Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Author’s Note: This Chapter is longer than regular, so it will cost more than usual.

Alex had no doubt the book was what he thought it was. It was the Book of Boundless Healing, one of the three book artifacts of the Alchemy God.

He stared around at the debris, recalling the memories of dirt and a Voidgate. Had these people somehow come through the Voidgate?

He wasn’t entirely sure just yet. If anything, he would need to ask those people the questions later once they were healed.

Alex opened the book, looking at the very first page. Like the blue book of recipes that the current Alchemy God had, he expected this book to be empty as well, which would later be filled with information.

However, to his surprise, the book was far from empty.

Text written in the tiniest fonts filled the book from the top left of the page to the bottom right. The pages themselves were so thin that one could nearly read the text on the other side.

Alex began reading it and quickly realized that the book was, in fact, nothing more than a textbook on everything one would need to heal someone. It had information about every aspect of one’s body, mind, and soul, all issues that may arise for them, and how one could go about healing them.

The book was jam-packed with so much information to the point that Alex could barely read half a page before he realized that over three months had passed. This place was not a good one to be staying in.

He had yet to check what sort of ability the book had as an artifact, but he would have to wait. First, he needed to get out of Void.

So, Alex placed the book into his Soul Space and left the region he was in.

He traveled out of Void, moving further and further away from the sun until he could start sensing gravitational aura from other sources. At the moment, they were far too faint for him to understand where they were coming from.

Traveling in Void was, sadly, as much luck as it was talent.

Some time later, when the outside world had spanned another 10 years, Alex sensed a gravitational aura from a direction that didn’t belong to the sun. He followed the direction, going toward this land.

As he got closer, Alex saw something weird about this region of Void. The time aura had begun to disappear for the most part, causing time to flow at the same rate as it would outside, but the spatial aura was far more violent.

There was so much spatial distortion that Alex could barely find ways to move past them. Thankfully, he had learned enough about all space Daos that he could see a few ways.

He chose one of the ways and carefully made his way through. As he went past the initial chaos of spatial aura, he saw the world before him breaking up, splitting apart.

Cracks formed in the purple and silver light, revealing a world outside.

Alex could not tell what was happening in this part of Void. Something felt strange about this region of Void, like an aura that had overpowered every other.

Alex failed to put a finger on what that aura was, but it didn’t matter, since he could see the land right outside.

Immediately, he used his Intent to stabilize the area, causing the chaos to fall in order. The constantly cracking open space stopped as well, slowly closing.

Alex used his Intent on just one of those cracks and opened it further. He saw a world of fog on the outside, with silhouettes of rocks and trees surrounding it.

He had finally done it. He had found a way out.

Alex moved forward, letting the world behind him resume its chaos. As he approached the single opening, he could see fresh dirt right in front of him.

He took a step forward, feeling a surge of Qi that he had so dearly missed while he was in Hell. Then he took the next step forward and finally walked out of Void.

As he did, something stirred in Alex’s mind.

He heard a fox’s laughter.

[End of Volume 8: Hell]

* * * * * *

[Extras]

In the Divine Thunderforge Realm,

Quickstorm, the Storm God, lazed on his throne made of wind and lightning. He remained on his seat, listening to what news had been brought for him from outside.

Things were calm for now, but it was the calm before the storm. If one remained still, they could feel their hair raise on its end, preparing for a lightning strike.

The events of the Medicine World from over 250 years ago had done a lot to push away the thoughts of war from many, but even in such a short time, they had already moved on from the prophecy.

What was out of sight was out of mind to these people.

The Storm God wasn’t against the war. In fact, he would very much like to reap the benefits of one. There were many born after the war that had likely forgotten about him.

Those children needed to know who he was, what he was capable of.

They needed to know who the Storm was.

But starting a war just because one wanted a war was not possible. There would be more people against it than there would be people who were with them. There needed to be a reason to go to war.

Whatever could the reason be?

Suddenly, his eyes opened, electricity crackling through the throne room. The Divinity who was relaying his information suddenly looked up.

“Your Majesty, is something the matter?”

“It’s gone…” the Storm God said softly.

“I beg your pardon?”

The Storm God’s divine sense shot out through him, quickly spanning the entire continent.

“Everyone in the Divine Realm, come to Stormfront. NOW!”

Every single Divinity within the continent, whether free or in a cultivation session, immediately abandoned what they were doing and made their way to the Storm God’s palace, called the Stormfront.

An hour later, the palace grounds of the Stormfront were filled with thousands of Divinities, each one curious why they had been called so urgently.

“Two centuries and a half ago, we sealed someone who the Fateseekers said would become the doom of our world. You may have heard of him; he is the alchemist who won the Alchemy Tournament hosted by the Alchemy God.”

The Divinities waited for the Storm God to continue, to see what it was that had forced him to call them so urgently.

“He has broken that seal, and he has escaped. Our doom is loose once again. You know who he is. You know what he looks like. Find him.”

That was the order.

