Infinite transcendence began with Covering the Sky.

Chapter 279 A Tragic Landscape
Sandstorms raged, the world withered, stars shattered. Qi Zhe paced alone across the desolate landscape, finally stopping at the edge of the abyss, reminiscing about the ancient past.

Before him lay an underground abyss, in which countless flying rocks floated, and starlight shone through them.

Now, Qi Zhe stood before the abyss, frowning as he stared at the abyss that led directly to the surface of the other side of the ancient star. After a long while, he muttered to himself:

Even stars eventually fall.

A star can remain unbroken for billions of years from its birth to its death, only changing with the passing of eras and the transformation of the universe.

But when faced with an unparalleled powerhouse, even stars are nothing but clay, easily grasped with a hand and crushed with a stomp, far more terrifying than time itself.

And now, the star beneath his feet is just like that, blasted into several pieces from the inside by a powerful being, and completely perished after its core died.

Walking on it, all that could be seen was desolation and decay. The sense of decay of heaven and earth resonated with people, and even Qi Zhe couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

Moreover, many powerful cultivators have perished on this ancient star, and even a Great Sage shed his blood deep underground. To this day, there are still dangerous places that have not been breached.

Many of the original inhabitants of the First City described it as eerie, perhaps because something had happened in the years to come that led to its abandonment.

"Unfortunately, none of that matters to me; I must continue my journey of enlightenment."

After a moment's thought, Qi Zhe chose to leave. He didn't want to explore the various aspects of this planet; he wanted to begin comprehending the Dao and forging scriptures.

"laugh!"

Qi Zhe's figure was like a streak of light, disappearing from the ancient star in the blink of an eye, allowing the many geniuses who lingered there to breathe a sigh of relief.

"he's gone."

Many prodigies watched Qi Zhe leave from the ground, their expressions solemn, secretly relieved that he was gone.

After defeating the Overlord in the starry sky, Qi Zhe landed on this ancient star. If there hadn't been a major conflict, they would have all been preparing to flee this place.

"It will be fine in four more days!"

Fortunately, they only need to wait four more days for the gate that will guide them to open, allowing them to avoid Qi Zhe.

Nowadays, there are quite a few geniuses lingering on this star, and many people are searching for treasures and opportunities on the earth, hoping to gain something.

But what treasures could be born on a star that has already been destroyed? Continuing to search would be futile.

Four more days passed in this starry sky, and the gate from the first trial opened precisely on time, ready to take everyone back.

Even Qi Zhe sensed this moment, and suddenly stood up on a shattered meteorite, seeing a gate of light standing in the starry sky.

"It's time to leave!"

At this moment, the prodigies all moved, transforming into numerous divine lights and rushing towards the gate of light. One after another, they stepped into the domain gate, extremely impatient.

Di Tian and Huang Gu then appeared. They had been hiding from Qi Zhe for a long time, and now they finally showed themselves, scanning their surroundings in the starry sky.

After a moment, Di Tiancai said, "He hasn't returned."

Di Tian sighed. He had fought alongside the Ancient Wilderness Overlord against Qi Zhe, but now the Overlord was gone, and he had become the true loser.

This Imperial Road was far too cruel, giving him a sense of foreboding. He had just entered the city when he witnessed an invincible physique being forced to leave the Imperial Road.

Although Gu Huang's expression was cold, he couldn't let go of the Overlord's departure. After a moment, he shook his head and rushed into the domain gate.

"boom!!!"

At this moment, Qi Zhe descended from the sky, stepping on the Milky Way, and landed abruptly in front of the gate of light. He glanced at the many prodigies before him and suddenly grinned:

"I had a very enjoyable trip!"

After speaking, he strode into the portal, causing the many prodigies behind him to freeze in shock, and then fall silent. "That guy!" Goddess Xinlan was annoyed, knowing that Qi Zhe truly didn't miss any opportunity to mock his opponents.

"boom!"

Deep within the ancient palace of the First City, a constant rumbling sound echoed as numerous prodigies passed through the portal and returned. In a short while, the small ancient palace was filled with figures.

"They've all really become saints." Some curious onlookers outside the ancient palace were astonished as they observed the returning prodigies.

The strength of the many prodigies varied. Some had barely broken through to the Saint Realm and their Saintly might was not considered strong, while others had an intense aura, as if they had been in the Saint Realm for many years.

"As expected, he's different. He's already stronger than others even though he just entered the Saint Realm!"

Some people looked at the top few and felt their powerful aura, and couldn't help but sigh.

Qi Zhe looked down on everyone with an air of superiority, and surprisingly no one dared to approach him, as if he had done something in the trial grounds, which was quite unexpected.

As many prodigies returned, some were astonished to find that the Overlord was nowhere to be found, as if he had vanished without a trace.

"Why hasn't the Bloodthirsty expert returned?" Someone asked in confusion, turning their gaze to Qi Zhe with fear in their eyes.

At this moment, many powerful figures in the city paled. The Overlord had not yet returned, perhaps something had happened to him.

The portal had been open for quite some time, and many people were waiting for the Overlord to return, but he had not appeared for a long time.

"Screech!" The next moment, the light gate began to shake, making strange noises, as if it was about to collapse.

"He really didn't come back!" someone exclaimed outside the ancient hall, suspecting that the Overlord had died and settled things with Qi Zhe.

"The prodigy of the Overlord Clan is dead, fallen at the first pass of the ancient road!" Someone shouted outside the ancient hall, expressing their guess.

But at this moment, the ancient hall was completely silent. A prodigy glanced at Qi Zhe, and after a moment, sighed, "He is not dead, he has only been defeated!"

The Overlord did not die, but was defeated. His Dao Heart was shattered by Qi Zhe in the starry sky, and he then embarked on the ancient path of the human race.

The heroes in the ancient hall remained silent, astonished by the Overlord's choice, guessing that he had truly left the ancient path of humanity and did not intend to return.

The people outside the palace were speechless. This result was unexpected. The Overlord had not died, but had been defeated and had to avoid his opponent and flee to the starry sky.

"This matter is over, there's no need to discuss it further."

The guide, who had never appeared before, materialized in the ancient hall, his body enveloped in divine light, and stopped the many cultivators from continuing their discussion.

He was well aware of the consequences of the Overlord leaving the Ancient Road and did not want to escalate the situation further.

Because the Overlord came from the Ancestral Star of the Overlord Body, with a mysterious origin and unparalleled talent, he was regarded as a seed player on the Ancient Road, and alarmed the human protectors as soon as he set off.

His departure was something many people didn't want to see, so once Qi Zhe left the city, he would inevitably face obstacles ahead on the ancient road.

But as the guide of the First City, he couldn't and didn't want to concern himself with such distant matters; sending Qi Zhe away was what he wanted to do.

He then instructed many cultivators to prepare for the next trial, and as for those who had become sages and prodigies, they should head to the next city.

But as the guide departed, discussions arose once more, and some prodigies returned to their residences to recount their journey to their companions.

"Even a mighty overlord must be defeated; what are we on the path to becoming an emperor? We are but passersby."

Whispers rippled through the First City as many cultivators were deeply disheartened. Of the thousand who had entered the formidable pass, most were now considering retreating.

Even the geniuses who have become saints in the trial grounds are disheartened. How can ordinary people continue on this path? There are eighty-one formidable passes on the ancient road, and many people cannot even reach the second pass.

(End of this chapter)