Utter Defeat and Collapse, But Pity—All of You Must Die
Utter Defeat and Collapse, But Pity—All of You Must Die
This great battle shook everyone. Whether it was the old-generation powerhouses or the younger generation, all felt a wave of horror and trembling.
Gu Changge was simply too powerful. His combat strength had already been absurdly overwhelming before.
Now, augmented by a Supreme Treasure like the Celestial Seal of the Nine Mountains, he had displayed the terrifying might of a True Daoist.
The three True Daoists of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains fought him, and in a short span of time, all suffered grievous wounds. One of them even had his body burst apart, his Primordial Spirit nearly collapsing.
Such a sight truly filled every living being of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains with despair.
It was not that the True Daoists of their world were weak—it was that Gu Changge’s power was simply inconceivable.
The great battle erupted in an instant. In the depths of the starry sky, endless light talismans filled the heavens, shaking the Nine Heavens.
The void trembled in sheets, like a sieve, pierced through by strands of radiance and aura.
The momentum was world-toppling. The terrifying army swept forth like a tidal flood, shaking heaven and earth.
The sounds of slaughter filled the skies above and the earth below.
Boom—
The Ancient Battleships of both worlds glowed. The countless runes engraved upon them all evolved at once, manifesting between heaven and earth, finally transforming into beams of light as thick as mountain ranges, blasting forward.
Countless beings died miserably under such fluctuations. The flood-like army was forcibly torn open, a rift carved straight through it.
In the sky, a Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow at the peak of the Sacred Emperor Realm appeared. It opened its beak and spat out a Silver Moon Spear that swept across everything.
Runes flashed explosively, terrifying beyond measure, as if they would crush the very dome of heaven.
Several Sacred Lord Realm experts of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains were blocking the advancing army ahead, but in an instant they burst apart, shattered by the aura of that Silver Moon Spear.
“Damn it!”
“Let’s attack together—don’t let it succeed!”
Several other Sacred Emperors roared, fury burning in their eyes, joining forces to strike down this ferocious bird.
“Today, all of them will die here sooner or later. There will be no exceptions.”
The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow sneered. It came from an Ancient Royal Family of the Beyond, its aura terrifying, its emerald-green eyes the size of small hills. Its wings spread, tearing apart the firmament as it arrived in an instant.
Countless beings exploded into blood mist under this single strike.
“So strong!”
“Peak of the Sacred Emperor Realm—just half a step away from the Quasi-Nirvana Realm!”
The faces of the three Sacred Emperors turned deathly pale. They trembled under this aura, the Divine Chains of Order on their bodies snapping and cracking apart, blood gushing forth—a horrifying sight.
Boom—
In other directions, from Ancient Battleships, flying vessels, and the Devil Mountain, black mist billowed and five-colored divine light shone. Powerhouses emerged, joining the battle outside the Aether Abyss alongside the great army.
Cries of slaughter rang out from within those Ancient Battleships as beings and Cultivators began to appear, surging downward like a tide.
Every one of their auras was monstrously terrifying—Half-Saints, Sacred Realm, Supreme Sacred, and even Sacred Emperors among them.
This was an absolutely formidable fighting force, all from the same power.
“Kill!”
They shouted, incomparably excited and exhilarated, carrying bloodlust.
“The three True Daoists have already been held down by Young Master Changge!”
“How can the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains possibly resist?!”
The moment the two armies clashed, the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains were routed, collapsing like a landslide.
Everyone felt immense panic. Especially upon sensing the sounds of slaughter coming from behind them, they could not help but tremble.
They were surrounded—pursuers ahead, no retreat behind.
“Damn it! So the Beyond had planned this all along!”
At this moment, they finally understood, both shocked and enraged. When they accepted that War Declaration, the Beyond had been laying a trap—luring them all to this place, attempting to catch them all in one net.
Before this, they had never imagined that an army would come slaughtering from behind.
Moreover, why had an army of the Beyond appeared deep within the Aether Abyss?
How did they get in, and how had they lain in ambush there?
Questions surfaced one after another in their minds, but unfortunately, no one could answer them now.
“Kill!”
The powerhouses of the various Daoist traditions and great sects of the Beyond commanded the armies behind them, sweeping forward like sharp blades.
Every being that tried to resist along the way was torn apart, reduced to blood mist, collapsing between heaven and earth.
