Chapter 1324: Ancient Immortal Tribulation, Pass!

Chapter 1324: The Ancient Immortal Tribulation—Passed!

Beyond Wanggu, at the boundary, Xu Qing stood in the starry void, holding aloft a seven-colored lantern.

Before him stretched the boundless, infinite cosmos; behind him lay the continent of Wanggu, entwined by Shanghuang.

And he stood precisely upon the demarcation line, his gaze cold and sharp.

He raised the lantern high in his hand.

“From this moment onward, you are but a pawn in Wanggu’s grand design—leave at once!”

“If you refuse, I, Xu Qing, shall uproot each and every one of you!”

His words echoed outward, rippling through the void.

Within them resided the divine authority of the Fate Godhead fused into his divine body—a sovereignty of destiny now imprinted upon the laws of the Ninth Star Ring.

Moreover, his voice carried the power of Constitutional Law, transmitted through the principle of Wei, permeating all time—past, present, and future—and imprinting itself upon every parallel realm and the consciousness of all living beings.

The lantern in his hand seemed to resonate with his declaration, its radiance intensifying, growing ever more brilliant.

Countless divine thoughts then surged forth from across the multiverse, converging upon Xu Qing—and upon the lantern he held aloft!

Upon closer inspection—

The lantern’s frame was crafted from a peculiar clay, fired to perfection, its surface etched with naturally formed patterns that shimmered with an enigmatic aura.

Its outer shade was woven from seven-hued spirit threads, through which light flowed like a dream, ethereal and mesmerizing.

It seemed as though the resplendent hues of all realms under heaven had been gathered into this single vessel.

This very lantern was the supreme treasure bestowed upon Xu Qing by Master Bai just before his departure from the Fifth Star Ring!

And the true terror of this artifact lay within its wick—

For nestled inside the shade was the eye of a Sovereign God!

Its power was fearsome beyond measure. Sensing the incoming divine thoughts, the Sovereign’s Eye flared suddenly.

With that flash, the Sovereign’s divine authority spread invisibly outward.

Entropy!

Entropy—the inexorable descent of all things from order into chaos. This divine dominion could alter the very essence of matter through increase or decrease.

Now, beneath the Sovereign’s overwhelming force, ninety-nine percent of those divine thoughts instantly shattered, their faint, agonized wails echoing through the void.

Xu Qing remained expressionless, lantern in hand, and turned back toward the continent of Wanggu.

In the starry expanse, Xu Qing walked alongside the glow of his lamp. Around him stretched the pitch-black cosmos, yet to the many powerful cultivators of the Ninth Star Ring, his figure moving through the stars blazed like celestial fire in the night—

Dazzling. Astounding.

Thus, the golden Primordial River flowing through the northern reaches of the Star Ring churned violently, its waves surging high. Within those waves, countless enormous golden divine eyes opened wide.

All gazed toward the continent of Wanggu—and toward Xu Qing.

Coldness gleamed in every one of those eyes.

Amid the turbulent waves, multicolored lotuses rose and fell, and innumerable figures stood solemnly upon them, as if awaiting the river’s divine decree.

Most of these lotuses bore five colors; six-colored ones were rarer, seven-colored even more so—and only four eight-colored lotuses existed.

Within one such eight-colored lotus, the God of Wishes lifted his head, golden light flickering in his eyes.

Yet ultimately, despite the anticipation of all these deities, the Primordial River chose to close each of its great eyes one by one.

The river’s turbulence gradually subsided—but… the schemes it had planted within Wanggu remained unsevered!

A similar scene unfolded simultaneously in the far depths of the eastern cosmos beyond the Star Ring.

To the east of the Star Ring, there was no starlight—no stars at all—only an endless, soundless void.

Here, neither sound nor color seemed to exist.

Only boundless curses drifted through this emptiness, accumulating since time immemorial.

And at the very heart of this void, at the source of all curses, slumbered an indescribable leviathan.

At this moment, it did not open its eyes—but every curse encircling it trembled.

Meanwhile, the Black Tower standing in the south of the Ninth Star Ring also emitted a low, divine murmur.

This sound defied description and held no concrete meaning—it resembled instead the resonant hum produced by countless gods vibrating the fabric of space itself.

From this resonance, threads of light emerged throughout the starry sky, each connecting directly to the continent of Wanggu.

Each thread represented one of the Black Tower’s schemes.

Since ancient times, its machinations within Wanggu had grown numerous.

But now, these threads quivered violently—and in the next instant, snapped clean apart.

At each point of severance, phantom-like figures appeared—some human, some alien, others artifacts—but now, every karmic tie binding them to the Black Tower had been erased.

Unlike the Primordial River and the Leviathan, the Black Tower had chosen to relinquish its hold.

