Chapter 376

Chapter 376: The Chaos Begins

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The nine pillars propping up the sky thrust into the Xuantian Great Luo Dao Array. Horrifying divine power erupted, instantly blasting nine massive holes through the array. Within half an hour, the entire formation was utterly destroyed.

The next instant, the pillars plunged into the scars of the heavens. These celestial wounds began to expand relentlessly.

BANG!

After an unknown period, the nine pillars smashed into the Immortal Realm. In that instant, the Immortal Realm shook violently. The celestial gold and divine stones that formed its foundation shattered. Fierce astral winds raged, ripping void space apart.

Within the Purple Star Heavenly Court, the Lord of the Celestial Monitoring Agency was utterly astounded. He stumbled and scrambled towards Ziwei Palace to report to the Emperor.

"We already know."

The Emperor dismissed the Lord of the Celestial Monitoring Agency with a wave. He issued a command, summoning all the great powerhouses of the Purple Star Heavenly Court.

"Your Majesty, the great cataclysm approaches. How shall we act?" one semi-Immortal Emperor spoke.

"Hmph!"

Another semi-Immortal Emperor sneered coldly. "The Heavenly Court upholds Tao, commanding the world, it is the rightful authority. If calamity comes, then the Heavenly Court must pacify the disaster and bring peace to the land!"

"Do you know what caused this upheaval?" The Emperor asked expressionlessly.

"We humble servants do not know," the heavenly officers shook their heads.

Though they possessed cultivation at the level of the proof of the Second Primordial Spirit, under the blockade of the Xuantian Great Luo Dao Array, they could not peer out at all realms and naturally didn’t know the cause.

"Half a month before, an alien universe invaded." The Emperor stated lightly. "This upheaval was caused by a Chaotic Demon God collaborating with powerhouses from that alien universe, forcibly opening Pangu’s Daoist Temple."

"These Chaotic Demon Gods, dead but not decayed, are truly a scourge!"

The crowd seethed with righteous fury.

"Those nine pillars were forged by Pangu, embodying the mysteries plundered from the nine great Spirit Roots. They are peerless divine weapons. The human ancestor’s Xuantian Great Luo Dao Array has already been broken," the Emperor’s gaze was profound. "But that is not the most crucial matter."

"What is crucial is that with Pangu’s Daoist Temple appearing, those innate gods will certainly stir with restless ambition."

A scholarly man, clad in white robes with a feather fan and ceremonial headdress, frowned deeply like troubled water. "Beings as powerful as the Ancient God of Origin and Si Ming, who desperately seek the Great Tao’s profound mysteries, will never let this opportunity slip away."

"Without doubt, they will add fuel to the fire."

The heavenly officers remained silent.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?" The scholarly man turned his gaze to the Emperor.

"Watch the fight between tigers."

The Emperor replied calmly. "The human ancestor will not allow them free reign. The Purple Star Heavenly Court need not dirty its hands in this muddy water."

"What of the mortals in the lower realms…" the scholarly man trailed off, hesitant.

"If Tao remained, the universe wouldn’t perish."

The Emperor spoke placidly.

With those words, all the ministers instantly understood the Emperor’s implication.

"Flourishing, common people suffer; perishing, common people still suffer."

The refined man laughed bitterly in his heart.

Yet he had to acknowledge the Celestial Son’s perspective.

The existence of Heavenly Dao was fundamental to the universe’s operation. All things followed their laws. Should Heavenly Dao be eradicated, natural order disrupted, the entire universe would teeter on the brink of annihilation.

…

Origin Dao venue.

A broad-robed, powerfully built black-haired man slowly stood up. His pupils were utterly black, devoid of whites, deep and dark like an abyss.

"The time has come…"

A whisk appeared in the Ancient God of Origin’s hand. With a flick, countless strands transformed into coiled dragon silhouettes, claws bared, darting forth from the Origin Dao venue and plunging into the scars of the heavens.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Instantly, vast divine power shattered the Immortal Realm’s barrier, piercing through the scars of the heavens down to the lower realm.

"Ancient God of Origin has made his move!"

At this moment, within another Innate Divine Dao venue.

The ancient goddess Si Ming opened her spiritual eyes. Channeling her magic power, a celestial gate descended, devouring the vital essence for tens of millions of miles around. Like a plummeting world, it smashed into the scars of the heavens.

Crash!

The Immortal Realm’s barrier was violently breached. The scars of the heavens cracked open visibly.

"Move out!"

As the two supreme Innate Divine Beings acted first, other ancient gods like the White Emperor and the Dark Emperor followed closely behind, wielding Innate Spiritual Treasures to demolish the Immortal Realm’s foundations.

For a time, earth-shattering crashes echoed across the entire Immortal Realm.

"How lively…"

Tianwai Pavilion.

