Chapter 793: Great Sage’s Heir (6/6), The Great Sage’s Dao Lineage
When Zhang Yu sensed the Great Sage’s Intent violently surging from the Spirit Realm, bearing down on his and Bu Yingshu’s location, he knew the process was now unstoppable. The situation had reached its most perilous moment.
“The Righteous Gods in the Spirit Realm have probably been monitoring the Great Sage’s Intent’s movements all along.”
“Now that this Great Sage’s Intent is causing such a huge disturbance, they’re bound to notice.”
“And even if this Great Sage’s Intent is targeting Bu Yingshu, drawn by her successful refinement of the complete Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation…”
A wave of helplessness washed over Zhang Yu. “Once the higher-ups lock onto Bu Yingshu, their investigation will inevitably extend to… me, who has been refining the Blood Tide Essence Qi Sacred Contemplation with her this entire time.”
Whether Zhang Yu wanted to admit it or not, he understood that, at this moment, he and Bu Yingshu were grasshoppers tied to the same rope.
“Bu Yingshu must not be locked onto… must not be investigated…”
Therefore, Zhang Yu decided to cover for her.
If time could rewind to just one day ago, he likely would have been powerless to do anything.
But now, possessing the Great Sage’s Heir (6/6), Zhang Yu was willing to struggle at this life-or-death juncture.
Primary - Great Sage’s Heir (6/6): Your intent is the Great Sage’s Intent, capable of transmitting your will throughout the entire Spirit Realm.
“By using this ability to flood the Spirit Realm with Great Sage’s Intent, I should be able to conceal the current situation, right?” Zhang Yu thought to himself.
He wasn’t sure if his judgment was correct, but at this point, he had no choice but to treat a dead horse as a living one.
As Zhang Yu activated this power, he felt his intent soar to unimaginable heights in an instant. In the blink of an eye, his consciousness seemed to reach an infinitely high place, taking in the entirety of the Kunxu Eleventh Layer’s Spirit Realm.
Countless pieces of Spirit Realm information converged before him, flowing like rivers and lakes, presenting a magnificent spectacle. He saw the information of countless things, the intents of countless beings, all circulating, converging, and colliding within the Spirit Realm…
In that moment, Zhang Yu felt that if he wished, his intent could continue to ascend, breaking through Kunxu’s barriers within the Spirit Realm to reach the Twelfth Layer, the Thirteenth Layer, or even higher.
But in that fleeting moment, Zhang Yu felt his magic power rapidly depleting. If he continued, he would begin to burn his vital energy, muscles, and even his Nascent Soul and soul… until everything he was turned to ash.
This staggering drain shocked Zhang Yu, and he instinctively cursed in his mind, “Holy shit…”
In the next instant, the Great Sage’s Intent that Zhang Yu had unleashed echoed throughout the entire Eleventh Layer’s Spirit Realm.
In the minds of countless people, two words resounded simultaneously: “Holy shit.”
This was Zhang Yu’s most primal reaction, channeled through the Spirit Realm under the power of the Great Sage’s Heir, the most instinctive cry from the depths of the Spirit Realm itself.
This call of intent didn’t just travel through the Spirit Realm to echo in countless minds. In an instant, it shattered an unknown number of restrictions, protections, and blockades across the Eleventh Layer.
Whether it was the most secret laboratories and research institutes of various sects, the hidden treasuries and Immortal Abodes of powerful beings, or the fortresses and mechanisms guarded by countless Righteous Gods…
All hidden corners and formidable defenses were rendered useless in that moment.
This intent resounded in nearly every place the Spirit Realm could reach.
Almost every cultivator in the entire Eleventh Layer froze for a moment, their thoughts seemingly pausing for a thousandth of a second.
“What the hell?” True Monarch Starfire, who was on a mission, froze abruptly. “Is this some new advertisement?”
Inside the Martial Arts Pavilion, Yu Xinghan had been engrossed in creating a new cultivation art when the sudden mental message startled him. “What the devil was that?”
Upon realizing he wasn’t the only one who had heard it, Yu Xinghan was even more bewildered. “What does it even mean? It can’t just be ‘Holy shit.’ What Great Power would be so bored as to cause such a massive disturbance just to shout that?”
“There’s no benefit to doing this.”
Yu Xinghan refused to believe that any of Kunxu’s powerful experts would engage in such a pointless endeavor.
He thought to himself, “There must be a deeper meaning. It definitely isn’t just ‘Holy shit.’ Maybe it’s a homophone? ‘Holdy shit’? ‘Holey shit’?”
