Chapter 558: Body Transforming into All Things, Roleplaying All Living Beings, the Great War Begins

Chapter 558: Transforming into All Things, Playing Every Role, the Great War Begins

In the Kuijin Realm, Qi Yuan, clad in a dark robe with white hair streaming, saw his incarnation in the distant Qingshan Realm dissolve into nothingness.

“Indeed... diligent cultivation... how could it compare to the speed of plunder?”

With this single strike, he had slain no fewer than ten thousand Deceptive Gods, and the worlds of a single great domain numbered more than ten thousand as well.

The surge of vast experience far outstripped the pace of slow, steady cultivation.

Shangguan Qingteng and Shangguan Qingmiao stared at Qi Yuan in utter shock, a thousand words coalescing into silence within their hearts.

For they could yet neither digest nor comprehend this event.

Qi Yuan cast a faint glance at the two and asked casually, “Do you know what truly lies within the Divine Wood Abyss?”

The blind maiden in the Divine Wood Abyss had once given him eight wooden tablets inscribed with methods of artifact forging.

The tablets had long since vanished, leaving only the eight forging arts in his mind.

The eight forging arts were Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Cloud, Rain, and Thunder.

Shangguan Qingteng was startled, never expecting Qi Yuan to ask such a question.

He furrowed his brow and pondered seriously: “The Divine Wood Abyss... is a void, devoid of any living beings. An extremely ancient Ancestral God once said that the Divine Wood Abyss might be the origin of the Divine Wood Universe.”

“The birthplace of the universe?” Qi Yuan murmured. “No living beings inside?”

“None,” Shangguan Qingteng replied. “From antiquity to the present, many Ancestral Gods have entered the Divine Wood Abyss to investigate, yet none have found any living creatures.”

Within the Divine Wood Universe, the Divine Wood Abyss existed in almost every world.

Just now, Qi Yuan had transformed into myriad forms and entered nearly all the Divine Wood Universes, but found nothing.

“If you wish to learn more about the Divine Wood Abyss, Senior, you might come to the Tai Star Domain, where the original text of the *Secret Origins* is kept,” Shangguan Qingteng said cautiously.

No matter how strange or uncanny Qi Yuan’s appearance might be.

He was still a man of the Divine Wood Universe, and he had just struck against the Deceptive Gods—worthy of their alliance.

Originally, they had thought that once Qi Yuan grew to the height of Yuan, he could serve as a seed to awaken the light for the steward.

But now... how could he be merely a seed?

“Tai Star Domain?” Qi Yuan’s gaze grew deep. “I will go there, but not now... Once I complete my mortal transformation, I shall visit the Tai Star Domain and see Sheng Nu as well.”

With a sweep of his sleeve, his figure vanished once more.

Only Shangguan Qingteng and Shangguan Qingmiao remained, exchanging bewildered glances.

“This matter must be reported to Yuan as soon as possible!”

...

“So-called mortal transformation, experiencing all the vicissitudes of the mortal world...”

In an unknown world, Qi Yuan sat alone fishing in a desert.

His straight hook fell into the dust and sand, sinking a hundred meters deep.

Qi Yuan fished in silence, his thoughts serene.

“For the white-haired Qi Yuan, mortal transformation is a means to break through to the Ancestral God realm.

For me... mortal transformation is a method to comprehend the rules of the world.”

All things in the world move in order, concealing the great Dao’s truth.

The path of cultivation requires balance between tension and relaxation, a tightening and a loosening.

What is tightening? Slaying deceptive spirits to gain experience.

What is loosening? Comprehending the rules of the Dao, knowing all things.

“So... why am I fishing in gravel?”

“What can I catch?”

“I can catch... a single grain of sand.”

Suddenly, the fishing line in Qi Yuan’s hand twitched.

A grain of sand was lifted into the air.

This grain of sand was utterly ordinary, no different from any other.

Seeing it, Qi Yuan reached out his hand.

“I have finally found you, or rather... myself.”

Ever since becoming a realm lord, he no longer needed to play a role.

He only needed to reclaim.

To reclaim himself.

That self was none other than when the game crashed, and Qi Yuan invested his own blood.

His blood had also merged into the Divine Wood Universe, becoming a part of all things.

This grain of sand was one of them.

The moment the sand touched Qi Yuan’s arm, it vanished.

Qi Yuan’s gaze was calm, seeing a thousand years in an instant.

The life and memories of that sand flowed through his mind.

It had once lain deep in the mud of the seabed, in eternal darkness; it had seen a fish grow legs and crawl onto the land; it had also seen a finger bone, white as jade, sink into the depths of the ocean.

Countless cultivators and mighty ones had slaughtered each other to find that finger bone.

Later, the sea dried up, the water vanished, and the rocks crumbled.

This place became a desert.

“Is this the life of a grain of sand, or... my life?”

“Now...”

Qi Yuan lifted his head, his gaze profound and distant: “It is time for the war banner.”

His form flickered, and he appeared in the gaps between worlds.

