Chapter 1 Among the Stars

Within the starry sky, countless light points scattered, the spiritual essence contained within the Sea of Blood returning to the void.

The Blood Spring condenses the blood of myriad spirits into a sea, and the spiritual essence within may be extremely evil, but also extremely pure. However, An Qisheng naturally disdained such spiritual essence.

For him, the only things of value were the inheritances within the Blood Spring’s memories, as well as insights into the cultures and knowledge of other realms. These were far more precious than the so-called Sea of Blood and its spiritual essence.

‘Perhaps, this is the secret of cosmic replacement, and the truth behind why cultivators of this realm cannot achieve longevity.’

Gazing at the spiritual essence scattering like countless shooting stars, a thought arose in An Qisheng's mind.

Heaven and earth are like a pool, and all things within are like water. Water gathers and scatters, but remains within the pool.

Be it demonic cultivators, Buddhist cultivators, grotto-heavens, or Supremes, all ultimately have a 'lifespan,' and the spiritual essence they nurture throughout their lives will eventually dissipate into heaven and earth.

'Entropy' refers to the inevitable chaos that arises in a closed environment. It can only be broken by external interference, but as far as the universe is concerned, it doesn't want to lose its own mass and spiritual essence out of thin air.

Cosmic replacement, perhaps, arose for this reason.

Buzz~

As An Qisheng's thoughts turned, the blood crystal in his palm trembled. The laws upon it flowed like water, as if it wanted to automatically unfold the dao techniques and divine powers within, seeking a successor.

“Eh?”

An Qisheng opened and closed his five fingers, tightly gripping the blood crystal, severing the flow of dao essence. He raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat moved:

“A fragment of an inheritance, and it possesses such divine properties?”

After thirteen years of refinement, An Qisheng was absolutely certain that all traces of the Blood Spring had been completely erased.

But this blood crystal, or rather, the inheritance of the Blood Sea Underworld Dao, inherently possessed a means of immortality, and of seeking another successor after the death of the previous one.

“Within this blood crystal…”

Yuan Duxiu also felt a tremor in his heart. At the moment the blood crystal trembled, he vaguely felt something sweep across his body.

“One should not lightly study the law. The more unfathomable its origins, the more carefully it should be approached.”

An Qisheng glanced at Yuan Duxiu, holding the blood crystal tightly. The essence of the Blood Sea Underworld Dao flowed through his mind, but he completely isolated it, sealing it beneath his sea of consciousness.

This inheritance was quite strange. He wouldn’t easily touch it himself without thoroughly studying it.

That Blood Spring cultivator was quite powerful, but his temperament was extremely biased. Perhaps this bias, this madness, came from this very divine power.

Yuan Duxiu’s expression was somewhat complex. He gazed at An Qisheng for a long time before finally asking the question he had hidden in his heart, a question that had been accumulating:

“You, are you really my little brother?”

Yuan Duxiu’s voice trembled slightly, even though he had long been ennobled as a Marquis and had even touched the threshold of becoming a King.

This question had arisen as early as a thousand years ago.

Even though he knew that there was no such thing as longevity and reincarnation in this world, he still couldn’t help but ask this question. There was no other reason than that An Qisheng's achievements were too earth-shattering.

“You still asked.”

An Qisheng’s eyes were clear, but there was a hint of a smile: “To be able to break through mental barriers, you are very good.”

Yuan Duxiu remained silent. This, was already an answer.

“There are miracles in the world, but not everyone can encounter them.”

An Qisheng answered Yuan Duxiu’s question, his tone calm, without any concealment: “I come from beyond the heavens, seeking longevity in this world.

Your little brother died in the womb. I borrowed his body and soul to live this life.”

There was nothing that could not be shown to others.

An Qisheng had never thought of concealing anything from Yuan Duxiu. Now that he had asked, he would answer.

“As expected…”

Yuan Duxiu’s eyes dimmed, a sense of sorrow rising in his heart. So, he really did doom all of his relatives to death.

Perhaps it was because he had already guessed it, perhaps it was because the two of them had spent so much time together, or perhaps it was because he didn't have a deep connection with his little brother, whom he had never met.

He didn't feel a trace of anger in his heart, but he couldn't avoid feeling sad.

His little brother's person was dead, but his body was still alive. Perhaps, that was a good thing…

“My condolences.”

An Qisheng sighed: “Without immortality, there will eventually be a time of death.”

Humans are in the world, as small as duckweed. Even Supremes find it hard to live forever, and even if Supremes live forever, they can never make everyone immortal.

Separation through life and death is ultimately unavoidable.

“Death is inevitable, one should be used to it, but…”

Yuan Duxiu stood up, unsure of how to face this little brother of his past, now the Yuan Yang King.

He didn't have much affection for his little brother, who died before he was even born, but he still felt like he owed him something.

Now that he knew the truth, his heart was filled with sadness.

