Chapter 4052: Entropy Flare
The Fourth Confucian Ancestor was regarded with extreme caution by Panyuan Ancient God.
As the founder of the Confucian path, he should have been open and upright, his righteous spirit enduring forever. Yet he had vanished for over two hundred thousand years, hiding within the God Realm without showing himself.
If, as he himself claimed, he regarded Zhang Ruochen as a nephew because Zhang Ruochen was the heir of Xumi Saint Monk and a young outstanding talent who had saved the Kunlun Realm from crisis, then he should have deep feelings for the Kunlun Realm.
Why, then, did he not lend a hand when the Kunlun Realm was at its most difficult?
Why did he not return to the Kunlun Realm immediately after leaving the God Realm?
This contradicted the forthright nature of Confucian cultivators; there were inconsistencies in his words.
Of course, these were secondary matters.
What truly made Panyuan Ancient God tense and on guard was the other party's unfathomable spiritual power mastery. Moreover, the Fourth Confucian Ancestor was not only powerful in spiritual power.
In the past, his martial cultivation was no weaker than his spiritual power.
Panyuan Ancient God could sense the battle on the Nether Kingdom side. Seeing the appearance of the Golden Qilin Ancestor, he knew that Zhang Ruochen still had a backup plan and would not be defeated for the time being. So, he adjusted his mindset and said calmly, "The true purpose of the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom? Since you are willing to speak, I, this seat, will naturally listen with respectful attention."
Feng Yan showed an eager expression, about to speak.
Panyuan Ancient God shook his head at him, signaling him to stay calm and exercise restraint.
The old man in the blue Confucian robe looked at Panyuan Ancient God, who stood ten steps away and had not returned to his seat, and said in a heavy tone: "The Calamity of Quantities is about to arrive!"
Panyuan Ancient God showed a cold and mocking expression, saying, "Didn't the Calamity of Quantities descend once over two hundred thousand years ago? Everyone has already experienced that great catastrophe!"
"Yes, that world-ending calamity lasted a full three months. All the major worlds and life planets in the universe, including the Kunlun Realm and the Saint Realm, were wrapped in flames. How many worlds were destroyed, how many living beings had their souls scattered."
The old man in the blue Confucian robe wore a sorrowful expression, recalling the scenes of those years, and narrated slowly: "The Saint Realm was destroyed in that calamity. Countless divine temples collapsed, divine mountains were leveled one after another, divine veins were severed, and the bones of gods lay scattered across the wilderness. From then on, there was no Saint Realm in the world!"
"In the universe, how many gods were terrified, unable to sleep or eat? To survive, to prepare for the next calamity, all major forces took action. The Kunlun Realm activated the Sundial, the Hell Realm launched an all-out war to sustain itself, and the Heavenly Court was established on the ruins of the Saint Realm..."
"Everyone had only one goal: survival."
"But do you know that the three-month world-ending calamity was initiated by the Nether Ancestor through the tributaries of the Santu River? It was a harvest of all living beings and all energy in the universe."
"Why did the world-ending calamity mysteriously recede after three months? It was because the God Realm intervened and repelled the Nether Ancestor. Otherwise, all of you present would have turned into void dust long ago, the universe silent, all living beings extinct."
Panyuan Ancient God had a deep friendship with Hao Tian and knew many secrets. The great calamity of that year indeed had the shadow of the Nether Ancestor behind it.
The mysterious existence that repelled the world-ending calamity—they had speculated at the time that the God Realm was the most likely candidate.
Only the God Realm had such power.
Seeing that Panyuan Ancient God remained silent, the old man in the blue Confucian robe said, "That battle was too perilous. In just three months, the Nether Ancestor absorbed endless energy from the universe and harvested countless living beings. It was then that the Nether Sea Spirit and Corpse Nightmare achieved a massive increase in their cultivation. Corpse Nightmare even broke through to the Ancestor realm in one fell swoop!"
