Was he out of his mind?
Ye Zichen’s eyes practically bulged out of his head as he took in Han Nan’s sincerity.
An era lasted one 129,600,000 years, from start to finish.
When an era ended, everything was destroyed, like an apocalypse. It didn’t matter who you were; there was no way to escape destruction.
Afterwards, a new world was born, the start of a new cycle.
He’d learned of all this from Emperor Hades, and he knew that his current world was also headed towards obliteration. That’s why the yao, demons, and gods, who’d been silent for aeons, were just starting to act up. Their goal was, before their era came to an end, to achieve transcendence like the Outsiders, escape the laws, and create a new, independent world for themselves.
They wanted to learn the method from the Outside, but….
Now Han Nan was telling Ye Zichen the Outsiders needed his help?
“Mayor Han, are you pulling my leg?” asked Ye Zichen.
“No, I know exactly what I’m asking, and I mean every word,” said Han Nan seriously. “But before we discuss this any further, please take a look at this.”
The space around them distorted, and when it recondensed, Ye Zichen found himself in a barren wasteland.
The sky was deathly grey as far as the eye could see. The earth and vegetation was parched and yellow. A dried up riverbed stretched into the distance, splitting into countless deep chasms.
Fierce winds howled relentlessly, stirring up the yellow sands.
At that moment, something shook the entire landscape. Before long, a creature similar to a tyrannosaurus rex ran into few. It was at least ten thousand feet tall, and countless similarly large beasts followed after it.
When Ye Zichen followed their line of sigh, he realized that their target was a continent shrouded in a barrier of golden light.
“Roaaar!” The “tyrannosaurus rex” roared, its fury shaking the heavens as the scene around them changed once more.
It was the same barren landscape as before, but this time, the ground was littered with corpses both human and beast.
The survivors clung to the dead and wept or hurriedly carried away the injured for treatment.
They ran to the light barrier. It’s surface was cracked in places.
The scenery changed one final time. This time, they were back in the office. Ye Zichen didn’t quite know why—he hadn’t been through that vicious battle himself, after all—but his chest was heaving violently. He would never forget that giant tyrannosaur’s scornful face or it’s heaven shaking roar. Just the thought of it was enough to stun him.
“You saw it, didn’t you?” said Han Nan bitterly. He was no longer as calm and assured as before.
Ye Zichen noted his pained expression and nodded slightly. “Where did those bests come from? They were huge!”
“Those were primordial giant monsters, but they have another name as well. Once you hear it, you’ll realize it’s straight to the point: we call them ‘the enders!’”
There was no need for any further explanation. Ye Zichen already understood what that meant.
The era was nearing its end. The enders were most likely the ones who would end it.
He couldn’t help but recall that tyrannosaur’s massive frame. It was tens of thousands of meters tall. Everyone, human, yao, or demon, was nothing but a paltry, miniscule ant by comparison.
The monster’s roar alone seemed sufficient to destroy both heaven and earth, filling Ye Zichen’s heart with faint terror.
How could they possibly defeat such monsters?
Most likely, the people of the Upper Three Realms had no idea they were about to face such monstrosities. If they found out, who knew how they’d react?
But the Outside had already transcended the laws….
Ye Zichen suppressed his dejection and shock, then recalled Han Nan’s request.
“That light barrier….”
“That’s right. It’s exactly what you think: this is the place enclosed within,” said Han Nan, pointing to the ground.
“But weren’t you guys supposed to have already transcended? Why are those primordial giant beasts still attacking you? They shouldn’t, should they? Transcending means you should have escaped them too, right? Why do you still need my help?” asked Ye Zichen.
Han Nan smiled bitterly, took in Ye Zichen’s confusion, and shook his head. “In truth, you’ve always misunderstood something about it. Yes, we’re survivors from the last great era, but that doesn’t mean our world wasn’t destroyed.”
In truth, ever since surviving the destruction of our word, we’ve had to face those monsters’ endless attacks. However, when we had our Emperor Star, his protection allowed us to disregard their assault. However, a few hundred years ago….”
…..
In a small cave in a remote, all-but abandoned mountain range, a group of around twenty people sat in a circle. There were countless seals and light barriers outside the entrance.
Some of the people inside were yao, while others were gods or demons.
“You most likely already know what I’m about to say and why I invited you here,” said a cloaked demon expert. Upon closer inspection, this was none other than the Demon Emperor, Kui Lin.
Everyone else present was a top expert of their respective race, the leader of a peak-level clan or faction. In fact, practically half of the Upper Three Realm’s top experts were here.
“That’s right. We heard an Outsider showed up here,” said a graceful-looking woman.
“They haven’t made an appearance in a hundred million years. Why would they show up out of the blue? Do they want to intervene with the end of our era?” snorted a man.
“They’ve already transcended, so what business do they have meddling in our affairs!” snorted another.
Everyone complained about the Outsiders’ involvement. Although Yang Jian really hadn’t done much at all, his appearance was enough to put their hearts in turmoil.
“It doesn’t matter why that special envoy from the Outside was here. The question is, what do we do now? Do we continue, or not? If we continue, will the Outside get in the way of our plans?”
The demon emperor was silent. He listened to the groups’ dissenting voices, his heart agitated.
After a while, they turned to a familiar face: Xiao Ting of the Xiao Family.
“Xiao Ting, didn’t you say you had something to discuss with us?”
“Wait a moment. I already sent someone to find Xiao Hu. He’ll likely be able to explain more clearly than me.”
At that moment, ripples of energy appeared within the cave. Everyone went on high alert. They glanced toward the cave’s entrance and saw Xiao Hu walk in. He was covered in bandages.
When he saw those who’d gathered, he froze, stunned.
“Xiao Hu, tell everyone what you told me about what you saw in the Outside,” said Xiao Ting.
The Outside?
Everyone’s expressions shifted. They now looked at Xiao Hu differently.
He’d actually been Outside?
