The Unthinkable Design

A human life—neither long nor short—inevitably sees some people and events gently fade with the years, slowly forgotten until they vanish without a trace.

For cultivators, the years stretch far longer, and they experience far more. They watch beauty grow old in the world, watch children become gray elders. Many events wear away in the sea of memory.

But some things and people are not easily forgotten.

Many years had passed. Yan Qingcheng was as dazzling as ever—a beauty whose loveliness could topple cities, a peerless enchantress of the world.

Xiao Chen gazed at that familiar, graceful figure and instantly recalled many memories.

“Excellent!”

The Divine Emissary nodded repeatedly, seeming very satisfied with Yan Qingcheng among the gathering of beauties. But for the Undying Sect’s proud celestial maiden, this was a supreme humiliation.

Though her beauty could topple cities, at this moment she was being appraised like merchandise.

“Lift your head!” commanded the Otherworld Half-Ancestor of the Seventh Heaven in a majestic voice.

Yan Qingcheng, jade-like in form and ethereal in bearing—even her beauty that stunned the world could not protect her now. It was precisely her loveliness that placed her in this awkward position.

“Hmph.”

She turned her head stubbornly, her side facing them. Her neck was as slender and elegant as a swan’s, her long black hair veiling half her face.

“Insolent!” the Half-Ancestor of the Seventh Heaven cried coldly. “To show your face before the Divine Emissary is your blessing. How dare you disobey? Do you wish to be annihilated in body and spirit like the other ants?”

The young Divine Emissary watched this calmly, then raised a hand. “No need to tame her. Keep some of her wildness—it gives her a natural grace. Only thus can she triumph in the beauty contest.”

At this moment, not only was Yan Qingcheng filled with shame and fury, but the other Undying Sect disciples also felt deeply humiliated.

Without an Ancestral God to oppose the Otherworld, their current situation was truly that of slaves, without any rights or freedom.

“If you want me to do something against my will, I would rather die than submit.”

With these words, Yan Qingcheng’s body blazed with light, and traces of blood seeped from the corners of her mouth. She had resolved to end her own life.

“No…”

“Qingcheng, don’t!”

The Undying Sect disciples cried out in alarm, but they were clearly powerless to stop her.

“Heh heh heh…” The young Divine Emissary laughed coldly, and spots of cyan light burst from his eyes, instantly freezing Yan Qingcheng’s jade-like body. “Trying to die before me? Impossible! Your body no longer belongs to you—it belongs to the experts of my race. If I do not permit you to die, you cannot die, no matter how much you wish it.”

His words were calm, but they carried deep confidence, as if all things in the world were within his grasp.

Yan Qingcheng, tall and graceful, her peerlessly beautiful face filled with unwillingness and shame, was frozen to the ground by two beams of cyan light. She could not move, could not die.

The Divine Emissary slowly moved his hands, forming strange hand seals, and streams of mysterious power were driven into Yan Qingcheng’s body.

“Seal the soul! Seal the spirit! Seal the divine!”

At the Divine Emissary’s low chant, Yan Qingcheng’s body flashed with light, then returned to stillness.

“Now you cannot die even if you wish.”

The Half-Ancestor of the Seventh Heaven at his side immediately flattered, “The Divine Emissary’s skill is truly remarkable.”

“A minor trick,” the Divine Emissary replied calmly.

Mist gathered in Yan Qingcheng’s beautiful eyes. She truly could no longer commit suicide—whenever the thought arose, a mysterious force would automatically surge up to seal her body.

She looked helplessly at the sky. In this moment, many thoughts came to her. Perhaps her fate was destined to be full of hardship, but she refused to accept it.

The Divine Emissary selected a few more women, then said, “Now I wish to see the gladiators.”

The Undying Sect Leader, his hair and beard white, though over three hundred years old, still appeared very young in the eyes of the Otherworld Divine Emissary and the Half-Ancestor of the Seventh Heaven. He was exactly the kind of promising gladiator they needed.

“This Sect Leader is not bad,” the Divine Emissary praised. Then he selected several others and had them spar a few moves with the Undying Sect Leader to test their skill.

Though the crowd burned with rage, they had to go through the motions—otherwise the entire sect might be implicated.

“Enough. I will take these people back now.” The Divine Emissary nodded in satisfaction.

The Half-Ancestor of the Seventh Heaven hurriedly bowed respectfully.

Xiao Chen watched all this in silence. He did not act immediately but chose to follow from a distance.

The group flew slowly, not hurrying. Along the way, they passed many islands wreathed in barriers. No doubt, the cultivators of various sects were imprisoned within.

