Chapter 1406: Prosperous Age Tragic Song

The Other Shore is a place that truly exists, not a mere fabrication or distant fantasy. Legend has it that gods reside there, and its existence is documented in the records of some ancient races.

In the next two months, this starfield will be restless. Fierce battles will frequently erupt, and the perishing of lives and the splattering of blood will become the most common sight.

Driven by this law of the jungle, where all trial-takers across the world strive for enlightenment, and by the astonishing news that gods might be seen, bloodbaths among various beings and schemes to cross the sea are constantly unfolding.

This is an era that drives people mad yet fills them with sorrow. Revelry and elegies play out simultaneously, like moths drawn to a flame. Are they on the path to immortality, or are they listening to their own dirge? Unable to pull themselves away, almost in a frenzy, perhaps the meaning of life lies precisely in this beautiful tenacity.

Never before has an era been like the present, with so many prodigies rising together. In the past, each would have become the ruler of their respective race, leading an age of great prosperity and reaching the pinnacle of glory.

Born into this era, they are destined for the arrival of a Golden Age, yet it also portends the desolation after this grand era. Just as autumn winds rise and countless fruits waft their fragrance, ultimately, yellow leaves flutter everywhere, and the wind cuts like a cold blade.

Throughout history, it has rarely been like today, with so many young supreme beings appearing. This feels surreal. All are exceptionally gifted, yet in another sense, they might all die.

This is the elegy of a grand era. When the final battle anthem sounds, all will perish, falling on the Emperor's Path. Only one will reach the pinnacle, a person destined to taste the desolate loneliness of ages, watching the heroes of their generation turn to dust.

"There can only be one Supreme Being; it has always been so. In this generation, there are too many; they are all false titles. They are scenes of future tragedy."

Daoist Qinghuang also arrived, and naturally, his accompanying party included guardians from his own race. With the emergence of the Ancient Tree of Life, how could such a divine medicine not attract Great Sages whose lifespans are waning?

The Ox King, Stone Man, Evil God, and others also came. Even powerhouses of their stature had to be cautious when entering the Mythical Ancient Domain for the first time, to avoid disaster.

All the heroes appeared simultaneously, and experts from various paths roamed, while an endless army of ancient beasts traversed the sky. All were searching for the Sea of Bitterness, but even after nearly scouring the entire ancient domain, they found no clues.

Some even began attacking the reef, hoping to provoke a phenomenon. However, apart from the Dao marks left by a Heavenly Venerate from the mythical era emitting dazzling light and instantly killing those who dared to touch them, there were no other clues or signs.

Where was the vast Sea of Bitterness? Why did so many people search without success? This truly vexed and frustrated everyone. Perhaps, as the legends say, only those favored by the gods could one day suddenly see a divine ocean, step onto a special small boat, and journey to the Other Shore.

“Ah...”

In the depths of the starfield, a fierce battle was drawing to a close, pitiful and lamentable. A young supreme being of this generation met their end.

The massive body of a ten-zhang-tall Golden Giant was struck by the Golden Snake Second Lord's golden tail. Splintered bones and bloody mud, mixed with golden blood, splattered, staining the starfield in a mournful, brilliant hue.

All the heroes fell silent in awe, chills running down their spines upon seeing this scene. This was a Golden Royal, the purest bloodline among the giant race, whose combat prowess was unmatched in the world. Yet, they ended up as a pile of bones on the Emperor's Path.

The Golden Giant, born with divine strength, was exceptionally powerful, akin to the ancestors who opened up heaven and earth in the mythical era. Possessing supreme majesty that could shatter the Six Paths and Nine Heavens, it was ultimately defeated after more than a hundred rounds.

"This path has always been cruel and bloody," someone sighed softly. "Once defeated, this outcome is inevitable. Finally, young supreme beings are beginning to fall."

The Golden Snake Second Lord, currently in his snake form, was only a bit over a zhang long. His entire body glowed golden, his eyes were cold, and his flicking tongue hissed, making one's scalp tingle.

He shot away like lightning, his golden snake body piercing through the void, leaving behind a group of awestruck onlookers. No one spoke for a long time as they gazed at his afterimage.

"The Golden Giant was killed! Merely because he couldn't stand the Golden Snake Clan's four lords' ruthlessness and tyranny and challenged them with a single remark, the Golden Snake Second Lord then pursued and slew him!"