Feng Yan observed Panyuan Ancient God's expression and saw that he had already believed this account from the Fourth Confucian Ancestor, his mind shaken as never before. He murmured to himself, "No wonder Corpse Nightmare was able to step into the Ancestor realm. Only such a force could push him to take that final step."
Panyuan Ancient God said, "You were in the Kunlun Realm at the time; you shouldn't have known the truth of that calamity. Did the Eternal True Ruler tell you these things?"
The old man in the blue Confucian robe said, "Primordial Spirit need not doubt the authenticity of all this! It is precisely because the God Realm has the merit of saving the world, as well as the determination and strength to do so, that I, this old man, am willing to trust them and work with them to face the true Calamity of Quantities that is about to occur."
"What is the true Calamity of Quantities?" Feng Yan asked.
The old man in the blue Confucian robe said, "In history, the calamities initiated by the Dark Weirdness and the Nether Ancestor were meant to harvest living beings and extend their lives. But every fifty thousand eons, heaven and earth restart, and all matter returns to chaos in the calamity."
"Over ten million years ago, the Dark Weirdness and the Nether Ancestor had already calculated that the Calamity of Quantities was approaching. Even with their strength, they were not sure they could survive it."
"There was only one thing they could do: absorb as much energy from the universe as possible, harvest more living beings, and make themselves as powerful as possible at their peak."
"But before that, they had to eliminate other Immortals first."
Feng Yan understood, saying, "At other times, the Immortals take turns harvesting the civilizations of the universe to extend their lifespans. But at the end of the world, they must become as strong as possible to have a greater chance of survival. Thus, it becomes a matter of kill or be killed."
The old man in the blue Confucian robe nodded, saying, "Survival is the first law of the universe; there is nothing wrong with it."
Panyuan Ancient God said, "So, to eliminate other Immortals, the Nether Ancestor cultivated the Great Demon God to help himself?"
"Exactly."
The old man in the blue Confucian robe said, "In fact, the Dark Weirdness also cultivated helpers. But cultivating an Ancestor is no easy task! He failed, which naturally laid the groundwork for his eventual defeat."
Panyuan Ancient God said, "What about the Immortal of the God Realm? Who was the helper he cultivated in that era? The Heavenly Demon?"
From beginning to end, the old man in the blue Confucian robe had never mentioned the Immortal of the God Realm. This clearly indicated that he believed the God Realm was different from the Nether Ancestor and the Dark Weirdness.
But Panyuan Ancient God did not think so.
Asking this was to tell the old man in the blue Confucian robe that all Immortals were the same—to survive, they would inevitably stop at nothing. No one was nobler than another.
The old man in the blue Confucian robe did not directly answer Panyuan Ancient God's question, saying, "In history, the destruction of many civilizations bears the shadow of the Dark Weirdness and the Nether Ancestor. For example, the Sword Realm was destroyed by the Dark Weirdness, and the Holy Clan perished at the hands of the Nether Ancestor. But has Primordial Spirit ever heard of the God Realm being involved in such matters?"
Panyuan Ancient God said, "To obtain the Divine Martial Mark, every year, living beings from all realms offer a large amount of blood energy to the God Realm. The God Realm doesn't need to be as extreme as the Dark Weirdness and the Nether Ancestor; their methods are much more sophisticated!"
The old man in the blue Confucian robe smiled, saying, "The Calamity of Quantities is inevitable, but the God Realm is different from the Nether Ancestor and the Dark Weirdness. The God Realm intends to establish the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, leading all living beings in the universe to resist the Calamity of Quantities together and enter a new era."
Panyuan Ancient God looked at the Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord standing before the beacon tower and said, "Do you believe his words? Do you believe the God Realm will really do this?"
The Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord said, "When I was young, the Confucian Ancestor showed me kindness. I, this lord, naturally trust him, the elder. It is precisely as the Confucian Ancestor said: the God Realm has never harmed us. Why can't we trust them just once?"
"Besides the God Realm, who else can resist the Calamity of Quantities? Who else can actively help the cultivators of the world resist the calamity and is willing to shelter all living beings, taking them to a new era?"
