Covering the Sky: I Prove the Great Dao Through the Gate of Immortality

Night deepened, and Stone Village slumbered into slumber. The shimmering waters of Spirit Lake rippled gently in the moonlight, like the earth's eyes, half-open and half-closed, gazing at the starry sky. The willow branches swayed softly in the night breeze, scattering emerald raindrops of light that fell on the ground, on the lake's surface, and on the sleeping stone houses. The entire village was enveloped in tranquility; only the occasional roar of beasts echoing from the distant mountains reminded one that this was deep within the wilderness.

Li Chenzhou didn't sleep. He sat under the willow tree, leaning against the ancient tree that had survived the lightning tribulation and been reborn, his eyes closed, seemingly dozing, or perhaps deep in thought. His breathing was very light, almost inaudible, but his consciousness was incredibly clear, clear enough to perceive every rustle of grass within a hundred miles.

The willow tree was not asleep either. Its branches swayed gently in the night breeze, scattering dappled green light. The light fell on Li Chenzhou, on his shoulders, and on his hair, as if silently telling a story. Li Chenzhou felt it, opened his eyes, and looked up at the willow tree.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

The willow tree remained silent for a long time, then gently shook its branches. "I was thinking about some things from the past."

Li Chenzhou remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"The Immortal Ancient Era, that was a glorious age." The voice of the Willow God echoed in his heart, calm and distant, yet beneath that calm lay endless vicissitudes. "Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, myriad races coexisted. Powerful beings were as numerous as clouds, and geniuses emerged in great numbers. At that time, heaven and earth had not yet shattered, the laws had not yet been incomplete, everyone could cultivate, and everyone could become an immortal."

Li Chenzhou listened without speaking. He knew that Liu Shen was recounting a bygone era, an era that existed only in legends. In that era, there were Immortal Kings, True Immortals, the Ten Fiends, and countless beings who astonished the ages. But that era had ended. It ended in a cataclysmic disaster, ended in an invasion from another realm, ended in the blood and bones of countless powerful beings.

"Back then, I wasn't yet a willow tree." The Willow God's voice carried a hint of self-mockery. "I was a powerful figure in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, a Celestial King Realm expert, invincible throughout the land. I had traversed countless mountains and rivers, witnessed countless geniuses, and experienced countless battles. I thought I was strong enough to protect everything I wanted to protect."

Li Chenzhou was silent for a moment. "You are indeed very strong."

"Strong?" Willow God gently shook the branches. "If I were truly strong, I wouldn't have stood by and watched my comrades fall one by one, watched my old friends depart one by one, watched that world crumble inch by inch."

Her voice carried a deep weariness, the weariness that comes from enduring countless years and witnessing the vicissitudes of life. Li Chenzhou understood that weariness, for he had experienced it himself. He had once been a pinnacle of power in the world, and he had also watched helplessly as everything he had protected crumbled. He knew better than anyone the powerlessness, the despair, and the excruciating pain.

"The Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King is my best friend." Liu Shen's voice suddenly changed, becoming low, hoarse, and as if squeezed from the depths of her throat. "He is stronger than me, much stronger. He is a peerless existence among Immortal Kings. Once he unleashes the Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Technique, he is invincible throughout the ages. He once single-handedly withstood the siege of three Immortal Kings from another realm, striking fear into their hearts and forcing them to retreat in fear."

As Li Chenzhou listened, the image on the rolled-up animal hide appeared in his mind. Six black holes, slowly rotating. Six forces, intertwining and merging. The withering and flourishing of every blade of grass and tree, the changing of the sun, moon, and stars, the rise and fall of dynasties, the cycle of reincarnation of all beings. That was the Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Art, the legacy left behind by the Six Paths of Reincarnation Immortal King. He had once comprehended that heavenly art and knew its power. But what he didn't know was that behind that heavenly art, there was such a story.

"That great war lasted three hundred years." Liu Shen's voice grew softer and slower, as if recalling a past she didn't want to touch. "Three hundred years, every day was filled with fighting, every moment with bloodshed. The allied forces from other lands surged in like a tidal wave, overwhelming and endless. We killed one wave, and another came. We killed two waves, and four more came. We could never kill them all, we could never finish them off."

"The Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King was the most dazzling existence in that great war. He alone guarded a defensive line across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths for three hundred years without ever retreating a single step. Seven Immortal Kings from other realms came, and he killed three and crippled four. Countless armies from other realms came, and he crushed countless of them. His name became the nightmare of other realms and the hope of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."

The willow tree paused, its branches trembling slightly.

"But he was exhausted. Three hundred years of continuous fighting had consumed too much of his essence, too much of his soul, and too much of his lifespan. He was no longer the spirited Immortal King, but a weary, wounded old man. But he did not retreat, because he knew that if he retreated, that defensive line would break. If the defensive line broke, the foreign army would sweep in unimpeded and slaughter billions of lives across the nine heavens and ten earths."

Li Chenzhou closed his eyes, as if he saw that scene. An old man stood atop a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, behind him a shattered defensive line, before him an endless enemy army. His robes were tattered, his hair was white, his eyes were cloudy, but his back was ramrod straight, and in his hand he still gripped that blood-stained longsword. He was the Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King, the last bulwark of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

"In that final battle, ten Celestial Kings from another realm arrived." Liu Shen's voice carried a deep sorrow. "Ten of them, all at the peak of their power. They knew that without killing the Six Paths Reincarnation Celestial King, they could not set foot in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. So they mobilized all their forces, sparing no expense to take his life."

