Chapter 1087
The Land of Transcendence?
Only after Lei Xiang Zhenjun recounted the events did Song Changsheng finally understand the details of this long chase.
After the decisive battle that day, they split into three groups.
Apart from Kongsang Baijue fleeing back to his fiefdom, Gao Yu and Xiaokun both went into exile in the distant seas. For three consecutive days, they traversed an unknown distance but were unable to catch up.
Having achieved the fusion of artifact and spirit, Ancestor Xuanlei caught up with True Lord Leixiang in less than a day, killing the Octopus Kun in three moves, destroying both its body and spirit.
They then spent another half a day catching up with Xiaoyao Zhenjun and the others.
Before they could even make a move, the King of Men Sword and the Imperial Seal of the State both abandoned Gao Yu, the puppet, and created a spatial rift in order to escape.
To be precise, it started as a crack, but then rapidly expanded and gradually evolved into a black hole with irregular edges and a diameter of over a thousand feet.
Before a black hole is fully formed, it is no different from a common spatial rift, with powerful spatial turbulence and extremely strong devouring power. That's how the Imperial Seal of the State was destroyed.
Once the black hole was formed, the spatial turbulence and devouring power disappeared at the same time, leaving everything as calm as if nothing had ever happened.
"The black hole looks like a hole that has been punctured, but the spatial barrier has not been damaged. This is not normal. Not to mention me, even Ancestor Xuanlei has never heard of such a thing."
It might be a peculiar celestial phenomenon, or it might be a spatial passageway that was accidentally opened, connecting to a different realm.
Since this concerns a precious treasure of humanity and destiny, we were unwilling to give up and decided to go in and find out what it was all about.
Just in case, we left Fellow Daoist Xiaoyao outside to guard Gao Yu.
From approaching to entering that spatial black hole, no power fluctuations were sensed, which is also counterintuitive. If this is the case, then that spatial black hole cannot exist.
Even now, when recounting this story, Lei Xiang Zhenjun's tone still reveals a hint of doubt.
Song Changsheng couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is inside, and how did it trap you?"
Upon hearing this, Ancestor Xuanlei continued, "That is a strange place where there is no matter, no laws can be felt, and it exists independently of the rules of Heaven."
"Independent of the rules of Heaven?"
Everyone was startled. The rules of Heaven are the underlying logic that allows a world to function normally, and they are the supreme beings that govern everything.
All living beings born under this rule are under the "surveillance" of the Heavenly Way.
Shielding the secrets of heaven can isolate this kind of "surveillance," but living beings are still closely connected to the heavenly way, even after death when they enter the six realms of reincarnation.
In general, the rules of Heaven are omnipresent.
Only by ascending to immortality can one transcend the heavens and earth.
Even so, once you reach the legendary Immortal Realm, there are still new Heavenly Rules that restrict you; it's impossible to exist independently of the existing rules.
Even the same applies to those small worlds with incomplete laws and the boundless void hidden beneath spatial barriers.
The laws are an extension of the rules of Heaven, and wherever there are laws, there will be the influence of Heaven.
The absence of laws implies the absence of space and time. Such a place exists only in theory, in the primordial state before the creation of the universe, when even the Dao had not yet been born, and naturally, there was no matter or rules.
That is obviously impossible.
"Don't overcomplicate things. The fact that we were able to get in at least proves that the concept of space exists; it's just beyond our comprehension," Master Xuanlei said slowly.
The higher one's level of understanding, the greater one's reverence for the world becomes; only the ignorant can be fearless.
This world hides far too many secrets that are unknown to most people; not knowing something doesn't mean it's impossible.
This further strengthened their determination to explore in depth.
Throughout history, this period has often represented both risk and opportunity.
Ancestor Xuanlei is now among the very small group at the top of the pyramid, and most so-called risks pose no threat to him.
Since the risks are manageable, we should naturally look for opportunities. If we find them, great; if not, there will be no loss, especially since we have the Imperial Seal of the State as a driving force.
"Since it's a void, how did you get trapped?" Yi Tianzheng asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Actually, it's nothing much. We just got lost in the process of searching for the Imperial Seal of the State."
Without sensing the laws and having no reference points, it is naturally impossible to determine the direction. Moreover, being a chaotic land unaffected by the rules of Heaven, the art of deduction is completely useless.
Even a supreme being as powerful as a Nascent Soul cultivator is not immune to losing their way.
