A new scene of profound darkness was born within the Profound Image, the seed of a new image. It continued to descend, destined to become a wisp of dust.
Since the first ethereal thought, no new dust had been born. Now, after the second ethereal thought, the first wisp of dust appeared.
This scene of profound darkness was placed by Ji Xiang into the Realm of Destiny, allowing it to follow those destinies and depart, transforming into dust within destiny. This wisp of dust would then be reborn somewhere in the beyond, carrying residual images obtained from the Profound Image, thus becoming the seed of a new powerful individual.
It might also reappear in other new timelines and old timelines, and then, after a long period, it would return before the Profound Image.
This was the final and greatest respect given to a seeker of the Way.
"His Way shall not be severed, his principles shall not perish. Methods and techniques exist in every lifetime, but the Way is the highest realization within a sentient being, or even within an image. It shall be passed down eternally, inherited by later generations to complete the unfinished endeavors of their predecessors."
This battle could be called earth-shattering and unprecedented. Ji Xiang himself had not expected the origin of the sorcerers to be like this. However, from the words of the Immortal Shadow of Undying, perhaps the sorcerers were also reflections. Everything about them was like this: upon entering here, they were refined by the Flower of Wholeness, their pasts forgotten, their old Ways abandoned, transforming into sorcerers.
"That which is reflected from the beyond cannot come from nothingness. Therefore, the path that assimilated the sorcerers was also reflected, it was the past memories of the Immortal Shadow of Undying, which were then manifested."
"How many beyonds remain unknown? How many historical records are buried in mysterious places?"
The mysterious places of the world, viewed from this perspective, could also be considered a form of the beyond. However, perhaps those places were more like passages leading to other beyonds, just like the Realm of Destiny, where one could see the origin of destinies.
Ji Xiang's gaze shifted back. Beneath the Profound Image was the Second Yuqing.
At this moment, Ji Xiang's gaze towards this new timeline changed.
In the past old timelines, there was the path of the heart, the path of thought, and the path of destiny.
The heart could create gods, thought could derive all sorts of profound and subtle changes, but ultimately, destiny decided everything. Heavenly destiny, fixed destiny, great destiny – those who possessed these were, in fact, among the evolved sentient beings, truly qualified and with the opportunity to leave this great image.
The Second Yuqing, after all, was merely a great image. Even if it was without ancient or modern, without beginning or end, within this endless expanse of time, those sentient beings constantly transitioning between birth and extinction, movement and stillness, might, at some point, and some individuals, be able to reach the extreme level of timelines through mysterious places.
Even if he and Dao Xuan were one, he could not mend this flaw within the great image. He could only follow the old methods and guide other old timelines to cast residual images here.
However, the Profound Image was not something that could be cast at will. Even if it were cast, sentient beings would not be able to see the Profound Image.
"That's right, the path already exists, it's just that it cannot be seen. The method of seeing it is sealed, or rather, that kind of image cannot be externally manifested."
"Once an image cannot be externally manifested, it becomes unknowable and cannot be known. But at least at this moment, there is still the ability to know through methods and through destiny."
The Lord of the Great Image ascending to the Xuanwu realm as the formless realm meant abandoning the old form. The so-called formless meant abandoning the common Way, having no trace. This meant that sentient beings below the formless realm could not see the existence of the formless realm unless they actively manifested themselves.
Therefore, the formless realm truly surpassed the great image; it was unknowable, unknowledgeable, and even more so, un-destinable.
"The heaven above the heavens... if the lower image is incomplete, how can destiny complete it? The so-called heavenly destiny, fixed destiny, great destiny are residual images. I have already understood. If a person with destiny can receive a response from the heaven above the heavens, or be chosen by the heaven above the heavens, then they receive the residual image falling from the heaven above the heavens."
"Therefore, the solution to the incompleteness of the great image does not lie with Mr. Gu. The destruction of timelines caused by Mr. Gu, leading to the death qi of timelines, and even the existence of thousands of people like Mr. Gu in the past, are not the final solution."
"The Lord of the Great Image believes that after the old timeline is destroyed and a new timeline is born, although Primordial beings will still appear, the original old timeline, freed from the Lord of the Great Image's constraints, should be able to break through the shackles and slowly complete the incomplete parts, because that kind of image has no origin and conforms to the principles of the Profound Image's operation."
