278: Chapter 278 Guardian Kasyapa

The flying boat sailed slowly through the starry sea, heading towards the direction of the Sixth District.

Shen Nian stood in front of the porthole, holding that grayish-white Karma crystal core in his hand.

The crystal core was very cold, so cold that it felt like holding a piece of millennium-old black ice, but inside it, a trace of faint light was throbbing, like a heartbeat, like a breath, like a sleeping Life waiting to be awakened.

This was the last gift left to him by Ling Shuang—not the demon god origin, but the seed of Karma Power.

Ling Shuang had said before she dissipated that this seed contained the Karma records of all Guardians of the Fifth Cycle, as well as the truth of the end of the Fifth Cycle.

He had never had the courage to look.

It was not that he did not want to, but that he did not dare.

Those scenes in the Karma projection still lingered in his mind—the collapsed city walls, the corpses all over the ground, and the back of Ling Shuang kneeling all night in front of the Monument of Heroes.

And the cries of the common people.

That was a sound he could never forget.

Yue Li sat by the porthole, holding that black token in her hand, the samsara lotus on the token glowing slightly.

Her complexion was much better than when she left the Fifth District, and the bloodshot eyes in her eyes were also less.

The gathering of the fifth demon god origin brought her one step closer to her Master, and also made her mental state much better.

"Shen Nian, what are you thinking about?"

Her voice was very light, as light as a sigh about to dissipate in the wind.

Shen Nian did not look back, only looking at the starry sea outside the window.

"Disciple is wondering how Senior Ling Shuang managed to hold on back then. In the late Fifth Cycle, the Spiritual Vein dried up, foreign enemies invaded, and countless common people died. The soldiers of the Realm Guardian Army fell one after another, and the Disciples of the Guardian Academy died in battle batch after batch. How did she, all by herself, manage to hold on?"

Yue Li was silent for a moment.

"She didn't hold on. She just didn't fall down. Holding on and not falling down are two different things. Holding on is staying alive, and not falling down is still standing. Ling Shuang belonged to the latter—she couldn't hold on long ago, but she was still standing. Because she knew she couldn't fall down. Once she fell down, the starry sea would really be finished."

Tears swirled in Shen Nian's eyes.

"Disciple understands."

Yue Li didn't say anything more, just turned her head to look at the starry sea outside the window.

The flying boat sailed in the starry sea for a full five days.

On the evening of the fifth day, the flying boat arrived at the transfer station between the Fifth District and the Sixth District.

That was a small star suspended in the Void Realm, with a diameter of no more than a hundred zhang, its surface covered with a thick layer of ice, reflecting a faint blue light under the starlight.

On the ice layer stood a dilapidated building cast from an unknown silver-white metal, its surface densely engraved with runes that had already dimmed, obviously having not operated for a long time.

Yue Li said that this was a transfer station left behind by the Transporter, and back then The Designers had set off from here to go to various Universes to execute harvesting missions.

Now, The Designers were no longer around, and the transfer station had also been abandoned.

But Yue Li said that there was something here that might be helpful to Shen Nian.

The two walked down the flying boat and stepped onto the ice layer.

The ice layer under their feet made a creaking sound, and with every step they took, fine ice chips splashed out from under their feet.

Yue Li walked in front, holding the token in her hand, the runes on the token glowing slightly, illuminating the path ahead.

She walked up to the building and pressed the token against the door.

The runes on the door lit up for a moment, and then slowly opened.

The space behind the door was not large, only three zhang square.

In the center of the space floated a silver-white crystal core, inside which contained endless Power of Space-Time, those lights slowly flowing as if they had Life.

Around the crystal core floated dozens of smaller crystal cores, each recording the data when The Designers harvested a certain Universe.

Yue Li walked up to that silver-white crystal core and gently touched it with her hand.

The crystal core lit up, and silver-white light surged out from the crystal core, condensing into a huge picture in the Void Realm.

In the picture was a young woman with a slender figure and a peerlessly beautiful face, wearing a grayish-white robe, with long hair draped over the shoulders, holding a grayish-white long sword in her hand.

