Chapter 586 – Outer God, System, and Heavenly Dao
Xie Qingtian from Devil's timeline was considered as an outer god.
What was an outer god? How was he different from other deities?
The answer lay in his connection with the Heavenly Dao.
…
Xie Qingtian had a long dream. He lived through several lives as himself, but all life events were strange.
In the first dream, Xie Qingtian and Xie Xuanyuan didn't fight this early. Their relationship was amicable until the day that Xie Qingtian realized that Xie Tian was alive.
Xie Xuanyuan attempted to use his influence and clansmen to kill Xie Tian as he hated half-elves. The clansmen attacked and pursued Xie Tian when he was still a disciple of the Eden Garden Sect.
When Xie Qingtian discovered the deed, he had a fallout with Xie Xuanyuan and got imprisoned in his father's soul dantian. Then, he died as Xie Xuanyuan successfully killed and took over his body.
After the first dream had ended, the second dream started. It repeated the first half of Xie Qingtian's life. However, the event began to differ in the second half.
Before Xie Qingtian's soul could be assimilated with Xie Xuanyuan, a strange archangel showed up and introduced himself as the prototype-generation war marionette.
He called himself Devil!
Devil invaded the Xie Clan and massacred everyone!
Except for Xie Lian, Xie Xuanyuan and all clansmen were helplessly slaughtered as they were no match against Devil's domineering power. Then, Xie Qingtian was freed.
When Xie Qingtian was out and Xie Lian was captured, Devil offered them a deal.
He asked Xie Qingtian and Xie Lian to work for him!
Both men agreed, and they became vessels of Devil.
Xie Tian reunited with Xie Qingtian later, and the protagonist joined forces with Devil as well.
His life was smooth under Devil's leadership. The war droid seemed to know everything, and his insight in cultivation was godly. Xie Qingtian became a pseudo-sage while Xie Tian's strength caught up to him.
However, his smooth cultivation life didn't last long.
A thousand years later, Clem emerged as the second Yamata-no-Orochi, and she became the god of dragons. She, too, joined forces with Devil and called him FATHER.
After Clem had joined forces with them, Devil suddenly mobilized his army to invade the constellation sector of an Oni God, Kishin Douji.
The fight was bitter. Kishin Douji displayed the power of time and chaos, decimating the army of dragons in an instant.
Clem was instantly killed. Xie Qingtian managed to weaken Kishin Douji's providence before he died as well.
Xie Qingtian was vexed. He didn't even know what happened after he had died.
After the second dream, the third dream started.
This time, the event changed again. When Devil rescued Xie Qingtian, he asked him to do something absurd.
Devil asked Xie Qingtian to give up the Heavenly Dao, aka the Providence Qi!
Unable to decline his benefactor's will, Xie Qingtian agreed!
By forsaking the Heavenly Dao, the critical foundation of every deity, Xie Qingtian's cultivation base regressed to an immortal!
However, Devil gave him hope. He presented Xie Qingtian with a new cultivation method, which didn't rely on Providence Qi.
He called it, the Dao of Protagonists.
Xie Qingtian didn't understand the true meaning of being a protagonist. Yet, he attempted to become one.
The Dao was simple. Xie Qingtian could only get stronger by plundering Providence Qi from other cultivators. Then, he could condense the Luck Element and a mysterious power that no one could use.
Devil called it [System], and he referred to the strength of Xie Qingtian's new cultivation method as LEVEL.
The Dao seemed difficult, but it was easier to cultivate. Devil explained that the SYSTEM came from a higher dimension, and it originated from the source of the first calamity. All PLAYERS were considered outer gods in their own way.
Xie Qingtian was excited that he could use the power of PLAYERS. He agreed to abandon the Heavenly Dao for SYSTEM.
The SYSTEM was helpful. It informed Xie Qingtian of what he should do, and it gave him rewards every time he completed an assignment.
Xie Qingtian kept on raising his strength by killing immortals and deities. Every time they died, they released mysterious energy that automatically nourished him.
Unfortunately, as soon as Xie Qingtian comprehended the Dao and the cultivation method, he was punished by the Heavenly Dao. Tribulation Lightning kept attacking him wherever he went.
A sage also came down and warned him. She was none other than Nuwa, the goddess of all the human race.
Nuwa told him, "Forsaking Heavenly Dao means you will be Heavenly Dao's enemy. All sages and deities will hunt you down if you don't change your way. Give up the Dao of Protagonist and rejoin the Heavenly Dao!"
Xie Qingtian disobeyed Nuwa. He continued to follow the path of a protagonist.
Nuwa left him. Soon, Adam showed up and introduced himself as another prototype-generation war marionette. He also warned Xie Qingtian.
"Do not believe in Devil. He has tricked you to trigger another calamity. You will die if you keep this up!"
Again, Xie Qingtian disapproved of Adam's good gesture. He chased the god away.
Xie Qingtian soon met Xie Tian, and they joined forces with Devil like how they did in the other dream.
Afterward, most events were almost the same. Clem and her dragon race joined Devil.
But during the decisive war against Kishin Douji, Xie Qingtian managed to contribute a lot. He erased Kishin Douji's power of chaos!
Xie Tian also greatly contributed. He delivered the finishing blow and successfully slain Kishin Douji!
Devil and others celebrated as they thought that everything was over.
But suddenly, the universe collapsed on them. They were sucked into a vortex, which instantly crushed their souls.
Before Xie Qingtian died, he could hear the voice of another sage, Minghe.
"This is what you get for cultivating SYSTEM! Since you cheated, allow me to cheat as well!"
The dream continued again. The next loop began.