"In the past, the God Realm bestowed the Divine Martial Mark, helping the weak living beings struggling in the mire of hardship embark on the path of immortal cultivation. From then on, our lifespans could reach one eon, or even ten or more eons."
"The God Realm blocked the Nether Ancestor's world-ending calamity, allowing us to live until now."
"Just these few points alone, even if the future proves today's choice to be wrong, I, this lord, will have no regrets."
Feng Yan could understand the Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord's choice, but he had his own view: "You are just finding reasons to convince yourself! Are all the actions of the God Realm correct? First, the Divine Martial Mark can help people embark on the path of cultivation, but isn't it also a means to control the cultivators of the world?"
"They give you a boat, but the rudder is in someone else's hands, and there is an opening under the rudder. Follow their orders, and you sail smoothly. Disobey, and the rudder breaks and the boat sinks."
"But people have forgotten that there was once a bridge on the river that could lead to the other shore, but it was destroyed by the boat sellers!"
"I have never heard that before the ancient times, cultivation required the Divine Martial Mark. Why should I be grateful to those who cut off my path of cultivation, bestowed the Divine Martial Mark, and controlled us?"
"Second, over two hundred thousand years ago, the reason the God Realm repelled the Nether Ancestor was not to save the suffering, but to prevent the Nether Ancestor from growing stronger and endangering itself. Or perhaps, it was just to stop the Nether Ancestor from stealing the livestock of the myriad realms that the God Realm itself was raising."
"Has Divine Lord forgotten who released the Dark Hand and how many casualties it caused in the Heavenly Court?"
The old man in the blue Confucian robe said, "Leading the living beings of all realms through the Calamity of Quantities is far more difficult than going through it alone. The God Realm itself has chosen the most difficult path. To walk this path, many extraordinary measures must be taken."
Feng Yan said, "Why not directly state your intentions and cooperate with the Heavenly Court, the Sword Realm, and the Hell Realm to discuss a grand plan?"
The old man in the blue Confucian robe said, "Back then, to help the living beings of the world deal with the calamity of the Ancestor, the God Realm sent four Divine Martial Envoys to travel around, intending to use this opportunity to integrate the power of the entire universe. But due to various reasons, it ultimately fell short."
"These various reasons include both the arrogance of the Divine Martial Envoys and the suspicion of those in power, as well as the sabotage by the Dark Weirdness and the Nether Ancestor faction."
"Many seemingly simple things, if idealized, become gravely mistaken."
Panyuan Ancient God said, "Matters of life and death—how could they be simple?"
"Exactly! No one would easily entrust their life and death to another's hands. The more powerful the existence, the more so. Unless..." The old man in the blue Confucian robe paused here.
Feng Yan asked, "Unless what?"
"Unless the Calamity of Quantities truly arrives, with life and death hanging in the balance, and the cultivators of the world powerless to resist. At that time, the God Realm only needs to raise its arm and call out, and naturally, a hundred will respond." The old man in the blue Confucian robe said.
The Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord said, "I'm afraid that by then, it will be too late!"
"No! As long as the Entropy Flare has not yet appeared, everything is still in time." The old man in the blue Confucian robe said.
Panyuan Ancient God said, "What is the Entropy Flare?"
The old man in the blue Confucian robe said, "Entropy only increases, never decreases. When it reaches the final critical point, the universe can no longer bear it, and all stars will flicker. This is the Entropy Flare!"
"Once the Entropy Flare occurs, all stars in the universe will begin to expand rapidly. After one eon, a collective supernova explosion will occur, and the Calamity of Quantities will follow, ending everything here."
"So, after the Entropy Flare occurs, we still have one eon to prepare."
Feng Yan said, "When will the Entropy Flare occur?"
"No one knows."
The old man in the blue Confucian robe gently shook his head and said, "Fifty thousand eons is too long; no one can predict it accurately. Even an Ancestor can only calculate an approximation. This approximation may have an error of ten eons, or even dozens of eons."
"But in recent years, Primordial Spirit should be able to sense that the stars in the universe are becoming increasingly unstable. The Entropy Flare could happen at any time, perhaps even within this eon."
