The future. The river of the present world.
This place transcended material constraints. Deep darkness surged within the illusory river, representing the eternal, silent void following the Final Tribulation.
Time halted here. The river of time could not be traced backward, and the great net of karma had nowhere to spread. Only a stretch of nothingness met the eye, like a bottomless abyss. A mere glance carried the risk of shattering a Primordial Spirit and sinking consciousness into oblivion.
This was the Final Tribulation.
It is the End, the Absolute, the Deathly Stillness. It is the conclusion of all things—a book turned to its last page. Once closed, nothing else exists.
Originally, none could defy it.
Yet now, a glimmer of light emerged in the nothingness, splitting heaven and earth, reopening earth, water, wind, and fire. It carved a new future from the void.
That was the Light Sea.
The future Light Sea was the new life following the Final Tribulation—a [Variable] that shouldn't exist, yet some supreme majesty forcibly carved it out.
"This is Deity Transformation."
Enlightenment surfaced in the World Honored One's eyes. A Dao Lord could perceive much with a single glance.
The Primordial Saint's gaze remained deep. "It's early. We merely live within that single thought of [Jun]; we are the future scene he observes. By the same logic, a layer of Deity Transformation majesty separates the scene of the Final Tribulation we see now."
Thus, they were not dead yet.
The Deity Transformation's majesty acted as a veil, shielding all Dao Lords facing the Final Tribulation, allowing them to look toward the Light Sea's future.
Once [Jun] fell, the true Final Tribulation would sweep through existence, killing everyone. [Jun] could only sacrifice his body to force the next cycle of reincarnation.
The Primordial Saint refused to accept this.
He wanted to break free from this thought of [Jun] and use the Seed of the Great Dao to break through to Deity Transformation, achieving transcendence first.
He didn't care what happened to the Divine Land and the Light Sea after his transcendence—whether they shattered or barely survived.
"RUMBLE!"
Time roared in the nothingness. The Primordial Saint swept his sleeve. A fair hand pressed down from on high, grasping at the World Honored One.
Beneath this hand, the river of time became a babbling brook. The countless people, karmic history, blood, tears, and tragic songs flowing through time—before this hand, they were mere bubbles waiting to burst. The World Honored One was just a swimming fish beneath its palm.
The palm descended. The five fingers closed.
Within the World Honored One's memories, his past, present, and future—at every moment, he saw a fair hand.
It reached out to grab him.
The infant him, the cultivating him, the newly attained him, the Dao Lord him—this hand seized every version of him by the throat.
"Amitabha!"
The World Honored One pressed his palms together. Compassion faded, replaced by a Vajra's wrathful glare. The voice leaving his mouth overlapped subtly.
Countless versions of him from different times spoke simultaneously, converging into the present. The towering golden Buddha radiated light, violently fluctuating the great net of Karma. It birthed new karma to break free from the hand.
The Primordial Saint remained unmoved.
"The struggle of a trapped beast."
His calm voice held no fluctuation. A grander majesty of time invaded the great net of karma, seizing the World Honored One's newly forged karma.
Crack, crack, crack!
Crisp shattering sounds rang out. Cracks surfaced on the neck of the World Honored One's Buddha image, growing severe.
He was dying.
The Primordial Saint's hand tightened. Once he plucked the World Honored One's head off, death was certain.
The World Honored One had not undergone a qualitative metamorphosis of essence. He entrusted his immortality entirely to the Netherworld. If the Netherworld shattered, he would not survive.
It made little difference. Even with a metamorphosed essence—unless it was Sisui's [False Transcendence], or the three qualitative changes of Shi Weixiong and Zhi Tianming—the Primordial Saint knew his current power could grind them down.
"Unfortunately, the efficiency is a bit low."
"Myriad Treasure is much harder to kill after becoming a Dao Lord."
Watching the struggling World Honored One, the Primordial Saint shook his head. "Shi Weixiong... if I obtained his blade-sacrifice method, my efficiency would rise."
In response, writing surfaced within the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]:
[Stop dreaming, you can't learn it.]
Only Shi Weixiong's blade-sacrifice method could quickly erase an attained Daoist. This was not due to higher cultivation.
[What he cultivates is the method of killing.]
[Just like Sisui's False Transcendence, it is a method unique to oneself. You can look at it, but you cannot learn it; otherwise, you will only go astray and waste your cultivation.]
The Primordial Saint looked up and sneered.
"Speak of the devil, and he appears."
"Quite a coincidence."
RUMBLE!
A dazzling light sped from the past. Wherever it passed, concepts split into distinct black and white.
"Slash!"
A cold rebuke echoed. The light pierced all obstacles, slashing the Primordial Saint's extended hand and leaving a crimson mark.
