Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 551 Destroying the Ancient God
"Don't cry." The tabby cat patted Chen Qingzhi's arm affectionately and said calmly, "The so-called 'Heaven and earth are born together with me, and all things are one with me' means that we cultivators should know that death is not the end of life, but rather the return of ourselves to our roots and eternal unity with the universe."

"Yes, Master." Chen Qingzhi nodded, wiping away his tears. In truth, he had long since transcended the cycle of life and death, but he couldn't comprehend his master's fate. "Does Master have any words of advice?"

"That's all. You're all doing well." The tabby cat said with deep satisfaction, "I'm also very content—I've finally cultivated a disciple who can end this era of gods and demons, and the Daoist sect will surely be revived. What else is there to regret?"

He paused for a moment, then patted his forehead and said, "Oh right, there is something."

"Master, please give your instructions!" Chen Qingzhi said solemnly.

"Remember, don't tell A-Yuan about this. He must remain in the dark forever." The tabby cat said solemnly, "Got it?"

"Why?" Chen Qingzhi asked, puzzled. "Master has done so much for A-Yuan, how can we not let him know?"

"Why so many questions?" The tabby cat, thinking about its embarrassing past, couldn't help but bristle and said, "This is part of the plan, don't you understand?! Don't let my lifelong reputation... oh no, my scheme be ruined!"

"I understand, Master." Chen Qingzhi quickly nodded in agreement, vowing to keep the secret to himself for the rest of his life.

"That's more like it." The tabby cat smiled and shook its paw at him, saying gently, "Then farewell, Qingzhi."

Having said that, it transformed into specks of golden light and vanished into the world.

“Master…” Chen Qingzhi knelt on the ground and wept bitterly, unable to control his emotions.

On Xishan Island, Zu Chongzhi, who was busy repairing a ship, suddenly burst into tears.

"Grandpa, is something in your eyes?" Zu'an asked upon seeing this.

"No." Zu Chongzhi burst into tears, nearly dropping the chisel in his hand. "I have no master anymore..."

"..." Zu An was completely confused, thinking to himself, "Didn't my great-grandfather pass away a long time ago? I wonder where he suddenly got these sentiments from?"

~~
Chaos Sea.

As the last wisp of crimson nebula vanished, Ren Yuan finally refined all the source of destruction.

The moment the divine cores were fully fused, a deafening roar exploded deep within his consciousness, causing the chaotic sea to boil violently. A massive pillar of light shot straight into the sky, piercing through the entire world.

As the pillar of light dissipated, Ren Yuan saw that his divine core had grown several times larger than before. Countless dark purple arcs of electricity danced across its surface, each flash accompanied by the collapse and reorganization of space. Through the arcs, he could also see faint runes on the surface of his divine core. These runes were interwoven from the gray of chaos and the black of destruction, their patterns sealing the destructive power of creation and containing the ultimate law capable of reducing all existence to nothingness.

The oppressive force emanating from the Destruction God Core was like a tangible wave. Wherever it passed, meteorites floating in the void instantly disintegrated into the purest energy particles, and even the chaotic energy was compressed into a liquid state. This oppressive force carried a despair-inducing will of destruction; before it, all existence was nothing more than dust that could be wiped away at any moment!

He is now the ancient god of destruction!
He will not destroy the world on the eve of its destruction, because the world will ultimately be destroyed by Him!
With a thought, Ren Yuan retrieved the divine core back into his body, and the overwhelming pressure receded completely.

"Master, I've succeeded!" Ren Yuan excitedly looked up to report the good news, but after searching the entire Chaos Sea, he could not find Ge Hong's figure.

Considering his master's elusive and secretive nature, Ren Yuan wasn't surprised.

He then concealed his divine light, becoming like an ordinary person, and left this chaotic sea.

~~
On Dongshan Island, shrouded in mist, sits a giant ship with its entire body gilded.

