Opening and Closing Anew

Su Yao, sword in hand, stepped into the crevice first, followed by Yang Xiu, Zilin, Xuan Yan, Ying Qi, Mo Li.

Liu Yunhe, Li Siyi, Han Ziyi, Zhu Xuejie, Zhang Ziyan, Yang Nan, and many other protectors stood guard outside the rift, sealing off the surrounding spiritual energy and preventing anyone from entering.

Within the chasm lay a vast, desolate, yellowish-brown world. The aura of the Proclaiming Earth was so dense it was almost tangible, permeating the canyon like a thick fog. The waters of the two rivers were churned into turbidity by the power of the Proclaiming Earth, with silt churning and old and new soil scattered across the riverbeds. The mountains on both banks were eroded by the Proclaiming Earth's aura, with rock layers peeling away, vegetation withering, leaving only jagged red rocks.

In the deepest part of this vast expanse, at the bottom of the canyon, a pale yellow figure sat cross-legged on a high platform.

Chen Hai.

The Proclaiming Earth energy around him surged like a tide, merging with the Proclaiming Earth energy of the entire canyon, as if he were the center of this world. However, his complexion was much paler than it had been half a year ago in front of the Miao Frontier opera stage. The composure between his brows was still there, but beneath that composure lay a trace of inexplicable weariness.

Su Yao stopped ten feet in front of Chen Hai, his gaze falling on the pale yellow figure.

Chen Hai slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Su Yao, then at Yang Xiu, then at Zilin, then at Xuan Yan, Ying Qi, Mo Li, his gaze sweeping over them one by one before finally settling back on Su Yao's face.

Those eyes were extremely still, as still as two bottomless ancient wells, yet in their deepest depths, they reflected a sense of relief that even he himself might not have noticed.

Then, He parted His lips slightly, and a mysterious voice rang in everyone's ears:

"You have finally come to help me attain enlightenment."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao and the other five were simultaneously taken aback.

The four words "help me attain enlightenment" were like a boulder thrown into still water. Su Yao stared at Chen Hai in disbelief, the golden bell in Yang Xiu's hand trembled slightly, and Zilin's Purple Gauze Umbrella unconsciously opened a third of its width.

Su Yao did not respond.

He secretly connected with the Prism in his dantian, then his gaze pierced through the layer of Proclaiming Earth qi around Chen Hai and landed directly inside his body.

That was no longer a body of flesh and blood.

Within Chen Hai's body, there were no internal organs, no meridians, no bones; only a vast expanse of Proclaiming Earth power flowing within. That Proclaiming Earth power surged and churned within him like a sea, transforming his entire being into a "vessel" formed from Proclaiming Earth.

But just as Su Yao's gaze touched the deepest part of that Proclaiming Earth power—

A wooden box.

The wooden box lay quietly at the core of the Proclaiming Earth power, its entire body simple and unadorned, its material as warm and smooth as ancient wood. On the wooden box, several very faint lines could be seen, winding and intertwining like the roots of an old tree.

Su Yao's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this. He recognized the wooden box. It was exactly the same as the wooden box he had brought down from Qixia Mountain to Nanzhao years ago. In fact, that wooden box was part of this one.

The wooden boxes belonging to Zilin, Yang Xiu, and others, as well as the wooden box he carried back then, those wooden boxes that were once scattered among the six people, all merged into one in the air above this place, transforming into this complete wooden box, and then disappeared. After that, the True Lord was reincarnated.

What terrified Su Yao was that something was faintly pulsating inside the wooden box. It wasn't a heart, but rather like a seed, slowly sprouting under the nourishment of the Proclaiming Earth's energy.

At this moment, Chen Hai, or rather, the True Lord, spoke again:

"Is this the nature of the descendants of the Mysterious Gate?" The voice was still Chen Hai's, but it carried an inexplicable, ancient, and desolate quality, like an echo from the depths of the earth. "Upon seeing me, you neither kneel nor bow?"

Su Yao suddenly came to his senses. He looked at "Chen Hai" in front of him, at those eyes like ancient wells, at the Proclaiming Earth power that blended with heaven and earth around him, and he understood.