Her eyes were grayish-white without pupils, yet she could "see" everything.

There was a trace of a smile at the corners of her mouth, but that smile was full of bitterness.

Kashyapa.

The former inquisitor of the Tribunal.

Yue Li's voice was very light.

"She was once the strongest inquisitor of the Tribunal, and also the person most trusted by the Tribunal Master. She had executed countless harvesting missions without ever missing a single time. Until one time, she went to a harvested Universe and saw those harvested Souls—among them were the elderly, children, and newborn infants. Their eyes were all closed, as if they were sleeping. But Kashyapa knew they were not sleeping; they had been killed. Killed by her own hands."

In the picture, Kashyapa stood within a harvested Universe, surrounded by countless points of light—those were the harvested Souls.

She knelt on the ground, the sword she held in her hand dropping beside her, making a crisp sound.

Her eyes were full of tears, her body was trembling slightly, and her lips were silently saying something.

Yue Li's voice continued.

"From that day on, Kashyapa changed. She no longer executed harvesting missions, no longer spoke with the inquisitors, and no longer left her own palace. She moved her palace to the Fifth District and locked herself inside, locked away for countless years."

The picture changed.

Kashyapa sat deep within the palace, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, her expression calm.

In front of her floated a grayish-white crystal core—that was the fifth demon god origin, and also the final task given to her by the Tribunal Master.

"Guard it, and wait for the fated person."

Yue Li's voice carried a trace of compassion.

"The Tribunal Master knew that Kashyapa had changed, but he did not punish her. He simply handed the demon god origin to her and let her guard it. He said, 'If you do not want to harvest, then guard it. Wait for someone who can break the cycle to come, and you will be liberated.'"

Shen Nian's hand paused slightly.

"So, Kashyapa has been waiting? Waiting for someone who can break the cycle?"

Yue Li nodded.

"Yes. She waited for countless years. In the first six cycles, many people had come to the Fifth District, attempting to take away the demon god origin. But they all failed. It was not because they were not strong enough, but because their Dao Heart was not pure enough. Kashyapa's trial was not about combat, but about endurance. She wanted to let the newcomer personally experience the pain of the end of the Fifth Cycle and the despair of those harvested Souls. Only those who could withstand that kind of pain were qualified to inherit the demon god origin."

Shen Nian was silent.

He thought of everything he had experienced in the Karma projection—the collapsed city walls, the corpses all over the ground, and the back of Ling Shuang kneeling all night in front of the Monument of Heroes.

And the cries of the common people.

He had withstood it, but he did not know how he had withstood it.

Perhaps it was because he knew that those were all in the past.

Perhaps it was because he knew that he could not change the past, but he could protect the future.

Perhaps it was because he knew that he was not alone.

He had the primordial imprint of the ancestor, the five types of Legacy within the qinglian sword, and Yue Li by his side.

He had the convictions of countless heroic martyrs supporting him from behind.

In the picture, Kashyapa's figure began to change.

She was no longer young, no longer beautiful.

Her hair turned white, the wrinkles on her face deepened, and her figure also became hunchbacked.

Her eyes remained closed, but her complexion was even paler, like an old person in the twilight of their years.

Yue Li's voice was very light.

"She has grown old. It is not her body that has grown old, but her Soul. Countless years of waiting have exhausted her vitality. She is not sleeping; she is about to dissipate. But she has not dissipated, because she is still waiting. Waiting for someone who can pass the trial."

Tears swirled in Shen Nian's eyes.

"Disciple has passed her trial. Disciple has obtained the fifth demon god origin. She... she can finally rest."

Yue Li nodded.

"Yes. She can rest. But before she dissipates, there is one more thing she must do. She wants to see you. Not through the Karma projection, but face to face."

Shen Nian's hand paused slightly.

"She is still alive?"

Yue Li shook her head.

"She is no longer around. But she left behind a strand of consciousness that automatically activates after you pass the trial. If you go to the Fifth District now, you can still see her. If you are late, you will never see her again."

Shen Nian turned around and walked towards the direction of the flying boat.

Yue Li followed closely behind, the two of them walking one after the other on the ice layer.