"Actually, after discovering the strangeness of that place, we made corresponding preparations, but none of them worked."
Unable to sense the existence of the laws of time, they dared not linger any longer and began to ponder a way to escape.
Later, Kan Ze realized that the previous entrance had appeared due to the influence of two treasures of human destiny, and since we happened to have the [Imperial Seal of the State] of the former Great Qian Immortal Dynasty and the [Human King Sword] of the Tianqin Immortal Dynasty, we decided to repeat the same trick.
As it turned out, this conjecture was correct. But what we didn't expect was that at the moment the two treasures of destiny collided, that void suddenly began to twist violently, and at that moment we once again felt the existence of the laws of space.
At the same time, we also saw a net, a vast, boundless, golden net with a fine mesh, its shape irregular due to the distortion of the void.
This net is formed from crisscrossing chains, not from conjured chains of law, but rather forged from some kind of metal!
Upon hearing this, the few who had never experienced it before were immediately shocked. If it was made of metal, then it must have been man-made.
What kind of person could create such a void that exists independently of the laws of heaven? An immortal?
Even if that place was formed naturally, who laid down such a large metal net? Not to mention how much manpower and resources it would take, what was their purpose in doing this? To seal off this world?
Although the spatial barrier is sturdy, the primordial spirit of a Nascent Soul Supreme can come and go freely, see the Milky Way, and travel through the vast void.
Verifying whether something is blocked is a very simple matter; Ancestor Xuanlei could do it himself. Since he didn't mention it, it's probably not the case.
Lei Xiang Zhenjun sighed and said, "Before we could even investigate, an invisible force repelled us."
The landing point was not the original entry point, but a completely unfamiliar sea area.
The patriarch deduced Gao Yu's location based on the residual aura on the [Human King Sword], which was tens of thousands of miles away from us. This may be related to the distance we traveled in that void.
This shows that the void and the Purple Imperial Realm correspond to each other.
After reuniting with Fellow Daoist Xiaoyao, we learned from him that several days had passed, but for us it felt like just a moment. Fortunately, we didn't linger too long.
After escaping, we kept the large net in mind and planned to enter that void again.
However, whether in the original location or elsewhere, the collision of the two treasures of destiny shattered the spatial barrier, and the anticipated entrance did not appear. The Ancestor also sent his spirit out of his body to travel through the void, unaffected during this time, and did not see the net.
Ji Shinian frowned and said, "Could it be that the method is wrong?"
Lei Xiang Zhenjun nodded slightly and said, "Perhaps. I plan to refine the Human King Sword and try it again."
Song Changsheng had a different opinion: "If all of this is truly man-made, the person behind it undoubtedly possesses astonishing power. Excluding those immortal immortals, only the five holy lands among the human race could accomplish this."
"If the person behind this is still alive, will our actions offend him?"
In his view, this matter had exceeded the capacity of the Wanxiang Palace to handle; either it should be reported or it should be treated as if it never happened.
Continuing to engage is too risky. Who knows what the purpose of that net is? It would be bad if we attracted something.
As the saying goes, even if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Even if it is some unknown conspiracy, it is not something they can get involved in.
“Chang Sheng’s words make sense; we shouldn’t take any more risks.” Yi Tianzheng also agreed with Song Chang Sheng’s opinion.
Myriad Palaces have indeed grown much stronger, but there is still a gap compared to true Nascent Soul cultivators. It's best not to be too high-profile about this.
"Very well, let's talk about it another day then." True Monarch Lei Xiang did not insist.
"By the way, during the time we were reinforcing the seal, the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty replied, saying they would send someone over soon," Yi Tianzheng added.
Upon hearing this, True Monarch Lei Xiang said with a disdainful expression, "Hmph, if we really waited for them to make a move, the Ancient Demon Clan would have already descended."
"The ancient demon race is no small matter; it's time to let them see for themselves. This can also serve as a bargaining chip."
We must fight for what we deserve. With me here, Palace Master, please talk to them. We must make them give us something in return.” Ancestor Xuanlei’s tone was cold.
Not only did he look exactly like his master, True Lord Xuanlei, but his temperament was also almost identical.
Back then, True Lord Xuanlei was enraged and, with only a spear, slaughtered millions of sea creatures, leaving rivers of blood, thus bringing hundreds of years of peace to the Myriad Manifestations Palace.
