Chapter 1287: Slaughtering the Ancient Saint, All Beings Shocked

Some time passed.

The Sages in the Sea of Chaos gradually learned of an ancient Sage who had attained enlightenment in the rules of the Sea of Chaos. This Sage was establishing order within the cosmos, pioneering chaos, and completing the order of the grand universe, which constituted a great deed for heaven and earth.

Sanctification through merit. In a sense, this was true. The greater the merit, the stronger one became, as greater merit signified mastery over more formidable core cosmic rules and the completion of more crucial aspects of the universe.

Within just a few years, the Sages initially believed the rules of the Sea of Chaos remained unchanged. However, upon approaching the bottom of various parallel universes and witnessing gushing ocean currents and clear springs, they realized that the anomaly had already occurred. Changes had appeared at the source of the Sea of Chaos.

Countless universes resided and drew close here. Even the universes they piloted felt an immense affinity for this "clear spring" area, naturally drawn to it. This was an inherent biological instinct. Previously, the grand universe had exerted a strong repulsion, causing a sense of being a foreign object and making them extremely uncomfortable, like invasive species. Now, however, it was as if they had entered a tranquil paradise.

At the same time, in this haven, they encountered the being who had established these rules. "This being claims to have inaugurated a new era, calling it the First Year of the Myriad Heavens!" a Sage reported.

"He proclaims the First Year of the Myriad Heavens, establishing a cosmic orthodoxy and announcing the birth of a new cosmic epoch. How audacious! Who exactly is this individual?"

"Despicable!"

"Not only does he attract and occupy a multitude of universes, but he also demands our submission and allegiance!"

"Some Sages have already chosen to submit! They utterly lack ambition!"

"Regardless, this is already the largest force in the Myriad Heavens within the cosmos. The convenience of his rule-based enlightenment is unimaginable to us! How difficult is it usually for us to capture a new universe? We have to chase, besiege, and ensnare them. Yet, he only needs to guard this place, and a continuous stream of universes will come to him!"

"It's truly infuriating!"

"What kind of monstrous being is this?"

Countless Sages were terrified. The being was too powerful and too mysterious; this monopoly drove them to near despair.

Even Emperor Qi secretly approached, piloting his universe into this clear-current area, his expression filled with alarm and doubt. "This has become a conduit," he thought. "The nine universes are like nine points of light, attracting all cosmic life in the Sea of Chaos to gradually draw near. At the very least, he can use this to attract and monopolize sixty percent of the universes!"

What did sixty percent signify? It meant that, apart from the forty percent of universes already controlled, ownerless universes would almost certainly approach and submit to this location based on their biological instincts.

Caroline also arrived, her voice tinged with surprise, secretly seeking out Emperor Qi. "He controls the source, but in the future, it might not be so formidable!" she mused. "Because when this complete clear current spreads and gradually replaces the existing waters of the Sea of Chaos, paradise will be everywhere, and these universes will no longer gravitate here. However, that is the distant future; for now, as the source of living water, the attraction is immense."

The Three Pillar Gods also secretly approached, finding their two old friends, and spoke softly: "But for now, he undoubtedly possesses a primary resource. Almost all living cosmic entities will instinctively draw near, and this will continue for a long time. If the Myriad Heavens truly comprises over 120,000 universes, he could control at least 100,000!"

100,000?! At this statement, all three parties were greatly alarmed. He was too ruthless! Such an ancient being's schemes could reach the heavens! He intended to devour and monopolize all universes in one go, leaving no opportunity or path to survival for other Sages in this new era! So domineering, yet no one could do anything about it! He held the grand cosmic trend, moving with its flow, and no one could oppose him.

"There isn't no way to break the deadlock." Emperor Qi, with his hands clasped behind his back, said, "There are two methods. First, enter the nine universes, locate the nine main bodies of that multi-dimensional Sage who achieved enlightenment, kill them, plunder their great dao bloodline, integrate it into one's own body, and take their place! The second method is, since this is the source attracting universes, we can wait outside, intercepting each universe and plundering his achievements." Emperor Qi, hands behind his back, clearly demonstrated great expertise.

"We'll intercept them outside," Caroline chuckled.

Soon, the three began to work as highwaymen near the Sea of Chaos of the nine great universes, taking the opportunity to seize control of the attracted ownerless universes. Seeing this, other Sages also followed suit.

But how vast was the Sea of Chaos? Even a single parallel universe's coastline was too extensive for the scarce number of Sages to encircle, let alone nine universes. Too many slipped through the net; they couldn't blockade the coastlines, and their gains were extremely meager. Beneath the universes lay trillions of black holes, and no one knew from which direction cosmic life might be attracted. At most, they could stake out one spot, and any gain felt as exaggerated as winning a lottery jackpot. Human power could not contend with heavenly will. Relying on their individual strength, they simply could not affect the cosmic rules established by that being; he could simply reap the rewards.

"Despicable!"

"Usurping the cosmic trend, such a great villain, we must surely execute him!"

And finally, powerful contemporary multi-dimensional Sages of the cosmos emerged. The weakest among them were at the Ninth-Yuan level, and there were also many Tenth-Yuan Sages, magnificent beings who had reached the ultimate. They had lived for an immensely long time, some even sleeping for hundreds of millions of years in ancient eras, only to awaken in this future, three or four hundred million years later. They had long become ancient myths, their stories rarely circulating in the current era.

"Back then, in that cosmic war, that powerful multi-dimensional empire fell, and he killed its leader, whom we once feared."

