Chapter 1176: From Now On, There Is No Me in the Cycle

A red curtain was unveiled in the tableau of history, mirroring the turbulent emotions in the Aurora Young Lord's heart at this moment.

It stemmed from his long-sealed memories.

Although, after countless eons, these memories had actually begun to loosen, and the Aurora Young Lord, who had silently awaited the passage of time within the Immortal Palace, driven to madness for countless years, had, to some extent, already pieced together the answers.

Yet, witnessing the true history firsthand, he still could not find peace. He tightened his grip on Linghuang's hand.

Xu Qing, currently in a state of communion with the Aurora Young Lord, clearly perceived the emotional turmoil of the other. He could understand, but could only remain silent.

A life of truth and illusion, years of despair and hope, a tapestry woven with tears and laughter—ultimately, all culminated in paternal love.

Yet, the one who brought this paternal love had also vanished into the annals of time. He raised his hand, and it felt as if grains of sand from a riverbed were slipping through his fingers.

All that could be done was to journey through time, unafraid of the vast chasm of life and death, with a wandering soul burdened by helplessness and sorrow, carrying profound longing, to transcend life and death and walk through the ages, seeking answers, as if carried on the wind.

Xu Qing sighed softly.

He thought of Wushuang City, and the somewhat blurry yet never-fading figures of his parents in his memories. He also recalled the Seven Blood Eyes, his master, Captain Lei, and Master Bai.

Ultimately, these figures coalesced into an ancient, resonant voice that echoed in his consciousness: "Still they come! Ceaselessly!"

The historical scenes continued to unfold through time.

The unveiling of the red curtain did not remove the color red; instead, the hue of the grand wedding permeated this history, staining it like blood.

In the scene, the Aurora Immortal Lord smiled with satisfaction.

The Aurora Young Lord and Linghuang Immortaless were performing their marital bows.

However, in this true history, at this end of the river of time, no one extended their 'incense stick of time'—a moment of reprieve. Instead, as soon as their first bow concluded, the world convulsed and the sea of light surged, descending upon them with a roar.

The sun and moon were plucked from the sky.

Red became the Aurora Immortal Lord's exclusive domain; consequently, the sky was stripped of its sun and moon, and from then on, only the crimson aurora served as the sole celestial light. Within that celestial light, countless bubbles reappeared.

Alongside them appeared an aged hand.

It crushed the bubbles, and the sound of their shattering echoed, stripping the Immortal Palace of its glory... and plunging the two dazed and internally shaken newlyweds in the ruins into unconsciousness.

It seemed there were certain matters neither the Immortal Lord nor the Immortal Venerable wished this new couple to know. Thus, they were isolated and fell into a coma.

Before falling unconscious, the Aurora Young Lord in the scene cast one last glance upwards: it was his father, who had chosen to betray the Way, to defy the established laws and reshape the order, charging towards the starry sky, ready to battle the Immortal Venerable even if it meant being suppressed!

After that, the Aurora Young Lord in the scene lost consciousness. Yet, the historical scenes continued.

The Aurora Young Lord and Linghuang, who had emerged from the mirror, still gazed intently to uncover the truth within history. And so they saw.

The Aurora Immortal Lord, charging towards the starry sky, though radiating brilliant crimson light from head to toe, possessed not the slightest fighting intent. He was smiling, he was weeping, and he was shouting towards that aged hand.

"Father, kill me!"

These words roared like millions of thunderclaps in the Aurora Young Lord's heart. This was not a suppression battle triggered by rebellion at all.

This was...

"Father is... seeking death..." The Aurora Young Lord's body trembled as he muttered bitterly, and a weathered sigh echoed through history.

All the bubbles shimmered, and their light converged, forming a vast, ethereal figure.

It appeared in the starry sky, directly in front of the Aurora Immortal Lord, occupying everything. It was as if he *was* the starry sky itself.

His gaze was complex, holding shame, helplessness, and sorrow. Slowly, a hoarse voice emerged from him: "Do you resent me, for sealing the Divine Calamity within your body..."

The Aurora Immortal Lord raised his head, gazing at the familiar figure before him.

That was his father, the supreme existence of the entire Fifth Star Ring—the Immortal Venerable!

It was he who led the cultivators of numerous small worlds in a triumphant counterattack! It was he who overthrew the rule of the gods, ending the suffering of all beings.

It was he who leveled the Fifth Star Ring, transforming it into a land for cultivators. His achievements in the Fifth Star Ring were unparalleled in history.

He was also the irreplaceable and revered hero in the hearts of countless people, from childhood to adulthood. "I do not resent you."

"I know that your battle with the Divine Venerable back then seemed like a victory, but in reality, before his death, the Divine Venerable left behind the Divine Calamity, tainting your body."

"Deities, after all, are manifestations of the Upper Star Ring's true form, a part of the Upper Star Ring itself. Thus, even at the Divine Sovereign level, they can be eternally undying; as long as someone remembers them, they can return if called upon, even after countless eons."

"Let alone the Divine Venerable."

The Aurora Immortal Lord gazed at the Immortal Venerable before him, his own crimson aura rippling, his voice echoing:

"The ultimate curse-calamity, formed from the power of the Divine Venerable's collapsing divinity, gathering his boundless divine might, was so potent that even you, mighty as you are, could not completely eradicate it. A wisp remained, becoming a brand."

