Chapter 1015: The Final Move in the Last Round

Although it was already winter, the weather on Earth was growing increasingly hot. In what should have been the coldest months of winter, all beings on Earth not only faced demons, ghosts, and evil spirits unleashed by changes in heaven and earth, but also had to endure pervasive scorching heat.

Under these circumstances, in many places suffering heavy casualties from demonic disturbances or wars, the corpses of humans, animals, demons, and monsters began to breed miasma and plagues. Even worse, terrifying plague spirits emerged, spreading disease to areas that were not originally contiguous.

Great droughts descended from the heavens, diseases proliferated, demons ran rampant, ghosts were everywhere, and unscrupulous individuals seized opportunities in the chaotic world...

Ji Yuan stood on the increasingly vast Celestial River, observing the myriad disturbances on the land below. In less than a year, there was no longer any absolutely safe place in the human world, only relatively stable areas like the core regions of various dynasties or territories protected by powerful deities and cultivators. Conversely, the grotto-heavens within some cultivation holy lands had become veritable havens of peace.

Ji Yuan, after all, was not an indifferent heaven. Although his expression remained calm, he could not watch the chaos in the human world without any emotion. Even though it was currently inconvenient for him to leave the Celestial River realm, he would still intervene in his own way.

The Xuanhuang Qi within Ji Yuan surged like a roaring whirlwind, emerging along with his magical power through the Heavenly-Earth Golden Bridge. The wolf-hair brush he held had entirely turned a brilliant golden color from handle to tip, its bristles appearing to have absorbed golden ink.

"May the human world flourish in both culture and martial arts; may all living beings be fated to hear the Dao; may righteousness forever endure between heaven and earth."

These few sentences were written directly on the Celestial River, rippling and extending like flowing starlight. Though only a little over twenty characters, the act of writing them consumed a terrifying amount of Xuanhuang Qi and completely depleted Ji Yuan's magical power at that moment.

Ji Yuan flicked his sleeve, and countless magic coins appeared, continuously dissolving into light. All hundreds of magic coins he possessed were depleted, yet there was no sign of his condition improving. At this moment, Ji Yuan felt not only the weakness of depleted magical power, but also intense stinging pain throughout his mind and body. Yet, he still did not stop writing, slowly completing the strokes of the final character, "存" (cún - endure/exist).

"Giving it back to you."

Xiezhi's voice came from within the sleeve, and the painting scroll flew out. Before Xiezhi could even transform into human form, he returned all the magical power Ji Yuan had bestowed upon him for transformation and spellcasting.

With this significant replenishment of magical power, Ji Yuan's hand gripping the brush grew steadier, allowing him to complete the last character.

"Hoo..."

Ji Yuan let out a great sigh of relief and sat directly by the Celestial River. The wolf-hair brush fell to the side, but he was not in a hurry to pick it up. Instead, he took out the Thousand-Measure Pot from his sleeve and poured wine into his mouth from mid-air.

Although the Thousand-Measure Pot no longer contained ambergris, what remained was fine wine. While it might not have any restorative effect on Ji Yuan's body, it was at least delicious and could greatly alleviate his fatigue and pain.

The painting scroll beside him transformed back into human form. Xiezhi, his face showing anger, snatched the Thousand-Measure Pot from Ji Yuan's hand.

"Ji Yuan," Xiezhi fumed, "with the Heavenly Dao on the verge of collapse, do you truly believe you can transcend it? Or do you think you're immortal with boundless magic?"

The elixir qi from the elixir furnace within Ji Yuan's spiritual realm continuously poured out, quickly transforming into magical power in the dantian of his inner world. This power then flowed through the Heavenly-Earth Golden Bridge to Ji Yuan's body, greatly steadying his aura and easing the stinging pain. He extended his hand towards Xiezhi, but the latter did not return the Thousand-Measure Pot, scoffing with a sneer.

"It's only been a mere year," Xiezhi scoffed. "The beings of this world won't cease to exist without you!"

Ji Yuan rubbed his neck, shaking his head as he spoke. "A miscalculation, indeed. Standing on this Celestial River, touching the sun and moon above, gazing down upon the earth below, I arrogantly believed I could act on behalf of Heaven's Dao. Seeing the current state of the world, and having made some estimations, I wrote a 'Heavenly Rule'. I didn't expect to nearly collapse, but the outcome is still good."

Xiezhi's eyes widened, and the Thousand-Measure Pot creaked as he squeezed it in his hand.

"That was *one* 'Heavenly Rule'?" Xiezhi exclaimed. "You clearly wrote *three*!"

"Three meanings, but I wrote it as one sentence," Ji Yuan replied. "Now, give me the wine pot."

Xiezhi was exasperated. He had always believed that following Ji Yuan was a stable path, but at times, the man could be a bit deranged or overly arrogant. Although it seemed to have little immediate impact, there was no room for error in the current climate. What if something unexpected were to happen? Angered by Ji Yuan, Xiezhi didn't give him a polite look and pretended not to hear his words. Ji Yuan was still weak anyway, so there was no way he could forcefully take the pot back.

"Hmph, you just sit there," Xiezhi said. "I'm leaving!"

With that, Xiezhi ignored Ji Yuan, stepped out, and darted towards the distant Celestial River. Then, at an appropriate spot, he descended from the Celestial River realm, returning to Misty Cloud Peak.

Ji Yuan stretched his limbs, then took out another Thousand-Measure Pot from his sleeve.

"I have another one," he muttered. "Still angry?"

Muttering to himself, Ji Yuan again poured wine into his mouth, narrowing his eyes as he savored the complex taste behind the drink. The wine in this Thousand-Measure Pot was no longer a single type but a mixture of various wines, from renowned vintages to rough homebrews. While this was generally a taboo practice, Ji Yuan found the taste equally delightful; it felt like savoring the human world itself.