Among those severed figures stood one unmistakable presence—Xu Qing’s Third Senior Brother!

Aside from Shanghuang, the Sovereign Gods of Wanggu numbered four.

Now, three—Primordial River, Leviathan, and Black Tower—had each made their choice. Only the paper effigy seated cross-legged in the west of the Star Ring remained utterly motionless.

Yet deep within that paper figure, across the infinite universes it contained, countless paper-formed stars birthed legions of paper beings, all ascending toward the central point of their respective cosmoses.

“Our bond… differs from all others… There is no path of retreat!”

A rasping voice, like the friction of parchment against parchment, echoed hoarsely across the myriad paper universes as this convergence continued.

Meanwhile, within the continent of Wanggu, neither cultivators nor common folk possessed the power to pierce the heavenly seal with their divine thoughts—they could not perceive the battle unfolding in the stars above.

Only the gods, due to their unique nature, sensed what transpired beyond. Witnessing the events in the void, every deity within Wanggu felt their inner worlds churn violently.

Their divine auras instantly retracted—even those enshrined by mighty clans did not dare reveal themselves.

For the power Xu Qing had displayed was enough to strike terror into their hearts.

“Wanggu… is about to change its heavens.”

As these murmurs spread among the gods, as tension gripped the myriad races of Wanggu, and as human cultivators waited in hopeful anticipation, ripples appeared in the sky above the Imperial Capital of the Human Race.

Celestial radiance descended from the heavens, bathing all living beings in its glow.

Within that light, Xu Qing’s figure emerged step by step—crossing the starry void, passing through the heavenly seal—and appeared upon the firmament.

Standing there, Xu Qing swept his gaze over the familiar faces below and spoke softly:

“The Ancient Immortal Tribulation… has passed.”

At those words, the myriad races of Wanggu first fell into stunned silence—then erupted into unprecedented jubilation.

Relief after tension, exhilaration after suppression, hope after despair—all burst forth in this single, glorious moment.

Zhou Zhengli and the others immediately bowed deeply to Xu Qing.

Then came the Empress, followed by the entire human race—and soon after, all the myriad races of Wanggu, from every direction, prostrated themselves toward the heavens.

Seventh Master watched with profound satisfaction, his heart brimming with emotion. He knew well that the path his disciple would now tread was unprecedented—and destined to be arduous beyond measure.

These thoughts filled him with both wistfulness and a pang of tenderness.

He raised his hand and slapped the head of Erniu, who stood beside him with an air of proud indifference.

“All you ever think about is eating! How much have you devoured already, yet you’re still so useless!”

Erniu looked aggrieved.

All this unfolded before Xu Qing’s eyes—but at this moment, his spiritual awareness had already unfurled, enveloping the entirety of Wanggu. First, he turned his gaze toward Fenghai Commandery, beholding old friends there, and within the underground palace, inside the Phoenix Hall, Zi Xuan opened her eyes…

Then his attention shifted to Yinghuang Province, then farther still to the Ji Yue Great Domain.

Outside the former apothecary shop, among Prince Shi and the others, Xu Qing gazed upon Ling’er.

After surveying each one in turn, Xu Qing cast his eyes overseas.

There, a solitary boat drifted alone upon the waves.

Within that lone vessel, the aura of a True God stirred, ripening—soon, it would break through and emerge.

Yu Liuchen’s tale had succeeded, if only partially.

Having already stood at the peak of the Divine Platform, He had now completed most of the rites required for ascension to True Godhood. The final step… was imminent.

Having gazed long enough, Xu Qing withdrew his sight—and finally fixed his eyes upon…

The Swallowing Heaven Great Domain, shrouded in thick, impenetrable mist!

Within this domain lay a mysterious kingdom—

a realm returned from antiquity, its people likewise drawn back through the cycles of reincarnation.

Its name… the Purple Azure Supreme State!

And within the imperial palace of this nation stood a statue of staggering grandeur—

the statue of Shang Huang.

Behind the statue loomed the palace’s great hall.

Inside that hall, upon the dragon throne, sat a figure robed in imperial splendor, resting his head against one hand as though dozing.

His face bore an uncanny resemblance to Xu Qing—save for a faint, sinister aura clinging to him. As Xu Qing’s gaze settled here, the man on the throne curled his lips into a smile.

Slowly, he lowered his hand, stretched languidly, then lifted his head to stare up at the heavens.

A soft chuckle escaped him.

“Little brother… at last you’ve grown to this point.

I’ve waited a very long time for this day.

I’ve been waiting for you.”

Taking a day off.

I’ve been untangling the early threads of Wanggu and working out how to seamlessly connect them to what comes next—it’s not ready yet, so I’m taking today off.