The ice layer underfoot made a creaking sound, exceptionally clear in the silent Void Realm.

The flying boat rose into the air and flew towards the direction of the Fifth District.

Shen Nian stood before the porthole, looking out at the sea of stars ahead, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

He thought of Ling Shuang whom he had seen in the projection of Karma, remembered her back as she knelt before the Monument of Heroes, and recalled what she had said — "Child, guard the sea of stars for this seat."

He thought of the sleeping woman he had seen in the Fifth District palace, remembered her ash-white hair, her pale face, and the dark red crystal core in her hand.

She had waited for countless years, waiting for someone who could pass the test.

Now, that person had come.

But she was no longer there.

The flying boat sped through the sea of stars, and five days passed in the blink of an eye.

When the gray star of the Fifth District appeared in his field of vision, Shen Nian had the flying boat slow down and slowly approach.

Most of the mist had dissipated, and the ash-white palace emitted a faint glow under the sunlight.

The palace still stood tall in the Void Realm, the ash-white crystals shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

But the Guardian was no longer there.

Shen Nian stepped out of the cabin door, floating in the Void Realm.

Yue Li followed behind him, and the two walked side by side toward the palace.

The entrance of the palace was still wide open, and the stone door was not closed, as if waiting for him to return.

Shen Nian stepped into the passage, with Yue Li following behind.

Within the crystal walls on both sides of the passage, those Karma patterns were still circulating, and the ash-white light illuminated the path ahead.

The deeper they walked, the stronger the fluctuation of that Karma Power became.

It was not oppression, nor a threat, but a call.

It was as if something was calling to him in the darkness.

Shen Nian quickened his pace, walking toward the depths of the space.

When he passed through the final passage and entered that huge space, he stopped in his tracks.

In the space, those points of light were still floating, every single point of light slowly rotating and emitting a faint glow.

That was the Karma record of the Souls harvested in the fifth cycle.

In the depths of the space, that huge ash-white crystal core still floated in the air, beating slowly like a heartbeat.

Around the crystal core, a person sat cross-legged.

That person — Kashyapa.

He closed his eyes, his face pale and unmoving.

But in his hand, there was no demon god origin.

The demon god origin was already in Shen Nian's hands.

Shen Nian walked up to him, knelt down, and kowtowed deeply.

"Senior, this Disciple has returned."

There was no response.

He still closed his eyes, still unmoving, like he was in a deep sleep.

Shen Nian called out once more.

"Senior, this Disciple has passed your test. This Disciple has obtained the demon god origin. This Disciple has come to see you."

Still, there was no response.

Yue Li walked to his side and said softly,

"He can no longer hear. His consciousness has already dissipated. But he left behind an image; activate it."

Shen Nian raised his hand, injecting a trace of Power of Dao Protection into the crystal core between his eyebrows.

The crystal core lit up, and ash-white light surged out from it, condensing into a figure in the Void Realm.

That was Kashyapa — not the sleeping Kashyapa, but the young Kashyapa.

His face was exquisitely beautiful, his gaze clear, with a slight smile on the corners of his lips.

In his hand, he gripped that ash-white longsword, the runes on the sword body slowly circulating and emitting a soft glow.

"Latercomer, if you see this image, it means you have already passed this seat's test and obtained the demon god origin."

His voice was very soft, as light as a spring breeze brushing across the surface of a lake, yet carrying an indescribable warmth.

Shen Nian knelt in the Void Realm, kowtowing deeply toward that figure.

"Senior, this Disciple is here."

Kashyapa's image looked at him, a trace of gratification flashing in his eyes.

"This seat has waited for countless years, waiting for someone who could pass the test. In the first six cycles, many people have come here. They were all very strong, even stronger than you. But they all failed. It was not because they were not strong enough, but because their Dao Heart was not pure enough. They could not endure the pain of the end of the fifth cycle, nor could they endure the despair of those harvested Souls. You are different; you endured it. This seat does not know how you endured it, but this seat knows that your Dao Heart is purer than theirs."

Shen Nian's tears swirled in his eye sockets.

