Chapter 1352: Upper Wasteland Complete!

Chapter 1352: Shanghuang Complete!

Dawn’s light descended from the heavens, spilling over the ruins of Wushuang City, draping this mortal realm in its golden veil.

Within that radiance, young Xu Qing stood utterly still—as if time itself had frozen around him.

Before him, the adult Xu Qing from the future emerged slowly from the brilliant morning glow.

Clad in a long black robe fluttering in the wind, it snapped like banners in a storm.

His violet hair streamed upward, each strand thrumming with the primordial essence of stellar rings.

As he stepped forward, Wanggu Continent trembled.

The earth quaked; the sky churned. In that instant, all of Wanggu seemed to awaken, resonating in eager welcome.

Not only Wanggu—but Huangtian beneath it stirred as well!

For the figure stepping forth from the light bore a stature equal to the source of Wanggu, the origin of Huangtian itself!

Auspicious omens bloomed in every direction; radiant hues coalesced within the dawn’s rays—

All bowing before him!

When his form fully materialized from the light, heaven and earth roared.

An earth-shattering power erupted from his body, amplified by the resonance of Wanggu and Huangtian—and surpassing even the aura of Xia Xian.

He was… a Xianzhu!

Not merely any Xianzhu, but one standing at the absolute peak of that exalted rank!

Even more astonishing, behind Xu Qing’s back, another adult version of himself seemed faintly visible—

Just like the Primordial Twin Mother Stars!

He stood there, glancing once at his childhood self frozen in time, then turned his gaze toward Zi Qing watching him from afar.

After a long silence, he began walking toward Zi Qing.

Step by step, he crossed the stilled river of time, waded through viscous blood, and arrived before Zi Qing amidst the crimson rain falling within the light.

Gazing at Zi Qing, Xu Qing spoke calmly:

“Why didn’t Shanghuang come to stop my ascension?”

Zi Qing smiled.

At this moment, he had only just awakened—possessing neither the cultivation of his past life nor the divine realm he would later attain in the Tiantian Domain.

Now, his body held only profound divinity.

Fragile before Xu Qing.

Yet he did not care.

Smiling warmly at Xu Qing, his eyes shimmered with admiration, relief—and deep anticipation.

“Before I answer that, little brother… tell me—do you even know who you are?”

Xu Qing fell silent, staring coldly at Zi Qing without reply.

Zi Qing’s smile widened.

“You don’t know.”

“And you couldn’t possibly know!”

His eyes blazed with intensity as he fixed them upon Xu Qing.

“Little brother, I searched for you many years—and never believed it was you.”

“Only after repeatedly entering the fate of this lifetime, experiencing countless outcomes—including this very day when Wushuang City was sacrificed—did I begin to see.”

“In some fates, I ignored you. In others, I took you away.”

“In yet others, I destroyed you.”

“That is why your memories of Wushuang City are so fragmented!”

“And through all this, I finally caught a glimpse of the truth—”

“But still I remained uncertain. So I let you fend for yourself, allowed you to grow on your own path. Every step of your early life—I watched clearly through the threads of fate.”

“Your killings, your apprenticeships, every choice you made, every different path you walked, spawning divergent destinies—I saw them all.”

“Frame by frame, I examined them closely.”

“I had originally intended to bring you back after returning from the Zi Qing Upper Kingdom—to offer you in sacrifice.”

“But then, atop the Human Race Imperial Capital, I finally saw the throne seated deep within your soul—”

“Do you know, little brother, that in that moment, I glimpsed your true destiny? It resolved the doubt that had plagued me for so long—and revealed to me the real turning point within the fate I myself sought to shape.”

Laughing gently, Zi Qing laid bare everything:

“So of course I exerted every ounce of my strength to influence the Remnant Face of Shanghuang, ensuring no interference would disrupt your consumption of the Primordial Mother Star.”

“I wanted your success even more than you did.”

Zi Qing burst into laughter, his eyes alight with even fiercer expectation.

Hearing these words, Xu Qing remained silent for a long while. Then, gazing into Zi Qing’s expectant eyes, he asked slowly:

“Who exactly are you?”