Yu Xinghan wasn’t the only one thinking this way. Many cultivators felt there was more to it and began trying to decipher the true meaning and significance behind those two words.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Sword Sect was in an uproar over the “Holy shit.”
Bai Zhenzhen watched as countless Shock Sword Cultivators gasped in astonishment, their cultivation soaring as they stood rooted to the spot in shock.
“Holy shit! Who’s talking in my head?!”
“Holy shit! What, you heard it too?”
“Holy shit! This is outrageous! The entire Heavenly Sword Sect heard it!”
“Holy shit! Huh? Other sects heard it too? It spread across the whole Eleventh Layer?”
Beyond that, conflicts erupted among cultivators who practiced paths fueled by negative emotions.
“Did you just curse at me?”
“Was that you who made that sound?”
“Holy shit! Are you fucking with me?”
In an instant, the number of sword assaults within the Heavenly Sword Sect skyrocketed. Sword qi crisscrossed the air, and Sword Intent surged to the heavens.
In the upper echelons of the Heavenly Sword Sect, countless Great Powers and Sword Immortals looked down at the chaos, roaring with laughter. Their cultivation surged amidst the joyous spectacle.
“Excellent, excellent! This is too amusing.”
“Who’s the mastermind behind this? We should join in the fun.”
“Hahaha, even the higher-ups can’t sit still anymore, can they? Let them fight! I want to see rivers of money flow!”
Meanwhile, deep within the Spirit Realm, the Righteous Gods wore grave expressions.
“Provocation!” Bing Yisi said coldly. “After detecting our search, this Great Sage’s Heir not only failed to go into hiding but actually provoked us?”
“And it’s the most blatant, arrogant, and naked provocation imaginable!”
“He’s slapping the Heavenly Court in the face in front of everyone!”
As Bing Yisi’s mind reeled, a furious intent descended from the heavens, crossing countless layers of the Spirit Realm in an instant to strike all the Righteous Gods on the Eleventh Layer.
“[RAGE] [RAGE] [RAGE]!”
“Treason! Defying the Heavens!”
“[FIST]!”
“Capture this person! Don’t let him escape!”
While countless cultivators were still struggling to comprehend what had just happened and what it all meant, Zhang Yu’s mind went blank. He instantly regretted thinking those two words.
Just as he was about to think something else, he felt his magic power drain completely, leaving him utterly exhausted.
Simultaneously, from countless layers above in the Spirit Realm, waves of terrifying intent suddenly descended like invisible giant hands, violently churning the entire Spirit Realm of the Kunxu Eleventh Layer.
Countless beams of divine light erupted from within, carrying immense divine power as they swept across the entire Spirit Realm, scrutinizing every inch of information.
If the Eleventh Layer of the Spirit Realm had previously been like a turbulent sea, with information occasionally gathering and rising like waves, then at this moment, the entire sea of the Eleventh Layer Spirit Realm was boiling.
Stirred by those terrifying intents, the Spirit Realm sea unleashed towering, heaven-toppling waves — tsunamis hundreds or even thousands of meters high — that surged in all directions, nearly paralyzing the entire Eleventh Layer.
In that instant, it was as if these terrifying intents were determined to flip the entire sea upside down to find the being who had just broadcast the Great Sage’s Intent across the Eleventh Layer Spirit Realm, shouting to countless people.
Faced with this situation, Zhang Yu made a decisive choice. He immediately deactivated the [Great Sage’s Heir] Chain Formation Diagram and switched back to the [Great Sage Researcher] one.
Fu Ji, residing within Zhang Yu, exclaimed in astonishment, “What’s happening?!”
In Fu Ji’s perception, it was as if a hundred thousand suns had ignited all at once, illuminating the entire Eleventh Layer of the Spirit Realm. Then, a single, unified intent echoed everywhere, broadcasting the same message.
She had never witnessed anything like it; it was as if the entire Spirit Realm had come alive.
That single cry of “Holy shit!” had left her utterly stunned.
Fu Ji thought to herself, “Who could have pulled off such a heaven-shattering feat? To throw the strictly ordered Spirit Realm into chaos… this is going to cause a massive uproar.”
Meanwhile, the Great Sage’s Intent that Zhang Yu had initially sensed descended completely. Not only did Zhang Yu, now equipped with the Great Sage Researcher Chain Formation Diagram, perceive it fully, but it also simultaneously entered Bu Yingshu’s Sea of Consciousness.
