Chapter 1945: Ascension

So, who did I meet before?

Could it be that everyone's lament about the Emperor Realm was just a dream?

But Hua Changdeng genuinely merged with "a certain one" and was even endowed with the Ancestral God's fate. Who exactly is that deity?

Thirty years of cultivating the Sword Ghost should have often brought him into contact with the Ghost Ancestor, yet Hua Changdeng completely failed to see through the deception. Who is acting?

What roles do Yao Bei, Hua Gui, and Bei Huai play in all of this?

Is the Ghost Beast Possession Experiment related to this truth?

Are the Demon Ancestor and Cui Yin involved?

Who, besides the Ghost Ancestor, could bestow the authority of reincarnation within the Scythe of the God of Death?

When meeting the Ghost Ancestor for the second time, was it the same person as the first time, or a different person, or the same person playing different Ghost Ancestors across a chaotic timeline, or has the timeline truly gone awry?

Is Kong Yuhan related to this matter?

Did the Ghost Ancestor truly seek outside help?

The more I thought about it, the more terrifying it became!

The most terrifying thing was that as a series of questions spontaneously surfaced in his mind, the Ghost Ancestor’s face appeared before his eyes, shaking his head with a smile, and speaking subtly:

"Next time we meet, I may or may not be myself."

Qianshi Emperor Realm.

For a moment, Xu Xiaoshou felt fireworks exploding in his head. Sitting in the position of a chess player was truly like sitting on pins and needles.

The general outline of the grand scheme, which he had painstakingly deduced before, seemed to need to be completely overturned due to the appearance of the Benyuan Zhenjie: Gui.

How much was involved in this?

His thoughts were a tangled mess, yet he had to force himself to calm down. But how to think about it?

It seemed there was no shortcut!

He could only slowly unravel the clues from the intricate details.

Starting from the established facts, he had to determine the truth or falsity of each question, and the ambiguous answers beyond yes or no.

Give up?

Giving up on finding answers was the easiest.

But how long could Ba Zun'an stay, how many times could he act, and how many times could he stabilize the Shengxian Continent?

Once he left, these hidden dangers would surely erupt!

And if Ba Zun'an stayed?

Were the Three Ancestors foolish? With such elaborate schemes, why would they not hide at this moment, but instead come out to fight Ba Lao?

Only then did Xu Xiaoshou realize how difficult the mess Ba Zun'an had left him truly was.

He clutched the chess piece in his hand and subtly looked at the person opposite him: "Brother Pei Pei, what do you know about Benyuan Zhenjie?"

"Not much."

Dao Peipei was engrossed in the charm of the beast-fighting chess; it was truly fun.

He had long since adapted to Xu Xiaoshou's sudden and imaginative questions; this fellow's mind would occasionally throw out irrelevant things.

"Not much, how much?"

But when Xu Xiaoshou pressed, it proved that the matter was no longer trivial.

Dao Peipei then looked up and pondered:

"Benyuan Zhenjie, if nothing unexpected happens, should represent the 'inheritance' or 'back-up plan' of the Ancestral Gods. This is just a guess."

"How exactly this item is used, none of the five families have any records. After all, if you were a Demon, Yao, or Cui, would you make these public?"

Indeed, before he unlocked the memory cage.

In the early days of the Shengxian Continent, even parts beyond the Half-Saint would voluntarily "imprison themselves" and be forgotten by the world.

And if the Saint Emperor Families knew how to use the Benyuan Zhenjie, they would have the possibility of achieving divinity and becoming Ancestors.

Only by extinguishing this possibility, when someone surpassed the Ancestral God-level blockade, guidance, and oblivion, and found the answer on their own.

Only such a once-in-a-hundred-generations prodigy would enter the Three Ancestors' sight…

Then, their aptitude would be examined, and they would be defined as a "pig" worthy of providing enlightenment to the Three Ancestors…

If so, their potential would be severely restricted!

