Young Noble Be Monster Slaying
Chapter 972: Creation

The Boundless Palace, Mount Shu.

The Mount Shu Sect was a sect with extensive experience in reconstruction, so its Hall of Construction had long since preserved the blueprints and illustrations of its peaks, buildings, and landmarks. The newly rebuilt peaks, sea of clouds, palaces, halls, pavilions, and residences were identical to the original. It was impossible to tell that anything had changed.

If the members of the Hall of Construction were asked what the secret was to achieving such perfect replication every time, their answer would likely be… "Our hands are just used to it."

Inside the newly rebuilt Boundless Palace, Venerable Wen Yuan sat upright as he received an esteemed guest.

Seated across from Venerable Wen Yuan, the esteemed guest said quietly, "The calamity that the Celestial Pivot Pavilion suffered is only the beginning."

He was Qi Yingxuan, the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner—the one in charge of the Imperial Supervisory Bureau. With the world engulfed in turmoil, it was clear that the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner would only visit Mount Shu for an important matter. 

Venerable Wen Yuan looked grim as he listened in silence.

The Imperial Supervisory Commissioner continued, "Right now, the contenders on the brink of ascension are fighting to prove their understanding of their Dao, plunging the nine provinces into chaos. The demons and evil entities are taking advantage of the unrest. The capital of Yu nearly fell, Mount Shu was attacked by Evil Ksitigarbha, the Celestial Pivot Pavilion couldn't be saved… If this continues, there will certainly be more tragedies.

"As long as a new ninth-realm cultivator emerges in the mortal realm, all those problems will be resolved. Among the righteous human cultivators on the brink of ascension, the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor is the only contender. We hope to unite the strength of the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten to support the Heavenly Star faction. With the Mount Shu Sect's endorsement, this matter would be more or less settled."

Hearing that, Venerable Wen Yuan stayed silent for quite a while more.

Then he slowly looked up and said, "Imperial Supervisory Commissioner, what you said makes sense. But the reason the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten cannot unite… is it really because my sect is the only one that hasn't joined the alliance?"

The immortal sects publicly claimed to support the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor, but it was uncertain how many of them truly hoped for his success. After all, the Heavenly Star faction had acted rather domineeringly in the past. It had made many enemies and clashed with several sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten.

One of them was the Penglai Supreme Sect. The sect had changed drastically, but many of its disciples still had longstanding grudges against the Heavenly Star faction. Their feud spanned generations and had long taken root.

On the other hand, the conflicts that the Penglai Supreme Sect had with the Mount Shu Sect had been mostly instigated by Daoist Cangsheng and other high-ranking figures of the sect. A deep animosity did not exist among the disciples. Otherwise, Chu Liang wouldn't have been able to acquire the Penglai Supreme Sect so easily.

If the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor did succeed in proving his understanding of his Dao, the Heavenly Star faction would rise to dominance, spelling the end for the Penglai Supreme Sect. Naturally, that meant the Penglai Supreme Sect did not want him to succeed.

In contrast, Baize, a member of the demon race, might actually be more lenient toward the Penglai Supreme Sect. This highlighted just how important the Mount Shu Sect's motto of being benevolent truly was.

The Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals was the same. It used to stand on the Penglai Supreme Sect's side, so it did not have a good relationship with the Heavenly Star faction.

As for the Buddhist Cloud Monastery, it served as the zenith of Buddhist cultivation, so it had always taken a self-preserving stance. It had shut its gates long ago and refused to take a position in the contention for the next Hallowed One.

The Endless Sword Sect and the Great Astral Sect were close allies of the Mount Shu Sect. It was obvious they would support having a human Hallowed One, but they would never oppose the Mount Shu Sect. The Imperial Supervisory Commissioner understood that well.

That was why the Mount Shu Sect's stance mattered the most. If the Mount Shu Sect could put the bigger picture first and convince Baize to yield, then the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten could unite as one. The fall of the Celestial Pivot Pavilion had only heightened the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner's sense of urgency.

Even though he knew the chances were slim that the Mount Shu Sect would agree, he still wanted to make the trip and persuade Venerable Wen Yuan personally. The chaos in the nine provinces needed to end.

