Chapter 1743. A Place Called Daochang, So I’ll Accompany Him

The war between the Fatian Alliance and the Zhengyi Alliance had captured the attention of the entire Vast Expanse. Many previously undecided civilizations and powers began to waver.

They had been considering whether to join the Zhengyi Alliance, but judging by the current situation—even the Zhengyi Alliance was struggling to survive. How could it possibly protect them? After this war, whether the Zhengyi Alliance could continue to exist was uncertain.

Moreover, the Dark Beings were still lurking, aiming at the Zhengyi Alliance’s defensive barriers. This erased the natural advantages that the Zhengyi Alliance once possessed.

In contrast, the Fatian Alliance was so formidable that even the Dark Beings were cautious, unwilling to provoke them lightly. Although joining the Fatian Alliance would mean being under its control, it was far better than being annihilated and losing one’s life.

For a moment, numerous civilizations and true realms chose to switch sides, voluntarily moving to join the Fatian Alliance. Even those who had already been secretly negotiating to join the Zhengyi Alliance, such as the Bosuo Sacred Domain and the Southern Zhao Ancient Kingdom, wavered.

However, at this critical moment, the Weiyang Celestial Court took an action that many civilizations did not expect.

The Weiyang Emperor personally issued edicts, which flew out from the capital, breaking through the cosmos and falling upon various territories. Following this, the Celestial Court dispatched vast numbers of powerful figures and armies across the Vast Expanse. Ancient warships and war chariots opened stable space-time channels to support the Zhengyi Alliance.

The massive army of the Weiyang Celestial Court rose into the sky: iron cavalry like dragons, smoke and clouds swirling, starfields trembling, galloping across the cosmos, their roar shaking the Eight Directions.

This action shocked countless cultivators and beings, leaving them incredulous.

When no one believed the Zhengyi Alliance could survive, the Weiyang Celestial Court had done something entirely unexpected.

With the Celestial Court taking the lead, some other Daoist powers allied with it also entered the fray, as if given a guarantee, sending a multitude of powerful figures to aid the Zhengyi Alliance.

“Fatian Alliance is ambitious and opportunistic. If the Zhengyi Alliance collapses, no one will be able to restrain the Fatian Alliance in the future,” they reasoned.

“Therefore, regardless of the reason, we cannot allow the Fatian Alliance to continue expanding unchecked. Also, the Dark Beings’ reluctance to attack the Fatian Alliance—could it really be just fear of the Fatian Lord? I doubt it.”

“The Fatian Alliance’s origin is unknown, and its lord even more mysterious. He may be connected to the Dark Beings in some way.”

“The Fatian Alliance is ambitious, reversing the natural order. They are the common enemy of all realms. We must unite against them now.”

Many cultivators and beings reasoned that if they did not act now to check the Fatian Alliance, once the Zhengyi Alliance collapsed, the entire Vast Expanse would have no force capable of restraining them. Everyone would be at their mercy.

Moreover, unlike the Zhengyi Alliance, whose foundations were well-known, the Fatian Alliance was far too strange. In just a few thousand years, it had grown to a power that the entire Vast Expanse dared not underestimate. This was almost unprecedented in the history of the Vast Expanse—no Daoist civilization had ever risen so quickly without centuries of cultivation and trials.

The Fatian Lord’s origin was even more mysterious. Saying he appeared out of nowhere was not an exaggeration. Across the rivers of time—from the earliest human emperors to the rise and fall of countless tribes—there seemed to be no trace of this person. Yet his power was overwhelming, terrifying beyond measure, with no clear rival.

This made the Fatian Alliance even bolder, disregarding even ancient, deeply-rooted civilizations. They could attack the Zhengyi Alliance on any pretext. Today, they seize five cities; tomorrow, ten. Once they are done, they rest peacefully, leaving other realms fearful of retaliation.

As the Weiyang Celestial Court intervened to support the Zhengyi Alliance, many reclusive groups in the Vast Expanse also began to appear. Unlike the famous civilizations, these hidden clans had existed as long and were as powerful, but they had always been low-profile, avoiding worldly affairs.

The turmoil in the Vast Expanse was like the surface of a water tank: once calm, but now ripples spread. If they did not intervene, no group would remain untouched when the tank broke. The Fatian Alliance’s existence had shattered this calm.

In the depths of Zi Xiao Mountain of the Xiyuan Civilization, Zi Wanhe sat in meditation in his palace, suddenly opening his eyes. His expression became grave as he stared at the scene before him.

“This…”

A strange, dazzling light spilled across the void in front of him like mist. His skull glowed crystal-clear, with a droplet-like purple mark heating up, as if a hidden flame was guiding him.

“Damn it, they left a mark on me. I shouldn’t have made that deal with them.”

“Those cunning bastards never let anyone have an easy win.”

Zi Wanhe’s face darkened as he realized the anomaly. When Gu Changge came to Zixiao Mountain, he had helped prepare a gift for Chu Gucheng. Zi Wanhe had reluctantly made a deal with a group of mysterious beings. He owed them a favor in return for the gift they found for Chu Gucheng’s birthday—a replica of the world-ending coffin containing black matter.

After the destruction of Xianchu Haotu, these beings approached him again, asking about Gu Changge’s origin. Zi Wanhe had answered casually at the time, but now, in this Vast Expanse, few would dare such a thing. Even if he submitted to the Fatian Alliance under Gu Changge, he wouldn’t dare.

