Chapter 479: A Great Figure from the Upper Realm

The calamity descended once more, unforeseen in its abruptness—the second upheaval had begun!

As the little pagoda had explained, descending from the upper realm was an arduous feat, bound by the laws of heaven and earth and further constrained by the great orthodoxies of the upper world. To force one’s way down was to court death. Under these merciless and stringent cosmic rules, those of lesser cultivation could manage, but the mightier one was, the greater the backlash—especially for taboo existences and the most powerful deities. This was a safeguard for the beings of the lower realm.

Once one’s strength surpassed a certain threshold, leaving this world made returning nearly impossible. Only through blood and life could one compensate for the passage back. Thus, even taboo beings hesitated to descend, for the forces they endured were unimaginable. They had waited since ancient times, biding their time until the heavens showed flaws and the great dao’s trajectory shifted, seizing the moment to fulfill their purpose.

*Crack!*

The mirror formed atop the ancestral altar emitted an ear-splitting noise before blurring and shattering outright.

“Such terrifying power!” Shi Hao gasped.

The distance between them and the Fire Nation was vast—a mortal could walk a lifetime and never reach it. Yet, through the ancestral altar, this overwhelming force had pierced through.

“This is indiscriminate destruction,” the little pagoda said. “They’re annihilating all surveillance formations, ensuring no living being witnesses their true forms.”

It rearranged the altar, restoring its ancient tranquility. A transparent puddle formed upon it, morphing into a mirror that once again reflected the distant scene.

Nine-colored lightning streaked across the sky as the firmament split apart. A colossal foot descended, crushing mountains and rivers in an instant, reducing vast lands to ruin.

Shi Hao shuddered. Though observing through the ancestral altar from an unfathomable distance, he could still feel the boundless majesty and annihilative might. The divine aura was too overwhelming—the Desolate Wasteland itself seemed unable to endure it!

The earth fissured, cracks widening into canyons and abysses, stretching endlessly. Magma surged from the depths, as if the world’s end had come. The unstoppable force swept outward, turning endless primordial mountain ranges into wastelands.

“A taboo existence has descended,” the little pagoda murmured. “That power is unparalleled—nothing can withstand it. Only when his true form fully manifests can stability be restored.”

Shi Hao frowned. “Your tone is somber, as if weighed by endless lament.”

*Boom!*

Heaven and earth shattered as a colossal silver being descended, his radiance illuminating the nine heavens and ten earths. Yet, his visage was impossible to behold—too brilliant, too dazzling. His aura was like a tsunami, a rolling galaxy, vast and boundless.

A humanoid entity!

Beyond that, little could be discerned. His silver robes gleamed like metal, reflecting the azure sky.

So mighty! Shi Hao had never witnessed such a being before. Perhaps only the Willow Deity or the little pagoda at full strength could rival him. Otherwise, such power simply did not exist in this world.

“What if such beings choose to stay?” Shi Hao asked warily.

“Taboo existences cannot linger long in this realm,” the little pagoda replied. “To do so would invite catastrophe. If they insist, they must sever their foundations and start anew.”

Shi Hao’s thoughts turned to the Willow Deity, the little pagoda, and the chaotic divine disk he had seen in the Void God Realm—all flawed in some way.

“In this era, opportunities are few. After eons, they can descend at most three or four times before waiting again.”

“Another being has arrived!” Shi Hao’s eyes blazed as he keenly sensed the terror of an upper-realm sect master.

This was no mere lord of a lower-realm faction but the supreme existence of a true orthodoxy, a being who had lived through countless ages—a taboo entity.

Lightning rent the sky as a golden figure emerged, towering into the clouds, eternal and unyielding. Clad in golden robes and crowned, his eyes flickered like twin suns, exuding overwhelming might. Yet, his true form remained obscured by chaotic mist.

Shi Hao marveled. This was like a god-king from the epoch of creation, shrouded in chaos, his depths unfathomable.

“So, this one still lives and has descended,” the little pagoda mused.

The land convulsed—torrents of magma, crumbling earth, a scene of apocalyptic ruin. Amidst the devastation, the ruins of the Fire Nation’s capital teetered but did not vanish, faint wisps of mist rising from them.

At last, the upper-realm figures stabilized their divine power, quelling the cataclysm before shrinking in size and approaching the ruins. Yet, their overwhelming presence remained, like supreme deities intimidating all of existence.