Pang Bo clenched his fists upon receiving the news. That Golden Giant had recently been on good terms with him, having journeyed with him in the starfield for several days. He never imagined that a newly-made acquaintance would be killed like this.

Ye Fan also frowned. Back at the True Phoenix Tower, when he was about to fight the Stone Man, it was this Golden Giant who mediated, preventing the fight. Such a somewhat honest and simple giant had met a violent end.

"Rest in peace," Pang Bo declared. "Although you and I didn't have a deep friendship, your character really suited my temperament. I will avenge this!"

"I went to the scene and saw the aftermath of the battle," the Dragon Horse uncharacteristically said with caution. "The Golden Giant was exceptionally powerful, but he was still utterly defeated by the Golden Snake Second Lord after a hundred moves. This speaks volumes; we must be careful."

The Golden Snake Clan's four lords possess heaven-defying strength and are among the best of the young supreme beings. Moreover, provoking one of them is equivalent to making enemies with all four.

"I have seen it: the blood-stained starfield, the ancient path strewn with corpses, the bleeding Other Shore, and endless heroic spirits singing laments," Daoist Qinghuang murmured. He should have passed away five hundred years ago, but he activated his last potential. Now, with little life left, he possessed a rare, clairvoyant late stage of life.

He survived by ancient secret arts, squeezing out the last of his life's radiance. Now, no tonic could help him. Having witnessed a fragmented corner of the future, he was filled with endless sorrow.

"Upon entering the Other Shore, all young supreme beings will die; only a few will survive..."

Unfortunately, he still couldn't see through or discern if there was a true Immortal Path, and he didn't know the ultimate fate of this Golden Age.

"Clues to the Sea of Bitterness have been found; there's an endless ocean in another void," the message read. "Unfortunately, there's only one small boat, and only a few can reach the Other Shore."

On this day, a piece of news shook the starfield. An unknown number of beings rushed towards it, all hoping to carve out a future and seize a grand fortune.

This was a dark starfield, devoid of stars and nearing desolation. As numerous powerhouses rushed in, various Dao patterns suddenly emerged, as if dragons and serpents coiled together, stars shifted and constellations turned, and heaven itself revealed murderous intent.

In an instant, bloody carnage ensued with severed limbs and primal spirits fleeing skyward, and the starfield descended into chaos.

In this place, sinister winds howled and bloody rain poured. Vast numbers of lives were harvested like wheat, and it was unknown how many cultivators fell.

"This is a death trap, too malicious! Are they trying to slaughter all of us?!" the unwilling heroes roared in anger, charging outwards.

But within the four-layered Great Sage Killing Formation, let alone them, even true Great Sages might suffer a bitter end. In this calamity, young supreme beings perished.

A Dragon Sparrow flapped its wings, striking the heavens. Unfortunately, it ultimately failed to reach the Great Sage realm, splitting into pieces, filled with unwillingness.

Many died in this battle. The rest fled, unwilling to approach that starfield again.

"Hmm, so much life energy has been harvested," a hoarse voice said. "If one truly wants to cross the Sea of Bitterness and brave the Other Shore in the future, this is fate, a guarantee of survival."

In the darkness, four Great Sages manifested. One of them was indeed the Grey Flood Dragon, and the other three were the Golden Toad, Heavenly Dog, and Great Roc, respectively. All were much older than the Grey Flood Dragon and were rare creatures from ancient times.

"What a pity that only a few of those young supreme beings came," one said. "Only one went deep. They really have a lot of good things on them. I suspect the formation diagrams on those four winged serpents are related to their ancient ancestors."

"What 'young supreme beings'?" another scoffed. "We suppressed our peers just the same back then. And now, aren't we still stuck in the Great Sage realm? Let them become Great Sages before they boast."

This starfield calmed down, leaving behind large areas of severed limbs and dripping blood. It looked terrifying. The four figures departed after harvesting the life energy.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye. This ancient domain had never been quiet. More people entered the Mythical Ancient Domain, all searching for the dwelling place of the gods, all hoping to cross the sea to the Other Shore.

But there were still no clues. Just like the numerous beast venerables in ancient times who exhausted their efforts yet gained nothing in their lifetime, no matter how many people came, they couldn't find the Sea of Bitterness.