“If you find him, do not kill him. Bring him back here and I shall deal with him myself. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” the thousands of Divinities spoke out loud at once, leaving the palace in haste.

The Storm God’s trusted subordinates gathered in the palace, trying to find out more.

“He’s gotten rid of my seal somehow. I cannot figure out how, but he should have help,” the Storm God said. “There could be another god who has helped him escape. We may have someone who is willing to save him so this world can be put back on its path of destruction. Should you find him, do not let any of the other gods get a hand on him. Not a single one.”

The subordinates nodded, leaving the palace at once.

The Storm God remained in the palace now, waiting. It would take some time before the man was found, that was if he hadn’t hidden himself. But those Divinities would know about that.

They would make sure to check for disguises and everything else.

So, all he could do now was wait.

And yet, even as he waited, the only message the Storm God received was that there was no message. He waited in the palace for decades and centuries. And yet, not a single person had found the young alchemist.

The Storm God kept hoping that he would soon get a message of the young alchemist being captured, and even after an entire millennia had passed, there was no news.

No one knew where the Alchemist had gone to.

After more than 1500 years passed, the Divinities gave up. The Storm God’s subordinates gave up.

The Storm God himself gave up.

“If he is to doom our world, he cannot remain hidden for long,” the Storm God said. “Be on the lookout. He will reveal himself soon.”

* * * * * *

In the Spirit Blossom realm,

Starsight opened her eyes, fright clear on her face.

“Sister?” someone called out.

There were several women surrounding her at the moment, each one a Fatekeeper. They had all just now sensed her make a divination, but none had been allowed to peer into what she had seen.

Starsight’s face quickly filled with beads of sweat, causing the rest of the women in the room to become worried.

“What is it, sister?”

“What did you see?”

“You look pale, sister.”

Starsight ignored each one of their questions and rushed out of the room, making her way to a certain room.

She banged on the door multiple times before it opened up.

Inside, the Sword God Purplerain remained seated in cultivation. He slowly opened his eyes, looking at Starsight. As he saw the state of her emotions, a deep chill passed through his body.

“What… what did you see?” he asked.

“The same divination,” Starsight said. “The one from after we sent the young man to Hell.”

Purplerain’s breathing grew ragged. “Then… she’s out?” he asked.

“Most likely. The future I saw must have come true, for I saw it again.”

Purplerain’s mind raced to figure out how that could have happened. How could someone escape Hell without any way to cultivate?

“Are you sure?” he asked her again. “Bladedance should not be able to do this. Her Creation is missing. It should still be with the Sky God.”

Starsight nodded but then paused. “Did… didn’t she use her Creation to lock up Godslayer?” she asked.

“Yes, she did,” the Sword God said. “What about— oh… fuck!”

He finally realized his mistake. He had sent the young man who had Godslayer to Hell as well.

He hadn’t thought it at the time, but if the young man had Godslayer, then it was possible that he had the Creation as well.

“Shit!”

Only then did he fully comprehend his own mistake. In trying to get rid of both his enemies, he had ended up uniting them.

“But she hates Godslayer,” Purplerain tried to argue with no one.

“We need to leave,” Starsight said.

“Leave and go where?” the Sword God asked.

“Anywhere,” Starsight said. “Anywhere except where the Headless Immortal is. In my vision, I see you fight her next to the dead Primordial. So long as we aren’t there, we should be safe.”

The Sword God considered it for a moment and looked at Starsight. “How certain are you about this divination? How long in the future?”

“I cannot say, but I am certain that if you meet her by the Headless Immortal, you will have to fight her. And if you fight her…”

“I’m likely going to die. Shit!” the Sword God said. “Alright, we will need to go into hiding. At the same time, we need to let the others know that she’s out.”

Starsight nodded. “I’ll deliver the message right away.”

* * * * * *

Du Luohan’s head still buzzed from all the wine he had drunk last night. He made his way out of his room and down to the living hall. He searched around for his parents, only to realize they must’ve gone to the palace already. He should go there too.

But first, he had to do something about this hangover.

He made his way to the Royal Alchemy Guild in order to find a certain someone. He was well-known around there, so no one stopped him as he made his way inside.

“Sister Yumin,” he called out as he entered a room. “Do you have anything for this headache of mine? I feel like I’m dying.”

Kang Yumin had been in the middle of her alchemy session, so she didn’t stir. She simply focused on her pill until she was done. The pill came out at an excellent 93%.

She looked up finally, sighing. “How many times must I tell you not to interrupt me while I’m making a pill? You made me lose a good few percentage points.”

Du Luohan gave a goofy smile. “Sorry. But do you have a pill?”

Kang Yumin couldn’t stay mad at him for too long. She had babysat him as a child, so she could only ever see him as one.

She took out a pill and threw it at him. “Don’t drink so much, or else I’ll tell your mother.”

The young man looked appalled. “No, please don’t. I’m already 24 years old. I can have some wine.”

“Let us see if your mother cares whether you’re 24 or not.”

