A single majestic voice seemed to strip away all the power of this world.
The wind stopped blowing, the clouds stopped moving, and space itself seemed to stand still.
Countless golden rays of light flowed slowly out from the spatial rift. It was majestic, vast, sacred, and inviolable, like the light of God that angels bathed in when they descended to earth. It connected the past, present, and future, establishing a passage in the river of time that connected the present world.
The entire Yunzhou was bathed in golden light.
Those powerful divine thoughts that surged in like a river vanished the instant they approached the boundary wall of Yunzhou, as if they had never existed.
Moreover, the moment that voice rang out, all those whose divine senses had collapsed suffered a backlash, regardless of how far apart they were or where they were.
Even worse, some had their very foundations destroyed and vanished into thin air.
What's terrifying is that this situation wasn't intentionally created by the owner of that voice; they were merely affected by a wisp of pressure emanating from it.
"How is this possible!"
A supreme being cried out in sorrow, his expression desolate, for his foundation of cultivation was shattered and likely beyond repair.
"Did a mere thought of divine intervention cause such a backlash?"
"Who...who exactly is this person?"
"Could it be the divine will of a celestial lord from the upper realm...?"
While many powerful beings who had previously extended their divine senses only to suffer backlash were still murmuring in shock, various disturbances suddenly arose on the Tianxuan Continent.
The ancestral lands of the ten great imperial clans of the Central Divine Continent, the Tongxian Peak of the Immortal Mountain of Immortality, the Buddhist temples and mountains of the Western Heaven, as well as many ancient forbidden zones of life, the Blissful Calamity Land, and so on, all suddenly erupted with powerful forces.
The power pierced through the clouds and penetrated the heavens and earth, having a terrifying effect. There were also many phantom figures standing in the air, and even many old monsters crawling out of the coffins in the burial ground.
Their expressions were all the same, all looking towards Yunzhou, but none of them dared to venture out their divine senses rashly, only observing from afar.
"Is it... Him who has returned?"
Finally, an ancient creature spoke in a hoarse voice.
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
At that moment, everyone was moved.
Their minds were filled with memories of that time ten thousand years ago, when an empress, having cultivated the Immortal-Slaying Technique and mastered the Dragon-Slaying Skill, made a grand vow on the day she attained the Great Ascension Immortal Body: May every human being be like a dragon, may all cultivate immortality, may all cultivators ascend to heaven, and may everyone have the hope of achieving immortality...
Even more terrifying was that on the day she transcended this world, the blood of supreme immortals was spilled, shattering all paths, and all living beings in the world roared, wailed, and raged. A series of mournful songs were played, the Great Dao cried out, strange phenomena appeared in the heavens, and blood rain fell, continuing for years...
"Empress, that woman of unparalleled beauty, who has captivated throughout history, is she truly about to return?"
The Lord of the Forbidden Zone murmured that he was born in an era even earlier than that legendary woman. However, in that era, the Great Dao collapsed, and there was no hope of becoming an immortal. That's why he found a secret method to transform himself into a Forbidden Zone in order to resist the erosion of time and hope that one day he could walk the path of immortality again.
Yet, in this tranquil era, he witnessed the rise of a woman. In this golden age of prosperity and dazzling splendor, countless geniuses and prodigies emerged, but none could rival the woman's brilliance.
However, even such a brilliant person eventually fell, falling because of her arrogance and because of the punishment of the gods and immortals.
But with gods and immortals intervening, how could she possibly have a chance to return...?
"The Empress!"
"Has the Empress returned?!"
"We have come to pay our respects to the Empress!"
Even after ten thousand years, some surviving, decaying people still crawled out of their coffins on this day, sincerely bowing towards the direction where the golden light poured down, their eyes filled with tears.
At this moment, in a secret place somewhere in the Central Plains, the earth was as if it were riddled with holes, and countless streams of lava flowed and crisscrossed like great rivers, running through the entire land.
If a Feng Shui master of the Heavenly Rank were here, they would probably be able to see that the terrain here resembles a phoenix rising from the ashes, and at the heart of the phoenix sits a woman's figure.
She was surrounded by a hazy glow, her face cold and stunningly beautiful. While cultivating, she suddenly frowned, opened her pupils, and a dazzling light filled the world. A divine spear seemed to fly out of her body as if out of control, buzzing and trembling as if it were crying out in sorrow.
