A Funeral for Himself

Empress Pingxin looked at Ye Changqing with a complicated expression, her heart already churning like a storm-tossed sea.

For tens of thousands of years, she had tried every method and still failed to find the source of the problem.

Yet he had seen through it at a glance!

Ye Changqing truly was a once-in-an-age genius. No wonder even the Heavenly Dao feared him so deeply.

Even the Great Dao, which had vanished after the world was created, wanted to destroy him.

If Ye Changqing did not die, perhaps no one in the entire Primordial World could stand against him.

"The Heavenly Dao, the Human Dao, and the Earthly Dao were originally equal."

"But now that the Heavenly Dao is complete, it naturally won't allow the other two to stand alongside it."

"The Tribulation is approaching. The Human Dao is about to decline, and the Earthly Dao won't be far behind!"

Ye Changqing spoke at length.

"The Human Dao will decline?"

"The Heavenly Dao will rise above everything..."

Empress Pingxin murmured Ye Changqing's words, her brows furrowing.

She tried to divine the future, even drawing upon the power of the Earthly Dao's source, but the heavenly secrets remained shrouded in chaos.

Could Ye Changqing see the distant future?

She looked at him. His gaze did not waver, and his reasoning was clear. He obviously wasn't making things up to deceive her.

Empress Pingxin even found him somewhat frightening—more frightening than Old Ancestor Hongjun.

It was best not to make an enemy of someone like him. At the very least, she absolutely must not offend him.

But if Ye Changqing was telling the truth, she had no choice but to consider forming an alliance with him.

Once the Heavenly Dao rose above the Earthly Dao, she would never have another chance to leave the Netherworld.

She had spent countless days in this lightless place, dreaming of regaining her freedom.

Even if only for a single day.

Even if it cost her life.

"What should I do?"

Empress Pingxin asked Ye Changqing.

At this point, she had no other choice. She could only believe what he had told her.

"You don't need to do anything. Just wait!"

"When the time is right, someone will come looking for you."

"The Calamity is approaching. My Interception Sect, the Human Race, and the Underworld must join forces to overcome this crisis."

Ye Changqing spoke slowly.

"The Human Race?"

"Could it be that Nuwa also..."

Empress Pingxin formed a bold conjecture.

Ye Changqing nodded. There was no harm in telling her. It would only make her more willing to form an alliance.

"Fine. I agree!"

Empress Pingxin agreed at once.

Ye Changqing smiled. He had known she wouldn't refuse.

Empress Pingxin thought it over again and again, then finally asked the question that had been troubling her.

"Is the coming catastrophe really that terrifying?"

Since the creation of the world, they had endured several calamities: the Fierce Beast Tribulation, the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation, the Dao-Devil War, and the Witch-Demon Tribulation.

Yet never before had Saints taken part.

What's more, ever since the Witch-Demon Tribulation, the Interception Sect had been hailed as the gathering place of ten thousand immortals and had grown extraordinarily powerful.

Sect Master Tongtian's Immortal Slaying Sword Formation was said to be unbreakable by fewer than four Saints.

Would far more than four Saints take action during the Calamity?

Or would Old Ancestor Hongjun make a move during it...

Clearly, this was a contest between Saints.

No wonder Ye Changqing had chosen this moment to achieve Primordial Unity.

Everything made sense now!

"Houtu Ancestral Witch, I don't have much time left. Whether you can survive this Calamity is up to all of you."

"I'm counting on you!"

Ye Changqing sighed and spoke solemnly.

After making these arrangements, Sect Master Tongtian took him away from the Underworld.

Empress Pingxin watched him leave, her eyes growing damp before she even realized it.

He was so much like her younger self, who had once searched for a way forward for the Witch Race.

But she had failed, becoming the sinner responsible for the Witch Race's destruction.

"I hope you succeed..."

All she could do was silently wish him well.

After leaving the Underworld, Ye Changqing was weighed down with sorrow.

Empress Pingxin's strength in the Underworld was no less than that of Heavenly Dao Hongjun.

If she truly managed to leave the Underworld, the Interception Sect might yet be saved.

Even if the worst came to pass, she could ensure that the Interception Sect disciples who died without being inscribed on the Investiture of the Gods entered the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

That would preserve some of the Interception Sect's legacy.

In the Netherworld Blood Sea, Ancestor Minghe poked his head out and watched Ye Changqing flash past, his expression complicated.

"Changqing, do you want your master to avenge you?"

Sect Master Tongtian asked Ye Changqing.

"Forget it. Empress Pingxin will deal with him in due course."

Ye Changqing refused.

After taking him back to Golden Ao Island, Sect Master Tongtian hurried away again.

He absolutely would not stand by and watch his beloved disciple die.

He had to find one last way to save Ye Changqing.

On Golden Ao Island, Ye Changqing gathered his junior brothers and sisters and told them his final plan.

Ye Changqing didn't have much time left. Before he died, he wanted to see the Primordial World one last time.

During the Witch-Demon War, Gonggong Ancestral Shaman had knocked down Buzhou Mountain with his head. The entire Primordial World had shattered and been swept into chaos, where it became the stars.

The Three Realms of today were only a tiny fragment, with very little territory.

Fifty years would be enough for Ye Changqing to travel throughout the Three Realms.

Come to think of it, from the moment he had transmigrated until he achieved Primordial Unity, he had never gone out to see the great rivers and mountains.

He didn't want to leave behind any regrets.

Woo-woo—

A horn sounded over the Eastern Sea.

A great many sea creatures looked up as a long procession slowly rose from Golden Ao Island.

At the head of the procession, Zhao Gongming summoned the Twenty-Four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls to hold the entire Eastern Sea steady, clearing a path for Senior Disciple Brother.

Ye Changqing rode on Kui Niu's broad back, surrounded by five-colored auspicious clouds.

Kui Niu was also an outer disciple of Sect Master Tongtian and usually served as his mount.

Aside from Sect Master Tongtian, the only person in the entire Interception Sect it was willing to carry was its Senior Disciple Brother.

Daoist Duobao, the Interception Sect's chief direct disciple, held the reins and led the ox.

Yunxiao, Bixiao, and Qiongxiao carried flower baskets, scattering petals over Ye Changqing.

Every petal in those baskets came from the three-thousand-mile Peach Blossom Forest on Three Immortal Island.

Holy Mother Wudang, Golden Spirit Holy Mother, Golden Light Holy Mother, Holy Mother Guiling, Saint Huoling, Niangniang Shiji, and the other female immortals followed close behind.

The ten thousand immortals of the Interception Sect joined the procession of their own accord, walking behind them and keeping Senior Disciple Brother company.

"You don't need to grieve for me. When I die, the heavens will weep blood for me, and all living beings will mourn me."

"After my death, the myriad worlds will see me off."

"Then nine dragons will pull my coffin, an Immortal King will bear my funeral bier, and a Demon King will escort me on my final journey."

"The Hongmeng Divine Race will come from the River of Time to pay homage to their Hongmeng Controller."

"The Time Monarch will cross the Three Realms to bid me farewell."

"The living beings of the Eternal World will guide my coffin on its way."

Riding atop Kui Niu, Ye Changqing muttered to himself.

Yet every word he said reached the ears of every Interception Sect disciple without missing a single one.

After being tutored by Daoist Duobao over the past days, they already believed without a doubt that their Senior Disciple Brother had a mysterious identity.

They could already imagine the glorious scene that would unfold that day.

Ding! Congratulations, host! You have successfully arranged your own funeral. Everything will come true after your death!

Reward: Earthly Dao Golden Wheel, Primordial Unity Immortal Method!