Everlasting Immortal Firmament

Frowning, Gu Hai said, “It seems like Sa might truly be the one from the Six Paths Immortal Firmament. The Six Paths Immortal Firmament and the Sa’s Immortal Firmament are two sides of the same coin—one positive and one negative. This suggests Sa has a pathway for traversing the two immortal firmaments.”

Vairocana’s expression turned serious. “Mister Gu, are you implying that if Sa wants to return, he can?”

If Sa has a way, can he come and go at will? Won’t the Six Paths Immortal Firmament be…

However, Gu Hai shook his head. “I suspect it’s not that simple.”

“Oh?”

“I suspect Sa’s pathway between the two immortal firmaments is gone,” Gu Hai stated solemnly.

“What do you mean?” asked Vairocana, puzzled.

“Eight hundred thousand years ago, Fuxi battled a wisp of Sa’s consciousness and managed to block Sa outside the Six Paths Immortal Firmament. This suggests that Sa didn’t return the same way but in another form—and only as a sliver of consciousness,” Gu Hai explained gravely.

“But…”

“Just think about it. The Amitābha Buddha discovered the Six Paths Immortal Firmament but could not enter. It’s not as simple as being outside the void of the Six Paths Immortal Firmament. He was likely in another dimension and could only propagate the Buddhist Dao to the Six Paths Immortal Firmament with a dharmic incarnation. His true body could not come. This continued until he died in the void. He was reincarnated through the continuous chanting and faith of countless Buddhists generation after generation. The two immortal firmaments aren’t in the same spatial dimension, so it is almost impossible to cross over. The return of Sa’s consciousness eighty thousand years ago was similar to the Amitābha Buddha,” Gu Hai said seriously.

“But didn’t I come over here? And aren’t you able to traverse back? In that case, was Yi Qiu more powerful than Sa and the Amitābha Buddha?” Vairocana queried, frowning.

Shaking his head, Gu Hai responded, “Yi Qiu is my senior, so it is not my place to speak of this. However, considering this affects the welfare of all beings in both immortal firmaments, I can hazard a guess.”

“Oh?”

“Yi Qiu didn’t open a passage between the two immortal firmaments but found the one that Sa had made,” Gu Hai stated gravely.

“What?” Vairocana exclaimed, taken aback.

“I suspect the passageway we are using to traverse the two immortal firmaments is actually the one left by Sa. However, Sa inadvertently lost it, and the entrances to this passageway were discovered by Senior Yi Qiu and the Six Paths Immortal Firmament’s Sect Master Supreme Ascendant. Consequently, they set a password on this passageway and hid it where Sa couldn’t find it. Later, I obtained it,” Gu Hai conjectured.

“So, you’re saying this passageway belongs to Sa? Without it, Sa can’t freely return and must find other ways in the void?” Vairocana queried, frowning.

“I suspect that’s the case.” Gu Hai nodded.

“Perhaps you’re right. I remember during the time of Yi Qiu’s death, Sa went berserk. He massacred countless creatures in many galaxies. He destroyed many beings in Earth’s galaxy, including several deities. A long time passed before many deities dared to show themselves. It was that period!” Vairocana mused.

“Sa lost something; hence his rage!” Gu Hai said gravely.

Nodding, Vairocana asked, “So, if Sa can’t return, it means we’re relatively safe here?”

Shaking his head, Gu Hai replied, “No, I actually feel it’s becoming increasingly dangerous. Sa invaded once eight hundred thousand years ago, showing he never gave up looking for a second pathway back. After eight hundred thousand years, I suspect his second invasion is not far off.”

Vairocana’s face turned slightly grim.

“Let’s set Sa’s issue aside for now, as it’s still somewhat distant. We need to navigate our current predicament. The Han Imperial Dynasty and the Huang Heavenly Dynasty are about to wage a deadly war, not to mention the intervention of the Heavenly Demon Holy Land,” Gu Hai warned.

Vairocana took a deep breath and nodded.

“All this explanation just serves to make you aware. You must assist Long Wanyu whenever she is in danger in Borderless Heavenly Capital,” Gu Hai stated earnestly.

“Oh?” Vairocana asked, puzzled.