"My life is running out. I never thought I would pass away here." In the starfield, Daoist Qinghuang sat cross-legged, neither happy nor sad, his face very peaceful.

"Boom!"

He began to dissolve into the Dao, unable to hold on any longer. It was already a miracle that he had lived until now; a Great Sage living over eight thousand years was rare in ancient times.

All cultivators under this starfield were alarmed, feeling a massive fluctuation. The Great Dao rumbled, as if thousands of soldiers and horses were charging, or endless beings were wailing.

Ye Fan was naturally alarmed too and rushed there quickly. He had a premonition, as he had seen Daoist Qinghuang several times over the past five years, listening to him discuss the Dao and share cultivation experiences, and knew his life was nearing its end.

"It's Senior Qinghuang indeed!"

Upon arriving in this starfield, Ye Fan felt a wave of sorrow. This was the first time he had witnessed an elder dissolving into the Dao. He could only watch helplessly, powerless to stop it or change the outcome.

"Senior Qinghuang... he's finally gone..." Pang Bo also sighed softly. It was heartbreaking to see such a benevolent elder's life come to an end, dissolving into the Dao in this manner.

Not just them, many others also rushed to the scene. But none dared to approach, staying infinitely far away, otherwise, they would be implicated and dissolve into the Dao alongside him.

The Sky-Swallowing Beast, the Golden Snake Four Lords, Shen Clan's Xin Lan, Sang Gu, Blood Beast, Earth Corpse, and others all arrived. A large number of ancient beasts also watched from the starfield.

The Ox King, Daoist Hundred Tribulations, Stone Man, Grey Flood Dragon, Golden Toad, and others also arrived. They were all silent. Whether they were enemies or old acquaintances, seeing Daoist Qinghuang about to pass away, and being Great Sages themselves, they felt a pang of empathy.

It was incredibly difficult to cultivate to this stage. Great Sages were beyond the mundane, yet in the end, it was all for naught, no different from mortals. After death, they all became a mound of yellow earth and calamity dust.

"My life is short. I just want to see if there are Immortals, if there is immortality. What will happen when this Golden Age concludes?"

Amidst the tribulation of dissolving into the Dao, Daoist Qinghuang's entire body glowed, and streams of light rain flew up, scattering in all directions. He wasn't particularly joyful nor excessively sorrowful; what remained was merely the tenacity of an old man with little life left.

Younger individuals might not understand, but the Great Sages felt deeply poignant. At this moment, there were no enemies, only peers, and they, too, would one day reach this stage.

In the end, they still didn't know if what they had pursued their entire lives truly existed. For them, this was truly the greatest sorrow.

Daoist Qinghuang appeared very calm, but his peers deeply understood how helpless he was, and that even sorrow was useless now.

"I dare ask Heaven: are there Immortals?"

Daoist Qinghuang asked persistently, even as he dissolved into the Dao, his gaze fixed on the sky, yearning for an answer.

This question stirred a profound sadness in the hearts of the Great Sages. After a lifetime of hardships and difficulties to reach this stage, to end like this, with a lifetime of seeking yielding no result, was truly tragic.

All the cultivators fell silent, watching a Great Sage of this generation wither away, transforming into brilliant light particles, scattering in all directions and continuously disintegrating.

"I just want to... catch a glimpse of the end of this path, to see if there are truly Immortals."

Daoist Qinghuang murmured, his eyes dimming as he dissolved into a fiery glow. He couldn't help but let out a long cry to the heavens, then suddenly shattered into pieces, transforming into a brilliant stream of light.

"Boom!"

Heaven and earth split apart, the firmament collapsed, and the massive Azure Phoenix, transformed into light, shattered and ceased to exist.

"I just want to know..."

Under the vast starfield, only a lingering echo remained, still asking, with such persistence.

"Farewell, fellow Daoist." All the Great Sages, even those who were sworn enemies or ancient adversaries, were somber at this moment, seeing him off.

"Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!"

Suddenly, heaven and earth seemed to respond, projecting a series of strange images that caused many to exclaim in surprise.

Had the heavens responded after Daoist Qinghuang's passing, giving him an answer? People watched with bated breath.

"Eh, a path... Are there Immortals? What... what did you all see?!"

"That's... the Sea of Bitterness, the Other Shore! A clue has appeared now, within that image!"