Infinite transcendence began with Covering the Sky.

Chapter 197 Infinite Heavenly Lord
Everyone has their moments of high spirits and ambition. When you first start out, you can conquer the world. Without encountering setbacks, everyone thinks they are invincible.

In the grand scheme of things, prominent figures vie for the throne, triumphing all the way to the top. After dominating a region, they ascend to the stars, but how many can truly reach the pinnacle?

When one is old and frail, and sees the rise of the greatest talents of the time, even Gai Jiuyou can only sigh that he is old and think of his glorious past.

Qi Zhe suddenly stopped in the wilderness, looking at the master and disciple in the distance with considerable surprise. After a long while, he nodded and said, "Greetings, Senior."

He heard Gai Jiuyou sigh and realized that the other party might have some purpose in seeking him out, so he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

At this moment, Xia Jiuyou, with her red lips and white teeth, dressed in men's clothing, supported her master and said stubbornly, "I will fetch holy blood to prolong your life!"

Ten days ago, Xia Jiuyou brushed past Ye Fan in the wilderness. If Gai Jiuyou hadn't been holding her back these past few days, she would have already made a move on Ye Fan.

Seeing his master sigh again, Xia Jiuyou wavered once more, wanting to obtain the holy blood that could prolong his master's life.

"Nonsense!" Gai Jiuyou hissed, then straightened up and slowly walked towards Qi Zhe, saying, "You've caused a huge commotion again."

He is now paying close attention to Qi Zhe's growth, and he is quite shocked. His brief encounter outside the Taichu Ancient Mine in the past did not allow him to see Qi Zhe's potential.

He marveled at how someone with ordinary physical abilities had come this far, standing proudly above all others in the entire Eastern Wilderness, and wondered what kind of effort it must have taken to achieve such a feat.

He was once astonishing the world in his youth, but after a thousand years he was on the verge of enlightenment. He himself was no more astonishing than Qi Zhe is now.

"It has nothing to do with me; they brought this on themselves." Qi Zhe didn't think it was all his fault and spoke up to defend himself.

He felt that he was just taking advantage of the situation, not a schemer, and that his actions were in accordance with his conscience; there were grudges but no right or wrong.

Gai Jiuyou smiled slightly after hearing Qi Zhe's words, knowing that Qi Zhe was indeed fine, and then said, "Let's go, let's go into the city and talk."

The desolate wilderness was not a good place for casual conversation, so Gai Jiuyou pulled Qi Zhe back to Tianhuang Ancient City and began to drink in a teahouse.

The ancient city of Tianhuang covers a large area and is home to a large number of cultivators. Most of the teahouse staff have cultivation levels, but they are just ordinary when facing powerful cultivators.

While Gai Jiuyou appeared to be just an old man with a sick appearance, Qi Zhe exuded the aura of a cultivator from the Sendai Secret Realm, which also drew the attention of many people.

However, Gai Jiuyou didn't talk much about cultivation with Qi Zhe; instead, they discussed ancient events, which eventually led them to the forbidden area.

"To the north of this place lies the Tianduan Mountains, which were once a forbidden zone for life 270,000 to 280,000 years ago, but have long since been removed from the list."

Gai Jiuyou's expression was filled with reminiscence. He was born in Zhongzhou and knew many anecdotes about the Great Emperor of Zhongzhou. He had also explored many ancient sites.

He had paid attention to many of the things left behind by the Ruthless Great Emperor. When he retired to the Eastern Wilderness, he had stayed in the Tianduan Mountains for a long time.

Returning to this familiar place now stirred up many memories for him. Gai Jiuyou couldn't help but sigh, "I'm getting old after all; I'm no longer in my prime."

Gai Jiuyou was a hero of his generation, a protector of the human race in this era, but he is now old and no longer the same person he once was.

The chaos at the Immortal Tomb was something he was powerless to do without taking action. With a sigh, Qi Zhe could sense the other's emotions and knew that it was an indescribable sense of powerlessness.

"Time is merciless, slaying the proud; on the path to immortality, one speaks of enchanting beauty." Qi Zhe spoke slowly upon hearing this, knowing that the passing of outstanding individuals is a tragedy.

If one day Qi Zhe reaches the summit but fails to become an immortal, he might sigh in the same way, lamenting that this grand historical drama ultimately has nothing to do with him.

