151: Chapter 151 A stunningly beautiful woman with an exquisite figure! Shocking…

Liu Meihan heard the "reason he had to do it." Was this reason related to the vicissitudes and loneliness he occasionally revealed, which did not match his age?

Was it related to the past he had never discussed in detail?

But at this moment, these things were not important. What was important was his determination, which might be the only hope for them to find the Trial Grounds and rescue Meiyan.

Involuntarily, she also slightly held her "breath," waiting for the verdict of that ancient Soul.

After a long while, the ancient beast "Xu" seemed to let out a sigh so long it spanned eras.

The sigh echoed directly in the Soul, carrying endless exhaustion and a trace of relief.

"Very well..."

Its voice sounded again, with less warning and more complex, indefinable emotions; perhaps it was admiration, perhaps pity, or perhaps just acceptance of its own end.

"Since your mind is made up and your Dao Heart is firm, this seat... cannot really block you any further. The wait through the ages was perhaps for a 'variable' like you, who knows it cannot be done yet still does it..."

Its massive head, composed of azure starlight, lifted slightly, as if looking up at a higher, more distant Void Realm that did not exist above it, or as if looking back at a glorious era long since passed.

"Regardless, this remnant Soul of mine is about to burn out its last bit of spiritual light, follow my master, and return to this vast sea of stars, becoming the most primitive Reincarnation Qi... Since that is the case, I will use this last bit of remaining power to... open this door for you. Whether you can step onto this path, whether you can walk through it, and whether you can obtain my master's final Legacy... depends on your own fortune, Luck, and... that 'must-do' will, and just how far it can support you."

Before the voice had faded, the ancient beast "Xu"'s incomparably massive Soul suddenly erupted with unprecedented azure light!

The light was so pure, so dazzling, as if a galaxy had been condensed into this moment!

It was no longer as solid as crystal as before, but became transparent and brilliant, like an aurora about to rise and dissipate.

It slowly lifted its front right claw.

The claw was entirely condensed from the purest Samsara Dao laws and starlight; a point of light at the tip of the claw was condensed to the extreme, as if it contained the great power to open up worlds and define Yin and Yang.

Then, towards the Void Realm in front that was still rippling slightly because of its appearance, it lightly—yet containing some kind of supreme rhythm—made a slash—

"Sshhh—!"

There was no sound, but in everyone's perception, they "heard" a crisp sound as if cloth were being torn, or as if the membrane of the world were being pierced open!

Right where the ancient beast "Xu"'s claw tip had passed, the starry sky was "opened."

No, it was not a spatial rupture in the physical sense.

It was more like a frozen scroll, on which an invisible divine brush had forcibly outlined the silhouette of a "door."

A "crack," unimaginable in size, with edges flowing with Chaos Qi and the rosy light of Reincarnation, appeared out of thin air!

Inside the crack, it was not pitch-black nothingness, nor was it chaotic spatial turbulence, but a... "path."

A "path" that was difficult to describe accurately in words.

It seemed to be paved with endless starlight, and also seemed to have been washed out by the long river of time.

The road surface looked ancient and rough, covered with traces of vicissitudes; looking closely, those traces actually seemed to be countless ancient runes and Dao carvings that were fine to the extreme.

On both sides of the road, there were no railings, no boundaries, only slowly rotating, deep nebular vortices, and strange scenes that appeared and disappeared like mirages.

There were immortal palaces collapsing, gods and demons falling.

There were civilizations rising and falling, eras changing.

There were plants withering and flourishing, living beings going through Reincarnation...

Everything cycled repeatedly between life and death, emitting an aura that was eternal, vast, awe-inspiring, and infinitely yearning.

This was the Starry Sky Ancient Path leading to the Trial Grounds of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation!

The moment this ancient path fully manifested, the ancient beast "Xu"'s azure Soul, which had erupted to the extreme, reached the Peak of its light, and then, like a sandcastle in the wind, began to disintegrate and dissipate inch by inch.

Its massive body turned into billions upon billions of tiny, dust-like azure light spots, like a galaxy flowing in reverse, scattering into the starry sky in all directions, beautiful and heroic.

"Little one... the path has been opened for you... move forward... do not... let down... the master's Dao... and your own... heart..."

