Chapter 1325: Millennia of Chaos, the Prejudice Between Good and Evil
Chapter 1325: Millennia of Chaos, the Prejudice Between Good and Evil
The might of the Heavenslayers Alliance had left many civilisations and True Worlds within the Boundless Expanse deeply wary.
At this time, some civilisations and True Worlds sought to take advantage of the chaos and turmoil within the Primary Hope Civilisation, infiltrating their forces to support certain factions and traditions within Primary Hope, intending to counterbalance the Heavenslayers Alliance.
This held numerous benefits for those civilisations and True Worlds.
For one, the Heavenslayers Alliance was now stationed within Primary Hope. Any conflicts or battles between the alliance and the native factions would inevitably deplete Primary Hope's own reserves and foundations.
Moreover, by embedding their own influence within Primary Hope, these civilisations could establish footholds, gradually carving out territories and plundering its vast resources, slowly consuming it from within.
The sheer depth of a Supreme True World guarded by a First-Generation Civilisation Supreme Treasure needed no elaboration.
This alone was enough to ignite greed and recklessness in any civilisation or True World.
However, at this moment, many native factions within Primary Hope were far more concerned with the Mirror of Reincarnation, relentlessly searching for traces of the Primary Hope Saintess.
Had it not been for the emergence of the Heavenslayers Alliance—disrupting Primary Hope's stability and causing the Mirror of Reincarnation to be taken from the Primary Hope Holy Church—these factions would never have had such an opportunity.
After all, forging a Civilisation's Supreme Treasure was no simple feat. It required the combined efforts of an entire civilisation across countless generations, and even then, only during an unimaginable Great Calamity, when the civilisation itself faced annihilation, was there a sliver of hope to succeed.
The Mirror of Reincarnation was one of the six First-Generation Civilisation Supreme Treasures used to seal the Master of Heaven’s Proxy Group back then. Its profound might was beyond description.
Should any civilisation obtain it and dedicate their entire strength to awakening it, its divine majesty could shake the heavens across the Myriad Ages.
In the past, the Mirror of Reincarnation had been enshrined safely within the Primary Hope Holy Church, serving as a foundational deterrent for Primary Hope, suppressing the Fortuity of their True World.
No civilisation dared to underestimate or provoke them.
But now, the Primary Hope Saintess had taken the Mirror of Reincarnation and vanished without a trace. This meant that Primary Hope had completely lost the mirror's protection.
Given the Saintess's current strength, she was utterly incapable of fully awakening the Mirror of Reincarnation.
With the mirror in her hands alone, she was like a young girl carrying a fortune vast enough to rival nations—yet wandering outside without a single guardian to protect her.
Furthermore, many factions had learned that during the great battle at the Mountain of Wonders, the Primary Hope Saintess had paid a steep price to escape alive, even suffering a direct palm strike from Gu Changge, leaving her severely injured.
How could she possibly prevent the Mirror of Reincarnation from being seized now?
"Without the Mirror of Reincarnation, the Primary Hope Holy Church is nothing more than a tiger stripped of its fangs and claws—incapable of intimidating, let alone harming anyone."
"If the old relics of the Sacred Hall want their people back, let's see if they dare come to the Heavenslayers Alliance." Gu Changge remarked indifferently.
He had deliberately allowed the Primary Hope Saintess to escape, intending to lure out the ancient powerhouses behind the Sacred Hall.
But now, it seemed he had overestimated the Sacred Hall's foundations. Aside from the Saintess's master, Xi Nu, there was almost no one else capable of standing against him.
Perhaps not even a single figure who had survived the Decay Tribulation nine times.
And Xi Nu herself had yet to make an appearance.
"Alliance Leader, should we take action against the Primary Hope Holy Church? Many factions are waiting for their stance. If the Sacred Hall continues to obstruct us, it will significantly hinder the Heavenslayers Alliance's expansion..."Hun Yuanjun cupped his hands in contemplation as he posed the question within the grand hall.
The members of the Heavenslayers Alliance were well aware that Gu Changge had spared the Imperial Immortal Palace.
Factions like the Beast Court and Purple Sky Mountain felt a pang of regret, believing this had been the perfect opportunity to annihilate the Imperial Immortal Palace.
Yet none dared to voice even a word of dissent against Gu Changge's decision.
