The moment the Assimilation method was unleashed, every ancient god immediately understood what it was. They would dissolve into Qi Yuan, becoming a part of him. Everything they were would become his foundation, pushing him toward the Yang Spirit realm.

Upon receiving the arts, some hesitated, while others felt quiet sorrow. Yet none of them wavered.

Twilight declared resolutely, “In the past, Heavenly Sovereign brought me to greatness. I shall repay him today!”

As his voice fell, all water ancient gods erupted in blinding radiance. They shattered, reduced to a single droplet of water that flowed into Qi Yuan’s Divine Domain.

Yulei activated the art as well. His aged eyes narrowed serenely. “I suppose I can no longer guard the netherworld for you.”

He exploded into fragments of light. Without hesitation or regret, he became part of Qi Yuan.

Dong Jianghe could barely stand. With the last of his divine spiritual energy, he completed the art. “The spring breeze once pitied me... Who would have thought the youth I was meant to become would be you, Heavenly Sovereign?”

“I will gladly die for the Heavenly Sovereign!”

“I will gladly die for the Heavenly Sovereign!”

Voices roared across the heavens. One after another, the ancient gods chose sacrifice. Even knowing their deaths would not secure Qi Yuan’s ascension, they marched on, unwavering.

The Celestial Star Array began to dim. The once-glittering night sky faded, losing its brilliance one by one.

Thunder roared with laughter, “Qi Yuan! Use that ridiculous title they gave me after I’m gone, yeah?"

He burst apart in a storm of thunderous light. The blood shed by the fallen gods within the array stirred as well. It was drawn upward and absorbed, eventually becoming a part of Qi Yuan. Former subjects, ancient gods, Qi Qi, Shi Zhongshan, Shen Tu, Shenmiao, Lishan—they vanished one after another.

Just then, another presence appeared nearby. Her red robes fluttered like a drifting flame. Ethereal and untouchable, No-Food Goddess’ projection appeared. She had manifested after those who had ascended through supreme treasures perished.

She stared at him, her gaze as complex as ever. At last, she smiled. “I finally see you.”

Her peerless figure shattered like crimson glass in sunlight. She, too, became him.

Qi Yuan’s power surged wildly. Within his Divine Domain, floods roared, heavenly thunder crashed, the earth inverted upon itself. It was a realm on the verge of collapse and rebirth. The Great Venerable’s divine spiritual energy and visualization arts surged into his mind in a single torrent. It felt as though a million celestial gods resided within him.

Blood Sun Great Sage smiled faintly. “Such a tragic, heart-rending sacrifice! ...A pity it’s useless.”

Qi Yuan raised his sword with both hands. “Die!”

He leaped from the sea of stars and descended like judgment itself. Fragile celestial bodies shattered into powder beneath the shockwave, scattering like flakes of ash.

This sword strike carried the will of every fallen ancient god. It was dozens—no, hundreds of times stronger than before. The blade cleaved straight through Blood Sun Great Sage, splitting her massive form in two. A thin line of blood appeared on her forehead.

She murmured, “Not bad. Injuring my Dharma Body is no small feat.”

Her form instantly knit back together, as if nothing had ever happened.

“Unfortunately, unless you become a Yang Spirit, you cannot touch my origin.”

Even if a brute could crush gold in his palm, he could never erase the element of gold itself.

Qi Yuan stood in silence. He felt incomparably powerful. Given enough time, he could definitely cleave a star in half, yet he still could not truly harm her.

Blood Sun Great Sage said softly, “You are stronger than any Mythic before you. Your divine spiritual energy even surpasses mine. But so what? The difference between Yang Spirit and Yin Spirit has nothing to do with any of that.”

His gaze darkened. “Is it still not enough?”

“What use is more divine spiritual energy?!” She laughed. “How can a fleeting firework compare to the eternity of the stars?”

Qi Yuan lowered his voice. “I understand. My divine spiritual energy is still insufficient.”

He swung his sword again, silently refining the immense power he had absorbed.

Blood Sun Great Sage watched him, as though waiting for a meal to be ready. “Assimilation is still assimilation. Their power is not truly yours. Your divine spiritual energy is chaotic, unable to merge into one. How do you expect to fight me when you can’t even control your power?”

True enough, storms wreaked havoc within his Divine Domain. Though it was far stronger than her Mythic-era self, it remained disordered and fragmented. Without unity, how could he condense a past self? Even if he did, without entering the Greater Realm, how could he ever condense a present self and step into the Yang Spirit realm? In the end, Qi Yuan still posed no real threat to her.

Spreading her massive blood-red maw, her eyes gleamed with hunger and a trace of reluctance. “Is this truly your limit? So weak.”

Ravenous greed burned beneath her mockery. Qi Yuan was far more delicious than a Primordial World’s Heavenly Dao. If she devoured all of him, she could eventually reign supreme across heaven and earth.

She gazed at him almost tenderly. “Devouring you will complete me.”

For the first time, she unleashed her untouched origin. Her monstrous mouth opened again, just like when her past self swallowed him whole. Yet this time, Qi Yuan did not cleave her apart with the projections of the Three Pure Ones.

Emptiness swallowed him. There was neither light nor color, or even darkness.

Her vast voice echoed within his mind. “Become part of me.”

Qi Yuan stood within the void. His enormous eyes shimmered with profound depth. Memories peeled away, and everything seemed to drift from him. He stood utterly still, without resisting.

It was terrifyingly quiet. An instant passed, or perhaps an eternity. In the next moment, he broke into a smile. “Blood Sun Great Sage. You were always me. Why would you devour yourself?”

She ignored him, believing he was just stalling. His laughter echoed within the emptiness.

“Divine spiritual as one... The One that escaped... One gives birth to Two. Two give birth to three. Three give birth to all things.”