Chapter 1749. Another Part of the Power, A Silent Struggle

“What?”

The woman holding the oil-paper umbrella suddenly changed color at the words, visibly shocked. Her face, usually calm and indifferent, as if unmoved even by the collapse of mountains, now betrayed her surprise. She turned to the gentle woman, wondering if she had misheard.

“I shouldn’t have misperceived… At that moment, the power weakened. Could it be that the Master intentionally let them go?”

The gentle woman looked back at the coffin behind her, which was fading, growing more indistinct, and softly said, “Perhaps it’s just an illusion. How could I ever truly sense the will of the Master?”

As the fluctuations from the battle dissipated, all laws and order vanished, and the entire heavens returned to a deep, dim, pitch-black void. All the dark beings knelt in reverent and fanatical submission, a silent, solemn stillness settling over the universe.

The ruins where the Xiyue Sect had stood were reduced to nothing but emptiness. Even traces and causality had vanished from the world. If someone tried to calculate or probe the Xiyue Sect now, they would find only a blank space. Its existence, its past—everything—seemed to have truly disappeared, leaving no trace, as if it had never existed.

“Sir, should we pursue them?” asked the maid holding the umbrella, her voice calm again.

The gentle woman regained her composure, her bright eyes staring at the ruins. After a long moment of contemplation, she shook her head and said, “They may escape the monk, but they cannot escape the temple. As long as they exist in this world, they will be found.”

“Miss will soon arrive here. When she does, simply report everything that has happened accurately.”

“If the Miss cares so much about the secrets of the Xiyue Sect, I’m sure she will find another way to pursue them herself.”

With that, she took the oil-paper umbrella from the maid beside her, moved lightly like a lotus stepping on water, and vanished in an instant as ripples of distorted time and space spread out around her.

Throughout, Wuyang had stood respectfully at a distance, bowing his head, not daring to speak or ask anything further. Only when the gentle woman had left did he exhale, restoring his usual cold, imposing demeanor.

The Xiyue Sect’s ruins were something Miss Nanqing had specifically instructed to preserve, every tree and flower left intact. But no one could have foreseen what had just occurred: the mad old woman was indeed formidable, her methods unpredictable and strange, yet under such terrifying pressure, she had still managed to refine and take away the Xiyue Sect.

Moreover, the terrifying and strange gray substance she used could even rival and contend with dark matter, something that exceeded Wuyang’s expectations and imagination.

Although this might have been due to Master Lishuang’s underestimation, it still proved how bizarre and dangerous the gray substance was.

“Could this be the very reason Miss Nanqing gave her instructions?” Wuyang wondered, though he dared not linger. He immediately ordered the dark beings to leave the area.

Since the collapse of the defenses of this realm, the dark beings had advanced without hindrance. Many Daoist sects, including the Xiyue Sect, disappeared one after another. In just one night, chaos erupted across various universal star regions, cries of woe and suffering filled the lands, and countless lives perished.

The Zhengyi Alliance paid no attention, sending no reinforcements. It was the Fatian Alliance who arrived from all corners to confront the dark beings, reclaim and protect many territories, saving numerous clans and forces from calamity.

News of these events spread across the Cangmang, stirring massive reactions and waves of panic. Civilizations that had not yet encountered the dark beings were seized with terror, empathizing with the fallen, hearts trembling.

At this moment, many hidden Daoist sects hesitated, unsure whether to join forces with the Zhengyi Alliance. The dark beings’ overwhelming strength was evident—resisting alone was nearly impossible. The only viable option was to align with either the Fatian Alliance or the Zhengyi Alliance.

The Fatian Alliance was rebellious and unscrupulous, caring nothing for morality, yet reliable in crucial moments. The Zhengyi Alliance, by contrast, was a hypocrite, preaching righteousness and humanism outwardly but betraying trust and pursuing self-interest when it mattered most.

In such a situation, every clan and sect in Cangmang had to make a choice. After all, the predecessors of the dark beings once ruled the Cangmang, commanded the worlds, and had overthrown the authority of Heaven itself—the Da Tian. Their footprints spanned countless universes and dimensions; there was no space they did not know.

No matter how vast Cangmang was, wherever one hid, one day the dark beings would find them. With this trend, even the Zhengyi Alliance’s leaders resolved to negotiate with the dark beings, willing to pay enormous costs and sacrifices.

How could ordinary clans and sects survive in such an environment?

In the ancient Yao Guang Domain, a tumultuous river roared like a long serpent weaving through towering mountains, the waves vast and endless, the mists rising thick and obscuring.

A modest merchant ship drifted down the river, carrying few travelers, all intending to cross to the opposite bank.

The river, called the Yao Guang Ancestral River by the natives, originated from the sacred mountain of the former Yao Guang Ancestral Court. Flowing through plains, cities, and kingdoms, it had nurtured countless lives.

