Chapter 1 The Stone Tablet

The words and images on the stone tablet seemed both familiar and alien, yet An Qisheng's expression turned grave for the first time.

The Dao Yi Diagram trembled the instant he saw the stone tablet.

*Was this left by the master of the Dao Yi Diagram?*

An Qisheng pondered.

The Dao Yi Diagram was the most powerful spiritual treasure he had ever seen, without exception, and the many Dao Yi divine abilities within it were nothing short of heaven-defying.

Leaving aside his own 'Dreaming of the Great Thousand,' there was Gu Changfeng, whom he had met before.

That Grandmaster of Xuanxing, the Netherworld Sovereign of the Human Realm, had completely grasped the Dao Yi divine ability of 'Rebirth Through Tribulation, Attaining Dao in Immortality,' and was now virtually impossible to kill.

Defying death itself, being reborn in other worlds even after dying in defiance of the will of Heaven.

How powerful was such a divine ability?

Therefore, discovering traces of the Dao Yi Diagram's master at this time stirred waves in An Qisheng's heart.

What Dao Yi divine ability did this master of the Dao Yi Diagram possess?

As his mind stirred, Zhu Dahai stopped.

An Qisheng slowly stepped out of the simple carriage: "That stone tablet..."

From the moment he entered the Heavenly Palace gate, the attention of all the elders and true disciples of the Great Beginning Sacred Ground was focused on An Qisheng, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Naturally, they also saw the stone tablet he was gazing at.

"That stone tablet was left by our Ancestral Master in his later years. Alas, it seems the heavens are jealous of this stone tablet. After the Ancestral Master's departure, it has repeatedly suffered calamities, and the images and words upon it have become blurred and indistinguishable..."

The speaker was Fang Yingqiu. This white-haired elder had somehow approached and was softly telling An Qisheng about the stone tablet's origins and its strange properties.

In fact, the stone tablet's strangeness didn't end there.

The images and words on it could not be imprinted onto any other medium by any method, and could only be seen and perceived when gazing at the stone tablet itself.

If one left, their memory would immediately become blurred until they completely forgot.

"Is that so?"

An Qisheng's eyes narrowed slightly. From a perspective unseen by others, he began to capture the traces of the stone tablet scattered between heaven and earth.

And with this capture, his heart stirred.

The stone tablet's principles were profound. Although it lacked the grandeur and immensity of the Great Beginning Golden Bell, it possessed a similar aura of near-indestructibility.

However, this capture did not reveal any traces of it in the world. It was as if the words and images on the stone tablet had been freshly written, with no trace of 'history' to speak of.

It was as if it had gathered all its aura and traces, completely independent of this world.

This made An Qisheng feel all the more intrigued.

"Our Ancestral Master possessed great divine abilities, was revered in his era, traveled the four seas, stepped through the stars, and journeyed through the heavens and universe. The notes he left behind would naturally not be ordinary things."

All of the Great Beginning Sacred Master's attention was focused on An Qisheng. He stared into the void, unable to detect any flaws or changes in expression.

He couldn't help but feel regret: *'Even a talent as extraordinary as Yuan Yang Daoist can't see anything...'*

This stone tablet was originally kept in a high place, a closely guarded secret. Unfortunately, over millions of years, none of the Great Beginning Sacred Ground's successive Sacred Masters, elders, or true disciples had been able to discern its hidden secrets.

Later, a Sacred Master proposed taking out the stone tablet, placing it in the Heavenly Palace, and allowing any visitors to observe it, in the hope that someone might gain something.

Alas, over the years, no one had been able to gain anything.

"If you are interested, Fellow Daoist, you can stay in my sect for a few days."

The Great Beginning Sacred Master's eyes were deep and unfathomable:

"If you gain something, that would be excellent."

"Easy, easy," An Qisheng merely smiled.

He could vaguely sense that this stone tablet might be of some use to him, but he wasn't concerned or impatient.

Having lived two lives and crossed through many realms, he was no longer the impulsive youth he once was.

"Heh heh."

Their pleasant conversation caused the many closely watching elders and true disciples to feel their scalps tingle and a chill in their hearts.

