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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
Shrouded by the fog of time, the golden eyes of this formidable phantom glowed brilliantly like molten lava. His gaze was as piercing as a sword that transcended time and space, poised to cleave through the very fabric of the universe.
After a brief silence that seemed like an eternity, the phantom finally spoke. “Perhaps…”
His voice was extremely raspy and weary. As he spoke, an even more terrifying phenomenon appeared in the sky. Thick, crimson lightning that seemed to span the entire universe crashed down upon him. Countless streaked across the sky in succession, tearing the universe asunder.
The overwhelming sight left all quivering in fear. In an instant, the entire landscape was transformed into a boundless, electrifying sea of thunder and lightning. The energy fluctuations alone disintegrate any form of matter and existence, reducing them to mere ashes. It was truly destructive.
Under the terrifying energy fluctuations, the entire universe was as vulnerable as a boat in the raging stormy sea. Countless from the Other Domain were forcefully brought to their knees, trembling in fear as their very Souls were on the brink of destruction. The sight was even more terrifying than Gu Changge’s previous battle against the Eight Headed Emperor. It resembled the apocalypse.
The shockwave was so powerful that even the Immortal Kings in the distance felt their bones shaking. Their skin began to tear, and blood seeped out in a chilling sight. Fearing for their safety, they quickly retreated to universes far away and reappeared in the distance.
“He triggered such a dreadful phenomenon by merely speaking. I fear to imagine what will happen if a battle were to break out. The consequences could be catastrophic. It might plunge this era back into the chaos once again. Such terrifying karmic power, even those Quasi-Immortal Emperors would not be able to endure it…” the Mysterious Ancient Immortal King shakily pointed out.
That was the phantom of a true Immortal Emperor, who defied the currents of the River of Time to appear in an era not his own. His every word and action carried immense karmic weight, potentially disrupting the natural order of everything and altering the course of history.
To put it bluntly, if the Immortal Emperor were to take action now, this one being could bring about the destruction of this era. The consequences would undoubtedly be far-reaching.
Of course, the world still possessed the power to counter the power of the Immortal Emperor, rendering annihilation of everything to be impossible.
With the unparalleled might of an Immortal Emperor, traversing the long River of Time was just a matter of thought. With just a simple glance, they could easily gaze from one end to another end of the river.
Although the River of Time was nothing but a mere toy in their hands, they could not alter it at will. That would alter the course of history, cause events to change and the world to plunge into chaos once more.
*Rumble!!!* Thousands of crimson lightning bolts illuminated the sky, accompanied by thunder resembling the roars of furious Dragons. The tempestuous storm obscured the Sun, casting a shadow over the land below.
Ancient floating pavilions and palaces could be seen among the stormy clouds, as well as faint silhouettes that seemed to be Heavenly soldiers and generals wielding their Heavenly weapons. They seem to charge forth from the distance.
This was the shocking karmic aftereffects brought about by the Immortal Emperor just because he had spoken.
From the depths of Heaven and Earth, a formidable power arose, akin to a catastrophic mill threatening to obliterate him.
The Immortal Emperor from the future had severely disrupted the laws of the universe. Despite this, he remained standing without the slightest intention to retreat, surrounded by countless fragments of time. His gaze was as sharp as a Heavenly blade, fixed intently upon Gu Changge.
*Chi, chi, chi…* With a gentle shake of his hand, an incredible surge of power erupted and dissipated the raging thunderstorm that had gathered in the sky.
World Principles crumbled and faded away. Thousands of techniques were rendered ineffective against him, a phantom that seemed to be standing in the unknown Realm. Even the very essence of the Great Dao itself was torn apart.
“’Perhaps’? But I see despair in your eyes. It seems you wish to put an end to my existence and end this era to resolve all matters. Am I right?” Gu Changge seemed to be repeating the Immortal Emperor’s words with an unwavering smile on his face.
