Within the Void Fortress, all the Chaos Realm cultivators could only wait.
Dongbo Xueying stood silently in the vast hall, gazing at the blurred reflections on the mirror-smooth walls before shaking his head slightly. Whether it was the cataclysmic battle that shattered the Primordial Ancient Sacred World, the other wars incited by the Sacred Master, or even this current struggle against the Destruction Fiends—the ultimate outcome of these conflicts was always determined by the Cosmic Gods. Those like them, mere Chaos Realm cultivators, could only watch from the sidelines.
A single Blade Emperor or Witch Ancestor could annihilate all of them single-handedly.
Such was the qualitative gap between them.
“Whoosh.”
Dongbo Xueying, Emperor Xinghuo, the Heart Image Sect Master, and hundreds of other Chaos Realm cultivators turned their gazes simultaneously as a hunched old man appeared in the hall—none other than Ancestor Tianyu.
Ancestor Tianyu swept his eyes across the gathered Chaos Realm cultivators and smiled faintly. “It’s over. Those Destruction Fiends have either been slain in battle or fled back. There isn’t a single one left in the inner domain. This crisis has been resolved.”
“Hah!”
“Knew it.”
“No matter how much those Destruction Fiends struggle, it’s all a joke.”
A wave of laughter and clamor erupted.
Ancestor Tianyu nodded slightly before his figure blurred and vanished.
Dongbo Xueying, however, found it difficult to share in the relief.
“Dongbo, come, let’s have a few drinks,” Emperor Xinghuo approached with a grin. “The matter’s settled, yet you’re still frowning. What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing. Let’s drink.” Dongbo Xueying forced a smile, though inwardly, he couldn’t help but sigh—
The attack? It was the Destruction Fiends who initiated it.
The retreat? It was also the Destruction Fiends who chose to withdraw.
…
In another tranquil hall within the Void Fortress, the twelve Cosmic Gods sat in solemn silence, their expressions grim.
“That one who called himself ‘Emperor Jun’ at the end—his strength was nearly on par with mine,” the Blade Emperor said coldly.
“Destruction Fiends are innately skilled at survival. Though these Cosmic God-level fiends are far weaker than us, even after two hours of battle, we failed to kill a single one,” the Primordial Demon Mountain Ancestor sighed heavily. “If we can’t eliminate them, more Cosmic God-level Destruction Fiends will emerge over time. And now, this ‘Emperor Jun’ has reached the second tier of Cosmic God strength. The situation grows increasingly dire.”
“Indeed.”
“The circumstances worsen by the day.”
These were the Cosmic Gods who dictated the fate of the entire Chaos Void, yet even they felt a sense of powerlessness.
Kill them?
They couldn’t!
Meanwhile, the Destruction Fiends were growing stronger at an alarming rate. Though the cultivators would also produce more powerful figures over time, their progress was natural and steady. The Destruction Fiends, however, multiplied exponentially as their nests proliferated. Their strength would continue to rise, eventually matching—and perhaps surpassing—that of the cultivators.
They could only watch helplessly as it unfolded.
“It’s still a long way off. For them to reach our level will take an immense span of time,” the Witch Ancestor said calmly. “In the meantime, we’ll do everything in our power to slow their ascent. The more time we buy, the greater the chance for miracles to occur. And even if all our struggles ultimately fail… well, we’ll simply face the great annihilation of the Chaos Void together.”
“Hah! At worst, it’s just the end of everything.”
“We still have plenty of time.”
Having reached such heights in cultivation, they could accept any outcome with equanimity.
“The Destruction Fiends have attacked the spatial barriers multiple times,” the Realm Ancestor mused, stroking his thin, pointed chin. “Yet never have they committed their full strength.”
“True.”
“They’ve always held back.”
“Take that ‘Emperor Jun’—he didn’t even join the battle until the later stages.”
“The number of weaker Destruction Fiends they sent as cannon fodder was also limited. Had they truly gone all-out, they could have dispatched ten times as many, making it far harder for us to locate their main force. They could have breached the spatial barriers with far greater ease.”