The Imperial Supervisory Commissioner replied, "It's not just your sect that hasn't joined. But as long as the Mount Shu Sect agrees to support the Heavenly Star faction, the rest of the sects will follow suit. After all… many are watching you."

Ultimately, it was because the Mount Shu Sect now possessed immense influence over the immortal sects, both covertly and overtly. The reason was that the Mount Shu Sect had produced its own legendary artifact and had multiple eighth-realm Eminent Ones. Furthermore, it was allied with immortal sects that were just as powerful and unshakeable.

The Mount Shu Sect had once been ranked at the bottom of the Divine Nine, but there was no doubt it had now reclaimed its position as the leading righteous sect of the present age. If not for the fact that Baize was a demon, the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner might have cast his vote for Baize instead.

After pondering for a moment, Venerable Wen Yuan elaborated on the Mount Shu Sect's stance. "Imperial Supervisory Commissioner, it's not that we refuse to consider the bigger picture. Rather, we cannot demand someone's sacrifice for the sake of the bigger picture. Noble Baize has toiled alongside the Mount Shu Sect for thousands of years. We have long since been inseparable. The Mount Shu Sect will not betray her simply because she is a demon. 

"I can guarantee that the Mount Shu Sect will never become enemies with the Heavenly Star faction, nor will we rally other allies against you. If Noble Baize ascends to become a Hallowed One, she too will never turn her back on the humans."

Whoosh.

As if in response to his words, a black-and-white vortex suddenly lit up in the sky outside. Light rose from the sea of clouds, illuminating half the heavens.

A Mount Shu Sect disciple yelled, "It's Noble Baize!"

…

"A human..."

Chu Liang fell backward onto the ground in shock. As he watched a long-haired Homo erectus[1] in the distance walk upright, a faint glimmer of light flickered in his dim eyes.

He had no idea how much time had passed; all that was certain was that he had witnessed the creation of an entire world. Deity Pan had fallen and become the earth of the world, from which all life had then emerged. Countless despairing years had gone by since the moment living beings first appeared on the world to when Homo erectus finally walked the land.

Inside this space, time appeared to flow differently from the outside world. Otherwise, he would have reincarnated countless times during the tens of thousands of years that had passed by. 

Nevertheless, even if his corporeal body did not decay, his spirit withered and aged. Chu Liang could sense that the flame of his life essence was about to go out.

His hair had grown long; it draped down his back, almost reaching his feet. He had a stooped posture and eyes clouded by age.

Chu Liang lay there, still observing the world with a detached indifference. The Homo erectus died soon after it appeared, and many more years passed before another of his kind appeared. It took a long time, so long that Chu Liang felt he was about to fall asleep.

His soul had grown too old. He was too weary to even will his body to move.

Am I about to die?

Chu Liang was worried.

Am I truly going to remain lost and die here?

However, there was nothing he could do. It seemed he truly could not comprehend the Great Dao of Creation, and that meant he could not escape this world within the cauldron.

Things had gone too smoothly for him all these years. It made him feel as though he was favored by the heavens, always fated to obtain what he desired and to turn misfortune into blessing.

Then he thought of those prodigies of the past. They had likely believed the same until they were at death's door.

Is there really such a thing as fate?

Fortunately, Chu Liang had made arrangements for his inheritance before he left. It would be enough for his loved ones to live blessed lives. Nonetheless, he was still concerned about how the world would change once a new ninth-realm being emerged.

Haaa, he sighed inwardly.

Yet, he also felt like laughing. He was about to die. What was the point in worrying about such things?

Chu Liang should be worrying about his Large-Headed Dolls instead. 

After he died, would they still have to toil so tirelessly? Would the White Pagoda take them back and seek a new host? Or would they retire with him?

They were beyond tired.

As Chu Liang approached the final moment of his life, he finally felt sorry for his Large-Headed Dolls.

Then, he slowly closed his eyes, feeling the flame of his life flicker out.

In this silent void, he lay alone, appearing utterly at peace.

After a long time, his "corpse" suddenly spoke.

"Hang on… Going from nothing to something… then from something to nothing… and the cycle repeats… Isn't that just inversion?"

Mumbled words spilled from his lips, gradually sharpening into a clear shout.

"Creation! This is creation!"