“Impossible…” Realisation suddenly seemed to have dawned upon the Immortal Emperor. His eyes glinted terrifyingly, like a sharp sword, illuminating the River of Time.
He was shaking and seemed to be in a state of disbelief, as he struggled to remain on his feet.
“Do you feel despair?” Gu Changge gazed intently at the Immortal Emperor, as if trying to penetrate the fog of time and unravel his mysterious origin.
“Who the Hell are you!?” The Immortal Emperor’s voice quivered upon realisation. His golden pupils constricted as terrifying visions of the universe collapsing and the River of Time being destroyed flashed across his eyes.
“It doesn’t matter who I am. More importantly, I want to know who you are.” Gu Changge smiled. “Why have you come here to kill me?”
An Immortal Emperor from the future had traversed the River of Time with the intention of eliminating him in this era. Gu Changge could not help but think of the impending Third Great Purge the Mountains and Oceans True World needed to face. The Third Great Purge, which exact timing still remained a mystery to him.
If the River of Time in the Mountains and Oceans True World did not collapse and continued to flow, it meant that the True World still existed in the future. Therefore, it begged the question as to why an Immortal Emperor from the future would traverse against the flow of time to eliminate him. What could be his motive?
Logically speaking, it was impossible for the Mountains and Oceans True World to survive the First Great Purge, given their limited resources. They only survived because Gu Changge disguised himself as the Demon Lord and led them to salvation as a Heavenslayer.
Despite their success, the Mountains and Oceans True World suffered great losses, with many of their strongest experts falling in that Great Purge. Some chose to enter into a deep slumber and isolate themselves from the world, while others resorted to other methods like entering the cycle of reincarnation, eagerly awaiting their next chance to return to the world.
They evaded the Second Great Purge due to Qingyi and Gu Changge’s discussion and clever schemes. They effectively delaying the inevitable Great Purge and allowing all beings in the Mountains and Oceans True World ample time to recuperate. The Third Great Purge probably would not go so smoothly for the Mountains and Oceans True World. not to mention, Gu Changge had other plans too.
As the saying goes, the third time was a jinx. Should the Third Great Purge befall the Mountains and Oceans True World, it would be even more catastrophic than the last. No one would be able to evade the impending doom.
[But, if the Mountains and Oceans True World were to succumb to the Third Great Purge, from which era does this Immortal Emperor hail from? Is he from the future of an alternate reality? If that’s the case, perhaps he is a certain protagonist from the future, a Fortuitous One?] Gu Changge was rather curious, but he could only speculate. After all, the grand River of Time flowed through countless True Worlds. The one the Mountains and Oceans True World was in was merely one of the small tributaries of this long river.
“Indeed, it is as you have said. The only means to achieve peace is through killing you. There is no other way. But… who exactly are you? Why are there no traces of you in both the past and the future?”
Despite being shrouded by thick fog of time, the Immortal Emperor’s phantom was unstable. He was slowly fading away from this era. It was evident that his words had brought about significant cause and effect. The strain on his body was immense, threatening to explode on the spot.
That was why he was feeling suffocated, as disbelief and despair overwhelmed him.
In the current era, Gu Changge had yet to reach the Immortal Emperor Realm. In fact, he was still considered to be in a relatively ‘weak’ stage of his journey. Yet, for some reason, he could not perceive time, space or even signs of existence of Gu Changge. It was as though Gu Changge had successfully unified every single one of himself from countless timelines and spaces. It made this version of him the sole being that existed throughout all of time.
Being an Immortal Emperor, he was fully aware of the implications of this. He found it hard to accept and was filled with despair.
He stood amidst the current era, yet he could not find Gu Changge’s past. In fact, Gu Changge seemed not to have existed in the past nor the future, but solely in the present. As a result, he was unable to delve into Gu Changge’s past and unravel the mystery of his origins nor his future. It was as if Gu Changge had just appeared out of nowhere. This realization was truly frightening.
