It wasn't an illusion. The sky was falling.
A deafening roar, a sound unlike anything the cultivators of the Xuanhuang World had ever heard, echoed through the heavens.
"Aaaargh!" Countless cultivators cried out, clutching their heads, their vision blurring, their minds reeling from the sudden, overwhelming pressure. Many collapsed, their consciousness fading.
A ringing, a high-pitched whine, resonated within their skulls, a tremor in their very souls that persisted even after they had sealed their senses.
Those who looked up saw the sky… falling, descending towards them, as if the very fabric of reality was collapsing.
The concentration of spiritual energy in the air plummeted.
The wind and rain, the chaotic storm that had gripped the Xuanhuang World, weakened, its fury diminished.
Most cultivators were baffled, their minds reeling from this inexplicable phenomenon.
Only a select few, those standing at the pinnacle of power, understood what was happening.
…
Within a strange, otherworldly space, five figures, their forms obscured by shadows, stood in a circle, their gazes fixed on a luminous cloud at the center of the chamber.
The cloud pulsed with light, images flickering across its surface, a record of every event that had transpired within the Xuanhuang World since the war began.
Now, as the sky fell, the cloud trembled, its size diminishing.
"My, my," a woman's voice, light and playful, echoed through the chamber. "That's quite a sacrifice, wouldn't you say?"
"And we're just going to… watch?" One of the figures stirred, the shadows receding, revealing a woman, her long, silken hair cascading down her back, her figure curvaceous, clad in a form-fitting white robe that, somehow, left one long, slender leg exposed. She regarded the other figures, a seductive smile playing on her lips, her eyes half-lidded. "This is a golden opportunity…"
"What do you propose we do?" a cold voice, emanating from a figure shrouded in a Daoist robe, asked. "Assist this… Sacred Emperor? This unknown entity?"
"I felt… a resonance as I listened to his sermon," a third figure, resembling a scholar, said, their form solidifying. "He… he could be considered my master. I would gladly assist him, if I could. But…" He sighed, glancing towards the Xuanhuang World. "This struggle… this fight for control… it's irrelevant to us. Legacy Transmission is a wolf in sheep's clothing. And this Sacred Emperor… he's an unknown quantity. Neither the Xuanhuang World nor this wretched Star Sea… they're not safe. Our future… it lies with Blissful Ignorance. Maintaining our current agreement with the Alliance, ensuring the stability of the Xuanhuang World, waiting for the opportune moment… that is our best course of action. Involving ourselves in this conflict would be foolish."
"Besides," the figure added, their tone confident, "Legacy Transmission cannot lose."
Their gazes turned towards the final figure, still shrouded in shadow, seemingly asleep.
The Blissful Ignorance Celestial Venerable.
"I was hoping to… toy with those Alliance fools," the woman in white said, her voice laced with disappointment. "So many fresh faces… so much potential for… amusement."
The scholar, the Daoist, and the shadowy figure ignored her.
"Binding oneself to a world… such a limiting choice." She yawned, covering her mouth with a delicate hand. "This… weakening of the Xuanhuang World… I feel it too. I'm exhausted."
"I'm going back to sleep. Wake me when something… interesting… happens."
Her form solidified once more, becoming a statue.
The scholar chuckled softly. "She can never resist a good show."
"A thousand faces for a thousand people," the Daoist said, his tone dry. "Zhao Ruoxi has a million. A little… fragmentation of the personality is to be expected. Let her go. She's harder to kill than a cockroach."
As Zhao Ruoxi departed, the shadowy figure stirred, the darkness receding, revealing a middle-aged man with a square jaw and a stern expression.
"The Land of Blissful Ignorance," he said, his voice deep and resonant, "it has expanded. Reached the edges of the Star Sea. It's even… touching the Wall."
"This is a crucial moment."
"This war… regardless of the outcome… it benefits us. Death and destruction… they fuel Blissful Ignorance. Perhaps… perhaps this will be enough to break through the Wall."
"After all, the Wall's power over a realm of consciousness, like the Land of Blissful Ignorance, is far weaker than its hold over physical realms."
His words hung in the air, a strange tension filling the chamber.
The Blissful Ignorance Celestial Venerable, however, remained seemingly asleep, though the twitching of his eyebrows betrayed his inner turmoil.
