Chapter 499 The Chronicle of Ages

Time flows backward.

"Cough!"

The black-clothed Ji Xiang knelt on the ground, his body exuding black qi, signifying the destruction of his Dao nature. The Twelve Phases Taiji diagram around him was also collapsing. Facing a Golden Light Heavenly Heart that had gathered the essence of all past Confucian scholars, reversed history, and transformed vast swathes of historical records into its own reflection, even as the embodiment of the Dao, he was no match.

He spat out a mouthful of essence, torn from him by the Golden Light Heavenly Heart. As he expelled it, it was naturally collected by the opponent, serving as crucial material for the resurrection of Huang Tian and the Five Directions Emperors.

"If my true body could break free, even if I couldn't defeat him, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state."

The black-clothed Ji Xiang was furious. He was only one step away from liberating his true body, yet all these densely packed Corpse-Shedding Immortals were controlled by this master of Confucianism. Or rather, this individual's appearance was one of the very obstacles hindering his predicament.

It was as if a tribulation had been set for him by the Dao, a colossal divine mountain, insurmountable.

The black-clothed Ji Xiang would not attribute this to the weakness of the existence known as "Ji Xiang." In fact, this vessel and its existence were perfect. Not only was its cultivation powerful, possessing the strength to contend with a Heavenly Heart before proving it, but its body also housed multiple true divine forms and possessed the innate roots of heaven and earth, with immeasurable potential. It could be said that there was no superior Yuqing vessel.

However, the immortal Heavenly Heart before him was a being of such power that the black-clothed Ji Xiang had never encountered since his own birth.

The opponent was not a cultivator.

The opponent was a divine kingdom.

It was an entire world, even the very propagation of Confucianism, a condensation of countless Heavenly Hearts.

Even within the propagation, the various Heavenly Venerates adored by the masses might not be as powerful as the immortal Heavenly Heart before him. Confucianism, having been the head of the Three Teachings since ancient times, suppressing Daoism and Buddhism for millennia, was not without reason.

"True body? Don't be ridiculous. Even if your true body breaks free, you will not be my opponent. I alone have established a teaching, while you are merely a Dao within the propagation. If a true body of a Dao could defeat the Shining World, how many people throughout history would have succeeded!"

"Shuowen."

"Guangyin Xuguo."

The Golden Light Heavenly Heart's voice was indifferent. Countless spiritual hands behind him waved, striking down in the void. Despite the black-clothed Ji Xiang's strenuous efforts to dodge, they landed on his shoulders and body in the next instant.

Accompanied by the black-clothed Ji Xiang's screams, time transformed from an invisible, ethereal entity into substance. The massive flow of light represented the changes and transitions of the world's years, while "Guangyin Xuguo" signified being unremarkable throughout this long period.

The black-clothed Ji Xiang's vessel began to disintegrate. His immortal Dao aura was damaged, and his cultivation was siphoned away by the flow of light. Because the existence of "Ji Xiang" had been usurped, even Ji Xiang's fundamental nature as a god of incense and offerings was also seized. As his body, surpassing that of a flying immortal, decayed, what remained was an even more potent soul of incense and offerings.

But even incense and offerings had their temporal limits.

Without worship, the incense and offerings would be depleted, and the god's own existence would become faint. The black-clothed Ji Xiang was powerless to resist. The ancient worship and propagation of Qingyang, covered by the Golden Light Heavenly Heart's great hand, fell into the flow of time, drifting further and further away from him.

The propagation receded, the myths were lost. A Heavenly Heart realm cultivator could not possibly achieve such a world-shattering feat. However, the opponent was the immortal Heavenly Heart of Confucianism, a divine kingdom, the most powerful entity within the entire sect. The spiritual hands behind him revealed bamboo slips and writing brushes.

The black-clothed Ji Xiang's eyes widened.

"Those are... historical records."

"They are the Chapters of Qing Shi."

The Golden Light Heavenly Heart responded to the black-clothed Ji Xiang's question, as in his eyes, the black-clothed Ji Xiang, also known as Qingyang, would soon cease to exist, beyond redemption.

"Yi Shi – Yiming Shu. A new Qing Shi has been born."

"This is the supreme realm of my Confucianism. When Qing Shi descends, whatever is written becomes a fixed outcome. Unless my Confucianism is completely annihilated and ceases to exist in countless histories, Qing Shi will endure forever, and the history it records will also exist eternally."

"The so-called Qing Shi is like a knife; it cannot be altered. Of course, if one wishes to delete something, then the Spring and Autumn Annals' subtle wording and profound meaning are used."

"You may be a Dao, with a powerful origin. Then, within Qing Shi, I will not record your foundation. Your name and appellation will also be defined by me. Qingyang will exist as a worshipped figure in the propagation, and Ji Xiang will be sealed in the historical records as the True Person of the North Pole. As for you,"

"I will give you a new name. This is called restoring history."

