After dinner, Huang Deheng and Old Ling respectfully bid farewell to Li Nianfan and made their way down the Fallen Immortal Mountain. Huang Deheng had tears in his eyes as he muttered, “It’s such a waste to dump all that fish soup. My heart clenches at the thought of it.”
A bountiful feast that contained the essence of the Wisdom Elite was a one-of-a-kind opportunity for them and yet, they only managed to eat a few bites. It was a feeling worse than death. They would rather eat until they burst and become hungry ghosts in their afterlife.
“I know right? There was a whole pot and I only had five sips. Even so, it took all that I had to drink it…”
Huang Deheng nodded his head sadly and began to sob like a little kid.
“I envy the plants and animals kept in the expert’s backyard. They’re so lucky. Even the leftovers can create boundless opportunities for them,” said Old Ling with a voice full of admiration.
Huang Deheng waved his hand and said, “We should be grateful to have a little taste of it. This meal was surely planned by the expert and he’d be disgusted by us if we’re too greedy.”
Old Ling nodded his head. “You’re right. We were able to progress to the peak of the Heavenly Realm and had a glimpse of the Wisdom Elite level. It would’ve taken us many, many years to do so if not for the meal.”
They realized that they would become the strongest fighters in the universe if they could finish the whole Wisdom Elite fish alone but of course, that would put an impossibly big burden on their bodies. Even Daji and Fire Phoenix would not be able to sustain it. The stronger the fighter was, the more resources it would take to maintain their life. Naturally, this also meant that they would have stored a vast amount of energy in their bodies which would be released at the end of their lives. One just had to imagine a whale falling out of the sky to know the feeling.
Just like how the death of Pangu manifested the Eldritch world and gave birth to the Dragons and Phoenixes. It was only natural that the essence of the Wisdom Elite, which was infinitely more high-grade than Pangu, would be able to give birth to Heavenly Realm living beings.
Huang Deheng smiled suddenly. “Brother Ling, you didn’t believe me at first, so what do you have to say for yourself now?”
Old Ling pressed his lips together and in a haughty tone said, “Fine, I owe all this to you. Thank you for thinking of me.”
“Wow, this is the first time you’ve ever thanked me. Hahaha.” However, his face instantly became serious. “Since we’ve gained some secret information and received blessings from the expert, it’ll do us well to help him in any way we can from this day onwards.”
“Need you remind me?” Old Ling scoffed. “I can’t believe we’re living in the seventh dimension. I wonder how the other dimensions are doing. Those Eldritchs with their plundering ways… I bet the expert must have some plans in motion. We should follow his lead.”
“Let’s go to the Heavenly Palace to walk off the meal,” said Huang Deheng.
The rest of the time passed uneventfully and the four-part architecture returned to its laid-back state. It was the usual routine for Li Nianfan—gardening, fishing, playing the Guqin, calligraphy, drawing, and bringing the others on field trips. It was a simple life filled with contentment.
All the influential figures in the Area of the Gods were filled with envy after they received news of Huang Deheng and Old Ling’s blessings from the expert. They wished to receive the same treatment and thus, went to search for Spiritual Roots to bring to the expert.
Meanwhile, in the first dimension, the Eldritchs had gathered to stare at a direction deep in the Chaos Ocean, as if they were waiting for something. In front of them appeared a black vortex which cracked with Wisdom Elite freak currents from time to time. Four powerful Eldritchs stood at the four sides of the vortex and used their mana to stabilize it.
Instantly, an Eldritch stepped out from the group and looked deeply into the vortex. He was filled with a majestic aura as if he was the sun itself. This caused him to become the center of attention. He was one of the seven Elites who connected the River of Time to their dimension.
“Greetings, Elite Guhe,” said the others respectfully while bowing to him.
Guhe nodded his head. “How’s the passageway across the Chaos Ocean? When can I enter the seventh dimension?”
“The Wisdom freak currents are visibly weaker and many of the auras are waking up. In five years, the Tiandang Mountain will arrive, and coupled with our effort, the vortex will stabilize by then,” answered someone.
“Five years? That’s too long.” Guhe knitted his brows together and shook his head. “The seventh dimension not only has the Area of the Gods, but there are signs of a Wisdom Elite. It doesn’t bode well for us as it means that things aren’t going as we planned.”
Five years might be long for a mortal but to the immortal Eldritchs, it would pass by in a blink of an eye. However, ever since signs of a Wisdom Elite being birthed in the seventh dimension surfaced and the incident at the River of Time happened, Guhe had been feeling anxious. He could not wait any longer.
“Do you mean to say…?”
“I’ll go over first. Once there, I can suppress any changes. There’s no room for errors this time. We must wipe out the seventh dimension,” said Guhe calmly.
“Elite Guhe, the power of the Wisdom freak current corresponds to the person’s power. I’m afraid it’d be hard for you to pass through.”
“If I say I can do it, then I can do it. Mark my words when I say I’ll enter the seventh dimension in one month!” said Guhe cockily. His eyes began to shine brightly while he laughed coldly. “Before that, I need to create some trouble for the seventh dimension.”
With a flick of his wrist, a black-gold katana appeared in his hand. The katana was emitting a fierce black gas and the countless lives it had taken imbued it with a strong murderous aura.
“Go forth, my friend. Extermination Demon Sword!” He then threw the katana into the vortex.
Another three days passed by in a blink of an eye.
The katana was shooting across the Chaos in a trail of black light. It was giving out a howling sound as it manifested countless terrifying and ferocious demon apparitions around it. The force of its movement shook the Chaos and vortexes appeared one after another.
They did not know where it came from and did not know how to stop it. Every star that it passed was exterminated with one swing of the sword, creating a tsunami of energy that spread across the Chaos. Finally, it landed in a little world.