Just a moment ago, they were on the verge of drawing swords, but now they were talking happily, like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

This bizarre scene caused the onlookers to look at each other in dismay, making them even more cautious.

Some, even those with slightly weaker cultivation, had already taken out spiritual treasures to protect themselves.

The name of a person is like the shadow of a tree.

Both the Great Beginning Sacred Master and Yuan Yang Daoist possessed powerful divine abilities and strengths that they could only dream of.

Not to mention attacking them, they couldn't even withstand the aftershocks of their clashes.

Especially that Yuan Yang Daoist.

No matter the era, being the number one was an incredibly terrifying title. Being known as the number one person in the Eastern Continent brought them an unparalleled sense of intimidation.

And what forged this reputation was the millennia-long fame of the leaders of almost all the major sects in the Eastern Continent, including the Taiyi Sect, the Myriad Dharma Tower, the Emotion Severing Dao, and the Heaven Mending Pavilion!

......

This floating Heavenly Palace was the location of the Great Beginning Sacred Ground's millions of years of heritage, containing the traces of countless generations of virtuous predecessors. It could be said to be the most outstanding 'historical site' in the world.

Of course, that was how people in Xuanxing would describe it. People in this world didn't care about 'historical sites' at all.

Under the strange gazes of many Great Beginning Sacred Ground elders and true disciples,

An Qisheng was truly like a scholar on a spring outing, walking unhurriedly through the floating Heavenly Palace, seemingly not caring at all about the Great Beginning Golden Bell above the Heavenly Palace, which was shining brighter and brighter.

The Great Beginning Sacred Master's heart, however, began to waver.

The light of the Great Beginning Golden Bell was becoming increasingly bright, and it could be revived at any time. If that Yuan Yang Daoist dared to retaliate, it might even be possible to fully revive it and suppress him.

Such a great commotion could not possibly go unnoticed by this Yuan Yang Daoist, but why was there no reaction at all?

He absolutely refused to believe that such a figure would simply wait for death.

He sensed that something was wrong, and Fang Yingqiu naturally sensed it as well.

He glanced at An Qisheng and suddenly asked, "I wonder if Fellow Daoist has any views on the approaching Great Era?"

"Great Era, Great Era. I've heard that term more than once in recent years."

An Qisheng's expression was calm as he stood with his hands behind his back before a stone tablet.

This stone tablet was large and tall, and the image depicted on it was clearer than the previous one. Vaguely, there were misty clouds above, and picturesque mountains and rivers below, with the sun and moon in the sky at the same time.

The momentum was extremely heroic and magnificent.

Although it did not contain any cultivation methods or secret spells, the aura it exuded was moving.

An Qisheng stood with his hands behind his back, his white hair fluttering in the wind, his tone ethereal as if rising straight up to the thirty-third heaven:

"The sun rises and the moon sets, the heavens and earth revolve, sometimes dormant, sometimes flourishing. Humans are as insignificant as dust in the universe, and it is not wrong to follow the will of Heaven.

When the time comes, heaven and earth will work together, soaring straight up ninety thousand miles. There are countless similar examples throughout history..."

Fang Yingqiu stood quietly to the side, listening silently. He had originally wanted to glean this Yuan Yang Daoist's temperament and state of mind from his words.

But at this moment, his heart was stirred.

In An Qisheng's calm voice, he could hear endless waves surging, and a faint hint of indifference.

"However, people rise by riding the tide, and when the tide recedes, that is when they perish! When luck departs, even heroes are helpless. We cultivators follow our hearts, so why bother with any Great Era or non-Great Era?"

An Qisheng suddenly turned around and looked at Fang Yingqiu, Lin Fengmo, the Great Beginning Sacred Master, and even all the Great Beginning Sacred Ground elders and true disciples present.

His eyes shone brightly, divine light flowing down, like the sun and moon rising together, just like the picture of heaven and earth behind him, vast and boundless, with a majestic aura.

"You..."

The Great Beginning Sacred Master's pupils shrank, his mind wavering for a moment.

In that instant, he sensed the undisguised aura of the white-haired Daoist before him, an invincible spirit of following one's heart and having the heavens and earth follow him, rather than him following the heavens and earth.