After a moment of silence, the Daoist spoke, his voice tinged with doubt. "The world beyond the Wall… it's not a paradise. Those who escaped… they're trying to get back in. That should tell you something. The Wall… it's a barrier both ways."
"Even if we succeed, even if we escape using the power of Blissful Ignorance, without the Xuanhuang World's laws to sustain us, our power will diminish. Dao Integration… out there… it won't be enough."
"The risks are minimal," the man with the square jaw countered. "We're only risking our dream selves. Our true bodies… they remain safe. But if the world beyond the Wall is a paradise, then we can cultivate there, using our dream selves, gradually transferring our true power, our essence."
"And when our dream selves surpass our true bodies… we can simply… swap places."
The scholar nodded. "It's the safest plan we have. If it weren't for Legacy Transmission, clinging to this pathetic little world, we wouldn't need to resort to such… indirect methods."
"Then let us… stoke the flames," the Daoist said, a chilling smile playing on his lips. "The more chaos, the more suffering… the stronger Blissful Ignorance becomes. As long as the Xuanhuang World itself isn't destroyed… the more deaths, the better."
…
As they spoke, a sudden gust of wind, seemingly originating from beyond the Xuanhuang World, swept through the chamber.
The luminous cloud at the center trembled violently.
The three Eternal Celestial Venerables exchanged startled glances.
"Legacy Transmission's power… that's to be expected. He's had millennia to accumulate strength."
"But this Sacred Emperor… he's… surprisingly potent. Even with the Xuanhuang World's support… this is… unexpected."
They looked at each other, their unease growing.
The Blissful Ignorance Celestial Venerable, however, slept on, seemingly oblivious to their concerns.
…
"Become… the Heavens of Xuanhuang!"
A surge of power, immense and overwhelming, flooded through the Sacred Emperor's body.
Purple, gold, and the deep, earthy tones of the Xuanhuang World intertwined, his form dissolving beneath Legacy Transmission's massive hand.
In his place… a vision of the Xuanhuang World materialized, its landscapes shifting, its boundaries expanding.
The Xuanhuang World, a single world, though it had absorbed countless others, still had limits.
But now, beneath Legacy Transmission's palm, it seemed… infinite. Boundless.
Mountains rose, oceans churned, vast plains stretched as far as the eye could see, strange and wondrous creatures roamed the land.
And as time seemed to accelerate within this vision, the distance between the heavens and the earth increased, as if an unseen giant was pushing them apart.
"The Xuanhuang World, ever-changing, its potential limitless!"
"The Xuanhuang of the past, the Xuanhuang of the present, the Xuanhuang of the future!"
"Converge!"
The Sacred Emperor's voice echoed through this expanding world, growing louder, stronger, its power resonating with the very essence of the Xuanhuang World.
Past, present, and future intertwined, countless iterations of the Xuanhuang World, pulled from the river of time, overlapping, merging.
A vast, eternal realm, its scale incomprehensible.
Legacy Transmission's hand, once an unstoppable force, was now held aloft, its descent halted, its power… contained.
The Eternal Xuanhuang World continued its expansion, its boundaries limitless.
Faster than it had shrunk before, now it grew, its boundless golden light pushing back against Legacy Transmission's hand, its massive size rapidly decreasing until it was no larger than that of a mortal.
He withdrew his hand, staring at the black, circular mark on his palm, a wound that seemed to burn with an internal fire.
Even his regenerative abilities, the Dao Destroyed, Dao Reborn technique, couldn't heal it.
Before him, the Eternal Xuanhuang World shone brightly, illuminating the desolate darkness of the Star Sea, as if a true Celestial Realm, a paradise beyond the reach of mortals, had manifested before him.
He looked at it, at the towering mountains, the vast plains, the strange and wondrous creatures, a flicker of… something… in his eyes.
Then, a spark of light, a single star, exploded within the Eternal Xuanhuang World's sky.
The Sacred Emperor emerged, his form radiating power and majesty, clad in a robe of starlight, a crown of jade upon his head, his feet seemingly treading upon the very river of time.
He stepped out of the Eternal Xuanhuang World as if stepping out of a painting, the line between illusion and reality blurring, twisting, becoming… indistinguishable.
"This is…"
"…the Law of Time?" Legacy Transmission's voice was laced with surprise, with disbelief.
But then he shook his head, dismissing the idea. The wound on his palm, instead of healing, was growing worse, the darkness spreading.