From this perspective, the "cage" at the Ancestral God level was truly as Elder Sang had said by the Goose Lake, and as Elder Sang had worried about.

If Ba Zun'an hadn't achieved "One Step to Zero," as long as he had the Hedao stage, even if the Hedao stage was as short as half an hour, or a quarter of an hour…

The outcome would have been rewritten!

A cage that no one could originally transcend!

"...Master?"

"Hey! Xu Xiaoshou!"

Dao Peipei called out several times in a row, and when he saw that the other's pupils finally focused, he was greatly curious: "What's wrong, is there a situation?"

The situation was huge… Xu Xiaoshou didn't say it directly, but while pondering himself, he pressed: "Brother Pei Pei, what else do you know about this person?"

He pointed at the chess piece representing Yao Zu on the starry chessboard.

The fall of the Ghost Ancestor was related to the path of the Yao Ancestor.

After much thought, even the Demon Ancestor, Cui Yin, Kong Yuhan, and others might not know, if the Yao Ancestor hid it well.

Then the breakthrough point was still with this "Shennong Baicao"!

"Yao…"

Dao Peipei's gaze swept over the chess piece, his brows slightly furrowed, and his expression became a bit more solemn.

He had said what needed to be said at the beginning.

Xu Xiaoshou's repeated questioning clearly indicated that he hadn't forgotten, but had made another discovery.

What was it?

It was clear that he didn't want to discuss it with himself, but merely wanted inspiration. So, he would respond minimally, testing the waters first.

"Barbaric."

Dao Peipei used one word to describe the Yao Ancestor, observing Xu Xiaoshou's reaction. Seeing no reaction, he added:

"But Ancestral Gods should not be underestimated."

Seemingly vague, this evaluation was undeniably apt.

In the initial sand table simulation, no matter what Hua Changdeng's outcome was, the first of the three foreign Ancestors to move was the Yao Ancestor.

And Dao Peipei's evaluation was that he was reckless and directly entered the fray.

Now, with Hua Changdeng dead, and Xi bringing the Benyuan Zhenjie, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized that he had underestimated the Yao Ancestor.

Was Shennong Shi truly brave but foolish?

The reincarnation of the Four Ancestors, Sacred Demon and Evil Technique as one.

Only the Yao Ghost, neither living nor dying, could achieve a peculiar balance, unable to reach the Demon Ancestor above, daring to despise Cui Yin below, going too far and not far enough, deeply understanding the Way of the Golden Mean—always within the sight of various chess players, yet never truly being given importance!

This kind of person is the most terrifying.

The fact that the Yao Ancestor could live from ancient times until now already explained many things.

"Great wisdom appears as foolishness."

"He is more calculating than imagined…"

A flash of inspiration, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly caught another "fact" that he had overlooked earlier due to the rapid changes in the battle.

He didn't shy away, directly asking: "Brother Pei Pei, Hua Zu's enlightenment was all very reasonable, but there's one thing I still don't understand. Could you please enlighten me?"

Xu Xiaoshou was willing to speak, which was a good thing… Dao Peipei's eyes lit up, "Speak!"

"On the Bridge of the Other Shore, why did the Ghost Ancestor not resist at all, but instead threw himself directly into Hua Zu's embrace, willingly sacrificing himself to accomplish others?"

"Look!"

"Ba Zun'an has faded!"

On the Shengxian Continent, Ba Zun'an stabilized the five domains and mountains with the power of his name, allowing the Lingjie to temporarily avoid collapse after his intervention.

But once this matter was resolved, some people were shocked to discover.

Ba Zun'an's presence suddenly faded significantly, and the most direct manifestation was that his body became semi-transparent.

It was as if…

He was about to disappear?

"Ascension?"

"But isn't the Heavenly Realm shattered? Where can he ascend to, and there's no guiding light either?"

"Speaking of which, does 'guidance' even exist? But you need it just to enter the God's Remains."

