Everlasting Immortal Firmament

The Dreamscape Field:

Pangu displayed overwhelming might while wielding the Heaven Splitting Ax, causing Gu Hai’s expression to change as Gu Hai swung his Life Executioner Saber.

Boom!

A deafening report resounded throughout the fiery sea.

To Gu Hai’s astonishment, the Life Executioner Saber had managed to block the Heaven Splitting Ax’s strike.

Blocked?

I couldn’t even withstand the earlier aura, so I was already anticipating severe injuries from the ax strike.

However, the powerful ax strike suddenly weakened significantly right before it clashed with the Life Executioner Saber. It seemed that Pangu had held back in that instant.

“Se…Senior? Have you figured it out? I am not Sa!” Gu Hai exclaimed with excitement, looking at Pangu.

However, Pangu seemed deaf to Gu Hai’s voice, his face undergoing a series of intense changes—anger, resignation, regret, and reluctance.

Finally, the ferocious expression on Pangu’s face gradually faded, leaving behind a bitter and unyielding look.

“Sa!” Pangu suddenly looked earnestly at Gu Hai.

“Senior, you’ve got it wrong. I am not Sa!” Gu Hai repeated.

However, Pangu remained impervious to Gu Hai’s words, continuing to speak.

“This world is now yours. Are you worried I’ll start anew and overthrow everything you’ve gained? I can choose not to return; I can perish within this void, leaving nothing behind. I only ask one thing of you: spare the innocent and blameless; let them become your people, your children. Show them kindness. Don’t hold them accountable for my actions,” Pangu entreated.

Boom!

The gigantic Pangu suddenly lowered himself. Although Gu Hai could not see anyone else, he sensed a large invisible foot stepping on Pangu’s head.

“Is Pangu speaking based on his memories? Did Pangu humiliate himself and beg Sa for mercy to spare the innocent in the end?” Gu Hai’s expression changed.

Pangu seemed to have heard something from Sa. His expression went through a series of changes.

“I gave up the fight, not because I feared you but because I suddenly realized how foolish I’d been. If I continued to fight you, it would have been a last-ditch effort to vent my anger. While I might inflict damage on you, given your character, you would inevitably exact your vengeance on the lifeforms of the immortal firmament to an even greater extent. I hope my death will release your resentment. Once I die, there will be no one left to challenge you. I hope for your forgiveness and pardon. Perhaps there will be voices of dissent in the short term, but after ten thousand years, your name alone will remain. There will be no more Pangu; all life will be your subjects. I hope you treat them kindly!” Pangu finally said in a bleak tone.

Boom!

Pangu’s body seemed to suffer a heavy blow, splitting into pieces before slowly scattering in front of Gu Hai.

This continued until everything vanished, leaving Gu Hai deeply shaken.

Is this Pangu from the depths of my memories? Did he really restrain his anger to avoid Sa blaming and hurting the mortals and even endured the insults of this evil dog who once begged for mercy in front of him? He did not want all life to be hurt because of his pride?

Inexplicably, Gu Hai felt intense sadness, as if they had a mysterious connection, and tears streamed down his face.

“Pangu, you were wrong. Sa didn’t spare anyone who provoked him; the entire Sa’s Immortal Firmament was destroyed by his anger. But still, I admire you. I can tell you had a short temper, but the fact that you’ve come this far means that those martyrs who resisted Sa and sacrificed themselves will have no regrets,” Gu Hai sighed gently in the end.

This was something Gu Hai had heard from Laozi back on Earth.

Laozi had said that in the past, the Sa’s Immortal Firmament was incredibly vast. When a great roc spread its wings, it was even larger than Earth. Unfortunately, Sa was too harsh on the mortals. To prevent challengers, he shattered Earth, creating what Earth’s scientists call the Big Bang. All life could only live on countless fragments of Earth, which were the many planets, and he even withdrew the usage of laws.

The various lifeforms were trapped on their respective planets, as though imprisoned, unable to leave. The size of their planet determined the size of their prison. Sa even sent countless lackeys in flying saucers to monitor all life within the immortal firmament. He would utterly destroy anyone who dared challenge him, cruelly suppressing them. All life could only serve as slaves.

Gu Hai watched the golden swastika slowly disappear from his right hand.

“It’s a good thing I had the golden swastika. Otherwise, Pangu would have had something to latch on to. Once he entered my memories and used them to fight me, who knows when I’d be able to leave!” Gu Hai took a deep breath.

With a step, Gu Hai instantly left this pitch-black illusion, breaking through the interference of Dreamscape Field, and stepped into the depths of the eight-trigram ritual array.

------

The area of the eight-trigram ritual array shrouded by the Dreamscape Field:

Jiang Lianshan and Yinggou stood beside an altar.

Jingwei lay on the altar, her hands and feet bound, unable to move. A faint blue flame wafted above the altar, seemingly burning Jingwei.

“Father, save me! It hurts so much!” Jingwei cried out in pain, tears streaming from her eyes.

Why did it turn out like this? Why did Father become so cold and emotionless? Didn’t he dote on me the most before?

“Jingwei, haven’t you realized yet? The person in front of you is not your father at all,” Yinggou said calmly.

“What?” Jingwei felt startled and looked at Jiang Lianshan beside her.

Jiang Lianshan gave Yinggou a cold look. “Watch your mouth.”

“I just thought that there was nothing threatening us now and wanted to tease Jingwei a bit!” Yinggou smiled apologetically.

Jiang Lianshan stopped blaming Yinggou and turned his gaze back to Jingwei.