This was… impossible. His Supreme Being body… it was supposed to be impervious to such… mundane injuries.
He could sense it now, the nature of the force that was consuming him. It wasn't related to time. It was something… more fundamental.
A fixed point in reality. An immutable truth.
A wound that would not heal, regardless of the passage of time, regardless of the rise and fall of worlds.
The Sacred Emperor, emerging from the Eternal Xuanhuang World, didn't give him time to recover.
"Spirits of the Sacred Dynasty! My loyal companions! Become my weapons!"
As his voice echoed through the void, figures, clad in starlight robes, emerged from the Eternal Xuanhuang World, their numbers growing, their forms shimmering.
Their faces were obscured, their techniques different from the Sacred Emperor's, but their purpose was clear.
They attacked Legacy Transmission without hesitation.
Some fought with fists and feet, their movements blurring with impossible speed. Others wielded talismans, their power erupting in bursts of colorful energy. Still others summoned spectral swords, their blades shimmering with a cold, ethereal light.
Their techniques, their powers, were illusory, yet they harmed him, leaving behind wounds identical to the black mark on his palm.
And before the vast, ever-expanding Eternal Xuanhuang World, Legacy Transmission's power seemed… constrained.
He fought back, his attacks swift and brutal, but the illusory figures were endless, their numbers growing with each passing moment.
And each one, before being destroyed, managed to inflict another wound, another unhealable mark upon his body.
The black marks spread, their corrosive energy eating away at his flesh, his bones, his very essence.
Despite his increasingly dire situation, Legacy Transmission remained calm.
He was analyzing the Sacred Emperor's technique, trying to understand the nature of this Eternal Xuanhuang World.
His comprehension of the Dao was unparalleled. He had, after all, created a path to immortality by reversing the very laws of the Xuanhuang World, a testament to his genius.
Moments ago, struck by the Sacred Emperor's Dao Destroyed, Dao Reborn technique, he had not only survived but had also instantly grasped its principles, using it to restore himself.
He understood the nature of the True Immortal remnants scattered throughout the Star Sea, even the nature of the Wall itself.
But this… this Eternal Xuanhuang World, blurring the line between illusion and reality… it defied his understanding.
As a fellow Supreme Being, he knew that such a vast and powerful world couldn't be created from nothing. It was beyond the limits of their current reality.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to resort to such drastic measures, painstakingly patching the Xuanhuang World together, piece by piece.
And yet, the pressure, the power emanating from this illusory world… it felt real.
The echoes of countless cultivators, their triumphs and tragedies, their hopes and dreams… they felt real.
The wounds they inflicted… they were real.
What… what was this?
A flash of insight, a glimmer of understanding, sparked within his eyes.
But it was extinguished as a spectral sword sliced through the air, severing his crown.
The Sacred Emperor's relentless assault, each attack aimed at a vital point, forced him to focus on defense, on survival. He couldn't afford to be distracted.
He felt a pang of regret. He sensed that if he could understand this technique, this Eternal Xuanhuang World, it could be the key to restoring the Xuanhuang World, to breaking free from the Immortal Ruins, to even… transcending the Wall itself.
But his opponent, it seemed, wouldn't allow him that luxury.
"Your talent… it's unlike anything I've seen in millennia."
"But to kill me…"
"…You are not yet strong enough."
Legacy Transmission's expression hardened, his eyes blazing with a murderous intent he hadn't displayed before.
"But to die by this technique," he continued, his voice cold, "that is an honor."
A crack appeared in the void before the Eternal Xuanhuang World.
A massive arm, seemingly formed from countless worlds, erupted from the rift, its size incomprehensible, its power overwhelming.
It slammed into the Eternal Xuanhuang World, the impact shaking the very foundations of reality.
The Eternal Xuanhuang World, after all, wasn't truly eternal. Not yet.
But the arm… it was formed from real worlds.
Shattered remnants of dead worlds, their life force extinguished, their essence corrupted.
The relentless assault of these countless world fragments battered the Eternal Xuanhuang World, its form flickering, its stability wavering.
And the illusory figures' attacks, so effective against Legacy Transmission, were meaningless against these dead worlds.
The remnants of True Immortal energy that clung to these world fragments began to seep into the Eternal Xuanhuang World, tainting it, corrupting it, black tendrils of decay spreading across its surface.
