Arrival

“It has come!” At this moment, whether the Lord of Yuanxi or the Fate Dao Ancestor, the mutual erosion between the two involuntarily ground to a halt. Though it was not completely severed, upon sensing the aura of an “Existence” transmitted from afar across the chaotic void, both ceased their warfare in unison. Immediately following that, the two supreme entities merged as one stepped into the void together, their figures vanishing from the battlefield suppressed by the Gate of Fate. This sudden change caught the Nine Rulers—who had already been contemplating whether to yield and seek help from the Lord of Yuanxi—completely off guard. “What is going on? Why did the Lord of Yuanxi leave?” “It's bad enough that the Lord of Yuanxi refused to help us, but to just leave directly?! If He had been willing to spare a fraction of His power to provide us with computational support, the battle would have been over long ago! They aren't Yaoguang; with the power of the Void, Time, and Karma Dao Ancestors divided into three, it wouldn't take long for us to suppress and kill them one by one!” “It’s not just the Lord of Yuanxi—the Fate Dao Ancestor's power is receding as well! Has something... unexpected happened?!” As the Nine Rulers pondered, their attacks involuntarily grew more cautious. On the other hand, the Void Dao Ancestor and Time Dao Ancestor, detecting this anomaly with the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor, realized something immediately. “It has arrived?!” Although five thousand years ago, the “Yaoguang” who had posed an enormous threat to them had already fallen—crushed effortlessly to death by the Karma Dao Ancestor—the Void Dao Ancestor and Time Dao Ancestor, having personally experienced being “observed” with nowhere to hide, were utterly convinced in their hearts that Yaoguang had never truly died. The only purpose for that terrifying existence to infiltrate their two worlds had been to probe the power systems and operational logic of both realms. And the one tasked with this investigation was by no means Its true self, but merely an incarnation of consciousness, a projection of power, a probe. It unquestionably possessed a far more formidable true form. And now, with the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor not even caring to see through this war that would decide the fate of both worlds, departing the battlefield immediately, there was only... One conclusion! It had come! Its true form had arrived! The two Dao Ancestors exchanged a glance. Without the slightest hesitation, surging with void power and augmented by the power of time, they broke away from the battlefield and rushed beyond the radiant reach of the Gate of Fate. Immediately after, the vast might of the Grand Daos erupted from the two Dao Ancestors' hands, triggering a localized collapse of spacetime that forcefully carved a pathway through the void around them at extreme speed. The energy of the chaotic void seeped through the passage. A mere brush of it brought a wave of discomfort to both the Void Dao Ancestor and the Time Dao Ancestor. Yet at this moment, paying no heed to the discomfort, they surged rapidly toward the area where the chaotic void gushed out, heading directly beyond the Ancient Immortal Realm. First the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor vanished. Then the Void Dao Ancestor and Time Dao Ancestor broke away from the battlefield, tore through the world barrier of the Ancient Immortal Realm, and surged into the chaotic void. This sequence of changes left the Nine Rulers and the remaining Karma Dao Ancestor looking at one another in bewilderment. Though they did not know what had transpired, they were absolutely certain that an unexpected event had occurred. An event so momentous that the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor were forced to temporarily set aside their final showdown. Seeing that the Karma Dao Ancestor also broke away from the fray right after, the Nine Rulers exchanged looks and did not bother to pursue. “What in the world is happening?! Why did they suddenly just... leave?” the Lord of Tianyuan asked with a frown. Matters seemed to have slipped out of their control all at once. Just a moment ago, the Nine Rulers had been acting as saviors, shouldering the hopes of the Spirits of Wisdom and immortal spirits of the Hunyuan Realm in a final decisive battle against the four Dao Ancestors of the Ancient Immortal Realm. Their every move drew the gaze of both realms, and every small victory earned the cheers of the world. Yet in the next second... The core audience had walked away. Even their opponents had abandoned them, refusing to fight to the bitter end and disengaging from the battlefield. What was this supposed to mean?! Weren't they afraid the Nine Rulers would strike with all their might and obliterate the Gate of Fate?! One had to realize that after the Fate Dao Ancestor drained vast amounts of fate power and the three thousand Grand Daos to pour into the Lord of Yuanxi's body, the Gate of Fate had already been worn down by at least ten percent compared to before. Within ten thousand years at most, they would have been able to completely grind down the Gate of Fate and, on behalf of the Hunyuan Realm, claim ultimate victory in the war against the Ancient Immortal Realm. And yet... Their opponents had all run off?! This was entirely too disrespectful to the Nine Rulers, treating them as if they didn't even matter. “If something unexpected really has happened, there is only one possibility...” the Lord of Shenluo said in a heavy voice. “You mean...” The other Rulers already had their own suspicions, yet were somewhat reluctant to accept them. However... The Lord of Shenluo, who had nearly been beaten to death back then, recognized his own place clearly. With a grim expression, he nodded. “Yaoguang!” “The Void Dao Ancestor and Time Dao Ancestor... were telling the truth?!” The Lord of Creation found it hard to believe. “A new enemy has appeared?!” “Yaoguang... didn't just reach his heights because he received the legacies of the Time Dao Ancestor and Void Dao Ancestor, but... utilized those legacies and the Fate Dao Ancestor's scheme of nurturing immortal spirits to infiltrate our Ancient Immortal Realm and the Hunyuan Realm?!” “A third party outside of the Hunyuan Realm and Ancient Immortal Realm?! A new cosmic realm?!” The Rulers communicated through their consciousnesses. Even without having seen Yaoguang's true form yet, an inexplicable sense of dread welled up in their hearts. Seeing the Karma Dao Ancestor closely follow the Void Dao