Chapter 1285: Chaos Sea

At this moment, Emperor Xu Zhi’s own universe, the base camp that nurtured him, heard this sound.

“A Saint has already emerged in our universe and achieved Dao enlightenment?” Xu Zhi was startled. Could it be that the later era of contention for the Longevity Realm would be even more brutal than the initial era of Chaos Gods and Devils he had envisioned?

Does the later an era is, the higher its level?

The most exceptional geniuses were no longer inferior to Yi Mang.

It seemed the Primordial Chaos era was relatively primitive and rough, but the later eras became more prosperous, culminating in the Longevity Realm era, which truly pushed the universe to its peak!

Just as Yi Mang had said, the universe's eras were developing and maturing, its rules becoming more complete. In later eras, stronger individuals emerged, and knowledge accumulated more profoundly; there was no reason for a regression.

“I, Gu You, enlighten the Dao of Chaos for all the heavens and myriad worlds, ushering in... an era of prosperity and peace.”

Another voice resounded throughout the universe.

This was the second universe—the parallel self from the variable universe where Xu Zhi had previously welcomed those old Saints, who had smuggled themselves in. Had it heard the call?

A second Dao enlightenment?

At the moment of immense excitement for everyone.

Zhi Ji, however, shook her head and said to Xu Zhi, “How could it be such a coincidence? That they would achieve Dao enlightenment specifically in the two universes you are connected to, precisely there?…”

“Let me show you my perspective.” Zhi Ji reached out and covered Xu Zhi’s ears.

A third voice rang out again.

“I, Gu You, enlighten the Dao of Chaos for all the heavens and myriad worlds, ushering in prosperity and peace.”

The third…The fourth…

One voice after another, rising and falling.

At this moment, Xu Zhi truly realized something incredibly terrifying: the other party was achieving Dao enlightenment simultaneously in nine universes, enlightening nine fundamentals at once!

Too ruthless!

If they didn't emerge, fine, but once they did, it was with thunderous methods, crushing everything directly?

These ancient beings possessed terrifying methods, truly worthy of being the ultimate victors who had once bathed in blood and swept through an era.

Their cunning, temperament, and wisdom were terrifying beyond imagination.

“But for Dao enlightenment, shouldn’t there be some fundamental principles?”

Xu Zhi looked at the misty sky of the Chaos Sea, feeling the universe tremble, and a sense of unease washed over him.

What kind of monsters were these?

Look at Emperor Qi, Caroline, the Three Pillar Gods, and the others.

They had left the Chaos Sea and sailed for centuries, exploring the rules of living universes, journeying while seeking Dao enlightenment. Yet, they still hadn't grasped the patterns of Dao enlightenment for the cosmic Chaos Sea, or how to enlighten the 'myriad heavens and worlds' for cosmic completion...

But what about them?

They didn't even leave the Chaos Sea, didn't truly possess a cosmic life, and upon emerging, they immediately achieved Dao enlightenment?

This was like a marathon race where the opponents skipped the process, didn't run alongside. When you were halfway, they'd directly cut corners from the start and instantly reach the finish line...

In this grand era of contention, once they emerged, everyone else didn't even need to compete!

Achieved Dao enlightenment right away!

“This is too exaggerated.”

Xu Zhi felt an unimaginable gap.

Did other Saints even stand a chance?

Even Xu Zhi was so bewildered, let alone the ordinary Saints on the ship?

The Saints on the ship could never have dreamed that someone would be so swift.

Boom!

The entire universe quickly trembled.

Xu Zhi vaguely sensed that something was changing, but he couldn't pinpoint the specific pattern of change; it was an abstruse and profound feeling.

“Has it already succeeded?” Xu Zhi pondered to himself. “But as a God of Destruction, I don't feel anything yet... My own universes are still being rejected by the greater universe…”

These universes were all alien life forms of the Zerg.

They were Zerg embryos created by Xu Zhi using the greater universe cultivation method. These universes devoured matter from the greater universe, essentially Xu Zhi's greater universe combat body consuming cosmic matter.