"This is........ "
Nanning Xianhuang reached out and grasped the spear with both hands. A powerful aura instantly erupted from the spear, sweeping across the surrounding world.
With a deafening roar, the islands floating in the lava instantly turned to dust, and the enormous sea of lava surged up thousands of layers high like ocean waves.
"Why is the Empress's sidearm vibrating?!"
Nanning Immortal Phoenix frowned, her figure rising from the ground and bursting out of this secret realm, appearing above the void, gazing into the distance.
"Ancestor..."
She murmured to herself, her eyes seemingly brimming with barely concealed excitement.
——
At this time.
In Yunzhou, on Turtle Mountain, the moment the Empress's voice rang out, the Buddha's Soul Summoning Array, which everyone had worked together to summon a single orange soul, shattered instantly.
"Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk greets the Empress!"
Samantabhadra Buddha clasped his hands together and bowed sincerely.
However, the radiance between his brows began to fade, and the majestic Buddha seated behind him slowly dissipated in a gentle breeze. All the lotus flowers withered, leaving no trace of life.
In the eyes of Samantabhadra Buddha, there was sorrow, shock, and emotion, but in the end, there was serenity.
"This humble monk had no intention of peeking at the Emperor's countenance..."
With just this one sentence, Samantabhadra Buddha fell silent, silently chanting the Buddha's name. The dim light around him gathered again, condensing into a final lotus flower, which shone like a lamp in the dark night, guiding the two souls.
"Yi Cheng, come here."
A light, melodious voice echoed through the endless river, a voice much gentler than before.
Amidst the surging light, and in the hazy distance, everyone seemed to see the figure turn around, extend her jade-like hand, and beckon in their direction.
"Master..."
With this gentle summons, Yi Cheng's soul slowly left her body and floated towards the sky.
Golden light swirled and danced, while the little chubby boy's soul floated into the air, looking left and right, blinking his little eyes full of curiosity.
She actually saw herself! The chubby little girl sitting cross-legged in the courtyard on the mountain. It was the first time she realized how fat she really was!
"Hello, Yi Cheng."
The empress spoke, her figure tall and imposing, her true face hidden, forming a stark contrast with the short, chubby man floating in front of her.
"Who are you?"
Yi Cheng tilted her head back, scratched her little head, and asked.
Only she seemed to see the true face of this older sister.
"I am you."
Laughter seemed to be heard.
Yi Cheng's brain was about to be burned out.
Who is that goose?
"You are me too. We are the same person, or rather, we are a part of each other."
"oh oh. "
Yi Cheng nodded, looking like he understood, but in reality, this was the highest secret technique from Turtle Mountain; he was just pretending to know what he didn't.
"Yi Cheng, I truly envy you. We've wandered through countless lifetimes, yet only you have met your master."
He reached out his palm and stroked Yi Cheng's head, his gaze seemingly filled with infinite tenderness and melancholy, before simply smiling and letting it go.
"That's good too. Having met my master, I'll never suffer the pain of wandering again."
"What do you mean? Don't you have a master?"
Yi Cheng tilted her head back and asked with wide, small eyes.
"Me? I should."
"Hmph, that young master is better than the goose master, isn't he?"
Yi Cheng, hands on her chubby waist, proudly boasted, "Master Goose will feed the goose, make sugar beans, brew wine, and even make new clothes for the goose. Hmm... he can also make peach blossom cakes, and many, many other things..."
"Really? You're so lucky."
"yes. "
Yi Cheng raised her little head, her lips pursed, but she quickly lowered her head again, scratching her ear and complaining with some distress, "Sigh, I've been a bit troubled lately. My master insists that I cultivate for two hours every day."
"Two hours, not a long time."
"It's getting really long!"
Yi Cheng suddenly widened her small eyes and said.
"Geese usually only play for four or five hours a day, and they also need to sleep and eat."
A little girl with a bitter face.
The Empress patted Yi Cheng's head, her gentle tone seemingly tinged with endless melancholy.
"Yi Cheng, compared to our countless lifetimes of waiting, two hours of cultivation a day is actually... not long."
"Alright, if you say it won't grow, then it won't grow."
Why did you agree with what I said?
"I don't know, I just felt you suddenly became so sad, and since you're so sad, I won't argue with you."
Yi Cheng shrugged.
"Hahaha....... "
The Empress's hearty laughter rang out.
"It's alright. The moment I saw you, it proved that our countless lifetimes of reincarnation were worthwhile. It's just that I have to go now. From this moment on, Nanning Xuan will no longer exist in this world."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"Where did we come from?"
