The thirteenth day of the westward journey.
Qi Yun had lost count of how many wastelands he had traversed and how many barren mountains he had crossed.
It was as if he had stepped into another realm in the the Unseen.
After all, given his pace, he would have already traveled extremely far, not to mention the Xuanhuang Home Realm itself, but even beyond the outer realms. How could he still be moving forward?
Moreover, the Spiritual Qi was so thin that it was almost non-existent, and an indescribable, deathly stillness permeated the world.
But the lingering resentment within his sleeve beat ever more violently.
Qi Yun failed to suppress it.
He simply followed the direction indicated by his lingering regret, heading west.
The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron hung beside him, and the movement of the nine divine dragons became slow and solemn.
Cai Shen remained silent, but his rapidly fluctuating spiritual energy betrayed his inner turmoil.
"Fourteenth Brother," he finally couldn't help but speak, his voice a little strained, "Did you feel it?"
The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron remained silent for a moment, then emitted a low hum.
In that humming sound, there was the vicissitudes of eternity, the profound sorrow, and also a trace of—an indescribable awe.
"There—I can smell His Majesty's presence."
Cai Kun's spiritual energy trembled violently, almost bursting out of the cauldron.
Qi Yun's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes sparkling.
His Majesty's aura— the Great Tang Dynasty?!
The source of that lingering regret was actually that supreme being who had been missing for countless ages?
He didn't ask any further questions, but simply sped up.
After traveling for another three days, the sky ahead began to change.
That eternally leaden-gray cloud layer, since some unknown time, has thinned, revealing a deep, almost solidified darkness.
And in the deepest darkness, a faint, extremely distant light could be seen.
The light shone with a strange purplish-gold hue, completely unlike any color Qi Yun had ever seen.
It is neither dazzling nor scorching, yet it possesses a majestic aura that compels one to worship.
It is like the source of all things, the center of the heavens, the beginning and end of all existence.
Qi Yun's mind wavered slightly, but was immediately stabilized by the [ Primordial Unity ] Dao.
He took a deep breath and continued walking.
After traveling for another half day, the ancient city finally came into view.
It floated in that deep darkness, its entire body shimmering with an extremely noble purple-gold luster.
The city walls were thousands of feet high and stretched for countless miles, cutting that void into two worlds, one inside and one outside.
The city gates were tightly shut, and above the lintel hung a plaque with two large characters engraved in an ancient and vigorous style: [ Chang'an ].
Qi Yun stopped in front of the city gate.
He looked up at the ancient city, so majestic it defied description, his eyes gleaming with a vibrant light. He was fully activating the [ Primordial Unity ] Dao, trying to see through its essence.
He saw the dense, layered Daoist patterns on the city wall.
Those Dao patterns were not carved later, but were generated Innate; they are the imprints naturally formed by this ancient city over countless ages.
Each line represents a complete Principle heaven and earth; each vein carries the weight of a world.
This is not a city. This is a world.
A vast world compressed, folded, and sealed within a small space.
The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron emitted a deep hum, as if in response.
In that buzzing sound, there was an ancient sorrow, but also a trace of relief.
Qi Yun said no more.
He raised his hand and took the wisp of grayish-white remnant from his sleeve, holding it in his palm.
The moment the lingering regret left his sleeve, it suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly brilliant light!
The light was so intense that it illuminated the entire dark void!
And at this moment, the city gate, which had been tightly closed for millennia, slowly opened.
Beyond the city gate lay not the palaces and pavilions Qi Yun had imagined, but a straight, long street.
On both sides of the long street are rows of markets, mansions, and pavilions, all preserved as they were thousands of years ago, as if time has stood still.
But no one was there.
There were no merchants, no pedestrians, no children playing, and no officials patrolling the streets.
Only an eternal, chilling silence.
Qi Yun walked slowly down the long street, with the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron hanging beside him. The movement of the nine divine dragons became extremely slow, and their eyes gleamed as if they were trying to identify something.
"Here—" Cai Shen's voice came from inside the cauldron, tinged with a hint of disorientation, "I feel like I've been here before."
"Of course you've been here," Mountains and Rivers Cauldron's deep voice rang out. "This is Chang'an."
This is our home.
Cai Shen remained silent.
Of course he remembered. Thousands of years ago, at the Great Tang, twenty-four Imperial Weapon gathered here to protect the emperor and suppress the celestial destinies.
Those were their most glorious years, and also the hometown they could never return to.
Qi Yun did not disturb them.
He simply walked along the long street, moving forward.
At the end of the long street stood a palace so magnificent it defied description.
Above the main gate of the palace, a plaque also hangs high, bearing three large characters: [ Black Tortoise Gate ].
Qi Yun stopped in front of the palace gate. He raised his head, looking at the four large characters, his eyes sparkling.
"Come in."
A voice suddenly came from inside the hall.
The sound was very soft and faint, as if it were just a sigh.
But when it reached Qi Yun's ears, it was like a thunderclap, exploding deep within his mind.
