Chapter 848: Ancient Hymn, Only Historical Dust

With a soft rustle, all the books settled back into place.

"I now have a complete understanding," Xu Zhi murmured. He stepped lightly, exiting the library and ascending into the planet's atmosphere.

"Three hundred and ten thousand years ago, Renimansgar established the Cosmic Retreat. He gathered stars from beyond the heavens, continuously moving planets, like this cat-folk planet, closer. At its peak, thirty-seven planets orbited the Retreat. However, only four of these were original, indigenous life-bearing planets that had been relocated. The remaining thirty-three were mostly barren cosmic planets with some life-sustaining environments. These were moved here and underwent terraforming projects over thousands, even tens of thousands of years, to become habitable.

"The thirty-three previously uninhabited planets were used to resettle wandering races from across the cosmos, such as the homeless and endangered Brainworm Gods, allowing them to proliferate. In a sense, among Ninth-tier beings, Renimansgar was a rare cosmic philanthropist, a collector. This was a peculiar Ninth-tier hobby; diverse life forms were treasures to him, akin to beloved pets kept at home to alleviate boredom. Yet, for lower civilizations, to dwell under the protection and care of such an entity was a profound blessing."

Perhaps, among these treasured "stamp" planets, his favorite "pet" was the Great Octopus race. After all, their size wasn't drastically different from his own.

"Two hundred and seventy thousand years ago, the Cosmic Retreat announced its opening, welcoming all without discrimination and accepting a vast number of disciples. Two hundred million individuals competed to become outer disciples. After passing the trials, they began to reside on the outer grounds for cultivation.

"The outer grounds, essentially the vast square courtyard and garden of the villa, were an endless expanse teeming with proliferating fierce beasts and monsters, fraught with danger. Disciples had to band together, venture out to hunt, strive for breakthroughs, and cultivate. However, most failed to break through and were killed by the beasts within five hundred years. Only the exceptional few managed to become core sect disciples...

"The most gifted disciples, those who ranked among the top ten thousand in each generation, were granted access to high-dimensional space—the god's residential villa—where they could enjoy privileges typically reserved for divine beings..."

The fact that only ten thousand out of two hundred million geniuses were selected each generation was terrifying. The outer sect competitions depicted in fantasy novels paled in comparison.

The "divine authority" granted to inner disciples likely referred to the Ninth-tier's ability to warp space, creating a high-dimensional temporal flow where one day outside equaled one hundred years within. This allowed them to cultivate in a hyper-accelerated time stream. This enabled them to deduce cultivation techniques and further develop their civilizations! Meanwhile, this world-class entity, from its elevated position, absorbed the fruits of their civilizational advancements.

It wasn't that more individuals weren't desired. However, the limited size of the warpable space restricted the number of entrants. Thus, a rigorous selection process was required to filter out candidates, ensuring an elite strategy was implemented within that miniature world.

"What constitutes a world? Perhaps this, too, is a world..." Xu Zhi mused calmly. "This might be a common practice among the powerful in Ninth-tier realms – great, supreme beings, aloof and eternally indifferent."

"I have largely pieced together the history."

Xu Zhi's expression remained calm. "The structure back then was divided into three rings. The thirty-seven planets outside the Retreat comprised the first ring, home to ordinary beings. The outer sect, which was the villa's courtyard, was where two hundred million disciples fiercely struggled for survival on a land teeming with fierce beasts..."

From this, it was clear that this Ninth-tier being truly enjoyed his games. He sat before his villa, observing the fierce beasts—mere specks like ants—on the courtyard garden's ground, battling the outer sect geniuses.

"The third ring was reserved for the core disciples within the villa," Xu Zhi continued to murmur calmly. "This hierarchical structure created the grand spectacle of that era."

A vast, vivid history of a mythical cosmic civilization unfolded before his eyes.