Panyuan Ancient God believed part of what the old man in the blue Confucian robe said, but not all.
A liar naturally uses seven parts truth and three parts falsehood to show skill.
Even if everything the old man in the blue Confucian robe said was true, the true ruler of the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom was the Eternal True Ruler, not him.
What he knew might not be the truth.
"I understand. The God Realm and the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom want to be the saviors of the world." Panyuan Ancient God said.
The old man in the blue Confucian robe said, "Then what is Primordial Spirit's choice?"
"Choice?"
Panyuan Ancient God said, "You are indeed an excellent persuader. No wonder you have gained the trust of the Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord."
"How about this: if you can persuade those old friends of yours in the Kunlun Realm to support the God Realm and uphold the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, I, this seat, will naturally reconsider. But for now, shouldn't we first discuss how to rescue Imperial Dust and Empress Chi Yao?"
The old man in the blue Confucian robe glanced into the depths of the starry sky and said, "The time has not yet come."
Suddenly.
Panyuan Ancient God summoned his war axe and threw it.
After the war axe flew out, it spun rapidly in the void, stirring up a powerful spatial cyclone storm.
"Boom!"
Flying about three hundred billion li, the war axe struck an invisible world barrier and embedded itself in it.
Then, large patches of ink patterns appeared in the starry sky, each like a nebula, connected into a starry sky ink painting scroll.
"This is... a landscape painting..." Feng Yan exclaimed.
Panyuan Ancient God said, "This is the true method of the Fourth Confucian Ancestor. We have long been trapped in his painting."
The North Marsh Great Wall, the beacon tower, the table, the old man in the blue Confucian robe, and the Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord all turned into a pool of ink at this moment, dissolving and dispersing into the void.
The old man in the blue Confucian robe and the Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord from before were all painted.
However, the old man in the blue Confucian robe had left the power of his full-force strike in the painting, numbing Panyuan Ancient God. Otherwise, Panyuan Ancient God would not have seen through the truth only now.
...
The true body of the Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord stood on a section of the ancient ruined wall of the North Marsh Great Wall, gazing at the shocking battle in the starry sky.
Suddenly, the ink painting suspended in mid-air was split open by a war axe.
The axe blade appeared outside the scroll.
"Boom!"
With the second axe strike, a crack opened in space, and Panyuan Ancient God and Feng Yan flew out of the scroll.
The Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings to Panyuan Half-Ancestor!"
"Where is the Fourth Confucian Ancestor?"
Panyuan Ancient God's gaze was sharp, his Half-Ancestor aura pressing down.
The Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord showed no fear, saying, "Trapping Panyuan Lord in the painting was truly a last resort. The Confucian Ancestor said that if Panyuan Lord broke out of the painting early, it would mean he had already reached the Half-Ancestor realm. He left you a message!"
"Speak." Panyuan Ancient God said.
The Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord said, "The Confucian Ancestor said that all the artistic conception and all the words he left in the painting are absolutely true. He hopes that Panyuan Lord will think twice before acting and perhaps wait a little longer before heading to the Nether Kingdom."
"If you want others to trust you, first do things that earn their trust." Feng Yan snorted coldly.
"Swish! Swish!"
Panyuan Ancient God and Feng Yan turned into two streaks of light and flew out. Moments later, they collided with space, creating two spatial ripples, and disappeared.
...
The golden staff was left by the Ancestor "Yin" and was the number one divine artifact of the Undying Blood Clan.
It pierced through Baal's chest, frantically absorbing the Half-Ancestor blood within his body.
The mysterious patterns on the staff turned blood-red, emitting an increasingly bright red light.
How could Baal have imagined that Zhang Ruochen possessed such means?
He could actually open up time and space.
It was equivalent to creating an equally powerful doppelganger in a short time.
Although it lasted only a very short time, as long as the opponent was not on guard, it could catch them off guard and secure victory.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Zhang Ruochen threw dozens of punches in succession, breaking through Baal's defenses in front of him.
