Everyone ascended, but I didn't get on board

Chapter 257 If Fate Brings Us Together, We Will Meet Again

The current Immortal Realm no longer has the original distinction between the four Immortal Realms. After the Venerable One left, Juanshan took over the responsibilities of the East and West Immortal Realms. Meanwhile, the Immortal Venerable Youming of the South Immortal Realm is also a carefree person who doesn't care about anything. Therefore, Qinghe is in charge of both the North and South Immortal Realms.

Perhaps because of the frequent exchanges between the two sides, he and Qinghe decided to merge the management of both sides. The Immortal Realm would no longer be divided into four directions; east, west, south, and north would all be part of the Immortal Realm. Originally, the plan was for him and Qinghe to take turns managing it.

But Qinghe, who lacked martial ethics, initially took charge of things, but later, in order to follow Youming's footsteps, he simply dumped all the mess on him. He even had the audacity to say that since he was waiting for Fellow Daoist Chu to return anyway, it didn't matter where he waited. But he was different; his senior sister was going to chase after him all over the Immortal Realm.

Juanshan had no choice but to accept this. Fortunately, his cultivation level had increased rapidly over the past three thousand years. He was now a Celestial Venerable and even showed signs of surpassing the two of them, which was enough to keep the other immortals in check.

However, the Master had not returned. He had some guesses in his heart that perhaps the Master had found his people. He should be happy for the Master and not wait so long. But... he still wanted to see that person one more time.

He sighed and was just about to turn around.

"Comrade Juanshan." A familiar voice suddenly rang out, as if it were a hallucination.

His body stiffened instantly, and after a moment he mechanically turned to the side. When he saw that familiar figure, his eyes welled up with tears. "Supreme...Supreme Master?"

"It's me, Comrade Juanshan, long time no see!" she said with a light laugh.

“Master, you have finally…” Juanshan felt overjoyed and hurriedly stepped forward, but stopped a few steps away from the other person. He stared blankly at the person in front of him. The person looked familiar, even the curve of the smile was almost the same, but he always felt that something was different about the other person. He couldn’t explain the feeling, but there was a strange sense of unreality, as if the other person was both present and not present.

For a fleeting moment, the figure in front of me was somewhat blurry, but upon closer inspection, it was clear.

"Master... have you found your compatriots?" he asked in a deep voice.

The other person chuckled softly and nodded slightly, saying, "Soon, I've come to say goodbye."

Sure enough, Juanshan felt a sense of relief. "Are you leaving?"

“Yes.” Qiu Ci nodded. “I already know how to reunite with them.” With that, she raised her hand, and instantly all the blue palaces in the entire Western Immortal Realm turned into streaks of light and disappeared into her palm. The once magnificent palaces vanished, turning into vast flat plains.

These are the psionic machines she left behind in the Immortal Realm, and now that she's back, she naturally wants to take them all back.

Juanshan was momentarily unable to discern the emotions in his heart, feeling both joy and reluctance. Although he had been preparing for the Venerable's departure for three thousand years, he still felt a sense of melancholy at the end. He took a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in his heart, "Congratulations, Venerable, your wish has been fulfilled."

"Thank you!" Qiu Ci stepped forward slowly and said earnestly, "Thank you for your companionship over the years and for your contributions to Blue Star." She suddenly raised her hand and tapped his forehead.

Juanshan was stunned, feeling a flood of information rush into his consciousness. A vast, indescribable energy exploded within his body, causing even his already peak cultivation level to tremble. "This is..."

"A new path to immortality." She merely imparted to him the true path of immortality and a trace of her understanding of the laws. "Continue your cultivation. Immortal Venerable is not your end, but a beginning."

She had seen it in the river of time; the immortal realm before the dawn of time was not here, but in another world, where the realms and distinctions were completely different from the current immortal realm. Those who could ascend to immortality were all true immortals with great love in their hearts, who had cast aside selfish thoughts; it seemed that her niece's husband was one of them.