All present agreed—the Destruction Fiends had not fought with their full might.
The Realm Ancestor continued, “If they weren’t giving their all, why attack the spatial barriers repeatedly? Initially, I suspected they were probing the barriers’ defenses. But would they really do so every time? Moreover, traces of hidden Destruction Fiends have been found in both the Chaos Void and the Five Sacred Worlds. Clearly, some have already slipped past the barriers. How? I suspect it happened during their assaults.”
“I share your suspicion,” the Witch Ancestor said. “Yet despite multiple inspections and reinforcements, I’ve found no evidence of their passage.”
“Could the Destruction Fiends possess ultra-long-range teleportation?” the Bone Ancestor murmured.
“Impossible.”
“If they had such means, they wouldn’t waste time here. They’d have already struck the Five Sacred Worlds.”
“Then they must have some other method of bypassing the barriers.”
They pondered deeply.
…
While the cultivators brooded over their suspicions, deep within the Labyrinth Corridor—
“Hahaha…”
Five ‘Kings’ reveled in a resplendent palace, drinking and laughing freely.
Seated at the center was a lean man with a long, segmented tail of scales, coiled twice around his own seat—Emperor Jun, the strongest among the Destruction Fiends.
“Those foolish cultivators fought us blindly, unaware that with a single strike against the spatial barrier, I sent three Kings through.”
“The ‘Phantom’ talent is truly formidable.”
“My attack brushed against General Mogu, yet he emerged unscathed.”
They marveled, even envying the ability.
The ‘Phantom’ talent represented the pinnacle of intangibility, allowing one to bypass nearly all barriers, seals, and restrictions. Attacks could scarcely harm them—when phased, they became utterly invisible.
“Who would have thought Emperor Jun would return this time?”
“With him here, dealing with those cultivators will be even easier.”
Emperor Jun’s tail shifted lazily as he chuckled. “Now that the other three Kings have also infiltrated, all our ‘Kings’ have ventured beyond. For a long while, we need not wage war again. Focus on cultivation, and be patient as we amass our strength.”
The other four nodded in agreement.
…
In the years that followed, Dongbo Xueying devoted most of his efforts to cultivation and scouring the Labyrinth Corridor for new Golden Armor-level nests, occasionally engaging in battles within the inner domain.
Three hundred million years passed in the blink of an eye.
In a remote region of the Sevenstar Sea Sacred World stood a flourishing city, the domain of a Chaos Realm powerhouse—Palace Master Yuqian. She had established a sect, taken disciples, and built a grand city to shelter countless cultivators. Over the eons, she had become a revered matriarch, with numerous nations swearing fealty. Only the most exceptional talents earned the right to study under her.
“Palace Master.”
“Palace Master.”
Disciples bowed respectfully as Palace Master Yuqian, clad in pristine white robes and barefoot, strode through her palace. A faint unease lingered in her brow—she had been in seclusion when a sudden foreboding gripped her.
“What is it?” She leaned against the high balcony, gazing down at the sprawling city below.
At that moment—
Six figures appeared in the distant sky. Leading them was a gaunt, golden-robed man with triangular eyes, his face twisted in a sinister grin as he surveyed the city below.
“Capture Palace Master Yuqian alive. I want to devour her myself,” the golden-robed man commanded coldly. “And every cultivator in this city—I will feast on them all.”
“As you command, General Mogu,” his five subordinates replied.
The golden-robed man licked his lips in anticipation. This was General Mogu, wielder of the ‘Phantom’ talent. The other three Kings had long dispersed, hiding among the cultivators. His five subordinates—all Golden Armor-level Destruction Fiends, two boasting ninth-tier combat power and three at the peak of the eighth-tier—had been carefully selected to accompany and protect him.
“So long… So long you’ve denied me,” General Mogu murmured. “This time, I shall indulge to my heart’s content.”
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