“Why?”
“Why has the course of history in this life returned to the same path again?”
Awakening once more from the darkness, Qiao Sidao clutched his head, overwhelmed by a splitting headache.
But he couldn’t afford to dwell on it. His mind was flooded with questions as he continuously recalled and compared the events of his past two lifetimes.
As an insignificant figure swept up in the tides of destiny, he had little agency of his own.
He couldn’t grasp the full scope of the world’s events.
However, he was aware of certain key junctures critical enough to alter the trajectory of history.
After a thorough comparison, Qiao Sidao realized that the world without the existence of the Sect of Creation [Wu] aligned with the history in his memory: an Immortal Venerable transmitting a new cultivation method, igniting a wildfire of reform, overthrowing the decayed Ten Great Immortal Sects, and establishing the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance that ruled the Xuanhuang Realm for millennia.
So, was [Wu] the anomaly?
After a long period of contemplation, Qiao Sidao finally arrived at a plausible explanation.
“This means, in this lifetime, I should first investigate the Sect of Creation and determine whether this [Wu] exists before making any decisions.”
“But the Sect of Creation is one of the prestigious Ten Great Immortal Sects, while I’m just an outer disciple of an insignificant sect. How could I possibly gather any information?”
“Secrets of this magnitude are clearly beyond what my current body can handle. If someone were to notice, they might use soul-searching techniques to uncover my ability to reincarnate endlessly.”
…
Qiao Sidao, meticulous and familiar with the various means of cultivators, naturally harbored many concerns.
Fortunately, he didn’t need to dwell on these worries for long.
Because after absorbing the memories of the body he now occupied, Qiao Sidao was shocked to discover that this lifetime was not set during the early days of the new cultivation method.
Instead, it was an unprecedented and bizarre period.
In this era, a strange restriction had emerged that made it impossible to cultivate multiple techniques simultaneously. Sects had been eradicated, and only one in ten thousand cultivators survived.
The surviving cultivators roamed the world alone, distrustful of others, struggling to survive in the wilderness.
Qiao Sidao didn’t know what had happened during this time, nor did he understand the reasons behind the variations in the worlds he reincarnated into.
Cautiously, he focused on ensuring his survival and ventured into the ruins of various sects, seeking to piece together the truth of history.
It took more than a decade before Qiao Sidao finally uncovered the events of that time.
The divergence in history occurred during the era of intense conflict between the old and new cultivation methods.
In this timeline, the old sects proved surprisingly resilient.
Not only did they withstand the seemingly endless armies of the new method, but they also began to reform themselves, incorporating the new techniques.
Without the advantage of faster cultivation, the new method practitioners fell behind in terms of techniques, treasures, and mystical arts.
They barely managed to hold their ground, relying solely on sheer numbers.
The tug-of-war lasted for decades.
During this time, both the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Ten Great Immortal Sects used every means at their disposal to secure ultimate victory.
Masses of ordinary people were forcibly conscripted and taught cultivation methods.
After brief training, they were sent to the battlefield, their bodies bound with various restrictions, leaving them no choice but to fight for their survival.
It was said that blood soaked every inch of the Xuanhuang Realm. Even now, traces of those brutal battles remained in the wastelands.
The relentless recruitment of cultivator soldiers led to an unprecedented catastrophe.
It was a curse of unimaginable horror—the inability to cultivate the same technique together.
Anyone practicing the same cultivation method lost their sanity, perceiving one another as mortal enemies.
To accelerate their combat readiness, both the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Ten Great Immortal Sects had their soldiers practice standardized cultivation techniques.
When the calamity struck, chaos consumed the Xuanhuang Realm in an instant.
The situation is the same at the lower levels as it is at the higher levels.
The Ten Great Immortal Sects emphasize the inheritance of their sects. Countless individuals follow the same cultivation methods. At this moment, faced with the great calamity, even the reclusive elders of these sects have started wielding their blades against their own disciples.
The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance values mutual assistance. Everyone regards the teachings of Immortal Ancestor cultivation techniques as the foundation of mentorship, and most members are independent cultivators from various unorthodox paths. To overcome the ancient sects with thousands of years of inheritance, it is essential to gather the wisdom of the vast majority of cultivators and continuously deduce and refine a universal cultivation method that could serve most of the alliance’s members.
This method, called ‘Heavenly Net Divine Art’, was originally the cornerstone of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance’s unity and mutual aid. However, at this moment, it has turned into a terrifying death sentence.
This period of darkness left a chilling impression on posterity.
The conclusion of the great war was naturally the mutual annihilation of both sides, leaving the Xuanhuang Realm barren and desolate.
