Chapter 1770: Return to the Ruins The Final Echo

Time and again, the Empress broke free from the cycle of reincarnation. Yet, before she could fully regain control of her body, she was sealed by the two men's Red Knot Imprint. No sooner had she deciphered and broken the seal than they would cast her back into the cycle.

Repeatedly subjected to this, she felt nothing but despair.

The Ultimate Void had already infiltrated her Guixu domain, eroding her Great Dao cultivation and steadily diminishing her power.

Lan Yutian, the foremost genius from a million years ago, and Xu Shenghua, a rising star of Yankang, kept her firmly suppressed, leaving her with no means of escape.

She could only continue to weaken until these two eventually wore her down to her demise!

Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua's coordination was impeccable, truly seamless.

They had both achieved enlightenment in the Ancestral Court, exchanging insights. They had also meditated under the World Tree, comprehending its mysteries. Their paths were remarkably similar, and they were intimately familiar with each other's divine abilities.

While Lan Yutian, being oblivious to worldly affairs, was one thing, the crucial factor was Xu Shenghua. No matter what divine ability Lan Yutian employed, Xu Shenghua could instantly anticipate his intentions and flawlessly cooperate.

Lan Yutian had achieved the most in the Dao Realm, being the closest to full enlightenment within the Ancestral Court's Dao Realm system, and possessed the greatest strength. Although Xu Shenghua was lesser in comprehension and innate talent, he had single-handedly guarded the World Tree for decades, eliminating countless prehistoric powerhouses who had infiltrated. His combat experience and tactical awareness far exceeded Lan Yutian's.

The Empress had also employed every means at her disposal, even attempting to summon the Guixu Holy Land. If she could draw upon its boundless power to devour the void, she believed she could pull them into the Guixu itself.

Once within her sacred domain, eliminating the two would no longer be a challenge.

However, Xu Shenghua repeatedly saw through her intentions, disrupting her attempts to summon the Guixu Holy Land with his reincarnation divine ability.

Ultimately, the Ultimate Void breached her Guixu domain, tearing through thirteen layers in a short span of time and plunging the Empress into despair.

Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian's World Trees, like Dao Trees floating in the void, could harness the desolate winds of the Ultimate Void. Their roots extended like bridges, channeling these frigid gales deep into her Guixu domain, steadily eroding her cultivation and power.

Not far off, Shang Jun, Moon Heavenly Venerable, and Jiang Baigui were cornering the Master of the Joyous Palace.

In the distance, Emperor Haotian's battle for Dao attainment raged. Heavenly Venerable You, the Two Emperors Xuanwu, and Lang Wo charged towards Emperor Haotian. Having recently met and received guidance from the Third Young Master Lingxiao, Haotian's second attempt at achieving Dao through sheer power had reached a critical juncture, leaving him utterly preoccupied and unable to attend to the Empress.

Another layer of her Guixu domain shattered. The Empress felt her cultivation rapidly diminish, only for the sensation of weakening to abruptly cease as she was once more plunged into the cycle of reincarnation by Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian.

When the Empress next emerged from reincarnation, she was horrified to find yet another layer of her Guixu domain had been breached!

Yet, before she could even collect herself, Lan Yutian invoked the Red Knot Imprint, pressing it upon her brow and severing her consciousness.

As they battled her, the two men simultaneously gained insights into new reincarnation divine abilities, perfecting their respective Great Dao of Reincarnation, while also deciphering even more variations of the Red Knot.

Even though the Empress repeatedly deciphered their reincarnation divine abilities and broke the Red Knot Imprint, she would inevitably fall victim again the next time, as their abilities had already evolved with new variations.

While myriad geniuses dotted the world like stars, perhaps only these two possessed the ability to continuously develop new techniques during combat, adapt on the fly, and constantly innovate.

“Empress, do not awaken after this strike!”