Now, Ancestor Xuanlei doesn't mind going toe-to-toe with the forces of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty afterward.
Want to stand by and watch? No way!
"The disciple understands."
With Ancestor Xuanlei in charge, Yi Tianzheng naturally wouldn't let go of such a great opportunity.
"Alright, we've wasted so much time, it's time to put an end to this farce."
The Palace Master and Kan Ze followed the original body to eliminate the demonic calamity in the central region, while Song Xiaoyou was in charge of the southwest and Shi Nian was in charge of the southeast region.
"We'll meet at Wanxiang Mountain afterward. The Soul Clan's problem is no less serious than the Demonic Calamity. Perhaps we can learn something from Gao Yu." Ancestor Xuanlei made the arrangements in just a few words.
"We will obey His Majesty's decree." The crowd responded in unison.
After Ancestor Xuanlei and the others left, Song Changsheng summoned all the Golden Core cultivators of the Southwest Alliance and redistributed manpower according to the severity of the demonic calamity in the Nine Realms of the Southwest.
He already possessed absolute prestige within the Southwest Alliance, and now that he had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, it was even more so. There were no objections to his arrangements, and he quickly went to carry out the mission after receiving it.
Song Changsheng himself was not idle either; he would be the one to pacify the entire cultivation world of Lu Kingdom.
The cultivation world of Lu Kingdom is the source. Although most mortals have either died or moved away, due to the existence of the Abyss, demon slaves from the Nine Realms of the Southwest are constantly converging here, most likely to help the ancient demon race break through the seal.
Shen Qing and Wang Jie used this to shake the seal of the abyss.
There are countless demonic slaves hiding openly and secretly in the cultivation world of Lu Kingdom nowadays. If he doesn't take action personally, it's hard to imagine how much manpower and resources it would take to quell them.
The most troublesome aspect of this calamity lies in its latent nature, which doesn't have a precise timeframe, meaning that even with thorough screening, some may still slip through the net.
There's no time to worry about the details right now; we can only deal with the large-scale demonic calamities first.
This was much simpler for him; at his speed, he could thoroughly "plow" through the cultivation world of Lu Kingdom in just a few days.
The cultivation world of Lu Kingdom is currently devastated. Apart from hordes of demon slaves, there are only the allied cultivators mobilized by Song Qingxi to besiege it. The local righteous forces have suffered devastating blows from top to bottom.
The ecological damage was even greater; vast swathes of land were transformed into lifeless wastelands, and from the sky, one could see ugly patches everywhere stained with demonic blood.
It will be impossible to recover in the next thousand years; the cultivation world of Lu Kingdom is now only a name.
Looking at all this, Song Changsheng couldn't help but sigh, and even considered merging the cultivation world of Lu with the surrounding cultivation worlds.
With the Five Poisons Sect already in a state of near collapse, there is absolutely no way they can rebuild it.
But after thinking it over carefully, I finally gave up on the idea.
The cohesion of the Southwest Nine Realms is hard-won, and he doesn't want to cause suspicion and panic because of this. Trust is the most precious and hardest thing to obtain.
Even if his intentions were good, to the remaining cultivators in the Lu Kingdom, this was taking advantage of someone in distress.
Therefore, he preferred to spend more time and effort to help rebuild the cultivation world of Lu.
He casually burned a group of over a thousand demon slaves to ashes and quickly moved on to the next area.
With his current strength, he could easily annihilate a cultivation world, leaving almost no survivors.
If everyone is corrupted by demonic energy, it will actually be easier for him to clean them up; a few divine powers will definitely wipe them all out.
This situation, where humans and demons are mixed together, is the most troublesome. He can only deal with the large-scale ones, but he is powerless against the scattered demon slaves and those in the dormant period.
Moreover, the demonic energy in its latent phase does not cause much harm to the human body, meaning that these people can survive by purifying the demonic energy within their bodies.
Enough people have died; since there is still hope, we cannot give up.
To achieve this, we must find a low-cost method that is suitable for widespread and rapid adoption and is applicable to ordinary people.
He could check each case individually, but he couldn't accept the time and manpower and resources required.
"Oh right, the Demon Subduing Hall, how could I have forgotten about them?" A sudden thought flashed through Song Changsheng's mind.
Everyone has their own area of expertise; professional tasks should be left to professionals!
...(End of this chapter)