The old and weary voice, along with the scattering light spots, was intermittent, and finally dissipated completely in the starry sky, leaving no trace.

It was as if it had never existed, only that Starry Sky Ancient Path, which lay quietly across the crack in the Void Realm, proved that the Soul-shaking scene just now was not a dream.

Ye Bufan maintained his cupped-fist salute, bowed deeply once more towards the direction where the ancient beast "Xu" had dissipated, and only straightened up after a long while.

There was a trace of sentiment in his eyes, but more than that, when he looked at the ancient path, a burning fighting spirit and determination ignited.

He turned around and looked at Liu Meihan beside him. His voice had returned to calm, but it carried an unquestionable firmness: "Meihan, let's go."

Only now did Liu Meihan seem to recover from the immense shock. In her beautiful eyes, the horror at Ye Bufan unleashing the "Great Reincarnation Art" had not yet fully faded, and now it was added to by a deep shock at the appearance and dissipation of the ancient beast, as well as the opening of this mysterious ancient path.

The aura emitted by this ancient path was so ancient, so high-level, far exceeding all her previous cognition of "Secret Realms" and "ruins."

Was this really something they could step into and explore?

The ancient beast "Xu"'s final warning—"ten deaths and no life"—was by no means an empty threat.

Ye Bufan keenly captured the flash of hesitation, fear, and complexity in her eyes. He looked at her quietly and suddenly smiled lightly. There was no mockery or coercion in that smile, but rather a trace of insight and... faint detachment?

He spoke, his tone unhurried, even somewhat casual as he asked: "What? Is it because you see that the Cultivation Technique I practice is world-shaking, my Legacy is extraordinary, and now I have gained entry into such a Secret Realm... that you have other thoughts?"

His words were very light, but falling into Liu Meihan's ears, they made her delicate body tremble almost imperceptibly.

She suddenly looked up, meeting Ye Bufan's eyes that seemed to be able to see through the human heart.

There was no suspicion in them, only a calm scrutiny, as if waiting for her to make her own choice.

Liu Meihan instantly understood what he meant.

In the face of such a Legacy and Opportunity that could drive any force in the Immortal Realm crazy, things like companions turning against each other and stabbing in the back were all too common.

He was asking if she would become that kind of person.

With almost no hesitation, a look of annoyance at being misunderstood appeared on Liu Meihan's beautiful face, as well as a deeper determination.

She slightly lifted her chin, her voice cold and clear, like jade striking jade: "Ye Bufan, you underestimate me, Liu Meihan, too much! Although I am but a woman, I know that the two words 'faith and righteousness' are heavier than mountains! You risked coming to this treacherous and unpredictable ruin to help me rescue my sister Meiyan; this kindness and sentiment, I will keep in my heart. How could I do such ungrateful, beastly things?"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the Starry Sky Ancient Path, her tone softening slightly, but still firm, "This path is dangerous, and what Senior ancient beast said is not false. But Meiyan cannot wait, and I... also have no other choice. You can rest assured; the road ahead is long, and fortune is unpredictable. Since I, Liu Meihan, have come this far with you, I will stand by your side to the end. Whether it is life or death, gain or loss, it will depend on our own abilities and fate, but I will never do such despicable, petty things!"

Her gaze was clear and open, looking straight at Ye Bufan without any evasion.

Ye Bufan listened to her quietly until she finished. The trace of detachment in his eyes gradually melted away, replaced by a faint, genuine warmth.

He nodded, the smile on his face becoming a bit more genuine: "Good. I trust you."

He did not say any more sentimental or guaranteeing words; trust itself sometimes needs no words.

He once again cast his gaze towards the Starry Sky Ancient Path that radiated endless temptation and crisis, his eyes becoming sharp and focused once more.

"Let's go." He said, his voice steady, carrying a sense of pushing forward without hesitation, "Time is tight. The sooner we obtain the Legacy, the sooner we can escape from this place and go save your sister Meiyan."

After finishing, he did not hesitate any longer. A faint halo of Samsara Dao rhyme rose around him again, his protective Spiritual Qi slightly adjusted its direction, and he stepped forward.