"This Disciple only... did what should be done."

Kashyapa laughed, his laughter very soft, as light as the wind blowing past withered branches.

"What should be done... Ah, yes, what should be done. Back then, this seat thought the same way. This seat executed the harvest mission, thinking that was what should be done. Until this seat saw those harvested Souls, saw their eyes — although they were closed, this seat knew they were looking at this seat. They were asking this seat, 'Why?' This seat could not answer. From that day on, this seat knew that this seat had done wrong."

A trace of compassion flashed in his eyes.

"This seat cannot change the past, but this seat can change the future. This seat moved the palace to the Fifth District, locked himself inside, guarded this demon god origin, and waited for someone who could break the cycle. Now, you have come. This seat can finally rest."

Shen Nian's tears finally fell.

"Senior, this Disciple will not let you down. This Disciple will gather all seven demon god origins, open the Gate of Reincarnation, and resurrect those harvested Souls. This Disciple will break the cycle, ensuring that the Tribunal can never harvest any Universe again. This is this Disciple's promise."

Kashyapa looked at him, his eyes filled with gratification.

"Good, very good. This seat trusts you."

His figure began to fade, starting from his feet, turning inch by inch into ash-white points of light.

"Senior!"

Kashyapa laughed, smiling with incomparable relief.

"There is no need to be sad. This seat has waited for countless years and waited for you; that is enough. This seat does not regret it."

His figure became fainter and fainter, more and more transparent.

"Latercomer, this seat's power is also given to you. Use it to protect everything you want to protect."

He raised his hand, and that ash-white longsword flew out from his hand, turning into an ash-white ray of light that surged into the qinglian sword.

The qinglian sword emitted a clear and resonant sword cry, the qinglian patterns on the sword body suddenly lighting up as the ash-white light and cyan light intertwined, resembling a blooming lotus flower.

Shen Nian's cultivation climbed once again, from the Perfection of the Mid Stage of Integration to the Peak of the Mid Stage of Integration.

His body was glowing, fourteen-colored light circulating across the surface of his body, the ash-white light intertwining with the other thirteen colors, as beautiful as a dream.

Kashyapa's figure completely dissipated, turning into sky-filling ash-white points of light that drifted in the Void Realm.

Those points of light drifted toward those floating points of light — the Karma records of the Souls harvested in the fifth cycle — merging into them and becoming an eternal part of them.

Shen Nian knelt in the Void Realm, kowtowing deeply toward that dissipating light.

"Senior, rest assured, this Disciple will definitely not fail the trust placed in him."

He stood up, wiped away his tears, and turned to walk toward the direction of the palace exit.

Yue Li followed behind, the two walking side by side in the passage, their footsteps echoing in the empty passage.

When walking out of the palace, the sunlight was just right.

The mist had completely dissipated, and that gray star revealed its true face — it was not gray, but emerald green, covered by a dense forest. Within the forest was a clear river, and by the riverbank stood a small wooden cabin.

That was what the Fifth District originally looked like, what it looked like before Kashyapa sealed himself.

Now, the Seal had been lifted, and the Fifth District had restored its original appearance.

Shen Nian stood before the palace, looking at that emerald-green forest, an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.

He remembered Kashyapa's words before dissipating — "This seat cannot change the past, but this seat can change the future."

He was the same.

He could not change the past, could not change the fact that the progenitor was no longer around, and could not change the fate of those martyrs who had already sacrificed themselves.

But he can change the future.

He could protect the present.

He could make those who were still alive live even better.

That was enough.

He took a deep breath and turned to walk toward the flying boat.

Yue Li followed behind, the two walking one after the other on the emerald-green grass.

The sunlight shone upon them, pulling their shadows very long.

The qinglian sword swayed gently at Shen Nian's waist, the qinglian patterns on the sword body shining brilliantly in the sunlight — now with an additional color, ash-white, which was Kashyapa's Karma Power.

The sixth demon god origin was still in the Sixth District.

And there was the last one, within Yuehua's body.

The road was still very long.

But Shen Nian was not afraid.

Because he knew he was not alone.