Old Master, Times Have Changed - Chapter 702 (Patreon)

Chapter 702: “Pure World” Arrives at Taiyi

At the same time, in the region high above the Taiyi Realm that had been cut off and sealed.

Huo watched with his own eyes as Ji Yinxue smashed the Taiyi Realm’s “radiance layer” with a single punch, and the corner of his eye twitched.

“That really is overbearing…”

But then again.

This junior truly lived up to being that fellow Daoist’s only disciple.

Among the many Soul Transformation cultivators of the Tai Xuan Realm, the number who could contend with her could be counted on two hands.

From that single punch alone—

Many Soul Transformation cultivators of his generation, and even those from the older generation, did not measure up to her.

Thinking that, he looked back.

At this moment inside the Taiyi Realm, Yuan’s attempt to seize the chance to flee into Fushu Heaven and take Ning Wanzhu and Mingyu away had already been discovered.

All of Fushu Heaven had been completely sealed off.

The Dongming Sacred Lord, bearing “Heaven’s Will’s favor,” was closing in. With only a sliver of clear consciousness left, Yuan had no strength to stop him.

“If you can still find a way to break out of this tribulation…”

Huo paused, his expression complicated.

“Then forget it.”

That fellow Daoist’s disciple was about to arrive, and there was no time left for him to make any other arrangements.

At that, Huo could not help but sigh.

He only wanted Yuan to understand what comes of being too naive—so why did nothing ever go smoothly.

…

…

Fushu Heaven.

High atop a colossal tree that pierced the clouds, a streak of purple light flashed past.

Almost the instant he appeared within Fushu Heaven, he was already beside the giant tree where Ning Wanzhu and Mingyu were.

The two of them, veiled by “Heaven’s Will,” still had not noticed what was happening outside Fushu Heaven. They stared toward the distance at a village built among the branches of several enormous trees.

They had observed it for several days and had taught some of the villagers the Deceive Heaven, Substitute Form, Seize the World Method.

Because the Fushu Sacred King’s ideals were unusual, the overall atmosphere of Fushu Heaven was fairly decent.

At the very least, it was not like the Tai Yi Continent, where—from ordinary living beings up to cultivators at the pinnacle of the “saint-tier”—everyone lived with no security from one day to the next.

Only those who had reached the peak of the “saint-tier” gained the initial ability to grasp their own destiny.

But in Fushu Heaven, even ordinary people had a high chance of living out a stable life.

This also meant that the temperament of Fushu Heaven’s living beings was not as extreme as that of the Tai Yi Continent or other heavens. They were well-suited to serve as “fake bodies” for the Deceive Heaven, Substitute Form, Seize the World Method.

“This is basically enough.” Ning Wanzhu looked at Mingyu beside her. “We…”

Before she could finish, a streak of purple light dropped down, appearing between them.

Black hair, purple eyes, a black coat.

Both of them froze, shock flashing through their eyes.

Before either could react, Yuan grabbed them and retreated rapidly.

“Yuan? Why are you here?” Mingyu asked, confused.

By the time calculation, it was not yet time to replenish the imprint. Hadn’t they agreed to split up to avoid becoming too large a target?

“There’s no time. I don’t know what method this world’s Heaven’s Will used, but it bypassed the masking of Soul Transformation power and locked onto your location. This world’s Child of Fate is right outside.”

Yuan explained the situation briefly, making both of them shudder.

This world’s Child of Fate bypassed the masking of Soul Transformation power and locked onto their position?

How was that possible?

Yuan was, in essence, a Soul Transformation cultivator. With him acting personally, using a wisp of Soul Transformation mana from the jade token to condense an imprint as a mask…

It could be said to be no different from a true Soul Transformation cultivator taking action.

How could a Child of Fate from a great world at the Integration realm level possibly bypass the imprint’s concealment?

For a moment, doubt surged in both their hearts.

And in that instant, all their suspicion pointed toward Huo—the one who came with the Light of Doubt avatar—

Could it be that all of this…

Was Senior Huo pushing things along in secret?

However, the moment that thought surfaced, it was erased by an absolute, higher-order power.

Even the related associations born from that thought vanished without a trace.

“Then you really shouldn’t have come looking for us. We’re just doubt-avatars. He very clearly wants to use us to find you,” Mingyu said seriously.

As before, Yuan heard Mingyu’s words, but he did not hear them fully.

“How could I not come?”

He reached out and took the jade token Mingyu handed over. Two vertical scars were carved into its surface.

Two wisps of Soul Transformation mana…

The Taiyi Realm’s Child of Fate had used some unknown method to bypass the masking of the Soul Transformation mana imprint.

Then this jade token containing Soul Transformation power would naturally be more useful in Yuan’s hands.