A youth clad in black sensed the commotion within the Immortal Realm, his eyes grave.

"He won’t pass this trial, the human ancestor,"

the youth in black murmured.

This was Lin Qianmo’s teacher from her previous life—the Xuan Du Ancient Immortal.

Boom! Crrrrack!

Thunder roared across the sky; violent storms swept through all realms. The Sea of All Realms churned. The barriers of countless worlds were pierced by chaos. Chaotic storms gobbled up mountains, rivers, and vast oceans.

Mortals like ants.

"It begins…"

Lin Qianmo’s expression shifted.

The Great Calamity in the Immortal Realm… had finally descended.

"Farewell on your path, Daoist friend!"

Lin Qianmo clasped her hands in salute, her eyes filled with unprecedented veneration and admiration.

Though her origin was greater than the human ancestor’s and she had lived longer, in terms of responsibility, she fell far short of the human ancestor.

"Daoist brother, take care!"

Xuanxin’s heart felt heavy.

"Fellow Daoists, may we meet again,"

the human ancestor’s tone carried a hint of newfound liberation. He had long prepared for the Great Calamity in the Immortal Realm, and now that it had arrived, he was finally free from constant dread, finding a kind of relief in that.

"Hahaha!"

Zun threw back his head and roared with laughter as he watched the scars of the heavens split and the Immortal Realm shatter.

"Who could have imagined that the emergence of Pangu’s Daoist Temple would trigger the Great Calamity in the Immortal Realm ahead of schedule? What an unexpected delight!"

Daoist Qing Xuan remained calm-faced.

Having roamed all realms, he already knew the state of the Immortal Realm.

Its foundations had deteriorated; it was doomed to collapse sooner or later. The emergence of Pangu’s Daoist Temple was merely a catalyst.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deafening explosions resounded from the sky, echoing throughout the entire cosmos.

The scars of the heavens abruptly shattered.

In that instant, everyone saw the lofty Immortal Realm!

However, there was no reverence, only terror.

That Immortal Realm, which hovered above all realms, now bore crack after crack snaking across its surface, resembling giant centipedes—sinister and terrifying—accompanied by an unceasing cacophony of cracking and splitting sounds.

Bang!

A chunk of celestial gold broke away, plunged into the Sea of All Realms, and unleashed a Chaotic Sea tidal wave that pierced through a world, instantly engulfing all life within it.

"The world is going to perish…"

Countless creatures trembled in fear.

More knelt in supplication, praying with fervent devotion.

But it was futile.

"What on earth is happening?"

"How could the Immortal Realm be crumbling?"

Chunks of celestial gold and divine stones rained down like meteors, smashing through countless worlds, riddling them with gaping holes.

Sorrow and suffering filled all realms.

With the Immortal Realm collapsing, who could possibly escape unscathed?

"Teacher."

Li Ruoyu appeared beside the human ancestor, his gaze complex. "It’s not too late to give up now."

For the human ancestor, Li Ruoyu felt a profound respect in his bones for his character.

However.

Li Ruoyu also despised the human ancestor’s stupidity and inflexibility.

To ruin his own path and life for a group of ants, it was just too stupid!

It was not worth it!

The human ancestor looked at Li Ruoyu and laughed, saying:

"Your earlier half of life made me proud of you."

"Actually, I have always thought that the greatest achievement of my life was not creating cultivation systems, but teaching you."

"It’s just that now, you are too unfamiliar."

He still remembered the young Li Ruoyu, like himself in his youth, full of ambitions and youthful passion.

But now, everything had changed and was no longer the same.

"I have never changed!"

Li Ruoyu said coldly:

"In my earlier half of life, I gathered the fortunes of heaven and earth, established the supreme celestial court, and forged the Immortal Realm, all in order to transcend through fortune, but it failed."

"So, I planned the collapse of the Immortal Realm and followed Nuwa’s path to achieve Transcendence through Merit."

"But that also failed."

"Teacher, I have never changed; unifying the myriad realms was only my means to transcend, not my ultimate goal."

"So that’s how it is…"

The human ancestor felt relieved.

Li Ruoyu turned around, and a tear quietly slid down from his right eye.

He had changed.

Once, he had also been full of enthusiasm.

But when the celestial court was established and he ascended to the supreme throne, his only pursuit became transcendence.

In Li Ruoyu’s eyes, his earlier self uniting the world and letting all beings enjoy eternal peace was his merit and what he had once wanted to do.

But Li Ruoyu refused to admit it.

If he admitted it, wouldn’t that mean he was wrong?

"This Emperor is not wrong!"

Li Ruoyu’s gaze turned murderous.

Now.

He just wanted to transcend.

He wiped the tear from the corner of his eye, his gaze gradually recovering its coldness, and his steps as firm as iron.

"No one can stop me from transcending!"