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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
Yan Ji’s expression was a little dark.
She learned many hidden truths regarding this world from the legacy of the Primordial God Zhu Rong, who claimed to be her Ancestor.
Every time, after multiple epochs had passed, a True World would undergo a Great Purge known as the Great Purge. During the Great Purge, all the living beings would be subjected to a purge.
From that moment on, all of civilisation would collapse and all legacies would end. Everything would return to chaos. This would last until many Moons later when life would be reborn from chaos and the cycle of reincarnation started over.
Even if one were lucky enough to survive this round of the Great Purge, there would be a second, a third, and so on, until the time came for all to be destroyed for good. A cultivator was bound to experience numerous obstacles and difficulties along their cultivation journey. The Great Purge was how the Will of Heaven tested and challenged the cultivators.
The Heavens were not merciful. All living beings were insignificant in its eyes. They were all alike before the Great Purge. It did not matter how weak or powerful the cultivators were. They would all be faced with a reckoning.
According to the legacy that Yan Ji received, Mountains and Oceans True World fell into decline after the previous Great Purge. Even after all these years, the True World had not regained its former glory yet. And now, in the Boundless Fallen Ocean beyond Mountains and Oceans True World, there were Hunters who were about to arrive.
None of the surviving experts could defend against them.
During her journey to find Gu Changge, she found out about the rumours being spread all over the land, and witnessed the unease and unrest around her.
Zhu Rong had tried to defy Heaven as he was dissatisfied with their ruthlessness. His resistance during the First Great Purge was the reason for his tragic demise.
Yan Ji would not have known about these secrets buried in history if she had not unexpectedly stumbled across his legacy.
“How are we to deal with the upcoming Great Purge then? Are we just going to watch as the world falls apart and be offered up as a sacrifice?” Puzzled, Yan Ji asked Gu Changge.
Gu Changge’s origins and identity were unimportant to her. She would not be standing here right now if Gu Changge had not found her, brought her to the Upper Realm, and recreated her physical body for her.
Gratitude was important to Yan Ji. Since she had chosen to follow Gu Changge, she was not going to change her mind.
Even though she heard a lot of negative rumours regarding Gu Changge throughout the years, she did not care about them. In her heart, Gu Changge was still the same young man she was deeply indebted to.
“Mountains and Oceans True World won’t fall so easily. When the time comes, there will be those who can’t resist coming forward to mount a resistance. You don’t need to worry about this. I still have everything under control,” Gu Changge said as he shook his head.
Yan Ji had been with him for a long time now, so he saw no reason to keep these things from her. In a way, Gu Changge was using the Hunters from the Boundless Fallen Ocean as bait to lure out the bigger fishes.
So much time had passed since the first Great War Against Heaven. Countless ancient epochs had gone by, from the Primordial Mythical Era to the Era of Immortals and the start of the Celestial Ancient Times, until the Forbidden Epoch after the Second Great Purge.
Considering the length of time, Gu Changge was certain there were still ancient beings in hiding somewhere.
Even though Mountains and Oceans True World suffered heavily during the first Great War Against Heaven, many of the truly powerful would be able to reincarnate safely thanks to Qingyi’s protection.
And yet, none of them showed up even before the Forbidden Epoch.
Even now, when the Immortal Domain had split apart and mere Immortal Kings could reign supreme across the universes, they did not show themselves. They continued to hide in the shadows, somewhere.
Gu Changge made sure to spread the news of the incoming Hunters from the Boundless Fallen Ocean across the world in an attempt to lure out these ancient beings.
He tried doing this before, but they were far too careful and refused to reveal themselves. Therefore, Gu Changge had to resort to more extreme methods.
[Unless, they’re willing to remain in the shadows and watch as Mountains and Oceans True World get destroyed and be sacrificed.]
“You already knew this would happen, Young Master?” Yan Ji did not see this coming and was caught by surprise.
Since Gu Changge said he had everything under control, it meant that he had anticipated everything. Thus, there was nothing for her to worry about.
