463: Eternal Past

Ancient Land of Dao!

Dao Palace.

Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes.

At that instant, his eyes seemed to hold the rotation of Myriad Daos, the birth and death of star rivers, and endless Great Daos interwoven like fine threads, yet in an instant, they returned to calm, transforming into a profound, deep pool.

He sat still like a pine tree, without a trace of power fluctuation around him; even his breathing seemed to synchronize with Heaven and Earth, faint and prolonged.

No longer did divine light flow beneath his skin, nor did runes shimmer within his flesh and blood; his entire being was utterly simple, like a Mortal who had never Cultivated.

Only true Peak powerhouses could discern that this was not a loss of cultivation, but rather an understanding of the Dao that had reached the Transcendent Realm.

Every inch of his flesh and blood, every wisp of his Divine Soul, had perfectly merged with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, with no more leakage, no more flaws.

He gently raised his hand, his fingertips tracing through the Void Realm, without stirring even a ripple; yet, if someone were to probe with their Dao Heart, they would be horrified to discover that wherever his fingertips passed, Myriad Daos submitted, and Laws retreated, as if even Heaven and Earth held their breath under his will.

"So that's how it is..."

Xu Qing murmured, his voice peaceful, yet seemingly containing the true words of the Great Dao, causing the surrounding space to tremble slightly. He slowly rose, his robes moving without wind, only to settle into stillness the next moment.

At this moment, he no longer needed any phenomena to display his strength.

Because he was the Dao, and the Dao was him.

He slowly rose, his robes moving without wind, and bowed deeply to the hazy figure with his back to him, his forehead almost touching his knees.

"Junior Xu Qing, I deeply thank Senior for the grace of this Opportunity! This Opportunity has allowed Junior to glimpse the true essence of the Great Dao; this kindness and virtue will never be forgotten!"

The hazy figure turned at his words, the Chaos mist swirling around him faintly rippling.

A pair of eyes, seemingly containing endless star rivers, fell upon Xu Qing, scanning him from head to toe with a gaze as if it were substantial.

"Your Comprehension Ability..." The hazy figure's voice was like the tolling of an ancient bell, stirring ripples in the Void Realm. "It truly can be called a Prodigy. Although aided by the Heaven and Earth Dao Heart, to be able to comprehend the Myriad Daos to such a Realm in the Land of Destiny..."

His words paused slightly, and the Chaos mist suddenly surged.

"He can be called the first person in all of eternity!"

Xu Qing's pupils suddenly constricted, and his spine instantly straightened.

Xu Qing's pupils shrank. The person in front of him could actually perceive his Heaven and Earth Dao Heart, and the place he had gone was actually the Land of Destiny. Wasn't this place only accessible to those with destiny?

"No need to panic."

The hazy figure gently waved his hand, and a soft current of Chaos Qi lifted Xu Qing.

The voice suddenly became distant, as if it had traversed endless years.

"From the moment the Heaven and Earth Dao Heart was created, I have been waiting, waiting for the destined one, the inheritor of the Heaven and Earth Dao Heart, to arrive."

Within the Chaos mist, the hazy figure vaguely showed a look of reminiscence. "When the aura of the Heaven and Earth Dao Heart leaked out over a thousand years ago, I knew this day was not far off."

Xu Qing stood frozen, his brows full of confusion.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask, but didn't know how to begin.

The hazy figure seemed to sense the confusion in Xu Qing's eyes, and the mist swirling around him slowly receded like a veil.

His green robe stirred faintly, and a tall, slender young man revealed himself. His features were exquisite, his face almost unrealistically handsome, as if he were an exiled immortal who had stepped out of an ancient scroll.

But what was most startling were his eyes; within them, star rivers seemed to rotate, and seas turned into mulberry fields.

Just one glance made one feel as if they were witnessing the surging River of Time and the extinction of countless eons.

These were not the eyes of a young man, but the vicissitudes accumulated in the depths of time by an ancient existence who had traversed countless Eras and witnessed the rise and fall of all Heavens.

The corners of his lips curved slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

"My name is Pan Yu!"

The young man stood with his hands behind his back, a smile on his lips, yet his voice was like the first thunderclap at the dawn of Chaos, causing the Void Realm to tremble slightly.

"Pan...Pan Yu!"

Xu Qing's pupils suddenly constricted, his expression slightly changing. Countless fragments of ancient texts flashed through his mind instantly, and an unbelievable conjecture surfaced in his heart.

"You guessed correctly."