Lan Yutian, feeling a pang of reluctance, said, “You can enjoy the joys of family in reincarnation. If you emerge, you…”

Suddenly, the Six Paths of Reincarnation manifested behind Xu Shenghua. Six distinct Great Daos of Reincarnation materialized as six celestial wheels, invading the Empress’s physical body, stripping away both her primordial spirit and consciousness, casting them into the cycle of reincarnation.

The Empress's physical body stood empty and lifeless, frozen in place.

Xu Shenghua let out a sigh of relief, activating the World Tree. He then stated gravely, “After this battle, the Empress will cease to exist. Lan Yutian, you shouldn't be so soft-hearted.”

Lan Yutian activated his own World Tree, and together, the full might of the Ancestral Court Dao Domain erupted, obliterating the Guixu domain.

“She is one of the Ten Heavenly Venerables; it’s impossible for her to transcend that identity in this lifetime. I understand this.”

Lan Yutian said somberly, “But I wish to give her a chance. Once, she gave us a chance.”

Xu Shenghua fell silent.

Lan Yutian, reverting to his identity as Heavenly Venerable Yu, recalled his scattered memories. In his mind, he saw himself achieving enlightenment beneath a tree.

At that time, he was merely an unremarkable human youth. Before the Dragon Han era, humanity ranked as the lowest among all races.

As he meditated under the tree, the Empress’s imperial carriage passed by. The Empress commanded the celestial gods to halt, then lifted the beaded curtain, silently observing him without disturbing his enlightenment.

During that enlightenment, he comprehended the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, resolving the cultivation dilemma faced by all postnatal beings, even demigods.

That day, the world was transformed.

His enlightenment tree later became the Azure Emperor of the East Heaven.

On that day, the Empress stopped her carriage for him. After he awoke, she graciously invited him aboard her carriage. The two engaged in a long, heartfelt conversation, and her carriage carried him through the vast wilderness of the Primordial World, leaving him utterly captivated.

From that time on, he and the Empress formed a friendship.

Later, when the ancient gods bestowed their blessings upon him, it was also the Empress who facilitated it, persuading the revered deities and Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu.

The Empress's favor elevated humanity's status. Although still arduous, their situation improved significantly, eventually leading to the emergence of the Seven Heavenly Venerables of Dragon Han.

This was the kindness the Empress had shown him.

Xu Shenghua, however, recalled a different scene.

He remembered Qin Mu sending him to the Ancestral Court's Grand Beginning mine to meet the Empress and return the Taiji Primordial Liquid to the Taiji Ancient God. At that time, the Empress was still Consort Yan, and she conversed pleasantly with him. Initially, there had been affection and desire in the Empress's eyes, but later, only appreciation remained.

The Empress did not make things difficult for him and eventually let him leave.

As an adversary, Xu Shenghua held only admiration for the Empress, with no trace of hatred.

Unlike Qin Mu, who never considered himself a deity but rather a mortal, Xu Shenghua didn't view the Ten Heavenly Venerables' actions from a mortal perspective, which was why Qin Mu harbored hatred and sought to overthrow them.

Xu Shenghua began as a favored son of the High Heavens, an exalted ruler. While he was later influenced by Qin Mu and became a cornerstone of the Yankang Reform, he still had little interaction with mortals.

He couldn't bring himself to hate the Empress.

After a moment, Xu Shenghua said, “You and I can offer the Empress a glimmer of hope. However, it will depend entirely on whether she can seize it.”

Lan Yutian nodded.

The Empress stood motionless on the deck of the Golden Ferry.

She plummeted into Xu Shenghua's Six Paths of Reincarnation. When she next awoke, she found herself surrounded by darkness. To her astonishment, she was in a soft, flower-filled chamber.

Beside her lay another young body, whose aura was intricately linked to her own, yet radiated an entirely opposing energy.

It was another version of herself, brimming with the power to destroy all.

She, on the other hand, seemed to possess the power to nurture all creation.

They silently grew within this darkness, sensing peculiar tides emanating from the outside world.

