Chapter 1326: A Millennium Well Spent, Condensed into the World Sphere
Chapter 1326: A Millennium Well Spent, Condensed into the World Sphere
In just a few short millennia, the situation in the Primary Hope Civilisation underwent unprecedented upheaval—nothing short of a complete reshuffling of the board.
Countless clans and factions were buried and vanished in the span of these thousand years.
Among them were many ancient, undying orthodoxies, as well as numerous Dao Realm existences who perished. The heavens and earth were frequently shaken by the terrifying phenomena of their gruesome deaths.
The powerhouses of the Heavenslayers Alliance appeared across all corners of the cosmos, leading armies to eradicate all opposition. Those orthodoxies that had stood against the Heavenslayers, now fragmented and collapsing, could only flee and hide, evading the Alliance's relentless pursuit.
Many clans and factions, desperate to survive, chose sides early—whether coerced or willingly—and became part of the Heavenslayers Alliance.
And thus, the might of the Heavenslayers Alliance truly reached an unprecedented peak.
Those orthodoxies that had once opposed the Alliance were now labeled as remnants and traitors by the various races. They either sought to escape the Primary Hope Civilisation, smuggling themselves into other civilisations, or hid their identities, living in constant fear under the Alliance's terrifying shadow.
Yet, relatively speaking, the Primary Hope Civilisation finally entered a period of relative peace after the chaos. Under the Heavenslayers' rule, the various clans and orthodoxies began to recuperate, and the civilisation's situation stabilized into tranquility.
Over these millennia, the probing tendrils of other civilisations were also uprooted one by one under the Alliance's purges, no longer daring to extend their reach.
The Primary Hope Civilisation was the headquarters and stronghold of the Heavenslayers Alliance, under its direct governance. Any civilisation that dared encroach upon it would inevitably face the Alliance's thunderous wrath—this became a consensus throughout the Boundless Expanse, and many civilisations deeply feared it.
The civilisations and clans surrounding the Primary Hope Civilisation later submitted to the Heavenslayers Alliance one after another, including many Nascent True Worlds like the Dao Chang True World.
Once upon a time, such Nascent True Worlds were not even worth a speck of dust in the eyes of a Supreme True World like the Primary Hope Civilisation, utterly unworthy of its protection.
When the Epochal Calamity arrived, these Nascent True Worlds and Ancient True Worlds would be the first targets of annihilation.
Thus, gaining the protection of the Heavenslayers Alliance was nothing short of a dream come true for them.
Yet, some clans and civilisations worried that the existence of the Heavenslayers Alliance defied the natural order, rebelling against the Mandate of Heaven, and would inevitably be forsaken by the heavens.
Before the calamity arrived, the Heavenslayers Alliance would surely suffer the most terrifying backlash and retribution. Whether it could even survive was uncertain—how, then, could it protect the many clans and factions under its banner?
The so-called "Heaven-Slaying" was merely a pretext for Gu Changge, the Alliance's master, to expand his influence and gather followers.
Before the true calamity arrived, he would undoubtedly abandon the Heavenslayers Alliance and everyone within it.
His true goal, in fact, was no different from that of the Master of the Source of the Black Disaster—to restore or rebuild an organization like Heaven's Proxy, seize the Heavenly Dao Authority, plunder the vitality of all worlds, and thus dominate the entire Boundless Expanse to fulfill his personal ambitions.
Such voices were not only heard within the Primary Hope Civilisation but also echoed throughout the Boundless Expanse and neighboring civilisations, casting doubt on the Heavenslayers Alliance.
Over the years, though the Alliance had tried to control its reputation and avoid unnecessary bloodshed, the expansion of its territories inevitably brought slaughter and destruction.
Many clans and factions were utterly erased, including some undying orthodoxies that had once ruled the heavens and earth.
This version of the Heavenslayers Alliance was as terrifying as it was awe-inspiring, leaving many cultivators and living beings trembling at its mention, fearing it like venomous serpents or demonic fiends.
