Chapter 1320: When the Skin No Longer Exists

Recreating the World?

Meng Qi gazed at the indistinct, time-blurred approximation of chaos before him, his heart filled with doubt. Did he truly possess the ability to recreate the world?

This was the “Myriad Heavens and Worlds” within the body of a Transcendent One. Even if it was only a fragment, even if the celestial realm and the Nine Netherworlds he would create lacked corresponding near-Dao realms or manifestations of the Great Dao, rendering them incomplete!

But upon closer thought, this place was merely an approximation of chaos, not true chaos. The difficulty of creation was drastically reduced. Moreover, every aspect was suppressed by the power of the Peerless Divine Blade, making it impossible to unleash even a fraction of its true potential.

As thoughts flashed through his mind, Meng Qi suddenly laughed heartily:

“In that case, this husband shall play the role of the Primordial Heavenly Venerate for once!”

Above his head, the auspicious cloud suddenly boiled like the initial and final point of existence shattering into rolling waves, coalescing into an ancient, primordial banner imbued with the essence of creation.

As the banner appeared, the surrounding darkness trembled, ripples spreading endlessly like waves parting the sea.

Meng Qi extended his right hand, grasping the slowly descending Pangu Banner—a manifestation of his illusory Dao of Creation—and swung it forward with an incomparably heavy force.

In that instant, radiant hues and auspicious auras burst forth as a pure white light tore through the silent darkness, rendering everything else as if frozen in place.

Boom!

Everything began to shake. With the appearance of a thin fissure, the “dam” collapsed, and the “floodwaters” surged forth. An endless, terrifying explosion tore through the chaos, shattering the eternal stillness.

With the division of movement and stillness came yin and yang. The clear qi rose, while the turbid qi sank. The sweeping explosion gave birth to the chaotic interplay of earth, fire, wind, and water.

At this moment, the virtue of the primordial manifested. Countless strands of profound yellow descended, coalescing into a thirty-three-layered Exquisite Pagoda, impervious to all laws. Black and white qi intertwined, forming a Taiji Diagram. Lotus flowers bloomed, malevolent energies condensed into swords, and the Mysterious Feminine became a gate… At the dawn of creation, countless treasures born of the primordial took form!

However, since this was only an approximation of chaos and not true chaos, these treasures were merely the dormant manifestations of the Great Dao from Donghuang’s original “Myriad Heavens and Worlds,” each retaining a trace of their former spirituality. In an instant, they gained vitality, transforming into primordial deities and demons. The Heaven-Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda became the awe-inspiring “God of Virtue,” the Taiji Diagram turned into the “Child of Morality,” and within the River of Time, the “Ancestor of Ages” was born. Though their forms varied, all kept their distance from Meng Qi, wary and hostile. Strangely, they were filled with a violent and malevolent aura—less like deities and more like demons!

Meng Qi’s divine sense expanded, no longer focusing on maintaining the initial stages of creation but allowing them to develop naturally as he searched for Donghuang’s residual spirituality.

Without his continued intervention, the rising clear qi and sinking turbid qi failed to fully separate, mingling with the chaotic earth, fire, wind, and water to form an endless expanse of starry skies.

This cosmos combined the wonders of the celestial realm and the Nine Netherworlds, yet it was far from omnipresent. Wherever his divine sense reached, there was only profound darkness—an abyss of nothingness, occasionally punctuated by the birth of a brilliant star, like an isolated island in a vast ocean.

At the core of this bizarre “Myriad Heavens and Worlds,” where Meng Qi had “created the world,” mysterious vortices suddenly emerged as he departed to traverse the cosmos in search of Donghuang’s residual spirituality. These vortices coalesced into a jade disc inscribed with countless Dao patterns, the most complete of which were the Dao of Time, Lifespan, and the Sun and Stars.

“Hmph! To think you could find me within my divine domain—utterly delusional!” From another vortex, a regal figure clad in black robes and a towering crown emerged, reaching out to seize the jade disc shimmering with primordial light.

This was the Creation Jade Disc, inscribed with all the Great Dao and laws of Donghuang’s “Myriad Heavens and Worlds.” Only by controlling it could the residual spirituality fully command this realm.

At that moment, the black-robed emperor’s eyes caught sight of a slender, pale finger and a delicate face that could shift between joy and reproach in an instant.

That finger seemed like the destination of all things, exuding a chilling serenity as it tapped the Creation Jade Disc before he could react.

Gu Xiaoshan stood amidst swirling white lotuses, ethereal and holy, her eyes glinting with playful amusement as if to say, “Sorry, first come, first served.”

The black-robed emperor had no time for anger, his mind consumed by a single thought:

“She’s here? Then where is the one who recreated the world?”

No sooner had the thought formed than he saw a boundless, slaughter-filled azure sword light pierce through the cosmic darkness, unstoppable and overwhelming.

Simultaneously, from other corners of the endless starry void emerged a handsome, rosy-lipped monk, a cold and focused swordsman, and a solemn golden deity. Each unleashed their own sword light—crimson like fire, pure white with vitality, or dark as the void—matching the azure light perfectly to form the Sword Formation of Slaying Immortals, trapping the black-robed emperor, the manifestation of Donghuang’s residual spirituality.