One day, the darkness suddenly parted. The twin Guixu lotuses gently ascended from the Great Abyss, carried by the tides. Their petals softly rotated, and the twin lotuses unfurled.

The Empress and her other self saw the outside world for the first time.

Many Creators arrived, prostrating themselves before the two goddesses in the flowers. They called her Yuan Xi and her other self Yuan Mu. They revered her as the goddess of creation and Yuan Mu as the goddess of destruction.

At that moment, she felt herself become 'this' and 'that'.

The Creators offered sacrifices, worshipped, and presented tributes to them. While the Empress and Yuan Mu appeared superficially similar, their personalities gradually diverged through the Creators' worship.

Their natures became increasingly opposed.

Later, Tai Chu, the adopted son of the Grand Emperor, appeared. The tall, handsome man immediately captivated her.

Tai Chu possessed exceptional talent, grand strategies, and astonishing ambition and desire. When he looked at her, the fiery intensity in his gaze made her lose all composure.

However, when Tai Chu looked at his sister Yuan Mu, a hidden fire also smoldered beneath his calm gaze.

Blinded by the fervor of new love, she paid no mind to this observation.

Trapped within this Six Paths of Reincarnation divine ability, the Empress felt as though she was witnessing her entire life.

Time flowed on.

Soon, she witnessed a scene that diverged from her own memories: after defeating the Creators, Tai Chu was elevated to Heavenly Emperor and married both her and her sister.

“From beginning to end, you and Yuan Mu are one, both goddesses of Guixu.”

Tai Chu told her, “When I look upon her, it is as if I am looking upon you.”

The Empress silently accepted this. Afterwards, she bore a child named Qi, whom the ancient gods called Crown Prince Qi.

Crown Prince Qi was pure and endearing, deeply cherished by Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu. She, too, loved her son dearly.

Yuan Mu's child was also born, named Hao, whom the ancient gods called Second Crown Prince Hao.

She knew that she and Yuan Mu were, in essence, one entity, and Yuan Mu's child was also her own. Both Qi and Hao were her sons.

Her life was complete.

The Empress held Crown Prince Qi in one arm and Second Crown Prince Hao in the other, playfully amusing the two children. A smile graced her face, and the children chuckled gleefully without end.

“But it's all fake.”

Suddenly, the Empress’s expression turned cold. She activated her divine ability, and the two children in her arms shrieked, instantly turning to ash!

The Empress rose to her feet, darkness cloaked the sky, devouring all in its path, and she strode towards the Lingxiao Palace of the Celestial Heavens.

Wherever she passed, the Guixu annihilated everything. Countless celestial gods disintegrated into dust and shattered into chaos under its divine power.

“Zitong, have you lost your mind?” Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu exclaimed, disbelief etched on his face, as he charged towards her.

“Fake!”

The Empress sneered, and a great abyss abruptly appeared, swallowing Heavenly Emperor Tai Chu whole.

Yuan Mu stared blankly at the scene, then suddenly shrieked and lunged at her, demanding fiercely, “Sister, what have you done to our children?!”

“You are also fake.”

The Empress reached out; space warped, and Yuan Mu fell towards her, instantly being absorbed. The Empress sneered, “You and I were originally one, so let us return to unity! Xu Shenghua, you dream of making me abandon everything—my power and glory—with such a divine ability! Shatter for me!”

Her divine ability surged to its peak, and the Six Paths of Reincarnation crumbled, causing the Six Paths World to collapse!

The Empress returned to her own body. Opening her eyes, she found herself still on the Golden Ferry.

Opposite her, Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian stood. Their gazes settled upon her before they suddenly closed their eyes, as if unable to bear witnessing her plight any longer.

Two World Trees drew forth the immense power of the Ultimate Void, which then swept over and consumed her.

The Empress shrieked, attempting to escape their domain, but her cultivation had been almost entirely stripped away, leaving her body devoid of any power.

Moments later, the Empress, a ruler of an era, was utterly annihilated by the desolate winds.