CHAPTER 1149: CHAPTER 871: AUTHORITY

"Buzz buzz!"

The azure light before his eyes rapidly dissipated.

Before Gu Jinlai could clearly see his surroundings, the condensed power of the Three Thousand Great Dao already descended upon him like the scorching sun.

For a moment, Gu Jinlai had the illusion that his Spirit was about to ignite.

This was the tempering and refining of his Spirit by the Three Thousand Great Dao.

He had borrowed Qingguang to merge into something akin to parallel universes more than once, like another part of his Memory, and was not unfamiliar with this kind of environment.

This terrifying tempering and grinding effect...

"Deep within the Heart of the Cosmic! Maybe even nearing the core area!"

Gu Jinlai instantly realized his current location.

At the same time, his gaze fell on the celestial bodies before him, which were massive like Constant Stars.

Three large and one small, four azure blue orbs, like four blue giant stars, quietly suspended in this starry sky filled with intense light.

This intense light was not just light or gamma rays but the Power of Dao, solidified and manifesting externally.

If a Profound Immortal were here to seek Enlightenment, it would almost be like having every answer laid clearly before him.

Even a Golden Immortal could glimpse the answers they sought within this concentrated Great Dao, rapidly elevating their understanding and compatibility with the Dao to tenfold.

However, likewise...

Without a Divine Sense Ability beyond the Thirteenth-Rank Eternal Life Realm, one’s Spirit would likely be extinguished by the refined Great Dao upon merely arriving in this region.

Even those with a Thirteenth-Rank Divine Sense Ability, Immortal Venerable here would find it difficult to linger long.

Eventually, they would either transform into Evil God entities born for decomposition or...

Have their Spirits annihilated over the long years by the refined Great Dao, leading to their death.

"So... I’ve reached the near-core area of the Heart of the Cosmic?"

Gu Jinlai said aloud.

Simultaneously, his gaze fell upon the silhouettes radiant like blue giant stars.

"Firewood, Yuan Huang, Ancient Desolation..."

Relying on the information accumulated over centuries in the Fire Cloud Palace, he identified their identities one by one.

As for the fourth...

It should be a powerful Evil God slightly inferior to the eighteen Ancient Evil Gods.

Though the number of Evil Gods within the Heart of the Cosmic is very few, it does not mean only these eighteen Evil Gods exist.

But...

For some reason, as Gu Jinlai looked at this Evil God, he felt a vague sense of familiarity.

Yet he couldn’t pinpoint where this familiarity stemmed from.

After all...

This was his first true contact with an Evil God.

Previously, Yuan Mou, Yuan Xiu, etc., were either Divine Calamities or Evil God Avatars.

"Primordial?"

"According to Emperor Xi of Fire Cloud Palace, he has not yet awakened."

"No matter, we will wake him."

"Yuan Huang, don’t act recklessly. I don’t want to wait any longer in the Heart of the Cosmic."

The Evil Gods continued to communicate.

After a moment, the blue light surged and quickly formed into three humanoid figures.

"Perhaps in this form, you won’t be so tense."

One of them spoke.

Gu Jinlai sensed his fluctuating aura...

He was Ancient Desolation.

One of the oldest Evil Gods.

Also, the most mysterious Evil God.

Because he had almost never attacked the defenses of the Heart of the Cosmic, many Immortal Golden Immortals, and even Immortal Venerable ones, doubted his methods, even questioning whether he existed at all.

"You’ve come for Primordial?"

Gu Jinlai asked.

"Correct, we only want you to fulfill your past promise to us and retrieve the reward that belongs to us."

Ancient Desolation said.

Gu Jinlai remained silent for a moment, then said, "I’m afraid you will be disappointed."

Looking at these three ancient Evil Gods, powerful enough to rival Supreme Powerhouses, he said, "You also know I’ve yet to recover my memory, so I don’t know what agreement exists between you and Primordial."

"No worries, we’ll help you find your lost memory."

Ancient Desolation didn’t seem surprised at all.

As he said this, his gaze turned to the smaller azure nebula: "Xuanhuang."

"I must understand what happened."

Gu Jinlai said in a deep voice: "Otherwise, I would rather choose Silent Annihilation."

After these words, he glanced at the Evil Gods present: "To awaken me earlier, you risked war with the Six Great Races, taking me from the Human Clan’s territory, clearly in a hurry. Should I choose Silent Annihilation... you wouldn’t want to wait thousands more years in vain, would you?"

"Silent Annihilation..."

Ancient Desolation, Firewood, and Yuan Huang exchanged silent glances.

Faced with the possibility of Hope, a thousand years...

No matter how hard it gets, they are willing to wait.

But...

When they can soon get what they want, they would rather not wait.

After a long while, Ancient Desolation finally spoke, "Even if I don’t tell you, you’ll know once Xuanhuang helps you awaken."

"Xuanhuang."

Gu Jinlai’s gaze turned to the smaller light cluster, "What exactly happened between you and the Primordial back then? Also... why do I feel a sense of familiarity when I look at you?"

"Feeling familiar is only natural."

Ancient Desolation calmly said, "Back then, Xuanhuang was the most crucial part of your plan. In a way, you and he became one, compatible with each other’s powers."

"Compatible with each other’s powers..."

Gu Jinlai thought about the Evil God Power he could harness...

