Outside the Jade Void Palace, heaven and earth had settled into peace. The vast destruction left by the Other Shore beings' clash had been undone, restored to its original state by the effects of traveling back through time and changing history. The mountains were lush and the waters clear, with paths crisscrossing the Mortal World. Of the thirty-six ancient wells enclosed by jade railings, twenty-four continually sent up flames and rosy clouds, as if boiling, lending the place a dreamlike, transcendent air.
Deep within the rows of palace halls, in Jade Purity Hall, Meng Qi calmly accepted the congratulations of his fellow disciples and friends—Guangchengzi, Chijingzi, Gao Lan, Jiang Zhiwei, and the others. He had formally taken over the place, becoming the true master of the Jade Void Palace, the new "Yuanshi Tianzun."
After the formalities, Guangchengzi looked at Meng Qi, surrounded by golden lamps and jeweled pendants, with auspicious clouds above his head shining like a Water Curtain beneath the eaves. He let out a deep sigh.
"Junior brother, Sect Master, why go to such lengths...?"
Their side had suffered no real losses. Taking a step back would have brought peace. Having one's Dao Path cut off did not merely mean losing all hope of transcending this era; it also meant being plagued by backlash. Even the embryonic form of the Dao Fruit, which had once seemed within reach, would likely become difficult to attain.
At the Legendary Realm, a major change to history—like the time when Yuanshi Tianzun opened the Time Root and cut out a segment of the "river" containing the Investiture of the Gods and what came after—would leave mighty beings with fragments of memories unrelated to them, since their innate spiritual light existed at an infinitely high level. But if a change in history directly