“Ahhh~~~” The blood-armored four-armed warrior let out a pained groan. After the six-layered dark bubbles shattered, his current state was revealed—only two arms remained, his body covered in gruesome wounds, and half his head missing. He glared at the distant Dongbo Xueying with fury in his eyes, though his heart was filled with desolation, knowing he would likely die at the hands of this white-robed youth.
Dongbo Xueying traversed the void within the illusory realm, maintaining his distance from the enemy.
“Again.”
Dongbo Xueying was also astonished by the enemy’s physical resilience, but he swiftly reconstructed the Dark Realm—one world enveloping another, six layers descending once more, completely encasing his foe.
*Pop! Pop! Pop!*
Under rapid compression, the six dark bubbles burst one after another, seemingly playful but harboring terrifying destructive power.
“The Dark Realm technique is indeed formidable. Enemies perish before they can even get close,” Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly. “But its weakness is just as obvious—if an enemy closes the distance, it becomes a serious problem. Neither the first form, ‘Dark Bubbles,’ nor the second, ‘Heaven’s Wrath Blade,’ excels in close combat.”
“Perhaps the Dark Realm Master himself perished due to this very weakness,” Dongbo Xueying speculated.
The Dark Realm Master must have sought to compensate for his shortcomings—strengthening his body, refining his close combat skills. Yet cultivation has its limits; some talents come naturally, others do not. As a ‘Primordial Cultivator,’ the Dark Realm Master possessed unparalleled aptitude in illusions but struggled in other areas. Even dabbling in other systems rarely yielded mastery.
“I must devote myself to the Path of Slaughter and the Path of Ripples, and I cannot slack in the Voidwalker system,” Dongbo Xueying resolved.
Though his talent in the Path of Slaughter and the Path of Ripples paled in comparison to the Path of the Illusory Realm—neither had reached the Unity Realm, and he had yet to master the fourth strike of the World Annihilation Sword—his “weakness” was relative.
After all, he had grasped the second strike of the World Annihilation Sword while still a Dominator!
“If I can elevate my close combat prowess, the Voidwalker system will enhance my physical resilience and survival skills, mitigating the Dark Realm technique’s greatest flaw,” Dongbo Xueying thought. “Combined with my other abilities, my combat power will far surpass what it is now.”
Even as these thoughts raced through his mind, Dongbo Xueying relentlessly unleashed six-layered Dark Realms. The blood-armored enemy, though seething with rage, was humiliatingly unable to even touch Dongbo Xueying, enduring wave after wave of devastating blows.
His injuries worsened.
Only after Dongbo Xueying constructed over sixty Dark Realms did the enemy finally disintegrate, his blood-red radiance merging into the earth.
“Finally, victory.” Dongbo Xueying exhaled in relief.
The enemy had never closed the distance.
Through sheer attrition with the Dark Bubbles, he had worn the enemy down. Imagining the pressure of facing such a formidable physique and terrifying speed in close combat sent a chill down Dongbo Xueying’s spine.
—
**Fifth Level of the Star Tower**
Amidst distant thunder and lightning, a figure emerged—the hunchbacked elder, Ancestor Tianyu.
“Ancestor.” Still reflecting on the battle, Dongbo Xueying immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing him.
“Dongbo Xueying.” Ancestor Tianyu nodded. Having witnessed the young man’s handling of the assassination attempt, he had long known this little fellow would undoubtedly clear the fifth level.
“Within the Tai Void Heavenly Palace, rumors have long circulated that clearing the fifth level of the Star Tower reveals a great secret,” Ancestor Tianyu said with a chuckle.
“Indeed,” Dongbo Xueying replied. “When I’m with other Inner Hall Elders, they sometimes stop mid-conversation the moment I join them.”
“It’s the law. Whether in our Tai Void Heavenly Palace, the Ancestral Island, the Radiant Holy Land, or any of the six sacred grounds across the Seven Seas Holy World and the Eastern Scale Holy World—only those who clear the fifth level of the Star Tower may learn of it,” Ancestor Tianyu explained.
Dongbo Xueying nodded.
“To speak of it…”
“We must first mention the Primordial Ancient Holy World.” Ancestor Tianyu’s gaze grew distant as he spoke slowly. “Long ago, there existed only the vast Primordial Ancient Holy World. Its laws were far more potent than any current Holy World’s, imposing greater suppression on power. Yet within it, countless lives thrived, cultivated, and flourished.”