Could it be from Xuanhuang!?

"Throughout countless ages, whether it be us Ancient Gods or the oldest Supreme Powerhouses like the Primordial, we have often tried to deeply explore the Cosmic Core, to observe the Daoist Ancestors up close, to peep at a realm that belongs to the Taoist Ancestor—and then one day, the Primordial suddenly discovered something. He brought a Cosmic Oddity, found Xuanhuang, found us, and showed us a whole new realm, one... of infinite possibilities."

As Ancient Desolation spoke, he gestured with a vacant hand.

The Three Thousand Great Dao were simulated in his hand.

Immediately after, the Power of Decomposition belonging to the Evil God collided with the Three Thousand Great Dao, resonating to create a world.

In this world, life and death cycled, as if formed into an independently existing whole, a...

A completely new world that could exist forever without any external force.

Although this authority still comes from the Three Thousand Great Dao, and the foundation of world creation remains a part of the Three Thousand Great Dao, due to the ongoing cycle of destruction and rebirth between the Three Thousand Great Dao and the Power of Decomposition—the moment any power tries to remove the power of the Three Thousand Great Dao, the world still, through the impetus of cycles, births a new Three Thousand Great Dao.

In other words, the removal of the Great Dao’s power is essentially part of the "destruction" within the world cycle. As it destroys the world, a new world naturally arises, thus allowing such a world to truly achieve reincarnation, enduring from the ancient to the present.

Unfortunately...

It was apparent that Ancient Desolation had not fully mastered this power; the world cycle he created was not yet perfect, and the small world collapsed after only a few cycles.

Much like a bubble being popped, it annihilated into the void.

"Such divinity..."

Gu Jinlai quickly saw something, "If you truly mastered this power... those Daoist Ancestors..."

"Would be subdued by us!"

Ancient Desolation stated plainly without any concealment, "Daoist Ancestors represent the authority of the Three Thousand Great Dao. When the power of authority becomes the most crucial part of constructing our world cycle, we will no longer need to fear the eradication by the Daoist Ancestors. On the contrary, we will penetrate the Cosmic Core, subdue the Three Thousand Dao Ancestors, and use their power for ourselves. By that time, what awaits us is an unprecedented new era."

There was a hint of uncontrollable excitement in this ancient god’s voice, "An era where individual cultivation surpasses the authority of the Daoist Ancestors!"

"Individuals, surpassing the authority of the Daoist Ancestors..."

Gu Jinlai could well imagine how shocking this news would be to other Supreme Powerhouses who had no choice against Daoist Ancestors, and to the immortals beneath them.

And now...

"All hope is pinned on you."

Ancient Desolation said, "This hope has become the spiritual pillar for almost more than half of the top beings in the vast starry sky. Once we lose this pillar, we will be like those Evil Gods who crazily attack the Heart of the Cosmic, trying to decompose everything, to end everything, summarizing and decomposing the entire universe to challenge the Taoist Ancestors... So, to avoid things from truly reaching that point, we need you to awaken, we need the Primordial’s return."

He emphasized heavily, "The Primordial has a way, a true and real way to make a world reincarnate, eternally and forever."

Gu Jinlai fell silent after hearing this.

After a long while, he then said, "What about me?"

"You and the Primordial were originally one. You are him, and he is you."

Ancient Desolation said.

"But what you want has always been just the Primordial. In other words, even if I truly awaken, this individual means nothing to you."

Gu Jinlai said.

Ancient Desolation looked at him calmly.

Although there was no compulsion, it showed an unyielding resolve that allowed no doubt.

Not only Ancient Desolation, but the other two ancient gods, Firewood and Yuanhuang also turned their gaze to Gu Jinlai.

"Ancient Desolation said, you and the Primordial are essentially one. What you are currently holding onto may be discovered after you awaken to be utterly insignificant, like an illusion, a dream. Only after awakening will you have the true reality. The rest does not matter."

Firewood said.

"It doesn’t matter if the Gu Jinlai as an individual is fused and perished by the Primordial?"

Gu Jinlai said.

"Yes."

The three ancient gods just looked at Gu Jinlai.

The attitude expressed was calm but resolute.

"The disappearance of Gu Jinlai has nothing to do with you. You need only remember you were always the Primordial, and not a mere Gu Jinlai who occupied only a short millennium of your long life."

Firewood spoke once more.

"What if I disagree?"

Gu Jinlai said.

"You should agree."

There was not much of an emotional ripple in Ancient Desolation’s eyes, "We don’t want to force you, nor do we want things to become too stiff, but if we have to use force, even if you ultimately choose Silent Annihilation... for a thousand or even ten thousand years, we can wait, and we can afford to wait. Surely, we will wait for a Primordial Reincarnation Body who understands the times and sees the big picture."

Firewood and Yuanhuang didn’t speak, but the stance of the two ancient gods was obviously the same.

Gu Jinlai faced these three oldest evil gods, clutching the Taiyi Sword...

The atmosphere in the scene froze momentarily.

After a long while, Xuanhuang, who had not spoken all along and whose size was far inferior to the other three ancient gods, slowly conveyed information, "His resistance stems from the unknown. Once the truth of the matter is fully understood, I believe he will make the correct choice."

His gaze seemed to sweep over the three Evil Gods.

"Give me some space, and some time, and I will enable him to usher in the True Body of the Primordial."