Chapter 821: When I Had Not Yet Transformed the Dao, the World Was Lawless

Emperor Qi’s expression changed, finally settling into extreme calm.

“You, Lord of Reincarnation, are quite something. Back then, when I fought the Three Pillar Gods on the ancient land, it was you who seized the opportunity to strike from behind. While our attention was consumed by the battle, you secretly stole my extraterrestrial cosmic creature.” That was the only living creature Emperor Qi had found after seven or eight thousand years of arduous flight, a good part of his life, yet it had been brazenly stolen? Moreover, he was always the one who acted against others; who dared to act against him? To top it off, leaving behind such provocative words was nothing short of a massive taunt. Though he remained silent, he had already made a firm mental note.

“And today, you are repeating history. While I, the Three Pillar Gods, and Caroline are engaged in a chaotic battle, you employ the same trick, exploiting our weakened states to steal energy!”

“It seems we are destined for a battle.” Emperor Qi’s expression gradually calmed as he flew into the planet, continuing his journey to the next one. Now was not the time for delay.

The three contenders were racing against time, tirelessly traversing cosmic planets, annihilating life to harvest energy. It was a life-or-death race; whoever gathered enough energy to break through first, evolving from a weak ninth-tier to a truly complete ninth-tier, would gain immense power and suppress the other two! This was a moment of life and death; every second counted!

Consequently, there was no time to deal with these glib “Giants of Light” who sat atop light pillars everywhere, plundering and sharing energy with them. Anyone who got entangled with them would fall behind. At the same time, the Lord of Reincarnation posed the smallest threat, being merely a mid-tier deity unable to break through to the ninth-tier. The other two were the true opponents.

“Therefore, knowing we wouldn’t target him and that our attention was elsewhere, he seized the opportunity to gain an advantage among the three of us!” Emperor Qi continued his analysis, becoming increasingly convinced that it was a premeditated scheme by the Lord of Reincarnation, with his subordinate creatures acting on his orders.

Planet after planet was annihilated. The vast universe was almost reduced to ruins, countless beings scattered, fleeing for their lives. After several more hours, many easily accessible planets had been divided by various major powers. The remaining planets were already empty; their inhabitants had used the time bought by other planets to swiftly relocate, hiding their sacred lands within inner spaces.

Although these inner spaces were extremely well-hidden, with advanced technology and powerful individuals, even slight spatial anomalies were quickly breached. The Great Extinction had reached its mid-stage, its speed had begun to slow, causing significant delays.

The void was tranquil. Endless brilliant explosions illuminated the void. Xu Zhi sat alone high above, still sipping tea, and casually remarked, “Quite a big accusation to pin on me... While it’s true I snatched the great octopus, those crude remarks weren’t from me; I don’t have such a disgusting hobby.” He simply didn’t have such a morbid sense of humor.

“But these players, how audacious of them, establishing a ‘Sun Mirror’ and developing a unique light source system, snatching people from their hands, trying to amass large amounts of energy, wanting to create a world ruled by players themselves?” Xu Zhi felt he had somewhat underestimated them. They weren’t foolish.

In fact, for Xu Zhi, this was one of the greatest opportunities he had ever encountered. After all, he was currently observing the systems and cultivation methods of the three ninth-tier beings. Witnessing their never-before-revealed formidable trump cards was truly an eye-opener. He learned a great deal and gained a clearer understanding of the path to the ninth-tier.

“After all, previous ninth-tier advancements were mostly theoretical deductions on paper. A true, full-power battle to become a god, with all trump cards revealed, this is the only time,” Xu Zhi said with a calm expression. “This is the final decisive battle; everyone is fighting with all their might.”

“At the same time, observing their full-power bursts and carefully comparing, my current clone cannot defeat them.” Xu Zhi silently assessed their combat power. Previously, their combat power was manageable, but five hundred years had passed, and they had grown much stronger, completely perfecting their systems and completing 100% of the ninth-tier path. Xu Zhi, with his mid-tier deity realm and the superposition of reincarnation, would be at a true disadvantage against even one of them, making it difficult to fight. Perhaps only his main body could truly contend with them. After all, the clone was still much weaker, not to mention it was only one of his three clones.

“However, that’s quite a lot of energy...” Xu Zhi felt an internal tremor, sensing the vast energy fluctuations within him. “The Microcosm Era was one of the longest periods of ‘herding,’ the most immense world...” It was important to note that while the previous Solar System Universe World had immense energy, it was due to sheer numbers, and its era was too primitive, primarily consisting of mortals. And this world? Having developed to such a mature stage, as a top-tier transcendent world, it had at least first-tier beings, with the average person at third-tier. This was a qualitative change, and the energy feedback was naturally abundant.

Several more hours passed. The era of harvesting entered its final stage.

“Boom!” Xu Zhi felt surges of energy swirling within his body. He was on the verge of a breakthrough, about to enter the High-Tier Deity realm. The speed of this breakthrough was faster than Xu Zhi could have imagined! With a slight tremor within his body, Xu Zhi felt himself entering a completely new realm.

“High-Tier Deity?” Xu Zhi chuckled softly, finding it quite logical. The energy sufficient for all of them to simultaneously cross into the truly complete ninth-tier was naturally enough for him to become a High-Tier Deity. Xu Zhi slightly closed his eyes, beginning to refine his realm, swiftly nurturing his High-Tier Deity body, which even possessed an unparalleled perfect Dao foundation. He even directly attempted to merge some cells. Xu Zhi’s expression turned grim. For the first time, he felt how terrifyingly long and horrifying this path was, making his scalp tingle.

“However, I can grudgingly say I’m on the path to the ninth-tier... even if I’m at 0.000...1 and they’re at 100,” Xu Zhi mused. “One is at the finish line, the other at the very beginning.” Turning his attention back, Xu Zhi’s breakthrough also signaled that the world-ending catastrophe had entered its final phase. A new dynamic had emerged.

In the distance, the auras of the three contenders erupted instantly. All were nearing the critical point, but clearly, Emperor Qi’s progress was a step faster. He was surprisingly the first to be on the verge of breaking through.

“It’s useless!” Emperor Qi laughed heartily and said coldly, “My speed is the fastest in the world! Sweeping through planets at an unimaginable pace, this is all thanks to Mother Earth! My understanding of space, due to the spatial positioning of the Nine Revolutions Profound Art, is also paramount. Breaking through their hidden locations is unbelievably fast, and this too is due to Mother Earth’s pioneering of the Nine Revolutions Profound Art!” Emperor Qi chuckled softly, “When I return, I shall surely bestow upon Mother Earth the title of Lord of Dragon Veins, to recognize her merits!”

The Three Pillar Gods fell completely silent. Caroline’s expression shifted. The energy they had collected was also almost enough for a breakthrough, yet they were just a little slower. Emperor Qi indeed had a strong advantage in this aspect. And Emperor Qi’s inherent learning aptitude was extremely impressive; his overall level was too perfect, with virtually no weaknesses, giving him a significant advantage in this battle.

At this moment, Emperor Qi was finally about to break through. He was calm, a terrifying aura brewing and sweeping across everything. “After I ascend, I will certainly confer titles upon you two, allowing you to develop in the forefront of the era, while I learn and research from behind the scenes.”

In the distance, the players’ expressions subtly changed. Emperor Qi had successfully broken through ahead of them. But why wasn’t Di Zun acting yet? If he breaks through, our world will be finished! Once he truly becomes a ninth-tier, what will become of us? Is he even capable?

As the players were scared out of their wits, Di Zun slowly stood up.

“Do you have my permission to break through?” Di Zun set down his teacup, his expression calm.

“When did one’s breakthrough ever require another’s permission?” Emperor Qi turned around, his aura surging and unstable as he neared breakthrough, smiling calmly. “I haven’t even sought you out yet, and you’re already so proactive?”

“In my world, that is precisely how it is.” Di Zun appeared calm and composed, his eyes cold and profound, exuding a domineering presence like a coiled dragon and crouching tiger. He slowly said, “When I became a god, there were no other gods in the world. Now, for the ninth-tier... you should all be the same.”

“You claim to be the strongest ninth-tier, how you control the era, how you fight, I can ignore. But if you wish to break through...” A fierce wind howled as a towering, majestic and domineering figure stood silently in the void. “Before I had embodied the Dao, the world was without Dao.”

As these words fell.

“How dare he?”

“What?!”

“Could it be that from the very beginning, he intended to...”

The players trembled all over, the great octopus was utterly terrified, and Lord Youshan was also greatly alarmed: Back then, Di Zun single-handedly cut off the Immortal Path, severing an entire era. Now, before their eyes, he was once again going to single-handedly sever the path to the ninth-tier and dominate the entire era?