This is no longer Chen Hai.

This is Proclaiming Earth True Lord!

Although they didn't know when the True Lord had awakened, at this moment, even if he hadn't recovered, they were still no match for True Lord.

Su Yao took a deep breath, straightened his robes, bowed respectfully, and spoke in a steady voice:

"Abbot Su Yao of Qixia Temple greets the True Lord."

Behind him, Yang Xiu, Zilin, Xuan Yan, Ying Qi, Mo Li also bowed in unison.

The True Lord sat upright on the high platform, receiving the bows of several people, his expression unchanged. After a moment, he slowly spoke:

"I remember you." His gaze fell on Su Yao's face. "Back then, you transformed into the head of a theatrical troupe and brought your troupe to the place where I was reincarnated, where you performed several plays. At that time, I had not yet awakened and only found the plays interesting, but I did not know their deeper meaning."

He paused, a hint of something indescribable creeping into his voice:

"Later, upon awakening, I realized that the play was a test sent by the Mysterious Gate to probe me."

Su Yao did not respond.

The True Lord continued, "Back then, my reincarnated self promised the troupe leader a marquisate, but it seems that's no longer possible." His gaze swept over the five people behind Su Yao, then returned to Su Yao's face, his voice unhurried, "In the future, I will surely succeed. At that time, I hope the troupe leader will come to serve me."

Su Yao paused for a moment, then raised his head to meet those deep, unfathomable eyes, and slowly spoke:

Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.

Upon hearing this, True Lord suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter was vast and distant, emanating from Chen Hai's body, yet it carried a desolation that did not belong to a young man.

Laughter echoed through the canyon, causing rocks to fall from the cliffs on both sides and the waters of the two rivers to surge even more rapidly.

"What a fine example of 'different paths lead to different goals,'" He stopped laughing, looked at Su Yao, and the ancient meaning in his eyes deepened. "Since that's the case—"

He slowly stood up.

As He rose, the power of the Proclaiming Earth in the entire canyon surged suddenly. A pale yellow light spread out from His feet like a tide, enveloping the mud and sand on the riverbed, the rock walls on both banks, and the dust in the air into that vast expanse.

The Great Marsh Banner slid out from His sleeve. Countless Proclaiming Earth energy suddenly ignited on the long brown banner, as if ancient laws were being awakened. The True Lord slammed the Great Marsh Banner to the ground, and a beam of pale yellow light shot into the sky, piercing straight through the heavens. Within the beam of light, the phantoms of the vast land and countless people unfolded like a landscape painting, enveloping the entire canyon in a thick layer of earthy yellow.

At the same time, He flipped his left hand, and the Sixfold Completion Jar was in his palm. The gray-white pottery jar tilted, and the water of the Yellow Springs poured out from the mouth of the jar, like a dark blue waterfall, into the two rivers. The water of the two rivers was eroded by the power of the Yellow Springs, and instantly became turbid and cold. The silt and sand churning on the riverbed were "hidden" into nothingness layer by layer by the water of the Yellow Springs, revealing the rugged red rocks at the bottom of the river.

"Then let's have a battle with my reincarnation."

As soon as he finished speaking, True Lord's eyes dimmed slightly, for Chen Hai had returned. Chen Hai waved the Great Marsh Banner, and a wave of pale yellow energy surged toward Su Yao six like a tidal wave. Within that energy wave was a unique "transformative" power of Proclaiming Earth, overturning the old soil and preventing the new soil from taking root. Wherever it passed, the riverbed cracked inch by inch, and the rock walls on both banks were peeled away layer by layer as if by an invisible hand.

Su Yao neither retreated nor dodged. He raised his right hand, Peach Blossom Sword at Chen Hai.

Yang Xiu!

Yang Xiu had already prepared his strength.

With a flick of his right hand, the Pure Leaf Calamity-Resolving Silk was already unfolded in his palm.

On the plain silk, the Gang Qi flowed like a gentle breeze across a spring field, warm and pure. He spread the silk out into the air, and a bluish-white Qi poured down from its surface, like a thin veil, enveloping Su Yao and the other six.

