As the five great sacred lands became the past, vanishing into this world.
A grief that Chen Jiuyang could not suppress surged into his heart.
It was not for the five great sacred lands, but because too many people had died in the war between the righteous and demonic factions over these past few years.
"Drip... drip..."
A tear involuntarily welled up in one of Chen Jiuyang's eyes.
Countless battles over the past year.
Too many people had died in this war.
"Why, even though I won, do my eyes hold tears?"
Chen Jiuyang could not understand.
Equally incomprehensible was that the demonic cultivators covering the mountains and plains were shouting his name, "Holy Lord!" yet he felt nothing.
It was as if the joys and sorrows of these people were irrelevant to him.
Instead, feelings of loneliness, desolation, emptiness, anticipation, fear, and unease were more prevalent.
Carrying the main force back to the True Demonic Sect, the sky was filled with flowers and the roaring cheers of his Daoist name, 'Qianyang'!
"Holy Lord, please return to the sacred land first via the teleportation array. We still need to handle the aftermath and clean up some matters," the ancestor, whose cultivation far surpassed Chen Jiuyang's, said respectfully.
In the eyes of others, the Holy Lord Qianyang, who wore the nine-dragon imperial robe, unified the demonic path, and annihilated the five great sacred lands, was the goal of their Daoist pursuit.
Chen Jiuyang had become a living legend.
Chen Jiuyang did not fly, but walked slowly, step by step, towards the depths of the True Demonic Sect.
Suddenly turning back, he realized, ah... perhaps this attire was not suitable for him to wear...
This might be his last time visiting this place.
Now that the five great sacred lands were destroyed, there would be no more Demonic Emperor Qianyang, nor the Holy Lord Qianyang of the Chongming Sea, in the future. The world would only have an ordinary man, named Chen Jiuyang, anxious to see his wife.
Arriving at the depths of the True Demonic Sect, the teleportation array flickered with light.
As his vision blurred, the world transformed.
Vast, boundless mountain ranges, clouds and seas resting upon them – this was the true appearance of the Chongming Sea.
When Chen Jiuyang appeared here, the nine sacred artifacts of the Chongming Sea began to change form, coiling around Chen Jiuyang. The celestial realm heavenly court destiny of the five great sacred lands began to feed back into the Chongming Sea.
"Greetings, Holy Lord!!!"
All the ancestors, elders, disciples, and demonic families of the Chongming Sea bowed in reverence.
Even the ancestors 'Qiankun' and 'Mengyi' bowed side by side.
However, Chen Jiuyang remained unmoved.
Chen Jiuyang walked on, as calmly as ever, arriving before Ancestor 'Qiankun'.
Ancestor 'Qiankun', as if sensing Chen Jiuyang's state of mind, raised his hand and brushed the void, causing the phenomenon of the sea giving birth to a bright moon to rise, suddenly transforming this world from day to night.
This was an unparalleled supreme divine art.
Then, a pavilion, a wooden table, a pot of tea, and two cups appeared: "Holy Lord, please sit down and have some tea."
Chen Jiuyang sat down. Ancestor 'Qiankun' picked up his teacup and took a sip. Seeing that Chen Jiuyang had not moved, he slowly put down his teacup and said, "Holy Lord, have you thought it through? Do you truly wish to leave the Chongming Sea?"
How could Ancestor 'Qiankun' not know that Chen Jiuyang was walking the path of the Human Emperor, not the demonic path? For so many years, the destiny of the Chongming Sea and the demonic path had only revolved around Chen Jiuyang, unable to be absorbed by him. Now, with the annihilation of the five great sacred lands, the Chongming Sea would embark on a new peak and a brilliant future in the coming time. Yet, he saw the destiny of the Chongming Sea on Chen Jiuyang mourning and dissipating.
The Chongming Sea had been dormant for so many years. Viewing it on a scale of ten thousand years, 'Qianyang' was one of the most astonishing and brilliant Holy Lords of the Chongming Sea.
