Chapter 1328: Six Lifetimes of Waiting

Chapter 1328: Six Lifetimes of Waiting

The ancient celestial Dao of Wanggu was reforged—henceforth, one primordial path would endure, and ninety-nine paths of cultivation would be restored.

For Wanggu, this was merit.

For the myriad races, it was hope.

At last, the severed road of cultivation had been reconnected!

Driven by the lingering will of the Ancient Spirit Sovereign, and wielding the rank once held by Xia Xian, a lamp would now be lit in the darkness ahead of the myriad races—

dispelling the mists, guiding all who followed its light toward the farther shore.

“There are still some matters I must attend to.”

High above, Xu Qing gazed down upon the land beneath the vault of heaven, murmuring softly as he took a step forward.

Zhou Zhengli and the others followed close behind.

Thus passed three days.

In those three days, Xu Qing visited many places.

He descended upon every mighty clan where gods resided.

He entered every site suspected of bearing traces of external forces.

And finally, he uprooted nearly every visible pawn planted by those outside powers.

Having completed this task, the fusion of his immortal and divine selves reached its limit. It could no longer be sustained. At dusk on the third day, before Ghost Emperor Mountain, the two forms separated.

His divine body peeled away, merging fully with the divine core.

In a sense, this divine form could now be regarded as an avatar of Shang Huang—

crafted from Shang Huang’s own flesh, now bearing Shang Huang’s divine essence.

Though still mystically linked to Xu Qing, their connection was fraught with uncertainty.

Precisely for this reason, Xu Qing did not allow it to return to the underground palace.

Instead, he sank it deep into the heart of Wanggu.

Now restored to his immortal form, Xu Qing stood before Ghost Emperor Mountain beneath the dimming twilight, gazing at the vast mountain before him.

Behind him stood Zhou Zhengli and the others, silent and steadfast.

Before him—on Ghost Emperor Mountain—sat another figure.

That man sat cross-legged atop the summit, his robes stained, his face haggard, eyes closed in deep meditation.

“Third Senior Brother,” Xu Qing said softly.

The figure seated upon Ghost Emperor Mountain was none other than the Third Disciple of Seventh Master—Xu Qing’s Third Senior Brother.

Long ago, during the great calamity that befell Wanggu, Seventh Master had secluded himself in meditation, Xu Qing had departed outward, Er Niu had journeyed to Huangtian, Second Senior Sister remained to guard Seven Blood Pupils—and Third Senior Brother… had come here, to Ghost Emperor Mountain.

He had sat cross-legged upon its peak.

For nearly thirty years, he had not moved.

He sought to return—to reclaim the power of his past life, so he might protect those he cherished in this present world.

For he was the reincarnation of the Ghost Emperor himself.

This bond between him and Ghost Emperor Mountain… clearly, Seventh Master had known of it all along. Even in Xu Qing’s memories, there had been countless subtle hints.

Long ago, the Ghost Emperor had passed away in Yinghuang Province—his three hun souls transformed into mountains, his seven po spirits became malevolent essences.

His spiritual energy dispersed, nourishing all living beings in Yinghuang.

Yet clearly, his original life-force had endured. Scattered with his spirit, perhaps reborn through reincarnation—or perhaps aided by some external power—he was reborn years later in Yinghuang Province once more.

His childhood had been filled with hardship and hatred, until a servant brought him to Seven Blood Pupils,

where he bowed before Seventh Master as his disciple—becoming the Third Disciple.

But between past life and present existence lay an invisible chasm. To return, to merge, to reclaim the power of his former self—was no simple feat.

Unless the three hun returned, the seven po would not stir.

And his original life-force… remained merely that: potential, not power.

Thus, despite sitting upon Ghost Emperor Mountain for nearly three decades, Third Senior Brother had not succeeded.

Perhaps, had Xu Qing not returned, the black tower of the Ninth Star Ring would have intervened during the Ancient Immortal Tribulation, granting him the final push to fuse with his past self—

turning him into a greater piece in the Black Tower’s grand design over Wanggu.

But by then… he might no longer have been himself.

Xu Qing’s return—and the line he drew—ended the Ancient Immortal Tribulation.

Moreover, among the four Divine Sovereigns, the Black Tower of the Ninth Star Ring was the only one to sever all karmic ties.

Thus… Third Senior Brother was now free.

Now, as Xu Qing’s voice echoed across the mountain, the figure seated atop Ghost Emperor Mountain slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a hoarse voice:

“Fourth Junior Brother…”

Xu Qing’s relationship with this Third Senior Brother had always been distant compared to that with Second Senior Sister or Eldest Senior Brother. Their interactions had been few. The clearest memory Xu Qing held was from their days at Seven Blood Pupils—the merfolk princess.

That princess, fleeing Xu Qing’s pursuit, had taken refuge aboard Third Senior Brother’s vessel—only for him to gently, smilingly, snap her neck.

That scene had left a profound impression on Xu Qing.

It had also planted seeds of wariness in his heart, causing him to avoid close contact with his Third Senior Brother ever since.

Now, recalling the past while gazing upon the present, Xu Qing felt a quiet melancholy.

He stepped forward, appearing atop Ghost Emperor Mountain, standing beside his Third Senior Brother.

Looking at the haggard face before him, Xu Qing spoke softly:

“Third Senior Brother… do you need my help to reclaim your past life?”

Third Senior Brother fell silent, his eyes clouded with confusion. After a long pause, he shook his head.

“Fourth Brother… would you like to hear my story?”

Xu Qing nodded.