Qi Yun's pupils contracted slightly.
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and entered the Black Tortoise Gate.
The hall was more spacious than he had expected.
There were no magnificent decorations, no officials paying homage, only a stone platform and a figure.
The figure sat cross-legged on the stone platform, dressed in a black imperial robe and wearing a flat-topped crown. His face was blurred and indistinct.
But simply sitting there exudes an unparalleled majesty that commands the heavens and earth to submit and all things to bow down.
He had his eyes closed.
Like that ancient city, like this long street, like this world sealed away for eternity, it too is asleep.
Qi Yun stood inside the palace gate, without stepping forward.
He simply watched the figure quietly, at the black imperial robe, at the flat crown, and at the ancient sword lying across his lap.
That sword was imbued with the same Sword Intent as those four large characters.
Ancient, pure, domineering.
"Your Majesty's Son of Heaven Sword," the voice of the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron rang out, "It's still here."
His Majesty is still alive.
Qi Yun remained silent for a moment.
He stepped forward, walked to the stone platform, and bowed respectfully to the sleeping figure.
"Junior Qi Yun greets Your Majesty."
The hall was deathly silent. The figure did not respond, nor did the Son of Heaven Sword react in any way.
Qi Yun straightened up, his gaze falling on the Son of Heaven Sword.
"You've finally arrived."
The voice rang out again.
This time, it was no longer ethereal, but clear and real, emanating from that Son of Heaven Sword.
Qi Yun's pupils contracted slightly. He looked at the sword, his eyes gleaming with a colorful light, and the [ Primordial Unity ] Dao was operating at full power.
"Your senior is—"
"Me?" The voice chuckled softly, tinged with self-mockery and a sense of vicissitude. "Who am I? I am this sword, this city, that long street, that blue stone, that Dao Fruit, and all the unyielding obsessions that have lingered throughout countless ages."
He paused, his voice becoming low.
"It is also the last wisp of Sword Intent His Majesty left to this world."
Qi Yun fell silent.
He vaguely guessed what it was, but didn't say it aloud.
The voice continued, "Eternity ago, the Dao King joined forces to kill Your Majesty and divide up the fortunes of the Great Tang."
His Majesty single-handedly killed three of them and severely injured the rest, but ultimately was outnumbered.
Before his death, he divided his life's work of Sword Dao into four parts.
One portion remained within the Son of Heaven Sword, one portion transformed into the Immortal-Slaying Dao Fruit, one portion dispersed into the Xuanhuang Dao Principles, and the last portion—"
He paused, his voice becoming even lower.
"The last bit, transformed into that lingering regret in your sleeve."
Qi Yun lowered his head and looked at the grayish-white halo in his palm.
It floated silently, no longer pulsating, emitting only an extremely faint and soft light.
Like a wanderer who has finally found his home, he sleeps peacefully and contentedly.
"His Majesty said that one day, someone will bring these four Sword Dao to Chang'an."
At that time, the cause and effect of the Great Tang's golden age will be resolved.
The voice carried the weariness of ages past, yet also a hint of relief.
"And you are that person."
Qi Yun remained silent for a long time. So long that Cai Kun's sobs gradually subsided, so long that the humming of the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron ceased. Finally, he spoke.
"What happens after the cause and effect are resolved?"
The voice chuckled softly, "Afterwards? What happens afterward has nothing to do with His Majesty, nothing to do with the Great Tang, nothing to do with these ancient grudges."
That's your own path, your own way.
Qi Yun raised his head, his gaze falling on the Son of Heaven Sword.
He could sense that the Sword Intent contained within the sword was transmitting something to him at an extremely slow and subtle pace.
"Senior means for me to refine these four Sword Dao?"
"It's not refining," the voice corrected him, "It's inheritance. His Majesty left these four Sword Dao not for you to refine, but for you to inherit."
Inherit his will, inherit his principles, and continue his unfinished work.
What career?
"Protect the Xuanhuang."
Four words, so light, yet as heavy as the eternal blue sky.
Qi Yun fell silent.
He recalled the words of the True Lord Contemplating the One, the words of the Demon Master Kunpeng, and the words of the World-Honored One. Each of them had their own calculations, and each of them was plotting for their own benefit.
But this Great Tang, this supreme being who was besieged and killed by the Dao King and forgotten by the ages.
His last wish was simply to protect the Xuanhuang.
"Why?" Qi Yun asked, "Why is it Xuanhuang?"
The voice remained silent for a moment.
"Because the Xuanhuang is the origin of all things and the source of all heavens."
Destroying Xuanhuang is to destroy everything.
His Majesty said that the world can exist without the Great Tang, and without a great emperor.
But it cannot exist without Xuanhuang.
He paused, his voice becoming even lower.
Without the Xuanhuang, there is no Tao, no law, no sentient beings, and no myriad realms.
Those Dao King did not understand this principle.
Or perhaps they understand, but don't care.
But His Majesty cares.