The atmosphere in the Upper Realm and the Immortal Domain was tense and uneasy. A hundred years would pass in a flash. It was too late to even try to find a way out now.
Many Forces were restless and anxious. Despair consumed the hearts of many, and mayhem broke out in several places.
Arson, murder, and all manner of evil deeds became the norm. They did not care about the consequences. They just wanted to indulge in their desires.
This was especially prevalent in the remote universes and isolated corners a great distance away from the centre of the Upper Realm. There was no order as all the laws were disregarded. No one cared about the rules that were put in place to constrain them.
Even though the soldiers and generals of the Divine Empire and the Heavenly Court went forth to quell the unrest, their efforts became less and less effective over time.
Towards the end, the Divine Empire and the Heavenly Court no longer got involved. Naturally, others took it as a sign that they were overwhelmed and could not afford to spend their time on such trivial matters.
Many Forces who had previously submitted to the Divine Empire were now ignoring the rules too. They began seeking their own means of survival as they assumed that no one could survive the Great Purge that was coming within a hundred years.
The Divine Empire and the Heavenly Court were both mighty and formidable. They had been founded by Gu Changge and counted numerous Immortal Kings among their ranks. Nevertheless, they were powerless in the face of this Great Purge. They could not mount any kind of resistance.
Under such circumstances, chaos reigned over the Immortal Domain and the Upper Realm. Many ancient cities fell into unrest. Numerous living beings died in the chaos.
The stability that took great effort to maintain was shattered entirely as chaos broke out all over.
Many Immortal Families, Immortal Sects, and even Immortal King Families in the Immortal Domain began to cut down their territories and retreat to Small Universes. They were doing their best to ensure the survival of their bloodline.
The rumbling sounds of ancient battleships descending could be heard across every universe. Supreme experts were leading the evacuation to isolated Small Universes in an attempt to avoid the impending disaster.
Some Forces chose to retreat into isolation, in the many Forbidden Areas in the past that remained detached from the outside world.
Alas, even the ones in these Forbidden Areas were awakening and preoccupied with their own matters.
The chaos and unrest swept over the entire Mountains and Oceans True World. It was not contained to the Upper Realm or the Immortal Domain. There were no means of escape unless one was able to leave Mountains and Oceans True World and traverse the Boundless Fallen Ocean.
Gu Changge remained largely unaffected as sat calmly on the highest point of the Divine Empire and surveyed the changes in the worlds and universes below. The present chaos was only the beginning as all the Immortal Forces had not truly gotten involved yet.
The chaos would only truly take hold when the Immortal Forces from the Immortal Domain started to waver as well.
For the time being, the Divine Empire and the Heavenly Court seemed just barely able to maintain order within their territories. After all, no one was foolish enough to wreak havoc in their territories during this time.
“It doesn’t feel right to see all the foundations that had been built up over the years being destroyed just like that.” Yin Mei had mixed emotions as she witnessed the start of the chaos. She contributed greatly to the Divine Empire’s success in conquering the Upper Realm and its rise in power. She had been personally involved throughout that process, so it was hard for her to see the collapse of order, and that chaos had broken out in various universes. It felt as if peace would never return.
“There is no everlasting empire in this world. Instead of destruction, think of it as a rebirth. Order can be reestablished. Universes that have been destroyed can be reborn again. Perhaps this Great Purge might inject new life into this world.” Gu Changge shook his head as his eyes swept across the expansive universe. The territories under the rule of the Divine Empire and the Heavenly Court were still fairly stable.
However, the territories belonging to the other Forces were beset with varying levels of chaos.
Battles had broken out in numerous universes in the Immortal Domain as many of the Immortal Kings were currently standing guard at the Expansive Battlefield.
The clash between large numbers of True Immortals affected the surrounding territories. Many innocent living beings had tragically lost their lives. It seemed as if the end times were upon them.
“New life? But, many will die…” Yin Mei looked at the sea of clouds beyond the palace.
The Divine Empire sat at the peak of the Upper Realm. From its location, one could observe the changes that occurred across multiple universes, thereby picking up on the changes in the world.
