Grandpa, times have changed.

The Realm of Mysterious Forms.

The former Tianling Sect is now the location of the Chishui Divine Court.

It was situated high in the sky, hidden among the clouds, unseen by the mortal world.

The deep blue Heavenly Gate seemed to be made of crystal, adorned with various gleaming precious stones.

Upon entering, one can see thirty-six palaces and seventy-two halls, which correspond to the number of days in the celestial sphere.

Golden light rolled like red rainbows, and auspicious clouds spewed purple mist. Within them were many golden-armored deities, each holding a halberd, whip, knife, and sword, exuding majesty.

In the deepest part of the Divine Court, the Heavenly Palaces and Temples stand guard.

A flash of inspiration condensed into mist, and Mu Yong, dressed in black, sat upright on a simple Taoist altar.

At this moment, they are watching the figure that suddenly intruded through the omnipresent network of divine power.

The divine way oversees heaven and earth, and is aware of everything.

Moreover, in recent years, as his control over the primordial god of 'water' has deepened, his authority has continued to grow.

It is no exaggeration to say that his current abilities surpass those of ordinary cultivators at the peak of the Void Returning stage.

Of course, this only applies when he is in the Imperial Water Divine Court, receiving the power of the divine position and the blessings of many gods.

On the other hand, after discovering the Divine Path Network, Lin Changsheng no longer intended to hide himself, which is why Mu Yong was able to discover him so easily.

"So he really came back..."

Turning his gaze away, a strange glint flashed in Mu Yong's eyes.

Although several years have passed, he still vividly remembers the various mysterious techniques displayed by those extraterrestrial deities.

Moreover, the current state of the Xuanxiang Realm is inextricably linked to the existence behind them.

Can't be offended.

If possible, you could also try to befriend them...

Thinking this, Mu Yong stood up from the platform and opened his arms.

Gurgling~
Like a babbling brook, delicate streams flow from the surrounding misty atmosphere, gradually spreading from the fingertips to the whole body.

In just a few seconds, he constructed an extremely luxurious black robe.

With a wave of his sleeves, scenes of rivers, lakes, seas, and misty marshes come to life.

Deep within his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness, a bright blue, five-dragon knotted seal, containing two streams of light—one red and one white—shone brilliantly. When illuminated by divine light, it revealed the myriad water veins of the Mysterious Realm.

[Divine Position: Emperor of the Waters (Returning to Emptiness)]

[Sovereign Authority: Water—Rules over all waters within the Mysterious Realm, and commands all water-related elements within the realm]

[Secondary Authority: Fire, Primordial Qi, Demon Suppression, Monster Slaying, Blessing...]

[In Charge: Mu Yong]

【Achievements: 131】

[Offenses: 0]

Not bad.

Of the three primordial divine positions of wind, fire, and primordial energy that disappeared, Mu Yong seized two of them and refined them into part of his own authority.

As for the other secondary powers...

Over the years, he has not only thoroughly reduced his own evil deeds and completely taken control of the 'Imperial Seal of the Source of the Water', but has also attempted to confer divine titles upon deities.

The subordinate deities receive offerings of incense and prayers from the people.

When people pray, the gods respond, and from this comes new authority.

"call……"

Feeling the radiant seal deep within his spiritual sea, Mu Yong closed his eyes and gently exhaled.

In an instant, the dense spiritual energy, as thick as clouds, surged and churned, producing a rushing sound like a surging river. Drops of azure spiritual liquid condensed out of thin air, passed through the divine court, and fell into the mortal world, turning into a heavy rain that nourished all things.

A vast and profound divine power surged within his body.

Both in quantity and quality, they far surpassed his own self during the period of perfect return to emptiness in his 'past life memories'.

Every move it makes possesses boundless power, and heaven and earth respond to it.

but……

"The path of the gods is good, but it is not my wish..."

Opening his eyes, he saw a fleeting glimpse of azure divine patterns deep within those clear black and white eyes.

The gods and spirits hold power, governing the heavens and the earth, and overseeing all things.

But for him, the carefree and unrestrained immortal cultivator was more to his liking.

"Sendoh..."

Regardless, the divine way has become the mainstream in the Xuanxiang world.

Now, with the collapse of the Xuanxiang Heavenly Orbit, the situation in the Xuanxiang Realm is gradually becoming uncertain, and the territories belonging to other divine courts have begun to suppress immortal cultivation.

Only the Imperial Water Divine Court under his command continues to encourage the cultivation of immortality...

Therefore, even if it were just to avoid being exploited by others, he could not possibly give up the position of Emperor of the Water.

It's also interesting to say.

This move was originally just a selfish one of his reasons; he didn't want to see the cultivation of immortality decline.