In just these few exchanges, the three of them reached the boundary of this heaven. With a little more, they would leave Fushu Heaven.

Yet right as they were about to cross the boundary, Yuan seemed to sense something.

“Not right!”

The moment he frowned, he had already drawn a strand of pure, flawless Soul Transformation mana from within the jade token.

A blazing white light rippled outward, pushing Ning Wanzhu and Mingyu back.

And beside Yuan, countless secret inscriptions suddenly appeared, circulating and interweaving. In the blink of an eye, they formed an incomparably complex ritual array.

Each secret inscription corresponded to a world.

If one looked down from above, it would be clear: this was a special array that took the Taiyi realm-domain as its model, bore the shape of boundless worlds, and fixed the Taiyi Realm as its foundation.

It existed solely to target this sliver of Yuan’s clear consciousness.

At this moment, heaven and earth acted as one.

The One Hundred and Eight Heavens trembled together.

At the array’s core, upon the ritual ring that represented the One Hundred and Eight Heavens, the inscriptions lit up in sequence.

Each time one lit up, the freezing Soul Transformation mana dimmed by a fraction.

The boundless worlds of the Taiyi realm-domain turned with it. With the Taiyi Realm as the core, trillions upon trillions of worlds transformed into a power capable of scorching everything, seeking to refine and annihilate Yuan’s last sliver of clear consciousness.

At the same time, the entire Taiyi Realm was undergoing an unfathomably mysterious change.

On the Tai Yi Continent, the extraordinary power drifting between heaven and earth grew increasingly condensed and heavy. The rules became ever more rigorous. Every inch of space gained a sense of indestructibility—unyielding, un磨, and undying through ten thousand tribulations.

The entire Taiyi Realm was transforming toward a higher level.

From an even higher vantage point, one could see the entire Taiyi realm-domain—

Even the chaotic energy of the surrounding realm-domains was surging madly toward Taiyi, like countless heavenly rivers converging in a roaring flood, to be swallowed whole.

In an instant, the surrounding chaotic energy was nearly drained dry!

It was that the Taiyi Realm’s Heaven’s Will, after multiple rounds of deduction, had decided to gamble everything on this final chance!

So it directly drove the Taiyi Realm’s advancement!

And that move immediately caused the ritual array within Fushu Heaven to surge several levels in power.

The Soul Transformation mana that could have held on for a while was quickly stripped away to nothing. Even Yuan’s sliver of clear consciousness began to turn hazy and unreal.

“Back off farther!!!”

He shouted harshly.

As he spoke, raging purple flames ignited across his body—he was about to burn away the essence of this sliver of clear consciousness to use the final thread of Soul Transformation mana, attempting to send Ning Wanzhu and Mingyu out of the Taiyi Realm!

However, Ning Wanzhu and Mingyu exchanged a look.

They had already made their decision.

In the next moment, they seized control of the jade token, forcibly triggering the last strand of Soul Transformation mana sealed within.

Clang!

With a strange ringing sound, pure, flawless white light erupted.

Their control was not as exquisite as Yuan’s, but with no regard for loss, the Soul Transformation power tore open a gap in the ritual array. Even the blazing purple flames on Yuan’s body were extinguished by it.

It even caused the transforming Taiyi Realm to stall for a trillionth of a moment.

Seizing that chance, the two of them charged into the ritual array. One on the left, one on the right, they grabbed Yuan—now so faint he was half-transparent—and hurled him out through the array’s gap.

No words.

Completely suppressed by the Soul Transformation power, Yuan could only watch helplessly as he was thrown out.

As for the two of them, with the Soul Transformation power exhausted and the ritual array restoring itself, their bodies began to break apart into tiny specks of fragmented light, until they vanished entirely within the array.

Only when his vision became a twisting mass of shadows—signaling that he had already left Fushu Heaven—

did Yuan come back to the world at all.

In that moment, he felt only waves of blur before his eyes. He wanted to say something, but every word jammed in his throat. He could not utter a single sentence.

“…”

Why…

Why did things end up like this?

When everything could still have been saved.

When they had finally met again.

When he had not even had time to say a little more…

Sadness?

For some reason, he only felt an empty hollowness in his chest.

In a daze, he seemed to hear a whisper by his ear, or perhaps it was a question from the deepest part of his heart.

“Do you regret it?”

Efeng Saint had asked him that question before.

Do you regret it?

He actually did not regret it.

Before, he had always felt that having the ability yet refusing to act—that was what would make him regret.

Even if betrayed, even if trapped, he only thought it was because he had been careless.

But now, Yin Ling had perished to protect his sliver of clear consciousness, and Wanzhu and Mingyu—who had crossed the vast Chaos Sea—had also died to save him…

While he drifted in that muddled haze, a figure appeared—its features three parts similar to his. Those dark-purple eyes were filled with cold indifference.