The wound began as a fine line, then rapidly split open, only to repair and split again. This bizarre stalemate resulted from their colliding majesties. Ultimately, the repair gained the upper hand.
A cold snort echoed from the blade light.
The blade light—which originally slashed the Primordial Saint's hand across the past, present, and future—collapsed.
It no longer slashed at the future.
It only slashed a portion of the past and present.
By reducing its targets, the blade's power skyrocketed within specific timelines. The splitting shattered the limits of repair.
Clang!
The fair hand fell to the ground.
In countless timelines, roughly one-third showed this image. The remaining two-thirds stayed intact.
This was a compromise.
In a direct clash, even Shi Weixiong—with his three qualitative changes—was no match for the Primordial Saint. He had to choose the next best option.
But this was enough.
The World Honored One used Shi Weixiong's opening to step out from the timelines where [the Primordial Saint's hand was severed, and he successfully survived].
The Primordial Saint frowned. "It seems this one will be more troublesome."
[How about it? Do you need me to strike?]
The Primordial Saint shook his head. "No need. In a one-on-one fight, he is no match for me. You have more important matters."
[...Alright.]
The text faded. The bright [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] dimmed, feeling empty.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield's edge, several magnificent figures stood tall. Zhu Liuxian, Shan Qiu, Jiao Guiren, and Dao Tianqi confronted Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, and the Ancestors of the Name and Form schools. A delicate balance formed.
"Name, Form."
Zhu Liuxian sighed, his tone heavy. "For transcendence, for Deity Transformation... must we go this far? Guiding the destruction of the Divine Land..."
The Name school Ancestor shook his head.
His expression was equally heavy. "Truthfully, I regret it. I never expected the Primordial Saint to lead all this."
The Form school Ancestor looked helpless.
"However, things have already come to this."
"We both know regret changes nothing. We can only walk this path to the end."
Otherwise, they would have nothing.
Pressing forward allowed them to gamble for Deity Transformation and transcendence. Giving up meant gaining nothing. Rationality suppressed emotion.
Or rather—
"The human heart is such; what can be done?"
In the distance, the Primordial Saint observed. The Ancestors' reactions met his expectations. Everything remained in his control.
With Shi Weixiong here, I cannot take down Myriad Treasure quickly... So be it. I will finish the tasks on the other side first.
The Primordial Saint grew indifferent.
The concept of [Inevitable Fate] thickened around him, indicating the Dao struggle's outcome was predetermined.
…
Pre-Ancient Divine Land.
The Final Tribulation Dao God ignored the departing Dao Ancestors. He stood quietly in the wilderness, enjoying the security of a vibrant world.
He had no interest in the Deity Transformation struggle or the Seed of the Great Dao. As the Innate Dao God of the Final Tribulation, advancing his realm only pushed him closer to annihilation. He cared only about surviving.
Thus, the Dao Ancestors' departure suited him.
He wanted to enjoy the moment. Once the Divine Land shattered, he would travel to an earlier [Past] to survive.
Then,
"Pfft!"
The Final Tribulation Dao God's thoughts halted. Pain forced him to look at the hand protruding from his chest.
The hand was crystal clear. Slender blood vessels flowed beneath jade-like skin. It looked like an innate work of art, surging with majesty equivalent to the ninth layer of the [Paramita].
"It's you!"
The Final Tribulation Dao God's pupils shrank. Recognizing the hand, he turned his head.
There, he saw a face gathering all the elements of beauty in the world, impossible to look away from.
"Taiyuan Xian..."
He had never known the other party's name because they had never shown their face. Yet upon seeing it, the name poured into his consciousness.
A perfect face, a revealing name.
The supreme creation of the Name and Form schools—the Daoist who once fought [Jun] for Deity Transformation—stepped out of the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]!
The Primordial Saint had already tucked the Seed of the Great Dao into the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]. With the prize secured, the outcome was set. There was no need to hide. Even if Lu Yang triggered a restart, the outcome remained fixed.
"Why do this?"
The Final Tribulation Dao God asked, "You seek Deity Transformation and transcendence. Go seek it. We have no conflict of interest."
"So what?"
Taiyuan Xian's voice was indifferent. "I cultivate the [Supreme Forgotten Emotions], led by the Primordial Saint. I dont follow rules."
"Moreover, you are mistaken."
"Our conflict of interest is significant."
The Final Tribulation Dao God realized the truth and struggled violently, unable to break Taiyuan Xian's imprisonment.
"There is no need to resist."
"I bestowed your name and face. I awakened your consciousness. In a sense, you are me."
RUMBLE!
The Final Tribulation Dao God's face contorted. Taiyuan Xian injected majesty into his body, assimilating his power.
