Time, space, the Divine Land , the Light Sea , Great Daos, and profound wonders—the myriad phenomena of the heavens collapsed on a massive scale, like buildings stripped of their pillars.
Past, present, and future blended into a single mass. Up, down, left, right, the heavens and earths piled together.
All things shrank into a tiny point, like a seed ready to burst and recreate earth, water, wind, and fire.
"The world restarts..." Lu Yang looked at the tiny point of light, endless enlightenment surfacing in his heart.
"This is the beginning of the Light Sea , the origin of the present world that carries the future Light Sea era."
He looked up. As everything collapsed, the pitch-black scene revealed outside was the Dark Void . The future Light Sea era began to take shape.
Unlike his memories, a massive rift tearing through heaven and earth appeared above the Dark Void , visible from any corner. Immeasurable power surged within it, profound majesty stacking like a chasm across the end of the Dark Void .
"Truly spectacular." Lu Yang reached out. His divine sense touched the vast power within the rift. Instantly, an ocean of lightning crashed down from the gap!
"Rumble." The lightning sea surged. Every wave was a bolt capable of annihilating all phenomena. The lightning pierced Lu Yang's body, weaving through his internal organs.
Lu Yang remained unfazed. Through dozens of restarts, his level had reached an unprecedented height. Even though this lightning sea could threaten the life of a ninth-layer [Paramita] cultivator, to him, it felt like a gentle breeze.
He continued reaching out. Passing the lightning sea, his hand touched the power inside the rift. The power poured down like a torrent, flooding his body.
"Hoo..." Lu Yang exhaled a long breath. His deep breath echoed in the gloomy Dark Void like the muffled thunder of world creation. Endless power pushed his strength to higher peaks.
"...As expected." Lu Yang refined the power and concluded, "This rift is the scar left behind after the [Primordial Saint] detonated the [Seed of the Great Dao]."
At this thought, the scene before him changed. The Dark Void was no longer empty; it revealed specific outlines. Shadows expanded in all directions, and light finally pierced through.
Lu Yang finally saw clearly. The supposedly boundless Dark Void was merely a vast shadow cast by a closing hand. As the five fingers slowly opened, the shadow retreated, revealing a towering figure.
It looked exactly like the [Primordial Saint] .
"Hiss..." Honestly, Lu Yang felt startled, almost thinking the [Primordial Saint] had achieved [Deity Transformation] —then he realized the person before him was not the [Primordial Saint] .
The [Primordial Saint] merely copied his face. This was [Jun]!
The sole [Deity Transformation] of the Pre-Ancient Divine Land , the Master of Zixiao Palace—the Myriad Laws Equal Dao Venerable!
While pondering, Lu Yang realized his perspective was rising. The power injecting from the rift pushed his essence, his stature, and everything about him toward a supreme destination. The figure in his vision gradually stopped looking so towering.
Until the end. With just a blink, as naturally as water flowing into a channel, the Dark Void and other scenes peeled away from Lu Yang's eyes.
Looking back, he stood in a place of nothingness. At his brow, the brilliant light symbolizing the [Variable] shone brightly. Countless runes engraved within it shifted constantly, growing closer to perfection.
Instantly, melodious praises echoed throughout the Dark Void . No one did this intentionally; the Dark Void responded spontaneously, cheering for the newborn [Deity Transformation] Dao Venerable and announcing the birth of the world's new foundation.
"RUMBLE!"
Boundless light erupted from Lu Yang, illuminating all directions. It resonated with the origin of the present world below, reflecting his figure across all space and time.
A [Deity Transformation] cultivator is the foundation of this world!
Guided by the endless power from the rift, Lu Yang rapidly triggered his fourth metamorphosis—the crucial qualitative change of [Deity Transformation] !
In the next second, a thought moved him. He reached out and leisurely pulled a somewhat blurry book from the void. About half its pages remained. It contained many profound majesty that even he couldn't fully comprehend right now.
"Book of a Hundred Lifetimes"
Lu Yang murmured. He turned around. A Daoist sat there, having appeared at some unknown time.
Before Lu Yang could speak, the Daoist cupped his hands. "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist."
"The [Deity Transformation] realm is essentially just that. However, Fellow Daoist relied on external objects and moved too fast; your foundation remains a bit unstable."