As an Immortal Emperor, who had come from the future, his plan was to eliminate Gu Changge while he was still ‘weak’.
Despite the potentially catastrophic consequences of this action, which included a complete rewrite of history, a reversal of the flow of time, and a different future, he saw this as the only viable option available to him. The only glimmer of hope.
When he arrived at the current era, reality hit him hard as he realised that everything was vastly different from his expectations. Gu Changge’s ‘weakness’ was merely a facade, and the Gu Changge he knew may not even be the true essence of his being.
The Immortal Emperor had an even more terrifying speculation—the Gu Changge he saw before him was merely a reflection of his true self, as he had already attained a Realm beyond his comprehension.
After he reached the Immortal Emperor Realm, he discovered there was a path beyond Absolute Detachment. One could only be said to have achieved ultimate freedom and attained the Great Immeasurable.
The ‘great’ in the Great Immeasurable referred to the pinnacle while the ‘Immeasurable’ referred to the immeasurable veil that encompasses all beings. The Great Dao was infinite but the Great Immeasurable had a limit. Even so, attaining the Great Immeasurable meant surpassing freedom and eternity. Those that had achieved this state had condensed their own unique path, where they had gathered all timelines to one point. Hence, every individual who existed within its Realm was their true self, as other versions of themselves were non-existent.
Gu Changge had surely shattered his Absolute Detachment body before the Forbidden Epoch. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for him to reincarnate and recultivate. If Gu Changge had not shattered it, he would not need to recultivate. After all, he would still be his true self in the past, present and future. However, why could the Immortal Emperor not find Gu Changge in any other era, not even when had not become an Immortal Emperor?
“It appears that you know me very well, almost as if you have meticulously studied my every move and arrived fully prepared. Have you traversed here before and foreseen everything?” Gu Changge observed the changes in the Immortal Emperor’s countenance and could not resist smirking as he nonchalantly spoke. He had pretty guessed the origins of this Immortal Emperor.
“I made a grave error in underestimating the Greatest Villain.”
A terrifying burst of chaos light shot out from the Immortal Emperor’s eyes. Time started distorting around his real body, showing signs of breaking and collapsing. The sheer weight of karmic forces generated by his words was overwhelming him, threatening to crush him.
Blood trickled from his nose and mouth as he struggled to remain standing and was on the brink of vanishing from the current era.
Every action an Immortal Emperor made could trigger unimaginable consequences, especially given the fact he was from the future. Every word he spoke had the potential to reshape the future in profound ways.
“The Greatest Villain? Is that how everyone refers to me in the future?” Gu Changge merely smiled, seemingly unbothered by the title given to him.
To the creatures of the boundless Heaven, his true self was already standing at the endpoint of all that was tangible and intangible. It was a point where the very concept of the Great Dao was born. Indeed, one could argue that the very existence of his true self gave rise to the very idea of Great Dao itself.
The Immortal Emperor could no longer speak. The world was rejecting him, and his physical form began to crumble. Even though he was shrouded by the thick fog of time, his body could not withstand the onslaught. More blood came out of his nose and mouth. As the River of Time surged, he was forced to quickly retreat until he vanished from sight. It was only then, the overwhelming aura that could bring all beings to their knees receded like a tide.
The Immortal Emperor knew that it was impossible for him to retaliate right now, even if he had wanted to. The mere act of speaking had already subjected him to a terrible karmic backlash.
Gu Changge watched silently as the Immortal Emperor faded from his sight, leaving only the fragments of time behind.
“The future, huh?” With a profound gaze, Gu Changge surveyed the River of Time, but he could not find any Immortal Emperor being born in the future. This left him wondering from which timeline the recently appeared Immortal Emperor had come from?
Silavin: The Great Immeasurable or Da Luo comes from the concept 大罗神仙. The meaning of 大罗is closer in lines to an all-encompassing net. This net is technically immeasurable since it transcends time and space. For 大罗神仙, they are Immortals that basically transcend even this net. Not bound by anything.
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