Chapter 1812: The Summons of the Ancestral Sect

As time passed, the three heroes of the reforms became ancient legends. Emperor Yanfeng and Jiang Baigui initiated the Yanping reforms from humble beginnings. Qin Mu emerged from the Great Ruins and entered Yanping. The Heavenly Alliance was established, the High Heavens invaded, and the First Yanping Catastrophe occurred. These historical events are now so ancient that the memories of those who experienced them have faded.

Although those events remain imprinted in their minds, the faces, voices, and smiles of the people involved have become indistinct.

Emperor Yanfeng, as the first Heavenly Emperor, had already gone to the Ancestral Court. Saint Jiang Baigui was also rarely seen, like a divine dragon appearing only briefly. The Saint's Hall still stood above the capital, but traces of the Saint were rarely found within it.

As for Heavenly Venerate Mu, who single-handedly supported the Yanping reforms, he had never returned since entering and sealing the Ancestral Court.

From time to time, people would return from the Ancestral Court—some were enlightened beings, others were not. They would recount the battles in the Ancestral Court, narrating the thrilling campaigns.

Initially, the public found these battles quite novel. Some felt their blood boil, wishing they could immediately join their predecessors in combat, while others sighed with regret for the fallen.

But later, after hearing too many stories, they grew indifferent.

After all, the war in the Ancestral Court was still ongoing. It had been fought since the age of legends, and even now, there was no end in sight. It would likely continue in the future.

They felt that the war in the Ancestral Court had nothing to do with them; it was merely occasional after-dinner conversation.

"Human life is paramount, deities serve humanity, and the daily lives of the people embody the Dao"—these were the guiding principles of the Yanping reforms. However, during this period, there were setbacks.

After a million years of history had passed, successors could no longer recall why their predecessors had established these reform guidelines. Some were consumed by power, swayed by desire, and began to rot.

One Heavenly Emperor after another relinquished power and went to the Ancestral Court. By the thirty-second Heavenly Emperor, power became hereditary. By the forty-fifth Heavenly Emperor, there was even an attempt to establish a dynastic rule.

Ultimately, more than a dozen former Heavenly Emperors, including Emperor Yanfeng, rushed back from the Ancestral Court to put an end to this farce.

From then on, divinity became merely a position.

The Heavenly Dao operated above, while Earth Duke and the Six Paths of Reincarnation functioned below. Enlightened beings and Heavenly Emperors managed the myriad heavens and worlds, maintaining perfect order.

After this incident, the legends of the Ancestral Court once again caused a sensation. After all, the return of more than a dozen legendary Heavenly Emperors from the Ancestral Court to quell the rebellion was truly magnificent and awe-inspiring.

There were many powerful beings among the myriad heavens and worlds who sought out the location of the Ancestral Court. However, they encountered incredible phenomena there and found it impossible to enter.

After some more years, the Ancestral Court was gradually forgotten again. Batch after batch of new prodigies rose to prominence, displaying their brilliance across the myriad heavens and worlds.

The contact between the Ancestral Court and the Primordial World also gradually diminished. In the past, enlightened beings would return from the Ancestral Court every three thousand years. Later, it became four thousand, then five thousand, and eventually ten thousand, then twenty thousand years.

After billions of years passed, the starry sky became even more vast and boundless. New heavens emerged, the myriad heavens and worlds grew further apart, and the Primordial World became even more expansive. Going to the Ancestral Court became a difficult endeavor.

The battles in the Ancestral Court had become irrelevant to the people. Most did not know that bloody battles were still raging there. They did not care about these matters; they did not know why these people fought, clashed, or died, nor whether the warriors there were dead or alive.

Those senior figures and ancient sages were like stars in the night sky, hanging high and far away.

Only the enlightened beings of Yanping, whether living in seclusion or spreading the Dao, still cared about the battles in the Ancestral Court. They would inquire about "that person" from those who returned.

"He has been there for a million years, hasn't he? Is he still guarding that place?"

"Yes. A million years—that spans the history of Long Han, Chi Ming, Shang Huang, Kai Huang, and Yanping. He has persevered for so long. He said that once the number of enlightened beings in Yanping reaches a certain level, there will be a decisive battle. Then, he will return."

"He has been guarding the Ancestral Court for ten million years, hasn't he? Haven't the Ancestral Court's battles been resolved yet?"

"Yes. The hidden dangers in the Ancestral Court are too great; he cannot disengage now. Wuji's strength has grown, Old Man Wuya's power has increased, and other changes have occurred in the Ancestral Court. The young masters' treasure halls have descended, and several more hall masters have appeared. He said he would return."

"A hundred million years have passed, and the world has completely changed. Is he still guarding that place?"

"Yes, he is still guarding it, suppressing Wuji and Wuya. Last time, he went to Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City and broke into the High Heavens Palace. His strength has grown even greater, and he joyfully told us that his return was not far off."

"A billion years have passed. When will he have the decisive battle? When will he return?"

"Wait a little longer. Wuya is not to be feared, and the two young masters cannot fully descend, but the number of enlightened beings in Yanping is still too small to contend with them. Just wait a little longer."

Thirty-five billion years passed. The world had changed as dramatically as oceans turning into mulberry fields. The changes were so immense that even enlightened beings who had dedicated themselves to understanding the Dao felt a sense of unfamiliarity after emerging from their secluded cultivation.

The starry sky became even vaster. The Four Poles Heaven was even further from the Primordial World and the myriad heavens and worlds. Xuandu became higher, and Youdu's covered area expanded. Even for Earth Duke Qin Fengqing and Heavenly Venerate You, governing such a vast Youdu universe became extremely difficult.