“It should end now.”

…

…

“If what happened today is true, can you reconcile with yourself?”

In that sealed, severed region at the highest point of the Taiyi Realm, Huo watched Yuan—sent out of Fushu Heaven—and murmured softly. The emotions in his eyes were extraordinarily complicated.

Once upon a time, he too had been the type who would not turn back until he hit the wall.

Even if he chose wrong, he could bear every price that followed.

Until his father and brothers were killed, his family wiped out, and Cheng Xi’s head was taken back and placed before him—only then did he understand that not every price was something he could bear.

A decision made in a moment of impulse—someone will always have to pay that price for you.

“After this, I hope you’ll understand.”

Just as Huo finished this round of the script, his heart tangled with mixed feelings—

“Greetings, Senior Huo.”

A calm voice came.

Outside the Taiyi Realm, Ji Yinxue bowed properly toward the realm.

Her temperament was a bit extreme, but she was still very polite.

With a senior present, of course she had to greet first.

“…”

Even the emotions in his heart became disjointed because of that single greeting.

He had not intended to show himself. After all, he had come in secret this time.

Yet after Ji Yinxue bowed, she simply stood there, as if she would not take another step unless she saw him.

Huo: “…”

Helpless, he could only leave that region and arrive outside the Taiyi Realm.

No choice. The junior really was quite polite.

And if he delayed her comprehension of the Dao-Extremity path…

that would truly be letting the small ruin the big.

“No need for such formality. Next, I will leave the Taiyi Realm and no longer interfere. Handle the rest yourself,” Huo said directly.

Jumping straight to the ending was somewhat abrupt, but the “script” could be considered complete.

Next, he only needed to stand guard outside the Taiyi Realm and keep an eye on that unknown Dao-attaining one for this junior.

“Yes.”

“Oh right—Yuan is also in this world, and his condition isn’t good. If I take him away, will it affect you?”

“No. Since his condition is poor, Senior should bring him back for treatment as soon as possible.”

She had come for the Taiyi Realm. Yuan was irrelevant to her.

“And if Senior takes him away, I’ll feel more at ease.”

Huo chuckled in spite of himself. “You really do trust me.”

“You are a True Immortal, Senior, the backbone of the Tai Xuan Realm’s human race. Isn’t it normal that I trust you?” Ji Yinxue said, puzzled.

She had heard of some of Senior Huo’s deeds.

Slaying demons and exterminating fiends—those were not even worth mentioning, and in her eyes they were perfectly normal.

The only bad point was that he would even grant fortune and opportunity to those vile, cruel sorts.

If it were her, she would just crush them with one punch.

“…”

For some reason, in that moment, Huo was actually a little moved…

He had not expected that in this era full of prejudice, someone would trust him this much.

“Go on.”

“Yes.”

Ji Yinxue turned into a streak of light and shot toward the Taiyi Realm.

Huo watched her enter, then looked across the Chaos Sea to prevent that unknown Dao-attaining one from appearing.

…

…

Outside Fushu Heaven.

Heavy shadows had already wrapped around Yuan’s half-transparent, illusory body.

The Dongming Sacred Lord stood nearby, watching quietly.

Although things were progressing smoothly, he did not relax in the slightest.

The Taiyi Realm had already forcibly begun its energy-tier leap. The Kongji Realm, Dongming Realm, and Abyss Ruins Realm that orbited Taiyi would gradually merge into the Taiyi Realm next.

And what he needed to do was extinguish this sliver of consciousness that had escaped, so that the Taiyi Realm could refine the True God’s main body to the greatest extent—and using that as the most crucial turning point, achieve its transformation!

And Yuan let the shadows erode him.

A True Immortal’s schemes—after rewriting the “script” many times—how could they be escaped so easily?

Unaware of any of this, Yuan’s heart recalled his past.

For nearly two thousand years, he had risen from an unknown ordinary person, advancing by leaps and bounds, becoming the youngest Soul Transformation cultivator in the Tai Xuan Realm since ancient times.

Along the way there were setbacks and hardships, but overall it had gone smoothly.

Longevity and long sight, great power in hand, beauty’s devotion…

He had even achieved the highest spiritual pursuit of an individual life—

the realization of self-worth.

Things others could only dream of and still never obtain even one of through a lifetime of striving—he had all of them.

He had to admit: that “transmigration” he had loathed and refused to accept back then had indeed brought him far too much beauty.

“I’m sorry…”

He whispered a sentence in his heart.

To those in the Tai Xuan Realm who believed in him, to Wanzhu and Mingyu, to his parents and friends back home, and also to himself…

At the very last instant before his consciousness went dark—

“Myriad Techniques!”

A cold voice thundered throughout the entire Taiyi Realm.

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