Blood mist drifted everywhere across the world. The vast, mighty army fell in waves, like leeks being harvested one crop after another, torn apart by the slaughtering powerhouses of the Beyond.
In terms of numbers, the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains held no advantage whatsoever in this clash of armies.
And this was only because the full forces of the Beyond had yet to arrive.
The many young prodigies fighting the younger generation of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains in the Hunting Ground also wore varied expressions.
“It seems there is no need for us to act.”
The Sky Demon Sovereign murmured softly, sending Xuan Tian flying with a single palm strike. His strength was the greatest—no one was his match.
Even the successor of the Black Tortoise War God Clan had likewise been defeated.
“The Vermilion Bird War God Clan... I wonder what relationship the people of the Beyond have with the Vermilion Bird Clan.”
Wang Zijin wore a pale blue dress, her appearance breathtakingly beautiful, a faint smile on her face.
With a wave of her jade hand, strands of silver vines wove through the void, finally transforming into divine weapons that slashed forward, causing the successor of the Vermilion Bird War God Clan to cough up blood, his body shaking violently as numerous horrifying cracks appeared across it.
Her beauty was indisputable—few women in this world could compare to her, her skin luminous, shimmering with moving luster.
But her strength was terrifying. In the eyes of the other prodigies, she was even more mysterious than the Sky Demon Sovereign or the King of Six Crowns, appearing utterly at ease from beginning to end.
“Retreat!”
“Don’t linger in battle!”
In the Hunting Ground, the expressions of all the prodigies of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains changed drastically as they sought to flee this place.
Xiao Yang, Lin Wu, and the others were no exception. They had never imagined Gu Changge would be so ruthless, setting a trap to lure them all in.
With things having developed to this point, if they remained here, death was inevitable.
Even the True Daoists of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains had been wounded.
They would absolutely become targets in others’ eyes—to be eliminated as quickly as possible.
“Open the Space Altars! Get as many out as we can!”
“Send the younger generation away—they cannot die here! The higher-ups of each clan should also take this chance to leave. As for the rest... they can only stay behind to buy time.”
Aboard the Ancient Battleships, the many old-generation figures were decisive at this moment, their expressions grim, understanding that this battle was likely a death sentence.
Not all of them could perish here. They immediately decided to bring out the Space Altars to send the younger generation away, preserving their seeds and hope.
Of course, the Space Altars could not hold many people, so they had to make hard choices.
Some juniors with exceptional talent could only be abandoned here today.
Those with profound cultivation, as well as the higher-ups of each clan, also had to be sent away now.
They were all people of value to the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains. If they fell, it would greatly impact the powers and clans behind them.
Hearing these words, the eyes of quite a few old-generation figures gleamed sharply.
Though Space Altars were precious, each of them possessed quite a few.
However, attempting to leave would likely bring even greater danger.
The spatial barriers here had probably been shattered by the clashes of True Daoists, unable to support many Cultivators escaping—it might even trigger spatial storms, causing an even greater catastrophe.
Moreover, the Beyond would likely not let them leave safely.
Thinking of this, their brows furrowed even tighter. If they were to flee now, they had to wait for the right moment.
Those who fled first would absolutely become targets of the Beyond.
“First, arrange for some people to willingly go to their deaths to lower the Beyond’s guard. Then we find our chance to escape. That’s a good plan.”
“At this point, this is the only way.”
They then instructed the clansmen behind them to gather personnel, intending to have them flee through the Space Altars first.
Weng—
Spatial fluctuations emerged here, and then an ancient, mysterious altar manifested in the void.
It was like a gate of light standing in place, but this portal was unstable. Affected by the space here, it showed signs of shattering.
“You’re trying to escape?”
A powerhouse of the Beyond noticed this scene and struck swiftly—a palm sweeping across the sky, slamming down to stop them.
However, the spatial portal did not hold for long. It quickly collapsed, and a chorus of screams came from within, accompanied by bursts of blood mist.
The beings and Cultivators who had just entered were shredded by the spatial turbulence, instantly annihilated in body and soul.
This sight stunned the people of the Beyond for a moment, and then they could not help but laugh. “These people are panicking so hard they’ve lost their way. Even without us lifting a finger, they’d die miserably in the void. The fluctuations of a battle at the True Daoist level have long since shattered the space here. No one is getting out.”
After that, they paid no more attention to those attempting to flee via Space Altars, instead specifically hunting down the Cultivators who were being protected, exterminating them.