Pan Yu gently nodded, his eyes reflecting the vicissitudes that spanned Eras.

"During the Eternal Era, after the Father God expelled thousands of Chaos Gods and Devils, he opened the Eternal Dao Realm and then departed for the Ruins Sea. Before leaving, he created me."

His voice was neither hurried nor slow, yet it seemed to carry a certain Dao rhythm; with every word that fell, subtle ripples appeared in the surrounding Void Realm.

"Thereafter, I governed the Eternal Dao Realm on behalf of the Father God. Later, Dao Xuan appeared..."

Pan Yu paused, "...which is what you call the 'will of the heavenly dao'. It was originally formed from a wisp of will left by the Father God. From its Origin, we two are of the same lineage and can be called brothers."

Xu Qing's breathing hitched, and a tumultuous wave surged within him.

This seemingly young existence before him was an ancient one who had existed since the Eternal Era!

Pan Yu continued: "So we two each performed our duties—I guarded the Chaos, suppressing the Gods and Devils who were expelled back then; and he regulated the Yin and Yang order, maintaining the operation of the Dao Realm."

He looked up into the depths of the Void Realm, his gaze penetrating the River of Time.

"Later, as the Origin of Heaven and Earth perfected, the Innate Origin left by the Father God during creation gradually gained sentience, and the first batch of Innate Gods and Devils were thus born. The Eternal Era thus ended, and the Mythological Era began."

"These Innate Gods and Devils were naturally close to the Dao; the weakest among them were at least in the Half-Ancestor Realm, and Dao Ancestors were not few. Initially, the Dao Realm was vast, Opportunities were endless, and all beings lived in peace. However..."

A hint of gloom flashed in Pan Yu's eyes. "When some Gods and Devils reached the extreme of Dao Ancestor, nine supreme Eternal treasures fell from outside the Eternal Ruins."

His voice suddenly became deep.

"A great battle that swept across the Eternal Ruins erupted, even drawing in the exiled Chaos Gods and Devils. Ultimately, ten Chaos Continents suspended in the Chaos Sea shattered, transforming into the current Three Thousand Ancient Lands and hundreds of millions of ancient cities."

Pan Yu gently pointed his finger, and a wisp of Chaos Qi in his palm evolved into a scene of Heaven and Earth shattering.

"And those nine supreme treasures created nine supreme Eternals. Dao Xuan was one of them, and the Dao Palace was thus established, marking the beginning of the Nine Heavens Era. The other eight Eternals, seeking a higher Realm, journeyed together to the Ruins Sea..."

Xu Qing's mind trembled; so, the root cause of that cataclysmic war in the Mythological Era was here!

"Little did they know, the true calamity had only just begun."

Pan Yu suddenly sneered, a cold glint appearing in his eyes. "So-called Eternals are merely playthings in the hands of others. The eight who departed all became false Eternals, reduced to Puppets; even Dao Xuan narrowly escaped disaster."

He waved his sleeve, and a blurry figure appeared in the Void Realm, exuding an aura that made all things tremble.

"In that battle, Dao Xuan, despite his severe injuries, dragged the eight back to the Eternal Era." Pan Yu's voice carried a hint of solemnity. "Living beings Cultivating to the three-step Dao Ancestor Realm no longer have a past, but the Father God is different—he is the creator of the Dao Realm, and his imprint forever exists in the space-time of the Eternal Dao Realm."

Suddenly, countless golden Dao patterns lit up in the Void Realm, interweaving into a magnificent scroll. "The Father God personally suppressed the eight, and Dao Xuan, due to his severe injuries, fell into a long slumber after returning to the present world."

Pan Yu sighed softly, and the surrounding Dao patterns dimmed accordingly.

"Without Dao Xuan's maintenance, coupled with that kid Jun Tian being targeted by that person, the Extinction Era thus arose. By the time Dao Xuan awoke, it was already the Primordial Era. At that time, he sensed that a great calamity was approaching, so he bestowed the blessings of Heaven and Earth, augmented the Dao essence of all worlds, and imparted the Three Thousand Daoist Magic."

His gaze suddenly fell upon Xu Qing, as if penetrating through countless ages. "By the Archaic Era, your Human Race gave birth to the Human Emperor Shi, but alas..."

Pan Yu shook his head, not continuing.

But Xu Qing knew very well that the Human Emperor Shi ultimately could not escape that person's machinations.

The Void Realm was silent, with only the lingering resonance of the Great Dao flowing soundlessly.