“No, please. I promise I won’t drink so much next time. I only did because it was a large celebration,” Du Luohan pleaded, his eyes wide like a puppy’s.

Kang Yumin could only smile as a result. “Alright, leave me alone. I need to make some more pills.”

“Oh? Aren’t you going to say your farewell?” the young man asked. “Her Majesty should be leaving anytime now.”

“I’ll be out by then,” Kang Yumin said, focusing back on her alchemy.

Du Luohan left the guild, his head in a much better state now. He arrived at the Vermillion Palace where he quickly found his mother and father.

Luo Mei and Du Yuhan stood in the room, next to his grandmaster, Wen Cheng.

“Am I late?” he asked as he went up to them.

Luo Mei turned toward him, sniffing a little. “How much did you drink?” she asked.

Du Luohan’s face fell a little. “Just a little, I promise. See? I don’t even have a hangover.”

Du Yuhan gave him a knowing look but said nothing. “Has Her Majesty arrived yet?” he asked.

“She will,” Luo Mei said. “Soon.”

More people gathered afterwards, filling the hall. There were the 10 Council members, most of whom had been replaced because of old age or death. There were the various nobles from around the Southern Continent, the many great army generals, and whatnot.

Du Luohan’s eyes widened slightly when he even noticed Long Hanjue, emperor of the Azure Imperium. Even such a big figure had come.

But then, it was an important event after all.

For today was the day the four rulers of the four continents would finally abdicate their thrones and leave.

Scarlet arrived in a blaze of phoenix flame and sat on her throne. Her phoenix eyes scanned through each person in the room, and a delicate smile formed on her face. Her look was the stuff of legend, her features beautiful enough to even tempt a good man.

“I see you have all gathered here,” she said softly. “Then I shall keep it short. It has been 15 thousand years since I arrived in this world. And as such, it is now time that I return to my home.”

“Someone else will come soon enough, in less than a decade. I cannot promise you how they will be, only that they will look after you with the best of their capabilities. They won’t hurt you, but I cannot promise that you will all receive the same favors as you have with me. The next phoenix will not have the same connections as you have forged with me.”

“But do not worry. This has happened 6 times already. All 6 times, the Southern Continent has only prospered. Therefore, I will say with some trust that your lives will not change for the worse.”

Scarlet looked at them all. “I have done a lot of wrong during my rule here, most of which was not of my own volition. And still, you have stood by my side. Thank you. That is all I can say.”

She stood and walked out.

Everyone looked around in surprise. That was it? She was leaving so simply.

“Your Majesty,” Wen Cheng called out as she left. “About my disciple…”

Scarlet smiled. “Do not worry. I shall find him as soon as I can.”

She turned toward Luo Mei. “You are not far off from reaching Immortality either. Do your best and leave this world as soon as you can. The opportunities outside will far surpass your expectations.”

Luo Mei smiled. “We will keep your words in mind, Your Majesty.”

Du Luohan watched as their phoenix ruler left the palace. He followed her outside, like everyone else.

He saw her walk out into the open, where she brought out something from her Soul Space—a talisman. Then, she activated the talisman.

The space above her shattered, forming a maelstrom of silver light that came down from the sky. As it did, Scarlet’s form changed. She transformed from her human form into the majestic phoenix that she was.

Then, when the silver light fully swallowed her, she was gone.

The Southern Continent’s ruler was gone.

Du Luohan stared at the empty space for a long time, imagining himself to be in that spot. If he became an Immortal, he too could leave this world.

He felt motivated.

“Father,” he turned toward Du Yuhan. “Let us go train.”

Luo Mei smiled and cupped his face. “You train, my son. Become strong and we all will leave for the Immortal Realms as well.”

* * * * * *

In the Central Continent, the snake half of the Black Tortoise, Xuan Luhei, roamed the streets of the ever-evolving city. The architecture was now a clash of old and new, of traditional and modern.

With hundreds of years passing since people were free to enter and leave, the Qi wall surrounding this continent could do nothing to protect these people’s heritage.

The culture had changed. Whether it was for better or worse, no one could tell.

The snake had lived here by himself for the past 900 or so years. And today, he was ready to leave.

There was still a question of whether or not he could survive what was coming for him. There was a fear within him.

But he could put it off no longer. He had to leave.

He stepped into the Interrealm Teleportation formation that had been emptied just for him today, and disappeared.

* * * * * * *

Bai Jingshen, followed by his wives and a few other beasts, arrived at the Northern Continent. Today was the day all the beasts left, so he had come for the other two.

He could sense Scarlet having disappeared in the Southern Continent. She would be the first one out and would hopefully do as they had talked about.

They made their way to the Demon realm, where Bai Jingshen entered the secret realm by himself.

Inside, the Tortoise half of the Black Tortoise, Xuan Luhei, had been waiting for his arrival.

“Is it time then?” the tortoise asked.

“It is,” Bai Jingshen said. “Let us get this over with.”

