Chapter 1151: Crimson Rift (Part 1)
"Welcome—the—Dragon—Emperor!"
On the Feng Shen Platform, everyone bowed in salute. After the gathering of the four Divine Emperors, they now personally witnessed the Dragon Emperor's arrival. In their shock and excitement, they almost felt they could die without regret.
"No need for formalities." Long Huang smiled, gently pressing his palm downward beneath his sleeve.
Instantly, everyone felt a light breeze brush past them, and under this breeze, their bodies were involuntarily pressed down, returning to their seats.
Boundless shock rose again in the hearts of the assembled powerhouses... This was far, far more difficult than forcibly suppressing them with absolute power.
The Dragon Emperor took his seat, positioned in the center of the eastern seats, beside Zhou Tian Shen Di. To anyone, this was only natural.
"With the Dragon Emperor's arrival, we are all overjoyed. I trust the Dragon Queen is well?" Zhou Tian Shen Di said.
"Well as ever, thank you for your concern, Zhou Tian Shen Di." At the mention of the "Dragon Queen," a trace of soul-deep softness appeared on a face that seemed to hold all the world's majesty.
"It has been over ten thousand years since I last had the honor of seeing the Dragon Queen. If this time I could be graced by both Dragon Emperor and Dragon Queen, one of my lifelong wishes would be fulfilled." Zhou Tian Shen Di spoke from the heart.
Long Huang smiled: "Brother Zhou Tian, if you have leisure, you are welcome to visit my Long Shen Realm at any time. I and my wife will treat you with full courtesy."
Zhou Tian Shen Di said gladly, "To receive such words from the Dragon Emperor is my great honor."
"It seems the Dragon Emperor is also quite interested in this 'great matter.' Coming to our Dong Shen Domain of your own accord—if I recall correctly, this is the first time." Fantian Shen Di said, glancing sidelong at Shitian Shen Di.
Long Huang's expression turned slightly grave, and he spoke slowly: "I had heard rumors long ago, but I never fully believed them. Not until I suddenly learned that this session of the Dong Shen Domain's Xuan Shen Convention would select a thousand young powerhouses to enter the Zhou Tian Pearl and undergo reverse-world cultivation for three thousand years."
Long Huang gave Zhou Tian Shen Di a deep look: "The power of the Zhou Tian Pearl is indeed vast and boundless. But to convert three years into three thousand years while maintaining the spiritual energy of the 'Zhou Tian Divine Realm'—even for a treasure as powerful as the Zhou Tian Pearl, it would likely deplete its strength... even overdraw it. Recovery would take who knows how many years."
Zhou Tian Shen Di did not deny it and slowly nodded: "The Dragon Emperor is indeed well-informed. That is exactly the case."
"For the Zhou Tian God Realm to stake everything on the power of the Zhou Tian Pearl and even grant it to those of other clans—unless there is an immense reason, it would never come to this. Therefore, I could hardly ignore it. I suspect Lord Shitian Shen Di's presence here is for the same reason."
Cang Shitian nodded, a strange golden light flickering in his pupils: "Exactly so. Zhou Tian Shen Di, please enlighten us."
"Since both of you have come, nothing could be better." Zhou Tian Shen Di gave a soft sigh: "After all, if this matter truly comes to pass, it will not only be a disaster for our Dong Shen Domain; if it spirals out of control, it may also affect the Xi Shen Domain and Nan Shen Domain."
"Oh?" Both Long Huang and Shitian Shen Di showed surprised expressions.
The crowd on Feng Shen Platform also focused their attention.
Zhou Tian Shen Di turned his gaze to the three elders of Tianji seated at the edge, as silent as three old trees: "Masters Mo Yu, Mo Wen, and Mo Zhi—I must trouble the three of you."
The Tianji Three Elders opened their eyes, their gazes like a patch of chaos.
They nodded simultaneously, rose into the air, and flew to the center of Feng Shen Platform. Assuming a triangular formation, they floated above the platform.
"This old man, Mo Yu, thanks all of you for traveling so far to discuss this great matter."
Master Mo Yu's white hair fluttered, his eyes clouded. Though he had an immortal air, his voice clearly carried a dry, feeble quality, and his life force was like a guttering flame. It was a moving sight.
