Chapter 1159: Harvest

With this era concluded, the fundamental nature of the entire universe has largely been established. Approximately three thousand parametric laws have enabled the universe to operate as a relatively constant and stable super-large celestial body. Although it remains a rough embryo, full of imperfections, much like a sculpture whose general shape has been set, future generations will undertake a long process of refinement and integration based on it.

"The heavens and earth now experience birth, aging, sickness, and death. A new era has begun, and the age of immortal Chaos Gods and Devils has ended. However, it will still take some time to transition to the next era..."

Xu Zhi lowered his head, observing the entire universe. This was a terrifying purge; a full ninety percent of the universe's inhabitants were eliminated, with only those who were still young and capable of surviving within their respective cultivation realms remaining. The number was far more terrifying than Xu Zhi had imagined! This was because the beings in this universe were too undisciplined. Due to their immortality, they approached cultivation very casually; most cultivators might not even break through to the second stage by the age of one hundred. When the catastrophe of lifespan descended, they instantly aged and died.

"However, although Yi Mang has fallen, dozens of ancient Primeval Gods and Devils from that era still survive. They were victors in the War of Three Thousand Gods and Devils, and they are now hiding in dojos within the outer chaos, still in a state of slumber, hoping to live longer..."

Xu Zhi's gaze swept over them. Even Nu Yi, Yi Mang's ninth disciple, was among them. These were considered remnants of the Primeval Chaos Gods and Devils. However, there was no need to worry about them; they wouldn't live much longer. After struggling for a while, they would ultimately turn into dust in history.

"This is the grand trend of heaven and earth; it is irreversible..."

"The Primeval Gods and Devils of the old era were merely ordinary plant spirits born from primordial matter; their bloodlines were very mediocre. They certainly couldn't compare to the heaven-defying, powerful bloodlines naturally evolved by these later-stage beings... In the future, bloodlines will become diverse and hold infinite possibilities..."

After observing for a while, Xu Zhi paid them no more mind. With the end of an era, Xu Zhi also needed to relax and, at the same time, organize his gains.

"However, with the transition to the later stage, the pressure of resisting the entire Grand Universe has been significantly reduced."

Xu Zhi knew that this indicated the universe was developing into a mature Grand Universe; as differentiation decreased, the pressure naturally lessened.

Soon, he left this universe. He returned to the Destroyer God's dimensional courtyard, where a week had already passed. By now, many species had proliferated in the courtyard. Di Qi and Caroline were among them. Even Yuanlan Tianzun, who guarded the door for Xu Zhi and came from an outside civilization, was enthusiastically evolving.

"It's a pity, though, that these species cannot be released into that simulated Dao universe..." Xu Zhi shook his head; their Great Daos were incompatible, meaning they would be rejected. The simulated Dao universe and the Grand Universe were destined not to be permanently connected.

"However, the destructive species they evolve are the truly powerful forces that can be genuinely used in *this* universe!" Xu Zhi clearly understood his priorities. The simulated Dao universe was, after all, merely a simulated Dao, used only for deductions and simulations; the primary combat power would undoubtedly still come from the rules of *this* universe!

"However, just because it's not useful now doesn't mean it won't be in the future. Once the first true Tenth-Tier Ultimate appears and can venture into the chaos outside the universe, I'll move this universe out there, freeing it from the Grand Universe's limitations..."

Xu Zhi knew that was still some way off. His civilization level hadn't truly entered the Tenth-Tier Ultimate stage yet. He himself was a "fake" Tenth-Tier.

Sitting by the window in the Destroyer God's courtyard, Xu Zhi watched the diligent Naserah and began to organize the thoughts he had gained from Yi Mang. "As for the Eleventh-Tier..."

"I never expected this realm to theoretically exist yet not exist, a highly contradictory intermediate state? Is it also like quantum mechanics? It only forms when observed; only with the first Eleventh-Tier being does it collapse into reality, and without an Eleventh-Tier, that realm won't exist?"

"It's truly marvelous; no one can clearly explain what kind of dimensional being that is..."

He jotted everything down in his notes, organizing his thoughts.

"However, the conditions for achieving it are extremely difficult. Condition one: One must live from the chaotic early stages of the universe to its very end, having the same lifespan as the universe itself."

Xu Zhi tapped his pen. He couldn't figure out why this was necessary. It seemed vaguely related to the Great Dao Diagram, specifically the ancient tree of enlightenment. His current level of knowledge was too low to deduce or understand such deep principles, or why this was an essential condition for breaking through to the Eleventh-Tier.

But this condition itself was an impossible paradox! No being could live that long. That was the assimilation by the Grand Universe! The greatest catastrophe in the universe, the Five Declines of Heaven and Man, which was utterly irresistible!

"Condition two: One must achieve enlightenment during a specific period—the final Dharma-ending age when the universe approaches destruction. Only then will a hidden door to the Eleventh-Tier appear."