If the first Great Sage’s Intent that forcibly descended had been like a single flame igniting in the Spirit Realm, easily attracting the attention of the Righteous Gods…
…then the Great Sage’s Intent that Zhang Yu subsequently broadcast across the entire Eleventh Layer was like instantly lighting countless high-powered lamps, completely obscuring the original flame and making it impossible to trace its origin.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “They shouldn’t be able to track it back here now, right?”
The thought vanished in a flash. The next moment, the descending Great Sage’s Intent swept through Zhang Yu’s Sea of Consciousness, and countless images formed from information flooded his mind.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Let’s see… what exactly do you want to tell me this time?”
“Desolate Ox Great Sage.”
As the light and shadows before Zhang Yu shifted, he once again saw the battlefield — the same one whose conclusion he had missed last time, the battlefield of the Desolate Ox Great Sage and the Immortal.
Across this boundless battlefield, countless figures soared into the sky, charging toward the Immortal.
Blood stained the heavens as countless corpses fell during the battle. After being devoured by the Desolate Ox Great Sage, they were resurrected and returned to the fight.
The cycle of life and death played out repeatedly on this battlefield. With each death, the Great Sage’s side seemed to grow stronger and more combat-effective.
They continuously adapted to the Immortal’s power and tactics, constantly searching for weaknesses and changing their methods of attack…
Their martial arts and daoist arts were relentlessly refined in the brutal combat and continuously improving through the shared experiences of countless individuals.
“We can win!”
“We can win!”
At this moment, the Desolate Ox Great Sage and every strand of intent within his body converged into a single torrent of consciousness.
At this moment, in their hearts, in their minds, in their bodies… there was only one thought, one will, one resolve.
“Defeat the Immortal!”
“Drag that lofty Immortal down into the dust!”
“Forge this world into the shape they desired!”
More and more cracks appeared on the Immortal’s body. The Desolate Ox Great Sage and his comrades surged with overwhelming momentum, their oppressive aura climbing ever higher.
After ten full days and nights of fierce battle, with a deafening explosion, the Immortal’s body shattered completely and was devoured by the Desolate Ox Great Sage in a single gulp.
“Immortal!”
Feeling the Immortal Corpse trembling violently within him, the Desolate Ox Great Sage roared, “You have lost!”
In response to the Great Sage’s roar, only a faint chuckle echoed from the Immortal Corpse: “You… can never win. No one can.”
The next moment, the Desolate Ox Great Sage could no longer sense any consciousness from his foe. The Immortal seemed to have truly died.
Meanwhile, everyone on the battlefield stared at the scene, momentarily stunned. The next instant, cheers erupted, shaking the heavens.
The young girl suddenly threw her arms around the Desolate Ox Great Sage, exclaiming with delight, “We won! We won!”
Although they had won this battle, no one dared to let their guard down, for they knew that the Heaven Realm held many more, even stronger Immortals.
Though they didn’t know why no other Immortals had descended to deal with them, no one dared to be careless. They cautiously went into hiding, striving to develop and accumulate strength in preparation for future wars.
To everyone’s surprise, as days turned into weeks, no Immortals ever descended.
“Is the Heaven Realm still in chaos?”
“Are the Immortals too preoccupied to deal with us?”
“We should seize this time to gather more strength.”
During the fierce battle between the Desolate Ox Great Sage and the Immortal, countless people had been devoured by the Great Sage, only to be resurrected through his collective consciousness and physical body.
With the battle’s end, many returned to the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s body, their consciousnesses rejoining the collective network.
However, many others were unwilling to return, wishing to continue living in this world as separate individuals.
The Desolate Ox Great Sage granted this, not opposing their choice.
So, in the time that followed, to accumulate and gather more strength to face the Immortals who might attack again, the Desolate Ox Great Sage led his numerous companions and swept across the entire Human Realm.
Countless mortals were saved, and countless cultivators were either devoured or joined their cause.
The order of the Human Realm was completely restructured. Mortals were no longer treated like disposable materials or resources but were managed by the Desolate Ox Great Sage and the cultivators.
But soon, new problems began to emerge.
“There’s not enough food. We need a massive supply of grain that mortals can eat.”
“The infrastructure is too severely damaged. The sects never planned to keep so many mortals alive.”
“The cultivators also need more resources…”
At that moment, the Desolate Ox Great Sage looked at the countless mortals and cultivators scattered across the land and saw them as countless fledgling birds, all with their mouths wide open, crying out for more nourishment and resources.