The rumor that the Tianji Three Elders were nearing the end of their lifespans due to years of excessive prying into heavenly fate had become an undeniable fact. And the reason they were willing to defy the Heavenly Dao and greatly reduce their lifespans to forcefully glimpse fate was undoubtedly related to the current "great matter."
The closure of the heavenly realm before the Xuan Shen Convention was also very likely for this day.
"Were it not a matter of utmost importance, how would we dare to disturb the realms and mobilize such great effort? Ahem... ahem..."
Master Mo Yu coughed dryly in pain.
"Master, what exactly is the matter?" The Saint Universe Realm King stood up, frowning deeply. By now, they all felt more and more that something unusual was afoot.
Master Mo Yu turned and nodded slightly.
Mo Wen and Mo Zhi also nodded at the same time. The two turned, waving their arms, and a profound array quickly formed, spreading a huge light screen in the air.
"A Mysterious Shadow Array? What could it be?" Many muttered.
Within the light screen, an image suddenly appeared—a darkness. But this darkness was only for ordinary people; the countless powerhouses present could sense an extreme emptiness within this darkness.
All eyes were firmly fixed on the light screen. Even though it was only darkness, they dared not look away.
The empty darkness lasted a long time. Suddenly, at the edge of the darkness, a red light star appeared.
The moment this light star emerged, everyone's hearts twitched violently. It was an extremely deep red light, thicker than blood, more dazzling than the blazing sun. Staring at this tiny red dot, they felt an increasingly piercing sensation in their hearts.
As if something was stabbing their very souls.
"What is this?" The Dragon Emperor's brow clearly furrowed.
"As you can see," Mo Yu stood before the light screen, his voice as heavy as a bell: "This is the end of Chaos, also known as the edge of Chaos."
"What!? The... edge of Chaos?"
At these words, everyone on Feng Shen Platform was horrified. Long Huang and Cang Shitian also showed great agitation.
In common understanding, Chaos has no boundary. Even if they were given ten thousand lifetimes, they would never be able to touch the edge of Chaos.
But at the level of the God Realm, that Chaos has an end is common knowledge... because many ancient records from the Age of Gods mention the edge of Chaos.
They also mention that the edge of Chaos is an existence called the "Chaos Wall."
However, Chaos is too vast—countless star domains and star realms, unimaginable spaces. To truly touch the edge of Chaos, even in the God Realm, only at least an upper-rank star realm could do it... or rather, bear the cost.
"If this is the edge of Chaos, what is that red light?" Cang Shitian said.
The image in the light screen was not static; it rapidly zoomed in. Darkness expanded infinitely, but the change in that red dot was negligible. Only after a while did someone vaguely realize it wasn't a red dot.
But an extremely thin, tiny thread of red light.
Mo Yu spoke slowly: "Twenty years ago, we three began to feel an inexplicable unease, growing day by day, stronger than ever before. We sensed something unusual, so we joined forces to glimpse the heavenly fate. What we saw was this scene."
"At the time, we were completely baffled by this scene, but the unease continued to intensify. So, at the cost of defying our ancestral teachings and overdrawing our lifespans and the power of the Heavenly Dao, we repeatedly forced glimpses into fate. Finally, we learned that what was shown was the edge of Chaos."
"Moreover, it was the extreme east of Chaos, the edge adjacent to the Dong Shen Domain."
"And this red light is a mark that appeared on the Chaos Wall at the edge." Mo Yu's calm voice carried deep gravity: "And it seems to be a... crack."
"Impossible!" Shitian Shen Di said decisively: "The Chaos Wall—what kind of existence is that? Even the Dragon Emperor... no, forget the Dragon Emperor, even the ancient True Gods pouring out all their divine power could not damage it in the slightest. How could there be a so-called crack?"
"Indeed." Long Huang nodded in agreement: "The Chaos Wall is a dimensional barrier that even the ancient True Gods could not break. If there is anything that could harm the Chaos Wall... it would only be the three Mystic Heaven Supreme Treasures."
"The Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword, the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel, and the Cosmic Thorn."
Shitian Shen Di continued: "But these three Mystic Heaven Supreme Treasures vanished after the fall of the gods and likely no longer exist. Unless these three treasures have reappeared? That would indeed be a great matter."