The current immortal realm is merely a world rebuilt by the main god and his subordinate systems; it can only be considered a pseudo-immortal realm, which is why immortals experience the five signs of decay.

Now she has passed on the true path of immortality to Juanshan. With his comprehension, he may well be able to break free and even go further.

Juanshan was stunned for a while before accepting the sudden influx of knowledge. After pondering this information for a moment, his eyes lit up. This was a completely new path, and a path that could lead to the highest level. He was immediately excited. "Thank you, Master!" What had happened to the Master in the past three thousand years that he could pass on a completely new path to him with just a wave of his hand?

"I'm leaving now. Perhaps we'll meet again someday." Qiu Ci finished speaking, her figure fading into the distance, as if she were about to dissolve into the world. Juan Shan's heart sank. He instinctively reached out to stop her, but ultimately changed his mind and clasped his hands in a respectful bow, saying, "Respectfully seeing off the Venerable One. May the Blue Star race prosper forever!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Ci's figure had completely disappeared. He stood quietly in place for a long time before turning around and heading towards the flat ground behind him. However, the frown between his brows finally relaxed completely.

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After bidding farewell to Juanshan, Qiu Ci returned to that void. She could feel that one of the last two threads connecting her to this world had dissipated, leaving only the last one. So she directly activated the last bond, "System."

【drop……】

A familiar notification sound rang out, and a ball of light appeared before them. However, compared to its previous enormous size, the dog had shrunk back to the size of a palm. It seemed a little dazed, and after swaying for a moment, it spoke.

【Master! Master, you're finally awake! Waaaaah... You scared me to death! You slept for so long, I called you so many times but you didn't respond, so I had to go into hibernation with you several times. I thought you'd never wake up again, waaaaah...】

Qiu Ci reached out and rubbed the little dumpling in front of her. "Thank you for your hard work." She hadn't paid attention to it while she was meditating here.

[Huh?] Tuanzi paused for a moment, then abruptly took several steps back, circling around it suspiciously several times. [Master, something's wrong with you!]

"Ok?"

You've stopped yelling at me, and instead of telling me to leave, you're comforting me. Are you still my master?

"..." Qiu Ci's lips twitched. No, what kind of masochistic fetish is this?

That's it!

“You are no longer a system, but a sentient being,” Qiu Ci explained earnestly. She had long ago discovered that the system had successfully evolved. It was no longer a piece of code, but an independent being. “Now, as long as you enter the cycle of reincarnation, you can be reborn as a true life form, and you can become whatever you want.”

[Reincarnation?] The dog system paused for a moment, then suddenly realized something and burst into loud sobs. [Waaaaah... Master, do you not want me anymore? Are you going to abandon me? No, this dog only wants to be your system for all eternity...]

“I’m leaving this world and can’t take you with me anymore.” Qiu Ci sighed and patiently explained, “Besides, don’t you want to be a real person? You don’t have to be bound to any host anymore, but can be a complete being, just like me in the past.”

[...] The dog fell silent. Before, it had been acting blindly according to the program and had no idea what a complete living being was like. But after evolving, especially after absorbing the main god, it understood how difficult it was to become a real living being and how rare the opportunity was. Becoming a living being proved that it would have infinite possibilities instead of just acting according to the program. All the constraints of data would disappear.

but……

I can't bear to leave my master!

Qiu Ci simply smiled and said, "We will meet again if fate allows."

She gently rubbed the small ball of light again, knowing that it had already made its choice. Only after it calmed down did she summon the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disc and then sever its connection with the system.

"Go, you are free."

The system then turned back while whimpering and shedding powder, slowly drifting towards the direction of the Reincarnation Disc. With each step it took, a portion of its data would dissipate, and by the time it reached the Reincarnation Disc, it had transformed into a complete spiritual body.

The next moment, the Wheel of Reincarnation transformed into a stream of light, enveloping the dog and disappearing once again into the long flow of time and space ahead.