172: Chapter 172 The Essence of the Universe, the Primordial Qi of All Things

It was not that he had not paid attention to the System's criteria, but the more he pondered, the more mysterious it seemed.

Lu Jinghan possessed the Space-Time Dao Body and was a reincarnated soul; Lin Yanzhou had no Aptitude whatsoever, yet could practice that Minimalist Cultivation Method; Li Zhongyuan was the Saint of the Shura Clan.

The words "destined person" were probably just as the System said—unrelated to talent, Physique, or background, and only connected to some destiny-guiding Karma in the dark.

Jiang Changge withdrew his thoughts, his gaze falling upon the youth. His tone was flat yet carried a hint of warmth. "The power within your body has not yet been developed. Without someone to guide you, it might not awaken on its own even after another ten years."

"Since your Elder brother has already joined Kunlun, you shall also remain here to Cultivate. Elder Cangwu will personally guide your entry."

Yun Tianque was slightly stunned, then hastily knelt and kowtowed, "Thank you, Sect Master!"

Jiang Changge waved his hand, signaling them to withdraw.

As Yun Tianxiang led his younger brother out of the hall, he heard a faint, almost imperceptible sigh from Jiang Changge behind them. It sounded like lamentation, yet also like helplessness, but he did not understand its deep meaning.

The hall doors slowly closed. Jiang Changge leaned back in his lounge chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest as his gaze drifted through the carved beams of the ceiling, landing somewhere in the Void Realm.

Recently, the Southern Wilderness seemed to be unstable. Conflicts had erupted in various places, all showing traces of the other four regions, carrying an ominous atmosphere of a gathering storm.

The Cloud Sea Grand Ceremony was about to be held, and undercurrents were surging among various forces.

For the Shadow Pavilion to make moves in the Southern Wilderness at such a time, it was probably not as simple as just abducting Loose Cultivators. What their true goal was remained unclear for now.

But at least for now, the thorn that was the Xie Family had been removed. The Shadow Pavilion's hidden agents in the Southern Wilderness had gone into hibernation and would not be able to cause much trouble in the short term.

Jiang Changge did not delve deeper. He retrieved the clump of Chaos Qi from his sleeve.

The greyish mist slowly swirled in his palm. Though seemingly unremarkable, it felt as if it contained all the secrets from the dawn of the universe.

According to the System's introduction, this was the essence of the universe, the Qi of the beginning of all things. Although it was only a small clump, it was already enough for him to use until his Immortal Ascension.

After all, the path he walked was not an ordinary path of cultivation, but one of accommodating all Daos, turning himself into a vessel for the resonance of ten thousand Daos.

Every comprehension of a Law and every integration of a trace of Origin power would make his Foundation sturdier and more harmonious.

As the beginning of all things, the Chaos Qi contained the most fundamental Law seeds of the universe, which was exactly what he needed.

Jiang Changge withdrew his thoughts, sat cross-legged in the hall, and held the Chaos Qi in his palm.

The greyish airflow slowly rotated in his palm, seeping bit by bit into his skin, Meridians, and Dantian, merging into the specks of Law light that were already circulating within his body.

The "Creation Sutra" operated on its own, and his aura began to grow profound, as if he were slowly merging into some deeper dimension of heaven and earth.

The spiritual light in the Kunlun Grand Hall flickered slightly, then returned to tranquility.

Outside the hall, the spiritual mist still swirled, the cranes on the celestial peaks still soared, and the pale gold leaves of the enlightenment tree still swayed gently in the wind.

Everything was as usual. The only difference was that around the figure sitting cross-legged in the grand hall, an imperceptible grey halo had appeared at some point.

—

On the other side, when Ancestor Xu Tianyan returned to the capital of the Xuanyuan Dynasty, he did not return to the imperial palace, but landed straight in front of the main gate of the Xie Family residence.