"If many images have origins, then their selves are not true selves. That is to say, I am not me, he is not him. Seemingly many images are actually one image."
"Sentient beings have no beginning, and every place is a beginning. All sentient beings falsely perceive birth and extinction in non-existence, and every beginning is different."
"We strive to prove this principle, but no matter how brilliant people are, they are one step short, because this heaven is incomplete. The heaven above the heavens is the truly complete place, while the heaven below the heavens is incomplete. Everything here is flawed."
Ji Xiang decided to travel to the heaven above the heavens and began to act.
The new timeline, with the power of the Boundless Heavenly Venerate, began to radiate vast brilliance.
It vibrated beneath the Profound Image. Countless destinies within the Realm of Destiny were attracted and gathered towards the new timeline evolved by the Second Yuqing. Accompanied by the complete return of the Four Images within it, incredible myriad phenomena began to be born.
Meanwhile, Ji Xiang stripped an image from his miraculous divine ability. As that image was re-manifested, Mr. Gu, who had been frozen for a long time, was placed by Ji Xiang like a chess piece before the Second Yuqing.
After doing all this, Ji Xiang ceased all actions. The Boundless Heavenly Venerate, frozen within the Profound Image, was thus fixed. However, a thought emanated from the Profound Image.
"Gods disappear and cannot be seen again, neither existing nor not existing, the gate of myriad transformations."
This was a secret technique of the Divine Firmament Sect, which could be used to communicate with the heaven above the heavens, without needing to "comprehend the Way" or obtain "great destiny." However, it was merely one-sided prayer, and whether it would receive a response was unknown.
But Ji Xiang was confident that this communication would inevitably receive a response.
This was because he had already become one with Dao Xuan, and the fundamental core of this secret technique was thoroughly comprehended by him as soon as it was employed.
That thought traveled into the void and disappeared, just like when he first sensed the changes in the heaven above the heavens.
Simultaneously, Ji Xiang took out the Jade God Pan and the Green Ping Sword. The Primordial Ritual began, but it was also refined by Ji Xiang for a second time, thus becoming the Profound Image Ritual.
The Profound Image replaced the position of the Primordial Heavenly Venerate that should have appeared in the new timeline. This would cause sentient beings to be unable to see their origins, and the world would lose the name of Primordial.
This was a false alteration, but it could liberate sentient beings from the constraints of the great image, at least preventing their origins from being fixed at the beginning of the great image. In this way, if beings like Mr. Gu were to appear again, sentient beings could withstand the destruction of timelines and no longer need to rely on destiny-holders to become vessels of salvation.
Hum—
The outline of the Boundless Heavenly Venerate, frozen within the Profound Image, suddenly began to fluctuate.
Ji Xiang's gaze looked into the vast darkness. Formless things began to become clear, and those formless things also seemed to see Ji Xiang. They were greatly shocked, unable to understand how someone in the lower world could perceive the Profound Image.
And from within the Profound Image, reach the heaven above the heavens!
"A new path."
Those formless things gradually became clearer. Sentient beings of the lower world could not see or know them, but once they entered the heaven above the heavens, they appeared. This was because their manifestation was aided by the part of the Profound Image they had once perceived, not the ordinary great image. Their ultimate forms were like the forms of that part of the Profound Image.
But at this moment, the realization of being one with Dao Xuan was far from their formless path.
And they could not clearly see Ji Xiang's existence, only a blurry outline projected from the distant darkness, which in turn reflected the scenes of the heaven above the heavens into that darkness.
The images of the heaven above the heavens descended into all timelines. Those in the formless realm watched these changes. They knew that the incomplete path had been mended, and the broken echoes would once again resound through countless timelines.
And those few beings in the formless realm could only watch as that outline went from clear to blurry, and then gradually dissipated into the Profound Image.
"The paths of the world are unfathomable. Being one with Dao Xuan, and such existences."
And Ji Xiang, meanwhile, journeyed into the depths of the heaven above the heavens, where everything had yet to be perceived. Perhaps, there were still Taishang existences from the beyond.
————(End of Book)