This was even stranger. Why during that era? The Dharma-ending age was the universe's old age, a period of decline for the transcendent. The Great Dao began to close off as it reached perfection! Tenth-Tier beings could no longer be produced, and even Ninth-Tier beings would find it impossible to warp the fully mature, perfectly closed universal rules, thus ceasing to exist.

"This is very interesting..."

Xu Zhi smiled faintly, "The doors to the Tenth and Ninth Tiers in the universe close... and then the door to the Eleventh-Tier opens? In a dying universe, is it a case of breaking down to establish anew?"

"Perhaps, the most crucial condition for breakthrough is a universe that has been completely perfected and matured by successive Tenth-Tier Ultimate beings, reaching a state of flawless completeness!"

Xu Zhi vaguely felt he had grasped something, as his knowledge base was not low! Each successive Tenth-Tier Ultimate, through their repeated attainments of the Dao, added bricks and tiles to the perfect cosmic rules, contributing to the formation of the ultimate 'realm.' Each Tenth-Tier became part of a ladder... Only when the cosmic rules are finally complete can one ascend this perfect ladder and slowly push open the ultimate door.

Xu Zhi began to find this very interesting. "It's as if beings throughout history have all been planting a tree, becoming its nourishment, continuously promoting its growth. But it depends on who can survive until the very end, and ultimately, pick the peach, doesn't it?"

"No wonder all Tenth-Tier Ultimates in the current universe cannot deduce the Eleventh-Tier! Do they believe the Tenth-Tier is the ultimate Dao because their talent isn't sufficient? No! Their talent is earth-shattering, yet they cannot deduce it... There's only one simple reason: it simply doesn't exist in this era!"

"This is a limitation of the era! Just as in the future Dharma-ending age, when the door to the Tenth-Tier closes, even the most astonishingly talented Ninth-Tier prodigies won't see the path to the Tenth-Tier! At that time, they will think the Ninth-Tier is the end of the Great Dao... This is what 'era' means!"

"All beings are creatures living within their respective eras, and current Tenth-Tiers are no exception. Each might dominate a cosmic epoch, yet they fall like stars... No matter how prodigious or powerful they are, they cannot break through the inherent limitations of their era. This is the cruelty of the universe!"

"I should be grateful that I live in the thriving era of transcendent heavens, during its growth phase. Otherwise, in the Dharma-ending age hundreds of billions of years from now, all doors would be closed, and no one would be able to escape..." Xu Zhi whispered, "But I also find it regrettable that I wasn't born in the era when the universe was first created..."

"Because according to Yi Mang, one must share the universe's lifespan, living from its very beginning to its end, to even have a chance. As I am born now, I cannot even meet the most basic threshold condition!"

Xu Zhi didn't know the underlying principle. But according to what he said, this was one of the essential conditions, and he no longer had any opportunity.

But he didn't mind. "The Zerg have infinite possibilities. Once I find the principle behind why one must live from the universe's beginning to its end... I'll just find a way to compensate for it myself."

Xu Zhi knew that this simulated Dao universe was definitely his greatest opportunity. Yi Mang had fallen, but wouldn't the successive Grand Dao Ultimates and Saints who had attained the Dao of Heaven and Earth in later generations also desire transcendence? Why would they want to remain forever constrained by the 'Heavenly Dao'? They would certainly find ways to break through the Tenth-Tier.

As Yi Mang had said, if later beings were brilliant enough, they too would see everything he had seen. They would inevitably try to break the universe's paradox, defy the heavens and challenge the Dao, find a way to secretly cross over, live to the end of the universe, and pry open that ultimate door!

"In the universe of later generations, perhaps there will be beings as remarkably talented as Yi Mang who, as he said, will establish a world and use a 'long-life vessel' to secretly reach the end of the universe, then attain the Dao when the cosmic opportunity is right! They will make a desperate bid to become truly transcendent beings beyond the Heavenly Dao... I just need to continue deducing the simulated Dao universe, and I will see how they do it, and whether any beings actually attempt to 'smuggle' themselves through..."

Xu Zhi said softly, "To see how they manage to live to the end of the universe and then 'pick the peach'..."

He also understood clearly that if someone might see this in the simulated Dao universe he was deducing, then mysterious beings in the Grand Universe of this era, billions of years ago, might have already seen it. They might have even already built a 'long-life vessel' and begun secretly crossing over into future timelines.

"The Mother of Bugs might have wanted to board that vessel to get a ticket to transcendence, and perhaps that's why she was beaten to death." Xu Zhi murmured softly, looking at the simulated Dao universe. "The Immortal Realm, indeed."

Everything had been unknown to him before, but as he deduced the ancient dark truths of the universe, its origins, and the true text of history, he felt he was beginning to grasp something.