At the pinnacle of the cultivator universe, the ten supreme Sovereigns were deliberating. In truth, deep in their hearts, Dongbo Xueying and the others believed they should eradicate all the leaders of the Ancestral Religion. After all, the hundred-thousand-year war had ravaged countless regions, wiping out entire areas of the Divine Realm and the Dark Abyss, with casualties beyond reckoning. The killing intent within Dongbo Xueying and his allies was palpable.
However, the clash between two cosmic civilizations couldn’t be dictated by sheer impulse.
First, the Ancestral Religion might truly have the means to fight to the death, forcing the cultivators to pay a terrible price. Second, many of the Ancestral Religion’s treasures were undeniably alluring—simply studying them could provide immense benefits to cultivation.
“Very well, then we shall grant them a path to survival.”
“Giving them a chance is acceptable! But they must be imprisoned until the end of this cosmic epoch, at which point one of our Void Gods can take them away.”
“Indeed. Under no circumstances can we allow them to board Gu Qianluo’s Chaos Ship.”
“That Gu Qianluo… is utterly malevolent! Letting him take the Ancestral Religion away? Hmph, it would only invite disaster.”
After brief discussions, the Sovereigns reached a decision.
Even a cornered rabbit will bite. Since things had come to this, they would leave their enemies a sliver of hope. Without hope, the enemy would only grow desperate. But with hope… they would obediently wait, anticipating the day of their salvation. If the cultivators were truly ruthless, they could simply break their promise and abandon them when the time came. But doing so would mean forfeiting the Ancestral Religion’s treasures.
“I will negotiate with them,” said the Bloodblade Divine Emperor. “Given the state of the war, granting them even a sliver of mercy is already generous. However, everyone must remain vigilant—the Ancestral Religion is not to be fully trusted.”
“Understood.”
“Rest assured.”
“We will always have avatars guarding the Meta-Pillars.”
In the starry void, atop each towering Meta-Pillar, a Sovereign stood watch.
—
Meanwhile, in another corner of the cosmos, within the Chaos Ship…
The colossal statue of Gu Qianluo, exuding an aura of sinister coldness, wore a faint smile as it gazed down at a green-skinned youth with horns. The youth’s eyes burned with anguish and defiance, his body trembling slightly.
“Are your terms not too harsh?” the youth growled.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Harsh? Not at all. Do you truly believe the cultivators will spare your lives? They claim they will take you away when the epoch ends, but what if they abandon you instead, leaving you to perish with this dying universe? What could you possibly do?” Gu Qianluo chuckled, his voice dripping with disdain. “Placing your hopes on the mercy of cultivators is sheer folly. Over the past hundred thousand years, your battles have deliberately spilled over, slaughtering countless of their kin. The hatred those Sovereigns hold for you runs deep.”
“I can agree to becoming your servant,” the green-skinned youth said darkly. “But our treasures must be handed over in two batches. The first when you break the Meta-Pillars and free us. The final batch only after the Ancestral Altar is established and victory is secured. That is our bottom line.”
“Either you accept…”
“Or we would rather perish to the last.” The youth lifted his head, meeting the gaze of the towering statue.
Not long after the war began, Gu Qianluo had lured one of the Ancestral Religion’s Sovereigns into his Chaos Ship. Previously, he had barred Sovereigns from entering—but that was when he was dormant. Now, awake and within his ship, he cared little for a mere Sovereign.
As the war dragged on…
The Ancestral Religion’s confidence waned, until at last, they bowed their heads.
“Two batches, then?” Gu Qianluo mused, inwardly gloating.
Even the proudest warriors would eventually kneel.
“Who would have thought the Ancestral Religion possessed such treasures? Some are even coveted by Void Gods!” Gu Qianluo marveled. Initially, he had dismissed them, but as the war unfolded, his greed was stoked. He discovered that some of their artifacts were of Void God-tier, while others belonged to entirely different systems—likely plundered by their ancestors for future generations.