"Therefore, after that battle, you chose to go into secluded cultivation."

"I knew the reason for this was that you discovered the Divine Venerable intended to use this calamity to... resurrect within your body."

"Although this resurrection would require an extremely long period, if not addressed, it would become inevitable, and the moment of his resurrection would be the moment the cultivators' land of the Fifth Star Ring turned to ashes."

"To prevent this, you wandered through all the upper and lower star rings, manifesting countless avatars, searching for a way to break it, until you found a solution." At this point, the Aurora Immortal Lord paused, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"That solution was for your true body to fall into slumber, to evade the will of the Divine Calamity, and thus transfer it!"

"This transfer technique, however, had stringent conditions: it could not be dispersed, and only the sole direct descendant could bear it. From then on, you could only have one son, and so could I, and so could my son."

"Through four thousand nine hundred generations, it could be resolved."

"Moreover, the further along it was passed, the weaker this calamity would become, until it completely dissipated."

"And so, ultimately, for the sake of the Fifth Star Ring, you chose to transfer this Divine Calamity, by this method... onto my body, while you yourself fell into slumber."

"This is also why the Fifth Star Ring has a rotation system every epoch, because your true body is asleep, and even your avatars are often forced to slumber alongside it."

"I know that for the sake of the Fifth Star Ring, you sacrificed your own lineage, using the suffering of your descendants to seal, transfer, and diminish the Divine Calamity generation after generation."

"All of this, I understand, and I have tried to accept it."

The Aurora Immortal Lord murmured,

"But... Father, the integration of the Divine Calamity was precisely the cause of Ming'er's mother's death. She... died during my first loss of control due to the Divine Calamity."

"I personally... tore her apart..."

"I personally... killed my beloved..."

"Do you know, she didn't dodge, she held no resentment. Until her dying breath, she gazed at me gently, and with her life, she awakened me from my rampage."

"I could not face it. I could only choose to fall into slumber."

Tears streamed from the Aurora Immortal Lord's eyes. He looked at the Immortal Venerable before him, his expression filled with pain. He could not bear, could not accept, and could not forgive himself for that scene from years ago. Yet, he also could not help but understand his father, this Immortal Venerable who had sacrificed his own lineage for the Fifth Star Ring.

However, the more he tried to understand, the more self-reproach he felt. This self-reproach became a black hole, constantly consuming everything within him.

Thus, amidst this endless agony, he chose to seal himself away.

He feared that in his current state, he might harm more people.

This was the reason for the Aurora Immortal Lord's historical slumber.

"Ten thousand years later, I awoke, believing I had successfully suppressed it. So I unsealed Ming'er... I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him."

"Watching Ming'er grow up also became a form of healing for me..."

"But Father, I didn't realize I had never truly succeeded in suppressing it. That day... I lost control again."

The Aurora Immortal Lord's body trembled, and his voice quivered.

"That day, I almost... tore Ming'er apart. Just a little, just a little more..."

"After that, I chose to build an underground cavern and seal myself away. I told Ming'er not to visit me after nightfall."

"I had intended... to make my seal more secure."

"Until... I realized Ming'er's constitution had been altered. I knew it was you who changed his constitution from that of a mirror to... the 'Three Karmas and Ten Evils Seal,' meant to transfer and seal the Divine Calamity!"

"You intended for me to transfer the source of this pain to Ming'er when I could no longer bear it."

"But how could I let him endure this pain day and night, just like me, and suffer the agony of having personally killed his beloved!"

The Aurora Immortal Lord laughed maniacally, raising a hand and pointing at the Immortal Venerable.

"Father, for the Fifth Star Ring, as the Immortal Venerable, your achievements are monumental, unparalleled through history! I do not resent you for sacrificing your lineage for this! But... I am also a father!"

"I am not as great as you. I am unwilling and unable to pass my suffering onto my offspring!"

"And I also know that there is actually another way to resolve this Divine Calamity, one that doesn't need to be so complicated at all."

"In fact, after you transferred the Divine Calamity to me back then, you could have used the method you planned to utterly obliterate it."

"That method is to personally kill me, at the right time, at the opportune moment!"

"Now... I have merged with the Divine Calamity, and the time has come!"

"I have already betrayed the Way, changed my constitution, and the divine will is about to awaken. Father, your time is running out! So... kill me!!"

"Grind my flesh, split my bones, extinguish my soul, shatter all of me, so that in past, present, and future, there is no longer any trace of my will! Let no memory of me remain in the minds of all beings and myriad things!"

"Let this cycle of reincarnation be without me from now on, as if I... had never existed! As if you had never had me!"

The Aurora Immortal Lord rose decisively!

The crimson aurora infused all of history... It was the color of the grand wedding, and also the color of blood! And it was, paternal love.

Faintly, a sentence seemed to echo through history.

"Ming'er, from now on... you shall be the sun and moon of the Fifth Star Ring, your heart filled with infinite light, untouched by even a speck of taint, and with the will of the divine preceding you, the Divine Calamity shall henceforth be severed from you!"