Forging the Martial Dao Furnace with five great origins was breaking the records of previous Martial Dao practitioners.
Chen Jiuyang remained silent.
Ancestor 'Qiankun' said, "Saintess Tianmei is the Holy Lord's Dao companion, and the Yan Sheng Saber is also the Holy Lord's personal saber. Now that the Chongming Sea has revived, even if the Holy Lord does not participate in the competition for the Great Emperor, he can still achieve emperorship in an alternative way, like myself."
Chen Jiuyang finally spoke. He smiled and said, "'Qiankun' Ancestor, you might not believe this, but in the beginning, I didn't even want to step into the Celestial Realm, because I was originally a mortal. As my cultivation grew higher, the world I was once familiar with gradually drifted away from me."
"My wife and daughter changed because of me, forcing me to seal them, to be unsealed in the next life, lest they perish due to my peak prosperity declining."
"The longer I remain as the Holy Lord of the Chongming Sea, the more ferocious the destiny of peak prosperity turning to decline will become."
"Alas," Ancestor 'Qiankun' sighed, "inheritors of the Human Emperor's path are all like this in every generation. If that is the case, then in this life, I can agree to the Holy Lord retiring into seclusion. When the next life comes, if the Holy Lord changes his mind, he may return to the Chongming Sea."
"Wuwu!!!"
The nine-dragon imperial robe on Chen Jiuyang let out a mournful cry. The nine-dragon imperial robe that had accompanied Chen Jiuyang for a period of time began to gradually dissipate.
"How can this be..."
At this moment, every ancestor within the Chongming Sea sensed this matter and could not help but look astonished, their eyes filled with deep confusion.
Ancestor 'Qiankun' said, "In this lifetime, the Holy Lord and the Chongming Sea's past karma are cleared. In fact, the Chongming Sea even owes the Holy Lord a great karmic debt."
Chen Jiuyang smiled slowly and said, "Please trouble Ancestor 'Qiankun' to take me to find my wife's whereabouts."
"It is as you wish." Ancestor 'Qiankun' nodded slowly, a hint of admiration for Chen Jiuyang flashing in his eyes.
"Please, Holy Lord, point the way."
...
The Lesser Celestial Realm.
Western Continent.
A long time ago, the myriad races of demons began their journey in the Eastern Wilderness, while humans fought fiercely in the Central Continent. The Western Continent became the place where many human Dao traditions were preserved.
Ten years ago.
Yao Zixuan was brought across the Kunlun Heavenly Gate by the old monsters of the five great sacred lands who sought ascension, and descended to this place.
Although she had already fallen into despair, she met Chen Jiuyang a few years ago at a teleportation array in the Central Continent, which led her to dedicate most of her time and energy to cultivation each day.
She was a pure Yin body and cultivated immortal techniques extremely quickly. She was now at the Nascent Soul stage and held the status of a true disciple within the sect established by the old monsters of the five great sacred lands.
The vastness of this world exceeded her imagination.
Without the cultivation of the Immortal Dao Tribulation Crossing stage, one could not even traverse a continent.
"If it continues like this, I don't know how much longer it will be until I see Jiuyang again, and our daughter... Nannan should be ten years old by now..."
Whenever Yao Zixuan thought of her daughter with Chen Jiuyang, she would weep with longing.
"In this life, I wonder if there will be a chance to meet again..."
"I must improve my cultivation as soon as possible."
Suppressing her emotions, Yao Zixuan prepared to circulate her cultivation technique and begin cultivating, when suddenly, she faintly heard someone calling her name:
"Zixuan... Zixuan..."
Yao Zixuan's delicate body trembled abruptly: "This is... Jiuyang's voice..."
"Has Jiuyang found his way here?"
She could hardly believe it.
The next moment.
The heavens and earth turned upside down, mountains were torn to shreds, seawater burned into smoke, the world's colors changed, and supreme beings were engaged in battle.
And she saw the man in simple clothes, with tears in his eyes.
She could no longer suppress the emotions in her heart and rushed towards that figure: "Jiuyang..."