The Daoist shook his head and laughed. "It matters not. Moving fast has its benefits. At least you have the realm. You just need to spend some time stabilizing it. To eternity, this bit of time is just a short nap on your long cultivation journey."
The Daoist continued observing Lu Yang. Lu Yang took a deep breath and bowed solemnly. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. Without it, I would not have achieved this today."
"You praise me too much." The Daoist waved his hand and smiled. "I gave everyone a chance. The [Seed of the Great Dao]... you fought for your final achievement yourself."
Lu Yang understood. He had already realized this— to the Pre-Ancient Dao Ancestors, [Jun] really did give everyone a corresponding chance.
Because of himself, [Dao Ancestor Zhu Liuxian] perfected his flawed Feng Shui grand formation.
Because of the [Sword Lord] , [Dao Ancestor Zhen Qulu] fixed the massive flaw in his original plan. Because of the [Primordial Saint], the Ancestors of the Name and Form schools could attempt transcendence again. Because of the [World Honored One] , [Guiming]'s plan to reincarnate everyone was implemented.
There were also [Shi Weixiong] and [Daoist Fortune] ... Basically, every Dao Ancestor uninterested in the [Seed of the Great Dao] found their plans viable.
[Jun] brought all this about. By bringing the Light Sea Dao Lords to the Pre-Ancient Era, he made everything possible. As he said, he gave everyone a chance.
"No, wait." Lu Yang looked at the Daoist curiously. "What about the [Primordial Saint] ? Did you give him a chance too?"
"Of course." The Daoist nodded slightly. "I gave him seven chances."
Lu Yang understood instantly. "[Heaven-Reaching Incantation of Seven Emotions] ... Seven chances to sever emotions, yet the [Primordial Saint] chose [Supreme Forgotten Emotions] every time."
"In that case..." Lu Yang turned to look at the rift where the [Seed of the Great Dao] exploded. "This ending is his own doing."
Looking at the rift from a [Deity Transformation] perspective, Lu Yang saw its deepest part. The [Primordial Saint] gritted his teeth and held a hand seal, trying to refine something. Yet he was frozen in that instant, his thoughts locked like an insect in amber.
"He will definitely achieve [Deity Transformation] in the future." The Daoist smiled nearby. "However, his time stopped at this moment. He can never reach that future."
Lu Yang nodded. "Because he chose to transcend first."
"The [Seed of the Great Dao], [Deity Transformation] majesty, are fundamentally forces of this world. Their existence relies on this world. How could a Transcender refine them?"
The Daoist smiled. "His obsession blinded him."
"Since he had already transcended, he shouldn't have craved the [Seed of the Great Dao]. He should have cultivated his own nature, naturally achieving [Deity Transformation] after a long time."
"After all, transcendence has no bottlenecks."
"He understood this principle. But perhaps he relied too much on external objects. He failed to see through it, and his Dao heart's obsession turned into a demon."
"A Transcender forcing the [Seed of the Great Dao] ends up like him. The Seed's majesty relies on this world and will never touch his transcended self. Thus, he remains forever stuck on the path to [Deity Transformation] , unless one day he awakens himself..."
"Impossible." Lu Yang shook his head. "This is his obsession. His Dao heart is set; he wouldn't give up even if he died."
"As for this eternal imprisonment... it probably means nothing to someone with [Supreme Forgotten Emotions]. It won't move him."
"Truly perfect." Lu Yang praised. "A perfect machine! A meticulously designed outcome. Was this scene your goal all along, Senior?"
Lu Yang looked at the rift again. Not only did it brim with the [Deity Transformation] majesty of the [Seed of the Great Dao], but because of the [Primordial Saint], it formed a doorway to transcendence!
The [Primordial Saint] was the [Cornerstone] of this doorway. Given his stubbornness in [Supreme Forgotten Emotions], Lu Yang estimated this doorway to transcendence would never close in the foreseeable future.
In other words— The [Primordial Saint] was the talent the Myriad Laws Equal Dao Venerable painstakingly cultivated to build this doorway of transcendence!
"Don't look at me like that." Seeing Lu Yang's increasingly strange expression, the Daoist finally spoke. "I told you, I gave him a chance. He just didn't grasp it."
"Ah, yes, yes." Lu Yang nodded, hiding his strange look, but he had already concluded— This Myriad Laws Equal Dao Venerable was also a scheming rogue!