The little world shook terribly with its landing and instantly, the sky darkened and the wind blew wildly. All the living creatures were shaken to their very core as they fell to the ground. Here, the highest-level fighters were three Chaos Daluo Golden Immortals and 10 Saints. Even they found themselves quaking in their boots.
“What fell out of the sky and caused a scene like this?”
“What a terrifying aura. It must be an earth-shattering Ultimate Treasure!”
“The sky’s been split apart by it. I’m sure I’ll level up if I get my hands on it!”
“A great opportunity to receive transformation has arrived!”
They quickly rushed to the site of the landing without hesitation. Once there, their pupils shrank rapidly with shock. There used to be a huge mountain there but the black-gold katana had split it in half with its landing. The two halves of the mountain were even pushed 10 feet to the side with the black-gold katana standing in between them.
The katana was around 24 feet and it was so black that the light it gave off was golden in color. With just one look at the katana, a vision of a mountain of bloody corpses surrounded by a black gaseous substance appeared. The katana was stuck at the top of the mountain, giving off a light of extermination that flashed before their very eyes.
“Immortal Machine! It’s got to be an Immortal Machine!”
“This sword landed in my territory so it belongs to me!”
“No, it belongs to me!”
“Nonsense, this is obviously the precious sword I lost yesterday. It’s a good thing it turned up today.”
They all looked at the black katana with greed while bickering about who would be the one to get it.
Suddenly, the black katana began to emit a black color gas. It flowed over like a tsunami and spread to all corners of the world. Everything the gas touched turned black. The soil turned black, the grass turned black, the mountains turned black, and even the water turned black—all the lives were sucked out of them. None could escape from it.
“What terrifying exterminating power. What’s going on?”
“This can’t be good. This sword’s imbued with the intent to exterminate all living things. It’s not a blessing at all! It’s a curse!”
“It’s definitely a cursed weapon to end the world!”
“Quick, let’s fight together to suppress it!”
Their expressions changed drastically and with desperate howls, they attacked the katana.
Soon, the katana encountered a barrage of attack from the fighters and their treasures. However, their efforts were destined to end up fruitless as their attacks were easily deflected. Their treasures immediately turned black without any resistance.
“How’s this possible?” The group was shocked as they involuntarily stepped back.
The black gas began to flow faster and faster until one-third of the world was covered. All things—no matter whether they were alive or dead to begin with—were robbed of their vitality. A few moments passed and the whole world had been turned into a dead planet. Even the Chaos Daluo Golden Immortals and Saints were not spared.
However, the black gas did not stop there. It continued its path around the little world. From high above, this planet had become a black star with the scent of death enveloping it.
In the Heavenly Palace, Erlang Shen’s third eye was giving off a golden light. The golden light beamed up toward the Chaos and shock appeared on his face. “That…that’s…”
Ever since the Heavenly Palace gained the secret knowledge about the catastrophe, they had been diligently monitoring the Chaos for changes. Erlang Shen had broken through to the Heavenly Realm due to Li Nianfan’s blessings. The leveling-up enabled him to monitor the Chaos for signs of changes that would affect all beings. This time, he detected a thick scent of death floating in the Chaos. Without wasting any more time, he quickly reported this to the Heavenly Palace.
“Black gas of death? A planet completely engulfed by it?”
“Who’s the culprit behind this? Only an evil cultivator would do such a thing!”
“It would require cultivation of the Heavenly Realm. What exactly happened there?”
The Heavenly Palace people were filled with shock.
“What do you think, Yang Jing?” asked the Jade Emperor.
“I fear this matter’s more complicated than we think.” Yang Jing’s face was grave. “The black gas of death is very thick and imbued with a fierce, murderous aura. Heck, it could even swallow a whole planet. However, judging by its aura, this isn’t the first planet it swallowed. It has probably killed countless living beings before this.”
“If that’s the case, the mastermind behind all this shouldn’t be underestimated. I’m afraid he might be on par with the now-defunct Ministry,” said the Jade Emperor gravely.
“This is something out of the ordinary. I’m willing to go and have a look,” volunteered Yang Jing.
The Jade Emperor nodded his head. “Take Xiao Chengfeng with you.”
“Hahaha, there’s nothing to fear with me around. Let’s go, Old Yang!” said Xiao Chengfeng.
Yang Jing and Xiao Chengfeng left the Area of the Gods and headed straight for the black gas. The black gad had attracted a lot of attention and many people were also on their way there to check it out. There was already a huge crowd gathered close to the black gas by the time Yang Jing and Xiao Chengfeng arrived. Each of the onlookers’ eyes were filled with curiosity.
Yang Jing extended his hand into the black gas’s edge and his expression instantly changed. “What a powerful aura of death! It can suck all the life out of all things!”
“We should stop it from spreading! Even a Chaos Daluo Golden Immortal would be sucked dry just by standing near it,” said Xiao Chengfeng.
“Judging by the way the gas is condensing here, it must have a source. Not to mention, the fluctuations are quite stable so I’m sure that in the middle of this gas, you’ll find an Ultimate Slaughter Treasure,” said someone.
Everyone’s face became drained of color at the mention of the Ultimate Slaughter Treasure. They could not imagine the power it possessed when its aura alone was enough to manifest such horrifying visions. They needed to get their hands on the legendary Ultimate Chaos Treasures. Those with a slightly higher level of cultivation immediately entered the black gas cloud in a trail of light.
“Let’s go, too,” said Yang Jing. He and Xiao Chengfeng then activated their mana and entered the black gas cloud with others following behind them. However, some of the people that followed them realized their greed was way more than their strength. They wanted to leave from inside the black gas but it was already too late—by then, they had all been turned into black corpses.
