After leaving the Dragon Palace in the East Sea, Meng Qi walked on the waves and randomly chose a secluded island to sit down. His eyes half open and half closed, he appeared to be meditating.
Suddenly, specks of brilliance floated around him, pure and radiant, like twenty-four pearls orbiting and swirling, weaving through flowers and circling trees.
These were not the physical forms of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearls, but rather illusory projections of their connections and karmic characteristics, activated by Meng Qi’s cultivation. Satellite-like, they revolved around him to assist in divination.
Each of these twenty-four pearls was full and round, their interiors chaotic and misty, as if containing entire worlds. Their external radiance gradually transformed into a unified five-colored brilliance, dreamlike and surreal, truly a supreme treasure of the immortals.
As Meng Qi channeled the power of *Zhuo Gu Zhi Yin* (All Causes) and the *Yuxu Divine Calculation*, suddenly more than half of these pearls shattered. These were parts whose traces had been inadequately recorded, leaving only fragmented clues, insufficient for tracking.
The five-colored radiance spun faster and faster, enveloping Meng Qi in a luminous veil. Suddenly, nearly ten of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl illusions silently dimmed, exiting the stage of history.
These pearls belonged to the parts with clear characteristics and relatively traceable locations. If they were so easily found, how could they possibly be left for him? Meng Qi remained expressionless, already having a method of filtering them out. As expected, these clues initially appeared clear but soon turned into veils of mist—sure signs that they had already been obtained by powerful cultivators. One of them gave off a faintly familiar sensation, possibly linked to the Wusheng Heaven.
This further confirmed Meng Qi’s suspicions.
The remaining six or seven pearls continued to rotate, their five-colored radiance growing brighter. Two of them also became misty and unfathomable, prompting Meng Qi to initially suspect they had been acquired by great beings or cultivators with mighty powers. He temporarily set them aside. Among the remaining four pearls, each contained clues—not veils of mist—but some were vague and indistinct, beyond his current divinatory capabilities.
One by one, the Sea-Stabilizing Pearls dimmed until finally two remained, circling each other before Meng Qi. Both were within the range of what he could currently attempt to locate.
Suddenly, Meng Qi extended his right hand and grasped one of the illusory pearls. With a leap, he directly vanished into the vast starry sky.
The surroundings were as dark as ink, dotted with countless stars. Meng Qi’s skin radiated a faint golden glow as he pursued the clues, traversing the sea of stars. Some leads were affected by distance or celestial bodies, requiring him to approach closely for further investigation.
The starry sea was boundless, concealing countless mighty star rivers. Each star river contained innumerable stars, most of which were far larger than the Four Great Continents, separated by distances even greater.
Sometimes he descended across vast distances, sometimes he traversed entire star systems. Meng Qi passed countless barren and lifeless planets, and a sense of solitude gradually arose in his heart—the feeling that he might be the only living being in the entire universe.
This was an inevitable emotion when wandering the stars.
Finally, he halted his flight. In the distance loomed a massive fireball, burning fiercely, its immense gravity warping the surrounding space, its heat evaporating all things.
On the opposite side was the deepest, darkest void, slowly rotating, as if attempting to devour everything. It was terrifying. Occasionally, it spewed beams of light, like a monster spitting out bones after consuming flesh.
Based on previous tracking and divination, Meng Qi had a fifty percent certainty that the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl had fallen into this dark abyss.
Precisely because of its concealment and the obscurity of the pearl’s scattered traces, it had remained unnoticed by any great cultivator until now.
Even from an immense distance, Meng Qi could feel its pull, its power of capture. He couldn’t help but smirk slightly. He was actually about to forcefully enter the interior of a “black hole.”
He adjusted his *Shan Yun Crown*, his body suddenly expanding through the *Fa Tian Xiang Di* (Modeling the Heavens) technique. His acupoints opened one by one, each emitting a universe of its own, with layers of *Dongtian* power reinforcing his form, making his golden glow increasingly unshakable, impervious to even the most calamitous forces.
Then, from his *Niwan Palace* surged forth a deep, chaotic *Qingyun* (auspicious cloud), exuding a dim glow, enveloping his colossal form.
Meng Qi took a step forward, plunging into the black hole region. He did not resist the pull but instead followed the accretion disk deeper into the abyss. All light vanished around him. Occasionally, strange colors erupted ahead, while the *Tai Shang Wu Ji Yuan Shi Qingyun* dissolved the terrifying forces of pull and compression.
This descent was not a straight fall but followed a spiraling pattern, growing deeper and darker. Meng Qi felt as though he had completely severed ties with the mortal world, step by step approaching death.
Time and space became chaotic. Who knew how long had passed? The accretion grew stronger, and the *Yuan Shi Qingyun* emitted creaking sounds, with ripples forming across its surface.
He had reached the depths… Meng Qi realized inwardly. Suddenly, a cluster of ancient banners surged from the *Qingyun*, descending to merge with his *Jue Dao*, followed by a single slash.
The blade light was like a purple thread, splitting the path ahead.
Boom!
Before the chain reaction could fully unfold, Meng Qi seized the opportunity and rushed into the purple light gap.
Before him, the scenery shifted. Time and space grew increasingly chaotic. If not for Meng Qi’s *other shore* characteristics, he might have faced the danger of being lost forever.
Suddenly, a glimmer of light burst forth, illuminating his vision. Ahead appeared a mountain of spiritual beauty.