Before the guards at the Xie Family gate could even see the newcomer's face clearly, they felt an invisible force sweep across their bodies, freezing them on the spot, unable to move.

Ancestor Xu Tianyan stepped into the residence with his hands behind his back. With each step he took, the bluestone ground beneath his feet cracked into fine lines that spread in all directions, causing the entire Xie Family residence to tremble slightly under his stride.

Xie Wanan was startled awake by that oppressive pressure.

When he rushed out of his secret chamber, this was the scene he beheld—within his own residence, all guards, servants, and enshrined experts were kneeling on the ground, their faces pale and trembling in fear.

And the person standing in the center of the courtyard with hands clasped behind his back was precisely the figure he least wanted to see at this moment.

"Ancestor... Xu."

Xie Wanan's voice was trembling. He instinctively wanted to explain something, but found his throat as if gripped by something, unable to utter a single word.

Ancestor Xu Tianyan did not look at him, but merely pressed down lightly in the air.

The Foundation of the entire Xie Family residence shook violently. Those Formation hubs hidden in the dark, transmission Formation Plates, and secret underground passage entrances were all exposed under the spiritual light at the same time.

Those extremely meticulously arranged hidden traps were like paper before the absolute power of the Peak of Tribulation Transcendence, with nowhere to hide.

"The destruction of the Four Great Families—was it your doing?" Ancestor Xu Tianyan finally spoke, his voice calm, yet it made Xie Wanan feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Xie Wanan fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground. "Ancestor, spare my life! It was the people from the Shadow Pavilion who forced me! They threatened the lives of my entire Xie Family. If I did not comply, they would exterminate my whole clan..."

Ancestor Xu Tianyan looked down at him, fell silent for a moment, and then raised his hand, sending a beam of spiritual light into Xie Wanan's forehead.

Xie Wanan's body convulsed violently, his eyes quickly glazing over and then becoming hollow.

A moment later, Ancestor Xu Tianyan withdrew his hand, and Xie Wanan's body slumped to the ground, completely lifeless.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling members of the Xie Family. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears: "The Xie Family conspired with the Shadow Pavilion of the Northern Region to harm their fellow compatriots, a crime beyond forgiveness. From this day forth, the Xie Family is erased from the Xuanyuan Dynasty."

Having spoken, he turned and departed.

Behind him, the entire Xie Family residence disintegrated inch by inch in the spiritual light, turning into a pile of ruins.

Over the next three days, the entire Xuanyuan Dynasty underwent an unprecedented purge.

From the capital to the borders, from great families to Sects, Ancestor Xu Tianyan personally oversaw the operation, pulling out every single hidden agent connected to the Shadow Pavilion one by one.

Those spies, scouts, and moles hidden deep within the Imperial Dynasty either tried to flee or put up a desperate resistance, but before the absolute power of the Peak of Tribulation Transcendence, all struggles were futile.

When the last hidden line was rooted out, Ancestor Xu Tianyan stood at the peak of the imperial palace with his hands behind his back, looking down at the city that had just weathered a storm, remaining silent for a long time.

His harvest was far greater than expected. Not only did he uncover part of the Shadow Pavilion's layout in the Southern Wilderness from the Xie Family's secret archives, but he also followed the clues to drag out several hidden agents from other forces, one of whom even pointed to a name in the Central Continent that he was unwilling to mention.

The events of the Xuanyuan Dynasty quickly spread throughout the Southern Wilderness.

Upon receiving the news, the other Six Great Forces initiated self-investigations almost at the same time.

In the Zhouwu Dynasty, Dynasty Lord Zhou Shanhe personally issued an order to strictly investigate the identities and movements of all incoming and outgoing personnel across all cities, Sects, and families within the Imperial Dynasty.

Although Ancestor Zhou Huaixu was recovering from his injuries, he also emerged from seclusion to oversee the situation, ensuring that no loopholes like the Xie Family would appear within the Imperial Dynasty.