Xuan Luhei nodded. “I hope I don’t die.”

As soon as the two teleported out of the secret realm, Heaven grew angry at his arrival. Everyone stepped away as Heavenly Judgment came down for the Tortoise.

Thankfully, over the past few centuries, he had already prepared for this. He took on the Heavenly Judgment strikes with all his power, fighting against all 3 bolts one after another.

The tortoise was the most defensive of all the beasts, and as such, they could handle the Heavenly Judgment perhaps the best of all.

By the end, Xuan Luhei was beaten and bloody, but he had survived. He would need to wait a while before any pill could heal him after being punished like this, but that was fine. He would live.

The group then traveled, arriving at the other end of the continent where the Intercontinental Teleportation formation was. They waited for 2 hours and then it activated.

Xuan Luhei, the snake half of the Black Tortoise, arrived, finally leaving the Central Continent.

The sky roared once again as Heavenly Judgment came down for the snake.

The snake took on two of the lightning strikes and survived, but he was already weakened by the two. And the third one was going to be much stronger.

The chances of him surviving were minuscule.

“No…” the tortoise said in a low voice. “He will die. He cannot heal.”

The Heaven was one of the few things that could kill one half of the Black Tortoise without killing the other half.

Everyone watched in abject horror as the third lightning bolt fell from the sky and struck the snake.

The lightning bolt blasted open a hole in the snake’s body.

Bai Jingshen immediately raised his hand, activating the teleportation talisman he had been holding on to. Next to where the Heavenly Judgment had formed, the space tore into a vortex of teleportation aura that came down toward the group.

At the same time, he moved to the snake and scanned his body.

The snake was near death, both body and soul.

“He’s dying!” the tortoise said. “No, don’t let my brother die.”

Bai Jingshen quickly thought of what to do upon seeing the situation. He feared the snake couldn’t survive even a few more seconds.

The earrings activated in that moment, pouring energy into the snake’s dying body.

“Hold on,” he said. “Just a little longer.”

The teleportation vortex came down for their group, swallowing them in its aura. Then, when it finally let up, there was no one there.

All of the beasts had gone back to their homeland.

To the Land of the Blessed Sun.

* * * * * *

In the Silver Soul realm,

The War God, Hellspawn, was let know that his brother had arrived. Surprised, the War God went to welcome him.

“Senior brother, it’s been a while. Are you doing well?” the War God greeted.

The War God’s brother was a stern man with short black hair and a rugged face. He didn’t have the same amount of muscle as the War God did, but somehow one could guess that the War God would lose should the two take part in physical combat.

This was none other than the first disciple of the Hell Emperor, Sandsworn, the Array God.

“I need to talk to you,” the Array God said. “In private.”

The War God nodded and swiftly moved to his private quarters.

“What’s going on, brother?” the War God asked. “Is it about the War?”

“No,” the Array God said. “But I’ve heard about what you’re trying to attempt with a possible war in the future. Don’t.”

The War God’s eyes narrowed, not answering.

“That young alchemist you people banished,” the Array God said. “You said you didn’t force him to speak an Oath, did you not?”

“I saw no particular reason to force it upon him,” the War God said. “Not that it mattered in the first place since he’s to be forever confined in Hell.”

“Our master came out,” the Array God said.

“Our master was different. He was a Celestial—”

“And so has this young man.”

The War God paused. “What?”

“He’s out,” the Array God confirmed.

“How… is that possible? He’s not even a Divine realm cultivator,” the War God said.

“I do not know, but the Storm God confirmed it. He’s had thousands of Divinities searching for him,” the Array God said.

“This is bad, isn’t it? He’s to bring our doom.”

“I do not care about prophecies; not when they can be so easily avoided or manipulated. What I care about is our inheritance remaining safe,” the Array God said. “If you find this young alchemist, you must force him to speak the oath this time. Do not be lazy.”

Hellspawn took in a deep breath and nodded. “I will do as you say, senior brother.”

* * * * * *

In a bustling city built within giant caverns, the Puppet God and the Artifact God made their way through the street, entering a region of the place called the Right Hand.

There, the others were already gathered.

Killshot, the Archery God, lounged around on a couch, next to whom sat the Weapon God. The young man could barely bear the nonchalance of the woman next to him. Worse, he couldn’t say anything as she would ask him for an archery competition if she felt offended.

With the vastness of space outside, he could not even make the argument that he would have to conceal most of his power.

Thankfully, he was not the only one in the room. The Technique God, a woman with long blonde hair and a sharp face, was there as well. She sipped on her cup of tea as she waited for the others to gather.

Next to her sat the decrepit old man with a scar on his face and an eye missing. Grimsight was treated as important as a God, despite not being one. It was clear that among them, should they actually fight, many of them would most likely die to the old man given his strength.

Under the Celestial realm, there was no one stronger than him.

And next to him was Silvermist. He wasn’t part of the conversation, but wherever Grimsight went, he did too.

Once the Puppet God and the Artifact God joined, their meeting finally started.

