Chapter 1 A Small City

This was an ancient city.

‘Ancient’ was a nice way of saying broken and small.

The city only had one main street, with smaller streets branching off in all directions. All of them led to the main street, the only way to enter or exit the city.

So, as soon as he stepped out of the city gate.

Qi Cang saw a burly man squatting beside the road in front of a teahouse.

This man was too eye-catching.

Even though he was squatting, the long hair gathered behind his head already hung inside the window on the second floor.

Was he just a crane standing among chickens?

He was practically a蛟long (jiao dragon) squatting among sheep!

Although his aura was restrained, his physique was too powerful. In such a small city, he couldn't help but stand out.

And Qi Cang had seen this person before.

Or rather, his past self had seen him.

The future Grand Manager of the Heavenly Court's military, Zhu Dahai!

Although he wasn't as good as the Tongtian Ten Heroes, nor could he compare to Yuan Duxiu's lifelong enemy, the 'Star Sea Seven Heroes,' some even said he was just a cart puller.

Legend had it that Zhu Dahai was dull-witted and simple-minded before entering the Dao, but he was the person who had followed that Yuan Yang Great Emperor the longest in all of creation.

He was called a coachman, but in reality, he was a disciple.

'What luck is this...'

The moment Qi Cang saw Zhu Dahai, he felt his mind go blank, and his heart was somewhat dazed.

He reckoned that at this time on the Huangji Continent, there were only a few people who could defeat him, yet who would have thought that he would encounter them one after another.

Encountering Feng Xinglie was one thing.

Even if they fought again, he was confident that he could retreat, but if it was that person...

At this time, the sun was high in the sky, the long street was crowded with people, bustling and noisy, and the heat was oppressive, but Qi Cang felt a chill in his heart.

Qi Cang was too shocked for a moment, which immediately aroused Zhu Dahai's vigilance.

He lowered his head, separated by a long street, and spoke in a muffled thunder-like voice, like a heavy hammer striking a large vat:

"Little one, what are you looking at?"

A wave of air rolled over the long street, as if a gust of wind had passed, but the people on the street seemed to be used to it, only glancing up at Zhu Dahai.

Then they lowered their heads again, continuing what they were doing.

"I..."

Qi Cang took a deep breath, suppressed the agitation in his heart, and when he spoke, his voice was a little hoarse: "Your Excellency's physique is amazing, I took an extra look, it was impolite."

He had once cultivated to Tongtian, even if there was a reason for his fortuitous encounters, he also had knowledge.

He was very clear that an existence who had gone far beyond being a Marquis, and might even have reached the end of that path, could not be deceived by him at this time.

However, he had no grievances or hatred with him, and losing his composure would only make him seem suspicious.

Therefore, he forced himself to calm down.

He smiled wryly and didn't retreat. He walked over, gritting his teeth. Even Zhu Dahai could see through his previous失态 (shita - loss of composure), so how could he hide it if that Yuan Yang Great Emperor was really there?

He had already revealed his hand, so leaving now would be even more troublesome.

One step.

One step.

Qi Cang walked steadily, but his heart grew more and more suppressed.

Finally, when he reached the front of the teahouse, he heard an unfamiliar, calm voice:

"Dahai, invite this Dao friend in."

Hearing this voice, Qi Cang thought he would be shocked, but unexpectedly, his heart calmed down.

This voice didn't have any divine power mixed in, but the voice itself had the effect of soothing the mind and easing emotions.

"Junior is just passing by, I won't disturb Senior's elegant leisure."

Qi Cang still had a glimmer of hope. If possible, at least at this time, he didn't want to see this person at all.

If he could choose, he would rather fight Feng Xinglie to the death.

But Zhu Dahai had already stood up and waved his hand: "Please."

Qi Cang's face stiffened, but he could only cup his fist in reply:

"...In that case, I won't stand on ceremony."

The situation was stronger than him. Not to mention that his injuries had not yet healed, even if he was unscathed, there was no possibility of resistance.

He remembered the legend of the battle in the Ten Thousand Dharma Building.

In his previous life, that battle was Yuan Duxiu's rise to prominence, but it was also the battle that truly established the Yuan Yang Great Emperor as the highest in the world.

Marquis True Dragons and Sect Leaders were all suppressed by him.

"Mm."

Zhu Dahai sat down again. Qi Cang glanced at him and noticed that in his earlobe, a chick the size of a normal person's fist was staring at him intently.

"...Golden Peng King."

Qi Cang's heart rose and fell.

This Golden-Winged Great Peng fledgling, inseparable from Zhu Dahai, would also be very famous in the future, once becoming the king of spirit birds in the world.

He had had fierce conflicts with the demon race and the phoenix race.

With these two present, the identity of the person in the teahouse was obvious.

The teahouse faced the sun, and it was noon, the best light.

There were also many people.

Qi Cang was as if there was no one else around, ignoring the approaching waiter and walking towards the backyard.

That voice came from the backyard.

"The income from Bai Yujing and the City of Extinguished Emotions for the past thirty years is all here. I was thinking of sending it to you in a hundred years..."

"Some of the things you asked me to find have not yet been found... The most top-notch divine weapons and spiritual materials in the world, apart from those sect ruins and great power caves, are only available in the three holy lands..."