"However, this is not the Age of Gods. The Hongmeng Qi within Chaos has long since dwindled to almost nothing. Even if an Ancestral Sword like the Ancestral Heaven-Slaying Sword did reappear, its power would be far from what it was back then. Whether it could still damage the Chaos Wall is unknown. Just like the current Zhou Tian Pearl, existing in today's chaotic world, its divine power is nothing but..." Cang Shitian paused, sensing his words might be inappropriate, and quickly said to Zhou Tian Shen Di: "I mean no offense to the Zhou Tian Pearl."
"No matter. What Lord Shitian Shen Di said is merely fact." Zhou Tian Shen Di sighed softly: "But if one of these three treasures had indeed reappeared, it would be a great blessing. Why would we be worried? Have you forgotten one thing? The Chaos Wall is a dimensional barrier of the highest level. Even if it were breached by something like the Ancestral Sword or the Myriad Calamity Wheel, it would heal quickly, just like ordinary torn space..."
Before Zhou Tian Shen Di could finish, everyone's brows sank.
"Yet this red mark remains imprinted on the Chaos Wall, inexplicable. And it is precisely for this reason that it causes extreme unease."
The smile on Shitian Shen Di's face disappeared. Long Huang's expression turned solemn. After a long silence, he said: "Are you truly certain that place is the Chaos Wall?"
"If we were not certain, how would we have gone to such trouble?" Fantian Shen Di said: "Back when the three Masters of Tianji informed us of this matter, more than a decade ago, I and Zhou Tian Shen Di paid a great price to personally go to the edge of Chaos."
The Dragon Emperor was finally visibly moved: "You mean you saw it with your own eyes?"
Seeing it with one's own eyes and the Tianji Three Elders' "glimpse of heavenly fate" were fundamentally different concepts. The latter could be mere imagination. But the former—two Divine Emperors seeing it with their own eyes—could never be false.
"Correct!" Zhou Tian Shen Di slowly nodded, his voice heavy: "The words of the three Masters of Tianji were too incredible. If we could not see it for ourselves, we would never have believed it. When I and Fantian Shen Di reached the extreme east of Chaos, a million li away, we already felt the red light piercing our hearts. When we finally approached the Chaos Wall, everything we saw was exactly as the three Masters of Tianji had said."
"No, it was even more unsettling." Fantian Shen Di said: "The red crack imprinted on the Chaos Wall—its light was more bizarre than anything I have ever seen in my life. A mere single line could shine millions of li into the distance."
"This is the Mysterious Shadow we recorded before the Chaos Wall back then."
As he spoke, Fantian Shen Di suddenly thrust out his arm. Instantly, the image on the light screen above Feng Shen Platform shifted. A red crack, over one person tall, was suddenly imprinted in the light screen.
In an instant, the entire Feng Shen Platform turned crimson, as if a heavy rain of blood had fallen. Everyone stared blankly at the red crack that, though within a Mysterious Shadow, seemed imprinted on the very dome of the sky. A nameless fear wildly sprouted in their hearts. Their souls writhed and convulsed like snakes whose vital points were seized.
"What... what is this?" Mu Huanzhi cried out involuntarily.
"This... is it really on the Chaos Wall?"
"How could the words of two Divine Emperors be false?" Yan Juehai said, his pupils contracting.
And this was just a recorded Mysterious Shadow!
Fantian Shen Di withdrew his arm, the Mysterious Shadow vanished, and the world finally shed its terrifying blood color. Everyone's minds relaxed, as if they had just escaped the edge of a sea of blood and purgatory. Their hearts remained shaken for a long time.
"Since you have personally gone to the edge of Chaos and approached this strange red crack, did you discover how this crack came to be?" Long Huang frowned deeply.
Zhou Tian Shen Di shook his head: "No findings. However... to investigate the cause, I and Fantian Shen Di stayed before the Chaos Wall for a full year. Apart from ordinary spatial storms, no external force ever approached. Yet that red crack was gradually expanding."
Long Huang: "..."
"When I and Zhou Tian Shen Di first arrived, the red crack was only over seven chi long." Fantian Shen Di said: "A year later, it had grown to one zhang. Thus, I and Zhou Tian Shen Di had to consider a terrifying possibility..."
"This red crack was not born of some power within Chaos. Rather, it comes from the Chaos Wall itself, or... from outside Chaos!"