Chapter 1276: Crisis

Zhi Ji finished reading the last section and her expression suddenly became dazed.

She felt completely lost, rooted to the spot.

She had cultivated painstakingly until now, crossing into the distant universe of the future, seeking immortality, living precariously, and enduring arduous practice, all just for a chance at transcendence.

In the beginning, when the Longevity Dao Palace was established, all nine beings who had fought through bloodshed to the very end believed that they would inevitably become eternally immortal in the future, ancient cosmic entities with rigid class structures, high above everyone else, impossible to overthrow.

They could not see any possibility of being overthrown.

Infinite lifespans.

Unbeatable combat power.

As billions of years passed, they would only grow stronger and more entrenched.

At the same time, they were destined to attain the Chaotic God position and know the password to the Grand Dao Chart. After all, there was no one else besides them; they simply needed to solve the problems they faced one by one and find an unprecedented path to open the Eleventh Order.

"But why?"

Her pupils widened gradually. "Could it be that the universe is subtly balanced, and nothing can be eternally immortal? We thought our supreme existence would also develop cracks as the universe's rules of the era became more complete?"

A sudden terror made every bone in her body tremble.

"Yes, yes, I should have realized it earlier. Precisely because the cosmic rules are becoming more complete, and there's a subtle balance in the world, we will ultimately collapse."

This was an indescribable, immense fear.

The premonition that she would eventually be overthrown grew stronger and stronger.

She turned and looked at the young man still casually drinking tea and eating fruit on the deck.

Xu Zhi turned, looking at Zhi Ji with a relaxed, somewhat bewildered expression. "What on earth is this person thinking? She looks completely lost."

Xu Zhi continued eating fruit.

"The myth of the Ancestral Witch Heavenly Court."

She looked at the young man before her, suddenly remembering the earlier allusion:

Emperor Jinwu Longhong personally abandoned his position, descended to become a mortal being, disguised his identity, overthrew his old rule, and then rebuilt the Heavenly Court.

Could she do the same?

To personally descend and, alongside the heroes of the era, live anonymously, reincarnate, and cultivate anew, standing on the same starting line, once again sweeping through the current age as she did before, and becoming the victor again.

But ultimately, she hesitated.

Perhaps she had truly become muddled and ancient, desolate and old; after countless ages, she had indeed decayed, losing her drive to push forward.

"I am also like those old ones," she murmured, recalling the ordinary saints of that time and their conversations. What seemed to be said to them then was also, in a way, directed at her current self.

That sentence suddenly boomed in her mind:

At the time, she had only been slightly moved by that sentence, but now it resonated profoundly because she had become one of those old gods. If she did not undergo a rebirth by fire, endure a difficult and tearing struggle, and emerge from her cocoon, her heart, weighed down by weariness and age, would inevitably fail to escape this great tribulation.

Her dazed expression suddenly became more resolute. She bowed deeply to the young man drinking tea beside her. "Thank you."

Xu Zhi: ???

He was just routinely drinking tea on the deck, feeling the chaotic sea breeze. Yet, Zhi Ji, standing on the deck and gazing at the distant chaotic sea, suddenly seemed joyful and then laughed, her expression fluctuating, before bowing respectfully, as if deeply indebted to him, thanking him?

Before Xu Zhi could react, Zhi Ji asked again, her expression complex, "You said that a genius turning mediocre is just an accident, or is it inevitable that geniuses will eventually become corrupted mediocrities as their astonishing talents deplete in the future?"

Xu Zhi put down his teacup, looking at Zhi Ji, who had pressed her lips together, her face filled with complex longing and a lost expression. He was somewhat stunned.

It was the first time she had shown such an expression.

Could it be that she had seen some future again?

Xu Zhi collected his thoughts. Faced with a question that reminded him of Nü Yi's queries from years ago, he could only give the same answer: "Only truth is eternal."

Only truth is eternal?

Zhi Ji's mind was completely shaken, and she became dazed.

Indeed. Even the most astonishing prodigy would become dust in the currents of vast ages. If one could not transcend the universe, step into the ultimate Eleventh Order, and achieve eternal truth, then one would also turn into the ashes of history, just like the mortals one once disdained.

She suddenly looked at the young man with a hint of envy and smiled:

"I may not achieve true eternal truth! So, why have I always lived so precariously? I truly envy you. Perhaps I should live the life I want, like you, carefree and uninhibited, living a splendid existence between heaven and earth, living the life I desire. I want to live a second life and experience a normal existence."

Xu Zhi carefully pondered the meaning of her words.

"Thank you," Zhi Ji suddenly said again.

Xu Zhi didn't understand, but he nodded, noticing she seemed more at ease. He couldn't help but smile, "You seemed down earlier, but you're much better now."

Zhi Ji stared at Xu Zhi and suddenly said, "Seeing me so lost, won't you take the opportunity to conquer my heart? This is a good chance."

"I am a gentleman; I don't take advantage of others," Xu Zhi replied sternly.

"I feel like the world has abandoned me, but you're still so proper," Zhi Ji said, her gaze becoming complex, then she suddenly smiled, "Didn't you say earlier that you wanted to be my Dao companion? I'll take you into my universe to have a look now."

Xu Zhi hadn't even reacted.

He just felt an unprecedented immense force suddenly pulling him from the deck.

At that moment, Xu Zhi felt a vast, despair-inducing power. He was violently pulled into her sleeve, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw a pseudo-Dao universe.

It was an ultra-miniature, unique pseudo-Dao universe, appearing as a murky white ocean.

"Where is this?" Xu Zhi looked around.

"This is the White Sea. I am not a true universe. I can only travel the Chaotic Sea by borrowing this bloodline and condensing a special pseudo-Dao cosmic aura," Zhi Ji explained, slowly walking closer. She seemed to have dressed up carefully, wearing a beautiful, charming long dress that accentuated her graceful figure.

A tea table stood before them, and they sat down to drink.

He didn't know what kind of alcohol it was, but it tasted exquisite and was incredibly potent and intoxicating.

"A bloodline? There's such a heaven-defying bloodline that can condense itself into a pseudo-Dao cosmic aura?" Xu Zhi was somewhat astonished.

Was this bloodline the Chaotic Water-Repelling Pearl?

A bloodline that could condense a pseudo-Dao cosmic domain to isolate the Chaotic Sea?

This was a portable domain, far superior to those cumbersome, large cosmic ships. Could it be the painstaking effort of some generation of the Zerg Mother Queen?

Xu Zhi didn't believe such a bloodline could be naturally occurring.

"This bloodline can condense into the most unique, simple pseudo-Dao universe. It has no combat capabilities; it merely allows one to travel freely across the Chaotic Sea," Zhi Ji said, shaking her head. She glanced at the man before her, her face flushed and slightly intoxicated. "And, with a beautiful woman in front of you, are you actually studying my bloodline?"

Xu Zhi was shocked. A beautiful woman in front...

Only then did Xu Zhi notice the surrounding decor. It was adorned with lanterns and festive arrangements, resembling a grand wedding ceremony. In the distance, there was even a hazy, veiled bed spanning tens of thousands of meters. He was utterly dumbfounded.

This person definitely has ulterior motives for him.