“I’ve managed to get the Staff God to listen to us. He hasn’t made a decision just yet, but he is willing to consider speaking against war most thoroughly,” the Puppet God said. “The Music God, on the other hand, was very accepting of our offer and has chosen to give us a hand. He will likely soon join us in these meetings as well.”

“That’s great news,” the Weapon God said. “What of the others?”

“The Fire God wasn’t in his realm when we went, and no one would tell us where he was. Although, we already suspect he is going to argue for a war. We managed to talk with the Stone God, but she gave us no semblance of what she’ll accept,” the Puppet God said.

“And the Forest God outright told us that he’s indifferent. He doesn’t care what the result is,” the Artifact God added.

“You guys are so useless,” the Archery God said. “You should have let me go. I would’ve knocked some sense into them.”

Her words immediately got everyone’s eyes in the room to widen in horror.

“Killshot!” the Puppet God said angrily.

“Do not speak of the Half-Gods this way,” the Artifact God said quickly.

“Wow, you guys really are so scared of them,” Killshot said. “Relax, they aren’t privy to what happens out here.”

The others still cared. After some more talk, Killshot put her hands in apology. “I get it. Now continue.”

“We’ll pass by the Myriad Spirit realm soon. No god lives there, so we can relax for now,” the Artifact God said. “We’ll soon be in the Axe God and Spear God’s region afterward, so we can talk to them there.”

“Okay, I’ll go relax,” Killshot said and immediately left.

The others left one by one. As Grimsight and Silvermist stood to leave, the Artifact God turned toward them.

“I have some… news,” she said.

“What is it?” Grimsight asked.

“It’s… not a guarantee just yet, but… it is possible that the young Alchemist Dawnblade might have escaped Hell somehow.”

Silvermist’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

“Escaped Hell?” Grimsight asked. “Is that even possible?”

“It may be,” the Artifact God said. “The news comes straight from the Storm God himself. He’s sent many to search for him throughout the world. However, it has apparently been centuries since this search started, but they haven’t found him just yet.”

Silvermist took a deep breath. “Thank you, Artifact God, for this message.”

The Artifact God nodded. “You’re not the only one who cares about him,” she said. “My master lives within his mind. I would very much hope to see him alive as well.”

She left.

“Do you think it’s possible?” Silvermist asked Grimsight. He didn’t even want to hope without the slightest possibility.

“I do not think she has a reason to lie to us, much less about this topic,” Grimsight said. “And I know enough about your disciple to know that he’s no ordinary young man. His body holds mysteries that would make a God red with jealousy. I have no doubt he found a way to escape.”

Silvermist’s face lit up, perhaps the first time in a long time. “That is true. If anyone can do it, it’s my disciple,” he said as his chest swelled up. “Haha, let’s go down to the Myriad Spirit realm and meet with my junior brother. It’s been a while.”

Grimsight shrugged. “Sure. It shouldn’t be more than a year before the Dragon Turtle passes by it.”

* * * * * * *

In the Sky God’s Palace,

Ronron liked sitting by her grandmother, watching her make pills. Helen had long since entered the Immortal Spirit realm, so the pills she made were of the best quality.

The sky roared with thunder for every other pill she made. Each time, Helen simply smiled.

She finished making another 9-veined pill and turned toward Ronron. “Have they found it yet?”

“For my Creation? No. They’re still searching for it,” Ronron said. “I’ve told Master that a small one would do, but she insists that I use one that is at least as large as an egg. She’s having trouble finding one that hasn’t already been refined.”

“That’s a shame,” Helen said. “To think you’d have to be stuck in the Immortal Origin realm for nearly 400 years after reaching the peak.”

Ronron gave a small smile. “I can’t help it, Grandmother.”

“That you cannot,” Helen said. “Let us just hope that your—”

Helen turned as the space around her folded for a second and a woman appeared out of nowhere.

“Master!” Ronron said, quickly bowing toward her.

“Your brilliance,” Helen bowed her head.

The Sky God had arrived with no forewarning. Usually, she would call others to her throne room instead, so both of the ladies were quite surprised.

“I have some news,” the Sky God said. “Where are your husband and the others?”

“There’s apparently a battle tournament being held in one of the cities. My husband has gone there, along with Hannah’s husband.”

“Grandaunt is in closed cultivation,” Ronron added.

“I see,” the woman said. “And with Hannah gone, it’s just the two of you.”

Helen nodded.

“Very well. I came bearing news about your son, Alex.”

“Alex?”

“Father?”

Both women were surprised at once.

“What about him? Did he get out? Is he here?” Helen asked in a panicked voice.

“He is apparently out,” the Sky God said. “But he is not here.”

“Apparently?” Ronron asked.

“It’s a rumor that he’s out,” the Sky God explained. “It comes from the Storm God, so I’m inclined to believe it for now.”

“But you do not know for certain, right Master?” she asked.

