I want to tread the heavens

The light was not intense, but it was exceptionally stable. It formed a thin protective shield, completely enveloping the infant and isolating it from all the erosion of the temporal and spatial turbulence.

Inside the light shield, Yue Rong witnessed an even more incredible sight—

Ling Xiao's little hand was waving unconsciously.

With each swing, the spacetime around him becomes more stable, and the chaos subsides.

Although it was only a very small area, and it could only last for a very short time, it was indeed... affecting spacetime.

"This is……"

Yue Rong's pupils contracted.

He remembered the forbidden formation that Su Yingxue had activated, the silver pillar of light that pierced through the heavens and earth, and the starlight that could erase existence.

The power of the Starfall Clan can resonate with the stars, draw upon the celestial power, and influence spacetime.

Ling Xiao inherited Su Yingxue's bloodline.

Although he was just an infant, and although his power was so weak as to be negligible, in this pure temporal turbulence, in this chaotic environment devoid of any order, that trace of his bloodline instincts actually emerged.

Instinctively, he restored order to the space and time around him.

"Sister-in-law..."

Tears welled up in Yue Rong's eyes—if he still had tears left to shed:

"You even... considered this...?"

"You knew all along that the young master possessed your bloodline, enabling him to protect himself amidst the temporal turbulence..."

"That's why you let me take him away, that's why..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred.

A pitch-black crack appeared without warning deep within the turbulent currents.

The crack rapidly expanded, transforming into a gigantic maw. Within the maw lay endless darkness and a pair of scarlet eyes.

"Found you..."

The deep voice resonated directly into the depths of Yue Rong's soul:

"The remnant of the fallen star, the son of the heavens..."

Yue Rong trembled violently.

That aura, that voice...

It's the Demon Emperor!

No, it wasn't the real body, nor even an avatar, but a wisp of divine thought imprint attached to the teleportation channel. When the channel collapsed, this imprint was activated, following the fluctuations of Ling Xiao's bloodline, and came after him.

Even if it was just a wisp of divine thought, even if it was weakened by 99% in the spacetime turbulence, it was still the Demon Emperor's divine thought.

It is a terrifying existence capable of easily annihilating a True Immortal and severely injuring a Golden Immortal.

"Leave that child behind, and I will grant you a quick death."

Its pitch-black maw opened, lunging to devour Yue Rong and Ling Xiao.

Wherever it goes, even the chaotic spacetime is forcibly "fixed" and "ordered" into a state suitable for being devoured.

This is the crushing power of realms, the crushing power of laws, and the crushing power of absolute strength.

Can't escape.

It's unavoidable.

We can only wait to die.

"No……"

Yue Rong held Ling Xiao tightly, despair flashing in his eyes.

The protective barrier forged by burning one's life force was as fragile as paper before the Demon Emperor's divine sense. He could sense that if that pitch-black maw came within another ten feet, the barrier would shatter, and he and Ling Xiao would be instantly devoured, digested, and completely erased from the world.

Am I really going to die here?

Is the chance of survival that my sister-in-law gave her life for, and the time that my brother-in-law bought with his life, just going to be wasted like this?

Could it be that the young master...

Do not!

Absolutely not!

A madness flashed in Yue Rong's eyes as he made a decision he himself dared not imagine.

"Demon Emperor!"

Yue Rong suddenly looked up and let out a hoarse roar at that gaping, black mouth:

"Didn't you want the young master?"

"Didn't you want the Devouring Heaven Bloodline?"

Come on!

"Step over my dead body!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Rong made a gesture.

He lowered his head and gently kissed Ling Xiao's forehead.

The movements were light and gentle, carrying a father's tenderness and a reluctance to part.

"Young Master, I'm sorry."

"Uncle Rong may... not be able to watch you grow up."

"But Uncle Rong promises you, he will definitely let you live."

"must."

Then, Yue Rong raised his head, his eyes filled with only a cold, resolute determination.

He formed a hand seal, but it was neither an attack nor a defense; rather, it was... a stripping away.

Strip away one's own "Tao Fruit".

He stripped himself of his "Golden Immortal" cultivation.

Strip away all the foundations of your "existence".

"I offer my Dao Fruit as a sacrifice, my cultivation as a catalyst, and my very existence as the price—"

Yue Rong's voice was eerily calm:

"Borrow a moment of eternity from time and space itself."

"Within this instant, all laws cannot invade, and all evils retreat."

"In this instant, time and space froze, and cause and effect were severed."

"Within this instant—"

"Only this child will live on forever."

The moment the last word was uttered, Yue Rong's golden light and shadow body exploded.

It wasn't an explosion, but a "release".

