I, the Chaos Entity, joined the chat group at the start.

Plateau ancestral land.

The ten resurrected progenitors and ten immortal emperors stood in a dark ancient palace.

On the steps of the ancient temple stood an imperial throne, where an unnamed being known as the High Priest sat, his entire body adorned with insignia.

The Dark Willow God stood to the side, clearly holding a position above the Ancestor and the Immortal Emperor.

“High Priest, this person is too arrogant, shouting like this outside our territory. If we do not fight, our dignity will be completely trampled on,” one of the ancestors said.

Several ancestors had perished in the past, but after tens of thousands of years of recovery, new ancestors have been born and taken over their original positions.

“Yes, at worst we’ll just die. I don’t believe that person could kill all ten of us ancestral masters, especially since our strength has improved over the years,” another ancestor said.

These progenitors were actually no less powerful than the first batch of progenitors. Although they had just advanced, they progressed very quickly under the guidance of the high priest and were getting closer to the ultimate realm of the sacrificial path.

The high priest's gaze was deep as he looked at the Willow Goddess beside him. "He has come to see you. Go."

A strange light appeared in the eyes of the Dark Willow Goddess. Her body vanished into thin air and instantly appeared outside the plateau.

"You've finally come," Dark Willow God spoke first, her tone cold.

Although she has fallen into darkness, the Dark Willow God still possesses an elegant and graceful demeanor, seemingly a blend of god and demon, unparalleled in the world.

“I know that although you have fallen, your consciousness is still your own. I need to know the truth!” Xu Yi said.

Liu Shen's timeline was blocked by a force no less powerful than herself, preventing Xu Yi from entering that spacetime to find the truth.

Although he was provoking the plateau, he also knew that behind the plateau there was probably an ancient being even more terrifying than the will of the plateau.

“Xu Yi, the truth isn’t that important. With your strength, you can protect all the heavens. Even if the plateau still exists, as long as you are here, the plateau will never invade the heavens again,” said Willow God.

Xu Yi was not satisfied with this answer.

"You once went to the Boundary Sea alone to fight the Dark Giant in order to end the source of darkness. You hate the Strange more than anyone else, and I don't understand why you became the Strange." Xu Yi questioned.

“Sometimes, we have no choice,” the Dark Willow God replied.

"Is it related to Shi Hao?" Xu Yi asked.

Not only Liu Shen disappeared from the ancient history, but also the Desolate Emperor Shi Hao.

He wasn't worried about Shi Hao at first, since Shi Hao's future lay in the Dao of Sacrifice, and he also had the Great Dao Chat Group. Even if his fate was uncertain, there wouldn't be any major problems.

But over the years, as he traced back through time, he discovered that Shi Hao's traces had disappeared over the years, as if he had been erased by human hands.

When Shi Hao was mentioned, Liu Shen's emotions visibly stirred, though she tried to hide it well, but Xu Yi still caught it.

"Did Shi Hao fall, or did he fall like you?" Xu Yi asked.

Liu Shen did not respond. A dark immortal sword appeared in her hand, and she slashed through time and space with one sword, covering Xu Yi with billions of swords.

……

Chapter 433 The Fall of the Willow Goddess

"Willow Goddess, although you are powerful, you are still only a Celestial Emperor!"

"You are no match for me!"

Faced with the attack of the Dark Willow God, Xu Yi shattered the billions of swords that the Willow God had transformed into with just a light finger!

Dark Willow Goddess's eyes were deep; she was hiding something she was unwilling to reveal.

“I remember what I once said: if I fall into darkness, you should kill me without holding back.”

The Dark Willow God's voice was devoid of emotion, as if she were making a desperate gamble and seeking death.

“If you were like those progenitors, the Dark Immortal Emperors, I certainly wouldn’t hold back. But right now, you still retain your sanity; it’s just that your physical body and magical power have been corrupted by darkness, which is nothing,” Xu Yi said.

“There’s not much difference.” Liu Shen’s gaze was unwavering.

“There is a difference!” Xu Yi said firmly.

“We are friends, close friends! No matter what you have been through, I will pull you back.”

Xu Yi's attitude was resolute and beyond question.

"Why? Why bother!"

"Xu Yi, there are some truths you should stop investigating."