“No,” the Sky God said. “But I have sent messages to my people already. If he is found, he is to be sent here directly with absolutely no delay whatsoever. They’re to break protocols to bring him here as soon as they can.”

Helen gave a small smile. This was hopeful news after centuries of living with the understanding that she would never get to see her son again. That while he would live, they would never meet.

But she wasn’t sure if this hope was more of a curse or a blessing. She wouldn’t want to wait for her son if it was possible that he hadn’t left in the first place.

“Father will come,” Ronron said. “Just wait, Master. He will definitely come.”

“I hope so too, child. For your sake, and everyone else’s,” the Sky God said. “The other gods don’t understand yet that he truly does hold the potential to change the world. And with how things are going, we need such a change sooner rather than later.”

* * * * * *

Liz had learned various temporal daos by now, but there was one that she failed to learn no matter how hard she tried.

The Dao of Divination.

She was certain the Dao had something to do with Time, but no matter how much she tried, she could not glimpse a vision of the future.

After what felt like forever, she left the room, deciding to take in some fresh air. She walked out of the Sky God’s palace, walking down the white steps as she entered the town. She had no interest in entering any one of these buildings, only in watching them from outside.

After some time, she turned around and returned.

As she climbed back, she heard a whisper in the wind.

“Divination is not just about looking ahead through time,” a voice said. “It is also about looking ahead through space.”

She turned, searching for the source of the voice. She immediately recognized the source as the black-haired middle-aged man who stood close to her. She hadn’t realized how he had gotten so close.

“Who—”

“If you lack the basic understanding of space, ask Heaven. If you lack the basic understanding of time, ask Heaven. If you, however, have a basic understanding of both, then you don’t have to rely on Heaven.”

Something stirred within Liz when she heard that. A sort of understanding passed through her mind that seemed so simple, and yet she had never realized.

“I’ve heard your voice before. Where have I heard your voice before?” she asked the man.

“We’ve met a long time ago, but never face to face,” the man said. “Would you like to learn about divination? I can teach you all about it.”

* * * * * *

Aethersage fought with his axe, swinging it around at the illusory beasts that attacked him. He swung it left and right, using nothing but his Intent to help with the fight.

He had long since realized that no matter how good one was at certain things, all that mattered in the end was how strong one was.

True strength triumphed all.

So, ever since then, he had begun training. To him, the axe was the strongest weapon of all, so he had chosen that to be what he trained with. By now, he had not only learned how to fight with an axe, but had also managed to train himself to use Axe Aura.

If he continued, he would soon be able to produce Axe Domain as well.

A beast came from before him and he swung, destroying it all in one strike. Then he ducked the other one’s attack before swinging back at it as well. He had only begun swinging at the third one when it disappeared on its own, the image dissolving into motes of light.

All that remained at the end were the formation flags he had planted around the room to help with his training.

He turned around and saw his master, the Formation God, standing there with one of the flags in his hand.

Before Aethersage could ask why he was interrupted, the Formation God threw a talisman toward him. Aethersage caught it and slowly began reading. As his mind progressed through the information, the more his face changed.

“Is this… real?” he asked, his face breaking into the hints of a smile.

The Formation Monarch shrugged. “Those exact words, yes. More than that, I cannot confirm,” he said, placing the formation back in its place.

As the beasts began appearing again, Aethersage could only say a single word in thanks to his master before he started fighting once again.

* * * * * *

In the Eternal Isles,

Hao Ya felt herself a fool trying to communicate with one of the Sky God’s soldiers, but then what else was she to do?

Her master had told her in explicit terms to talk to one of the soldiers of the Sky God’s army that were in charge of the secret realm. So long as she were to explain who she was, they would send her right over to the Sky God’s palace.

However, she could have never expected that the one person she would talk to would be one of the few who did not hold the Sky God’s interests as their own.

After finding out who she was, after finding out exactly who her master was, they had taken everything from her, including the fact that Alex had been working with her master as well.

She had become useless after that, at which point their security had been lax enough for her to escape. She had gone into hiding for ages, and then joined a sect.

And now, after nearly 1500 years after coming to this world, she finally had gathered enough money to buy a single teleportation ticket.

She was scared the entire time she was there, wondering if those soldiers would come right out and capture her. It had been a long time, and she had changed her face, but she still feared.

Even so, she had to leave.

So, she arrived at the teleportation formation, standing in the middle of hundreds of others, hoping to not be seen.

She gulped slowly as the teleportation formation activated, looking around at each of the men.

As she did, her eyes locked with one of the men, and she sensed their Divine sense locking onto her. Her body turned illusory involuntarily, and that was all the man needed to realize who she was.

However, that was far too late.

The teleportation took place and everyone was gone.

Hao Ya had left the Eternal Isles, now arriving at the Sacred Lotus Dominion.

* * * * * *

In the Sacred Lotus Dominion,

The Beast God, Soulmother, stood on top of a large platform. Next to her stood a splendid man with hair like fire. This was her beast, a descendant of the Thousand Miles Horse.