He glanced at the [Primordial Saint] in the rift again, the corners of his mouth lifting. "Although hacking him to death would feel better, leaving him wishing for death like this isn't bad either. Talent, oh talent. He treated all living beings as consumables, only to become someone else's consumable in the end."
Truly ironic! After his sigh, Lu Yang examined the [Door of Transcendence] before him and praised, "Senior, creating this door is a monumental achievement."
What did this mean? It meant every future generation of [Deity Transformation] could directly transcend through this doorway, without needing to cultivate a successor to take their place!
That wasn't even the best part. The best part was that the rift itself overflowed with the [Seed of the Great Dao]'s majesty. Now formed into a doorway, it could be seen as an alternative [Seed of the Great Dao].
Just like himself a moment ago, as long as one's cultivation was high enough to withstand the majesty's backlash, they could absorb that power to advance to [Deity Transformation] !
"In the past, the [Seed of the Great Dao] required complete refinement. Once a cultivator advanced to [Deity Transformation], the [Seed of the Great Dao] disappeared. It could only be extracted again when the older generation [Deity Transformation] was about to transcend, and then infused with majesty... But from now on, the situation is completely different."
Advancing to [Deity Transformation] no longer meant refining the entire [Seed of the Great Dao]. It meant extracting majesty from the [Door of Transcendence]!
The [Deity Transformation] majesty inside the [Door of Transcendence] was infinite in a sense. As long as this world existed, it would never run out!
"Under these circumstances, [Deity Transformation] cultivators will break free from the [Seed of the Great Dao]'s limitations. It will no longer be restricted to one person. Everyone can advance to [Deity Transformation] as long as their cultivation is sufficient!"
Lu Yang looked amazed, thoroughly impressed. Then he remembered the sentence engraved on the cover of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] , left by [Jun], faintly echoing his Great Dao.
[I hate that the Great Dao is unequal; today I equalize it for you all.]
He did it! From now on, [Jun] opened the exclusive [Deity Transformation] status to all cultivators. Everyone had the potential to achieve [Deity Transformation] !
"Senior... you truly command admiration." Lu Yang turned and bowed solemnly to the Daoist, then asked curiously, "Senior, do you really still need to find a way to transcend?"
The Daoist smiled. "If I only wanted to transcend, I would have abandoned the secular world and left countless years ago. But with my grand vow unfulfilled, how could I just walk away?"
How could he transcend when the Dao of [Deity Transformation] was not yet equal for all people?
Just as expected. [Jun]'s strength surpassed a typical [Deity Transformation] . Lu Yang guessed this from the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] 's array of flashy abilities.
It was true. The [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]'s restart power could only restart. It couldn't provide talents or bring back items. It couldn't compare to the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] .
"However..." Lu Yang couldn't help but ask, "Senior's chances of winning this grand game weren't high. If I made a mistake, Senior's efforts would have failed. What would Senior have done then?"
The Daoist remained calm. "If I failed, I would actively enter nirvana to delay the Final Tribulation and open a new era. Dying for the Dao is a worthy death."
I see. Lu Yang nodded slightly and probed again, "Wasn't the risk too high?"
"Only then could it be settled once and for all." The Daoist shook his head. "Since the creation of the Dark Void , I am the first [Deity Transformation] . If I don't do it, future generations will find it difficult. No matter how high the risk, it was imperative."
"Fortunately, it succeeded in the end." The Daoist looked at Lu Yang and smiled. "Thanks to you. In fact, you did much better than I imagined."
"Although the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] was my trump card for this grand game, a hundred lifetimes is still too few. I didn't hold much hope."
"Master of the [Variable], you live up to the name." The Daoist showed a gratified expression.
"After this succeeds, everyone will have the hope of [Deity Transformation] . The so-called Final Tribulation is at best just a [Deity Transformation] . Over time, even sheer numbers can grind it to death."
"The future destined for destruction has been shattered by the [Variable] ."
"This is a grand achievement no less than transcendence. Fellow Daoist, your smooth refinement of majesty and achievement of [Deity Transformation] is somewhat connected to this underlying meaning."
The Daoist's figure gradually blurred as he spoke. Lu Yang noticed this and couldn't help but say, "Senior, are you..."
"My time has come." The Daoist said no more, merely nodding. "My merit is complete; today I should transcend—this perfectly matches the time of my transcendence observed in history."