It was not simple flying; the moment his foot landed, it was as if an invisible staircase caught him in the Void Realm ahead.

His figure turned into a stream of light, resolutely throwing itself into the ancient and mysterious Starry Sky Ancient Path that lay across the crack in the starry sky.

Liu Meihan looked at his unhesitating back, took a deep breath, and suppressed all the shock, hesitation, and fear of the unknown in her heart.

Her jade hand gently released the sword hilt and then gripped it again, as if drawing strength from it. In her clear, autumn-water-like beautiful eyes, a cold and firm light reignited.

For Meiyan, she had no way back.

She took one last look at the direction in the Void Realm where the ancient beast "Xu" had dissipated; there was nothing there anymore, only eternal starlight.

Then, she activated her Spiritual Qi, her light purple celestial dress tracing a graceful arc in the starry sky, closely following Ye Bufan's figure, and also took a step, disappearing into that huge crack flowing with Chaos and rosy light, stepping onto that Starry Sky Ancient Path that led to who knew where, filled with endless unknowns and trials.

Inside the spaceship.

The air was filled with the unique cold fragrance of Gong Yumin.

Zhou Liangan opened his eyes suddenly.

His eyes were first filled with a vast, empty depth, then a playful smile emerged, as if he had caught a glimpse of some joke only he could understand.

"Mmm..."

Gong Yumin, who was snuggled in his arms, was awakened by this slight movement.

Her eyelashes trembled a few times before she struggled to open her eyes—those eyes were covered with a layer of mist when she first woke, lazy as the morning mist over a spring lake.

She did not get up immediately, but instead leaned even more into Zhou Liangan's arms, her delicate, porcelain-like cheek pressed against his chest, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat.

Her slender, pearl-white fingers moved unconsciously, her fingertips lightly tracing circles on the fabric of his chest.

One circle, then another, the rhythm slow and lingering.

"Husband~"

Gong Yumin raised her head, and as her gaze shifted, that layer of mist had turned into a clear luster.

Her voice still carried the slight hoarseness of just waking up, but her tone had returned to its usual tenderness: "Did you sense something?"

Zhou Liangan looked down at her and chuckled.

The laughter was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet cabin.

He raised his hand to tuck a strand of loose hair from her forehead behind her ear, his fingertips lingering on the edge of her earlobe for a moment before he spoke unhurriedly: "Indeed, I have sensed some interesting things."

He cast his gaze toward the Void Realm, as if he could pierce through the thick alloy walls of the spaceship and see the boundless starry sky outside.

"The Reincarnation Qi in the surroundings is fluctuating," Zhou Liangan said, his eyes filled with growing amusement. "It's like a stone being thrown into a calm lake, with ripples spreading out in circles. I suppose... someone must have been unable to restrain themselves and went to those so-called Trial Grounds."

"Reincarnation Qi?"

Gong Yumin's originally languid expression suddenly sharpened. She propped herself up, the silk quilt sliding off her shoulders, revealing her beautifully contoured collarbone and a patch of snow-white skin.

Yet she remained completely unaware, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Zhou Liangan. Her gaze shifted from surprise to deep confusion, and finally, it all transformed into curiosity.

"Husband~ You..." Her voice softened slightly. "You can actually perceive the flow of the Reincarnation Qi?"

It was as if she had heard something incredible; she couldn't help but reach out to lightly touch Zhou Liangan's cheek, her fingertips lingering on his jawline. "Reincarnation Qi is ethereal and elusive. Only those who Cultivate special Cultivation Techniques or possess the Reincarnation Bloodline can barely perceive a trace of it. How... exactly did you manage to do this?"

Zhou Liangan caught her restless hand and kissed it lightly.

"It's very simple." He said it casually, as if discussing the weather. "You just need to understand the Origin of this Power of Reincarnation."

"The Origin?" Gong Yumin blinked.

"Yes." Zhou Liangan released her hand and instead wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back into his embrace. "All Daos in the world have an Origin. Reincarnation seems profound, but it is actually just a special form of energy—the conversion between life and death, the entanglement of the past and future, the cycle of memories and the Soul... All of these follow certain established 'rules.' As long as you can understand these rules, perceiving the flow of the surrounding Reincarnation Qi becomes as natural as seeing the wind or hearing the rain."