The young girl said worriedly, “Resources will never be enough. If this continues, I’m afraid conflicts will arise. People will fight over benefits, and they might even abandon the mortals…”
The Desolate Ox Great Sage said slowly, “Humans are our best friends.”
“From now on, I will sustain the world.”
“I alone shall sustain all under heaven.”
With a roar, figure after figure emerged from the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s body.
Having already reached the Immortal Realm, the Desolate Ox Great Sage was immensely powerful. After devouring the Immortal Corpse, his strength had reached an unprecedented level.
Now the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s power alone, his ability to reshape the world and produce all things, surpassed everyone else combined.
At this moment, as he silently activated his profound art, hundreds of millions of Desolate Oxen soared into the sky, sweeping across the entire land.
Wastelands were reclaimed, chaotic Spirit Veins were guided and shifted one by one, and mineral veins buried deep underground were excavated. The Desolate Oxen continuously produced all sorts of resources.
The world was once again being transformed by the Desolate Oxen, but this time, it was not for the Immortals but to sustain all the people under heaven.
Countless monsterfolk also joined the effort. Under the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s leadership, they established the Celestial Monster Sect, a sect dedicated solely to serving humanity.
Mortals no longer had to worry about food shortages, and cultivators received a massive supply of Immortal Dao resources.
No need to compete, no need to plunder, no need to fight…
Under the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s sustenance, the entire world seemed to have entered an unprecedented golden age.
But as days turned into weeks and people grew accustomed to this new world order, faint whispers of dissent began to appear within the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s collective consciousness.
“How long… do we have to keep working?”
“Why should we be the ones to sustain them forever?”
“It’s time for a change!”
As the voices of opposition within the consciousness network grew louder, the Desolate Ox Great Sage granted their request.
Some individuals detached from the consciousness network, returning to the mortal world as individuals once more.
Others, when asked by the Desolate Ox Great Sage, voluntarily joined the consciousness network to help sustain the world alongside him.
But as time passed, fewer and fewer people were willing to join the network. The voices within grew quieter, gradually fading into silence.
Regardless, the Desolate Ox Great Sage remained silent, merely continuing to control the countless Desolate Oxen, reshaping and sustaining the world.
However, the immense abundance of material wealth led to a population explosion, and the world’s demand for resources grew ever larger.
At the same time, everyone aspired to climb the peaks of the Immortal Dao, desiring greater power and longer life. Their pursuit of Immortal Dao resources swelled relentlessly, gradually becoming impossible to satisfy.
Thus, conflicts over these resources erupted across the world once more, even escalating into large-scale wars.
Amidst these sudden wars, mortals again called upon the Desolate Ox Great Sage and received his protection.
Cultivators who had been plundering far and wide were utterly suppressed by the Great Sage under the condemnation of countless people.
Facing the unstoppable tide of countless Desolate Oxen, more and more people began to realize… whoever could gain the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s protection would rule the world.
And only with greater numbers and a louder collective voice could they elicit the Great Sage’s most active response.
Thus, powerful Cultivators began using their strength, charisma, and cunning to gather mortals around them.
They built cities, founded nations, and established one vast country after another, uniting their people to call upon the Desolate Ox Great Sage.
The larger the nation and the greater its population, the more readily the Desolate Ox Great Sage responded to their calls.
Thus, large factions devoured smaller ones, and great nations swallowed lesser ones. Soon, the entire Human Realm was reduced to just two massive nations.
A long war erupted between the two countries. Responding to the calls from both sides, the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s consciousness network gradually fractured, splitting into two forces that aided each nation respectively.
Over time, under the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s construction, the long battlefront between the two nations transformed into a series of spatial barriers, dividing the Human Realm into an Upper and a Lower Realm.
The weaker side gradually became the Lower Realm, while the stronger nation became the Upper Realm.
Just then, a voice echoed from within the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s heart: “Beast scum, resistance is futile.”
“No matter how this world changes, it will always end up favoring them.”
“No one can defeat them…”
“They are always the winners… hehe.”
The Desolate Ox Great Sage’s eyes flew open. “You’re still alive?”
“Immortals! Are you behind this?”
The Desolate Ox Great Sage’s intent swept across heaven and earth, but he could not find any trace of the other party.
He abruptly raised his head and looked toward the Heaven Realm. “Are you there?”
With the movement technique Desolate Step Shadow Scatter he soared into the sky, leaping across the firmament and charging straight toward the Heaven Realm.
He had to see if the Immortals were truly behind this. He had to see what they were plotting.