The pale yellow energy wave crashed against the gauze curtain of wind, like a tide meeting a dam, its sharpness gradually "dispelled" by the warm, gentle Gang Qi. The calamity and malevolence carried within the energy wave dissipated inch by inch under the dissolving power of the Pure Leaf Calamity-Resolving Silk, eventually turning into a harmless patch of yellowish-brown dust that fell softly.

Chen Hai did not stop.

He waved the Great Marsh Banner again, and this time, the phantom images of the vast land and countless people within the pillar of light simultaneously lit up.

Countless ordinary people, armed with farm tools, wooden sticks, and iron bars, stood like a forest or a sea, silently shouting their protest.

The shouts coalesced into an invisible wave of sound, crushing towards Su Yao and his group of six.

Su Yao flipped his left hand, Dawn Calamity-Breaking Talisman Tablet was already in his palm.

He tossed the talisman into the air, and it hovered above everyone's heads. The Lesser Yang pattern suddenly lit up, and a layer of warm golden light descended from the talisman, spreading like the morning sun, blocking the invisible sound waves several feet away. Wherever the Lesser Yang energy shone, the yin and turbid energy contained in the Proclaiming Earth power melted away, like thin ice meeting the sun.

"Using Lesser Yang to counter my Proclaiming Earth?" Chen Hai's voice came from behind the pillar of light, carrying an inscrutable meaning. "Lesser Yang is the nascent Yang, Proclaiming Earth is the land of change, born from death. The nascent Yang illuminates change; seemingly mutually destructive, they are actually mutually supportive. Your Lesser Yang may not be able to overcome my Proclaiming Earth."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly poured out Sixfold Completion Jar.

This time, the waters of the Yellow Springs did not merely pour down; instead, they surged forth from the mouth of the jar like a dark blue dragon, bypassing the pale yellow aura of the Great Marsh Banner and flanking Su Yao and his companions from the side. The waters of the Yellow Springs carried the "Returning to the Source" power of the Earth Witch, and wherever they passed, the red rocks on the riverbed were "hidden" into nothingness layer by layer, and the rock walls on both banks silently crumbled, turning into wisps of dark blue water vapor that dissipated into the air.

Su Yao frowned slightly.

He brandished the Peach Blossom Sword in his right hand, and the peach blossom patterns on the blade suddenly lit up, as if thousands of peach blossoms were blooming at the same time.

Then he slashed out with his sword.

The sword light slashed into the Yellow Springs water, severing the eerie blue water dragon in one stroke. Peach blossom patterns spread wildly at the break, like the roots of an old tree burrowing into the soil, pinning the broken Yellow Springs water inch by inch to its spot, preventing it from reforming. Yet, the Yellow Springs water was ultimately the primordial power of the Earth Witch path, and an eerie blue light still writhed at the break, attempting to reassemble.

"Yang Xiu! Help me again!"

Yang Xiu unleashed the full power of the Pure Leaf Calamity-Resolving Silk, and a bluish-white gale surged forth like a tide, enveloping the fragmented Yellow Springs water layer by layer. The gale dispelled the calamity and malevolent energy, gradually dissolving the "Returning to the Source" power within the Yellow Springs water, ultimately shattering the water dragon completely, turning it into countless fragments of dark blue light that scattered and vanished.

Seeing this, Chen Hai finally became serious. He simultaneously summoned the Great Marsh Banner and the Sixfold Completion Jar. The Great Marsh Banner hung above his head, its pale yellow light pillar standing like a pillar of heaven, pouring the phantoms of the vast land and countless people into the pillar. The Sixfold Completion Jar hung beside him, the waters of the Yellow Springs cascading down like a waterfall, merging with the light pillar and transforming into a giant sword phantom interwoven with pale yellow and dark blue, which slashed down at Su Yao.

Before the giant sword even fell, the rock walls on both sides of the canyon were crushed into pieces by its pressure. The rubble and dust, carried by the power of the Proclaiming Earth, cascaded down from the mountain peaks on both sides like an earthy yellow waterfall, filling most of the river channels. The red rocks on the riverbed were crushed into dust by the sword's pressure, and the water of the two rivers was forced to flow backward, overflowing from the canyon and pouring into the forests on both sides.