In remote regions beyond the Alliance's jurisdiction, some cultivators and factions even claimed to be its followers, exploiting its name to extort and plunder, plunging surrounding cultivators and factions into misery and despair. Resentment toward the Heavenslayers grew.
Though the Alliance had strict laws forbidding such acts, the vastness of the cosmos made enforcement impossible to guarantee.
Over these millennia, such incidents became endless. Moreover, as the Heavenslayers focused on expanding into distant True Worlds and spreading their doctrine to gather followers, they had little attention to spare for these matters.
To many high-ranking members of the Alliance, such trivial affairs were insignificant—they would send people to deal with them if they became aware.
But the universe was boundless, its territories infinite. No matter how hard they tried, such incidents could never be fully prevented.
The reputation of the Heavenslayers Alliance thus became polarized to extremes.
Its followers were fanatically devoted, revering it to the utmost, while its enemies wished to tear its flesh from bone and scatter its ashes to the wind. Even ordinary cultivators dared not speak of it lightly, their faces paling at its mention.
As Heaven-Slaying Shrines rose across more and more territories, the Heavenslayers Alliance's momentum of expansion reached an unprecedented, terrifying speed, leaving countless civilisations trembling in fear and deep apprehension.
In the eyes of many, the entire Primary Hope Civilisation had fallen completely into the hands of the Heavenslayers Alliance—a Supreme Civilisation that had endured countless epochs, now firmly rooted and rapidly devoured by an external force in just a few millennia.
This sight filled countless cultivators and living beings with deep dread and trembling, secretly referring to the Heavenslayers Alliance as a demonic sect.
However, under the governance of the Heavenslayers Alliance, aside from minor disturbances, the Primary Hope Civilisation had largely returned to its former state of peace.
The Primary Hope Holy Church, Purple Sky Mountain, the Beast Court, the Imperial Immortal Palace, and later the Towering Divine Cave, Bright Light Temple, and other orthodox forces—all were now part of the Heavenslayers Alliance. This alone spoke volumes about its terrifying foundation.
No Supreme Civilisation in the Boundless Expanse dared to underestimate it.
And that was without mentioning the even more terrifying, unfathomable alliance leader within the Heavenslayers Alliance.
Whoosh!
Under the dim sky, the distant sunset bled like fire. The endless Gobi Desert stretched before them, yellow sand billowing in the howling wind.
The terrain was vast beyond measure, desolate and barren, littered with dark-brown rocks and hills, with scarcely any vegetation.
At this moment, a divine light streaked across the heavens, descending from the depths of space onto this land. A stunning woman in a golden dress, her hair elegantly coiled, frowned as she surveyed the surroundings, seemingly stunned and disbelieving.
Only after a long while did she snap out of her daze, shaking her head and murmuring to herself, "To think that in just a few thousand years, the Sun Lake has dried up and vanished... and the Divine Eternal Clan is nowhere to be found."
This woman was none other than Luo Xiangjun, who had returned to the Immortal Spirit Civilisation.
Following their agreement, Luo Xiangjun had brought the Eternal Primordial God out of that spacetime burial ground. Then, retracing her previous path, she had re-established the spacetime coordinates of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation and, after nearly a millennium of arduous travel, finally arrived here.
Thousands of years had passed in the blink of an eye. Now, she had returned to the Immortal Spirit Civilisation where she had once sought the Eternal Divine Artifacts and journeyed to the Divine Eternal Clan's ancestral lands.
Yet, what she saw now was utterly different from the world she had once known.
Back then, this place had been home to the Sun Lake, a forbidden land of the Divine Eternal Clan where ordinary clansmen were forbidden to tread.
Now, there was only an endless expanse of wasteland and hills. Everything had changed. The terrain stretched endlessly, rolling yellow sands beneath a desolate sky, devoid of any signs of life for tens of thousands of miles.
"Is this what you call the ancestral lands of my clan?"
