“Mommy, lift me high!”
“Mommy, hold me tight!”
“I want to fly high~ Mommy, throw me up high!!”
At the peak of the mountain, sunlight wove through the gaps between the leaves like golden threads, casting patches of dappled light and shadow. A gentle breeze brushed past, like a tender hand carrying the sweet scent of blooming peach blossoms, filling the air with a dreamlike fragrance.
A small figure traced a graceful arc in the air before landing steadily into the embrace of a larger figure. The little boy dressed in a white robe was flushed with excitement, clapping his hands repeatedly, his clear laughter echoing across the mountain peak as he shouted, “Fun, fun! I want to play more!”
……
Sand, swirling endlessly in the air.
Amidst the vast sea of sand, a man in a white robe with golden patterns walked alone. The fierce wind whipped the yellow sand mercilessly against his body, but he seemed utterly oblivious, like a stone statue devoid of feeling, mechanically taking one step after another, each footfall heavy with an endless melancholy.
His white robe had long since been stained yellow by the sand, and the golden patterns had faded, like glory corroded by the ravages of time.
His mature face was etched with traces of solitude, his eyes hollow and deep, with two long tear streaks looking out into the distance, but unaware of where home was.
He had no idea how long he had been wandering like a walking corpse; the endless time was nothing but torment to him.
He didn’t know how long he had lived in this world. Every sunrise and sunset meant nothing to him.
No resting place in death, no moment of peace—he didn’t even know who he truly was.
All he knew was that he was a cursed, lonely, and numb immortal.
And also a sinner.
……
“Ugh, filthy!”
“You need to be washed a few more times.”
“Don’t shake your fur! If you splash water in my face, I’ll starve you for a few meals.”
Rustle, rustle, the clear sound of water echoed. Warm water flowed like gentle rain, drenching his body. The sensation was strange, somewhat uncomfortable and unnatural, yet those large white-soaped hands scratched at him with just the right pressure, producing a strangely pleasant feeling.
I sniffed. It was a familiar scent.
I found her.
I belong to her.
She is mine—the only attachment I have in these endless years.
……
I dreamed again.
This time, three dreams.
The first dream was of a master completely different from the one I know now. No, in that dream, she should be called “Mommy.” She wasn’t as fierce as she is now, didn’t hit me as much, nor was she so… overwhelmed by desire.
She doted on the little boy in the dream, pampered him dearly.
I envy him so much. If only I were him.
The second dream showed a desert—a lonely, numb man wandering within it. Even though it was a dream, and I knew it was false, I could still feel the overwhelming sorrow and regret emanating from that man.
He must have committed a sin so grave even he couldn’t forgive himself.
The third dream—so strange, indescribable—made me feel like I wasn’t human.
Oh, and after every dream, my mind is filled with strange and obscure knowledge. Like last time, it was a cultivation technique called Great Freedom: The Will of My Own Heart.
I asked “You” about it, but “You” didn’t know. I looked it up in the classics—no record. And why not ask “Master”?
Hmph!
I won’t ask her!
I’m going to defeat her!!
Using the very principles she taught me!!
And then repay her in kind for everything she did to me!!!
Finishing today’s diary in one breath, Xuantian Zhenjun—Su Xiaohei closed the journal, grabbed the black spear with a grayish-white stone spearhead, and turned to leave the room.
Today was Master’s breakthrough into Transformation Divine stage; I must be there.
A gentle breeze swept by, fluttering the diary pages, which turned rapidly until they stopped at the last page, where the words were clear—
“I prefer a Master who listens more than one who merely demands obedience.”
……
Qingdi Divine Palace, the central hub of the Celestial Realm Array.
With the help of many old ghosts and countless failures, Su Bai finally confirmed his own unconventional path to Transformation Divine as an outsider.
Drawing the marrow of Heaven and Earth to become a god.
What is the marrow of Heaven and Earth?
An old ghost from Mingchuan replied: It is the unborn change that Heaven and Earth will undergo!
In simpler terms, it is the future transformations of the Everlasting World yet to occur.
Drawing the marrow means depriving Heaven and Earth of part of its evolution—an act defying Heaven’s will.
