Once again, the Era of Order had ended. And once again, the Era of Chaos had begun. The number of living beings that inhabited the Cosmos was uncountable, but only a very small portion of them had witnessed the last time a Change of Eras occurred.

They were the existences that stood at the very pinnacle of the Cosmos. Having long since achieved an immortal lifespan, they possessed indescribably great strength and unfathomable means. But even people like this did not all welcome the Era of Chaos with open hearts.

The reason for this was quite simple. The Era of Chaos always brought with it great changes. For some supreme existences, the change would take them from a state of life to a state of death. An immortal lifespan did not necessarily equate to true immortality. It was merely one of the prerequisites for it - the other requirement being unparalleled strength.

* * *

"What do we do now, my Lady?"

A beautiful woman kneeled in front of an ethereal figure and asked this question. Although she tried to hide it, a small trace of panic was discernable in her normally composed voice.

The Divine Eye Sect which she was a part of was a behemoth that lived through several brutal cycles of Order and Chaos. If there was one person that made such a feat possible, then it was the ethereal figure standing in front of her, the Lady she chose to serve countless Cosmic Years ago. Her clairvoyant guidance produced one miracle after another, ensuring that their sect stood among the victors in every major conflict they were part of.

However, the biggest miracle of them all would be required right now, if they were to get through their current crisis.

The sky above the Divine Eye Sect shimmered with a dome of protective energy – a dome that would soon falter under the relentless siege of the Sect's attackers.

After a period of foreboding silence, the ethereal woman spoke out.

"Do not give up and fight to your last breath… did you expect me to say something like that?"

The ethereal woman, the Sect Mistress of the Divine Eye sect turned towards the kneeling figure as she said those words. A subtle but beautiful smile adorned her blurry face.

An intricately engraved key appeared out of thin air. It gently floated down towards the kneeling woman. The words which her Lady spoke to her next made her sob uncontrollably. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried. But despite her grief, she had to obey her Lady's orders, just like she always did.

* * *

Outside the protective formation of the Divine Eye Sect, a dashing, golden-haired man stood in the void.

"My Lord, the siege is progressing smoothly. We are very close to dismantling the protective barrier. There are no signs of anyone coming to aid the Divine Eye Sect."

Of course no one was coming. The golden-haired man had gone to great lengths to ensure that was going to be the case. Still, it was good to know that his plans so far had borne fruit.

"Good. Keep going."

He gave a curt, almost absent-minded response to his subordinate. He couldn't help but think of the distant past. There was a period of time during which the Sect Mistress of the Divine Eye Sect was the object of his affections. He couldn't help but think of a future, a present which could have been, but was not.

The man shook his head to remove those useless thoughts from his mind. His failed romance attempt was an ancient matter and did not have anything to do with his current assault. He had big plans. The Era of Chaos was conducive to setting such drastic plans in motion. For his plan to succeed, the woman who he once loved had to die.

And yet, he felt a sense of incongruence. He was very close to achieving what he had set out to achieve. One could even say that his plan had progressed smoothly so far. And therein lay the problem. He felt that his plans were progressing a bit too smoothly.

Still, he could not stop now. And so, the siege continued.

* * *

Some time later, void-shattering news spread across the Cosmos: The Divine Eye Sect was no more. The Sect Mistress had taken her own life in the courtyard of her pavilion. Multiple pinnacle experts, practitioners of the Dao of Reincarnation and the Dao of Death, confirmed that it was True Death and not some kind of trick.

Most people knew that the arrival of the Era of Chaos would herald great changes. But quite literally no one had predicted such a massive sect to fall so early. The Era of Chaos was just beginning! Like before, it was expected to last for hundreds of millions of cosmic years!

* * *

In the Netherworld, the golden haired man who led the siege against the Divine Eye Sect tried to make himself small as he stood in the line before the Gate of Reincarnation. His presence there was part of his plan, and he clearly did not wish for anyone else to know what he was plotting. He was so, so close to succeeding.

Alas, a sharp pair of eyes, filled with mischief, was fixated on the well-concealed golden-haired figure. The observer stood a great distance away and spoke to himself in a soft voice.

"The Era of Chaos has just begun and so many people have already played their cards… Such impatience, such impudence! Unfortunately for all of you, I am the only one in possession of the Joker."