Gong Yumin looked at him, half-believing and half-doubting.

A glimmer flickered in her beautiful eyes, clearly digesting his words.

Understanding the Origin of Reincarnation?

It was easy to say, but throughout history, countless brilliant talents had exhausted their entire lives without necessarily catching a glimpse of the surface of the Samsara Dao.

She herself had once come into contact with the Power of Reincarnation by chance, but that feeling was vague and unclear, like looking at flowers through a mist.

"You..." Gong Yumin sighed softly, tapping the tip of Zhou Liangan's nose with her finger, though her eyes were filled with gentle smiles. "You always say things that people can't understand, yet they somehow seem to make sense."

"It's not 'seem to.'" Zhou Liangan corrected her with a smile, just about to say something more—

"If you put it that way." A cold, clear voice came from the cabin door.

The two turned their heads simultaneously to see Qi Xiaoyu leaning against the doorframe.

It was unknown how long she had been standing there. Her moon-white Cultivation outfit was spotless, and her ink-black hair was tied up with a simple wooden hairpin, with a few stray strands scattered along her cheeks.

Her expression was calm, with only a flicker of genuine curiosity deep within her beautiful eyes.

"Can you, by following the flow of the Reincarnation Qi," Qi Xiaoyu said, walking in slowly, the cabin floor echoing slightly under her feet, "deduce the specific location of the Trial Grounds?"

She stared fixedly at Zhou Liangan, waiting for an answer.

Zhou Liangan met her gaze for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

"Naturally."

He answered decisively, without a hint of hesitation. As he spoke, he raised his left hand and lightly grasped at the Void Realm—the movement seemed casual, but the moment his fingertips closed, the light inside the cabin distorted subtly.

It did not dim or brighten, but rather it was as if space itself had been gently plucked, causing a ripple to spread that was difficult for the naked eye to detect.

Gong Yumin held her breath.

She saw a few wisps of extremely faint, grayish-white airflow quietly emerge at Zhou Liangan's fingertips. Those airflows were ethereal, as if they might dissipate into the air at any moment, yet they stubbornly maintained a strange form—sometimes tangling into rings, sometimes stretching out like silk, slowly rotating in the Void Realm, exuding an ancient and weathered aura.

Reincarnation Qi.

She had once felt a similar aura in the Land of Samsara, but what she felt then was vague and distant, nowhere near as clear as it was at this moment.

"This is..." Gong Yumin subconsciously reached out to touch it, but was gently stopped by Zhou Liangan.

"Don't touch it." His voice was gentle but carried an unquestionable tone. "You haven't Cultivated the Samsara Dao; if you touch it rashly, your Soul will be eroded."

As he spoke, he gently clenched his five fingers, and those grayish-white airflows suddenly contracted, condensing into a faint point of light in his palm.

He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. When he opened them again, there was a look of understanding in his eyes.

Zhou Liangan looked at Qi Xiaoyu. "In a moment, I will give you a cosmic coordinate. You just need to control the spaceship and follow this coordinate to perform three short-range jumps, and you will reach the source of the Reincarnation Qi—which is the outskirts of the Trial Grounds."

Qi Xiaoyu nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay." She didn't ask any more questions and turned to return to the control room, but stopped at the door and turned her face slightly. "Do we need to prepare anything? Combat, or... something else?"

"A normal state of mind will suffice." Zhou Liangan smiled meaningfully. "After all, we are not going there to receive the Legacy."

Qi Xiaoyu looked at him deeply, said nothing more, and her figure disappeared into the corridor outside the cabin door.

After she left, Gong Yumin spoke again.

She stared fixedly at Zhou Liangan, her gaze tracing his face in detail, as if she were trying to get to know this person all over again.

After a long time, she said softly, "Husband, you... you are truly extraordinary!"

Zhou Liangan smiled without a word, only pulling her closer.

"You have entered the Land of Samsara." He suddenly changed the subject. "You should have had personal experience with the Reincarnation Qi. If we can enter the depths of the Legacy grounds this time, perhaps you can take the Opportunity to catch a glimpse of the entrance to the Samsara Dao, or even... truly step onto this path."