Again, the events differed every time Devil came to rescue him. He didn't allow Xie Qingtian to cultivate SYSTEM, but he gave the technique to Xie Tian.
Sometimes, Devil only rescued Xie Qingtian and left him be. Sometimes, Devil pulled Xie Qingtian out, but he didn't wipe out the Xie Clan.
Many times, Xie Qingtian and Devil became enemies. Several times, both men worked together.
There were times when Xie Qingtian managed to free himself from Xie Xuanyuan's grasp. Over a thousand times, Xie Xuanyuan successfully killed him.
But in the end, the result was the same regardless of whichever side won. The universe collapsed on them, and everybody died.
The loop continued 25 million times.
…
Xie Qingtian slowly opened his eyes after experiencing several billion years of the dream. He was mentally exhausted because of the 25 million deaths.
Most of his deaths came from Kishin Douji. 10 percent of his deaths were from Xie Xuanyuan. As for the rest, Minghe, Nuwa, Fuxi, Hongjun, Hundun, and numerous sages took turns to wipe the universe regardless of the post-war results.
Xie Qingtian could still remember Devil and Kishin Douji's expressions when a sage came down. Their resentment toward the sages was understandable.
He could still remember Kishin Douji's outburst cry.
'You dogs of Heavenly Dao will never get your true ending! You can keep cleaning the board game, but you can never erase our will! One day, one of our counterparts will break free from your game and kill you all!'
It was odd. Kishin Douji was supposed to be his enemy, but he felt sympathy toward the Oni God. It was as if Devil, the Oni, and Xie Qingtian were nothing but the game pieces of the sages.
Then, he remembered that he was the KNIGHT of Nuwa.
They were pawns of the sages after all.
"You finally wake up, father."
Xie Qingtian turned toward the voice. He remembered it well.
"Oh, you're here instead of Devil? How rare."
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
Both Xie Tian and Xie Qingtian were surprised.
Xie Qingtian subconsciously mistook real life as another dream while Xie Tian was astonished that Xie Qingtian knew about the events of other timelines.
Xie Tian was decisive. He frankly asked his father, "How did you know that Devil was supposed to rescue you?"
"Ah. Is this still a dream?" Xie Qingtian cheerfully pinched Xie Tian's cheek.
"Ow! Father, behave yourself!"
"So, is this a dream or reality?"
"Obviously, this is real! What have you been dreaming?"
"Ah, I see," Xie Qingtian laughed. "I had a strange long dream."
"What dream?"
Xie Tian was sensitive to the changes in timelines. He wondered if his Qi did something to Xie Qingtian's soul.
"You see, son. It was a long dream. It might take a while."
"Tell me. I have time."
"If you say so…"
…
Day 150
Miaomiao's cultivation base finally stabilized as all Soul Sentinels adapted to the new environment.
In Miaomiao's dantian, the elemental planes stopped shaking and crumbling. They slowly expanded their sizes as they converted Miaomiao's soul essence and soul Qi into elemental Qi.
At this stage, ordinary cultivators would have waited until their elemental planes became as big as a planet first to move on to the next stage. However, Miaomiao couldn't wait that long.
To advance from the Soul Formation Realm to the 10th-stage, aka the Dao Soul, the cultivator needed to engrave ten Dao Tattoos into their soul core body. Nine of the ten Dao Tattoos must be the primary Dao of the nine Soul Sentinels. As for the last one, Miaomiao had to engrave the Plot Armor Plundering Dao to his soul himself for the finishing touch.
The process was simple but dangerous. Had one of the cultivator's Soul Sentinels been dishonest and betrayed Miaomiao, he would have perished while backstabber could easily scotch free with all Miaomiao's abilities!
This was a test of unity, honesty, and loyalty. Only the group of righteous friends or families could use this cultivation method!
Miaomiao called all Soul Sentinels over and informed them about the next stage. Everyone looked at each other and frowned.
"Miaomiao, I know that you're worried about your safety. But believe in me. I will never betray you!"
Without hesitation, Xu Chu was the first to vouch for her loyalty. After all, she loved Miaomiao, and she wanted the best for him.
Nya-Nya, Meowmeow, Kang Yan, Ma Xingjuan, Dian Wei, and Liu Guang had the same idea. They would never betray him.
On the other hand, Diaochan and Chang'e sweated profusely.
Everyone suddenly turned their attention to Diaochan and Chang'e. Among them, they were the most suspicious individuals with unknown ulterior motives.
No one trusted them. These two girls were the troublemakers of this dantian world.
Chang'e meagerly swore with her Dao oath, "I-I-I will never harm husband! I'm now his concubine, and I have the pride of a mermaid!"
"A mermaid that always sneakily stole Miaomiao's providence Qi and luck," Dian Wei snorted.
"B-But everyone also eats husband's Qi…"
"Among us nine, you ate the most."
"Hau…" Chang'e timidly cried. She turned to Miaomiao, "Husband, you must believe in me!"
Miaomiao patted the mermaid's head, "I believe in you. Actually, I'd rather believe in you than Diaochan."
The prettiest woman among the group pouted, "Master, you always bully me! I'm a loyalist, and I never betrayed you!"
Miaomiao and everyone rolled their eyes. Diaochan's reputation as the naughtiest and bitchiest concubine was well known, and no one believed in her.
"She's sus."
"Defo sus."
"Triple sus."
"Diaochan imposter. Vote her out."
Hearing everybody's remarks, Diaochan joined Chang'e and cried in a corner.
For now, Miaomiao left Diaochan and Chang'e alone. He needed to get used to the tattoo first.
"Xingjuan, you're up first."
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