Dongbo Xueying marveled. A world with laws even more formidable than the current five Holy Worlds?
“The Primordial Ancient Holy World nurtured countless experts, among them those who reached the Ultimate Realm.”
“Though Cosmic Gods often clashed, their battles—spanning hundreds of millions of miles—were insignificant to the Primordial Ancient Holy World,” Ancestor Tianyu continued. “Back then, none of them paid it much mind. But as the number of Ultimate existences grew, and their power intensified, the scale of their conflicts gradually escalated.”
Dongbo Xueying listened intently. He knew even among Ultimate existences, there were hierarchies.
The lowest, like Bone Ancestor, were practically at the bottom.
The mid-tier, such as Ancestor Tianyu, Sword Lord, Void Ancestor, and others—Luo City Lord’s strength likely fell here as well.
The highest tier included the invincible Sacred Master, along with Mother Ancestor and Witch Ancestor.
“The final battle’s might was so overwhelming that even the Primordial Ancient Holy World’s laws could no longer suppress it. *Boom!* The Primordial Ancient Holy World shattered.” Ancestor Tianyu shook his head. “It was an unprecedented catastrophe. None of the Ultimate existences involved had imagined their conflict would destroy the entire world, leaving them utterly unprepared.”
“Thus, countless lives perished in the cataclysm. Only the strongest survived the world’s fragmentation.”
“At the time, I was merely a Chaos Realm cultivator. I barely managed to save a handful of lives around me—a drop in the ocean compared to the infinite lives lost across the Primordial Ancient Holy World,” Ancestor Tianyu sighed.
Dongbo Xueying shuddered. Nearly all life in the Primordial Ancient Holy World annihilated? The scale dwarfed even the extinction of an entire universe. Truly, an unparalleled calamity.
“After the Primordial Ancient Holy World shattered, the Chaos Void expanded endlessly in all directions—and continues to do so even now,” Ancestor Tianyu said. “The Chaos Void grows larger with each passing moment.”
“Dongbo Xueying, what do you think will happen if this expansion continues indefinitely?” Ancestor Tianyu asked.
Dongbo Xueying froze.
A bubble, expanding endlessly, would eventually burst.
A universe, growing without limit, would likely face catastrophe.
“We don’t know the outcome, for we have yet to witness it,” Ancestor Tianyu said. “But we sense it will be nothing good.”
“Moreover…”
“After the Primordial Ancient Holy World’s destruction, a peculiar race emerged at the edges of the Chaos Void,” Ancestor Tianyu continued. “They seem born solely for destruction. We call them the ‘Annihilation Fiends.'”
“Born for destruction?” Dongbo Xueying frowned. “They appeared only after the Primordial Ancient Holy World shattered?”
Ancestor Tianyu nodded. “Yes. Their very essence opposes that of normal life. They harbor no desires beyond annihilation—killing all in their path. We suspect they are a natural manifestation of the Chaos Void’s laws, perhaps meant to destroy us—either to alleviate the strain on the laws or to return the infinite Chaos Void to nothingness.”
“These are mere speculations.”
“Even if the void were to reset and a new Primordial Ancient Holy World emerge, it would mean nothing to us.”
“Thus, we cannot simply await death,” Ancestor Tianyu declared. “At the void’s edge, some Ultimate existences stand guard, supported by legions of Chaos Realm and Unity Realm cultivators, all dedicated to exterminating these Annihilation Fiends.”
“The enemies you faced in the Star Tower were Annihilation Fiends—albeit refined into puppet creatures,” Ancestor Tianyu explained. “From the first to the ninth level, they are all Annihilation Fiends. Occasionally, some even surpass the ninth level, rivaling Cosmic Gods in power.”
Dongbo Xueying gasped.
Annihilation Fiends capable of matching Cosmic Gods? No wonder Ultimate existences were needed to guard the void’s edge. If they failed, the five Holy Worlds of the Chaos Void would surely face total annihilation.
“This is the price.”
“The price of that ancient war!” Ancestor Tianyu’s expression darkened. “Yet the Sacred Master and Mother Ancestor remain selfish! Neither has ever fought at the void’s edge, nor have they permitted their followers to join the battle. The burden of resisting the Annihilation Fiends falls solely on the other three Holy Worlds. The Sacred Master seems to have forgotten—*he* was the one who ignited that war!”
Dongbo Xueying was stunned. The Sacred Master and Mother Ancestor refused to contribute to the fight against the Annihilation Fiends?
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