Thousands of years later, a few mortals who had miraculously survived stumbled upon remnants of ancient cultivation texts amidst the ruins, rekindling the civilization of cultivation.
As for the leaders of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, the pinnacle powerhouses of the Xuanhuang Realm, their ultimate fate remains unknown.
Throughout his life, Qiao Sidao delved into various ruins, seeking traces of these legendary figures.
Unfortunately, on one such occasion, he was fatally wounded by a hidden mechanism and passed away with regret.
When he awoke again, the first thing he did was explore the memories of his new body.
As expected, the world had changed yet again.
A terrifying plague had emerged, spreading through spiritual energy. Once cultivators were infected, they experienced symptoms akin to mortals suffering from a deadly illness.
No matter the elixirs or divine techniques, nothing could completely cure this affliction.
While not fatal, the disease had a profound impact on cultivators.
When spiritual energy was circulated intensely, they would involuntarily cough violently.
Ignoring the discomfort and forcibly continuing could even result in fainting.
This plague persisted for over a decade, during which conflicts in the Xuanhuang Realm nearly ceased.
It wasn’t that the once-competitive cultivators had changed their ways; rather, their physical capabilities had subtly deteriorated over time.
Ridiculously, incidents such as Golden Core cultivators breaking their legs while walking or Nascent Soul cultivators fainting mid-flight and crashing to the ground became alarmingly frequent.
Qiao Sidao’s current body, which belonged to a Golden Core cultivator, felt even weaker than an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator in his memory.
In this world, Qiao Sidao lived for 60 years, nearing the end of his life. Due to the plague, cultivators had been weakened to their limits.
In contrast, mundane martial artists with robust vitality were now capable of subduing Dao Integration cultivators.
The path of immortality had declined, while martial arts flourished.
Thus, the remaining cultivators called this plague “Immortal’s Demise.”
In another lifetime, Qiao Sidao returned to a world where the new and old cultivation methods clashed.
However, war was no longer the focus.
When the battle between the Ten Great Immortal Sects and the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance was at its peak, an eerie mirage of ruins suddenly appeared in the sky.
A solitary figure stood within the ruins, seemingly gazing silently at the beings of the Xuanhuang Realm below.
The entire world trembled slightly, a strange phenomenon that naturally caught the attention of the cultivators.
Both sides decided to temporarily cease fighting to investigate the mysterious apparition.
After thorough research, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Ten Great Immortal Sects reached the same conclusion.
The ruins above the sky possessed an immense gravitational pull, strong enough to gradually draw the entire Xuanhuang Realm upward.
The tremors the cultivators had recently sensed were the initial signs of the Xuanhuang Realm being drawn toward the ruins.
Calculations revealed that in no more than a century, the Xuanhuang Realm would collapse into the ruins, resulting in the death of all its inhabitants.
This revelation caused an uproar.
Faced with the threat of extinction, war was temporarily set aside.
The Five Elders Association and the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance formed an unprecedented alliance to find a solution.
Ultimately, they devised a plan called “Reversal of Xuanhuang.”
This plan aimed to construct tens of thousands of obelisks across the Xuanhuang Realm.
The obelisks’ thrust would push the entire Xuanhuang Realm away from the gravitational pull of the ruins.
Initially, the plan seemed promising.
The first completed obelisk did slightly slow the Xuanhuang Realm’s upward movement, proving the feasibility of the plan.
However, the optimistic assumptions about human nature soon proved naive.
The alliance fell apart within a mere decade, plunging the Xuanhuang Realm into unprecedented chaos.
The massive project required contributions from every cultivator, which clashed with the inherently independent nature of cultivators.
Rumors began to spread, claiming the apparition in the sky was an elaborate hoax created by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association to enslave all cultivators.
Some even claimed the obelisks were part of a nefarious formation designed to implant a soul-binding restriction in every cultivator’s sea of consciousness.
Despite efforts to suppress these rumors, suspicion lingered, and belief in the conspiracy grew stronger.
The “Reversal of Xuanhuang” plan faced immense resistance, and reports emerged of places where cultivators were forcibly controlled to build the obelisks, adding fuel to the conspiracy theory.
Rebellion broke out across the Xuanhuang Realm, escalating rapidly.
Then came an incident that pushed the situation to its breaking point.
One night, an intense white light burst forth from the direction of the Heavenly Sword Sect, illuminating the entire Xuanhuang Realm.
Cultivators could vaguely see a massive sword rise from the ground, piercing through the heavens.
At the same time, as the shadow of the ruins in the sky twisted, a black void appeared in mid-air.