Upon closer inspection, one would discover that the ship, without any support, hovered steadily about ten feet off the ground. This was naturally the Chinese Divine Ship from thirty-two years ago. After twelve years of repairs, the scars on its surface had disappeared, replaced by brand-new armor infused with mysterious runes. Forged from more than ten precious metals, including meteorite iron and ancient crimson gold, it reflected a cold metallic luster under the sunlight, resembling the scales of an ancient divine beast reborn.

The ship repairs were made possible with the great help of Wu Gu. Of course, Wu Gu was also generous with other people's money; she gave Zu Chongzhi all the religious property that the Buddhist sect had accumulated over decades in Tongtai Temple.

Zu Chongzhi, of course, did not stand on ceremony and spared no expense in building this super-powerful, enhanced version of... the Chinese Divine Spacecraft.

The most eye-catching feature is the newly installed 'Void Annihilation Cannon' on the bow. This bronze-colored giant cannon is covered with seal script of the Shangqing School, and dark purple energy vortexes constantly emerge from its muzzle, resembling a giant beast ready to devour its prey at any moment.

This was designed by Zu Chongzhi under the advice and inspiration of Ren Yuan. He discovered that the form of the 'cannon' could amplify the power of magic by ten or even dozens of times, so he naturally attached great importance to it.

In addition to the main cannon, Zu Chongzhi and his son also installed twelve secondary cannons on the two sides and stern of the Huaxia Shenzhou, which could clear the surrounding area of ​​a thousand feet with a single salvo!

The Luban Wings on both sides of the Shenzhou have also been upgraded to two pairs of 'Wings of Heaven and Earth'. These two pairs of enormous energy wings, which are hundreds of feet long when unfolded, radiate a dazzling light like the Milky Way and will not be erased in the long river of time.

Furthermore, Shenzhou can also achieve instantaneous teleportation using these 'Wings of Heaven and Earth'. With a flap of its wings, it can appear thousands of miles away.

The hull has also been greatly reinforced, and should be able to withstand the erosion of time and the impact of the vortex of time.

Now that Shenzhou's test voyage is complete and everything is ready, we are just waiting for Ren Yuan to return.

"It's been twelve years already, I hope nothing bad has happened to that kid?" Zu Chongzhi was getting anxious.

"Isn't Senior Brother the most patient?" Chen Qingzhi said with a smile.

“Of course, I’ve been on the ship for over two hundred years and I haven’t been in a hurry at all,” Zu Chongzhi said in a low voice. “Isn’t it because I’m worried about him? He’s everyone’s hope.”

"Don't worry, I won't let you down." A clear voice rang out without warning.

Everyone was startled at first, then overjoyed: "Ah Yuan is back!"

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Ren Yuan revealed himself, still a young man.

"Ah Yuan!" Ah Yao rushed over and hugged him tightly. Twelve years had passed since they last met, and the longing for him was unbearable.

Ren Yuan also hugged A Yao's soft and delicate body tightly. After a while, he exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Sister, you've been reborn!"

“Yes.” Ayao nodded, nestled in his arms like a little woman, and said softly, “Sister Wu helped me solve the mystery of my birth, allowing me to remember my identity as a celestial maiden. Naturally, I also remembered the cultivation method of the Nine Heavens Mystic Goddess Art. Xiao Yan also returned the Emperor’s Sword to me. Now, fighting a god is no problem at all.”

"Is it that amazing?" Ren Yuan asked excitedly.

"Of course! I can help again!" Ayao was overjoyed.

"Then we must thank the witch." Ren Yuan looked at the witch who came after hearing the news, calling her "sister" repeatedly, his attitude was extremely good.

"Ah." Wu Gu was also very happy, and looked Ren Yuan up and down, saying, "I can't see your true strength anymore. It seems you have successfully advanced to the Ancient God level."

"It's all thanks to everyone." Ren Yuan smiled modestly, then said to Chen Qingzhi, "Senior brother, you'll never guess who I ran into."

(End of this chapter)