At this, Zi Qing laughed even louder.

“Who am I…”

His laughter softened, replaced by an expression thick with complexity.

“I have worn many faces—the Zi Qing Crown Prince of history was me; humanity’s desperate gambit for survival was me; the hope of Wanggu was me; even the reincarnated fragment of Huangtian’s will was me!”

“But there is one identity I only learned after sacrificing myself—”

“The Remnant Face of Shanghuang… is also me!”

Zi Qing’s voice echoed, shaking heaven and earth.

Though Xu Qing had suspected this answer, hearing it spoken aloud still deepened the shadows in his gaze.

And Zi Qing’s voice continued:

“Or more precisely, little brother—I am the possibility Shanghuang cast out when he entered the Godly Umbilical Cord and ascended to half-step godhood!”

“He sent this possibility beyond the cord, weaving it into the stellar ring where he was born—into the Primordial Mother Star within Huangtian.”

“This was the hope he left for himself!”

“If ever he perished during his final ascension to godhood, this possibility would replace him and become the new one!”

“But then came the unforeseen—”

Zi Qing raised a hand, pointing toward the heavens.

“After failing, he did not truly die—but came here searching!”

“And I… was born anew through the Primordial Mother Star’s desperate act of self-preservation, fused with the race’s fortune!”

“Therefore—it can be me, and I can be him!”

Hearing this, Xu Qing suddenly spoke.

“He didn’t come here looking for you!”

Zi Qing gazed at Xu Qing, the light in his eyes burning even brighter.

“Of course he wasn’t looking for me—he’s just like me. We’re both searching for *you*, little brother!”

“It’s only that our purposes differ. His consciousness has nearly faded, leaving behind nothing but instinct, so he must sleep deeply and often. That’s why I found you before he did—and under my influence, he’s always overlooked you.”

“That’s how you’ve escaped notice time and again beneath his gaze.”

“And now, I’ve answered your doubts, little brother—it’s your turn!”

“With the power of the Devoured Primordial Twin Mother Stars, carve my name upon the third door to the right of the throne within the corridor deep in your soul!”

“As payment—I shall, upon my success, guide the Shattered Visage away, restoring to you a pristine, unblemished Taiping Wanggu, utterly cleansed of all alien presences!”

“Moreover, I shall scour the entirety of the Ninth Star Ring, eradicating every Sovereign God so none may ever threaten you again!”

“I shall make the Ninth Star Ring a realm for cultivators—a star ring that belongs to *you*!”

“And when I succeed, I shall reveal to you who you truly are! This is an absolute secret known only to me!”

“Furthermore, upon my success, I shall pluck Wu Shuang City from the jaws of fate—along with your parents—and restore them to life, reuniting your family!”

“What say you to this bargain, little brother?”

As Zi Qing finished speaking, the yearning in his eyes blazed to its utmost intensity.

From every thread of fate, he had already seen the outcome—he knew Xu Qing would surely agree!

And his voice had become divine covenant, woven into the very laws of the Ninth Star Ring—a truth Xu Qing sensed with perfect clarity, understanding that on this point, at least, there was no deceit.

He truly would fulfill all he promised.

Xu Qing looked at Zi Qing, then lifted his gaze toward the Shattered Visage in the heavens.

After a long silence, he spoke softly:

“I refuse.”

The moment those three words left his lips, his right hand shot upward—then slammed down.

Before Zi Qing could even register surprise, terrifying power erupted from Xu Qing’s palm, unleashing devastation that swept through everything, crashing into Zi Qing’s body with irresistible force.

It shattered his divinity and severed his karmic threads.

Zi Qing’s flesh and blood scattered in every direction.

And Xu Qing’s voice drifted like a whisper through the air:

“Everything you promised—I choose to achieve it myself.”

“As for whether your attempt to possess Shang Huang succeeds… that depends on your own fortune.”

Having spoken, Xu Qing raised his hand and swept Zi Qing’s scattered remains toward the sky, toward the Shattered Visage, his voice thundering across the heavens.