"He is strong, but that small worm civilization was nothing more than that."

"We are more ancient; we can suppress him as well."

"Previously, we did not intervene, but now that he has such a monopoly on the cosmic trend, do not blame us for acting."

"Who knows which era this hidden Sage belongs to? A multi-dimensional Sage only lives for about ninety million years. Perhaps he has extended his lifespan by sleeping for five or six hundred million years, even longer than our three or four hundred million years, but he has certainly gone too far!"

Across the entire continent, truly reclusive ancient Sages rapidly emerged. Multi-dimensional Sages, including Tenth-Yuan multi-dimensional supreme Sages with forty-five bloodlines and Eighth-Yuan multi-dimensional supreme Sages with forty bloodlines, descended one after another. They unified their multiple dimensions, and their true forms, fused with nine-yuan universes, fully manifested.

A thunderous roar! Someone witnessed the descent of that terrifying aura. Within the chaotic heavens of one universe, the universe itself seemed to be annihilated. Vast numbers of ordinary Sages, no matter how far apart, felt a tremor.

Someone saw it. In the central desert of the ancient Second Universe's chaotic heaven, a tomb opened, and an aura permeated heaven and earth, as if rules traversed the entire cosmos, past and present. A slender, peerlessly ethereal woman in white emerged. In the Seventh Universe, within the Indestructible Mountain, an ancient Human Emperor, with white hair and boundless vitality, a rarity throughout history, held a great banner that seemed to crush the entire universe. Each universe concealed two to three such high-level multi-dimensional beings. Even in the universe where the Insecta Queen had fallen, cosmic vitality permeated, much to Xu Zhi's astonishment.

Boom! A Sage was actually emerging. While Sages mostly resided along the periphery, from the depths of the chaotic heavens within the universe, a young child emerged, whose aura could effortlessly crush everything.

"We have them in our universe too?" Xu Zhi ate his fruit, a little dazed by the sight. The universe truly concealed many ancient civilizations and forces; it was too mysterious.

"This?"

"That enlightened being wanted to monopolize everything, which ended up enraging the ancient Sages!"

All the Sages of the Ninth-Yuan universes, and ordinary multi-dimensional Sages, watched with dread. They had never witnessed such a terrifying holy war. Within their own universes, unimaginable beings, ancient and seemingly immortal, had lived for hundreds of millions of years. The story of each one could fill a grand epic.

A bloody Imperial War erupted. Deep within the chaotic heavens, violent tremors erupted from the ground, but they quickly subsided. A message spread: all the ancient Sages had fallen, their true forms obliterated. The mysterious being had suppressed and killed all ancient Sages alone.

"This is normal," Zhi Ji said with calm eyes. "Such individuals think they are ancient monsters, extending their lives by hiding and sleeping for hundreds of millions of years, yet they don't know that in my past, my hands grew weak from killing."

"Their true forms in the nine universes are all dead, making it impossible for them to re-enter those universes. Some self-important Sages truly died, leaving no spark in the Myriad Heavens. However, some cautious Sages, whose true selves in the nine universes were all destroyed, though unable to return, had left bodies in smaller outer universes, allowing them to survive. But their selves in the nine parallel universes died once, and they cannot return."

Under Zhi Ji's understated tone, all the hidden immortals had fallen. Some of them were even stronger than the previous generation's Insecta Queen, possessing earth-shattering power, yet in Xu Zhi's eyes, they died like ants, with no real impact.

"This is the fate of the simple-minded and stubborn." Xu Zhi exhaled. This outcome was also because they were unaware of the true nature of the Realm of Eternal Life. Among all multi-dimensional Sages, although enlightenment was achieved through the mysterious Tenth Universe, no one knew what truly lay within; it was an extremely vague conceptual sense that prevented entry.

"Now, all ordinary Sages of this era know that there is an untouchable existence within the nine major multi-dimensional cosmic continents. They can only recklessly seek resources in the smaller outer universes." Xu Zhi remained calm. The opponent's strategy of undermining them was too terrifying. This ancient Sage had created clear springs for the universe! If they sought trouble with him, they would be killed. If they didn't, they could only watch as he seized all the opportunities of the era!

For others, including Zhi Ji, the Overlord of Ancient Gods, Emperor Qi, and Caroline, everyone was extremely anxious at this moment, feeling that the opponent had seized the initiative. They desperately sought a way to break the deadlock in their predicament. But how easy was that?

"Too terrifying." Xu Zhi scratched his head, looking at the worried Zhi Ji beside him. Zhi Ji also hadn't expected the opponent to be so ruthless. Xu Zhi also thought to himself, "The opponent has adopted an absolutely crushing stance from the start. The lineage of the Overlord of Ancient Gods and the Earth-China lineage seem to be in great danger! Caroline and Medusa are very anxious now. How is it that they, who clearly seized the initiative by being the first to align with the God of Destruction's faction, have been surpassed, and someone else has become the God of Destruction's chief subordinate?"

They felt their positions and future were threatened. Logically, as the Emperor, he should also feel fear. Because if the opponent controlled the grand trend, the Chinese Buddhist-Taoist civilization and the Emperor himself would certainly be doomed! Even Caroline and the Three Pillar Gods were so terrified, pushing themselves to find new opportunities.

"But while the Emperor now feels fear, the God of Destruction feels quite alright." At this moment, Xu Zhi finally understood the pleasure of being the universe. No matter how the beings within the universe contended and various factions clashed, they ultimately completed the great dao for the "universe," and the universe was ultimately the one that profited, moving towards complete maturity and wholeness.