"That battle lasted for seven days and seven nights. The Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King fought against ten Immortal Kings single-handedly. He pushed his Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Technique to its limit, creating six black holes that swallowed the sky and the earth, deflecting and counterattacking the attacks of those Immortal Kings one by one. He killed three, seriously injured four, and the remaining three were so terrified that they dared not approach."

"But he still lost in the end."

The willow goddess's voice abruptly stopped, as if something had choked her throat. Her branches no longer swayed, no longer showered down their light, but simply drooped silently, as if they had lost all their strength.

"He was defeated by time," Li Chenzhou said softly.

"Yes, he was defeated by time." Liu Shen's voice rang out again, even hoarser and lower. "He was too old, too tired, too badly injured. His divine fire flickered, his life force was waning, and his soul was dissipating. He was not defeated by a celestial king from another realm, but by the passage of time."

"At the last moment, he burned himself," said Liu Shen. "He burned all his essence, all his soul, and all his lifespan, pushing the Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Technique to its absolute limit. The six black holes transformed into a giant cycle, swallowing all the remaining seven Immortal Kings."

"He killed them. All seven Celestial Kings, not one was spared."

"But he died too. He was burned to ashes, leaving no trace, not even a single bone."

Li Chenzhou remained silent for a long time. He didn't know what to say, because any words seemed inadequate at this moment. The Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King, a true hero, a warrior who fought to the last moment to protect. His name should be remembered, should be celebrated, should be engraved on the monument of history. But now, how many people still remember him? How many people still know his story?

"He is my friend," said Willow Goddess. "My best friend."

"I know," Li Chenzhou said.

"I promised him I would protect this world for him." Willow Goddess's voice was filled with deep self-reproach. "But I can't. I can't even protect myself, how can I protect this world?"

"You did it," Li Chenzhou said. "You survived, you were reborn, and you are still protecting this land. This is not your fault, it is the fault of the times, the fault of the foreign lands, the fault of those invaders. You have done your best, and no one could have done better than you."

The willow tree fell silent. Her branches began to sway gently again, scattering dappled green light. The light fell on Li Chenzhou, on his shoulders, and on his hair, as if in silent gratitude.

"The Immortal King of Boundless End is also my friend." Willow God's voice rang out again, this time much calmer. "He is another legend. He cultivates the Path of Boundless End, and is renowned for his mastery of the laws of time. He once single-handedly sealed off a spacetime passage in another realm, preventing their army from setting foot in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."

"He's dead too?"

"He's dead," said Liu Shen. "He died in the final battle. Like the Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King, he burned himself to seal the main force of the alien realm. Without him, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths would have fallen long ago."

"The Nine-Leaf Sword Grass is also my friend," Willow God continued. "It is a grass, a grass with nine leaves. Yet it is sharper than any divine weapon. Its sword energy pierces through the universe and tears apart the entire world. It once fought four foreign kings single-handedly."

"It died too?"

"It's dead," said Willow God. "It died in the final battle of the Immortal Ancient Era. It killed too many enemies, exhausted all its sword energy, and finally turned into a wisp of sword light, dissipating between heaven and earth."

"Where is the Thunder Emperor?"

"He's dead too," Liu Shen said. "He was one of the Ten Fiends, wielding the power of lightning, and possessed immense combat strength. He once single-handedly held off a large army from another realm, slaughtering them without leaving a single survivor. But in the end, he too fell, collapsing in a pool of blood, on the land he had protected for countless years."

Li Chenzhou fell silent. He listened as Liu Shen recited each name, each recounting their story, and a profound, indescribable sorrow welled up within him. Those people had once been the most powerful beings in the world, the guardians of this land, the hope of countless lives. But they were all dead—dead in that catastrophe, dead in the invasion of foreign lands, dead in the battle to protect this land. Their names were forgotten in the long river of history; their stories were buried in the dust of time; their sacrifice was taken for granted by those who came after.

"Do you hate it?" Li Chenzhou asked.

"Hate?" Willow God's voice carried a bitter smile. "What's the use of hate? Can hate bring the dead back to life? Can hate mend a broken world? Can hate bring back the lost years? No. Hate only brings more pain and more despair."

"Do you still remember them?"

"I remember," said Willow God. "I remember every single one of them. The Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King, the Endless Immortal King, the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, the Thunder Emperor, and those warriors whose names I don't know. I remember every single one of them."

"That's enough," Li Chenzhou said. "As long as there are people who remember them, they haven't truly died. Their spirit, their will, their beliefs will be passed down from generation to generation, forever."

The willow tree fell silent. Her branches swayed gently, scattering dappled green light. The light fell on Li Chenzhou, on his shoulders, and on his hair, as if silently agreeing.

"That child will complete their unfinished work," Li Chenzhou said. "He will become the Desolate Emperor, pacify the alien realms, shatter the darkness, and restore light to this world. This is not comfort, not expectation, but fact. I see his future."

Willow Goddess remained silent, only gently swaying her branches. She believed Li Chenzhou's words, not because of his strength, but because she saw the same light in that child's eyes. It was a light of resilience, undying spirit, and defiance. That light was the same as the light in the eyes of the Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King, the same as the light in the eyes of the Endless Immortal King, the same as the light in the eyes of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, and the same as the light in the eyes of the Thunder Emperor.

A gentle night breeze stirred, and the willow branches swayed softly in the wind. Li Chenzhou leaned against the tree trunk, his eyes closed, seemingly dozing, yet also lost in thought. He thought of the Six Paths of Reincarnation Immortal King, the Endless Immortal King, the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, the Thunder Emperor, and all the heroes who had perished in the Immortal Ancient Era. They were gone, but their spirit remained, their will remained, their beliefs remained. Those things would be passed down from generation to generation, forever.

And that child is their heir.