The void was filled with turbulent currents, perilous beyond measure; an ordinary person could not survive even a single breath within.

Qi Yuan grasped a corner of a tattered piece of cloth.

[Broken War Banner of the Hong Star Domain: Three thousand years ago, the Tai Star Domain was hard-pressed in war; the Hong Star Domain sent a great army to reinforce, bearing the Hong Star Banner. The war dragged on for thirty-six years; the Hong Star army was besieged in an isolated city, defended for seven years, until the banner fell.]

The fragment in his hand was the war banner of the Hong Star Domain, and also a part of Qi Yuan.

A flood of memories poured in, and Qi Yuan’s gaze grew deep.

He seemed to see the joy of an aged elder forging the banner, and the weaver woman with failing eyesight still stitching by a dying lamp.

The war banner fluttered in the wind; the army drank their farewell wine and marched to the front.

Finally, the blood-soaked battle flag, the one that had stood unyielding, was at last cut down and torn to shreds.

"This is the battle flag, and this is me."

Qi Yuan seemed to transform into that battle flag, witnessing history, observing this world quietly from the perspective of a bystander.

"Who else am I?"

Qi Yuan wondered.

He had once shed blood upon the Divine Wood, his body dividing into ten thousand forms.

What he needed to retrieve… was too much, far too much.

Time flowed on, and Qi Yuan's figure vanished, mysterious and unfathomable.

Many sought him, yet none could ever find him.

Only some passersby, perhaps in the bustling markets, seemed to have glimpsed a white-haired man, his eyes hollow and vacant, murmuring something under his breath.

……

The Tai Star Domain.

Within a towering, majestic hall.

Yuan sat in the seat of honor, clad in a tattered robe and armor, the armor stained with blood.

That smear of blood could not be cleansed, ceaselessly corroding the armor.

In the great hall gathered nearly all the mighty figures of the Tai Star Domain.

At this moment, their expressions were all grave.

Then, a bearded man spoke angrily: "Centuries ago, we had only half a Luminous Artifact, yet Yuan dared to go alone to the Void Sea to block Hei Tu. Now, with seven Luminous Artifacts, do we still dare not fight?"

This time, Black Heaven and Black Earth again deployed their forces at the Void Sea. The arrayed soldiers were far stronger than last time.

In the Tai Star Domain now, there were many differing voices on how to deal with Black Heaven and Black Earth.

"Perhaps… Black Heaven and Black Earth are merely testing us. If we gather all our strength and rashly start a war, the fragile balance of these ten thousand years might shatter in an instant," said the white-browed elder, his voice hoarse.

"What fragile balance? It's nothing but scraping by. Do we expect Black Heaven and Black Earth to show mercy?" the irascible bearded man retorted angrily.

"The seeds of the Luminous Artifacts have not yet fully grown. I only wish to give them a little more time to mature," the white-browed elder said despondently.

"Whether to fight or not does not depend on us," said a woman in Confucian robes. "Every time Black Heaven and Black Earth invade, we may be… annihilated. Whether we resist or flatter, it changes nothing.

The reason Black Heaven and Black Earth have not yet destroyed the Divine Wood Universe is simply that… the limit has not been reached."

The woman in Confucian robes spoke in riddles.

But everyone present understood.

When Black Heaven and Black Earth first invaded, the Yaoguang Dao Lord, across endless universes and infinite voids, drew a line in the Divine Wood Universe.

At first, the Renqi Society did not know what that line meant.

Only later did they slowly realize that line was also called the timeline.

The timeline was constantly shortening, constantly collapsing.

When the timeline completely vanished, becoming a single point, that would be the moment the Divine Wood Universe was utterly destroyed.

Less than a hundred thousand years remained before the line disappeared.

For an individual, a hundred thousand years is long, but on the scale of the universe, a hundred thousand years is but a fleeting moment.

"So the outcome of this battle does not affect the result… So I think… it is better not to resist. It would be pointless death. Instead, we should accumulate strength and await the final battle, to shine with utmost brilliance," said the white-browed elder.

"Take one step back today, ten steps tomorrow—at the final battle, must we take ten thousand steps back?" said the irascible bearded man.

The crowd fell silent.

Black Heaven was too mysterious, too powerful, inspiring despair.

Then, Yuan, seated in the main seat, spoke: "For this trip to the Void Sea, which six will go with me?"

His word was final.

Hearing Yuan's words, the others, even if unwilling in their hearts, said nothing more.

Yuan's authority as the leader was deep as the sea; no one could veto his decision.

He had given too much for the Divine Wood Universe.

"Count me in," said a tall man at that moment. "My Tian clan had no Luminous Artifacts, and was devoured by Black Heaven, barely surviving to the Divine Wood Universe. This time, I will wield a Luminous Artifact and fight Black Heaven and Black Earth!"

The tall man's eyes were filled with resolve.

He was originally of the Tian clan.

The Tian clan had once faced the invasion of Black Heaven and Black Earth.

The Human King of the Tian clan was a Realm Lord-level powerhouse, perhaps even capable of transcending to a higher realm.