“These two have lived far too long,” the little pagoda remarked. “Their lifespans near their end, hence their haste to descend, seeking the legendary opportunity they scouted last time.”

In a flash, the two figures vanished into the ruins.

Suddenly, a river of stars cascaded from the heavens, a blinding radiance plunging into the ruins. It was a formless entity—merely a beam of light, yet no less terrifying.

*Boom!*

A massive claw erupted from the ruins, shattering the earth for tens of thousands of miles.

“A turtle!” Shi Hao gasped.

An enormous turtle, its strike collapsing the very fabric of the world. Thankfully, the laws of heaven suppressed such extreme power, neutralizing the shockwaves and sealing the vast divine energy.

“The turtle bearing the Supreme Treasure—could that be the real prize?” Shi Hao wondered, though he knew he could only watch.

This was a clash of the mightiest beings. No number of lower-realm lives could matter—such existences could erase countless souls with a flick.

“False.”

A voice spoke from behind. Shi Hao turned to see the Willow Deity, shrouded in mystery, encircled by luminous orbs, each seemingly housing a worshiping deity.

An ancient, profound dao essence emanated from it, accompanied by hymns that resonated through the cosmos.

Relieved, Shi Hao exhaled. With the Willow Deity here, there was nothing to fear.

*Boom!*

As soon as the Willow Deity spoke, the ancestral altar’s image shifted. The ruins now seethed with sword qi and chaotic energy.

“The Third Killing Array!” the little pagoda cried, even it shuddering in awe.

“Why is it ranked third?” Shi Hao asked, curiosity burning.

To the Willow Deity and the little pagoda, the situation was dire—a battle that could shape the future of the upper realm and the eight domains. But to Shi Hao, it was a spectacle of wonder.

“The Third Killing Array is the third most formidable formation since the dawn of creation,” the little pagoda murmured.

Though ranked third, it was no weaker than the first two. Born of nature at the world’s inception, its runes were later charted by mortals—not crafted by hand, hence its unimaginable power.

Indeed, the ruins were engulfed in chaotic sword qi, not mere slaughterous intent but the force of creation itself, cleaving through the heavens.

*Splat!*

Blood gushed from beneath the ruins, staining the earth.

The Willow Deity remained silent, while the little pagoda rejoiced that it wasn’t the one ensnared this time.

“Another legendary taboo existence falls. How many of their kind remain?” the little pagoda gloated.

Shi Hao could only spectate. Even the Willow Deity watched, unwilling to intervene.

“What truly lies within the Supreme Treasure?” Shi Hao pressed.

“The middle chapter of the *Primordial True Solution*,” the Willow Deity answered.

“What?!” Shi Hao was stunned.

“What you learned was the first chapter, *Divine Guidance*. Some taboo existences have seen it, hence their interest in the middle chapter.”

“*Divine Guidance*…” Shi Hao now realized his knowledge was incomplete. “What is the middle chapter called?”

“*Transcendence*,” the Willow Deity said. “It should reside in the Supreme Hall. Many have sought it, yet none succeeded.”

“And the final chapter?”

“None have ever seen it. Like the Third Killing Array, the *Primordial True Solution* was born of heaven and earth. The final chapter remains undiscovered.”

Shi Hao was speechless, his mind reeling.

The first chapter, *Divine Guidance*, had been brought to Stone Village by the Willow Deity—otherwise, he would never have encountered it. He pondered—had he truly grasped its depths? Perhaps not.

“You’ve comprehended the first chapter well enough,” the Willow Deity said cryptically. “When the time comes… you will obtain what you seek.”

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, the heavens trembled as a massive halberd surged from the North Sea, its murderous aura shaking the ages.

“That’s… *Heaven’s Wrath*, one of the ten great weapons of antiquity!” Shi Hao exclaimed, recognizing it from his time in the North Sea.

Though broken into three pieces, it reassembled without losing its might, as if bearing down with the weight of the world.

Wreathed in chaotic energy, it suppressed all, its killing intent shaking the heavens as it plunged into the ruins.

“The Kun Peng… could it still be alive?!” Even the little pagoda was stunned.

Shi Hao was equally shocked. Today’s events defied imagination—even the Kun Peng’s artifact had appeared, as if driven by an ancient vendetta.

*Splat!*

A streak of silver blood erupted from the depths, dazzling and radiant.