He didn't know how this Daoist had cultivated such an invincible aura in just over thirty years, but it was clear that even if he had overestimated him to the extreme,

it seemed that he had still underestimated him.

"I came to pay my respects today, with no intention to kill..."

His voice was calm, his aura ethereal, but his words contained endless surging waves:

"Otherwise, even with so many people surrounding and protecting you, even with the Great Beginning Golden Bell reviving above, even with the underlying power of a Feudal Lord lurking in the shadows, with many spiritual treasures held back,

If I want to kill you, it would be as easy as flipping my hand!"

At this point, everyone's expressions changed drastically.

The Great Beginning Sacred Master's face darkened as he felt a heavy gaze, seemingly containing mountains, rivers, and stars, fall upon him:

"Do you believe it, or not?"

Hoo~

An invisible pressure like the coldest current in the world swept through the entire floating Heavenly Palace.

In the vast Heavenly Palace, the many elders, true disciples, and hidden and overt experts of the Great Beginning Sacred Ground all felt a chill in their hearts.

Their blood seemed to be frozen by the cold current, and their limbs and bodies were momentarily stiff.

Although it contained no killing intent, at this moment, everyone watching felt their scalps tingle and a terrifying sense of alarm rise in their hearts.

It was as if the sky was about to fall!

In an instant, the entire floating Heavenly Palace was silent, so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.

Everyone was looking at An Qisheng, and also at the Great Beginning Sacred Master, whose expression was dark and whose robes were moving without wind, seemingly enraged.

Believe it, or not?

The calm voice was like thunder, like the explosion of ancient stars, deafening.

The Great Beginning Sacred Master's heart was initially filled with rage, but then a chilling fear arose.

Even with so many people surrounding and protecting him, even with the Great Beginning Golden Bell about to revive above, even with the Sacred Ground's underlying power lurking in the shadows, waiting...

At this moment, he actually had the terrifying illusion of standing naked in the biting wind and snow, with only himself in the vast white world.

"I..."

He looked at the white-haired Daoist standing before the stone tablet, his aura as vast as the sky, and the joints of his fingers made cracking sounds.

He had an extremely strong intuition, an intuition that came from his heart and also from the secrets of the heavens.

As long as he said the word 'no,' he would be met with the Daoist's thunderous strike, directly blasted to death in the floating Heavenly Palace with the most powerful and overbearing posture!

Merely with their mutual gaze, an invisible yet powerful, grim, and cold aura of murderous intent filled the entire floating Heavenly Palace.

Silently, all the formations and restrictions above the floating Heavenly Palace had been triggered and activated, divine light shining brightly.

The magnificent sea of clouds outlined the scenes in the floating Heavenly Palace in the sky.

One man, suppressing the Sacred Ground!

In the Great Beginning Sacred Mountain, countless inner and outer disciples of the Great Beginning Sacred Ground watched this scene, their hearts filled with horror.

They had never imagined that they would be able to see such an incredible scene in their lifetime.

This was the Great Beginning Sacred Ground, after all.

One of the three strongest forces in the Eastern Continent...

Now...

"Hoo~"

Under the unbelievably heavy oppressive aura, the Great Beginning Sacred Master took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.

With each breath, a flash of inspiration appeared in his mind.

Past events, like smoke and clouds, flowed through his mind at this moment.

Born with auspicious signs, learning the Dharma in his youth, learning the Dao in his youth, and reaching the pinnacle of the Eastern Continent in his middle age, becoming one of the three most powerful people in the entire Eastern Continent.

*'When did I become so timid...'*

Two thousand years of sitting quietly on the clouds, two thousand years of holding life and death in his hands, two thousand years of taking whatever he wanted...

Two thousand years,

Two thousand years...

And with each breath, all the past was exhaled out of his body, and his dusty mind was like a statue that had been wiped clean.

It bloomed with pure and brilliant divine light.

Whoosh whoosh~

The Heavenly Palace stirred with wind. Under the dancing long hair that could no longer be restrained by the crown that had silently turned to dust, the Great Beginning Sacred Master raised his head:

"I don't believe it!"