“It really lowered their guard.”
The eyes of some old-generation figures of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains gleamed, and they breathed a small sigh of relief in their hearts.
This method was no different from a gecko severing its own tail, but it could still secretly send some people away.
Meanwhile, as the armies of the two worlds clashed, high above in the firmament, the battle between the three True Daoists of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains and Gu Changge had already reached the deepest part of the universe, far from this place.
Xuan Gang and the others had practically fought themselves into madness. Emperor might surged vast and mighty, sweeping across the entire universe, shattering the firmament and knocking down stars.
In their view, Gu Changge was merely borrowing the might of an external object. The Celestial Seal of the Nine Mountains was powerful, but it ultimately had its limits.
As long as they dragged the fight out with Gu Changge...
Gu Changge had not yet achieved the Dao—he ultimately could not match the three of them, and would be defeated in the end.
Boom—
The radiance here was too dazzling. Enormous hands stretched across the universe, beneath which even stars were as tiny as dust.
This was the might of True Daoists—boundlessly powerful. Someone’s Physique collapsed, but quickly reformed; their Primordial Spirits were indestructible, nearly impossible to erase.
“Gu Changge, you are no True Daoist after all!”
“Your power will run dry sooner or later!”
Xuan Gang roared in fury, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, the bones of his hand shattered, glistening white bone fragments scattering as Gu Changge’s palm slammed into his body with a rumble like the universe splitting apart.
The Black Tortoise body was incomparably powerful, even comparable to Immortal Divine Gold, yet at this moment it could not hold—it was punched straight through.
The other two True Daoists were faring no better, especially the Lu Family Ancestor whose true body Gu Changge had pierced earlier. He was covered in blood, his injuries horrific.
He had already reforged his body several times. Were it not for his powerful life force and his focus on cultivating the Primordial Spirit, it would have been far worse than mere grievous wounds.
“Do you know why I lured you all here?”
Hearing this, Gu Changge smiled faintly, a strange glint flashing through his eyes.
Above his head, the Celestial Seal of the Nine Mountains rose and fell, cascading down boundless golden divine radiance, carrying the divine intent of the Completely Invulnerable Technique.
His face still wore that casual, unbothered expression. He was not the least bit surprised by what Xuan Gang and the others were thinking.
This place was immeasurably far from the Aether Abyss, deep within this universe.
Even the two armies on the battlefield could only sense some of the battle’s fluctuations—they could not clearly see what was happening here.
“What do you mean by that?”
Xuan Gang’s brows knitted tightly, an ominous feeling rising in his heart.
Because from beginning to end, Gu Changge’s expression had been far too relaxed. No one could fathom his limits, or even tell what condition he was currently in.
And these words now hinted at some unknown scheme.
His wariness of Gu Changge had truly reached its peak.
Gu Changge’s joy and anger never showed on his face—his thoughts were impossible to guess. If Gu Changge had shown even a hint of alarm, or unease, it would have given them some relief.
But Gu Changge had not.
This feeling that everything was under his control made them tremble slightly, deeply unsettled.
“This guy is just putting on a brave front. He’s at the end of his rope—he’s only trying to bluff us.”
“We are True Daoists, and we’ve already been reduced to this state. He’s a mere junior—can he really overturn the heavens?”
The Lu Family Ancestor’s expression darkened. At this point, he threw caution to the wind. His entire cultivation ignited, transforming into monstrous green divine flames.
That was a vast ocean of life Source, roaring like mountains and tsunamis, surging and churning, all flooding toward Gu Changge to drown him.
“Daoxiong, don’t underestimate him!”
Seeing this, the unease in Xuan Gang’s heart grew stronger. He tried to shout the Lu Family Ancestor to a halt, but it was already too late.
Amid his horrified, terrified expression, the universe ahead suddenly went dark, as if eternal night had descended, as if All of Heaven and Its Thousand Worlds had sunk into everlasting dusk.
A terrifying Grand Flask floated above the firmament. Only its vague outline could be seen, rising and falling there, cascading down endless, boundless black light.
That black light was formed of infinite rules and order, the laws of the Great Dao, containing unimaginable might of heaven and earth.
All of Heaven and Its Thousand Worlds, the myriad ages of time and space, seemed to crack apart from its single tremor.
This was an unfathomable, indescribable, supreme power.