In the end, he was all alone…

“If your heart is not at peace, then I will leave for now…”

In the end, Yuan Duxiu sighed softly, turned, and disappeared into the starry sky.

An Qisheng didn't stop him, but quietly watched him leave. Finally, he shook his head:

“Perhaps when I leave, I can try a thing or two…”

“Teacher, didn't you ascend from another world?”

Sun En, who had been quietly watching this scene, spoke up, surprised.

Once one enters the Heavenly Gate, it's like going through reincarnation, or rather, living another life. How could it be…

“I never ascended.”

An Qisheng shook his head slightly: “Unlike you, although I didn't seize someone else's body with evil methods, in a sense, I did use someone else's body.”

Over the past thousand years, he had naturally deduced what the so-called ‘ascension’ from the lower realms was: another form of cosmic replacement.

Perhaps this world and the Jiu Fu Realm had an unknown exchange, using thin spiritual essence to exchange for the most talented people from that realm to come to the Myriad Yang Realm.

These ‘innate wise ones’ are the so-called ‘legends of reincarnation’ passed down from ancient times in the Myriad Yang Realm.

But of course, he was unable to perform a replacement with the Myriad Yang Realm, and his state was naturally different from Sun En's.

Sun En nodded thoughtfully, then sighed: "Brother Yuan is not like us, it is inevitable that he will find it difficult to accept."

He was naturally acquainted with Yuan Duxiu and could understand his feelings.

He himself may not care about what happened a thousand years ago, but it was still hard to avoid feeling sad and melancholic now that he was truly alone.

He had felt this way before, for a full two hundred years, two generations of mortal life, before he emerged from his bitterness and hatred and returned to nature.

“Let him be.”

With a casual flick of his hand, the Da Shi Golden Bell above the meteorite transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into space, heading straight for the Da Shi Holy Land.

“You are…”

Sun En was slightly surprised. He could see that An Qisheng had smoothly erased his own traces, returning the Da Shi Golden Bell to the Da Shi Holy Land.

“It was originally the ancestral item of their patriarch. It’s fine to use it for a while, but there’s no need to seize it.”

An Qisheng's eyes moved slightly.

Streams of divine light burst forth from his body, heading in all directions.

Sun En saw that these streams of divine light were either strong or weak, whether swords, diagrams, or cauldrons, containing King-level spiritual treasures, as well as Marquis-level spiritual treasures.

Among them were not a few divine weapons and spiritual treasures with the colors of other sects.

“Are you unwilling to seize them, or do you no longer need them?”

Sun En retorted.

Of course, he knew his teacher’s character. Although he didn’t bully the weak, he was never soft-hearted, nor was he a saint.

There was only one possibility for something that had entered his hands and was ‘returned,’ and that was that the item was no longer useful to him.

“Perhaps both?”

An Qisheng smiled, stood up, took a step forward, and entered the void:

“Since coming to this world, I have been confined to one place. I haven’t been to many places in over a thousand years. Now that I have some free time, follow me for a walk.”

“As you command, Teacher.”

Sun En nodded. He had been to even fewer places.

Hearing this, he also transformed into a streak of light, following behind An Qisheng, stepping into the starry sea.

The starry sea was vast, and even Supremes found it difficult to cross. Fortunately, there were array platforms and domain gates left by the sages throughout the starry sea, so the two of them wouldn't be aimless.

The starry sky was desolate and cold, various celestial bodies scattered about, but there was little life.

Along the way, there were only a handful of life-bearing stars, and many habitable planets were devoid of life.

Walking through the starry sea, An Qisheng's mind reflected the void. Wherever he passed, the divine light shone brightly, as he tried to understand the changes in the starry sea.

Similarly, he was also searching for the 'Heavens' in the darkness.

More than a thousand years ago, he had sacrificed the Heavens of this realm with the Wish-Fulfilling Altar, sending the doomsday he had seen in the future. As a result, the heavens and earth seemed to have changed, spiritual essence had recovered, and the essence of the Dao was more obvious.

But truly different from the ordinary, An Qisheng had only seen Qi Cang.

Compared to a corner of the future he had seen, Qi Cang was obviously insignificant. Even if the memories in his mind were known to everyone, it would be meaningless.

Traversing the starry sky was to sense the civilization's aura in this world, and also to seek this world's 'Heavens.'

Whoosh~

This was a desolate and dilapidated void, even more desolate than other places. The stars were shattered, leaving only one planet floating alone.

“That person is…”

At a certain moment, the divine light shone into this space, awakening the existence slumbering within the star. A rainbow-like divine light extended from the void.

Like an array platform, like a domain gate, stretching for unknown thousands of miles, the divine light was like a waterfall, with countless auspicious colors, endless spiritual essence tumbling and transforming into various surrounding phenomena.

Faintly, one could see someone walking on the rainbow bridge, stepping through the void.