Another arm, formed from even more world fragments, emerged from a different rift, its trajectory aimed directly at the Sacred Emperor.
It tore through the illusory world, revealing the true void beyond.
"The corpses of worlds…" The Sacred Emperor murmured as the massive arm drew closer, its surface a chaotic jumble of shattered landscapes, of ruined cities, of exposed bones.
He saw visions of the ancient Tribulation, of worlds collapsing, of cultivators screaming in despair as their homes were destroyed, their bodies turning to ash.
"So many…"
A wave of sadness washed over him.
As the arm was about to crush him, a light, a brilliant white light, enveloped him.
"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes," he whispered, his face illuminated by the light, his expression serene, compassionate.
The world fragments that touched the light vanished, dissolving into nothingness, their substance, their very essence, unmade.
The massive arm, instead of crushing him, was diminished, hundreds of world fragments dissolving upon contact.
A massive crack appeared on its surface.
"What?!" Legacy Transmission's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw his attack falter.
He hastily withdrew the damaged arm, staring at the Sacred Emperor, now shielded by a brilliant white light.
"That light…"
Another unknown. Another mystery.
He narrowed his eyes, his earlier arrogance replaced by a cautious curiosity. He held back, no longer eager to attack, his mind racing, trying to understand the nature of his opponent.
The Sacred Emperor, seizing this opportunity, took a deep breath, allowing his strength to return.
His previous attacks, though amplified by the Xuanhuang World's power, had drained him.
The Eternal Xuanhuang World, built upon his understanding of the "when the real is made to appear fake, the fake becomes real" principle, and fueled by the echoes of countless cultivators, past, present, and future, was a powerful technique.
In theory, with enough power, he could manifest it fully, turn it into a true, independent realm.
But he wasn't strong enough. Not yet.
Even the spectral figures he summoned were mere illusions, their attacks harmless… except for the final blow, the one that carried a fragment of… truth.
A truth that Legacy Transmission couldn't heal, couldn't erase.
Perhaps, he mused, the only way to heal those wounds was to… unmake them. To return them to the nothingness from which they had emerged.
Though he had inflicted significant damage, the Sacred Emperor himself was weakened.
The cost of transforming illusion into reality was far greater than he had anticipated.
The Xuanhuang World's support had been almost completely depleted.
That's why the World Fragment Arm had been so effective, its attack almost succeeding.
The Xuanhuang World had reached its limit.
He had been saved by another treasure from the Fishing Pond.
Like Mao Bao, it had been retrieved without any accompanying information.
A simple white ring, its surface smooth, unblemished.
But it had unsettled Mao Bao, who had refused to come near it.
The cat, sensing something… dangerous, had remained behind.
Though Mao Bao wasn't much of a fighter, his absence had worried the Sacred Emperor.
But he had brought the ring anyway.
It had saved his life.
The ring, its name unknown, possessed a unique property. When activated, its light dissolved all inanimate objects, transforming them into pure energy.
Living beings, however, were unaffected.
Artifacts infused with a cultivator's spiritual sense were also dissolved, but the cultivator themselves suffered no harm.
It seemed like a minor, almost useless ability.
But against Legacy Transmission's World Fragment Arm, it had been incredibly effective.
The countless world fragments that formed the arm had dissolved upon contact, their energy absorbed by the ring, replenishing the Sacred Emperor's strength.
The battle had reached a stalemate.
Though Legacy Transmission possessed far greater reserves of power, the Sacred Emperor's unique treasures and techniques had bridged the gap.
As Supreme Beings, both at the limit of the Star Sea's current potential, neither could easily defeat the other.
It would be an insult to the very concept of supremacy.
"That… object you possess," Legacy Transmission said, his voice calm, his tone almost… curious, "could I… examine it?"
His request, during a lull in their battle, seemed absurd.
"I merely wish to… confirm something," he added quickly. "I will, of course, return it."
The Sacred Emperor hesitated.
Then, after a long silence, he tossed the white ring towards Legacy Transmission.
Legacy Transmission caught it, his eyes narrowing as he examined it, his expression shifting from curiosity to… a strange mix of understanding and regret.
"A pity," he sighed, then, true to his word, returned the ring.
He didn't attack, didn't exploit the Sacred Emperor's momentary vulnerability.
"If I'm not mistaken, that object… it came from beyond the Wall."