Release all the cultivation he has accumulated over three hundred years, release all the laws contained in his Golden Immortal Dao Fruit, release all the concepts represented by his "existence" itself.

All of this is reduced to a single, absolutely solidified "point".

A point that was forcibly carved out in the turbulent flow of spacetime, an absolutely safe, absolutely still, and absolutely inviolable "point".

Of those selected, only Ling Xiao stood out.

And the jade pendant around his neck that radiated a warm glow.

Yue Rong disappeared.

It's not death, but rather "never having existed".

He stripped himself of everything, sacrificed everything, and completely erased himself from the world in exchange for this one "point," for this moment of "eternity."

The pitch-black maw crashed into the "point," as if it had struck an insurmountable wall.

The Demon Emperor's divine sense roared in anger, but it was powerless to do anything about it.

Because at this "point," time stands still, space freezes, cause and effect are severed, and even the concept of "existence" is redefined.

Unless the Demon Emperor himself arrives, there is absolutely no way to break it.

But it was too late for me.

Because at the moment Yue Rong sacrificed himself, a glimmer of light appeared deep within the turbulent flow of time and space.

That is the old land.

It is the destination of the transmission.

Yes, the starting point of a new life.

The solidified "point" was attracted by that faint light and slowly drifted towards the old earth.

The jet-black maw chased after it relentlessly, but always fell just short.

Finally, in the instant the "point" disappeared into the glimmer of light, the giant mouth let out a resentful roar and vanished into the turbulent currents.

The Demon Emperor's pursuit failed.

The price was the complete demise of Yue Rong.

Old lands, the northern desert.

This is a forgotten land, its spiritual energy so thin it's almost depleted, the sky forever shrouded in a gray-yellow haze. Two moons hang in the sky, one red and one silver, their light dim, as if they might be extinguished at any moment.

In the desert, all was silent.

Only the sound of the wind whistling across the sand dunes could be heard, like a sob, like a lament.

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the sky.

A ball of light, enveloped in silvery radiance, fell from the crack like a shooting star, piercing the gray-yellow sky and plummeting into the depths of the desert.

boom--!!!

The ball of light struck the sand dunes, stirring up a cloud of dust.

The sandstorm slowly dissipated, revealing a shallow pit with a diameter of three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

At the bottom of the pit, a baby lay quietly, fast asleep.

The jade pendant around his neck emitted a warm glow, forming a thin protective shield that kept out the desert's heat, sandstorms, and all possible dangers.

Beside the baby, an almost invisible phantom slowly coalesced.

It is Yue Rong.

No, it wasn't the complete Yue Rong, not even a remnant soul.

It was just a wisp of obsession, a wisp of obsession that "must protect the young master," which was forcibly gathered by the remnant soul left by Su Yingxue in the jade pendant before it completely disappeared, and barely formed a human form.

The illusory figure was so faint as to be almost transparent that even the facial features were not clearly visible; only a human-shaped outline could be barely discerned.

He has no memory, no cultivation, no past, and no future.

There are only two instincts:

First, protect the baby.

Second, take him to a safe place.

The phantom leaned down, trying to pick up the baby, but its hand passed right through the baby's body.

He no longer has a physical form; he can't even be touched.

But at that moment, the jade pendant around the baby's neck lit up again.

A faint silver light drifted out from the jade pendant and disappeared into the illusory image.

The illusory figure trembled slightly and became a little more solid.

Although it is still transparent and still fragile, at least it can be touched as a physical object.

The phantom reached out a trembling hand and gently picked up the baby.

His movements were clumsy and awkward, yet he was exceptionally careful and gentle.

Then, he raised his head and looked into the distance of the desert.

Instinct told him that there was a human settlement there, where there was food, water, and people who could protect the child.

go.

We have to go.

They had to get there before the bitter cold of night fell and before the ferocious beasts of the desert appeared.

The phantom figure, holding the baby, walked step by step into the distance.

His steps were unsteady, his figure swayed, as if he might disappear at any moment.

But he didn't stop.

Because the baby in my arms moved and opened its eyes.

Those pure, crystal-clear eyes reflected the blurry, indistinct face, then blinked, revealing an innocent smile.

The phantom was stunned.

Then, he smiled too.

Although the smile was blurry and unreal, it was definitely a smile.

"Young Master..."

He spoke in a low voice, barely audible:

"We're...home."

The wind and sand howled, scattering these words across the desert.

Behind them, the crack in the sky slowly closed, as if it had never existed.

Only the shallow pit on the dune and a few almost invisible golden specks of light around its edge testify to what had happened.

This proves that there was someone who gave everything for another.

include,

Existence itself.