The result, however, unexpectedly brought him a very large amount of merit.

In recent years, apart from the three thousand merit points used to maintain his divine position, he has accumulated a total of 131 merit points. One hundred of these points were earned from protecting the stability of the region, ensuring the livelihood of the people, and encouraging the cultivation of immortality.

Only thirty points were obtained through slaying demons and suppressing evil spirits.

……

……

Not long after.

Mu Yong arrived at a side hall and saw that the bookshelves on both sides were filled with immortal cultivation methods that he had collected from various major sects.

Supernatural powers, secret techniques, cultivation methods...

Alchemy, weapon crafting, array formation, talisman making...

A dazzling array of goods, with a wide variety of types.

On the jade table at the head of the table, a yellowed ancient scroll lay quietly—

The Secret Record of the Celestial Spirit's Manifestation

The ancient Nascent Soul technique of Tianji Palace was abandoned by Tianji Palace after the appearance of Xuanxiang Tiangui. Now that Xuanxiang Tiangui has collapsed, he has exchanged it for some resources from Emperor Qingmu.

The Heavenly Spirit Sect rose to prominence because of its founder, Xuan Qi, who single-handedly created the 'Era of Heavenly Spirit Absorption'.

However, Tianji Palace was different. When Tianling Sect was still unknown, it was already a dominant sect in the Xuanxiang Realm.

Mu Yong reached out and picked it up, glanced at it casually, and then let go, causing it to fly back to the bookshelf automatically.

Because he was distracted by managing his divine path, his current immortal cultivation level is only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, far from reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

Looking back now is purely for broadening my horizons.

As the "Secret Record of the Celestial Spirit Evolution" was placed back on the bookshelf, lines of golden text suddenly appeared on the jade desk.

As the water flowed out, it wove together a divine decree that was entirely azure blue, before golden characters appeared and fell upon it.

As the large, azure-blue seal with five intertwined dragons flashed by, the entire imperial edict transformed into a streak of light and swept out of the hall, disappearing without a trace.

Having done all this, Mu Yong looked towards a certain place in the mortal world.

"Fortunately, we didn't kill them all back then."

……

……

It belongs to Chishui Shenting.

The middle section of the Ming River.

The raging waves, the dark yellow river water carrying silt, roared downstream.

For some reason, the sound of the rushing river gave me a strange sense of oppression...

Legend has it that this water vein was created by the Water Emperor with his supreme divine power. Many fallen immortals and gods who were killed by the Water Emperor are buried within it. Their resentment has not dissipated, thus giving birth to many demons and evil spirits.

There are even rumors that the depths of the river lead to the Avici Hell, where evil spirits and demons dwell.

In addition, the area within a hundred meters of the Minjiang River is like a desert, devoid of life, and there isn't even a single wild grass.

Outrageous rumors and a series of bizarre events have led to very few people living around the Mingjiang River, both upstream and downstream.

Yet, on this riverbank devoid of life and exuding an eerie atmosphere, stands a small temple. The plaque is somewhat faded, covered in a layer of mud and ash, even the characters on it are somewhat unclear—

【Mingjiang River God Temple】

Just a few simple words.

Lin Changsheng stood in front of the temple, looking into the half-closed temple gate.

But on the altar was a statue of a deity dressed in purple feather robes, with his right hand in a mudra of holding a flower and his left hand holding a treasure pot.

The statue, which should have been solemn, looked rather pathetic because it was covered in mud and ash.

A few sticks of incense remained stuck in the incense burner on the offering table.

The interior of the temple was covered with a layer of still-wet yellow mud, making the entire temple appear extremely dilapidated and desolate.

'This is it...'

His eyes shone with golden light, as if they possessed a powerful force that could see through illusions and dispel falsehoods.

After discovering the divine network of the Xuanxiang Realm, He completely abandoned the plan to disguise Himself.

After all, gods and deities hold the power over heaven and earth, and are all-knowing and all-seeing.

Without using any special methods, it would be easy to be discovered.

However, the most important thing was that he discovered the divine network he had observed was far too powerful.

A few years ago, it was a world where the divine path had disappeared and the immortal path was the main one.

How could such a complete and powerful Shinto network have developed in just a few years?
That's not how you cheat!

He would never believe it if you said that no sect was involved!
Now that it is clear that sects are involved in the divine path of the Xuanxiang Realm, given the sects' modus operandi...

For all these reasons, he still has considerable trust in the gods and deities of the Xuanxiang Realm.

Not to mention that he was able to find this place so quickly thanks to the secret guidance of the Shinto network.