Before her was a massive ship made to travel the stars. And next to it were the hundreds of people who had volunteered to travel in it.

At its helm was none other than one of the greatest cultivators of the younger generation, a woman by the name of Xue Yu’er.

Despite hailing from a lower realm, the woman had slowly climbed to the peak of the Immortal realm, and had only exploded in speed after she had caught the eyes of the Beast God.

Today, she and many other like-minded individuals had gathered for the sole reason to travel in this vessel that they had named the Cerulean Sparrow.

A simple vessel traveling through space was not something new. It wasn’t even something rare.

However, these people were attempting something that had in fact not been attempted in a very long time. And this time, they hoped to succeed.

For the sole destination of this vessel was none other than the true Moon.

The Beast God waved as the vessel took flight.

Xue Yu’er atop it waved back toward her. “We will succeed,” she shouted. “One way or another, we will reach the moon and come back.”

The Beast God could do nothing but pray that they did indeed succeed.

* * * * *

The Body God bled.

Surrounded by many men and women, he bled, unable to heal himself. He, who was known for having one of the strongest bodies, was now on the ground without a leg or a limb. His Dantian had been stabbed through as well, so he had been crippled.

He had killed half a dozen of these people, but that had not been enough. There were far too many of these people.

The man had fought without question until now, but as he saw his death flash before his eyes, he began to beg.

“Please, why are you attacking me?” the Body God asked. “What have I ever done to you all?”

One of the men among them stepped forward. “We heard news,” the man said. “That you were on your way to Bloodhaven to speak in favor of the war, were you not?”

“I… I…”

“You have so much blood on your hands, and yet you wish to start another war?” someone else asked.

“I won’t. I won’t,” the Body God shouted. “I promise. I won’t.”

Without his arms or his legs, and without his Qi, the man was just a torso and nothing more. He had to beg.

The leader of the group shook his head. “We are perfectly clear on how you people are,” he said. “You think of yourself as a predator and everyone else is just prey to you. And as we all know, without a predator, one starts thinking too highly of himself. He thinks that he alone is the one that deserves to live, and everyone else are just insects that deserve to die.”

“I don’t—”

The leader smashed into the god’s mouth.

“You don’t deserve anything. Not our pity, not our mercy,” he said. “What you do deserve is a predator above your own.”

“You’ve always had one, who has kept you in check. First it was the Godkiller, and then it was the Godslayer.”

“However, ever since Godslayer’s absence, you gods have grown unchecked. Well, no further. If no one else shall stand above you, then we shall,” the leader said.

“We are the ones who will keep the gods in line.”

“We are… the Godbreakers!”

* * * * * *

In Bloodhaven,

The Blood God, a woman with crimson robes and blood-red hair, sat before a few gods, of which the most important one was the Ocean God and the Forest God. They had waited for the Body God for some time, but with him seemingly being too late, they started on their own.

“How do we encourage the others to start a war when we don’t have the World Tree?” the Ocean God asked. “That is the main issue, is it not?”

The Ocean God was a man with blue hair that waved constantly as if it were an ocean wave.

“The World Tree’s seed is gone, as far as I know,” the Blood God said. “So we will need a different method to persuade the masses.”

“I cannot imagine any other way,” the Forest God said, a rather simple-looking man for being a Half-God. “If you guys don’t have a way, I am out. As I’ve said many times, I am fine with either result.”

“Do not be so hasty, Forest God,” said the Mind God, a man of short stature and a face full of blemishes. He had chosen to keep these blemishes despite his current status. In a way, it helped him in most cases.

“Do you have a way, Mind God?” the Forest God asked.

“I do,” the Mind God said. “You see, I’ve considered a possibility for some time, so I’ve manipulated a few of the Sky God’s soldiers. And through them, I have come to learn something.”

“What thing?” the Forest God said.

“That the Sky God sent her people to the world where her disciple had gone down to and retrieved everything back. It is very much possible that she already has the World Tree’s seed back in her possession.”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward the Mind God. “Are you serious?” the Blood God asked.

The Mind God smiled. “Perfectly serious. However, I do not have any proof. So, if you folks would indulge me, the next time there is a council, please keep the other gods occupied while I find the truth for myself.”

* * * * * *

In the Three-Jewel World,

Hannah stood alongside the mass of people that remained outside the gates, waiting for it to open. She had come here more or less alone, leaving behind everyone else in the Sky God’s Palace.

One of the Sky God’s outer disciples had followed her to keep an eye on her, but she couldn’t exactly be called a companion in this journey, sadly.

She looked around at the unfamiliar faces, wondering if she would ever look into a crowd like this and notice someone she knew.

Sadly, she had been forced to cultivate in secret, for she posed a danger to everyone out there through her mere potential.

Even though she had forced herself to slow down her cultivation speed, after nearly 2000 years of cultivation, she had easily reached the Divine realm. The speed had shocked every single person that had heard of it.

And if they were to find out just how much she held back, she could only imagine their shock.