Ancestor and Time Dao Ancestor out of the battlefield, the Nine Rulers exchanged glances. Unwilling to lag behind, they traversed the channel carved out by the two Dao Ancestors one after another, heading straight for the expanse beyond the Ancient Immortal Realm. It was one thing for the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor to leave. After all, those two had seemingly watched on as bystanders all along, never directly intervening in the conflict between the Nine Rulers, Yaoguang, and the three Dao Ancestors. But now... Yaoguang had perished, the three Dao Ancestors had been reborn from him, and then the three Dao Ancestors and the Nine Rulers had left one after another, departing from the expanse of the Ancient Immortal Realm. The remaining Immortal Kings and Immortal Venerables watching from afar were left dumbfounded. “Why did they all leave?” “Something happened!” “I know something must have happened—and something massive at that! But what is this supposed to be? A grand, epochal final battle that has raged for thousands of years, and now... it's just wrapping up without any conclusion?” Tens of thousands of Immortal Kings and Immortal Venerables looked at one another in shock. Completely absurd! Yet many of the Immortal Kings and Immortal Venerables also understood that any unexpected event capable of halting both sides in the middle of their final confrontation could be no trivial matter. Moreover, the place they were heading to was neither the Ancient Immortal Realm nor the Hunyuan Realm, but beyond both realms... Evidently, this enemy was beyond the bounds of the Ancient Immortal Realm and the Hunyuan Realm—quite possibly hailing from beyond the two realms entirely. Coupled with the fact that within the Hunyuan Realm, there had long been numerous speculations about whether other universes existed within the chaotic void... Even with their limited information, these Immortal Kings and Immortal Venerables realized the gravity of the situation. “Could it be...” Immortal King Taiyi's expression shifted repeatedly. In the next moment, gritting his teeth, he surged after them toward the passage carved by the Time Dao Ancestor and Void Dao Ancestor. Noticing Immortal King Taiyi's movements, the other Immortal Kings did not hesitate either, quickly following forward. Even the Immortal Venerables were no exception. However, whether Immortal Kings or Immortal Venerables, after following for only a short distance, they immediately sensed the power of the surrounding three thousand Grand Daos steadily waning. Before even reaching the outer perimeter of the Ancient Immortal Realm, they felt as though they could no longer control their own bodies, as if their immortal forms were on the verge of collapsing. Fortunately, they were not traditional Immortal Kings and Immortal Venerables; within their bodies lay core spiritual energy. When their immortal forms bordered on collapse, they could still push forward a little farther. Even so, as they neared the actual threshold leading out of the Ancient Immortal Realm, they were ultimately forced to halt. They knew full well that once they truly departed the Hunyuan Realm or Ancient Immortal Realm and entered the chaotic void where nothing existed—where neither spiritual energy nor the three thousand Grand Daos held sway... They would die. They would be scoured away by nothingness, dissipating entirely into the chaotic void. Fortunately, from this position, they could still faintly see the Nine Rulers and three Dao Ancestors who had stepped out into the chaotic void. As for the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor farther ahead... They could no longer see them clearly. Yet merely from the terrified, appalled gazes of the Nine Rulers and three Dao Ancestors directed toward the depths of the chaotic void, they realized that something had truly come. An unspeakably terrifying “Existence” was rapidly approaching through the chaotic void. Moreover, as time passed, even though nothing unusual could be seen with the eye, these Immortal Kings and Immortal Venerables could already feel an indescribable palpitation of dread. It was like ordinary creatures living on a planet where a shift in the star's orbit triggered abnormalities across the entire magnetic field; even before solar storms and gravitational waves ignited or tore the planet apart, the countless living beings on the planet would already sense it instinctively, consumed by dread and trepidation at the impending doom. “A terrifying ‘Existence’ is approaching!” “It has come! It is arriving at terrifying speed!” “What is it?! Just what in the world is that?!” Some of the Immortal Kings and Immortal Venerables with weaker mental fortitudes could no longer endure the pressure this dread exerted on their immortal forms and souls, their temperaments growing volatile and erratic. In truth, even the Immortal Kings with sturdier temperaments experienced similar turmoil. They merely forced down the unease and terror in their hearts, staring unblinkingly at the boundary of the chaotic void beyond the Ancient Immortal Realm. Not only them, but the Nine Rulers and three Dao Ancestors felt the same. The moment they charged out into the chaotic void, they had already sensed that great “Existence” rapidly closing in from the depths of the void, their doubts and speculations thoroughly confirmed. At that instant, like those Immortal Kings, an unspeakable terror arose within them. As well as... Fear of the unknown! And as time ticked by, the unease, dread, and terror climbed almost to the very limit. It was precisely at this moment that, from the boundless depths of the chaotic void... A terrifying “Existence”—so colossal that it exceeded the imagination of all Rulers and Dao Ancestors... Including even the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor—stirred up the endless void, revealing the tip of an iceberg! Just like an alien warship so enormous that it surpassed an entire planet: lowering merely a single landing strut was enough to shatter the atmosphere and churn up monstrous billows of clouds, bringing shock and disaster of unspeakable magnitude to both the Hunyuan Realm and the Ancient Immortal Realm! And as this “landing strut” was planted, this great and terrifying “Existence” truly revealed Its authentic visage before the eyes of all Dao Ancestors and Rulers! That vastness that eclipsed heaven and earth, permeating the void, several times larger than either the Hunyuan Realm or the Ancient Immortal Realm... Instantly caused the expressions of the Nine Rulers and three Dao Ancestors to freeze in unison.