"The Three Ancestors have all hidden themselves, choosing not to directly confront the sharpness. So, does that mean they are waiting for Ba Zun'an to perish on his own?"

Excessive rigidity easily breaks!

Now, the world had seen an example.

In the eyes of discerning individuals, more was read: if an overly fat pig couldn't be slaughtered and couldn't be dealt with much, then let it die of obesity!

"Breaking the cage is death, and breaking it is also a different kind of death…"

Wuji looked up, his troubles deepening.

He had no way of knowing what enlightenment the Three Ancestors had gained from Ba Zun'an's path.

But after so many eras, having cultivated only three living Ancestral Gods, would they gain nothing after observing Ba Zun'an's ritual of enlightenment?

"You go first."

He had Yu Zhiwen send Xi away.

Wuji spat, and the Scythe of the God of Death appeared in mid-air.

Dao Peipei only knew one part and not the other, or perhaps he had reservations and didn't say much, ultimately giving the answer:

"Perhaps the Ghost Ancestor had a backup plan?"

Like a blind man feeling an elephant, what result could he possibly feel out?

After all, they were merely chance acquaintances. After much thought, Xu Xiaoshou felt that, compared to Dao Peipei, it might be possible to share this matter with Dao Qiongcang, even if it meant playing with fire.

After all, they had already signed an intelligence-sharing pact and were temporarily in the same boat.

However, one shouldn't put all eggs in one basket.

With the same thoughts, the same confusion, and the same questions, Xu Xiaoshou simultaneously threw them to Dao Qiongcang via his Lingxi Art and to Ba Zun'an.

He looked forward to Dao Qiongcang's answer.

But what he looked forward to even more was that if a problem was truly difficult to solve, perhaps he could find a way to solve the person who created the problem.

One power breaks all methods!

And currently, Ba Zun'an possessed the power to run rampant!

"Hiss…"

On Lingyu Mountain, Hua Zu had burned out completely.

Ba Zun'an waited for a moment. The Three Ancestors feared him like a tiger, not one of them appeared, which was disappointing.

Even the most barbaric Yao Zu, who he had anticipated, did not appear in time.

One Step to Zero indeed disrupted everyone's rhythm.

This was not a good thing; on the contrary, it further proved…

"The plan is grand."

Hua Changdeng's two counterattacks extinguished his various roundabout methods.

From the moment he had to choose to reveal his trump card, Ba Zun'an knew that even if he succeeded, he wouldn't have much time left.

Clearly, the Three Ancestors also understood this point.

They hid very well. If he were to waste time and energy to find them and kill them all.

From ancient times until now, with so many backup plans, whether they could be cleanly cut off was one thing.

The "time" and "power" required just to search and strike were already enough to cause despair.

"Is fishing feasible?"

Misfortunes never come singly, they come in battalions.

He hadn't thought of a better countermeasure yet, and at this moment, Xu Xiaoshou sent a message.

"The Ghost Ancestor has fallen. The Ghost Ancestor seen before is suspected to be disguised by the Yao Ancestor?"

One sentence was hotter than Hua Changdeng himself.

Ba Zun'an could already imagine how much hair Xu Xiaoshou must have pulled out. Perhaps the fate of the Jinzhao lineage was to be bald?

"Xu Xiaoshou, don't rush. Trust yourself."

From where Hua Changdeng fell, two items were left behind: one was the Ancestral God's fate, and the other was the character "Hua".

With a gentle flick of the broken sword Qingju.

Ba Zun'an hooked the two items over and did not keep them himself, but casually threw them into the Xingjie, leaving Xu Xiaoshou to deal with them.

There might be trouble in there too, Xu Xiaoshou… could only trust himself.

"There's not much more I can do."

Time was running out. Ba Zun'an couldn't waste time thinking; he was just a chess piece.

The joys and sorrows between humans and Ancestral Gods were not interconnected.

One matter more important than the Three Ancestors currently before him was: with the Heavenly Realm no longer existing, after stubbornly returning to zero, he was about to "ascend."