A hazy radiance flickered as the ancient jade Luo Xiangjun had kept in the Meru Space glowed, emitting the cold, displeased voice of the Eternal Primordial God.
Luo Xiangjun wasn't sure if this fellow had been in deep slumber all this time.
Throughout the millennia of travel, he had remained utterly silent, never making a sound. She had even considered whether she should toss him into the Spacetime Turbulence when he wasn't paying attention.
But the Eternal Primordial God was, after all, an existence that had once surpassed the Path's End-level. Even if he was no longer at his peak, he was far beyond her ability to oppose.
So, for the sake of her own life, Luo Xiangjun had no choice but to obediently return to the Immortal Spirit Civilisation.
As long as she helped the Eternal Primordial God find his descendants, she would finally be free.
"Time changes all things. Thousands of years ago, this place wasn't like this. Who could have predicted it would turn out this way? I have no reason to lie to you," Luo Xiangjun replied indifferently.
"There are indeed traces and remnants of my clan's presence here, but they are faint—they must have left long ago."
"Yet, with such diluted blood, they dare call themselves my descendants? Truly laughable. To think that after countless eons, my lineage has dwindled to this extent..."
"Even the ancestral lands have fallen to such a desolate, forsaken place..."
The Eternal Primordial God's voice was cold and low, as if the sight before him had stirred something within.
Luo Xiangjun remained silent, merely gazing calmly at the boundless Gobi, her golden dress fluttering in the wind. She paid no heed to his words.
"Since my clan once dwelled here, you will now find out where they have gone..."
The Eternal Primordial Ancestor then commanded coldly, "A mere thousand years—they couldn't have gone far."
Luo Xiangjun nodded before transforming into a streak of divine light and departing.
This region was desolate, with traces of past battles in some areas—meteor craters and great fissures. She even spotted a sword scar that had nearly split the earth in two, its surroundings still exuding a terrifying, icy aura.
After flying for several hours, she finally spotted signs of habitation. Concealing her presence, she landed atop a mountain.
Not far from the mountain stood a dilapidated Daoist temple, and beyond that, a towering ancient city bustled with life—carriages and crowds streamed through its gates, cultivators and living beings coming and going in a lively throng.
With a sweep of her divine sense, Luo Xiangjun quickly gleaned the changes of the past few millennia from the minds of these cultivators.
Thousands of years ago, under Gu Changge's rule, the Zhuo Clan and the Hun Clan had unified the entire Immortal Spirit Civilisation. After several horrific battles, the Wu Clan and other factions were annihilated, and many of the civilisation's races submitted.
Some ancient clans, in order to survive, had no choice but to pledge allegiance to the Zhuo and Hun Clans, obeying Gu Changge's commands.
The Immortal Spirit Civilisation had become a stronghold of the Heavenslayers Alliance, serving as a base for its expansion into the Primary Hope Civilisation.
During this time, many clans and factions, unwilling to join the Heavenslayers Alliance or become its vassals, had either chosen to fight to the death or flee to distant lands.
The Divine Eternal Clan was one such group.
When Luo Xiangjun had left the Divine Eternal Clan, the Immortal Spirit Civilisation had not yet been fully conquered by Gu Changge, so she had no knowledge of subsequent events.
"The Divine Eternal Clan was a force comparable to the Zhuo Clan. Without interference from the Heavenslayers Alliance, the entire clan migrated away, venturing into the Boundless Expanse in search of other kin..."
Luo Xiangjun's expression darkened as she relayed the information she had gathered to the Eternal Primordial God.
Apart from the Divine Eternal Clan itself, no one in the Immortal Spirit Civilisation likely knew where they had gone. How was she supposed to locate them now? And how could she escape the Eternal Primordial God's grasp?
She no longer held any hope that the Eternal Primordial God would honor their original agreement and give her the General Outline of Transcendence. At this point, she merely wished to survive.
