Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 1152 - 714: The Grand Finale (Part 4)
Within the flame, a figure deeply familiar to Tao Qian appeared.
She was incredibly beautiful, with long sleeves and robes, unparalleled in her cool elegance, the spiritual essence of heaven and earth flowing through her.
Liu Yupu, transformed into a wisp of Innate Spiritual Resonance, was slowly merging into her body at that moment.
The originally incomplete spiritual resonance was instantly made whole.
"Senior Sister!"
Tao Qian couldn't help but exclaim.
Although before entering the Source Swamp, Tao Qian had glimpsed the whereabouts of his Senior Sister Lingji from Liu Yupu.
Yet seeing her now, he was still pleasantly surprised; indeed, this good senior sister had not perished.
In another place, the pair of kindred siblings would have had a pleasant reunion.
Unfortunately, the current place was Source Nothingness darkness.
Both possessed extraordinary skills and understood the mysteries of fate; given Tao Qian's unique Abnormal Soul, he might have only one life chance.
Thus, after Xie Lingji merged with Liu Yupu and saw Tao Qian, her face showed joy but she said no unnecessary words.
In fact, they need not speak.
The spiritual connection pulled, and the mind became clear:
"Junior Brother, this is the Creation Ancestor God."
"The first Innate God Demon birthed from the Great Abyss Origin Pool, its rank surpasses even the Daoist Three Gods, the Formless Void Demon, and the Chaos Demon Ancestor."
"This is its true form. I was meant to perish completely, having been pulled here when I used the Dao Nightmare energy to glimpse the Xuanpin Gate; the Creation Ancestor God saved me, shielding my Heart Soul True Spirit within this strand of Outer Realm Source Fire. This flame is not of the Great Abyss Origin Sea, but from outside the Xuanpin Gate, hence it never extinguishes."
"Before its death, the Creation Ancestor God prophesied: the calamity of this world lies in the Dao Nightmare; due to the corruption of nightmare dreams, the world becomes increasingly corrupt. We, the first spirits, were expelled from the Source Pool, and the Xuanpin Gate closed... In the future, someone with an Abnormal Soul will come when you are complete, to illuminate their path and help reopen the Xuanpin Gate."
"Purify and reshape the Source Pool, and only then can this world be reborn."
As the mind flashed to this point, they both knew the anomaly mentioned by the Creation Ancestor God was undoubtedly Tao Qian.
Thus, Xie Lingji's cool voice instantly echoed in Tao Qian's heart and soul:
"Junior Brother, when I ride this strand of Source Fire and leap into Source Nothingness, I can illuminate the final stretch of your path."
"Earlier, Liu Yupu blessed you, but I, Xie Lingji, must do it once too."
"Junior Brother, may your Dao Path be smooth, Longevity...
As these thoughts emerged, Tao Qian felt an ominous foreboding in his heart.
In the next moment, just after becoming whole, Senior Sister Lingji unhesitatingly took that strand of Source Fire and flew into the abyss of Source Nothingness.
After all, it was a flame, whose illumination surpassed those past ashes.
Indeed, in that instant, he saw it.
The portal!
The portal that seals all, without terminus or boundary, containing every mystery of the world—the bronze portal.
Xuanpin Gate!
Driven by instinct, Tao Qian moved forward to touch the portal and attempted to push it open.
Yet this portal to the universe did not budge an inch.
This scene appeared laughably absurd; standing in the darkness before the boundless Xuanpin Gate, he was more insignificant than the tiniest flea or grain of sand, seemingly invisible, how could he possibly push it open?
Behind him, the Eternal Source Fire carrying "Xie Lingji" was falling, not extinguishing, just descending into the depths of darkness.
The sacrifice of his senior sister, yet still unable to open the Xuanpin Gate, unable still to save the world.
At that moment in his mind, familiar Record entries began to erupt.
In an instant, he comprehended everything.
"Xuanpin Gate is the ultimate portal, the entry to Source Village."
"There are countless doors, and behind each infinite worlds."
"The Great Abyss Origin Sea is one of them."
"The countless worlds birthed by Source Village reflect and affect each other."
"Some in the Dao, some in the Nightmare... constantly changing, living and dying, that is the Great Dao."
"If a Life can push open the portal, Nightmare can become illusion, allowing Source Pool Qi to flow anew, reshaping purity and pollution."
"But the lives of this world are all deluded by nightmare dreams, all illusory, unable to push open the Xuanpin Gate."