“Long Wanyu is key to resolving the calamity of all beings,” Gu Hai declared solemnly.

“She is? Could it be…” Vairocana’s pupils contracted.

Nodding, Gu Hai said, “Knowing is enough; there’s no need to say it.”

Vairocana nodded in agreement.

The two of them then stepped out of the Gu’s Immortal Firmament and into the Hall of Great Strength.

Hall of Great Strength:

Shangguan Hen’s eyelids twitched as if he would be the first to awaken.

Creak!

With a wave of his sleeve, Gu Hai flung open the doors of the Hall of Great Strength.

Outside the grand hall, Chen Xianer and the others promptly filed in upon seeing the doors open.

“Husband, how is Little Han?” Chen Xianer asked anxiously.

“He’s about to wake up,” Gu Hai replied, looking at the pill furnace.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Under the watchful eyes of all, the eyelids of Gu Han and Ao Sheng also twitched. Eventually, the three opened their eyes, one after another.

“They’re awake, wonderful!” Gu Qin exclaimed joyfully.

“Their injuries are strange. Their entire bodies are cracked.” Long Wanyu frowned slightly as if recalling something.

When the three woke up, they saw Gu Hai and his party.

“Your Reverence, you’ve finally returned!” Shangguan Hen’s eyes reddened at once.

“Imperial Father, this child was incapable. I could only watch helplessly as Uncle Chiyou fell,” Gu Han said, his eyes reddening.

“Your Reverence, this official is incompetent. Cough! Cough! Cough!” Ao Sheng admitted bitterly.

Gu Hai once again infused Mending Heaven Energy into the three of them. Subsequently, Kong Xuan, the Mosquito Daoist, and Long Shenying gently helped the three out of the pill furnace.

“Take a seat,” Gu Hai ordered.

“This child dares not!” Gu Han immediately objected.

Shangguan Hen and Ao Sheng hesitated, not daring to sit, either.

“Sit down. Your bodies are weak. We should talk while sitting,” ordered Gu Hai.

“Yes,” the three responded and slowly took their seats.

“What happened on that day? How did Chiyou die? How did Ji Dihong kill him?” Gu Hai asked, looking at the three.

“An alert suddenly came from Chiyou City that day. Then, a dense fog rapidly engulfed Chiyou City. We heard Chiyou’s booming call reverberating throughout Borderless Heavenly Capital. Crown Prince Gu Han, Prime Ao Sheng, and I rushed over without delay. As Ao Sheng was not at the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm yet, I carried him,” Shangguan Hen recounted.

“Oh? What did you see when you got there?” Gu Hai asked in a deep voice.

“Upon entering the dense fog, we were ambushed.”

“Ambushed?” Gu Hai furrowed his brow.

“Yes, it seemed like Ji Dihong had been waiting in ambush. I encountered an extremely powerful scorpion tail. It struck my head, which instantly made me dizzy,” Shangguan Hen recounted with horror.

“A scorpion tail? The Poisoned Whiplash?” Gu Hai’s face darkened.

Gu Han nodded. “That’s correct. The Heavenly Demon Holy Land’s Number Four ambushed Prime Shangguan. Prime Shangguan’s physical body is truly extraordinary. The poisoned hook concentrated the immense force on one point and could even threaten those at the consummation of the spiritual souls. Only Prime Shangguan could barely withstand it, given his Golden Indestructible Body. If it were this child, that single strike would have taken my life.”

“What happened next?” Gu Hai asked.

“I faced Eastern Sea Dragon King Ao Ying. I was incapable and could only be suppressed,” Ao Sheng responded with a bitter smile.

“You could last against Ao Ying, who is a consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator. That’s no easy feat.” Gu Hai nodded in approval.

“This child faced Mister Starless,” Gu Han said with a complex expression.

“Mister Starless?” Gu Hai raised his brow.

Mister Starless, isn’t that Gu Ming, my fourth son? Gu Han definitely recognized him.

“Yes, Mister Starless had already set up a ritual array, blocking me. It was a bizarre ritual array,” Gu Han said, furrowing his brow.

“So, you were all blocked. What about Hou Yi and Xingtian?” Gu Hai asked in a serious tone.