In the past, sects in Yao Guang Domain were built along this river, near its source, rich in spiritual energy, prosperous and blessed. They could stand for tens of millions of years, even longer—true immortal Daoist traditions.

But after the collapse of the Yao Guang Ancestral Court, the river’s spiritual energy gradually dissipated. By later eras, it had become an ordinary river, only occasionally revealing extraordinary phenomena, inspiring awe and nostalgia among observers.

On this merchant ship, in a second-floor cabin, a man and a woman sat by the window, a pot of fragrant tea before them.

“What’s happening?”

The woman’s figure was graceful and tall, her body slender and delicate, clad in a light gray gauze dress, her face veiled, black hair like clouds, a wooden hairpin skewing it slightly. Her brows were as ink, her eyes deep and vast, at times commanding like a monarch.

Opposite her, the man wore a wide, black robe, fingers tracing the tea cup as if lost in thought. In his eyes was an intriguing expression—it was Gu Changge, who had left the Fatian Alliance.

“Nothing.”

Gu Changge gently shook his head, setting down the tea cup.

At that instant, he had sensed an anomaly in his own power—or more precisely, in a portion of his power that had not been fully returned. Though he had never fully reclaimed it, he had always maintained control and awareness over it.

When he was still the Da Tian Lord, he had deliberately divided his power into several portions to allow for a legitimate “sealing” later. One portion was sealed with his body in the ranks of the Tianzhong. Most of his power remained in the Eight Desolation Demon Halberd, awakening as he lifted the memory restrictions. Other portions were sealed with the Six Harmonies Abyss and in six primeval civilization treasures.

At that moment, he clearly sensed that a portion of his power in Tianzhong had been temporarily borrowed. That fragment was aimed at beings upon whom he had deliberately left a mark.

He had only marked very few people—almost none besides a handful in the Daochang True Realm. Yue Mingkong, Jiang Chuchu, and others were all within Daochang True Realm and had not appeared in Cangmang. Therefore, he did not perceive them. It was clear that Gu Xian’er had gotten herself into trouble again, intersecting with his plans.

However, Gu Changge did not intervene forcibly, allowing events to unfold. Though Gu Xian’er appeared unexpectedly in his designs, her presence gave him additional leverage.

The tripartite division of power was inevitable: the remnants of the Black Calamity, the Zhengyi Alliance, and the Fatian Alliance would form the three dominant forces vying for control of Cangmang. All other clans and sects would have to align with one of the three.

Gu Changge had long intended to bring the “big fish” in Cangmang into play to balance and restrain the Fatian Alliance. Unexpected variables, such as Chaotuo Zonggang, revealed that an even larger game was hidden beneath the surface.

Hence, he must maintain the illusion of balance and mutual restraint. The magnitude of his design far exceeded the current state of Cangmang; anyone behind this silent struggle, if impatient, would eventually reveal flaws.

The appearance of Ye Suyi’s defiance of destiny was no accident. Gu Changge, meticulous as ever, had sensed connections to the Real Realm when he projected the anomalies of Ye Suyi and Chaotuo Zonggang.

In other words, besides himself, someone else was also laying nets and setting traps. The appearance of the Zhengyi Alliance conveniently resolved his current dilemma. He suspected that the mastermind behind the Zhengyi Alliance was too simple, perhaps a puppet.

The strategist behind the scenes would never reveal their flaws lightly, and certainly waited for Gu Changge to show his first mistake. This silent, invisible struggle had begun long, long ago.

“I don’t need you to explain,” Ji Hanjing said, retracting her gaze from Gu Changge, staring at the vast river outside the window, lost in thought.

Having fully fused with the Scavenger’s Book, she had truly become a humanoid civilization treasure. To return to her peak would take more time; currently, she had achieved the strongest power possible, and further refinement would require her own cultivation.

Ji Hanjing was satisfied—she had finally freed herself from the Scavenger’s Book’s spirit identity, no longer bound by it. At first, she had only wished to escape the book; she had never imagined attaining her current strength.

As agreed, Gu Changge had done his part; she, in turn, would now faithfully serve him.

“It’s nothing important—no need to explain.”

Gu Changge took a sip of tea, eyes returning to the calm, expansive river.

“A strange calm,” Ji Hanjing remarked. Despite turbulent waves in the distance, here it was as if all was serene—mirroring the current situation in Cangmang.

After surviving the Transformation Tribulation, she had followed Gu Changge’s instructions to meet him here, though she did not understand why he chose the Yao Guang Domain, nor his purpose.

“Are you wondering why I brought you here?” Gu Changge asked.

Ji Hanjing was momentarily surprised, then nodded, a faint expression of puzzlement on her face.

The Yao Guang Domain now was no longer what it once was—not even a fragment of its former glory remained. The current Yao Guang Ancestral River was merely a small branch of what it had been. In the past, it had been vast, majestic, flowing across endless universes, abundant in spiritual energy, with divine realms on its banks, life flourishing and dynasties prospering.

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