Astral Pet Store Chapter 1578: Epilogue: Welcome Back (1)

The Ultimate Heavenly Dao gazed upon Su Ping with a smile. A hint of sincerity gleamed in his eyes, replacing the earlier chill and fury with the cozy warmth reserved for an old companion.     

Su Ping had endured endless reincarnations amid the people's prayer. That stretch felt endlessly grueling, even to beings of immortality.     

Yet for entities like the Ultimate Heavenly Dao, such an ordeal barely registered as a fleeting instant.     

Time held no sway over him. Nor did its flow ever breed impatience within.     

Time warps countless elements, from material forms to inner thoughts.     

Thus, timeless existences evade erosion by ages, staying perpetually unaltered. To him, vast epochs unfolded merely as an unrolled tapestry; he perceived events billions of years ahead or echoes from bygone lives.     

All stood foreordained from the outset.     

The interim unfolded as life's essence for beings—their fleeting blooms, celestial shifts, and roaring currents.     

Su Ping gradually parted his eyelids. Myriads of stars sparkled briefly inside, vanishing to leave only deep black pupils.     

Gone was the rage and agony that once clouded his gaze. In their stead lingered a serene, mild detachment.     

Not even confronting the despised Ultimate Heavenly Dao, whom he once yearned to obliterate, stirred any ripples; that same softness persisted, devoid of wrath or murderous urge.     

A wider grin lit the Ultimate Heavenly Dao's face as he regarded Su Ping. "It seems you've grasped it. As I mentioned, enduring what I've endured clears the mind like mine. Countless folks rage and loathe one another over clashes and misconceptions—all stemming from failing to comprehend each other's plights.     

"They dwell in varied surroundings and bloodlines. The kin and comrades shaping their youth differ too. Even dearest family and beloved ones fail to fully grasp the woes of the vulnerable.     

"Isolation grips you utterly, whether sharing a home or lost in throngs.     

"Such solitude plagues every being. They crave mutual understanding, yet it eludes them—the tragedy woven into existence."     

The Ultimate Heavenly Dao beamed at Su Ping. "Join me. Together, we'll forge an everlasting realm, banishing sorrow from chaos forever."     

Su Ping eyed his arm at length before shaking his head. Smiling faintly, he replied, "You speak true. Yet this very solitude renders chaos thrilling and precious. Eternity shines eternal, true—but dreadfully dull.     

"I'd take solitude over tedium any day."     

Deliberately, he lifted his palm toward the Ultimate Heavenly Dao. "Come. Merge with this world alongside me, embracing its radiance over shadows!"     

Stunned silence gripped the Ultimate Heavenly Dao.     

His smile hardened, then faded. Gloom shadowed his features as he fixed Su Ping with a stare. "Evidently, your insight falls short of depth."     

Su Ping shook his head. "I've comprehended it fully. Without her, without them, my path might mirror yours. Regrettably for you, encounters happened. No torrent of worldly terrors alters one truth…     

"She birthed this world. How could I despise her creation?"     

In a flash, the Ultimate Heavenly Dao grasped whom Su Ping meant by "them." His expression darkened further, chill seeping in. "You're poisoned beyond saving. Obliteration awaits!"     

Right then, the Chaos Core interjected. "Is this truly your decision?"         

His steadfast gaze pierced all veils.     

Su Ping met it boldly. "Indeed. This is my choice!"     

"Impossible!"     

Fury boiled in the Ultimate Heavenly Dao. He fathomed the Chaos Core's intent. Per their pact, Su Ping ought return to the Mother of Chaos unchanged by the prayer.     

"Some deceit must lurk. True immersion wouldn't yield such words!"     

His rage surged as he pressed on. "Merely ten thousand years mark your span. No peak chaos being withstands it unscathed. Infinite rebirths dwarf your existence billions-fold—survival alone proves feat enough. Yet you utter this!"     

"Fresh trials reshape souls, birthing new selves from old deaths."     

Su Ping locked eyes with the Ultimate Heavenly Dao. "Yet consider this: my core beliefs endure from those initial cultivation decades. Greater heights merely broaden vistas; my essence stays unaltered.     

"Bonds with comrades, allies, kin reign supreme within. Truths like these need no lessons—the frail know the sun blinds direct gaze. Experience bears no tie. Vile offenders recognize their evil; they simply scorn it!"