After a few sips, the taste of wine in his mouth slowly faded. Ji Yuan opened the lid and sniffed; the aroma was still present, but perhaps he simply wasn't in the mood to savor wine at that moment.

Ji Yuan reached out and picked up the wolf-hair brush beside him, placing it into his sleeve along with the Thousand-Measure Pot. Then, he slowly stood up, his gaze turning towards the south and southwest, as if seeing the distant Southern Desolation and Black Desolation.

"The Xuanhuang Qi is almost depleted..."

As he murmured to himself, Ji Yuan looked up at the Evil Sun Star, which, even at night, still remained in the dark sky without setting. After watching for a while, as if conversing with the Evil Sun Star across the void, Ji Yuan narrowed his eyes and sneered.

"If there really was a treasure like the Sun-Shooting Bow," he declared, "I would definitely shoot you down right now!"

Although Ji Yuan had written down the "Heavenly Rule," the Heavenly Dao was currently in chaos. With the Heavenly Dao in such a state, acting on its behalf could not be achieved overnight; it was more like a vision, sowing ambition and hope in the hearts of all beings. However, the actual situation between heaven and earth was becoming increasingly grim.

It was unknown what the Golden Crow on the Evil Sun Star was thinking, or perhaps it had heard Ji Yuan's words, but while the climate between heaven and earth was much worse than before, it eased somewhat during the coldest days of early spring, and the high temperatures did not continue to rise. Yet, in Ji Yuan's eyes, the world was already coated with a layer of burning fiery color.

The tides surged once more. Even though the qi of heaven and earth had been greatly disrupted in just one year, the Dragon Race still attached immense importance to this year's spring tide. For many aquatic races, this was a crucial matter concerning their cultivation, a practice that had continued for years and could not simply cease. With the world in chaos, they needed even more to leverage the power of Desolation-Dispelling to enhance their Dao cultivation. For some informed members of the Dragon Race, led by Ying Ruoli and the Old Dragon, this Desolation-Dispelling was no longer merely an internal matter; it was a vital concern for the overall balance of heaven and earth. As the current situation between heaven and earth was grim, the grand event of Desolation-Dispelling, which gathered the essence of all waters and numerous dragons, could not be interrupted. This was crucial for consolidating the Dragon Race's position as rulers of the waters and laying the foundation for their eternal prosperity. It was not only essential for the cultivation path of many aquatic races, especially dragons, but also a means to display their might amidst the world's chaos.

Therefore, at this year's spring tide, as the Dragon Maiden led many aquatic races — who had spent the previous year traversing the four seas to gather the essence of the waters — many true dragons surprisingly joined in, bringing along numerous flood dragons. They willingly accepted the Dragon Maiden as their leader and together advanced towards the Desolate Sea.

As the rolling tides gathered in the East Sea, temperatures across heaven and earth began to drop. Endless water vapor evaporated from the four oceans and all waters, bringing a touch of coolness to the land. The aquatic races guided the tides, churning the water vapor. This wave of coolness swept across the world, even overpowering the scorching heat of the Evil Sun Star, subtly calming the volatile primordial qi between heaven and earth.

Beyond the shores of the East Sea, thousands of aquatic creatures rode the waves, with over a dozen true dragons leading the way. At the very center stood Ying Ruoli. While many true dragons naturally surpassed the Dragon Maiden in seniority and cultivation, the matter of Desolation-Dispelling was a major aquatic event led by her. Consequently, Ying Ruoli's status among the Dragon Race was exceedingly high; even many elder dragons had to defer to her at this moment.

At this moment, almost all true dragons were looking at the second sun in the direction of the Black Desolation; some frowned, some had indifferent expressions, and others showed disdain.

"Hmph," the old Yellow Dragon beside Ying Hong scoffed, "this Evil Sun stands above the Black Desolation, triggering the outbreak of malevolent qi throughout the world, completely disrupting the primordial qi, and giving birth to many never-before-seen demons. But though the power of these strange demons is fierce and strong, it cannot last!"

"Indeed," an old Green Dragon beside him echoed in a deep voice. "Such world-altering power has already lasted for nearly a year. Even if an ancient demon Golden Crow controls a sun star, it will eventually burn out. I don't believe it can last much longer! We, the Dragon Race, who guide the essence of all waters, are about to contend with this sun!"

Old Dragon Ying Hong also sneered, "Your words are reasonable, sirs. If one wishes to shake this world, one must first ask for the Dragon Race's consent. Once we assault the Desolate Sea and cause the world's water vapor to surge, even if the sun star has residual fire, we will surely extinguish it!"

"Hahahahaha... Well said!" "Indeed!"

"For every tribulation, there is a way to overcome it," another proclaimed. "We, the Dragon Race, shall lend a hand to this world. With this Desolation-Dispelling, the aquatic races' merits will surely far surpass those of the past!"

The Dragon Maiden remained silent throughout. When she took a step forward, all true dragons fell silent. Only then did the Dragon Maiden's clear, cool voice resonate in all directions.

"Everyone, ride the waves forward with me," she announced. "This Princess has a premonition that this year, we shall achieve the feat of Desolation-Dispelling. The tides have moved; let us follow."

"Roar—!" "Roar!"

Thousands of dragon roars echoed along the shores of the East Sea, and endless water vapor surged towards the outer sea.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

In Ji Yuan's ears, as well as those of Yue Cang, Xiang Liu, and other highly cultivated individuals, and even some exceptionally gifted people across the world, a subtle sound of heaven and earth vibrating could be heard.

Ji Yuan stepped out of the Celestial River realm and, from high in the sky, looked towards the ocean beyond his sight, wondering how the opponent would make their final move in this last game.