Beneath the ancient tree, among the snowflakes, Ye Futian and Yu Sheng were covered by white snow.

Ye Futian’s eyes were closed. In his mind, he recalled memories of his past. In his youth, he had grown up here with Yu Sheng. Now, they had returned to this place.

All the past events flashed in his mind, turning into images that were etched in his memory. At this moment, he felt as though he had returned to the past.

In the past, he did not have many worries. Life was simple, and he was happy.

Snowflakes landed on Ye Futian’s face. He revealed a faint smile.

The past and the present seemed to be overlapping.

Ye Futian returned to the past. Both his face and his temperament were changing. However, he soon returned to his current state. His body shifted between being an illusory figure and a real body of flesh. All these changes were subtle and were unnoticed by others.

Ye Futian’s smile turned into a brilliant grin. He finally comprehended everything.

The past and the present.

He was both the Heavenly Path and himself.

He was simultaneously in the past and the present.

In the Qingzhou Academy, Hua Fengliu was also standing in the snow. He raised his head to admire the falling snowflakes.

Right then, a figure trekked through the snow, approaching him from a distance. The figure had a humped back and appeared frail. When Hua Fengliu shifted his gaze away from the scenery, he noticed the old man. He was stupefied, seemingly in disbelief at what he was seeing.

What was happening? Hua Fengliu thought.

Why would he suddenly be hallucinating?

The old man paused in his tracks and looked at Hua Fengliu with a smile.

Everything seemed too real.

Hua Fengliu pinched himself. The old man was still standing there. With a trembling voice, Hua Fengliu called out, “Master?”

“Hmm,” the old man responded while nodding his head.

“Grandmaster!” Hua Jieyu walked toward them. She similarly could not believe her eyes as she stared at the old man.

The old man smiled gently as he looked at Hua Fengliu and Hua Jieyu. Hua Nianyu was somewhat confused. She did not recognize the old man. Since when did her father have a Master?

“You…” Hua Fengliu was still incredulous about the appearance of the old man. He turned around and looked in the direction where Ye Futian was. Ye Futian was still sitting quietly underneath the ancient tree. Hua Fengliu and Hua Jieyu also looked there. Suddenly, they understood what was going on. They were astonished. Nevertheless, they grinned from ear to ear. There were even tears flowing down their cheeks.

Of course, they realized what this meant!

Everything would soon pass.

At the same time, a terrifying power enveloped the entire City of the Ruins. A gigantic face appeared in the endless sky.

Ji Wudao’s gaze pierced through space as he observed the situation in the city from the Heaven Realm.

Cultivators from everywhere, including the Heavenly Mandate Court, the Dark World, and the World of Buddhism, had gathered in the city.

As the ruler of the Divine Prefecture, Donghuang Diyuan was present too. She was the commander of the troops of the Divine Prefecture. Today’s battle might be their last. However, they took a blood oath and vowed to protect the world that Ye Futian had created.

A solemn vibe loomed over the city. The troops of the City of the Ruins had departed. War was about to erupt.

“Diyuan,” a voice called out. Donghuang Diyuan was stunned. When she turned around and saw the figure who had appeared, her heart trembled violently.

All the Donghuang Imperial Palace cultivators were astonished to see the figure.

“Father.” Donghuang Diyuan’s voice was shaky. How was this possible?

She could not believe what she saw.

“I have come back to join the war,” Donghuang the Great said with a smile.

…

Underneath the ancient tree in the Qingzhou Academy, Yu Sheng opened his eyes to look at the sky.

The war had begun.

Yu Sheng glanced at Ye Futian, who was beside him. He saw that the latter’s aura was still undergoing subtle changes. It was as though it was changing all the time. Yu Sheng did not disturb him. He knew Ye Futian was about to have an epiphany.

Just then, there was a massive commotion in the academy. Someone was riding over here. In the sky above the academy, monstrous beasts traversed the skies. Their lineup was extremely large. Many cultivators appeared in the academy, and they were all headed in this direction.

“Cao Zheng from the Cao clan has come to pay a visit,” a voice cried out from outside the academy.

The cultivators in the academy all came out. Outside the academy, the members of the city of Qingzhou also gathered. They sensed that something was different today and something might happen. The members of the Cao clan had probably come here for Cao Yuan’s sake.

It was no secret in Qingzhou that Cao Yuan fancied Hua Nianyu.

The cultivators of the Cao clan stepped into the academy. They walked towards Hua Fengliu. A few elders of the Qingzhou Academy also accompanied them, smiling as they walked toward Hua Fengliu.

This scene caused Hua Fengliu to frown.

The Cao clan dared to show their faces here.

The Headmaster of the Qingzhou Academy stood not far away behind Hua Fengliu as he observed everything. He did not stop the Cao clan. It was because he knew that he was not needed.

After the Cao clan rose to become the top clan in Qingzhou, they had gotten rather arrogant.