Besides, complete extermination did not align with the Heavenslayers Alliance's principles.
Many factions that had joined the alliance sought shelter, a period of peace and recuperation—not necessarily to profit from it.
And once war broke out, casualties and sacrifices were inevitable.
After the Primary Hope Covenant incident, the alliance members had come to see Gu Changge as someone who disliked unnecessary slaughter. If he could subdue his enemies without force, all the better.
"There's no need to worry about the Primary Hope Holy Church. I have my own plans."
Gu Changge shook his head, his gaze profound. "For now, just monitor the movements of the various factions. If they remain obstinate, lead your forces to suppress them—without hesitation."
The grand performance he had orchestrated with the Primary Hope Covenant had planted a seed in the hearts of all living beings within Primary Hope.
What was this seed?
Prejudice. Bias. Stubbornness.
From the very beginning, the myriad beings of the world had held no favorable views of the Heavenslayers Alliance.
In the eyes of countless factions, the alliance represented evil and chaos—the very tumor and root cause of Primary Hope's instability.
This preconceived notion had existed since the alliance's founding, deeply ingrained in the minds of many.
Gu Changge had never intended to change their perception.
All he needed was to pry open this prejudice at the critical moment, making the myriad beings suddenly realize just how deeply their bias against the Heavenslayers Alliance ran.
Perhaps the alliance wasn't as despicable, chaotic, or evil as they had believed.
A good person could spend a lifetime performing countless virtuous deeds, yet the moment they committed a single misdeed, they would be met with endless slander and condemnation.
But a bad person was different. Even if they had committed countless atrocities, a single act of kindness could earn them praise and acclaim.
This was the power of preconceived prejudice.
The Primary Hope Holy Church had been established at the dawn of Primary Hope's existence. Over countless epochs, it had sheltered innumerable factions.
Yet after the fall of the Immortal Chu Vast Land, the Sacred Hall's reputation plummeted when it failed to intervene in time—even appearing to condone the destruction.
And after the Primary Hope Covenant incident, the Heavenslayers Alliance, by sparing the innocent factions, had earned widespread acclaim, its influence and status now rivaling the Sacred Hall itself.
"Suppress them without hesitation, regardless of consequences?"
Zhuo Fengxie, Hun Yuanjun, and the others were stunned.
"Alliance Leader, wouldn't this invite backlash, tarnishing your reputation and that of the Heavenslayers Alliance? Excessive bloodshed may incite panic among the factions..."
"The Heavenslayers Alliance was never an army of benevolence. My reputation is already set—how much worse can it get? Don't trouble yourselves over such matters."
Gu Changge smiled faintly, utterly indifferent.
That grand performance had been staged purely for show. Now that the curtain had fallen perfectly, why waste time continuing the act?
As for potential backlash—there was no need to consider it. Someone would always step forward to "justify" everything on his behalf.
"We understand."
Gu Changge's words made Zhuo Fengxie, Hun Yuanjun, Chu Heng, and the others straighten their expressions solemnly. Many exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with excitement.
War and conquest were inevitable. Just moments ago, they had still been thinking of ways to avoid excessive bloodshed. But after the Primary Hope Covenant incident, it seemed their alliance leader had changed his mind—blind mercy would only lead to their own disadvantage.
Now, the lives of leaders and sect masters from various immortal orthodoxies and forces were firmly in the hands of the Heavenslayers Alliance. How could those factions dare not submit?
After receiving Gu Changge's approval, the members of the Heavenslayers Alliance withdrew from the grand hall.
Outside, the master of Purple Sky Mountain, Zi Wanhe, paused after a few steps and glanced back at the hall with a troubled expression, recalling the terms of his deal. But in the end, he could only sigh helplessly, not daring to defy them, and followed the others as they departed.
Those people had ordered him to get close to Gu Changge and investigate his origins.
It sounded simple, but in practice, it was nearly impossible. Likely, no one in the entire Heavenslayers Alliance knew Gu Changge's true identity or background—not even Spirit Empress or Mu Yan, who had followed him from the beginning.
Zi Wanhe had tried probing them discreetly but received no answers. Gu Changge's origins remained a complete mystery.
The most prevalent speculation was that he might be connected to the ancient Heaven’s Proxy Group.