The ground beneath Su Yao and his group of six cracked inch by inch, the fissures spreading in all directions like a spider web. Zilin, Xuan Yan, Ying Qi, Mo Li were forced to retreat repeatedly by the pressure of the sword, each step leaving deep cracks, like a field turned over by a giant plow.

Su Yao did not retreat. He raised the Peach Blossom Sword high above his head, and the peach blossom patterns on the sword blade bloomed wildly, like thousands of peach trees blooming at the same time, dyeing the entire canyon a brilliant crimson. At the same time, he flipped his left hand, and the Autumn Steed Sword was already in his palm. The sword blade was pure white like moonlight frost, and a clear sword light burst forth at the tip of the sword.

"Yang Xiu! The final blow!"

Yang Xiu raised the Pure Leaf Calamity-Resolving Silk high, and boundless Gang Qi descended, protecting Su Yao's body.

Su Yao Peach Blossom again, and the peach blossom pattern on the sword bloomed once more, meeting the illusory image of the giant sword interwoven with pale yellow and dark blue.

"Peach Blossom!"

Suddenly, the sword light shone brilliantly, like a thousand peach blossoms blooming at the same time.

Then something seemed to fall from the Great Void and land on the Peach Blossom.

The sword light suddenly intensified, and the next moment, it met the phantom of the giant sword.

The two swords clashed silently.

But with that impact, the ground within a radius of hundreds of miles trembled violently. The mountains on both sides of the canyon were as if torn apart by an invisible hand, the rock layers shattering inch by inch from the mountaintop to the foot, and boulders and rubble cascading down like waterfalls, completely filling the channels of the two rivers. The river water overflowed from the canyon, flooding the forests on both sides and submerging countless plants and trees.

The giant sword phantom was forcibly cleaved in two by the combined attack of Peach Blossom Sword. Pale yellow light and dark blue water gushed out from the crack, but could no longer coalesce. The giant sword phantom shattered with a crash, turning into countless pale yellow fragments and dark blue water vapor that scattered in all directions.

Chen Hai's body trembled. He looked down at his chest, where an extremely thin sword mark was slowly emerging. The sword mark was very faint, but within it, a peach blossom pattern was spreading, like the roots of an old tree burrowing into the power of the Proclaiming Earth, nailing the power of "change" inch by inch to the spot.

"I see..." Chen Hai spoke slowly, a hint of something indescribable in his voice, "If I remember correctly, this sword was made by the Human Sovereign when he cut down the Peach Forest. The forest is a gathering place! King Chen She died under the wooden spear of the Gathering Wood Road, and today I... will also die under this sword. The cycle of Heavenly Dao has come to this."

He raised his head and looked at Su Yao. The ancient look in his deep, still eyes gradually faded, replaced by a faint sense of relief.

"In the end..." His voice trailed off, like an echo fading into the distance, "This play... is not over yet. When I return, it will be the day I attain enlightenment."

As soon as he finished speaking, his body began to shatter.

A pale yellow light surged forth from his body, erupting like a volcano that had been suppressed for a thousand years.

The power of the Proclaiming Earth swirled, condensed, and exploded in the air, turning into a sky full of pale yellow fragments, like a grand meteor shower, which exploded, splashed, and dissipated in the canyon.

His figure gradually transformed into flying sand and stones, returning to nothingness. The last thing to vanish was his pair of eyes, like ancient wells, the pupils still reflecting the crimson of the Peach Blossom Sword in Su Yao's hand.

The reincarnation of the True Lord Chen Hai, perished.

His body shattered silently, like a piece of clay repeatedly kneaded until it could no longer hold on, collapsing inch by inch from the inside out, turning into countless pieces of yellowish-brown earth that fell silently. Those pieces of earth landed on the riverbed, on the mountain rocks, and in the waters of the two rivers, without a sound, as if they had never belonged to anyone.