The current leaders of the Ancestral Religion were only at the Sovereign level, and their clumsy handling of treasures meant many powerful artifacts remained underutilized.
“In my hands, they would be truly unleashed.” Gu Qianluo’s eyes gleamed with avarice.
In truth…
The Ancestral Religion’s home universe had collapsed, scattering relics from ancient ruins. Thus, their leaders now possessed an abundance of treasures. But without sufficient strength, such artifacts were little more than jokes in their grasp. In contrast, the Bloodblade Divine Emperor—already half-stepping into the Void God realm—had merely obtained the *Atlas of All Things* and immediately crafted formidable formations, wielding greater power than most of the Ancestral Religion’s hoard. Yet many of their treasures surpassed even the Meta-Pillars in potency. The stronger the artifact, the higher the threshold to wield it!
“Hmph…”
“To survive, they’ve bowed at last,” Gu Qianluo mused. “For treasures like these, it’s worth my intervention.”
As the Seventh Holy Son under the Bone Ancestor, his standards were lofty. With his Chaos Ship, he could traverse the void and contend with Void Gods. In terms of survival and escape, the ship was even more formidable. Even now, wounded, he was confident in crushing a group of Sovereigns with its might.
—
The green-skinned youth tensed as he awaited Gu Qianluo’s response. This was the Ancestral Religion’s final condition—they feared he might take all the treasures and abandon them.
Thus, the division into two batches was non-negotiable.
The most crucial artifacts would be reserved for the second batch, delivered only after the Ancestral Altar was erected and victory secured.
“Very well, Patriarch Sangdan. Swear the oath.”
As Gu Qianluo spoke, space rippled before the youth, and a leaf materialized. Upon it shimmered the phantom of a diminutive being, inscribed with intricate, unknown script. The symbols conveyed their meaning directly to the youth’s mind.
The green-skinned youth—one of the younger Patriarchs of the Ancestral Religion—had entered the Chaos Ship early in the war.
Extending a finger, he let a wisp of his soul essence merge with the leaf, which absorbed it. Simultaneously, a strand of Gu Qianluo’s soul essence descended upon it.
“Hum.”
The phantom on the leaf lifted its head, glancing at Gu Qianluo and then the youth. Its lips moved, and a voice echoed in their minds:
*”The pact is sealed. Breach it, and perish.”*
The youth felt the binding force of an esoteric oath-rule. To defy it meant certain death—a power so absolute that even a being a hundred or a thousand times stronger could not resist.
“Master.” Patriarch Sangdan bowed respectfully.
“Excellent.” Gu Qianluo smiled down at his new servant. “During my travels through the void, I once acquired a set of formations. They are quite potent—more than sufficient to safeguard your ritual towers.”
“We have six towers in total,” Sangdan said. “They must be positioned at six cosmic loci to form the Ancestral Altar.”
“This set contains nine formations. Lending you six is trivial.” Gu Qianluo waved a hand dismissively. Battles of this level were beneath him. In the void, his foes were Void Gods. As a favored Holy Son of the Bone Ancestor, his strength surpassed even the greatest Sovereigns, and with his artifacts, he could challenge Void Gods at his peak.
“Thank you, Master!” Sangdan exclaimed in delight.
“Later, I will shatter their Meta-Pillar formation and free your people. Then, you must immediately begin constructing the towers. I will ensure their defense. Once all six towers form the Ancestral Altar, reshaping the cosmos and severing their connection to the world’s energy—even turning the universe itself against them—their defeat will be inevitable.” Gu Qianluo spoke as if discussing the weather.
—
Meanwhile…
In the void beyond the Ancestral Religion’s stronghold, the avatar of Patriarch Tusk was finalizing negotiations with the Bloodblade Divine Emperor.
“We have no retreat left. We can only hope your side honors its word,” Tusk said, lowering his head.
The Divine Emperor nodded. “And we expect you to remain confined to your lair, plotting nothing further. If you deceive us… there will be no second chances.”
“Set your mind at ease,” Tusk replied with a faint smile.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage