Chapter 1309: Determination

Xu Zhi sighed deeply at the sight. "This is the future," he thought, overwhelmed by its grandeur and vastness, a feeling of magnificent wonder washing over him.

No one could have predicted what each cosmic era would bring. In the Age of Primeval Gods and Demons, every cultivation stage was designated "infancy" and "growth period." Congenital gods and demons didn't need to cultivate; they simply matured naturally into Tenth-tier Saints—unimaginable. Later, sentient beings were created, their lifespans curtailed to prevent the primeval gods and demons from growing excessively and destroying the universe. Their "Five Decays of Heaven and Man" (a decline in divine powers and lifespan) were artificially imposed. Previously, prehistoric humans were born eternal—unimaginable.

In the Post-Natal Universe, the cosmos was severed into nine parts by tearing the land with black holes, based on the theory of "continental plate drift"—unimaginable. Then came the Age of Cosmic Bridges... and the Age of the Realm of Eternal Life...

"Who could have foreseen the fated turning points of each cosmic era if they hadn't fully manifested?" Xu Zhi looked at the current era, the Age of Dharma Ending and Enlightenment, which had been simulated countless times. Yet, who could have imagined that what humanity perceived as the Dharma-ending Age—believing it to be the end of all Dharma in the universe, the apocalypse of the grand cosmos, the culmination of the Great Dao, and the universe's maturation—was, in fact, the nascent era for other life forms? They had only guessed half of it.

Nu Yi smiled wryly, looking at the people around her. "No one can truly predict the future, the fated turning points, the truths of the Great Dao... But when it truly arrives, everyone has an indistinct feeling that its emergence is inevitable for the era. This is the charm of the universe's natural order." Everyone was profoundly shocked, more so than in any previous era.

Perhaps the bizarre and world-shattering events of every previous cosmic era were no less astonishing than this current Dharma-ending Age. However, for most Saints in the present, past shocks were merely history; what lay before them was their own impending future, thus magnifying the impact to its absolute peak.

Xu Zhi felt the same. An unspeakable weight and despair pressed upon his heart like a mountain. "Heheheh..." He suddenly laughed, a self-mocking, bitter sound, fully immersed in the era's sentiment. "What was all the past enmity, love, and hate for? All the previous generations of the Zerg civilization's revenge, their dream of defeating the Realm of Eternal Life, over hundreds of millions of years, were nothing but a pitiful, pathetic ripple in a certain historical phase."

As the current Zerg Mother Emperor, what was he living for? To inherit the Zerg Mother Emperor's mission of revenge? Just like his earlier conversation with Nu Yi, perhaps it had long foreshadowed the ultimate truth of the universe: "Seas transform into mulberry fields, and history turns."

"No matter for whom you grieve or rejoice, whether you question the wickedness or righteousness of human hearts, lament how estranged people have become, or seek revenge in your anger, all these past events are but smoke. Everything that has passed is an illusion. Regardless, they are all but dust in the vast current of history... Only truth enduring." "It has always stood there silently. Everything else has changed, but it remains constant."

Xu Zhi sighed, softly murmuring, "The vast torrent of history rolls on; we are all just specks of dust within it, our joys and sorrows buried in the bygone years." Indeed. Only truth is eternal.

Without grasping truth, one would forever be constrained by the cosmic eras, unable to transcend. It wasn't just Xu Zhi who was shocked; Nu Yi and the others were equally stunned. The entire land fell silent as they watched the era rapidly advance, the Great Dao being perfected by the new life forms. They were ushering in the end of the old days, allowing the universe to become fully complete and mature.

There would be no more Great Dao to complete! No more rules to attain! This signified the universe's ecosystem becoming fully mature and complete.

By the end of the 48.2 billionth year of the universe, the last thread of the Great Dao was about to be fully completed. In the Sea of Chaos, an ancient being of the Chaotic Sea Clan, the same mysterious figure who once conversed with Zhi Weng, re-emerged from the water and stepped onto the land.

Once a marine creature, it had now evolved into an amphibious life form. "The final moment has truly begun," it declared. "War has already erupted among us—between marine, amphibious, terrestrial, plant, and beast life forms... But no matter the conflict, this is our era."

It walked step by step along the beach, its feet sinking into the endless particles, leaving imprints. It watched the ebb and flow of the seemingly eternal chaotic tides. "War is ancient, just like the bloodline creatures who divide into tribes and battle each other."

It suddenly stopped. This ancient Great Sage lowered its head, gazing at the cosmic land, at the indistinct blueprint of the Great Dao, where only one seat remained before the Great Dao's gate would completely close and seal. At this moment, the universe was like a delicate vase, its last flaw perfectly mended, moving towards ultimate flawlessness, as if it were the most beautiful creation between heaven and earth.