The Saints nearby also whispered, their voices growing louder and more chaotic. Tension and anxiety, envy and dread intertwined, as a deep sense of powerlessness welled up within them.

“What kind of beings are those?”

“Perhaps some ancient, reclusive multi-dimensional Saint sect?”

“Unsure…”

“They are simultaneously achieving Dao enlightenment, influencing the Chaos Sea with the rules of nine universes?”

“They are enlightening rules in this aspect. If they succeed! Our cosmic ships, the myriad heavens and worlds, will likely begin to perfect themselves, and we will benefit, but we… will inevitably be subjected to them!”

If they complete and enlighten rules in this area, you will be subject to them if you are under these Chaos Sea rules.

It's like an ancient being has enlightened the rule of light, and if you use light, you are subject to them.

This situation is also like someone building a road; while it benefits you, they can collect protection fees at any time, and you become subject to them.

Only when they fall and are completely assimilated, their rules returning to the universe, will you become a part of the universe, truly seated on the Great Dao, becoming eternal...

The players on Earth had a very apt description for this aspect:

Copyright patent.

“If you create a patented copyright, a rule that integrates with the Dao and benefits the universe, and everyone else must use it, then you can collect copyright fees. It's like if you invented breathing, others would have to pay you to breathe, and whether they could breathe would depend on your whim... But once you die, the copyright expires, it's confiscated, and enters the public domain.”

The Saints were all discussing this.

“Did they succeed after all?”

Only at this moment did they truly realize the changes in the laws of the greater universe. The vast myths of old, the cosmic transformation, had fully begun.

It was simply incredible!

Zhi Ji chuckled softly, looking at Xu Zhi and saying, “My husband, there were eight of them who emerged, and a fierce contention began as soon as they appeared. In the first round, Gu You won.”

Xu Zhi didn't know who Gu You was, but likely one of the ancient beings of the Longevity Dao Palace.

“Haven't they already become Saints?”

Xu Zhi asked, “How could they achieve enlightenment again?”

“It's Gu You's puppet disciple. They let the disciple achieve Dao enlightenment.”

Zhi Ji shook her head and said, “Beings of their caliber have many hidden tricks. They can easily mislead some living beings into becoming their disciples, then pour vast resources into them to achieve Dao enlightenment in Chaos…”

“Then, they let the other party enlighten the Dao, achieving the rules they themselves desire to enlighten, and then they kill them and take what they've gained. These are merely puppets…”

A cold glint flashed in Zhi Ji’s eyes. “Don’t just talk about them; even many Saints of that era did this to collect bloodlines, didn't they? They nurtured disciples, gave them their profound insights and precious paths to Dao enlightenment, then let them achieve Dao enlightenment… only to kill them and seize their bloodlines!”

Xu Zhi's thoughts immediately became clear.

However, Zhi Ji knew this also consumed significant foundational strength and resources!

The consumption was enormous.

Such a temporary, forced creation of a Saint in a very short time cost hundreds of times more than a regular Saint.

But resources are meant to be consumed. Everyone knows that even the most expensive resources today might become worthless junk with unknown mysterious trends in the future.

Take her, Zhi Ji, for example; the resources she consumed and discarded were even greater than theirs!

Five heaven-defying bloodlines, given away!

Normally, her heart would be bleeding by now. She had only taken a ninth for herself, possessing just over ninety bloodlines in total. She carried forty-five of them, with each of the remaining ones being a backup, to be chosen based on the battle situation…

But now, her mindset was different.

If the collected resources weren't spent and converted into strength, would they become someone else's wedding dress after her demise?

If this was true for her, wasn't it also true for other Saints?

Zhi Ji's gaze also filled with emotion as she said, “They truly are who they are. I’ve grown rigid, my thinking has become stagnant... They truly just stepped out of the cosmic battlefield a second ago, traversing time and space to this battlefield ten billion years in the future. Yet, they so quickly figured out a way to enlighten the Great Universe anew.”