Weng—
The vast life Source unleashed by the Lu Family Ancestor was now like clay oxen sinking into the sea, swallowed up by that terrifying Grand Flask.
“This is...” A trace of horror and disbelief surfaced on his face.
He had never imagined that his full-power strike would be so easily neutralized by Gu Changge.
“It’s my first time seeing someone so eager to die. Since that’s the case, I’ll grant your wish.”
Gu Changge’s expression was calm, his eyes still placid, his words without the slightest ripple.
As his words fell, terrifying black light came flooding through the universe ahead.
Gu Changge flicked his hand lightly, and the Eight Barren Demon Halberd appeared, emitting a humming tremor. Heaven and earth overturned; everything fell into chaos.
Boom—
It was a halberd-light sweeping across, surpassing heaven and earth, unmatched. All things under the heavens seemed affected. With a puchi, it ran the Lu Family Ancestor through.
Then, with a hong, he burst into pieces, white bone fragments flying in all directions. His Primordial Spirit included, he was cleaved in two, reduced to ash.
Even at the instant of his death, his face still bore terror, disbelief, deep horror—and regret.
“This...”
“How is this possible?!”
Xuan Gang and the other True Daoist were both frozen stiff, their words trembling, their faces pale. They had never imagined that the Lu Family Ancestor would be cleaved apart by Gu Changge in a single exchange, annihilated in body and soul.
All traces of his life force had vanished, as if he had never existed at all.
The shock of this scene was simply too great—it nearly made them doubt whether it was an illusion.
“Now it’s your turn.”
After slaying a True Daoist with a single strike, Gu Changge’s expression did not change in the slightest, as if he had done something utterly trivial.
He looked toward Xuan Gang and the other, speaking indifferently.
Above his head, the Celestial Seal of the Nine Mountains trembled lightly—this was the fear of a sentient artifact toward some great, ominous, terrifying thing.
At this moment, it sensed the dreadfulness of the Eight Barren Demon Halberd—that was the power of ultimate world-annihilation.
“What... what are you?”
The other True Daoist, whose true body was the Nine-Headed Golden Bird, spoke with a trembling voice, his scalp going numb.
This was the first time he had ever witnessed a True Daoist being slain—and so effortlessly at that. Before this, it was something he would never have dared to imagine.
The shock and horror this scene gave them was simply too immense. Their souls trembled, terrified to the extreme.
They were True Daoists, invincible in this world! Now that the Celestial Realm did not manifest, they represented invincibility itself.
“Run!” Xuan Gang reacted quickly, his face pale and full of fear, never having imagined Gu Changge had hidden so much.
It seemed the Mountain Lords of the Nine Great Mountains had all met with disaster.
In the very first instant, he transformed into his true form—larger than even an Astral River—and fled into the distance.
But the next moment, a streak of crimson light was faster still. It appeared to be a strand of Sword Qi, yet the howl it emitted threw even the River of Time into disorder, as if the entire universe would be severed.
The Immortal-Killing Gourd glowed, floating in Gu Changge’s hand.
At the gourd’s mouth, crimson haze sprayed out, transforming into terrifying Sword Qi that caught up to Xuan Gang in an instant, circling once around his neck.
Pu—
A monstrous rain of blood erupted, flooding this region of the universe. An enormous Black Tortoise head tumbled down, terror still lingering in its eyes.
“D-don’t kill me! I’m willing to submit!”
Seeing this, the True Daoist whose true body was the Nine-Headed Golden Bird was so frightened his gall nearly burst. He did not dare flee at all.
Though he possessed extreme speed, he did not believe he could outrun that Sword Qi.
Even Xuan Gang, with his terrifying Physique, had his head severed by that Sword Qi—let alone him.
“It seems you’re the smart one. You didn’t run.” Gu Changge smiled faintly.
Hearing this, joy involuntarily surfaced on the Nine-Headed Golden Bird’s face—he had suddenly glimpsed hope.
“But what a pity. Today, all of you must die. Otherwise, my identity would be exposed.”
Yet the next moment, Gu Changge’s regretful words rang out, turning his face deathly pale, his whole body trembling—instantly plunged into despair.
Pu—
Monstrous blood-light erupted here once more, and then everything fell deathly silent.
The entire universe lay in ruins. Chaos Energy surged toward the four seas and eight wastelands, as if to drown heaven and earth itself. No fluctuation, no trace remained.