"Only I, the outsider... or should I say Transcender, can."
"But at what cost?"
"I must sever all ties, abandon everything, leaving only the pure Heart Soul from birth, without memory, without experience, to gain the status of a Transcender and push open the Xuanpin Gate."
"No, it's not as simple as abandoning."
"The true cost is that once I initiate, the Xuanpin Gate will begin to erase all existence connected to me from the Great Abyss Origin Sea."
"Among the Heroes decapitated at the marketplace in Seeking Immortal County, there will be no me... Chengyou Bookstore will not open... There will be no me in the disaster of Southern Yue... Duobao Daoist will not take me... I will not marry Yunrong... all traces will vanish completely."
"In this world, there are no such people as Selfless, let alone Suppressing Evil Immortals."
At this moment, Tao Qian seemed to laugh angrily.
But on closer inspection, one could see his twisted expression, filled with resignation, anger, despair, resentment, and other mixed emotions.
For he knew, the Record had not made an error; indeed, these were the truths.
The Great Abyss Origin Sea had found a path to life!
But the cost was clearly "Tao Qian" himself.
At this moment, he also recalled his past cultivation, using the Exemption Cost with great joy, and he once pondered: Can all costs truly be exempted? Or maybe they just accumulate, to eventually be paid back all at once.
His words were prophetic!
So much cost that Tao Qian could not possibly bear it.
Of course, he also had a choice.
Just play tricks!
Tao Qian had a strong premonition: if he just turned back now, grabbed that cluster of Eternal Source Fire, and returned to the Penglai Sea with Senior Sister Lingji, he could still live carefree for a hundred thousand and eight thousand years.
As for the inevitable destruction of this world, what did it have to do with him?
With such a good choice appearing, Tao Qian's expression became even more twisted. Finally, tears streamed down, and he gritted his teeth to push open the Xuanpin Gate, roaring at the same time:
"Open, open for me."
"Slash if you must, erase if you must, whatever cost it takes, just consider it a beautiful dream of mine, Tao Qian...."
As Tao Qian uttered these screams, a miraculous scene was born.
The Xuanpin Gate!
Silently swung open.
Then came the boundless Great Dao Source Qi, surging out from behind the gate.
In an instant, it began to cleanse the entire Great Abyss Origin Sea.
The filth, the Nightmare Energy, the Source Swamp that was gradually engulfing the world, began to disappear bit by bit.
And the cost?
Unexpectedly, it was Tao Qian himself.
He began to disappear; first it was the Suppressing Evil Dao Body he had cultivated with great hardship over the years, then the many Divine Skills in his mind, and then his memories....
But at the same time, he also noticed the benefits.
He was ascending!
To be precise, he was transcending.
What the Creation Ancestor God said was indeed true.
Once [the Xuanpin Gate] was pushed open, one could achieve great transcendence, great freedom.
Tao Qian had only pushed it halfway, and he had already transcended the Chaos Realm, transcending everything above the Great Dao. The Divine Power he possessed was enough to nurture and create a whole new Great Abyss Origin Sea world.
One would think that at this point, Tao Qian should be content.
Even though the cost he paid was heavy, his traces were erased, the words "Tao Qian" would become meaningless. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
But the benefits were also tremendous; he would transcend and attain the Great Dao.
All of this was indeed witnessed by Xie Lingji, who was about to completely fall into darkness.
She also realized, her dear junior brother would save the world; the cost was to completely "disappear," and the benefit was that her junior brother would truly transcend everything.
As a witness, she should have been joyful for her brother.
But who knows why!
At this moment, Xie Lingji felt extreme sadness for the first time, wishing she could wail aloud.
Yet she could not cry, for the memories in her mind about "Tao Qian" were also being erased bit by bit, and the sadness on her face gradually turned into confusion.
At this point, it seemed that the ending was already determined.
But at this very moment!
Call it a stroke of inspiration, or premeditation if you will.
The erasure abruptly stopped, and in the blink of an eye, it completely restored.
Only to see at the Xuanpin Gate, Tao Qian grinning widely, stuck in the portal, unable to fully open or close it, nor could he retract the supreme Mana and great transcendence he had achieved.
Meanwhile, as he summoned back Senior Sister Lingji, who was about to fall into the Source Nothingness darkness, he wore a face of delight at narrowly escaping disaster, laughing loudly:
"Who said one must pay the cost straightforwardly."
"Exemption! Exemption for all."
...
[The End!]