But he would never give in. No matter how difficult the path to immortality was, he was determined to forge ahead and would never stop there. Moreover, he had a truly heaven-defying opportunity.

A chorus of sighs erupted in the teahouse upon hearing this. The cultivators here came from all over the country, and one of them, with a bewildered look in his eyes, said, "Even the most outstanding talents lament the loss of immortality. How tragic!" People seek immortality but cannot attain it. Countless people have left behind legends and then vanished without a trace. The ethereal nature of immortals fills people with despair.

After a long while, Gai Jiuyou slowly said, "Immortality is hard to find, so why grieve? Just focus on this life and seek a glorious one!"

His eyes were fixed on Qi Zhe, as if trying to see through his heart, which made Qi Zhe feel uncomfortable and start to twist his body.

However, Gai Jiuyou made no further move. He slowly got up and was about to leave with Xia Jiuyou, saying, "We've talked enough, it's time to go."

Seeing this, Qi Zhe left with him, intending to escort him out of Tianhuang Ancient City, since the other party was a respectable old man.

But seeing that Qi Zhe's decision wasn't impulsive, Gai Jiuyou said before leaving, "You should go to Zhongzhou; the Qishi Mansion is waiting for you."

Gai Jiuyou finally explained his purpose: he hoped Qi Zhe would go to Zhongzhou, not just because it was the center of the five major domains of Beidou.

Furthermore, it is because there is a teleportation array there that leads to the ancient road to outer space, and it is also the starting point of the strongest trial on the Beidou Emperor Road.

"With your current cultivation level, you can't leave yet, but I know that you will leave Beidou sooner or later and need a wider world."

Gai Jiuyou left, leaving Qi Zhe with a single sentence before drifting away and disappearing into the Eastern Wilderness, his whereabouts unknown.

Qi Zhe fell into deep thought. He did need to undergo trials and tribulations to improve himself, but it wasn't possible right now.

“But cultivation takes time, and I also want to sever my Dao as soon as possible,” Qi Zhe sighed as he returned to Tianhuang Ancient City and fell into silence.

Cultivating in the first level of Sendai requires refining one's spiritual power little by little. Even Qi Zhe has to take it slowly, despite his already rapid progress.

Qi Zhe then began a long period of seclusion, gradually disappearing from the conversations of the various sects in the Eastern Wilderness. In less than a month, no one was discussing him anymore.

However, the Eastern Wilderness could not remain silent after the strange events at the Immortal Tomb. It is unknown from which day that people began to notice that ancient creatures on the earth began to appear frequently.

Ancient races are awakening one after another, and creatures are beginning to explore the path. Creatures from the ancient royal family are powerfully announcing their return.

Organizations like Wanlong Nest and Blood Phoenix Mountain sent their clansmen to the Eastern Wilderness to inquire about the current strength and movements of the major forces in the Big Dipper, indicating that a great era is about to begin.

Meanwhile, Ye Fan's situation became increasingly difficult. He was thrown by Qi Zhe while crossing the void and is now staying in Zhangjia Stone Village.

The bandits who had been wiped out by Qi Zhe returned with renewed force. Ye Fan, relying on the resources he had seized from the bandits, forcibly began cultivating the Dao Palace Secret Realm.

But his path was cut off; there were no further scriptures to restrict him, and squandering source blocks could not allow him to complete his cultivation of the Dao Palace Secret Realm.

"Brother Ye, forget about it. Back then, all the major sects gathered a large number of cultivators to storm Purple Mountain, but they all returned empty-handed. There's no possibility of retrieving the Origin Heavenly Book now."

Just as Ye Fan was considering entering Zishan, Master Zhang ruthlessly interrupted him, stating bluntly that a terrifying creature had definitely awakened inside Zishan.

But Ye Fan did not give up. Every day thereafter, he would circle around Purple Mountain, sitting cross-legged on the summit of Purple Mountain at sunrise and sunset.

In the third month after Ye Fan arrived in the Northern Region, he heard a faint cry for help atop Purple Mountain. The sound pierced through the void and came from the depths of Purple Mountain.

"Damn you, Heavenly Venerable One! Who will save this poor Daoist?! Ahhh! Qi Juejing, where are you?!"

(End of this chapter)