However, they were acting presumptuously because they had not seen much of the world. Today, perhaps they would have a taste of real power.

“Master,” Cao Zheng and Cao Yuan greeted Hua Fengliu as they bowed slightly. Then, Cao Zheng said, “My son, Cao Yuan, has long admired your second daughter. Today, we have purposely come here to propose to her. It will be an honor to the Cao clan if my son can become your son-in-law.”

“Please leave,” Hua Fengliu calmly replied. It was as though he had cast a cold bucket of water on them. The smile on Cao Zheng’s face instantly froze. Hua Fengliu didn’t even bother to humor him. He immediately replied with these words.

He did not even look directly at Cao Yuan.

“Master, my son has extraordinary talent. In the city of Qingzhou, he is considered one of the top figures,” Cao Zheng continued.

“Master, Cao Yuan is a leader of the young generation. He is indeed suitable for your second daughter,” the elders of the Qingzhou Academy spoke up to the side.

“Get lost.”

Just then, a voice with a tone as cold as ice could be heard. In the distance, Yu Sheng glanced over at them. Cao Zheng and the others turned to look at him as they frowned. However, Yu Sheng’s gaze was extremely frightening and seemed to contain unparalleled authority. He was domineering to the point that no one dared to look him in the eye.

This caused Cao Zheng to feel humiliated. He lowered his head to avoid Yu Sheng’s gaze.

“Who do you think you are? Since when are you qualified to intervene in the affairs of the Cao clan?” Just then, Cao Yuan chided coldly. Newborn calves were not afraid of tigers. His heart was full of rage. He had come to propose, but he was being humiliated.

The surrounding temperature plummeted as Yu Sheng swept a glance at Cao Yuan. Ye Futian, who was leaning against the tree, opened his eyes.

“Yu Sheng,” Ye Futian called out. Yu Sheng then retracted his aura and looked at Ye Futian.

Ye Futian walked towards the crowd. He first stopped in front of Elder Qin and bowed, saying, “Greetings, Grandmaster.”

Elder Qin moved towards Ye Futian and pulled him up with his hands, saying, “Futian, this is not permissible.”

“Grandmaster, it’s my honor,” Ye Futian replied with a smile. Only then did Elder Qin nod in agreement. He felt a great sense of pride.

The members of the Cao clan frowned since they were being ignored. Cao Yuan was especially irritated. He was here for the marriage proposal, yet the spotlight seemed to be on Ye Futian.

Ye Futian looked at Cao Yuan and commanded, “Leave.”

“Who are you to command me?” Cao Yuan retorted coldly. The atmosphere turned awkward. All the disciples of the Qingzhou Academy were watching them too. Some of them were worried about Ye Futian. Would Brother Ye be in danger?

The Cao clan was the most powerful clan in the city of Qingzhou.

“Who am I?” replied Ye Futian with a smile. He looked up at the sky and said, “I am back!”

The moment he finished saying this, on the battlefield of the City of Ruins, which was extremely far away, a voice reverberated in the space.

“I am back.”

“I am back…”

The voice reverberated in the space. Everyone heard it. Immediately, the cultivators of the Heavenly Mandate Court, the Divine Prefecture, and other lands revealed looks of immense joy. They had expressions of astonishment on their faces.

A terrifying aura appeared in the space. A divine tribulation that could destroy the world descended.

Countless beams of light of catastrophe descended at the same time. On the battlefield, the invaders who took part in the battle were immediately killed off by the divine tribulation.

In an instant, countless people perished.

As for the Qingzhou Academy, the crowd was skeptical about who Ye Futian was speaking to.

However, the next moment, the sky split apart.

Rumble. A divine light penetrated through the rift of space and descended, lighting up the entire sky above the city of Qingzhou.

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble. Countless beams of divine light followed after the initial light. The heavens above the city were illuminated. Dazzling halos shone far and wide. The lights came from outer space, and they surrounded the whole city. A majestic God’s might could be sensed by everyone present.

Instantly, everyone in the city emerged from the buildings. Their hearts were beating fast.

“It’s a divine miracle!” exclaimed the crowd as they knelt on the ground and worshiped the lights. They sensed God’s might. Were Tianshens descending upon their city?

One by one, Tianshens materialized after beams of divine light charged into the city. Each and everyone of them were gods that dominated a part of the world. The crowd in the city worshiped them. What were they seeing?

Tianshens filled the sky!

The cultivators of the Cao clan felt their hearts racing. They, along with the disciples of the academy, were astonished by the arrival of the Tianshens.

What surprised them even more was that they could sense that the Tianshens had their gazes fixed on the Qingzhou Academy.

“Heavenly Emperor,” greeted all the Tianshens as they bowed their heads in the direction of the academy.

At this very moment, the crowd in the city of Qingzhou were worshiping the Tianshens.

However, the latter’s arrival was not without purpose.

They too had come to worship!