“Sect Leader…”

Just then, the Undying Sect Leader suddenly heard these words. He was astonished. For so many years trapped on this island, he had not heard such an address in a long time. The voice was somewhat familiar, resounding in his heart: “Senior, please relax. Do not show any expression.”

When the Undying Sect Leader learned it was Xiao Chen, his heart shook with shock, but he maintained his composure on the surface, silently listening.

“I wish to know something. Do the Otherworld also divide into several major clans?”

The Undying Sect Leader replied in his heart, “Yes. As long as one reaches the Ancestral God realm, they can establish their own clan. There is competition among the clans.”

“This… that clan’s Ancestral God—did he borrow your Shatter Demon, Plant God technique?”

“Indeed. It is said that for over thirty years, that Ancestral God has been in seclusion, hoping to use this opportunity to rise another level and complete a transformation.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen’s heart surged with waves. He continued, “As far as I know, cultivating the Shatter Demon, Plant God technique is extremely difficult. There is a high chance of falling into an eternal deathlike silence.”

“Yes,” the Undying Sect Leader nodded. “Throughout the ages, only the Demon Ancestor Chiyou and the Evil King Patriarch truly succeeded. That Otherworld Ancestral God may be powerful, but since he chose this path, the mightier he is, the greater the danger he faces. Because if he succeeds, his harvest would be unimaginable—he might even leap to become a dominant figure among Ancestral Gods. Moreover, he is using himself as the crucible, which is probably even more dangerous. Even if he is an Ancestral God, immortal for eons, he will likely fall into a long period of deathlike stillness.”

At this point, the Undying Sect Leader suddenly awoke with a start. “You don’t mean to…”

He had thought Xiao Chen came to rescue him, but now his heart trembled as he vaguely grasped Xiao Chen’s intention.

This was absolute madness!

“Yes, I am after him.” Xiao Chen’s words confirmed the Undying Sect Leader’s guess.

“You… cannot possibly succeed,” the Undying Sect Leader said, agitated in his heart, wanting to dissuade Xiao Chen from throwing away his life.

“I will not act recklessly.” Xiao Chen’s words were calm, his voice very steady, echoing in the Undying Sect Leader’s heart. “If he has not fallen into deathlike silence, then so be it. But if he is in that state between life and death, then forgive me—I will send him on his way!”

“You… don’t be rash—you will only get yourself killed.” Clearly, the Undying Sect Leader did not believe Xiao Chen could assassinate an Ancestral God. In his view, even a being of that level hovering between life and death could not be opposed by cultivators of lesser realms.

“I have already killed one Otherworld Ancestral God,” Xiao Chen said coldly.

“What?!” The Undying Sect Leader was shocked, nearly showing it on his face.

“In the battlefield beyond the heavens, I slew a dying Ancestral God. If—if this clan’s Ancestral God really is in a nirvana-like deathlike dormancy, I have a six-in-ten chance of slaughtering him!”

He emphasized the words “slaughtering him,” making the Undying Sect Leader feel his determination and courage. His heart trembled.

“You… truly are too crazy!” The Undying Sect Leader could only describe Xiao Chen in such terms.

To slay an Ancestral God—what audacity that required!

Those were beings immortal for eons, with unfathomable power. That Xiao Chen dared such a thing was truly shocking.

“Yes, I do intend to act.” Xiao Chen said apologetically to the Undying Sect Leader: “Originally, I came to rescue you and Yan Qingcheng, but I ask the Senior to bear with it a little longer. I am afraid of alarming the enemy.” Xiao Chen wished to rescue more than just these two; he also wanted to save the cultivators of other sects. If he snatched these two away prematurely, it would surely alert the Otherworld.

“Good, since you have such courage, I support you! Do not worry about us. We are not in immediate danger. The so-called gladiator fights and beauty contests will not begin for some time,” the Undying Sect Leader said.

Yan Qingcheng, with her bright eyes and white teeth, a face like jade, a slender neck, and a willowy waist with long, shapely legs, was truly a peerless beauty of the world. But now her expression was cold and desolate. She had nearly given up hope.

Xiao Chen ultimately did not speak to her, nor did he transmit a message to her, for he feared accidents—Yan Qingcheng’s cultivation was not as strong as the Undying Sect Leader’s.

Slowly, the party arrived over the South Sea. A vast palace hung in the sky, radiating majestic, overwhelming power—the pulse of an Ancestral God.

Xiao Chen’s heart tightened. He had already completely concealed his aura, like one who had sat in death-seclusion for over thirty years, his mind and body like dead wood, not a trace of life fluctuation leaking out.

At this moment, he confirmed that the Ancestral God was in a state of neither life nor death!