"It is said that this being was virtually invincible, a peerless overlord of that era. Other Ninth-tier beings across the cosmos were simply no match. He was a terrifying, dominant titan within the surrounding infinite star systems, striking fear into all other Ninth-tier entities. And naturally, his size alone hinted at his power."

However, this powerful being still perished two hundred and ten thousand years ago. A cataclysmic disaster erupted. No one knew what had transpired or the cause of his demise. Only that the Cosmic Retreat was instantly annihilated. Both the inner and outer sects were utterly destroyed, with only the thirty-seven outer planets surviving the cataclysm.

Some speculated that this entity was slain by another Ninth-tier being. Others countered that such an invincible being could not have been killed by anyone. Considering his lifespan, which exceeded one hundred thousand years, it was plausible he simply died of old age. Following his death, some inner disciples reportedly began to vie for power. Historical records suggested that both his eldest and second disciples had recently achieved Ninth-tier breakthroughs. These were terrifying, peerless geniuses, forged over countless millennia from billions of trillions of individuals across innumerable planets. They fiercely battled for the inheritance, ultimately destroying each other.

"Regardless of the truth, doom had arrived," Xu Zhi thought. "Everyone within the Retreat's core... perished."

Xu Zhi's expression remained calm as he recounted the history, as if peering through the entire ancient past. "Afterward, Ninth-tier beings, hidden in the void, descended one by one to carve up this unclaimed inheritance. Perhaps only they, having witnessed the Retreat's state at the time, truly knew what had transpired. However, no one dared to question these Ninth-tier entities, leaving the truth buried in the three-hundred-thousand-year-old history. They then erupted into a second Ninth-tier war, leaving the entire Cosmic Retreat utterly riddled with scars."

"Once everything was plundered, they departed. The thirty-three outer planets were merely a perverse hobby of that invincible Ninth-tier being. Entities of that caliber wouldn't care for such insignificant, ordinary genetic lineages or such basic energy. But while the Ninth-tier beings disdained them, the gods certainly did not..."

"As the saying goes, 'when the wall falls, everyone pushes it down.' The Ninth-tier beings divided the Cosmic Retreat, and subsequently, Eighth-tier entities also rushed in. Even some descendants of Ninth-tier beings arrived for training, effectively transforming the area into a trial ground."

"Thirty-two of the outer planets were devastated during the War of Ten Thousand Gods. Deities from across this vast star system engaged in ferocious battles. Ultimately, a new Ninth-tier being emerged and broke through. This new, foreign Ninth-tier, reportedly a descendant of another Ninth-tier entity, fought his way through countless 'sons of destiny' from other Ninth-tier worlds and declared dominion over these planets. The remaining six planets eventually yielded and accepted the new king's rule."

Xu Zhi's expression remained perfectly serene.

"However, the new king's combat prowess was relatively weak. Despite being an extraordinary Eighth-tier individual, upon reaching the Ninth-tier, he was merely an ordinary Ninth-tier. He lived for seventy thousand years before being slain. Yet, the civilizations on these six planets, though diminished, endured and survived for another one hundred and forty thousand years, reaching the present day."

Indeed, even beings of the Ninth-tier, the cosmic overlords, their enemies, and their friends of that bygone era, none lived past one hundred thousand years. All had perished. All disputes, entanglements, everything... had ceased to exist after three hundred thousand years. All had transformed into the dust of cosmic history. Yet, the most inconspicuous and lowliest of the remnant civilized planets managed to cling to life, unexpectedly surviving for over three hundred thousand years.

"The universe is vast and ruthless," Xu Zhi mused. "It is difficult for any individual super-life form to exist eternally. What truly endures is often the continuation of civilization."

Xu Zhi sighed with emotion. He gazed out at the entire Cosmic Retreat, vast and silent, as if peering through three hundred thousand years of prehistoric time. He saw the rise and fall of a Ninth-tier being—a collector, hailed as a benefactor by the common people—from his zenith to his demise.