“A Supreme?!”

The consciousness was initially shocked. Although this aura was immensely powerful, seemingly surpassing the realm of King.

“Not yet.”

The subtle fluctuation of the consciousness then intensified. A powerful will seemed to have captured his question, answering from across the air.

“Who are you?”

This consciousness seemed to have been asleep for too long and hadn't yet regained its senses.

“Yuan Yang.”

On the rainbow bridge, An Qisheng stopped, his gaze falling, reflecting the consciousness on that planet. As if seeing through the Three Realms, nothing could escape his sight:

“Throughout history, those who seek survival are not limited to the Eternal Life Sect.”

“Yuan Yang? Yuan Yang... The Heavens and Earth haven't truly changed, yet such a figure has already been born?"

Accompanied by a sigh, an old, short woman appeared in the starry sky, bathed in the divine light, her form flickering uncertainly:

“Seeking survival is human nature, there's nothing strange about it.”

"This old one is 'Xing Lu'. May I ask what brings you here, fellow Daoist?”

Xing Lu was shocked, but also wary. The arrival of this person, even from across the starry sea, made her feel like she was facing a formidable enemy.

Even accounting for her old age and frailty, it was clear how powerful and invincible this person was. To have cultivated to such a realm in this era, her talent was simply earth-shattering.

Xing Lu?

Sun En’s pupils shrank slightly, somewhat astonished. He had heard of this name before. It was rumored to be a genius of the near-ancient era.

She once contended with the Guang Long Supreme before he attained Dao. He didn’t expect her to still be alive?

“My heart stirred in the stillness, so I wandered the starry sea. I happened to recall that you were hiding from the world here, so I came to see you along the way.”

An Qisheng glanced at her indifferently:

“Also, to say a word on behalf of someone, you don’t need to wait for him anymore.”

The old woman was hunched over, and her pale hair couldn't hide the ravines of time on her face, but one could faintly see that when she was young, her face must have been unparalleled.

In fact, this female cultivator was the most famous figure of the near-ancient era. A female cultivator who once fought with Guang Long was naturally not weak.

But what made her known to the world was that she had been searching for Guang Long all her life. There seemed to be a great affection between the two.

“Don’t need to wait... Who are you talking about?!”

With a plain fluctuation, the old woman’s form flickered even more uncertainly. Her powerful will oscillated continuously in the starry sky, extremely discomposed.

Sun En clicked his tongue inwardly, feeling that the rumors were probably true. This female cultivator was deeply infatuated with Guang Long, otherwise she wouldn’t be so agitated even after tens of thousands of years.

“His surname is Pang.”

A trace of regret and pity flashed in An Qisheng's eyes.

Pang Wanyang was single-minded in his pursuit of the Dao and had little emotion in his heart, let alone love between a man and a woman. This female cultivator was ultimately mistaken.

“Pang, Pang, Pang!”

The star suddenly exploded, divine light bursting forth like fireworks blooming. The old woman stepped out, ascending into the starry sky, her eyes, as if wet with tears, staring fixedly at An Qisheng:

“Where is he?!”

He, he really knew!

Besides a few people, no one knew his surname was Pang!

“He won’t be back.”

An Qisheng responded softly.

This female cultivator was too miserable, so this wasn't something Pang Wanyang had instructed him to say, but something he had decided to do after entering the dream of the near-ancient era and seeing her persistence.

Perhaps Pang Wanyang had never known from beginning to end, or perhaps he simply didn't care whether someone was infatuated with him…

“Impossible?! How could he die?!”

The old woman's gray-white hair danced, like heavenly swords cutting through the void. Her powerful aura shattered large swaths of the starry sky, her divine will sweeping across, affecting countless distant galaxies:

"Even the emperors of ancient and modern times are not as noble as him! I could survive, why couldn't he? How could he die? You're lying to me!!"

The will's wail was too mournful, shaking the void, causing those who heard it to weep.

Sun En was somewhat frightened. In this will, he sensed the unimaginable emotional fluctuations that were deeply rooted in the female cultivator before him.

Extremely violent.

But the next moment, her will calmed down, hearing An Qisheng's neither high nor low question:

"Would he be willing to live on in such a way?"

The boiling of the will came to an abrupt halt.

The female cultivator froze in the void, her aura plummeting to the lowest point. Finally, even her body swayed slightly: "That's right, someone as proud as him, someone like him, how could he be willing to do that?

I was wrong, I was wrong..."

The female cultivator seemed to have suffered an unprecedented blow, even feeling a sense of utter despair. It seemed that the light of her will would be extinguished in the next moment:

"He really died..."

“Alas.”

An Qisheng had no interest in love between men and women, but seeing this scene, he was also touched. Seeing that she had a tendency to commit suicide, he had no choice but to speak:

"I only said he wouldn't be back, but I didn't say he was dead."