Yi Shi, in the classification of historical records, refers to lost and scattered historical fragments. However, once recorded in historical texts, even if not appearing in official histories, they can still be known to the world…

And only to the extent of being known.

The black-clothed Ji Xiang realized the problem, and the Golden Light Heavenly Heart patiently explained to him:

"Your will will not perish. You will become a part of Qing Shi, and you will forget all that you have experienced now, existing only as a powerful being within this history… submerged within the historical records."

Compared to stripping or usurping existence, even the fundamental traces of the other party could be erased or redefined from scratch. History was revised and rewritten, while Confucian historical records remained like a stabilizing needle, enduring the torrent of time. True official histories, worldly unofficial histories, and unknown Yi Shi – all were written by Confucianism.

The Golden Light Heavenly Heart emanated an unparalleled, immense radiance, illuminating this gloomy world and the ten-thousand-zhang Yin City. Yang energy ascended to the heavens, and the vast, righteous qi spread, almost opening this dream of the dead, rushing towards the world of origin, then towards the real human world, shaking the nine heavens and ten earths.

"The writing of historical records consumes a great deal of my energy."

The Golden Light Heavenly Heart's gaze shifted to another direction.

The voice of the Donghua Fairy also arrived.

"If you kill him, then I will liberate all the Corpse-Shedding Immortals here."

The Donghua Fairy's complexion was pale. Flying Immortals were far inferior to the Heavenly Heart realm, let alone in front of an immortal Heavenly Heart, where they could barely achieve anything. A Heavenly Heart looked at a Heavenly Immortal as an elephant looked at ants.

However, the Donghua Fairy mastered the secret techniques of the Dream Dao. These were relics from the Han Dynasty, contemporary products of the earliest great Confucian scholars who prayed for the Golden Light Heavenly Heart.

"I will detonate the Dream of the Dead, causing us all to sink into it and be unable to leave. I do not believe that even as the true body of Confucianism's divine kingdom, you can freely traverse any history and world as you boast."

"Otherwise, you would have no need to open the Qingqiang Sacrifice. It is because the Qingqiang Sacrifice guards the Corpse-Shedding Immortals here that without opening it, one cannot enter. Therefore, I believe that if the Dream of the Dead is detonated, even if you can reflect the past, you can only reflect the moment the Qingqiang Sacrifice was opened."

"I will enter the dreamscape of the Dream of the Dead, becoming something within Nanke and Huangliang. When the dead awaken and see this scene, they will feel that such a world is not beautiful, and it must still be a dream. Thus, they will initiate new dead dreams, and then all three of us will vanish into smoke, ceasing to exist!"

The Golden Light Heavenly Heart looked at her indifferently:

"So what? You and Qingyang both possess dream techniques and transform into dream beings. Do you think I do not?"

"I am not only the Shining World, but I also cultivate the ancient Three Teachings. Do you think, as a disciple of the True Person of the Four Directions, Qing Tong Jun, that a secret and unpassed Han Dynasty dream technique can pose any threat to me?"

"You cannot awaken them. In what way is the current world not beautiful? The Five Directions Emperors are reviving, Huang Tian Shangdi is resurrected, and the Confucian Heavenly Court is re-established. You are Han, yet you do not wish to see Huang Tian resurrected. Do they not wish for it either?"

"You have only spoken one truth, which is that if it concerns this Dream of the Dead, I can indeed only trace back to the moment Qingqiang was opened. But there is no need to specifically target the Dream of the Dead; returning to an earlier human world is the same."

The Donghua Fairy was enveloped by that radiance, feeling as if all her immortal power had been drained. She leaned against the coffin of a Corpse-Shedding Immortal, staring intently at the Golden Light Heavenly Heart.

"Actually, you have no need to be my enemy."

The Golden Light Heavenly Heart's tone remained devoid of emotion: "I am merely restoring the great lineage of Confucianism and ascending to a higher realm through this. This is also the wish of Confucian powerhouses throughout the ages. After the great order of the world, comes the great order of the heavens. After the great order of this shore, comes the great order of the other shore."

"Shining must be governed, and the desolate darkness must also be governed. This Qingyang usurped the existence of the True Person of the North Pole, claiming to be closely linked to your fate. But in reality, this is all based on the premise of me killing you."

"Now, I will not kill you. I will release you. And he usurped your friend's existence. Then, should I kill him?"

The Donghua Fairy froze. The Golden Light Heavenly Heart let out a light chuckle:

"But, not only will I not kill you, I will also save the True Person of the North. What I write into history becomes a conclusion. The True Person of the North might be able to return through this, while Qingyang will be submerged within Qing Shi. For you, would you abandon the True Person of the North to help Qingyang?"

The black-clothed Ji Xiang's eyes widened.

He desperately wanted to say, "Why don't you kill Donghua?"

The shift in stance happened in an instant. The Donghua Fairy looked at the black-clothed Ji Xiang, who revealed an expression of intense rage.