So familiar… Meng Qi furrowed his brows, flying closer. Just as he was about to land, he abruptly froze—wasn’t this his own Kunlun Mountain? Wasn’t the *Yuxu Palace* located there?
What was going on?
How did passing through a black hole bring him home?
An illusion?
He turned back, seeing a clear blue sky, endless and serene. Where was the black hole?
Through his perception, familiar figures like Master Lu Da, Jiang Zhiwei, and Ruan Yushu all existed here, their karmic connections real and undeniable.
Meng Qi grew even more puzzled. Could a black hole have such an effect?
Yet the trail of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl had been severed!
With a mind full of speculation, he prepared to descend when suddenly the *Wanjie Tongshi Fu* rang—it was a call from Jiang Zhiwei.
“You’ve finally emerged from retreat?” Jiang Zhiwei asked with a smile. “I noticed you’re online in the *’The True Way of Mortals Is Full of Trials’* Hall.”
Retreat? Meng Qi furrowed his brows slightly, deliberately smiling. “Yes. Have you found a suitable sparring partner recently?”
“No, but while you were in retreat, I’ve already reached the *Tianxian* realm,” Jiang Zhiwei said with a hint of pride.
Tianxian? Could it be that fast? Meng Qi was startled. Even with his *One Night, Five Years* experience, his own ascension to Tianxian had been considered astonishingly rapid. How could Zhiwei have achieved the *Fashen* stage just a few years ago?
A wave of surprise, confusion, and concern rose in him. He mumbled a few words and quickly ended the call, planning to investigate the anomaly elsewhere.
As his flight descended, He Mu and Fang Huayin came out together to greet him.
Meng Qi smiled and nodded: “Good, your cultivation has progressed quite—”
His words abruptly stopped. His eyes widened in astonishment. Had he misheard? Both disciples were now at the *Banbu Fashen* stage!
How long had he been gone?
Wasn’t it just a trip to the Journey to the West?
“My master, I have some doubts I wish to ask,” Fang Huayin, having received his teacher’s praise, took the opportunity to speak.
Meng Qi nodded while offering casual guidance, simultaneously opening the *Wanjie Tongshi Fu* and browsing the forum.
As he read, a storm suddenly rose in his heart.
Because the years marked on the posts were all labeled as the 20th year of the *Xin Li* (New Calendar)!
What was *Xin Li*? It meant the unification of the North and South!
In other words, he had returned to the future—more than a decade ahead!
Could a black hole really conceal a space-time tunnel?
Although he had experienced returning to the past before, such an eerie phenomenon still unsettled Meng Qi. After answering the questions, he dismissed the two disciples and entered the *Yuxu Palace*, heading toward the lotus pond.
Just as he approached, his gaze suddenly sharpened. There stood a tall figure in black robes ahead, lean yet brimming with power.
How had he appeared before him so silently?
“Who are you?” Meng Qi prepared for combat as he asked.
The figure in black robes suppressed his aura, not turning around. In a low, magnetic voice, he said, “I have awakened from slumber. Hearing of the emergence of the *Zhuo Gu Zhi Yin*, I have come to claim it.”
His aura suddenly erupted, vast as countless converging star rivers, pressing down so heavily that Meng Qi struggled to circulate his Daoist power, and his internal *Dongtian* began to crack.
This was the might of a legendary being!
A legendary cultivator coveting the *Zhuo Gu Zhi Yin*? Meng Qi inhaled deeply, his mind racing for a way to seize a sliver of survival.
At that moment, the sky suddenly darkened, filled with countless brilliant stars shifting positions, dragging behind them pure trails, making the starry sea resemble a rainstorm—beautiful and breathtaking.
This differed from the *Tian Ting* starfall during the fall of heaven—those had all fallen straight downward, while here, some flew diagonally, others sideways.
“The sleeping great beings are awakening, the celestial omens are shifting, and natural starfalls rain like rain,” the figure in black turned his head. A mighty, terrifying force, like sunlight, swallowed Meng Qi whole, allowing him only a glimpse of a pair of golden-silver, eerie eyes.
Pure power, absolute suppression. Meng Qi exerted all his strength but could not resist. His consciousness gradually faded, and his *Fashen* completely disintegrated.
No great figures appeared. It seemed that behind the scenes, alliances had been formed. Some reached understandings, others were intercepted midway.
Everything ceased to exist. Before him was only eternal silence. Suddenly, a ray of light appeared, emanating from an ancient glazed lamp!
As the lamp appeared, Meng Qi’s eyes shot open. The darkness receded, revealing a universe with a reversed starry river.
The universe was miniaturized, enclosed within a *Hundun* void.
“Is this truly the interior of the black hole?” Meng Qi inhaled deeply, still shaken by his previous experience.
It seemed that when he passed through the black hole, his sense of time and space had been scrambled, casting him into a temporal current of possible futures. Without the special nature of the *Zhuo Gu Zhi Yin*, he might have been completely lost forever!
In that future, although his cultivation progressed rapidly, it was not fast enough to keep up with the intensifying great calamity. He failed to become a legend and ultimately became cannon fodder…
Who was that legendary figure with golden-silver, eerie eyes?
A sense of urgency surged within Meng Qi.
He calmed his mind and focused his gaze. Wasn’t that shrunken universe nothing but a pearl, faintly radiating five-colored brilliance—just like the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl!
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