In a brief moment of astonishment, Meng Qi saw Liu Luo transform into a pure beam of light, rising from the dilapidated palace floating in the void and darting toward the ancient chariot formed by the constellation of the Northern Dipper.
Leaving?
Heading toward the “Celestial Emperor” on his procession?
Fear of missing the moment?
Worried about losing the Northern Dipper chariot?
Amidst a flurry of thoughts, Meng Qi seized that sudden spark of inspiration. Without further hesitation, he followed the “Mystic Maiden of the Ninth Heaven” toward that solitary, imposing, mysterious, and aloof figure of nobility. The closer he got, the more he felt the relentless passage of time—like a blade, each stroke carving away at life. It was an eternal indifference, an unchanging truth, the very essence of the “Dao.”
Time seemed to condense into layers of liquid barriers. As Meng Qi passed through them, he experienced moments where a mere instant felt like a century of vicissitudes, and others where everything slowed to a crawl, leaving only black and white. Had his Primordial Unity not reached a certain level of mastery, allowing him to manifest the illusory Great Dao, collapse the void, and compress time, he might have been forever lost here, reduced to dust in the river of time.
Yet even so, the overwhelming aura that swept through the surroundings made Meng Qi tremble in body and mind. Despite suppressing corresponding thoughts with his Yuanxin, he could barely resist. The deeper he went, the more he felt dizzy and numb.
Just then, a metallic clang echoed from the Northern Dipper constellation, like the chime of a bell, resonating endlessly. Clear and invigorating, it jolted Meng Qi’s innate spiritual light awake, as if rousing him from a dreamlike stupor. Finally, he could see the scene before him clearly.
The ancient Northern Dipper constellation spanned the void, shimmering with vast and resplendent radiance, as if it had tangible projections across different universes and the real world. Shaped like a dipper or a chariot, it emitted pure white light, forming a sacred and majestic canopy. Waves of water cascaded downward before his eyes, while within, that lofty and imposing figure remained hazy and indistinct, merely an illusion. The Mystic Maiden of the Ninth Heaven, Liu Luo, had already boarded the chariot and stood beside it.
The waves of time seemed nonexistent as Meng Qi effortlessly passed through them, landing opposite Liu Luo. Gazing up at the indistinct silhouette of the Celestial Emperor, he sighed, “A great deity like you from ancient times would never act without purpose.”
He had always wondered why Liu Luo would light the lamps in the ruined palace, speaking of how protection could not replace one’s own strength and how illuminating the surroundings was even more absurd. At their current level, who still relied on external light to see?
Apart from nostalgia, there seemed no other explanation!
Only now did he realize that the Mystic Maiden of the Ninth Heaven had used the candlelight as a beacon, guiding the Northern Dipper chariot and “summoning” it here.
Liu Luo, her ethereal grace undiminished, replied softly, “This place is a vast expanse of interconnected void, with no discernible paths. Without relying on the Northern Dipper chariot, even if we avoid getting lost in the encroaching darkness, it would be difficult to find any remaining useful locations.”
“What do you mean by that?” Meng Qi keenly detected something hidden in her words.
Liu Luo said calmly, “When the Celestial Emperor embarked on his processions, there were always set routes. The Northern Dipper pointed the way, and its presence could be sensed in the mortal realm. Moreover, if this place were completely destroyed, leaving no remnants, the illusory projection of the Northern Dipper and the residual traces of the Celestial Emperor would lose their foundation and vanish entirely.”
“So you’re saying that the starting points of the Celestial Emperor’s procession routes might still be partially preserved, and by riding the Northern Dipper chariot, we can reach them?” Meng Qi interjected.
The Northern Dipper as the chariot, its direction unchanging!
At that moment, the colossal ancient star chariot, beyond imagination, swiftly traversed the void, heading toward an unknown destination.