The Golden Light Heavenly Heart shook his head: "Resisting me at this moment is completely meaningless. You cannot change anything. The reason I am releasing you is twofold: first, you pose no threat, and second, you need to see clearly that not helping me is also not necessary to help him. In fact, he is the murderer."

The Donghua Fairy remained silent for a long time before asking, "But the Qingqiang Sacrifice was opened, causing many lives to be lost. I..."

"You have just become a National Immortal and wish to prove yourself. I can understand that. However, it is not shameful for you to be injured. Zhang Tianshi of the Ming Dynasty once came here and was also sent back by a mere thought of mine. It is not shameful for immortals like you to lose to me."

"Those lives lost were not killed by me, but by that traitorous general in the human world. Furthermore, if you truly feel that those people died in vain and you cannot account for it, how about I reflect history and resurrect them on the spot?"

The Golden Light Heavenly Heart's words shook Donghua. Without further delay, he wrote on a bamboo slip of Qing Shi behind him. Instantly, cause and effect reversed. The souls of the dead in the underworld, who had fallen under the command of Yuan Huang and the Three Chaos Immortals, vanished in an instant, greatly astonishing the Song Dynasty. In the next moment, all these people returned to the human world, and even the history of their deaths had never existed.

Except for the memories of immortal existence, the memories of others also shifted with the changes in history.

Qing Shi states that history is never damaged.

Then it is never damaged!

"All beings are alive. What other requests do you have?"

The Golden Light Heavenly Heart looked at the Donghua Fairy. The Donghua Fairy stared blankly for a long time before releasing the coffin of a Corpse-Shedding Immortal.

Indeed, she had nothing to say.

The myriad beings of the world were truly like this, their lives and deaths at the mercy of a Heavenly Heart realm cultivator, let alone this immortal Heavenly Heart!

He could even alter history, making it as if their deaths had never happened. Thus, everything on the Three Books of Life and Death disappeared, the records in the human historical texts changed, and even the memories and the existence of all beings were arbitrarily defined. Life or death was no longer important to them.

Perhaps, the survival of the myriad beings, and even the existence of all the heavens and immortals, were all things defined by a more powerful "Great Heavenly Heart."

"Can you let the True Person of the North be resurrected?" the Donghua Fairy asked, with one last condition.

She looked at Qingyang with disappointment.

The black-clothed Ji Xiang's complexion turned pale. The concepts of Yin and Yang were being drawn from his body, and he felt his consciousness blurring.

"Submerging Qingyang in history might offer a chance for a fresh start. He is rather special. The changes of Yuqing are beyond my abilities, but I can try my best."

"However, if he continues to obstruct me, I will kill him."

But, as the Golden Light Heavenly Heart uttered these words, three vast streams of pure qi appeared behind Qingyang.

Those streams of qi came from the formless, until a karmic connection ascended to the heavens. It was Qingluo's karma, sealed and hidden by Ji Xiang. Now, the black-clothed Ji Xiang activated this karmic connection and shouted into the future!

"I can let you possess me. As long as you kill this Heavenly Heart now and liberate my true body, I will give you the essence of the Dao and the existence of this Ji Xiang!"

The black-clothed Ji Xiang made a desperate gamble, and the response he received greatly shocked him.

From the future, a tall figure shattered the torrent of time. It was Old Master Gu, furious and enraged, forcefully breaking through his own future to illuminate the past, even preparing to intervene.

The second figure came from the past. Yuan Huang appeared from the Eastern Jin era, seeing the black-clothed Ji Xiang and the immortal Heavenly Heart from afar, and let out an exclamation of surprise.

The third figure came from the window of the Heavenly Lord. A fair arm reached out, transforming into a phantom form, responding to the Yuqing's summons. It was Christ crossing over.

The black-clothed Ji Xiang had not expected three Yuqing powerhouses to arrive at once. But before he could recover, Old Master Gu let out a roar that shook the past and future, as if eternal ages would collapse and be lost because of it!

"The Dao is nothing but bullshit!"

"You usurped the existence of the thirteenth person, but he must not be dead, for he is destined to have a Heavenly Heart future! Tell me, when you last met him, where did his existence go!"

"Otherwise, I will trap you in the future forever, with every moment being scoured by seventy-seven instances of time, until all your fundamental origins are worn away and your propagation completely vanishes!"

Old Master Gu roared, his voice shaking the ages, while Yuan Huang also issued a warning:

"Tell us what you last did with Ji Xiang. You had better have only usurped his existence."

The phantom form of Christ did not speak, but stared fixedly at the black-clothed Ji Xiang. After Old Master Gu and Yuan Huang finished speaking, he finally said:

"If you are at your wit's end."

"You can come to my Heavenly Kingdom and be with me."

The black-clothed Ji Xiang felt as if he had been granted a great pardon, seeing a glimmer of hope in his desperate situation. However, the Golden Light Heavenly Heart issued a warning to the three uninvited guests:

"Even if it is a branch of Yuqing."

"It will now be dealt with by my Confucianism."