Gong Yumin's eyes lit up.

"The Samsara Dao is one of the few great Daos in the world," she said, her voice filled with longing. "Although I have already entered the Nirvana Realm, I know clearly that the 'Spirit Butterfly Dao' I Cultivated before has a bleak future. It can at most support me to reach the Peak of Nirvana, and beyond that..."

She shook her head and didn't continue, but the dimness in her eyes said it all.

"If I could really enter the Samsara Dao." Gong Yumin lifted her head, light reigniting in her eyes. "In a short time, my strength would definitely be able to advance further! Perhaps I could even touch that legendary..."

"I do not recommend you do that." Zhou Liangan calmly interrupted her.

Gong Yumin was stunned and blinked, a look of deep confusion surfacing in her eyes. "Why is that? The Legacy of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation is something countless Cultivators dream of. Now that the Opportunity is right before us, why..."

"You don't really think," Zhou Liangan lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers, his voice so soft that only the two of them could hear, "that the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation is so kind-hearted that she wants to give away her lifelong Legacy for nothing, right?"

This sentence was like a thunderclap, exploding in Gong Yumin's ears.

Her body stiffened for a moment, and then she suddenly leaned back, putting some distance between herself and Zhou Liangan, looking at him in disbelief.

"What?" Her voice was a bit dry. "You mean..."

"Correct." Zhou Liangan sat up straight, his expression becoming rare and serious.

His gaze swept across the cabin door—it was empty, Qi Xiaoyu had long since left, but he still raised his hand and wiped it across the Void Realm.

A layer of transparent ripples spread out, enveloping the entire room and isolating it from any possibility of being spied upon.

After doing this, he spoke slowly: "The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation is not dead."

"This so-called Legacy trial is merely a trap—a trap meticulously set over a long period, waiting for the fish to take the bait."

The cabin was deathly silent.

Gong Yumin opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but could not make a sound. Her mind was in Chaos, countless thoughts surging through—the legends of the Land of Samsara, the records in ancient books, those Prodigies who went to the Trial Grounds one after another...

Finally, she spat out a few words with difficulty: "How could that be..."

Her voice was trembling: "The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation... ancient books record that she passed away in the depths of the Sea of Samsara three hundred thousand years ago, her Dao dissipated and her body perished, causing the Land of Samsara to collapse and scatter into the fragments of ruins that exist today. This is the accepted..."

"Accepted history is not necessarily the truth."

Zhou Liangan's voice was very calm, but it carried an unquestionable power.

He reached out and gently stroked Gong Yumin's cheek, wiping away a drop of cold sweat that had seeped out at some point.

"But... why?" Gong Yumin grabbed his hand, her fingertips ice-cold. "It is said that the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation had touched the threshold of the Emperor Realm. Although she ultimately failed to truly take that step, she was still one of the few great beings in the ancient history of the Human Race. If she is truly not dead, why would she painstakingly plan such a grand trap? What benefit is there for her in deceiving all the Cultivators in the Universe?"

"And—" She suddenly lifted her head, staring into Zhou Liangan's eyes: "How did you know that the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation is not dead? Such a secret, even those old monsters who have lived for countless years might not know, you..."

"Because I felt it."

Zhou Liangan interrupted her questioning. He turned his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the alloy walls of the spaceship, through the endless Void Realm, and landing on some distant and terrifying existence.

"In the deep space, a terrifying life aura is awakening." His voice was very soft, but it made Gong Yumin shiver involuntarily. "Although that aura is extremely restrained, almost blending into the Void Realm, it is too vast... so vast that as long as you know where to 'look,' you simply cannot ignore it."

He withdrew his gaze and looked at Gong Yumin: "And the source of all the Reincarnation Qi in the surroundings is all emanating from that 'existence.' Just like the sun radiates heat and glaciers radiate cold... that existence is unconsciously radiating the aura of Reincarnation."

"However." Zhou Liangan paused and added, "She should still be in some state of deep self-sealing. Otherwise, such a scale of Reincarnation Qi leakage would have already caused a tremor throughout the entire Universe."

Gong Yumin was silent for a long time.

Her beautiful eyes were wide open, and her chest heaved slightly due to her rapid breathing...