But when the Desolate Ox Great Sage arrived in the Heaven Realm, he froze, staring blankly at the sky.
Above the Heaven Realm, there was yet another Heavenly Layer.
“Above the Heaven Realm… there’s another Heaven Realm?”
Just then, Zhang Yu snapped back to his senses. His heart trembled as he gazed at the scene of a Heaven Realm above the Heaven Realm. “Could it be… that Kunxu was built layer by layer like this?”
At the same time, a deep voice echoed in Zhang Yu’s mind, the voice of the Great Sage’s Intent, the voice of the Desolate Ox Great Sage.
“When the powerful nations of the Human Realm called upon me to suppress the weaker ones, I suddenly realized… I had become just like that Immortal from long ago.”
“I was helping the Upper Realm of the Human Realm suppress the Lower Realm.”
“And another part of me, like my former self, helped the Lower Realm of the Human Realm resist the Upper Realm.”
“Then the splitting continued… The Lower Realm fractured into more Lower Realms, and the Upper Realm fractured into more Upper Realms.”
“Layer after layer of worlds were created, and as people called upon me, I was gradually divided into piece after piece.”
As the Desolate Ox Great Sage spoke, a world that constantly stratified, extending and growing both upward and downward, gradually materialized before Zhang Yu.
The Great Sage’s voice continued, “I wanted to change this situation.”
“I tried to stop the wars, to merge the different layers of worlds, to reconnect everyone’s consciousness…”
“I tried to form my own nation, using rules to limit conflict and absolute martial power to control everything…”
“I also tried to establish a perfect system of rules, rewarding the good and punishing the wicked…”
“I even tried stripping all Immortal Dao power from a layer, forcing everyone within it to live as mortals, and taking on all responsibility for production, combat, and protection myself…”
“But nothing worked. Every attempt failed.”
As Zhang Yu listened to the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s account, one era after another, one nation after another, materialized before him.
But just as the Great Sage described, these nations and worlds would inevitably descend into conflict and division, ultimately splitting from a single layer into an upper and lower layer.
The Desolate Ox Great Sage continued, “Through countless trials and tests, I gradually understood that the entire world spontaneously develops in a single direction.”
“And that direction is the one that benefits the Immortals.”
“No matter how you try to stop it, no matter what you attempt, no matter what you do, you will only meet with failure.”
“It’s like a bamboo stalk that can never be broken or bent. No matter how much force you apply, how much pressure you exert, the bamboo will always return to its original shape.”
“And no matter how our world develops, it will ultimately and irrevocably… advance in the direction that benefits the Immortals.”
“This is the true power of the Immortals.”
“This… is the Dao Lineage.”
“Only by establishing a Dao Lineage can one be considered a true Immortal.”
As Zhang Yu listened to the Desolate Ox Great Sage’s words, a sudden chill crept into his heart.
He recalled the combat prowess the Great Sage had displayed — the world-shattering power, the indestructibility, the immortality. Yet, in the face of the Immortals’ true power, all of it seemed utterly meaningless.
Even combat itself appeared to have lost all value.
The Desolate Ox Great Sage continued, “It is a silent, pervasive power — a subtle, silent influence that cannot be overcome through battle. It is a strength from a much higher dimension.”
“I don’t know what this world will ultimately split into.”
“But my physical body, my spirit, my magic power… have gradually become part of this world through countless divisions.”
“Perhaps the only fortunate thing is that the era I was born into allowed me to become one of the few observers who could comprehend the full scope of this world.”
In that moment, Zhang Yu seemed to see the Desolate Ox Great Sage standing before him, his resolute gaze crossing countless eras to fix upon him in the present.
“Only a Dao Lineage can defeat a Dao Lineage.”
“Find the Dao Lineage I left behind… That may be the only way to change this world.”
The next moment, when Zhang Yu came to his senses, he found himself standing back in the laboratory, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusionary dream.
But Zhang Yu knew it was no dream. He could clearly recall all the information he had just seen, and he could feel it flooding into his mind, converging on the Desolate Ox Clone within his consciousness.
As this influx of information from the Great Sage’s Intent gathered, Zhang Yu felt the originally stiff Desolate Ox Clone become increasingly animated.
While Zhang Yu’s mind reeled and his heart surged with emotion, Bu Yingshu suddenly whipped her head around to look at him.
Bu Yingshu appeared flustered; Zhang Yu even saw a look of panic on her face he had never seen before.
“Zhang Yu!” Bu Yingshu stared at him and demanded, “You! Did you see something?”