"I leave Zixiao Palace to you, Fellow Daoist."
"Please look after the child Luxian, and the Pre-Ancient Dao Ancestors. The future of the Light Sea now rests entirely upon your single thought."
Lu Yang nodded solemnly. He hadn't reached the point of transcendence yet. Even if he could, it wouldn't be now. As he said before, he still had many karmic ties in the mortal world.
In the next instant, the Daoist completely disappeared before Lu Yang's eyes. As if he had never existed.
Lu Yang bowed to the empty space, lowered his gaze, and fell from that lofty place to the origin of the present world's torrent.
Current time point, Pre-Ancient Divine Land .
The previous Dao Ancestor battle and the world-destroying Final Tribulation seemed like a mere illusion. They never happened in this real world.
The future Light Sea was still just a sprout.
"RUMBLE!" In the next instant, Lu Yang's consciousness pierced through multiple barriers, broke through the Dark Void , descended upon the Pre-Ancient Divine Land , and landed on the futon in Zixiao Palace.
"Dao Venerable!?" Almost simultaneously, Luxian appeared beside the futon, his face full of pleasant surprise. "You've been missing all these years, I thought you had already transcended..."
"...Hmm!?" Luxian's voice stopped. He locked eyes with Lu Yang sitting on the futon. Instantly, countless memories flooded back.
"I see." After a moment, Luxian sighed mournfully and wiped the corners of his eyes. "The Dao Venerable has left without even saying goodbye... I made a fool of myself, Senior."
"It's fine." Lu Yang looked up. His gaze pierced through time, looking not only at the present Divine Land cultivators but also across the barrier to the future Light Sea era.
"Fellow Daoists, come."
His lips parted slightly. The [Deity Transformation] majesty vibrated the torrent of the present world, echoing in all space and time. From Dao Ancestors and Dao Lords down to mortals, everyone heard the voice.
Not just mortals. Birds in the sky, beasts on the ground, fish in the sea, the living, the dead, the past, present, and future—countless living beings, regardless of their state, cultivation, whether human or monster, all arrived before the gates of Zixiao Palace at this soft call.
Everyone saw the man on the futon. He didn't need an introduction. Like gazing upon the Great Dao, just seeing his figure naturally brought his title to mind.
He is the Dao Venerable of Reform and Renewal.
Because of his grand achievement far surpassing his predecessors, heaven and earth would no longer suffer the Final Tribulation. Everyone had the opportunity for [Deity Transformation] , the door to transcendence, and an unobstructed path to the Dao.
"We greet the [Profound Nexus Governing Change Dao Venerable]!"
In the crowd, Lu Yang saw Sisui, [Sky-Shrouding], the World Honored One, Patriarch Nether Whisper, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon, and Suo Huan ...
These were all his karmic ties.
'However... this time will be different.'
Because the [Primordial Saint] was permanently fixed on the [Door of Transcendence] as a tool, his position in the original space-time completely disappeared.
The future would change accordingly, and Lu Yang was the source of everything.
At this thought, Lu Yang smiled slightly. 'In a sense, the current me could also be called the [Primordial Saint] .'
I didn't expect that after cultivating this far, I would become the most primordial saint.
'But this time, I will give it a completely different meaning.'
The future will inevitably be a much better Light Sea!
At this thought, Lu Yang rapidly blinked at the people from the future Light Sea era below, at those familiar faces.
Patriarch Nether Whisper, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon, Suo Huan, Empress Xiao, Hongyun, Chongguang, Mu Changsheng, the Old Dragon King, Feixue, Sky-Shrouding, the World Honored One, Dao Tianqi, Bu Tianque, Lian Tiandou, the Great Sword Ancestor, Sisui...
After a long while, Lu Yang withdrew his gaze.
In the next second, past, future, and all living beings heard that sonorous and forceful long song, symbolizing the arrival of a brand-new era:
"With a single thought, calamity empties the void—
through countless lifetimes, all fate meets its end.
To break the bitter sea and split the heavens apart,
I dare to seize the work of immortals from eternity.
Beyond cause and effect, beyond the constant Dao—
free and unbound, without beginning or end.
Do not say the Heavenly Dao cannot be changed—
just look beyond the nine heavens—
A new rift now tears the old firmament!"
(End of Main Text!)