Taiyuan Xian had awakened him; naturally, he left countermeasures. Taiyuan Xian pressed a finger to the Dao God's brow, granting the newly born Innate Dao God his true name.
Realization struck him:
"Oh! To think my name is Taiyitian!"
With the emergence of [Taiyitian], the Final Tribulation Dao God's face contorted, transforming to match the Primordial Saint!
Altering Name and Changing Form!
Taiyuan Xian, the Primordial Saint, and the Final Tribulation Dao God all shared the same name and face.
In other words:
"We were fundamentally the same person all along!"
Three majesties at the ninth layer of the [Paramita] rose, piercing the past, present, and future to manifest the river of time!
Taiyuan Xian resided in the past.
The Primordial Saint commanded the present.
The Final Tribulation Dao God stood in the future.
Each iteration of the Three Lifetimes Body sat at the ninth layer of the [Paramita]. Together, they built an endless torrent of time, then collapsed into a single person.
The Primordial Saint, Taiyitian.
Shi Weixiong noticed the terrifying elevation in the Primordial Saint.
The Primordial Saint became lofty and distant, existing simultaneously across all space and time. He radiated the power of the past Dao Venerable.
"Deity Transformation? No, he's a hairline away."
Shi Weixiong's face grew grave.
At their realm, a hairline meant a chasm. Compared to a true Deity Transformation, the Primordial Saint was just a larger ant.
But to the rest, he was peerless.
To attained Daoists, the Primordial Saint's power rivaled Deity Transformation—overwhelming!
Shi Weixiong gritted his teeth. His divine blade shone, surfacing the marks of the Dao Ancestors and Dao Lords he had slain.
"Kill!"
The blade light divided Yin and Yang. Yet this time, its majesty failed to affect the Primordial Saint.
In the black and white world, the Primordial Saint remained vibrant.
Shi Weixiong's blade light landed without stirring a wave. A gentle breeze fluttering his robes.
This was a difference in sheer volume.
Shi Weixiong was not an Innate Dao God. He had experienced weakness, struggling among mortals.
The Primordial Saint was different.
The Three Lifetimes Body connected his years. In every space-time, he was a Dao Lord at the ninth layer of the [Paramita]!
An infant trying to push down an adult. Despite exhausting every ounce of strength, the infant would only be kicked to death.
"Arrogant."
The Primordial Saint swept his sleeve, extinguishing the blade light. He knocked Shi Weixiong flying through time, scattering a scarlet hue.
The Primordial Saint stepped forward.
Powerless, the World Honored One watched the Primordial Saint walk into the Netherworld and smash it to powder with a single finger.
"RUMBLE!"
The Netherworld shattered. Trillions of sentient beings lost their protection, sent back by the Primordial Saint. Then he collected the Netherworld fragments.
His aura grew lofty. His voice echoed across all space and time.
"Well done, Myriad Treasure."
"Your efforts assist my transcendence!"
His figure climbed to its peak, reaching a critical threshold after absorbing the fragments.
The trillions of sentient beings sent back to the Pre-Ancient Era could not escape the Zixiao Palace's Great Sacrifice. Countless souls perished, transforming into a massive driving force that bridged the Primordial Saint's final gap.
And so—the Transcender was born.
The Primordial Saint's figure flickered, becoming illusory before solidifying into reality.
Only this time, it was different.
He was real. The texture of his existence meant his mere aura could crush everything.
He succeeded!
He felt his existence vividly. Looking back, everything before him seemed false.
Everything was merely a Deity Transformation's thoughts. Only he had sublimated at the ninth layer of the [Paramita] to transcend this illusory world.
All things are false; I alone am the true one!
"Even Sisui's [False Transcendence] falls short of me now."
Realization hit him. "His [False Transcendence] holds the essence, but lacks the stature. He remains subject to the Deity Transformation Dao Venerable's thought."
"Thus, after a restart, he must start over."
"But I am different."
"I have jumped out of [Jun]'s thoughts. The restart power cannot affect me!"
Unless [Jun] struck personally, no one could kill him!
Once he refined the Seed of the Great Dao, he would achieve Deity Transformation and Transcendence simultaneously—abandoning the secular world, wandering freely, and fulfilling his obsession.
The outcome was decided!
..
Pre-Ancient Divine Land.
Within the isolated paradise, the dark-robed young man felt a resonance. He lifted his head, looking toward the magnificent figure illuminating space and time.
The scene induced despair.
The Primordial Saint's achievement heralded the Pre-Ancient Era's destruction. Once he achieved Deity Transformation and transcended, only the eternal silence of the Final Tribulation would remain.
Lu Yang covered his face.
Then, he laughed aloud.
"He finally fell for it..."