrous sight.
The True Daoist in the lead had a pair of cold merciless eyes that flickered with scorn as they swept across the Star Territories. Many of the stars shook as if they were about to fall.
These ancient battleships were large and powerful. They shot through the universe at top speeds, accompanied by immensely formidable strength.
Everyone in its path was horrified. They went pale as their hearts filled with fear and despair.
The sense of impending doom hung over the entire Star Territory. It was as if doomsday had arrived. Lives were about to be cut short.
“This is the aura of a True Daoist…”
“Hahaha. It’s merely the remnant soul from a skull. The Resplendence Universe doesn’t even have a single True Daoist!”
“Why did the Tree of Epoch choose to take root in this universe? What a waste.”
The vanguard army from the Upper Realm finally stopped and looked at the Northern Dipper Star Territory that was right in front of them. The ancient battleship blocked out a large part of the sky. The formidable aura it gave off made many hearts quiver.
Out of the four True Daoists, the one in the lead with a colourless complexion and snake-like eyes was the one who spoke.
He sneered with unmistakable mockery as he surveyed the area beneath him.
Earlier on, they sensed the emergence of the aura of a True Daoist from the Northern Dipper Star Territory. It bore down on the entire universe and even reached them. Therefore, they picked up speed and raced over only to find that the True Daoist they thought they would encounter was simply a fragment of a soul left behind in a skull.
This took them by surprise and they could not resist chortling tauntingly. They did not bother hiding their scorn for the Northern Dipper Star Territory and the entire Resplendence Universe.
Even the strongest cultivators here were in the Quasi-Nirvana Realm, and in a fairly low Minor Realm at that. They were worlds away from becoming True Daoists.
The four of them could squash these Quasi-Nirvana Realm experts to death without even having to lift more than a finger. They were like ants which required no effort to kill.
The living within the Northern Dipper Star Territory were overwhelmed by their sense of hopelessness when they heard the frank and indifferent voice. They kneeled to the ground and trembled uncontrollably.
Many of them had either been abandoned or came from Forces that did not have the power to take them away, so they had to remain behind.
The changes within Gods’ Ruins had shaken the entire universe. They knew a long time ago that the Northern Dipper Star Territory would turn into a place of endless bloodshed that no one could escape from.
Nevertheless, they did not think that the powerful beings that gave them nothing but neverending despair would arrive so soon. They did not even get a chance at survival.
Only a handful of True Daoists had risen in the whole Resplendence Universe since the Era of the Great Annihilation.
And yet, four True Daoists were standing above the Northern Dipper Star Territory right now. The merciless and terrifying energy crushed their souls. They were on the verge of a breakdown.
“It’s too late. No one can save us now. Soon, the Northern Dipper Star Territory will be destroyed.”
…
Inside the Ascension Celestial Dynasty, the Emperor had crumpled to the ground. All the colour had drained out of his face. He felt nothing but despair.
There were four True Daoists out there. They were the hallmark of invincibility.
Even if Empress Huang Yu was still alive, she could not have defeated them either. They were doomed.
“The fluctuations from the Tree of Epoch came from over there. It’s strange. I sense some kind of reverberation that makes even me fearful…”
The other three True Daoists glanced at the Northern Dipper Star Territory beneath them before their eyes fixed on Gods’ Ruins.
After all, the light was far too blinding. It almost broke through the sky. The reverberations it was giving off seemed to come like thunderous waves that echoed endlessly. It was vast and majestic.
Even the True Daoists felt pressured by this aura.
Inside Gods’ Ruins, that towering Immortal Tree was shaking its branches and giving out a rumbling sound. Every leaf was engulfed in Chaos Qi that could bear the weight of the world.
There was no doubt that it was the Tree of Epoch that they had been looking for all this while.
“It doesn’t seem like the Tree of Epoch chose to take root here. Someone had brought it and planted it here…”
The first True Daoist who spoke had gleaming eyes as he made his move without hesitation. He wanted to investigate the mysteries of that area and see if he could venture forth to take the Tree of Epoch away.
*Rumble!*
The sky trembled as a large silver hand suddenly appeared. It seemed to be made of moonlight as it dazzled with a silvery glow. The Grand Runes circling the hand were powerful enough to shatter all in its path, and this hand headed straight towards Gods’ Ruins.
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I don’t understand why Huang Yu’s remnant soul was surprised. If I remember correctly, it was implied that Gu Changge (Lord of Gods’ Ruins) was from a different universe.