"Still not powerful enough. If I were sufficiently strong, why would I need to conceal myself? No matter where you hide, I can reach you and slay you."
Mu Changqing murmured to himself, walking alone through the grey primal expanse for eons, without fatigue, ceaselessly forging ahead.
This region was too vast and immense; even beings at the Ancestral God level could not traverse the grey primal expanse to reach the other shore.
Of course, an Ancestral God could choose to leave the grey primal expanse, commence creation, and bring forth all things.
They bore some resemblance to a Creator, yet far surpassed the concept of a Creator.
A Creator could only create, while an Ancestral God could bring into being all that is knowable.
Whether it be the order and rules of the myriad heavens, the laws of the Great Dao, cultivation systems, the genesis of the universe... all that could be known or conceived, they could create.
Mu Changqing had walked alone on the grey land for so many years that he had forgotten the passage of time.
The entire land was deathly silent, shrouded in surging mist, interwoven with laws and order, yet devoid of any living beings.
As Mu Changqing walked upon this land, resembling a ruin, he encountered many strange places. Worlds withered and broken, falling onto the grey land, ignored by all.
Supreme ancestral markings were etched upon the mountains and rivers, the River of Time took form, its source severed, on the brink of drying up.
Within it, historical scenes from this era were projected, revealing all that had transpired.
Its demise and withering were clearly the result of the battle between Mu Changqing and the Ancestral God Demon, which had struck it down.
Mu Changqing proceeded alone, remaining silent for years.
Wherever he passed, whether mountains or rivers, his footprints were left behind.
Not merely footprints, but Mu Changqing left his essence, his purple cosmic world, imitating and comprehending the grey primal expanse.
These eons, perhaps billions of years, had passed.
The Ancestral Gods had not appeared again; the grey primal expanse seemed to have transformed into a desolate place, offering no conscious response.
Occasionally pausing, looking back, behind him, grey mist and purple mist intertwined, as if vying for supremacy, as if devouring each other.
Mu Changqing's solitary journey in the grey primal expanse was like his own cultivation on the Great Dao, forging an ultimate path, taking a new step, breaking through the shackles of the Ancestral Gods.
The states of Dao Ancestor and Empress Xuan Yue were also somewhat peculiar, as if influenced by Mu Changqing, they had fallen into a long-dormant slumber.
On this day, Mu Changqing stopped.
Before him lay a desolate grey land, and ahead, an ancient and mysterious star.
To call it a star was an exaggeration; it was more like a dilapidated world that had fallen into the grey primal expanse.
Mu Changqing had seen countless strange sights over the years, so he naturally would not stop for a mere broken world.
The reason Mu Changqing stopped was precisely because... for the first time in the grey primal expanse, he encountered a living being, a strange creature from the grey primal expanse.
He looked up. It was a world from a final era, fallen into the grey primal expanse, like discarded refuse, lodged within a rift cloaked in dense fog, nestled in the winding canyons of the grey primal expanse.
"Interesting. A creature not intentionally nurtured by the grey primal expanse."
As he spoke, Mu Changqing's figure transformed into a wisp of ethereal light, piercing the grey sky and entering the world of the final era.
This was a land of desolate ruins, its evolutionary path severed. Everywhere he looked, beings lived simple, unadorned lives, much like ancient, unevolved creatures.
It seemed to exist in isolation, appearing somewhat detached yet inexplicably lonely when compared to this grey land.
Mu Changqing's appearance did not attract any attention from the beings of this final era.
He was as insignificant as a speck of dust falling into a boundless desert.
Mu Changqing's attire was utterly out of place in this world.
He wore an indescribably resplendent black robe, comparable to the most terrifying ancient ancestral artifacts.
Though it served no functional purpose, simply by being with Mu Changqing, it could achieve eternal immortality.
The beings here were indistinguishable from humans and were indeed human.
They wore coarse, ragged clothes. From time to time, sandstorms would blow, causing dust to fall and pile up into mounds of sand.
A scorching sun hung in the high heavens, and a cold moon bathed the nights.
Its existence was no different from a normal great world; it possessed all the basic configurations, except for the depletion of spiritual energy, placing it in a final era.
On this day, Mu Changqing arrived at an ancient village.
It was an ancient, primitive village standing amidst the desolate wilderness, guarded by a spirit of worship. Its houses were constructed from massive stones and wood.
Outside the village lay various ferocious beasts, extremely dangerous.
Mu Changqing stopped outside the village. Ahead stood a massive altar.
The altar exuded an ancient and mysterious aura, tinged with a sense of decay, like a solitary guardian standing watch for eons in the darkness, protecting the village.
"Origin, creation...!"
Mu Changqing transformed into a mortal, his cultivation receding at a thought, to comprehend the mortal world of the wilderness.
For Mu Changqing now, cultivation was meaningless.
With a thought, he could be an Ancestral God; with another, he could become a mortal. Eternal and immortal, the primal expanse could not bury him.
The ancient altar seemed to sense Mu Changqing's presence, emitting faint light, showing signs of revival, and projecting ancient phenomena.
Mu Changqing slowly raised his gaze and gave it a casual glance.
In an instant, the entire altar emanated a human-like fear, its light receding into silence.
"A lingering, struggling being, transforming into an altar, absorbing faith, seeking to restore its peak state."
With a single glance, Mu Changqing saw through everything about the being within the altar.
He then shook his head, unconcerned.
A mere spirit of worship was too weak for him, too weak even to qualify for Mu Changqing's notice.
Ahead, a being of the wilderness was startled. A stooped figure, withered with age, appeared, holding an ancient staff and wearing rough animal hides.
Behind him followed several robust middle-aged men, wielding artifacts crafted from animal bones, exuding a dense aura of the wilderness as they approached Mu Changqing with vigilance.
Mu Changqing's gaze flickered. After a moment of contemplation, he completely isolated all his cultivation, including his senses, everything. He became a complete mortal.
A mortal who could not probe the past or future of others, nor the essence of the world.
At this moment, besides his handsomeness, Mu Changqing possessed nothing.
Even a mortal realm cultivator could easily suppress him.
"Who are you? Why have you come to my tribe?"
The elder leading them spoke cautiously, a subtle beastly aura emanating from him.
His village was protected by a spirit of worship, yet this young man had stepped into the village's vicinity, and the spirit of worship had not issued any warning. It was extremely peculiar.
Hearing this, Mu Changqing showed a gentle smile, tidied his clothes, cupped his fists, and bowed slightly.
"My name is Mu Changqing. I am merely passing through. The sky is growing late, may I trouble you for a night's lodging."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was slightly stunned, unsure how to respond.