This fluctuation was very familiar to him. He had experienced nirvana-like deathlike dormancy more than once.

Xiao Chen was deeply astonished. If this Ancestral God truly succeeded, his strength would undoubtedly ascend another level.

This was a powerful figure. The Shatter Demon, Plant God technique was merely an opportunity—not a decisive factor. Even without this opportunity, this person would have broken through before long.

This kind of Ancestral God with such potential was best eliminated now; otherwise, he would become a great calamity in the future. This only strengthened Xiao Chen’s killing intent. The opportunity came only once—success meant removing a great menace, failure meant death.

The enormous palace connected to a pocket dimension within, filled with experts and the direct descendants of Ancestral Gods.

Achieving Ancestral Godhood allowed one to establish an independent clan. This was the sacred ground of that clan. Even Half-Ancestors had to look up to it.

Watching from afar as the Divine Emissary brought Yan Qingcheng and the Undying Sect Leader inside, Xiao Chen waited a long time before slowly moving toward it.

Otherworld experts came and went constantly.

But Xiao Chen’s cultivation was now astonishing. His body dissolved into nothingness, and in a breath, he slipped into the majestic palace, then entered the pocket dimension within.

It was like an independent small world, complete with high mountains and flowing rivers, and many halls and towers set among beautiful scenery.

This was a pure land, a celestial realm.

Within a grand complex of buildings lived many Otherworld cultivators.

“Haha, if the Ancestral God advances another step this time, his status will surely rise, and our clan’s position will follow.”

“I wonder if the Ancestral God can smoothly cross this threshold. After all, at their level, every step forward requires countless years and opportunities that cannot be sought, only encountered.”

“I believe there is absolutely no problem. The Ancestral God once said he would definitely emerge from seclusion before the gladiator contests and would not miss that grand event.”

From their words, Xiao Chen learned shocking news. The Otherworld’s once-in-ten-thousand-years grand event was approaching. In name, it was a competition among the Ancestral Gods’ slaves, but in truth, it was a contest of strength among the various divine clans.

When necessary, they would send powerful disciples down to fight, and would even possess their disciples’ bodies to fight in person.

This was the Otherworld—the competition was brutally fierce. Even after invading the Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds, when this once-in-ten-thousand-year event came around, the various clans would still spar among themselves.

Xiao Chen was very much looking forward to this news. He greatly wished to witness it when the time came.

But now, he was troubled. Outside, he could clearly sense the powerful energy fluctuations of the Ancestral God, but once inside this pocket dimension, the fluctuations became vague and omnipresent—he could not pinpoint the exact location.

“What is this?” Xiao Chen was astonished. He could not locate the dormancy of that powerful Ancestral God, could not determine where exactly he was.

At this moment, he felt somewhat anxious. After all, he was about to kill an Ancestral God! Whether he succeeded or failed, it would surely cause a heaven-shaking storm among all the Otherworld experts.

This time, he was going to stir up a colossal disturbance!

Whatever the cost, Xiao Chen felt it was worth attempting.

“Where is he?”

Xiao Chen dared not sweep the area with his full divine sense, for even though the Ancestral God was in a dangerous nirvana-like state, nearly dead, he was still an extremely dangerous and terrifying figure.

After half an hour, Xiao Chen found nothing. His palms were slick with sweat. The act of killing an Ancestral God truly tested one’s will.

A full three hours passed, and still no clue. Xiao Chen had no choice but to withdraw from the pocket dimension.

From afar above the South Sea, gazing at the majestic palace, he once again sensed the Ancestral God-level energy fluctuations.

“What is this?” Xiao Chen wondered in surprise. “Could it be that he is not in the pocket dimension at all, but simply inside that vast palace?”

Xiao Chen very much wanted to unleash the broken formation diagram, but he had to be cautious.

He carefully searched around the enormous palace. He did not find the Otherworld Ancestral God, but he did discover a powerful Half-Ancestor of the Ninth Heaven sitting in a corner of the palace.

A Half-Ancestor on the verge of touching the Ancestral God realm—why was he sitting alone in that corner? A Half-Ancestor of the Ninth Heaven, nearly invincible below the Ancestral God realm—was he guarding something?

The palace connected to a second pocket dimension! Xiao Chen finally discovered this secret.

The Half-Ancestor of the Ninth Heaven was guarding a hidden door.

Xiao Chen finally understood that the nirvana-like Otherworld Ancestral God was sleeping within.

The butcher’s blade was lifted toward the Otherworld Ancestral God—today was the day!

Though the act had not yet been carried out, an earth-shattering storm was already foreseeable.