The Human King sought to forge a Luminous Artifact to resist Black Heaven.

But in the end, he failed, and the Luminous Artifact was never forged.

The Tian clan was destroyed.

The civilization of the Tian clan was thus severed, with only a few escaping.

Some came to the Divine Wood Universe.

The art of artifact forging in the Divine Wood Universe came from the Tian clan.

"Who else?" Yuan asked again, having accepted the Tian clan man.

"I have already stepped into the second level of the Ancestral God; I can also go," said Sheng Nu, her expression cold and clear as the moon.

She was the seed who wielded the Renqi Luminance.

"Agreed." Yuan nodded, then swept his gaze over the others. "Anyone else?"

The others remained silent.

Most felt their strength insufficient, afraid of defiling the Luminous Artifacts.

The entire Divine Wood Universe had forged seven Luminous Artifacts, yet could not find seven mighty figures capable of wielding them.

"Alas, if Qi Yuan were here, he would likely be the most qualified to wield the Renqi Luminance," said Shangguan Qingmiao.

Centuries ago, when he met Qi Yuan, he regarded him as a celestial being.

After all, Qi Yuan was actually a Realm Lord.

The Realm Lord realm had reached a level of mystery beyond comprehension.

Hearing this, Sheng Nu's expression shifted slightly: "I suspect he alone could wield two, even three Luminous Artifacts."

"Pity, that lord's whereabouts are uncertain; we simply cannot find him," the white-browed elder sighed softly.

Over the years, the Tai Star Domain had constantly tried to find Qi Yuan.

But they could not find him at all.

He seemed to have vanished without a trace.

Yuan swept his gaze across the crowd, his voice devoid of both sorrow and joy: "Five days remain to choose the other four. Meeting adjourned."

Yuan's figure vanished into thin air.

The remaining individuals departed in small, scattered groups.

The vast palace grew empty, turning desolate and cold.

Approximately an hour later, a procession of three entered the grand hall with their heads bowed.

All three held brooms, and their leader was an old man with hair as white as snow.

Upon entering the grand hall, they did not look around but simply began to clean.

This so-called cleaning was, naturally, not to sweep away mere dust, but to cleanse the residual aura of the eerie spirits.

These ancestral gods fought on the front lines year-round, and their bodies were heavily tainted by the miasma of the eerie spirits.

With them gathering here, the remnants of that eerie aura would linger; if left uncleansed for too long, an eerie deity might very well be birthed within these walls.

The three swept in silence, exchanging no words.

The palace was immense, and cleansing it thoroughly was a time-consuming endeavor.

The old man wiped a table clean, his gaze falling upon a slender back, his brow furrowing slightly: "Hey, Xiao Qi, why aren't you cleaning? What are you doing sitting there?"

The handsome young man named Xiao Qi had actually seated himself upon the throne of the Sun God, a peculiar look gleaming in his eyes.

"Sigh, I wonder if I will ever have the chance to meet these Lord Sun Gods. I have so many questions I want to ask them," the handsome youth named Xiao Qi muttered, his eyes clouded with confusion.

"Are those great personages individuals whom the likes of us can question at whim?" The old man laughed, thinking Xiao Qi was merely indulging in whimsical fantasies.

This Xiao Qi was the orphan of a frontline warrior, whom the old man had raised himself.

"Besides, those questions of yours are truly far too bizarre!" Recalling something, the old man added.

"How are they bizarre? I only want to ask them what a mountain is, what shoes are, and what an insect is," Xiao Qi said casually, his gaze somewhat vacant and lost.

"Old Dad is right, your questions are far too strange," the remaining man said with a smile on his face. "What use is there in asking about such things? You might as well ask how one becomes a god."

Xiao Qi shook his head: "Life is a hardship, filled with too many unknowns. It is too difficult, far too difficult."

"You should go write a book called 'One Hundred Thousand Whys,'" the old man remarked.

In this world, the allusion to "One Hundred Thousand Whys" also existed.

"Xiao Qi, what use is there in pondering these things for nothing? You'd be better off earning more money to buy wine for Old Dad," the other man chimed in.

"What is wine?" Xiao Qi paused slightly. "Isn't there plenty of wine here?"

As he spoke, he reached out to grasp a wine flask, giving it a shake, a look of disdain crossing his face.

"Which miser took all the wine inside with them!"

"You audacious boy!" Seeing there was no wine, the old man let out a sigh of relief.

This was wine imbibed by the ancestral gods; even if there were leftovers, it was not something people of their station could dare to touch.

Since the remaining half-flask of wine had been carried away by one of the masters, Xiao Qi would not commit a transgression.

"Stop daydreaming, just work hard to make money so you can buy wine for Old Dad!" the other tall man said.

"This isn't daydreaming, I just want to understand what these things truly are," Xiao Qi murmured to himself. "If I can figure it out, perhaps I can brew wine for Old Dad to drink every single day."

"Alright, Old Dad will be waiting for that day," the old man said, chuckling merrily.