The Great Purge was not upon them yet, but its effects could already be seen across the worlds and universes, including the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, as well as the surrounding ancient worlds.
The Boundary Marker Sea was a sea that bordered the Upper Realm and the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains. It was a vast sea, with dilapidated boundary markers speaking of its ancient desolation.
Many ancient worlds that had been destroyed in major battles were buried in these waves. The water ebbed and flowed, but it was showing signs of drying up.
It had been many years since the Upper Realm waged a war against the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains. And now, the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains on the other side of the Boundary Marker Sea belonged to the Upper Realm as well.
The Forces that had been a part of the invasion had divided up the many territories in the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains among themselves.
Right now, the true owner of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains was the Sky Deer Goddess, who currently resided in the Sky Deer City which was located along the shore of the Boundary Marker Sea.
She possessed a unique identity. During the fight between the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains and the Upper Realm, she chose to submit to Gu Changge.
As she was the guardian goddess of Sky Deer City, her decision drew the ire and contempt of those from the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains. She became the subject of criticism and discontent. However, later on, it was precisely due to the Sky Deer Goddess that the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains were unharmed by the massacre that ravaged the Upper Realm.
At this moment, the Sky Deer Goddess was standing outside the city walls of Sky Deer City and staring at the Boundary Marker Sea.
Ever since Gu Changge brought her back from the Immortal Domain, she returned to Sky Deer City and remained here to solidify her cultivation.
She heard about the news and rumours that had been spreading elsewhere. Even though it seemed like a distant matter, a hundred years would go by in a flash.
“The Boundary Marker Sea is drying up… There have been strange movements in this area lately…”
The Sky Deer Goddess stared into the distance where large patches of the seabed could be seen, and massive rifts were revealed too.
Previously, the Boundary Marker Sea was filled with Chaos Qi as numerous fragmented ancient worlds were suspended in the water.
However, as the sea dried up, the ancient worlds crumbled and disappeared. Right now, it looked like a burial ground instead. Weatherbeaten skeletons could be seen in many places, eerie white pieces that had not been destroyed by time.
Some areas were covered in craters that looked like independent worlds. It was hard to imagine that such scenes could be found beneath the Boundary Marker Sea.
There was a stretch of barren wasteland too. It looked as if a devastating battle in the past had destroyed this place.
Stars had fallen, leaving countless craters behind. The vast and boundless stretch seemed like another universe where death reigned supreme. There was nothing but blackened ground and destruction.
Lately, a lot of unusual activity had been detected in this area where the Boundary Marker Sea was. Some heard the rumblings of mountains and the roarings of the seas, and some heard the sounds of battle as if a deathly war had broken out among the stars.
“This used to be a battlefield… Are my old friends who fought alongside me still around? If you are, you probably can’t stay in hiding any longer either.” An old man dressed in white silently appeared. Even his beard was white.
He wandered the dried-up Boundary Marker Sea with a look of nostalgia and melancholy. With each step he took, the ground beneath his feet showed signs of cracking. The place was filled with the aura of death, and his hostility, which did not dissipate over time.
It could be seen just how tragic and horrifying the battle had been in the past. One could confirm the vastness of this territory by taking into account the countless craters caused by falling stars that dotted the place.
There were even massive rifts that weaved through the entire ground. There was no telling where the old man in white came from. He looked like a lonely Soul who was slowly walking into the depths of the vast territory.
He spoke an ancient tongue that was difficult to decipher and seemed to be calling out to something.
The area further in was like a mass grave where a large number of bodies had been buried. Some were still dressed in armour and battle suits made of Hell Iron. The bodies showed signs of being pierced by weapons, though the blood had long since dried up.
The old man roamed across the blackened ground. He was surrounded by destruction. Rivers of blood, corpses, and caskets could all be seen.
At last, the old man in white came to a stop at a crater that looked like it had been formed by a massive hand. He looked at the little mound inside the crater. It looked like a solitary grave with no markings to identify its owner or when it had been created.
“Are you still alive, Tu Ying?” the old man stared at the mound and asked.
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