Traversing, smuggling into the future?

Xu Zhi mused, realizing that in a certain sense, it was indeed true.

“Enlightening the Great Universe anew, is that difficult?” the Great Octopus asked.

Zhi Ji smiled and looked at the octopus. Over the years, she had somewhat cultivated it as a confidant, as its bloodline was very powerful, involving the mysterious rules of death.

“Naturally, it’s difficult.”

Zhi Ji replied with a smile, sat down, drank a cup of tea, and poured one for her husband. “In ancient times, enlightening the Great Universe and changing rules was considered simple… because there was only one universe. But now? The universe is divided into nine. How do you change the rules of the Great Universe?”

“Indeed, it’s difficult after the universe became a multiverse.”

The Great Octopus thought for a moment, and through the answers from the live stream, quickly said, “Can you only enlighten the Dao by facing all nine universes simultaneously?”

Zhi Ji looked at the octopus in the black cloak. She had learned a bit about it these past few days; it appeared naive, but was actually very cunning and sly, making it suitable for important tasks.

Her voice was clear and cheerful as she replied:

“That's just one of the difficulties. Since becoming a multiverse, it's already very complete. Each universe has its own minor rules, and no matter how you enlighten, it will hardly affect the drastic changes in the greater universe… Furthermore, now, to enlighten the Dao in the Chaos Sea, how would you do it? Jump into the sea to enlighten it?”

Zhi Ji’s words sent the players in the live stream into deep thought.

They were already keyboard Saints on average and understood what Zhi Ji meant:

If you enlighten the Dao in a universe, naturally you do it within that universe.

Then what about enlightening the Dao in the Chaos Sea?

How do you enlighten that?

Jump into the Chaos Sea to enlighten it?

Aren't you afraid of drowning?

The Chaos Sea is a forbidden land of death, too chaotic; even rules cannot be used there.

“This isn't a universe at all; this Chaos Sea… how do you enlighten it?” The Great Octopus was also confused now.

Zhi Ji smiled, looking up at the sky with a hint of admiration and helplessness. “Haven't they already told you the answer? You still enlighten it within a universe.”

The Great Octopus was bewildered.

Zhi Ji explained, “What is the Chaos Sea composed of? The nine parallel universes are like nine vast cosmic ships floating on the Chaos Sea…

…And the matter in the Chaos Sea is formed from the countless black holes on these great ships, spewing out and converging matter. Since the gushing springs of the Chaos Sea originate from the black holes of the universes, naturally, one must enlighten the Dao in these universes.”

“So, by simultaneously applying a filter to the black hole rules in all nine universes, and letting the matter spewing from the springheads of the nine universes weaken the Chaos Sea’s assimilation of other universes, wouldn’t that succeed?”

Upon hearing this, the Great Octopus trembled. “I see! The universe can indirectly influence the Chaos Sea… For every parallel universe one enlightens the Dao in, the Chaos Sea’s assimilation is reduced by one-ninth! When all nine universes have completed their enlightenment, the Chaos Sea will no longer resist those outer-path universes.”

This was simply a monumental genius!

To think of completing the Chaos Sea's rules in such a way!

Through Dao enlightenment within universes, using black holes as filters, they indirectly enlightened the entire Chaos Sea, preventing it from assimilating outer-path universes...

Zhi Ji also sighed, “As soon as they emerged, they were already competing. Gu You won the first round. In the future, the Chaos Sea will no longer exert a strong repulsive force on these outer-path cosmic beings… They should be able to live freely, reproduce freely, and fully grow.”

“Too fast!”

Xu Zhi nodded, his expression shifting. He took a deep breath. “I can’t believe they are so ruthless!”

At this moment, the live stream within the Great Octopus exploded.

“Look at Emperor Xu Zhi, sighing with a face that looks like he’s about to cry!”

“Yes, even though he still appears to be smiling, deep down, he's marveling at their power!”