Third Senior Brother raised his hand, drew out a flask of aged wine, took a swig, and rasped:

“I was born in Yinghuang Province… and at first, I had no idea of my connection to the Ghost Emperor.

“But a voice kept calling to me…

“And it always pointed toward this mountain.

“As I grew older, the call grew stronger—until I sensed, deep within, that… this mountain was me.

“When Master went into seclusion, the voice became even more insistent. So I came here.

“You had vanished. Eldest Senior Brother had vanished too. I guessed you’d gone to find a way to aid Master. And I wanted to help as well…”

“So here I am, seeking to merge with this mountain—and in that process… I saw a black tower.”

“The tower told me that all these years, it wasn’t Ghost Emperor Mountain calling me—it was *Him*. He called out, demanding my soul, my flesh, everything I am. In return, He promised to safeguard the Seven Blood Pupils.”

“I agreed.”

Third Brother murmured.

“In truth, I don’t even know if there truly is a karmic bond between me and Ghost Emperor Mountain—whether we share past lives or futures…”

“But I wanted to try. So, with the black tower’s aid, I began merging with Ghost Emperor Mountain. The process was long… until at last, faintly, I saw you, Fourth Brother—I saw you drawing lines across the starry sky.”

“And I saw that mysterious black tower sever its connection with me… granting me freedom…”

“But…”

Third Brother lifted his head, gazing at Xu Qing.

“At the very moment of severance, I realized—the voice that had haunted me since childhood, that had summoned me all these years… was *still there*!”

“That voice never came from the black tower at all. And sitting here now, I’m certain—it didn’t come from Ghost Emperor Mountain either. Before that, the black tower deceived me.”

“That voice… comes from *that* direction…”

Third Brother raised his hand, pointing northward.

“Someone has been waiting for me there… for many, many years…”

Xu Qing followed Third Brother’s gesture, his eyes turning toward the north. Within him, waves of emotion surged.

That was the direction of the Tai Chu Li You Pillar—that was… the location of the Ghost Cave!

“You asked if I wished to merge with the Ghost Emperor. I don’t, Fourth Brother. I want to go *there*—to find the source of that summoning voice… to meet the one who calls me.”

Third Brother looked straight at Xu Qing.

“Alright.”

Xu Qing waved his hand. Instantly, heaven and earth twisted; reality blurred. In the next heartbeat—he and Third Brother vanished from Ghost Emperor Mountain.

They reappeared atop the icy plains north of Ying Huang Province, suspended in the firmament.

Amid howling gales, the Tai Chu Li You Pillar stood resplendent through wind and snow.

And as Xu Qing and Third Brother manifested, the colossal Li You Pillar suddenly trembled. One by one, the dim glyphs and sigils etched upon it blazed into radiant life.

At last, the entire Tai Chu Li You Pillar shimmered with dazzling brilliance.

Yet Third Brother paid no heed to its transformation. His gaze, utterly focused, fixed upon the ground below—

More precisely, upon the point where the Tai Chu Li You Pillar met the earth!

The entrance to the Ghost Cave!

“All these years, the voice ceaselessly summoning me… was here all along…”

Third Brother’s voice quivered slightly as he whispered. Instinctively, he raised his hand toward the Tai Chu Li You Pillar.

As his right hand lifted, perhaps due to his half-century-long fusion with Ghost Emperor Mountain—or perhaps because the Black Tower’s external influence had vanished—his bond with the Tai Chu Li You Pillar grew purer, untwisted.

Immediately, the pillar roared.

To the astonishment of cultivators within nearby tents, the massive Li You Pillar slowly began to rise, accompanied by thunderous clamor.

The ice plain shuddered violently!

Higher and higher ascended the Tai Chu Li You Pillar—until it tore free from the earth entirely!

Soaring into the sky!

Gale-force winds erupted across the land, scattering countless tents. Cultivators of myriad races dwelling here scrambled backward in shock.

Even local Swordbearers, their expressions shifting, rose into the air one after another, desperate to witness what unfolded.

And on the ground, as the Tai Chu Li You Pillar lifted away, a vast, pitch-black maw appeared—

The Ghost Cave itself!

From within poured chilling gusts—and echoing softly through the abyss came the voice of a woman singing opera:

*“If past lives won’t come, then future rebirths linger evermore—

Snip the threads of longing, paint them into dust…”*

*“This life wanders lost, my remaining years buried deep—

Who waits for me within the wheel of reincarnation?”*

Her song was heartbreakingly beautiful, mournful yet tender.

It carried the weight of countless regrets and unspoken farewells from lifetimes past, weaving today’s confusion and lifelong solitude into its haunting melody.

Each word seemed ground from endless yearning and desolation, swirling through the blizzard with lingering echoes—like tangled threads of love impossible to sever or sort—spinning a tapestry of sorrow and wistfulness across heaven and earth.

One could almost glimpse all those missed chances of former lives, loves sealed away by time, helplessly dissolving into dust, scattered by the winds of ages—leaving only a faint, melancholy ache in the heart.

Rising, falling…

*Beyond three lifetimes’ dreams, old memories refuse to fade—

Only fragmented thoughts sway in the wind.*

*Four lifetimes of grief, obsession’s triumphs and defeats—

Tears fall upon the banks of Nai He Bridge.*

*Five lifetimes spent waiting in vain, fate refusing reunion—

Alone I lean by the cold cave, pouring out stifled longing.*

*Six lifetimes of lonely sorrow, old dreams turned to haze—

Even scattered beauty cannot return…*