"Once the last trace of the Great Dao in the universe is complete, the universe will be fully sealed." "The prophecies of the ancient beings of old will come to pass: the Twilight of the Saints, the coming of the apocalypse." It spread its arms wide. "Attain the Dao! The last trace! The Tenth Tier will close, and the Eleventh Tier will open within the nine mature universes. The gate to the Eleventh Tier... will be born for us!" "Destiny!"

It looked at the last few Saints responsible for attaining the Dao beside it. They seemed to turn into phantoms, finally taking their seats on the Great Dao, completing the last subtle gaps in the rules. "Destiny!" It raised its arm high. "Destiny!"

It shouted the word, its voice growing increasingly intense, echoing through all nine multiverses. All cultivators, gods, and mortals in the nine universes instinctively looked up, as if hearing destiny's call. At this moment, a crisp click resounded, like the final precise gear perfectly engaging in a complete mechanism, and an indistinct, perfectly mature environment fully descended—"Destiny has changed, the Twilight of the Gods, the Dharma-ending Age!"

It was as if a sacred, chaotic gate in the universe, long closed, had finally opened in this era, its status rising, its limits expanding. "Eleventh Tier..." All the new chaotic beings found their Saint realms rapidly plummeting, their power waning, and their rule-based abilities swiftly dissipating within their bodies. Yet, they simultaneously perceived a higher realm in the unseen.

In the depths of the Sea of Chaos, within the Palace of Eternal Life. Even at this final moment, the marine creatures inhabiting the Sea of Chaos could not withstand the crushing pressure to reach its deepest parts. Around the palace, a calm pervaded the dark blue.

On ancient bookshelves, countless transparent bubbles floated, each containing a powerful, heaven-defying Great Dao bloodline. These were slowly shattering, returning to the universe. "Our realms are falling, we are turning into mortals... The final gate has opened."

The deep sea within the chaos, as beautiful, multicolored bubbles shattered, was tinged with a dazzling brilliance, like the spectacular moment a rainbow fades. "The Eleventh Tier, the Chaotic Divine Throne, has opened." A faint smile touched Zhi Weng's lips as he looked down at the nine figures below, amidst the swirling chaotic bubbles.

"I once promised you each a Chaotic Great Dao seat in your respective universes, but ultimately, I could not keep that promise. Everything now depends on your own final efforts." "Of the ten Great Dao seats, the old beings will occupy only one."

"I once wondered, if this is the destiny of the Realm of Eternal Life, what is the meaning of our existence?" Zhi Weng's expression was utterly calm. "Now I understand. We are the last glimmer of life for the beings of the old era." The nine figures below, who had emerged from bloody slaughter, stood rigidly straight, bearing expressions of ultimate resilience, coldness, and madness.

"You nine are the strongest of the old beings, having survived until today to fight them for this final hope." Zhi Weng remained seated on the highest divine throne, holding his scepter, his eyes closed. He spoke softly: "The universe ultimately has an unseen destiny. No existence can forever remain supreme. We, who once believed ourselves truly eternal, indestructible, immortal, and unrivaled throughout history, have also been driven out by the era, destroyed by fate, and sent to mortal realms to face tribulation."

"None of you nine can escape. Go and defend the nine Chaotic Divine Thrones that rightfully belong to you. In this most terrifying, prosperous, and brilliant tide, defeat the endless invaders of the Dharma-ending Age."

The nine figures, with a hint of crimson in their eyes, strode out with determined steps. "This is the meaning of our existence, the Palace of Eternal Life. The universe has not denied us, the old beings, a glimmer of life." "Nothing has changed. As long as we win the second half of this battle, which comes after hundreds of millions of years, we will reach the end!"

With a light leap, each of the nine entered the universe. In the Palace of Eternal Life, the old man, in his twilight years, sat on the divine throne, his eyes welling up again as he gazed at the empty palace. "There is no hope, how could there be hope...?" He then painted this final scene onto the ancient murals.

The scene of the nine most powerful ultimate beings of old battling was etched into eternity.

A flash of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky. They looked at the myriad new beings outside, a vast, dark mass watching them with cold indifference, a slight smile on their lips. "Our realms have fallen; we are all Ninth-tier Dao Attainers now. In a moment, we will all be gods. Within the same realm, without Great Dao bloodlines, it's a contest of body cultivation and martial arts... What is there to fear?"

"Come, battle." With a light leap, they entered the fray. The tolling of a death knell echoed.

Rules slowly descended. The clang of axes and blades. Everything was utterly engulfed in the flash of swords and clash of weapons. The entire universe completely disintegrated.