“They were also blocked. The battlefield was extremely chaotic at that time, so this child couldn’t clearly see what was happening. However, we were all hindered by either the people of the Huang Heavenly Dynasty or the Heavenly Demon Holy Land. In the chaotic center of the storm, Ji Dihong battled Chiyou. Eventually, Chiyou suffered a great defeat,” Gu Han recounted bitterly.

“A great defeat? Chiyou was incredibly powerful. He was at the consummation of the spiritual souls. Furthermore, he practiced one of the shaman race’s five main lineages, world devouring, which can consume everything and makes him invulnerable to all weapons. His physical body is even more formidable than Shangguan Hen’s!” Gu Hai frowned.

“Yes, but Uncle Chiyou still lost. I remember an eye appearing in the sky in the final moments of the battle. It resembled Heaven’s eye but was golden. That eye emitted several beams of golden light that smote our bodies. Our bodies were severely damaged, cracking,” Gu Han recalled.

“Heaven’s eye?” Gu Hai’s pupils constricted.

Long Wanqing, Long Wanyu, and others were also astonished. Heaven’s eye? This could only be found in one of the five heavenly gift cultivation techniques. Could Ji Dihong also possess a heavenly gift?

“However, the heavenly eye seemed tired. It closed after emitting the golden light and subsequently disappeared,” Gu Han recalled.

Tired?

Gu Hai and the others were even more shocked. It seemed this heavenly eye was inferior to the Six Paths Immortal’s and Essence Genesis’s.

“The impenetrable body and the ability to devour everything that belonged to Uncle Chiyou might have disappeared,” Gu Han recalled.

“What do you mean?”

“The golden eye in the sky had severely damaged us; we were on the verge of death. However, Chiyou suddenly appeared. Looking at us with bitterness, he said, ‘My world devouring is gone, and my body has become mortal. I have lost again. I have let you all down. I hope you can escape. Take care,’” Gu Han recalled.

“Chiyou was saying goodbye?” Gu Hai’s face darkened.

“Yes. Then Chiyou hurled Crown Prince Gu Han, Ao Sheng, Hou Yi, Xingtian, and me out of the battle. We flew straight to Borderless Heavenly Capital. On the way back, we saw Ji Dihong’s Xuanyuan Sword emerge from the dense fog, piercing through Chiyou’s neck and protruding from his throat,” Shangguan Hen said bitterly.

“First Brother Chiyou was truly defeated? How could this happen? With his world devouring and an impenetrable body, how could the Xuanyuan Sword penetrate his body?” Gu Hai furrowed his brow.

“One of the shaman race’s five main lines of inheritance!” Long Wanyu’s face darkened.

“What?” Gu Hai turned to Long Wanyu.

“Chiyou’s formidable body and world devouring ability might have really disappeared,” Long Wanyu said, her face grim.

“You mentioned the shaman race’s five main lines of inheritance. What do you mean? The four zombies, world devouring, divine blood replication, mind control, and one more? Ji Dihong has the Divine Dao Shaman Canon, so he must also have the fifth main lineage. What is it? Is it related to Chiyou’s death?” Gu Hai asked in a deep voice.

“Yes, if Ji Dihong possesses the last lineage, Chiyou might have been careless, and Ji Dihong stole everything.” Long Wanyu knitted her brows.

“What is the fifth main lineage?” Chen Xianer asked curiously. “To think it is so mysterious! We can’t find any records despite extensive searches.”

“The fifth main lineage is called divine Dao plundering,” Long Wanyu replied, her frown deepening.

“Divine Dao plundering?” Everyone looked at Long Wanyu in surprise.

“Yes, it directly plunders the divine Dao secret technique from others and refines that the divine Dao secret technique for personal use. Ji Dihong stripped the world devouring divine Dao secret technique from Chiyou’s body and placed it in his own. Devouring everything? Impenetrable? Immunity to water and fire? These abilities were all stripped away by Ji Dihong. Chiyou lost all these abilities, keeping only his cultivation,” Long Wanyu said, frowning.

“Divine Dao plundering?”

Everyone in the hall inhaled sharply. What a horrifying shaman race lineage!