Qi Yun fell silent.
He remembered the Xuanhuang Treasure Tree that the Demon Master Kunpeng had shown him.
I think of those lush and verdant realms, and those abundant Dao Fruit.
I recall the World-Honored One's golden fruit, teetering on the brink of collapse, and its desperate attempt to devour the purple qi and break free from the branches.
"I understand," he said slowly.
There was no further response.
But the Son of Heaven Sword began to emit a low hum.
The buzzing sound grew louder and louder, eventually transforming into a beam of sword light that shot straight into the sky!
At the same time, the lingering will in Qi Yun's sleeve suddenly erupted and merged with the sword light!
The Immortal-Slaying Dao Fruit he had refined within his body also trembled violently, echoing the sword light from afar!
His [ Primordial Unity ] Dao was like a spark that had been ignited, operating wildly!
The four Sword Dao and four Sword Intent finally merged into one at this moment!
"Boom-!!!"
An indescribable, terrifying Sword Intent erupted from Qi Yun's body!
The Black Tortoise Gate trembled, the ancient city of Chang'an trembled, and this world, sealed for countless ages, let out its final lament at this moment!
Then, everything fell silent.
The brilliance of the Son of Heaven Sword gradually faded, and it became dim again.
That lingering resentment completely dissipated, transforming into the most primordial Dao intent, and merging into Qi Yun's [ Primordial Unity ] Dao.
Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes. His eyes shimmered with a deeper, more profound light than before.
He could feel that his connection with this world was stronger than before.
Every inch of land, every river, and every mountain in the Xuanhuang Home Realm is connected to him by blood.
Is this His Majesty's final gift?
It's not about power or Divine Ability, but about a responsibility and a commitment to protection.
"Thank you, senior." He bowed deeply to the silent Son of Heaven Sword.
The hall was deathly silent.
The sword did not respond, nor did the figure react.
But Qi Yun knew they had heard him.
They've always been there.
He straightened up, turned around, and walked out of Black Tortoise Gate.
Outside the palace, the long street remained silent.
But those densely packed markets, mansions, and pavilions began to become transparent and illusory at an extremely slow pace.
This ancient city, sealed away for millennia, has fulfilled its mission and can now peacefully and calmly vanish.
"Let's go," Qi Yun said to the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron.
The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron emitted a deep hum, and the nine divine dragons raised their heads in unison, their roars echoing in the gradually dissipating void.
The voice contained an ancient sorrow, a sense of liberation, and a hint of hope for the future.
Qi Yun said no more. A nine-colored auspicious cloud rose from beneath his feet, carrying him and the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, and sped off towards the east, towards the Xuanhuang Home Realm.
Behind me, the majestic ancient city grew smaller and smaller, and farther and farther away.
The plaque above the city gate, with the two characters " Chang'an " on it, is gradually becoming blurred and dim.
In the end, it turned into a glimmer of light, like a falling star, and disappeared into the deep darkness.
The ancient Chang'an has come to an end.
Above the auspicious clouds, within the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, Cai Shen finally couldn't help but speak, "Young Qi, what do you intend to do about His Majesty's words?"
"What do you mean, how do I do it?" Qi Yun asked calmly.
"Protect the Xuanhuang. You promised His Majesty."
Qi Yun did not answer immediately.
He stood with his hands behind his back on the cloud, his robes fluttering, gazing at the gradually brightening sky ahead.
Then, a slow smile appeared on his lips.
That smile was neither tragic nor somber.
Instead, it was a smile that Cai Kun knew all too well, a smile that belonged to Qi Yun.
Just like back in the West Sea, when he stood alone with his sword, facing the smile of the World-Honored One's incarnation.
It was like the smile on his face when he personally carved the two characters " Primordial Unity " in the All Wonders Heaven.
"Guardian of Xuanhuang?" He repeated these four words in a low voice, his eyes surging with color before slowly settling into a bottomless darkness.
Within that darkness lies a domineering power that rules over all laws, and a resolute determination to be the only one worthy of respect.
"Your Majesty is Your Majesty, and I am me."
He withdrew his gaze and looked at the approaching expanse of the Xuanhuang earth ahead, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty.
He chose his path, I choose mine.
Cai Shen was taken aback: "Then you are—"
Qi Yun did not answer, letting the strong wind whip his robes, gazing at the world that would soon welcome his return.
guard?
He was never a protector.
He wanted the power of the Great Tang.
He accepted His Majesty's Sword Dao.
But how to choose this path and where to go is up to him.
Do the Dao King want to destroy Xuanhuang?
Canyi to pick fruit?
Is the World-Honored One going to settle old scores?
Can.
Come on over.
He 'Qi Yun fight to the bitter end.
Qingyun accelerated, transforming into a streak of Flowing Light that tore through the sky, carrying him and the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, rushing towards Xuanhuang, towards that unfinished game of chess.
As dawn broke, the clouds churned.
The Xuanhuang Home Realm is now before our eyes.