"Where did you come from? Won't you come visit our home? How about we have Master Goose make some candy beans for you?"
Yi Cheng blinked her little eyes. For some reason, at this moment, she seemed a little reluctant to part with this unfamiliar older sister.
"I want to go too, I want to eat another meal cooked by Master, but I can't."
"But it doesn't matter. Destiny has been made, so let it be. I only wish that the world in Master's eyes will appear."
"In that case, I think Master will be very happy."
Nanning Xuan's figure slowly dissipated, and she transformed into countless points of light that rushed into Yi Cheng's sea of consciousness.
Goodbye, Yi Cheng.
At that moment, tears suddenly streamed down Yi Cheng's face, but the little guy seemed oblivious, just staring blankly around with his little eyes.
Time flew by, waves crashed, and she suddenly burst into tears.
Perhaps, even she herself doesn't know why she's crying?
Amitabha Buddha...
In the far distance, the sound of Buddhist chants seemed to rise, and a golden lotus quietly bloomed, like a guiding light in the darkness, leading the confused soul back home.
The River of Time closed, and all the strange phenomena in the sky above Yunzhou disappeared. However, for a time, no one dared to extend their divine sense to the land of Yunzhou.
On Turtle Mountain, Yi Cheng's soul slowly drifted back, returned to her body, and fell into a deep sleep.
Upon seeing this, Qin Shou hurriedly shut down the mountain-protecting formation, concealing all auras, and stepped forward to anxiously check on Yi Cheng's condition.
"One orange..."
After calling out a few times and investigating for a while, Qin Shou finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thankfully, I'm unharmed."
At this moment, Yi Cheng's body seemed to be shrouded in a hazy fairy light, and her soul was undergoing fusion, which might take some time.
However, after all the probing, Qin Shou's expression suddenly became serious.
Not only him, but everyone present was filled with doubt and shock.
"What's going on?"
Qin Shou spoke, his tone even sounding somewhat urgent.
"Even though her soul has been summoned back, and her soul power has reached a terrifying level, it still feels incomplete."
Amitabha Buddha.
At this moment, the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra from the Western Heaven clasped his hands together and said with some amazement, "This beloved disciple of Benefactor Qin has likely transcended the realm of our comprehension. Even if the soul of someone as powerful as the Empress were to merge with it, this would only be a fragment of it."
"What does the master mean by this?"
Qin Shou frowned.
Samantabhadra Buddha replied, "Or you could say that a person's three souls and seven spirits are like a complete piece of porcelain, while your disciple's soul is merely a fragment after the porcelain has shattered. The Empress's soul is also one of those fragments. Even if these two fragments are combined, they are only a small part of the original porcelain."
"This humble monk truly cannot fathom what kind of being this is, capable of reincarnation from mere fragments of a soul, and even cultivating to such an astonishing level as the Empress."
"Amitabha Buddha, only today have I truly understood the meaning of the saying, 'Compared to the vastness of the heavens, we are ultimately nothing more than ants crawling on the ground, or frogs at the bottom of a well.'"
On this day, this holy Buddha of the Western Heaven Region, the strongest person in the world, uttered such a presumptuous and shallow remark.
In fact, it wasn't just him; even the remaining people, such as Song Ningsheng and Luo Xihe, were speechless with shock at this reality.
"The once peerless empress, whose beauty and grace defied all ages, was actually a fragment of this little girl's soul...?"
"This little girl's origins may transcend this world...!!!"
"this........ "
For a moment, no one knew what to say.
Luo Xihe seemed to have thought of something, and he became somewhat nervous as he looked at the Qin beast.
Such a shocking secret...
At this moment, Qin Shou was also filled with shock.
He never imagined that his foolish disciple would have a connection with the peerless empress from ten thousand years ago.
He never imagined that even if he could summon back the Empress's remnant soul, it wouldn't be enough to make up for Yi Cheng's soul.
More importantly, if such a secret were to be leaked, not only his disciple, but he himself would likely face unimaginable disaster.
If the immortals and gods of the upper realm were to learn of this, they would probably not let Yi Cheng off the hook.
For a moment, Qin Shou's mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't help but turn his gaze to the holy Buddha, a strange emotion flashing deep in his eyes.
"Amitabha Buddha, Benefactor Qin, there is no need for you to harbor murderous intent towards this humble monk."
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