And in the deepest part of that rubble, a wooden box floats silently in mid-air.

The wooden box was plain and unadorned, its material as warm and smooth as ancient wood. On the box, several very faint lines could be seen, winding and intersecting like the roots of an old tree. It was the same wooden box that had been embedded in Chen Hai's body earlier.

With a gentle turn of the wooden box, the scattered Great Marsh Banner and the Sixfold Completion Jar were collected inside. The moment the two Law Treasure fell into the wooden box, their light faded completely, like weary birds returning to their nests, and they remained silent.

Then, the wooden box was closed.

But just as the wooden box closed—

A Vast Righteousness Qi descended from the sky.

The righteous energy, like a blazing sun, carrying countless phantom images of books and symbols of ritual and music, rolled towards the wooden box, intending to sweep it away.

But the next moment, two beams of light descended from the sky at the same time. One was Purple Qi, like incense boiling for the first time, with purple smoke rising. The other was Wisdom Light, like starlight and Comet Light, flowing silver and white. The Purple Qi and Wisdom Light intertwined with that Vast Righteousness Qi at the same time. The three forces surged, strangled, and tore at each other in the air above the wooden box, stirring the sky up like boiling water.

Upon seeing this, Su Yao and his six companions immediately bowed in respect.

"Greetings, True Lord! Greetings, Supreme True Person!"

No one answered.

In the midst of the entanglement, the wooden box was squeezed by three forces simultaneously, causing it to fall from mid-air. It drifted down like a fallen leaf, eventually plunging into the river channel, which had widened several times due to the battle between the two people. It was swept away by the waters of the two rivers, sank to the bottom of the river, and disappeared.

The Vast Righteousness Qi, Purple Qi, and Wisdom Light intertwined for a moment before dissipating. The Vast Righteousness Qi returned to the sky, and the Purple Qi and Wisdom Light also slowly dissipated, leaving only a faint aftertaste flickering in the sky above the canyon.

Silence returned to the world.

Just then, a Xun Wind blew from the depths of the Great Void. The breeze was extremely soft and light, like a spring breeze on one's face. Wherever the Xun Wind passed, the mountains damaged by the battle "healed" inch by inch, the shattered rock layers closed up again, and the cascading rubble returned to its original position.

The red rocks, crushed to dust by the sword, reformed; the rock walls, hidden in the void by the waters of the Yellow Springs, began to "grow" back inch by inch; the vegetation, eroded by the power of Proclaiming Earth, sprouted anew; and the forests, submerged by the waters of the two rivers, resurfaced.

The Xun Wind healed everything, but it failed to heal the wide river and canyon. The waters of the two rivers rushed past, leaving the river and canyon, which had widened several times over due to the battle between the people, in their original place.

The river water flows into the mountains and forests on both banks, forming new lakes and marshes. The once narrow confluence of the two rivers has now become a vast valley.

Xun Wind brushed across the faces of Su Yao and his companions, blowing away the dust and bloodstains from their robes, but it did not dispel the shock on their faces.

Su Yao gazed at the wide river valley and remained silent for a long time.

Yang Xiu walked to his side, put away the Pure Leaf Calamity-Resolving Silk, and whispered:

"Brother Dao, that wooden box..."

Su Yao shook his head and did not reply.

He looked towards the place where they had been forced to act when the True Lord was reincarnated. Then, he remembered Chen Hai's earlier words, "The play is not over yet," but life is ultimately different from a play.

There is a word cloud:

Peach Blossom emerge in spring, breaking through the soil, their yellow petals bursting forth.

The Gang Qi unfolds, the Lesser Yang shines brightly, and all eons vanish.

Banners flutter over a thousand mountains and pour over two rivers; jars swallow nine lands and hide in secluded caves.

Amidst the vast expanse, who controls this rise and fall? The winds and clouds seem to weep.

The shattered light dissipated, and the person was gone.

The wooden box pendant was seized by three parties.

Even if the Xun Wind heals, the old scars are hard to erase.

The game is over, but the official tablet remains cold; the game ends, but the riverbed is still wide.

Who will take the lead in the next era, and how will things unfold again?