“You, you’re not my father? Who are you?” Jingwei stared at Jiang Lianshan in fear.

“It doesn’t matter who I am. What’s important is that you’ve helped me activate all the ritual arrays, and soon, you’ll help me find the Vermilion Bird Prime!” Jiang Lianshan said calmly.

“You’re not my father? Not Eminent Father?” Jingwei suddenly choked up.

It turns out that everything was a lie.

I spoke such hurtful words to Elder Sister, who had desperately tried to save me. How sad Elder Sister must be. Did I deserve this?

“It’s begun, Jingwei!” Jiang Lianshan said indifferently.

As he spoke, Jiang Lianshan activated the altar.

Suddenly, a blue flame shot up into the sky from the altar, instantly engulfing Jingwei.

Although Jingwei had the fire cauldron physique, this blue flame hurt her; she felt like she was being burned.

“Argh!”

Jingwei shrieked in pain.

This cry echoed throughout the ritual array and coincided with the moment Gu Hai and the others arrived outside the ritual array.

The group outside immediately charged into the ritual array.

Due to the interference of the Dreamscape Field, entering this area did not immediately lead them to their destination.

“It hurts so much! What kind of flame is this? It hurts so much!” Jingwei screamed in agony.

“This is the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire, produced during the Vermilion Bird’s nirvanic rebirth. Even someone with a fire cauldron physique will be completely incinerated by it. But don’t worry; it won’t make you ugly. Under this flame, you will only vaporize, evaporating within the fire!” Jiang Lianshan said casually.

“Don’t! Don’t! Don’t burn me!” Jingwei cried out in terror.

She had already seen her hair evaporate like steam in an instant.

It was not just her hair; her whole body was in agony, all of it rapidly evaporating in the searing Vermilion Bird Divine Flame.

Screech!

Suddenly, there was a bird’s cry, and the Vermilion Bird Deity emerged from Jingwei’s brow, trembling madly.

“If I don’t burn you, how can I stimulate the Vermilion Bird Deity? The energy from your evaporating flesh is actually flowing into the Vermilion Bird Deity. This is called offering the body to the deity. I remember mentioning this sacrificial ritual to you before!” Jiang Lianshan chuckled with satisfaction.

“Offering the body to the deity? Offering the three spiritual souls, six physical souls, and the physical body together in a sacrifice, and after the ritual, I’ll be utterly annihilated, never to be reincarnated for all eternity?” Jingwei cried out in horror.

“That’s right! Otherwise, how can we stimulate the Vermilion Bird Deity?” Jiang Lianshan smiled.

Stimulate the Vermilion Bird Deity?

Jingwei’s face instantly filled with despair. So, everything was just a ploy to use me as a sacrifice for the Vermilion Bird Deity?

Her greed for the Vermilion Bird Deity turned into horror and despair. At this moment, Jingwei detested the Vermilion Bird Deity intensely. If it were not for my obsession with the Vermilion Bird Deity, I would not be facing utter annihilation today.

“I don’t want the Vermilion Bird Deity anymore! I don’t want it!” Jingwei cried out in fear.

In just this brief moment, Jingwei noticed that her body was fading under the Vermilion Bird Divine Flame. Her three spiritual souls and six physical souls had sustained severe damage; she was on the verge of annihilation, never to return.

Screech! Screech! Screech!

Stimulated by the energy from Jingwei’s burning, the Vermilion Bird Deity shrieked. Surprisingly, these piercing cries caused the flames in the entire East Spiritual Fire Sea to surge.

Rumble…!

Seen from the outside, the East Spiritual Fire Sea seemed to have been provoked into anger, violently shaking and producing thunderous roars.

Countless types of flames surged from all directions of the East Spiritual Fire Sea, rushing into the Vermilion Bird Deity’s body. As the Vermilion Bird Deity absorbed Jingwei’s sacrifice, it ascended into the sky like a blazing sun, radiating countless rays of brilliance.

Screech! Suddenly, another vermilion bird’s cry rang out.

“Isn’t this the voice of the Vermilion Bird Prime?” Yinggou’s eyes lit up.

“That’s right, the Vermilion Bird Prime! I finally hear it again after eight hundred thousand years!” Jiang Lianshan’s eyes lit up.

The Vermilion Bird Deity suddenly extended its claws and tore the air.

Rip!

Space tore, and there was a black hole in the spatial tear. The black hole suddenly sucked in all the flames surging in from the East Spiritual Fire Sea.

Then, the black hole within brightened, revealing an independent space shaped like a coffin. Inside this space was a gigantic vermilion bird over sixteen kilometers tall.

It appeared to have been in slumber for a very long time. Its body was like a sponge, crazily absorbing the boundless flames.

“The Vermilion Bird Prime? It was truly sealed here?” Yinggou’s eyes widened.

Buzz!

The slumbering Vermilion Bird Prime suddenly opened its eyes, and two beams of golden light shot out from them.

“The Vermilion Bird Prime has been revived?” Jiang Lianshan’s eyes brightened.

Screech!

After the Vermilion Bird Prime was revived, it stepped out of the coffin-like independent space and swallowed the Vermilion Bird Deity in one gulp.

At this moment, Jingwei was already completely transparent on the altar. Her three spiritual souls and six physical souls had all been burned away, and her physical body had been incinerated. Only a wisp of smoky outline remained, revealing her look of horror and despair.

All it would take was a gust of wind to scatter this smoke, and Jingwei would disappear from this world.