He had erased that portion of his memory and cleared all traces of causality. While he thought Gu Changge would not be curious enough to probe him, if he ever did, Zi Wanhe would be in danger.

“Even after I erased that memory, their mark remains. Damn them—truly the legendary Dream Ghosts,” Zi Wanhe muttered.

The Dream Ghosts were a legendary clan, existing in dimensions unseen by ordinary people. Possessing their token allowed one to make a deal. Zi Wanhe had obtained such a token by accident while searching for a solution to the Marriage Robe Immortal Technique.

Rumor said the Dream Ghosts were souls of the Dream Clan who lingered between reality and illusion. Zi Wanhe had never seen them and did not know if they truly existed. Records suggested their realm, Bai Mengze, was hidden in the clouds, unreachable by ordinary means—perhaps one had to enter through dreams.

The dazzling purple mist expanded before Zi Wanhe, and ripples appeared in the void, showing vague, indistinct figures. Calm, indifferent, mocking, or unruly.

“Lord of Zi Xiao Mountain, we meet again. It seems you did not meet the requirements of our last deal. But do not worry, this time we are not here to punish you for breaking it.”

The strange, ethereal voice came through the ripples, spanning layers of space and universe, impossible to trace. Zi Wanhe frowned.

In the territory of the Fatian Alliance, the Dream Ghosts dared to appear so boldly, a display of courage unmatched by any clan.

“From ancient times, no one has ever broken a deal with us. This time, however, is an exception—we have made a special case for you.”

The voice continued, accompanied by eerie laughter.

“What do you want me to do this time?” Zi Wanhe asked grimly.

“If you must know, we want you to find a place called Daochang.”

“Daochang?” Zi Wanhe was shocked. He had never heard the name before.

Was it a place, a power, or a civilization? In the vast expanse, how could he find it?

If even the seemingly omnipotent Dream Ghosts could not locate it, there had to be something special about it.

Before Zi Wanhe could ask further, the purple mist dissipated, leaving him as if nothing had happened.

Zi Wanhe frowned, unsure why the Dream Ghosts wanted him to undertake this task. Was it for a deal or some other purpose?

“The Dream Ghosts wouldn’t ask me to do something trivial. Just thinking of Daochang gives me a sense of being watched. As expected, no deal with the Dream Ghosts is simple,” he thought, cursing silently.

Although he was helpless, compared to the previous demands, this task seemed far safer and easier.

At the border of the Weiyang Celestial Court, in the Haichuan Dao Domain, a cart drawn by three-headed celestial horses raced through the starfields. A young man, dressed as a cart driver, held the reins in one hand and the whip in the other, urging the horses onward.

“Father told me to stay away from the Zhengyi Alliance and the Weiyang Celestial Court. Why are they aiding the Zhengyi Alliance now? Is it out of helplessness?”

Inside the cart, Jiang Weiyang had just learned the latest news from her maid and was shocked. Though she had been hiding from the Celestial Court, she kept track of the vast expanse’s affairs.

She was startled that such a fearsome war had erupted over something so trivial. But, as she thought, if the Fatian Alliance wanted to attack the Zhengyi Alliance, why would they need a reason?

Jiang Weiyang bore no strong feelings toward the Zhengyi Alliance—neither admiration nor disdain. Were it not for her father’s instructions, she might have felt some respect.

“Miss, once we pass the starfield ahead, we’ll completely leave the Weiyang Celestial Court’s territory,” said the maid. Jiang Weiyang’s thoughts returned to the present. She shook her head and smiled bitterly. What was she worrying about? At that moment, she should be concerned with her own safety.

“I feared that powerful figures might wait at the border, so I chose a remote route. If we opened a space-time channel, the disturbance could alert them. Once we reach the next starfield, we’ll blend in with the trade caravans.”

“Since we must stay away from the Zhengyi Alliance and the Weiyang Celestial Court, we can only head to the edge of the heavens…” Jiang Weiyang murmured. She had already made her plans. The edge of the world led to darkness, to the land of sunset, to eternal silence. She did not know what awaited her before reaching the end.

Elsewhere, in a serene land of mountains, clouds, and rain, purple mist curled around peaks, and twilight bathed the mountains. Emerald lakes shimmered, birds and beasts moved with intelligence. Exotic flowers, bamboo, ancient cypress, and wild grasses all exuded spiritual radiance.

At the peak of a purple mountain was a cave entrance, several human heights tall, flanked by two children, a boy and a girl, about ten years old. Near the entrance stood a rectangular azure stone tablet, three zhang tall, six chi wide, inscribed with the words “Yin Xu Cave” in silver, graceful yet powerful, as if illustrating the myriad ways of the heavens.

The children stood respectfully, seemingly awaiting someone.

“Buer, Tier, carry my decree to the Zhengyi Alliance. Deliver it personally to the master of the Zhoumie Mansion of the Chanyang True Realm.”

A calm, neutral voice emerged from the cave. At the same time, colored mists and sunlight shimmered from the cave, forming a figure of a middle-sized, unassuming Taoist.

He held a scripture, lightly flicking it so that it landed in the hands of one child. He wore a simple wooden hairpin, his appearance ordinary, like a barefoot Taoist from the streets, but his gaze encompassed all beings, revealing nothing hidden.

“Master, are you leaving Yin Xu Cave?” The children asked in surprise.

“The Fatian Alliance’s lord has noticed me. Since he wants to play this game with me, I shall accompany him,” the Taoist said calmly, his gaze like a clear pool, or a bottomless abyss.

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