The Eternal Primordial God had not anticipated this outcome either. After a long silence, he finally spoke coldly, "Regardless, you must find the descendants of my bloodline. If no suitable bloodline or physical body can be found, I will have no choice but to take possession of yours. The choice should be clear to you."
Luo Xiangjun's face turned icy. The Eternal Primordial God's words were brutally straightforward.
If no suitable bloodline vessel could be located, he would seize her body—even if it came at a cost.
"Perhaps there is another way," Luo Xiangjun said. "I know someone who carries a portion of the Divine Eternal Clan's bloodline. Through her, you might be able to trace the migration path of the clan."
She thought of Mu Yan, who had once accompanied Gu Changge.
Mu Yan's mother had been a former Saintess of the Divine Eternal Clan, meaning Mu Yan herself bore half of the clan's blood.
As the progenitor of the Divine Eternal Clan, the Eternal Primordial God could undoubtedly use the blood of a descendant to locate the current whereabouts of his people.
The Immortal Spirit Civilisation was not too far from the Primary Hope Civilisation. If she hurried, she might still make it in time. Moreover, this would also give her an opportunity to report to Gu Changge regarding the Eternal Hidden Treasury, lest he mistakenly assume she had absconded with it.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Heavenslayers Alliance...
Within a palace bathed in starlight, where immortal mists churned like a vast ocean, Gu Changge—who had been meditating there—slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his temples with a hint of weariness.
"A thousand years... but it was worth it."
With a slight lift of his hand, countless strands of radiant light surged in his palm, coalescing into a fist-sized orb that pulsed gently like a breath.
All the Faith Power gathered from the heavens and earth flowed into it, as if swallowed whole by a leviathan. If one listened closely, they could even hear the thunderous roar of mountains and seas.
He had not waited for Luo Xiangjun to bring him the materials he needed from the Eternal Hidden Treasury. Given how long she had been absent, it was highly likely that she had either met with misfortune or perished in the Boundless Expanse.
He did not believe Luo Xiangjun would dare deceive him or embezzle the treasury.
Back in the Immortal Spirit Civilisation, he had lacked the materials needed to reforge the Sphere of Ambition, which was why he had sent Luo Xiangjun to retrieve the Eternal Hidden Treasury.
But now, he no longer required those materials.
The resources and heritage of the Primary Hope Civilisation far surpassed those of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation. Over the years, he had already gathered everything he needed.
After reforging, the Sphere of Ambition had evolved through the vast power of Worldly Force, transforming into the Source Orb of the Dao Chang True World—ultimately replacing the Divine Nation as the core authority of the True World.
To be precise, the Sphere of Ambition should now be called the World Sphere.
The World Sphere refined and absorbed the Fortuity of the Dao Chang True World, fusing and evolving it until it was purified into Creation Substance and Immortal Substance.
These two substances were the most essential resources for cultivation at the Dao Realm—just as ordinary cultivators required magic power, Spiritual Energy, divine power, or Faith Power.
For Gu Changge, Immortal Substance and Creation Substance represented the development and general outline of the Dao Realm path—the beginning and end of the Dao.
They were also the origin of all things, the inception of chaos and the Primordial Beginning—the "Source" before the absence of law, heaven, and earth.
Other Dao Realm cultivators could not comprehend what this meant, nor could they grasp the existence of these substances, let alone refine them.
At best, through long and arduous cultivation, they might catch glimpses—a wisp of aura, a trace of form, or a fragment of true intent.
Even if Gu Changge taught them how to refine Immortal Substance and Creation Substance, they would never succeed. They could spend their entire lives without producing even the faintest trace.
Only those who had achieved Transcendence—who had undergone a true evolution of life and possessed unfathomable wisdom—could hope to understand these substances, refine them, and utilize them for themselves.
Explaining this was somewhat complex, but in simple terms, it was like asking a human to explain to an insect the composition of matter or the categories of elements...
No matter how eloquently or meticulously the human explained, they could never expect the insect to comprehend.