"With your current strength, even if you don't destroy the plateau, you are enough to protect the heavens and your own world."

Dark Willow God said, hoping that Xu Yi would stop there.

"I won't stop until the plateau is eliminated," Xu Yi said.

"Then let's fight."

Dark Willow God continued her attack, using a forbidden technique of the Immortal Emperor to raise her combat power to the Sacrifice Dao realm.

The Sacrifice Dao realm belongs to the Immortal Emperor's domain. Theoretically, it is the ultimate sublimation of the Immortal Emperor, similar to the concepts of Ultimate Supreme and Ultimate Immortal Emperor.

Even in the realm of the Immortal Emperor, a person of great talent like Liu Shen possesses combat power comparable to, or even capable of defeating, an ordinary Daoist priest.

Faced with the Dark Willow God's resolute fighting style, Xu Yi did not hold back and directly suppressed her with thunderous force.

Xu Yi imprisoned the Dark Willow Goddess, sealing her primordial spirit and magical power.

Then, he left the plateau with the Dark Willow God.

……

Xu Yi did not return to the Shrouding the Heavens plane, but instead found a remote little world among the myriad worlds.

He wanted to purify the dark matter on Liu Shen's body and return it to its original state.

As if aware of Xu Yi's actions, the Dark Willow God said directly, "It's useless. My Dao has long been merged with this dark origin, and even you cannot purify it."

“How will we know if we don’t do it?” Xu Yi said.

Then, he unleashed his great magical power, filling Liu Shen's body with primordial matter. His power surged forcefully into Liu Shen's body, and Liu Shen's face immediately showed a look of pain.

Xu Yi's power continuously pulled at Liu Shen's primordial spirit, violently attacking the original matter. Liu Shen's body was covered with dense dark matter, and this small world was enveloped and swallowed by black mist, causing all living beings to lose their vitality!

This was an extremely painful process. Xu Yi purified a portion of the dark matter and then stopped.

Because it was just a little bit of dark matter, it caused Liu Shen to suffer immense pain. Her physical body was cracking and her primordial spirit was disintegrating. If it continued and the dark matter was not removed, Liu Shen would have already perished.

Even their original sanity was swallowed by darkness, turning them into complete killing machines of darkness.

Liu Shen had known this would be the outcome all along, and watched Xu Yi complete all of this with immense pain.

“Liu Shen, you have your reasons. But I will not give up seeking the truth,” Xu Yi said.

“I know, but when you finally find out the truth, will you have the resolve to face it? Perhaps that truth isn’t what you’re looking for!” Willow God asked.

"What do you mean?" Xu Yi frowned.

Clearly, Liu Shen did not answer.

"Little Stone, did it really fall?" Xu Yi asked again.

“Xiao Shi is doing well,” Liu Shen said.

"That's good." Xu Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

For the next few years, Xu Yi and Liu Shen stayed in this small world and didn't go anywhere else, living a life of their own.

Xu Yi did not give up on purifying the dark matter on Liu Shen's body, but simply changed his approach.

Just like becoming an immortal in the mortal world, Xu Yi and Liu Shen tempered themselves in the mortal world, using the way of nature to improve their own Dao charm and state of mind, analyzing the origin of primordial matter and reversing its original state.

This method had some effect. Over the next few hundred to a thousand years, the dark origin on Liu Shen's body was indeed reduced. Rather than reduced, it was essentially reversed into her own Great Dao origin, which made Liu Shen's strength even further!

Over these thousands of years, the Willow Goddess has let go of the past.

She seemed to have forgotten that she was once a top-tier Immortal King, a peerless Immortal Emperor, and instead transformed into an ordinary woman living in the mortal world, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Ten thousand years later, the dark matter on Liu Shen's body miraculously disappeared, and Liu Shen returned to her original self, with a pure and flawless Dao heart and primordial spirit, making it difficult to see any dark matter again. This was simply a miracle.

Throughout the history of the heavens, no fallen immortal emperor has ever been able to return to his original state.

But a strange thing happened: Liu Shen, who was already in her normal state as a Celestial Emperor, turned white-haired overnight, her vitality dimmed, and her lifespan suddenly decreased to less than a hundred years.

For a Celestial Emperor, lifespan is infinite.