"Listening to you, in these thirty years, I have used some of the elixirs you don't need as rewards, creating an organization to issue tasks, the Xingdao Pavilion, specializing in eliminating fierce beasts and building new cities in various places..."

...

Before Qi Cang reached the backyard, he already heard voices coming from it.

"That voice is Duan Sanlang..."

Qi Cang's eyelids twitched.

Compared to Zhu Dahai, whom he had only met once, he was much more familiar with this Duan Sanlang.

In the future, the gathering place for all cultivators in the East Continent, and even the Nine Provinces, the Four Seas, and the endless desert, would be under his control.

He was one of the few who began following the Yuan Yang Great Emperor from humble beginnings.

'He's looking for materials, is it to forge divine weapons and spiritual treasures? That's right, that's right! He's going to start refining the 'Heavenly Court'!'

Heavenly Court!

It was not just a force, or rather, not just a force.

It was also the most incredible spiritual treasure in the three thousand years of cultivation history.

It consumed an extremely large amount of natural treasures, more than any Emperor or Venerable in ancient and modern times, and it also contained traces of many other spiritual treasures.

It was the Dao treasure established by the Yuan Yang Great Emperor to suppress the world.

It was a pity that he did not see the Yuan Yang Great Emperor attain the Dao until his death in the future, so he could not know whether the 'Heavenly Court' could become the number one supreme treasure in ancient and modern times.

It was also impossible to verify whether the rumors about him opening thirty-six heavens and opening up thirty-six great lands were true.

Nor could he witness whether there would be a time when all Emperors could coexist in the future.

"Alright, Dao friend, please go back."

When he reached the backyard, just as Qi Cang was sorting out his mood, he heard the owner of the previous voice speak again from the courtyard across the wall:

"This is not the time for you and me to meet..."

"Hmm?"

Qi Cang was first stunned, then somewhat uncertain.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that the second half of the sentence was not said to him...

Who was he talking to?

A great wave rose in Qi Cang's heart, and a chill rose again for a moment.

'Did he see something?'

Qi Cang was somewhat lost, and his expression was dazed for a moment. When he came back to his senses, he had already returned to the long street.

The hot wind blew, but he broke out in a cold sweat.

......

The small courtyard was quiet, with a fish pond, an old tree, and a table and chair on the flat bluestone ground.

Da da da~

An Qisheng tapped the table lightly, lost in thought.

"Real Person, what are you doing?"

Duan Sanlang was a little surprised. He didn't understand why An Qisheng invited that person in and then let him leave without even meeting him.

"Just some trouble."

An Qisheng casually put away a few Qiankun spiritual rings on the stone table, without much explanation, just saying casually.

He let Duan Sanlang, who was full of thoughts, leave.

If An Qisheng didn't say it, how dare he ask a second time?

"This person..."

A subtle movement occurred deep in An Qisheng's eyes, and a light red glow flashed past. That was Qi Cang's spiritual brand.

As he had thought before, even at close range, he could not search for Qi Cang's complete spiritual brand.

Because he had no 'past'.

His traces in the world were only limited to this moment.

However, some things could be seen in their entirety by looking at one spot. Only after seeing him did he feel that the water in this world was deeper than he had imagined.

The fluctuations of the Dao One Diagram that he had sensed when he came to this world, the scene on the Altar of Wishes, the 'entropy' destined to destroy everything...

And the 'person' behind this Qi Cang.

"Mr. Monster, there's something strange about this person..."

Since being forced to self-detonate by the evil aura, Sanxin Lan Lingtong had not recovered until now, and he spoke much less on weekdays.

At this time, after glancing at Qi Cang's spiritual brand, he couldn't help but say.

"What's wrong?"

An Qisheng asked back.

"Too incomplete, can't know too much..."

Sanxin Lan Lingtong circled around the spiritual brand, constantly looking at it and spying on it, but still gained nothing: "I suggest that Mr. Monster also suppress him in the cave heaven..."

"The danger of exposure is not a danger. Without Qi Cang, there will be others. Instead of letting things fall into uncontrollability again, it's better to leave him."

An Qisheng held the teacup, his palm warm:

"What I care about is not him."

In the mortal realm, he competed with the will of heaven for three hundred years, and he did not win or lose, even falling into a disadvantage at one point, but his understanding of the will of heaven was extremely deep.

He could see at a glance that this Qi Cang was not a person.

Qi Cang's arrival may have been due to the changes in the world and the chaos of time and space, but behind it, there must be other 'things'.

And the person behind him could send 'Qi Cang' back, and could send others to 'rebirth'.

It was better to keep him and wait for the 'thing' behind him to reveal its traces.

"The timing is just right."

Sanxin Lan Lingtong was still babbling, but An Qisheng had already gotten up unhurriedly and left the door.

The ancient city was not big, but there were many people.

Although the streets were not crowded, the various vendors and pedestrians were really lively.

An Qisheng walked slowly and unhurriedly.

With Zhu Dahai accompanying him, this road was very wide.

Before long, An Qisheng stopped in front of an ancient house and raised his eyebrows to look.

Stone lions guarded the door, red walls and yellow tiles. Although it had been washed by the years, it was still quite impressive, but An Qisheng's eyes fell on the door:

Sun Residence.