In the next second, under the watchful eyes of all the cultivators, the giant sword vanished without a trace.
Darkness once again descended upon the world. Initially, the cultivators were somewhat puzzled.
But how could such a matter remain hidden? Soon, everyone understood.
One of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, the Heavenly Sword Sect, had secretly forged a Void-Breaking Divine Weapon, tore through the void, and escaped!
“Traitors!”
“Shameful!”
For a moment, curses filled the air. Yet, it also made the cultivators wonder—could it be that the ruins in the sky were real?
Amidst this uncertainty, the unrest across the regions subsided, and cultivators began to actively construct obelisks.
However…
They quickly realized something was amiss.
Orders from the upper echelons of the Ten Great Immortal Sects and the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance became increasingly rare.
In fact, it had been a long time since anyone had seen any influential cultivators in person.
In their unease, they banded together to visit the residences of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, only to find them long abandoned!
The remaining formations merely issued orders periodically.
Feeling deceived and abandoned, the cultivators were filled with rage but had no one to direct it toward.
They could only vent their anger on those who had initially spread the rumors. Yet in truth, they themselves had fanned the flames of those rumors.
Now, who could they blame?
The upper echelons of the Xuanhuang Realm had collectively fled, leaving behind no instructions on how to operate the obelisks.
Left with no choice but to await death, the cultivators watched as the image of the ruins in the sky grew larger.
Gradually, despair drove them into madness.
The slaughter began.
Amid this farcical chaos, Qiao Sidao watched coldly from the sidelines.
As the Xuanhuang Realm quaked and gradually disintegrated, he too ended his life in this world.
In the cycles of rebirth that followed, Qiao Sidao experienced all kinds of mysterious worlds.
For instance, worlds where the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Ten Great Immortal Sects did not exist. Instead, the Xuanhuang Realm was unified under a Supreme Heavenly Sovereign. From birth, every person was required to cultivate specific techniques. The cultivation they accumulated would be exchanged for essential survival resources.
Or worlds where the Immortal Net enveloped everything, monitoring every action of cultivators. However, the same Immortal net allowed cultivators to earn contribution points to exchange for techniques and treasures. It even provided access to other cultivation worlds for conquest, earning massive military merits.
…
Despite his average aptitude, Qiao Sidao tried his best to live in every lifetime.
Yet he remained an ordinary person among the masses, leaving no mark in history. Each time, he experienced a mundane birth and an ordinary death.
And so, after countless reincarnations…
He returned to the same world where he had first awakened.
An inner disciple of the Seven Star Sect.
The Immortal Ancestor transmitting dharma from Congyun Marsh.
However, after witnessing countless cycles of destruction and resurgence, Qiao Sidao vaguely understood his current predicament.
Thus, he refrained from any drastic actions, behaving instead like an outsider.
Quietly observing the world’s changes.
This time, the Sect of Creation’s [Wu] did not appear. The preaching Immortal Ancestor successfully completed the sermon.
But as the new techniques began to spread, the Ten Great Immortal Sects immediately issued an extermination order.
The new techniques were labeled heretical, and any practitioners were to be executed without mercy.
It was said that this decree came from the Great Dao Sect’s [Zhi].
As a result, the new techniques met their demise before achieving any great feats.
Even the preaching Immortal Venerable himself died tragically under relentless pursuit.
Witnessing all this, Qiao Sidao seemed to understand something.
In the countless cycles of reincarnation that followed…
He never again encountered [Zhi] in this world.
“So, it’s all for these people.”
Most people in this world are ordinary.
But there are always a few extraordinary individuals.
These individuals, through their exceptional talents, could even alter the course of history.
For example, using one’s own strength to research a “Medicine” method that completely solves the plague of Deceased Immortals Demise.
And also, after the Ten Great Immortal Sects and Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance abandoned all cultivators, standing up to reverse the tide, reuniting everyone.
Eventually, this person reignited the Reversal of Xuanhuang Plan and saved the entire world—the Immortal Emperor.
…
Through countless reincarnations, Qiao Sidao watched these geniuses rise and fall.
His heart grew colder.
He had realized the truth about the world he was in.
The various divergent worlds were merely tests to select those with exceptional talent.
While the rest of the world’s beings were nothing more than background props.
But…
What about himself?
Why was he able to retain his memories across countless reincarnations?
Qiao Sidao didn’t know the reason.
But he understood that this was his only leverage to escape this false world.
TLN:-[Oof… This took a long time to translate, hope you guys enjoyed it! And also do give your thoughts and theories on what’s going on here]