Thinking it over, he stepped forward, pushed open the door, and entered the temple.

squeak~
A tooth-grinding creaking sound rang out as a foot stepped into the layer of yellow mud on the temple floor, but left no trace.

Not long after, Lin Changsheng arrived in front of the statue.

The golden light in his eyes had not yet dissipated; he still maintained the Golden Eyes of the Void.

I stared at the statue for quite a while.

"Can we meet up?"

"..."

Then, wisps of divine light gathered, and a hazy, ethereal figure emerged, slowly descending from the altar.

The figure, which was originally like a wisp of mist, gradually solidified during this process.

finally.

A beautiful young woman, bright and ethereal, dressed in a purple dress, stood before him.

Just as Lin Changsheng remembered, she had snow-white skin, an incomparably beautiful face, a row of sparkling white teeth, and a ponytail draped over her shoulders.

Looking at Lin Changsheng, a complex emotion flickered in Sheng Qingqing's eyes.

"Long time no see," she said softly.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Seeing the figure that often appeared in his mind right in front of him, Lin Changsheng felt unusually calm.

"Chat?"

“…Mmm.” Sheng Qingqing did not refuse.

Putting aside the fact that she had received the imperial decree, she herself also wanted to have a chat with this celestial being.

As a returner of the Void in the era of Heavenly Orbit Spirit Absorption, she grew up amidst deception and being deceived.

I've seen all sorts of people.

But in the end, the one she deceived, Lin Changsheng, this god-level being from beyond the heavens, was indeed different from everyone else in her heart.

Sheng Qingqing knew very well that the reason she was able to survive the great changes in the world, and the reason why Emperor Mu Yong of Chishui would let her go, was all because of Lin Changsheng.

Times have changed, everything is different now, and all the pursuits and ambitions of the past have vanished like bubbles.

As for being attracted to someone or having feelings for them?
That's far from it.

Before long, the two arrived outside the temple and gazed at the river.

Why did you come back?

It might seem like she was asking a question she already knew the answer to, but Sheng Qingqing still asked it anyway.

"Because of you." Lin Changsheng was also quite frank.

He came here specifically for her, and there's nothing wrong with saying that.

Before Sheng Qingqing could reply, he continued.

"Ever since I met you in this world, and even in the years since I went back, I have often thought of you."

At this point, he gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Even after I found out I had been deceived by you, I still couldn't forget you.

"..." Sheng Qingqing remained silent for a while.

Having grown up in the 'Celestial Spirit Absorption Era', Lin Changsheng's behavior was incomprehensible to her.

Such incredible supernatural abilities, yet such a person...

Pure-hearted?

This situation would never have occurred in the Xuanxiang Realm during the Tiangui Jiling period.

"If I'm not mistaken, you should be living in a very good era."

If she were to be rational, she should apologize now, then gain sympathy, and take the opportunity to extract a way out of Lin Changsheng's control from him.

But after witnessing firsthand the changes in the world since the advent of the Shinto era over the past few years, she no longer wanted to do that.

“A wonderful era…” Lin Changsheng paused, but did not refute it.

"Indeed, the era I live in now has never been better in the past."

Perhaps there are still some problems that haven't been solved.

But the Tai Xuan Realm today is the best era in the past few thousand, even tens of thousands of years.

Hearing her answer, Sheng Qingqing suddenly felt a pang of envy and asked:
"Would someone like you be considered impressive in your world?"

"Impressive... He's alright among his peers, but he's not the most outstanding one."

There was no way around it; his junior grand-uncle, who was of the same generation as him, was simply too monstrous.

He might still have the upper hand now, but in a few years, he probably won't be her match.

But thinking about it, it's quite strange.

Even though I know perfectly well that I will soon be overtaken or even surpassed, I feel no sense of urgency whatsoever.

It seems that the thought that the person was the junior grandmaster uncle relieved all the pressure.

Are they all like you?

"What do you mean, the same?" Lin Changsheng asked, puzzled.

That's a rather vague question.

"..." Sheng Qingqing thought for a moment, then shook her head helplessly, "Never mind, I don't even know what I'm asking."

As she spoke, she looked at Lin Changsheng, her tone more serious than ever before.

"Let's talk about your return to see me. Have you achieved your expected goals?"

"It has been achieved."

Lin Changsheng answered without hesitation.

The moment he saw Sheng Qingqing, he realized that the bright and ethereal girl in his memory was just an illusion that remained deep in his heart because of his constant idealization of her.

So at that time, he completely resolved his inner conflict and achieved his wish.

"Congratulations," Sheng said with a gentle smile.

"Thank you," Lin Changsheng said with a smile.

The two of them turned their heads at the same time to look at the river.

a long time.

"Will I... have the chance to go to your world in the future?" (End of Chapter)