"I had hoped… it might be a way to… weaken it. But it seems… I was mistaken." He chuckled softly, a self-deprecating sound.
His expression turned serious. He looked at the Sacred Emperor, his gaze piercing. "Who are you? Where do you come from? Are you… from beyond the Wall?"
His question wasn't entirely unexpected.
From his perspective, the Sacred Emperor's sudden appearance, his mastery of the Dao, his strange and powerful techniques… it was all… highly unusual.
The Sacred Emperor shook his head, his denial immediate, unequivocal.
"I am the Sacred Emperor of Great Qi, chosen by fate."
"An avatar of the Xuanhuang World's Heavenly Dao."
"My purpose… to restore order. To right the wrongs of the past. To usher in a new era of prosperity for the Xuanhuang World." His voice was filled with conviction, his expression radiating righteous fury.
Legacy Transmission, however, sensed something else. A hidden agenda.
"An avatar of the Heavenly Dao…" He scoffed. "If the Xuanhuang World's Heavenly Dao truly possessed such power, it wouldn't be in its current state."
"Forgive my bluntness, but… a single world, even one as resilient as the Xuanhuang World… it couldn't possibly have produced a being like you." His tone was confident, his words a statement of fact.
The Sacred Emperor fell silent, his brow furrowing slightly.
"There is another player in this game," Legacy Transmission continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Someone… manipulating us, using us for their own ends."
"Do not fall into their trap."
"This… hidden manipulator… they must be powerful, to have created a being like you. And yet, they remain hidden, lurking in the shadows…"
His eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint appearing within their depths. "Their ambitions… they must be vast indeed."
"Perhaps… we should join forces. Find this hidden enemy. What do you say?"
The Sacred Emperor hesitated.
His resolve, his dedication to saving the Xuanhuang World, had never wavered. But as his power grew, so too did the questions about his origins, about his true purpose.
Discovering that his bloodline was a mixture of three different families had only deepened his confusion, his uncertainty.
He had suppressed these doubts, pushed them aside, focusing on his mission.
But now, Legacy Transmission's words, his unexpected offer of alliance, had rekindled those doubts, those unanswered questions.
"I understand your… reservations," Legacy Transmission continued, his voice gentle, almost… understanding. "After all, if it weren't for my efforts, my tireless work to repair and protect the Xuanhuang World, this last bastion of cultivation in the Dark Star Sea would have long since fallen to the Immortal Ruins."
He waved his hand, and images appeared before the Sacred Emperor – visions of himself, traveling through the desolate void, carrying fragments of shattered worlds, their last vestiges of life clinging precariously to existence.
Though he had known of Legacy Transmission's actions, his efforts to preserve the Xuanhuang World, seeing it now, witnessing his solitary struggle against the encroaching darkness, a flicker of respect, of admiration, touched his heart.
"Though our methods differ," Legacy Transmission said, gesturing towards the distant Xuanhuang World, "our goal is the same. To protect that world."
"But this… hidden manipulator…" his voice hardened, "their motives are… less clear."
"Our conflict… it benefits no one but them. And while we fight, while we exhaust ourselves, they are free to… manipulate events within the Xuanhuang World, to further their own agenda."
"Can you truly be certain that… after your demise, they will not continue their machinations?"
"I, for one, cannot."
The Sacred Emperor's expression darkened.
Legacy Transmission's words… they resonated with him.
His willingness to return the white ring, after examining it, had proven his… integrity.
And the hidden manipulator's actions… their methods… they spoke of a different kind of being. A being driven by something… darker.
His fight with Legacy Transmission could wait.
But if they destroyed each other…
Then this hidden enemy would truly win.
Legacy Transmission, seeing the change in his opponent's demeanor, nodded slowly.
He inquired about the Sacred Emperor's origins, his sudden appearance in this world.
"No memories… a sudden awakening…"
"A connection… a bloodline…"
As the Sacred Emperor spoke, Legacy Transmission's expression shifted, his eyes narrowing, a flicker of… recognition in their depths.
The tension between them eased, the air of hostility replaced by a cautious… understanding.
"Finding this manipulator… it's not as difficult as it seems."
"If you have a blood connection, I possess a technique that can sense… relatives… within a certain range. But this individual… they are cunning. They are likely… no longer within the Xuanhuang World."
(End of Chapter)