The Old Man Cold Crow and that old Daoist bearing the signs of Heaven's Decay, who had recently appeared by Gu Changge's side, might know the answer.
Inside the hall, Gu Changge watched Zi Wanhe linger for a moment but did not call him back.
He had been keeping an eye on Zi Wanhe ever since the day he delivered the imitation of the World Burying Coffin's replica. According to Old Man Cold Crow, the real World Burying Coffin was now in the hands of the Heaven Legion.
Thus, Zi Wanhe was likely secretly in contact with them.
However, Gu Changge was in no hurry to engage with the Heaven Legion. Premature contact would expose his identity too soon, and with many plans still incomplete, that would only bring unnecessary complications.
In the following period, the Heavenslayers Alliance, following Gu Changge's orders, fully bared its fangs to the Primary Hope Civilisation.
To truly create an era of peace among all living beings, the alliance forcibly demanded that all factions within the civilisation abide by the ironclad laws it had set and obey its decrees.
Despite the overwhelming momentum and righteous justification, many factions resisted, unwilling to submit.
Protests and discontent erupted across various cosmic territories, accusing the Heavenslayers Alliance of tyranny and claiming its so-called righteousness was merely a veil for ambition.
The Primary Hope Holy Church became the loudest voice of opposition—until Gu Changge personally appeared there. After his visit, those dissenting voices gradually faded.
Many ancient existences trembled in horror when they realized that, in a single day, numerous auras had vanished from the Sacred Hall.
Even the living fossil hidden experts who had secluded themselves deep within the river of time had been forcibly extracted by Gu Changge and taken away.
This discovery sent shockwaves through countless orthodoxies and factions, leaving them paralyzed with fear.
Gu Changge's power had reached such heights that he could freely invade the depths of the Primary Hope Holy Church and abduct its most ancient figures.
If even the Sacred Hall couldn't stop him, did that mean he could descend upon their ancestral lands at any moment and seize their ancestors and hidden experts?
Years later, the severely wounded "Primary Hope Saintess" returned safely.
Her first act upon arriving at the Sacred Hall was to visit the Heavenslayers Alliance headquarters and retrieve the ancient figures Gu Changge had taken. Then, she led the Sacred Hall in joining the alliance.
This sent shockwaves through the Primary Hope Civilisation.
Countless cultivators and living beings were stunned, unable to believe that even the Saintess had made such a decision.
Initially, the Primary Hope Covenant had been spearheaded by Ling Yuling, the founder of the Imperial Immortal Palace, and the Primary Hope Saintess.
Yet now, it was the Imperial Immortal Palace and the Primary Hope Holy Church that had joined the Heavenslayers Alliance first.
Many speculated that this was a forced compromise—that the Saintess had no choice but to submit to rescue the Sacred Hall's ancient figures.
From the day the Sacred Hall joined the alliance, its reputation plummeted.
Countless factions and living beings cursed it in secret, accusing it of betraying the civilisation, groveling for survival, and forsaking their trust.
Of course, some suspected deception—was this "Primary Hope Saintess" truly the real one?
After all, Chu Gucheng, ruler of the Immortal Chu Vast Land, had once used a flawless impersonation to deceive the factions. Who was to say Gu Changge wouldn't employ the same trick?
In the centuries that followed, war and chaos swept through every corner of the Primary Hope Civilisation.
Led by immortal orthodoxies and civilisations from beyond the Boundless Expanse, many factions united to form coalitions against the Heavenslayers Alliance.
But against the alliance's overwhelming might and ruthless suppression, these resistance groups crumbled one after another.
Countless factions fled like stray dogs, scattering in all directions.
Over thousands of years, this prolonged conflict erupted across the civilisation's cosmic territories.
Periodically, unrest flared up in various regions.
Some factions, unable to endure, chose to flee the civilisation entirely, smuggling themselves into other True Worlds.
Even within territories under the Heavenslayers Alliance's rule, such incidents occurred frequently.
The entire civilisation descended into turmoil. Historians later dubbed this period the Era of Chaos.
Among the sect masters and leaders imprisoned in the alliance's Dark Cage, some chose to submit to survive, obeying the Heavenslayers Alliance's orders.
Some even personally led armies to conquer their former factions, expanding the alliance's dominion.