They first divided the Youdu universe into four jurisdictions, created four additional Six Paths Heavenly Wheels, built four great Dao Halls, and appointed four Halls of Yama. Later, as the Youdu universe grew even vaster, the four jurisdictions became difficult to manage.

The four Halls of Yama gradually expanded to ten Halls of Yama. In the future, as the universe continues to grow, it might be necessary to establish even more Dao Halls.

One day, an envoy from the Ancestral Court arrived in the Primordial World to meet with the two ancient ancestors, Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian. The envoy said, "Heavenly Venerate requests the two ancestors to summon all enlightened beings to return to the Ancestral Court."

Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian were overwhelmed with emotion. Even with their Dao Hearts cultivated to the fortieth heavenly realm, they found it difficult to maintain their composure.

The two Dao Ancestors emerged from the ancient Dao Hall. Waves of the Grand Dao emanated from the hall, vibrating like spatial tremors. Although seemingly terrifying, the world's populace remained completely unaware.

Waves of the Grand Dao spread throughout the Primordial World and to the other heavens—the Primordial World, Xuandu, Youdu, the Four Poles Heaven, and the myriad heavens and worlds. Sleeping enlightened beings awoke, ancient deities revived, reclusive hermits in famous mountains, common street vendors, peddlers pulling carts, and laborers in factories all looked up, sensing the summons of the two Dao Ancestors.

Those with power relinquished it to their successors. Those with families made arrangements and prepared their belongings. Those who were unattached resigned their divine offices, hanging their official seals on the plaques of their residences.

Most people had forgotten the Ancestral Court, but these individuals remembered. They knew about the battles in the Ancestral Court and the sacrifices of those who remained there.

Since that person had summoned them, they would put everything aside and go to the Ancestral Court.

The myriad heavens and worlds were vast distances apart. Even using the psionic teleportation bridges would take many years. These enlightened beings each unleashed their own Dao aura, traveling through the cosmic void with their cultivation, hurrying to the Primordial World to meet their Dao companions.

Along the way, it was inevitably astounding, causing various anomalous phenomena to appear across the myriad heavens and worlds.

People were astonished and spread the news, having witnessed living legends, living myths.

Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian waited quietly. Two days later, around their Dao Hall, World Trees rose from the ground one after another, their multicolored Dao fruits illuminating the Primordial World's sky.

After a hundred days, the World Trees formed a forest.

A year later, a forest composed of World Trees had formed around the Dao Hall.

Beneath the World Trees stood a multitude of divine beings, the elite and finest from the myriad heavens and worlds over the past thirty-five billion years.

Their various Grand Daos made the entire Primordial World appear like the brightest, most vibrant gem in the universe.

The two ancient ancestors waited for a hundred years. All enlightened beings from the myriad heavens and worlds had gathered. Lan Yutian gazed at this magnificent scene, his heart surging with emotion.

This was the fruit that "that person" had strived for over thirty-five billion years, earned for the seventeenth cosmic epoch!

Ultimately, Lan Yutian's multitude of words condensed into a single sentence.

"To the Ancestral Court!"

This vast army of enlightened beings, following Lan Yutian and Xu Shenghua, marched majestically towards the Ancestral Court.

"Thirty-five billion years?" Lan Yutian asked Xu Shenghua.

"Indeed."

Xu Shenghua nodded, as composed as ever: "Thirty-five billion years." Yet, a surge of emotion was visible in his eyes, difficult to suppress.

"Is he still there?" Lan Yutian asked.

Xu Shenghua replied, "Still there."

Qin Fengqing joined them, silent for a moment before asking, "Will this be the final battle?"

"Possibly."

Xu Shenghua said, "Perhaps it's the final battle, or perhaps it's just a beginning. For us, it's the final battle; for him, it might be a new beginning." He paused, then smiled broadly: "He's someone who can't sit still; some call him a 'silly roe deer,' foolish and curious about everything. I'm also surprised that he has been able to remain in the Ancestral Court, suppressing it for so long. Everyone says he lacks patience, and he truly does. Yet this time, his patience has surpassed everyone else's, enduring longer than anyone."

"How has he endured all these years?"

Emperor Kai, Qin Ye, joined them, asking, "Since I returned from the Ancestral Court, I've rarely seen him. Have either of you been to the Ancestral Court?"

"He doesn't allow us to return, fearing it might alert the enemy."

Xu Shenghua shook his head, saying, "We haven't been back either."

Xing An walked over, carrying a box. "Few people in this world recognize him anymore, apart from us," he said.

Jiang Baigui approached and said calmly, "That we recognize him is enough."

Xing An glanced at him; the two Saints did not get along.

Jiang Baigui's gaze swept through the enlightened beings until he found one. He stepped forward and inquired, "Are you Si Qin, the clan leader of the Creation Spirits? Where is your mother?"

"My mother's lifespan ran out the year I attained enlightenment," Clan Leader Si Qin replied, his expression somber. "I arranged for her reincarnation, but she chose not to awaken her past life, willing to become a completely new being. I visit her often; she's living well now and no longer recognizes me."

He carried a painting, which he said Lang Wo had asked him to take to "that person" in the Ancestral Court before her death.

"May I see it?" Jiang Baigui asked.

Clan Leader Si Qin took down the painting and handed it to him.

Jiang Baigui unrolled the painting. It depicted a Jade Pool with flowers in it, beside which was a large green snake, a psychic projection, with a very broad head. Lang Wo stood on the snake's head, her demeanor not cold and aloof, but rather with a maiden's shyness. Beside her, a young man projected a fresh flower and offered it to her.

Jiang Baigui closed the painting and returned it to Clan Leader Si Qin. After a moment, Jiang Baigui looked up and said, "If heaven had emotions, heaven too would grow old. Since the Divine King chose to grow old, she should not be disturbed."