In the past, anyone daring to entertain such thoughts or take such actions would immediately face the iron fist of the Everlasting Heavenly Dao, ensuring divine punishment and being returned to the Dao.
But things are different now. An old ghost advocating the unity of Heaven and Man spoke up: The Everlasting Heavenly Dao is now, for unknown reasons, too preoccupied to manage other matters.
It was this statement that finally made Su Bai decide to establish the Celestial Realm Array. Not just one, but 129,600 arrays scattered throughout Zhongzhou!
By amassing quantity to build quality, once Transformation Divine succeeds, it will be complete—half a step into the Way of Unity!!
At the same time, after receiving clearance from the [Divine Emperor Soldiers], Su Xiaohei carried fine peach blossom brew into the palace, crossed the Jade Bridge, and entered the bedchamber.
Before him stood Su Bai, dressed in an emerald imperial robe, one hand behind her back, gazing at a map of the Five Domains and Two Heavens.
“Disciple pays respects to Master,” Su Xiaohei bowed respectfully.
“Ha ha ha…” Pleasant laughter rang out immediately. “No need for formalities. We are both Master and disciple, father and son. In the days when clans ruled the Outer Domain, I might even have to rely on you to inherit the family legacy someday.”
“Disciple dares not,” Su Xiaohei lowered his head modestly.
“Master is a prodigy. Since rising, she spent several years building her foundation, then forty years refining the Core, ascending to Sect Leader, becoming unstoppable.”
“Zhongzhou is the leader of the Five Domains. Master laid low for thirty years, waiting for the chaos in the Five Domains. Thirty years of silence, then a thunderous roar!”
“Eradicating You, crushing the Yaksha, wielding the Immortal Alliance’s command against traitors—within such a short time, the Jiuyou Sect lost all standing. Then internal purges, beheading a dozen Core-stage cultivators. With a mid-Core Nascent Soul and three spirit treasures, she challenged seasoned Core cultivators. Blood rained for three days, and the alliance’s undercurrents finally calmed!”
“With the righteous cause of You’s eradication, the East Sea surrendered without battle. Then, leveraging the forces of two domains, attacked the Northern Plains, Southern Borders, and swallowed the Western Desert. Unstoppable victories all the way!!”
“In the Battle of the Three Mountains, the remaining Five Domain rebels were crushed. Five Great True Lords and dozens of Realms were slain by Master’s ‘Heavenly Emperor Spirit Lock Array’—shocking the Five Domains and Two Heavens. From then on, what was public became private. The Jiuyou Alliance no longer exists—only the Qingdi Divine Palace!”
Listening to such a torrent of praise from his disciple, Su Bai couldn’t help but feel a little proud. Though this life’s little pet wasn’t as close as the last one, even afraid and uneasy deep down, he was a very competent subordinate.
Whoever he was ordered to attack, he did so. Every mission was completed perfectly, and last time he even killed the Hongyuan True Lord from the Northern Plains, bringing back an interesting little cauldron.
“Well, these are but minor achievements,” Su Bai said, turning her back and folding her hands calmly. “This breakthrough to Transformation Divine is why I specially recruited you as my protector. I don’t trust the other generals. We have a big rat within—one very big rat.”
“Now the Five Domains are stabilized, but hearts still cling to the old Five Domains. Those remnants stir up trouble. As for my breakthrough to Transformation Divine—”
Sss!
A cold gleam flashed as the gray-white stone spearhead pierced straight through Su Bai’s dantian. Blood gushed out like a fountain.
Her Nascent Soul instantly shattered, the vast magical power uncontrollably overflowing like a broken dam. Her once majestic aura plummeted in an instant; a century of painstaking cultivation vanished in a blink.
Any other cultivator would collapse on the spot, but Su Bai remained as if nothing had happened, her expression composed and calm. She lifted her jade hand gently, fingertips brushing the bloodied gray-white spearhead lodged in her lower abdomen, her tone as placid as still water.
“Absolute Immortal Stone. Interesting.”
“To think the greatest rat within Qingdi Divine Palace is you. Seems I’ve raised you wrong again—or maybe this is your true nature.”
“An untameable white-eyed wolf.”
Seeing Su Bai so composed and unshaken, Su Xiaohei’s heart immediately turned cold.