Suddenly, she felt something vibrating inside her Soul Space. She quickly pulled the object out, a metal sash with an inscription on the inside.

This was one of the tickets she had found. The tickets came in any shape and size, so finding one was a matter of luck.

She was not the only one who had noticed the vibration. Almost all of the people there had noticed it.

That only meant one thing.

The gates were opening.

As the people ran inside as soon as they could in hopes of finding something useful, Hannah turned toward her companion and nodded. “I shall return soon.”

The woman smiled. “I will be right here, fellow Daoist.”

Hannah turned and walked with the flow of the crowd, walking through the gates.

And then she too entered the Godkiller’s Tomb.

* * * * * *

In the Medicine World,

“You can’t keep asking me for pills, Moss. You need to cultivate on your own too. How else will you grow properly?” Momo asked as she walked through the corridors of the Alchemy God’s palace.

“Sister, please,” the green lizard said. “Won’t it help you too? The stronger I become, the more potent your poison becomes.”

Momo considered it for a second before shaking her head. “No. You have to become an Immortal all by yourself. Until then, no more pills except cultivation pills.”

The lizard pouted, but he couldn’t say anything else.

Momo arrived at the Alchemy God’s room and searched for the guards. There would usually be a few outside, but there were none here today.

She wondered if there was no one inside. She walked closer but then stopped when she heard some noises. She stood to the side, waiting for the conversation inside to end.

But then the door abruptly opened, and a man in black robes walked past her. She barely caught a glance of the man’s long black hair before he disappeared down the hallway.

“Momo?” the Alchemy God called from inside. “Come on in.”

“Yes?” She turned around and quickly walked in, but her focus was still on the man who had just left.

“Who was that just now?” she asked curiously.

“That was—”

Momo’s mind blanked for a second, and she failed to hear anything else. She shook her head a little, slightly confused.

“Are you alright?” Whitesong asked.

“Hmm? Ah, yes, your Majesty,” she quickly said, a weird feeling still persisting. “Was there someone here just now?”

“No, I have always been alone. Why do you ask?”

Momo shook her head. “Forgive me, I must be tired,” she said and brought out the blue book. “I came to return this. I’ve learned from it as much as I could.”

“Are you sure? You are free to read more from here,” Whitesong said.

“No, I’ve read all I needed,” Momo said. “If I wish to learn more, I will be sure to not be shy, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Momo,” the Alchemy God said. “You may leave.”

Momo nodded and walked away. Even as she did, she had a weird feeling that she had forgotten something.

That she had forgotten someone.

* * * * * *

In the Eclipsing Heaven realm,

Having finally completed what she had intended to do, Yan Shumi flew away from the Everdark Realm and started searching for Fairy Xin. However, upon not finding Fairy Xin anywhere, she went down to the Eclipsing Heaven realm where they had a courtyard.

Thankfully, Fairy Xin had been waiting for her there.

Fairy Xin cried openly.

“I am so glad you are alive, Shumi,” she said. “I’m so glad.”

“I’m sorry, Sister Xin. I hadn’t realized so many years had passed,” she said. “I was certain I hadn’t stayed there for many years.”

“No, it’s fine,” Fairy Xin said, holding Shumi’s hands. “It’s not your fault. We couldn’t have known.”

Shumi nodded.

Fairy Xin felt Shumi’s hands. “You’re still cold. You aren’t unwell, are you?”

“I just returned from the Everdark Realm,” Shumi said.

“Ah! That must be the reason,” Fairy Xin said. “Rest for now. I will go make preparations to leave. We cannot stay here for too long.”

Shumi nodded.

Once Fairy Xin left the room, Shumi closed her eyes and whispered silently.

“Stop it,” she said. “Please, stop it.”

But it didn’t stop. In fact, it only got worse.

“…rld …rld …rld …rld,” the half-words kept repeating in her mind, spoken by someone she could not see. A voice belonging to a woman long dead.

“Please, stop it,” Shumi begged, but the woman’s voice did not stop. When she shut her ears, the voice only got louder.

It had started a while ago and had been going on with few breaks since then.

“Please!” Yan Shumi begged.

And yet the voices kept going.

Yan Shumi’s breathing grew more and more ragged, to a point when she couldn’t hear it anymore.

“STOP!” she shrieked.

Finally, there was silence, peaceful silence.

Shumi slowly opened her eyes. As she did, she saw the illusory figure of a beautiful woman standing before her.

“The Sun’s Talon,” the woman said.

Shumi stared at the woman, recognizing the voice to be hers.

“Who are you?” she asked slowly.

“The Sun’s Talon,” the woman said again. “That is… that is…”

Shumi waited.

“…rld.”

“What?”

“…rld …rld …rld …rld.”

It started once again, the words repeating in her mind.

Shumi forced herself to not listen to the words, but no matter what she did, she could not unhear them.

She did not know what was happening. She did not know what she could do. All she could tell was that she had become haunted.

And the one haunting her was most likely none other than the dead Moon Goddess herself.