The Shengxian Continent could not bear his power, and forcing himself to stay would inevitably lead to the collapse of the continent.

The number of times he could act was limited, even in the "Yi" manner, to minimize damage to the five domains.

The damage was still too great.

Going to Xingjie, going to the God's Remains…

Even moving all the population of the Shengxian Continent to Xingjie through Xu Xiaoshou's spatial path…

And then engaging in a decisive battle with the Three Ancestors here, even if the Shengxian Continent collapsed…

All these approaches were merely temporary solutions, not fundamental ones!

The Three Ancestors were not foolish; they would not show their heads, and would use various methods to smuggle or even force their way into Xingjie and the God's Remains, aiming to rise again.

And after him, what would happen if Kuilei Han, Shen Yi, Xu Xiaoshou, and others successfully achieved Hedao?

A thousand difficulties converged into one:

Where to go after ascension was a crucial problem that needed to be solved urgently!

Earlier, knowing that it was impossible but still doing it, "One Step to Zero" was certainly not an act of recklessness; Ba Zun'an had already prepared countermeasures.

And this strategy was linked to one person and involved a gentleman's agreement.

"Kong Yuhan."

Putting aside those hair-raising anxieties, Ba Zun'an looked to one side and lightly called out the "Anxious Brother" in someone's mouth.

A faint golden light shimmered on the horizon.

Outsiders only perceived this phenomenon, but in Ba Zun'an's eyes, an ancient three-story pavilion, the Gujin Wangyou Lou, appeared in the void.

"Mr. Ba Zun'an."

The wooden door opened, and a graceful gentleman walked out, with a jade-like face and a smile, cupping his hands in congratulations: "Congratulations on Ba Zu's enlightenment and 'One Step to Zero'. I have come to fulfill my promise."

The five domains were shaken, looking up.

They saw the River of Time winding its way from the clouds above the nine heavens, with ethereal figures standing upon it, their aura extraordinary.

"Kong Yuhan?"

"Ten Thrones, Kong Yuhan, the Kong Yuhan from 'Moon Drunk in Wine'?"

"What is his stance, why did he appear too? By the way, I haven't heard of this person for decades…"

Has it come to this point?

Wuji looked up; Kong Yuhan held a six-gate pendant in his hand, his intentions clear.

By this time, he was remarkably harmonious with the Time Ancestor he had seen in the world behind the three doors, as if they were one.

In his mind, Cui Yin's evaluation from the God's Remains at that time involuntarily surfaced:

"You stand upon the River of Time, not entering the cycle of creation and destruction of the Great Dao, comprehending past and present, knowing fate, present in the mortal world, yet transcendent in form and intent."

It was truly not flattery.

Every word and sentence was an affirmation and a trepidation towards the Time Ancestor.

And then, the transaction mentioned by the Demon Ancestor on the River of Time also inevitably appeared:

"You shall be responsible for collecting all the 'Kong Yuhan' on the River of Time for this Ancestor, and after confirming no omissions, hand them all over to this Ancestor."

The Time Realm was his divine court.

If the Time Realm were reshaped, Kong Yuhan might achieve enlightenment.

If the past Heavenly Realm were found in the Time Realm, Ba Zun'an would also have a place to stand. At that time, with a commanding view, and the upper and lower passages opened, the Three Ancestors would be nothing to fear.

Everything, however, had to be built on the foundation of "success."

How to reshape the Time Realm, when to find the Heavenly Realm within the Time Realm, and whether an Ancestral God who has returned to zero can achieve this from nothing…

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't see it.

He knew that for Kong Yuhan and Ba Zun'an, this was also unknown.

The reality, however, was!

The time required to reshape and restore the Time Realm and Heavenly Realm would definitely not be short.

So, under the surging tide of the grand scheme, Ba Zun'an's performance was to be "eliminated first," and every subsequent person…

Including Kong Yuhan!

Could Kong Yuhan have a good ending?

Could Ba Zun'an return?

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