Even if all the heavens and myriad realms collapse, the Immortal Emperor can still be immortal and indestructible, but now the Willow Goddess truly has no lifespan left.

Even though Xu Yi channeled his life force into her, Liu Shen's lifespan remained frozen, unable to increase, and could only continue to decrease.

"Why is this happening?" Xu Yi looked at Liu Shen, who had a full head of silver hair, beside him.

"Although the primordial matter was purified, it had been integrated with me for many years. It disappeared, taking my lifespan with it," Willow God replied.

"Impossible. You are still an Immortal Emperor. How could an Immortal Emperor have a lifespan limit?" Xu Yi did not believe this explanation.

“Primordial matter is the power above the sacrificial path, and the laws of the Immortal Emperor are useless against the power above the sacrificial path,” Willow God said frankly.

Seeing Liu Shen's composure, Xu Yi considered a possibility and questioned her:

"Did you already know this would happen, Willow Goddess?"

"Yes." Liu Shen nodded.

"Why didn't you stop me?" Xu Yi asked, his emotions running high, even filled with regret.

“I know I can’t stop you, and these ten thousand years have truly been the most beautiful time of my life. I wish I could stay here forever,” Willow God replied.

Xu Yi remained silent. His arrogance had harmed Liu Shen. He thought his strength was enough to make him fearless of everything in the heavens, that he was omnipotent and could solve all suffering. But in the end, was this still the case?

"You don't need to blame yourself, Xu Yi. I should thank you, thank you for everything you've done." Liu Shen smiled slightly.

"I will never let you die," Xu Yi promised.

No matter the cost, he was determined to keep Liu Shen alive.

……

Chapter 434 The Willow Goddess Passes Away, All Heavens Grieve

The nameless little world of the heavens.

Liu Shen, having been tempered in the mortal world and with Xu Yi's full help, purified the dark matter. However, the original matter possessed power surpassing that of an Immortal Emperor. After this power disappeared, it caused Liu Shen, who was at the Immortal Emperor level, to lose her lifespan, leaving her with less than a hundred years.

Moreover, even taking rare and precious herbs that extend lifespan and the elixir of immortality is of no use.

Unless the power above the sacrificial path intervenes, the Willow God will die before her lifespan is exhausted.

Knowing that she would soon perish, Liu Shen remained remarkably calm.

Looking at the Willow Goddess before him, Xu Yi felt guilty. If he hadn't insisted on taking the Willow Goddess away, perhaps she wouldn't have perished. In that case, it would have been better to have killed the Dark Willow Goddess directly in the first place.

"Willow Goddess, is there anything else you wish for? I will grant it no matter what," Xu Yi said.

Liu Shen shook her head. "In my life, I have lived through countless centuries, seen too many people and things, witnessed the vicissitudes of life, and the changing of the seasons. I have no regrets."

"This period of time has actually been the most peaceful time of my life!"

"Xu Yi, stay with me during my final moments!"

"Okay," Xu Yi agreed.

In the following years, Xu Yi took Liu Shen on a journey through the myriad realms, where they saw the ruins and remnants of many great battles, the strange and wondrous objects of the heavens, and all kinds of scenery.

For them, a century is but a fleeting moment.

In her final years, Liu Shen's life force grew weaker and weaker, and her appearance aged, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.

Xu Yi was in extreme pain and had mixed feelings as he witnessed all of this.

He thought that if he broke through to the level of the Sacrifice Path, he might be able to reverse the state of the Willow God.

Unfortunately, a hundred years is not enough time to break through, and he did not want to cultivate during Liu Shen's last days.

Several more years passed, and on this day, the day of the Willow Goddess's death still came. She lay under a willow tree, her body thin and her breathing extremely slow. Her eyes were fixed on the sky, as if she didn't even have the strength to speak.

Xu Yi transferred his own essence to Liu Shen, so that Liu Shen would not suffer when she left.

"I didn't expect that when the time to leave actually came, I would feel a little reluctant," said Liu Shen.

“Yes, when faced with life and death, no one can calmly cope. Throughout history, many brilliant minds have gone astray because they could not overcome the hurdle of life and death,” Xu Yi sighed.

"Willow Goddess, you will return once I break through to the Sacrifice Path."