The Mystic Maiden of the Ninth Heaven nodded. “This realm is damaged, so the Northern Dipper chariot cannot leave. Once it reaches the edge, it will turn back. We may yet have the fortune to arrive at the starting point of the Celestial Emperor’s procession.”
Back then, the Celestial Emperor’s processions surely did not begin from the highest layer of the Nine Heavens!
With a faint smile, Liu Luo added, “Earlier, when I said ‘delay might bring regret,’ it was for two reasons. First, I feared that the Demon Buddha and Dipankara would regain their senses, realize the Celestial Emperor was merely a residual trace, and return to fight. Second, I worried that if we missed this chance, the Northern Dipper chariot might not return for who knows how long.”
She was not surprised that Dipankara and the Demon Buddha had been startled into retreat. Dipankara had long suspected that the Celestial Emperor had left contingencies, possibly related to the Mystic Maiden of the Ninth Heaven. Faced with such a situation, sensing such clarity, and seeing the Northern Dipper chariot approaching rapidly, how could he dare to linger, spy, or delay? If it were fake, fine—but what if it were real?
Wouldn’t that be gambling with his life and cultivation?
Below the Nirvana realm, Dipankara had no power to resist. If he missed the chance to escape, he could only pray for divine mercy.
In such circumstances, it was better to believe it was true than not, and self-preservation was the only rational choice. Only a fool would stake their life on testing the affairs of the Nirvana realm!
As for the Demon Buddha, though a Nirvana being, he could currently only manifest a fraction of his power through a shadow. While his knowledge remained, his vision lacked the corresponding realm and strength to support it. Relying solely on the spiritual nature of the Wheel of Samsara Seal, how could he discern the truth? More importantly, his former self was the Thunder God, an ancient Primal Chaos being who had betrayed the Celestial Emperor. Facing his former victim, he would naturally feel a twinge of guilt.
Yet given their abilities, it was only a matter of time before they realized the truth. They had to leave quickly.
Hearing this, Meng Qi turned his gaze once more toward the indistinct silhouette of the Celestial Emperor, sensing the terrifying, eternal vastness and erosion. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: “Even a residual trace has such majesty. What must the Celestial Emperor have been like in his prime, when he dominated the ancient world?”
At the same time, he chuckled. “Liu Luo, you truly know this place well. You even knew the Northern Dipper chariot’s illusory remnant was here.”
With a faint smile, Liu Luo replied, “Before the celestial realm vanished and went into seclusion, before the True Lord of Purity and Source sealed the highest layer, as one of the surviving deities of the Heavenly Court, how could I not have come here? But back then, the great battle had just ended, and its aftershocks were still terrifying. I dared not venture too deep, so I delayed until now.”
As they spoke, the Northern Dipper chariot, bearing its vast radiance, traversed the void. The surrounding darkness was profound and empty, devoid of any landmarks to judge their direction, evoking an involuntary sense of disorientation.
After questioning the Mystic Maiden of the Ninth Heaven about many matters concerning the celestial realm, Meng Qi settled his mind, sitting cross-legged on the chariot. He breathed in the residual aura of the Celestial Emperor, contemplating the mysteries of time and the wonders of the Three Lives.
After an indeterminate period, a light suddenly rose in the dark emptiness ahead, transforming into a turbid river that churned with endless waves, twisting and turning in an unceasing torrent.
“The Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation,” Liu Luo murmured.
Meng Qi opened his eyes and focused. He saw Yunxiao, mature and elegant like a peony in her Daoist robes; Qiongxiao, gentle and refined in her palace attire; and Bixiao, lively and fierce in her green dress—each summoning five waves of pure qi to support the Chaos Golden Dipper and deploy the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation.
Within the formation, a canopy of auspicious clouds hung high, with three lotus flowers emitting countless rays of light—some verdant and ancient, heavy and overturning; others wreathed in purple, illusory and expanding; and still others purely yang without yin, serene and effortless—struggling to hold on.
“Senior Brother Guangcheng…” Meng Qi’s expression instantly turned grave.
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