Facing a remnant of a Transcendent One, Meng Qi held nothing back—Three Pure Ones in One combined with the full might of the Sword Formation of Slaying Immortals!

Crimson, azure, black, and white sword lights ravaged the void, distorting time, annihilating all things, and unleashing waves of destruction, slaughter, and entropy—leaving no chance for Donghuang’s residual spirituality to escape.

Earlier, Meng Qi had heeded Gu Xiaoshan’s advice to temporarily distance himself from where the Creation Jade Disc might appear, only to circle back and strike unexpectedly. This prevented Donghuang’s residual spirituality from remaining hidden and the disc from never manifesting.

As he glimpsed Gu Xiaoshan fully controlling the disc, preparing to absorb it bit by bit with her “Finger of Annihilation,” Meng Qi suddenly understood. Her suggestion to recreate the world had likely been for this very purpose. As for how she knew and predicted where the disc would appear—the answer was simple. The Golden Emperor possessed her own “Myriad Heavens and Worlds,” so such knowledge was hardly beyond her.

The Sword Formation tightened, squeezing Donghuang’s residual spirituality into an ever-shrinking space. Just as it was about to be engulfed by the myriad sword lights and the Dao of Annihilation, Meng Qi felt a sudden pang of unease.

“Do you truly believe you can destroy me?” A hollow voice echoed like the tolling of a bell, grand and solemn.

Meng Qi watched as the “Ancestor of Ages” froze in shock, the River of Time reversing its flow.

The sword lights of crimson, azure, black, and white withdrew, flying back into the distant cosmos. Meng Qi’s four forms also returned to the abyssal darkness, as if the Sword Formation had never been deployed.

Time had reversed, resetting everything.

The black-robed emperor coldly regarded Meng Qi and spoke indifferently: “Even incomplete, even with most of my power suppressed by the Transcendent Blade, you cannot harm me by nature alone!”

Did he truly think a Transcendent One’s residual spirituality could be so easily dealt with?

At that moment, the emperor’s expression shifted—the Creation Jade Disc that should have returned to him was gone! So was the ethereal woman!

Seeing this, Meng Qi smiled and casually explained: “She’s always thorough, planning before acting. The moment she obtained the disc, she used my power and that peach’s to leave this realm and return to the Peerless Divine Blade. What use is your time reversal now?”

It could only affect this world!

Before the enraged Donghuang’s residual spirituality could react, Meng Qi also vanished into the depths of the cosmos, leaping out of this peculiar “Myriad Heavens and Worlds.” From their earlier clash, he knew he currently lacked the means to eradicate Donghuang’s remnant. Strengthening himself was the priority now.

As light and shadow shifted around him, the sea of thunder flickered uncertainly. Gu Xiaoshan stood amidst rippling waves, radiant and smiling, waiting for Meng Qi.

Seeing the Creation Jade Disc still in her hand, unabsorbed by her Finger of Annihilation, Meng Qi was puzzled:

“You kept it?”

Given her nature, shouldn’t she have absorbed it immediately to secure it?

Gu Xiaoshan chuckled: “Isn’t this for sharing with my dear husband?”

“Ah?” Meng Qi was momentarily speechless.

Her eyes shimmered with ambiguous emotion: “My husband’s tribulation approaches. You must grow stronger quickly. By absorbing and assimilating this, your control over that realm will increase. Then, you can eliminate those primordial deities and demons one by one, devouring the Dao they embody. Once perfected, you will surpass Donghuang’s residual spirituality and eradicate it.”

She added deliberately: “Without the skin, where can the fur cling? This humble wife understands that much.”

All this elaborate planning—just for my sake? Meng Qi couldn’t help but smile.

…

In the misty depths of a dream, the Netherworld, long thrown into chaos by the fall of the Emperor of Fengdu, had finally regained order.

At its deepest core, within a majestic black hall, the Nine Spirits Sage immersed himself in the mysteries of the afterlife.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open as he looked beyond the hall. The Yellow Springs surged violently, connecting to an unknown realm. Then, an aura spanning eternity emerged, materializing before him as a ghostly emperor.

“Zhen Yuanzi, what happened to you?” the Nine Spirits Sage asked gravely.

Zhen Yuanzi replied calmly: “I encountered an opportunity.”

His gaze fixed on the sage: “According to the Green Emperor’s promise, it’s time to hand over the Netherworld to us.”

The Green Emperor had sent the Nine Spirits Sage to govern the Netherworld—not for himself!

The sage narrowed his eyes: “You carry the aura of the Nine Netherworld’s Luo Feng. It seems you’ve made significant progress. With the Netherworld and the integration of the Land of Eternal Peace, you might even welcome the return of the Old Mother of No Birth…”

“The original plan was to first take control of the Netherworld, then link it to the Black Prison of Luo Feng, and finally integrate the Land of Eternal Peace. But due to unforeseen opportunities, the sequence was disrupted,” Zhen Yuanzi replied impassively.