Punch force, lightning, spatial shockwaves—one after another, they landed on Baal's Half-Ancestor body, sinking several pits into his chest, shattering his internal organs, and breaking countless ribs.
"Whoosh!"
He swung his sword and slashed.
Baal's right arm, which was holding the Witch Cauldron, was severed.
As Zhang Ruochen swung his second sword, Baal's pupils burst with intense light. Using some unknown secret technique, he forcibly increased his spiritual will, and the flow of divine Qi in his body accelerated by more than double.
"Death Certainty!"
Baal manifested his divine path, pushing his power to its peak, and swung the Auspicious Ruyi.
The Death Certainty divine path was undoubtedly a perfected second-rank divine path.
"Boom!"
The Auspicious Ruyi blocked the Abyssal Divine Sword.
At this moment, Baal was far inferior to Zhang Ruochen in power. As soon as the two divine artifacts made contact, he flew backward.
Zhang Ruochen's hand moved like a phantom, piercing through space, and grabbed the golden staff that had pierced Baal's chest.
"Pfft!"
As he pulled out the staff, blood splattered.
The golden staff shone with dazzling brilliance, thick with the Essence of Fate intertwined on it.
As Baal flew backward, his Half-Ancestor blood was heavily drained by the golden staff. His body had become quite withered, thin as a stick, with white hair, as if he had aged a hundred thousand years.
His eyes were full of resentment and endless killing intent, but he was very clear about the situation. In his current state, continuing to fight Zhang Ruochen carried the risk of falling.
So, he used his speed to flee into the depths of the starry sky.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed the golden staff, immediately collected the Essence of Fate, and then looked toward Baal, who had disappeared into the void world in the depths of the starry sky.
Just as he was about to pursue, he suddenly thought of something.
Baal was so severely injured—how could the strong ones hiding in the shadows let this opportunity slip?
Why not leave the opportunity to them?
He could use Baal to lure out those in hiding.
On the other side, Baal's arm, carrying the Witch Cauldron, was also fleeing, but its speed was far slower than the main body.
Zhang Ruochen reached out his arm and spread his five fingers.
Across a void of a hundred billion li, his five fingers closed inward.
"Buzz!"
The Witch Cauldron rang like a divine bell, its sound echoing through the starry sky.
Baal's arm turned into a cloud of blood mist and was collected into the cauldron.
Retrieving the Witch Cauldron, Zhang Ruochen regrouped with Chi Yao.
"Nether Sea Spirit, take my Sword Twenty-Four."
Standing on the back of the Golden Qilin Ancestor, Zhang Ruochen's momentum increased even more. His sword intent soared to the heavens, and he executed the ultimate technique "Like the Sun at High Noon," manifesting a divine sacred form like a cosmic giant, swinging his sword to slash.
A Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal, a billion li in diameter, enveloped the Golden Qilin Ancestor, Chi Yao, and the Sundial, gathering all their power together.
The Nether Sea Spirit watched the giant sword that seemed to split the universe coming down and, for the first time, lost the confidence to fight. He kept retreating until he reached the Eighteenth Layer Nether Prison World.
"Boom!"
The sword light fell.
The Eighteenth Layer Nether Prison World continuously broke apart, splitting from the center. The sword intent was endless, the killing intent endless.
The Nether Sea Spirit raised the Heavenly Demon Stone Knife to block, his body continuously falling toward the next layer of the prison world.
He fell all the way to the Thirteenth Layer Prison World before the sword light dissipated.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
The sound of hooves was like thunder.
Without giving the Nether Sea Spirit a chance to catch his breath, Zhang Ruochen, riding the Golden Qilin Ancestor alone, charged into the Thirteenth Layer Prison World and swung his sword again, slashing diagonally downward.
This time, the situation reversed, becoming a two-on-one fight between Zhang Ruochen and the Golden Qilin Ancestor against the Nether Sea Spirit.
"Pfft!"
In just three exchanges, the Nether Sea Spirit was struck by a sword on his true body. The Abyssal Divine Sword passed by his neck, nearly cutting off his head.
(Chapter End)