Chapter 1587: Dark Turmoil
The Big Dipper Star Domain was plunged into darkness, a deathly stillness, without a single sound.
Except for that ancient life-bearing land, which had shattered into pieces and was preserved by the Desolate Lord, all other stars had been reduced to powder, turned to ashes, never to exist again.
A single immortal cocoon floated, suspended above the ruined ancient land. Its immortal light gradually dimmed, then sank into the darkness, vanishing from sight.
It was only at this moment, when all imperial might had disappeared, that the cracked life-bearing land below erupted with wailing cries. No one knew how many had died. On the earth, blood flowed so freely it floated shields, and corpses were endless.
The strong had nearly all perished, leaving only the elderly and children. The same was true for other races—only the old and weak remained, along with a small number of the strong, preserved as seeds of life for continuation.
But without a sun, how could life continue?
These Supreme Beings, having failed to achieve immortality, had clearly taken their anger out on the Big Dipper, seeking to destroy it in one fell swoop.
Light radiated from the Ancient Forbidden Zone and from relics left by ancient Great Emperors, enveloping the land. It kept the cold at bay and protected the broken ancient earth.
The Western Desert was silent, but Mount Sumeru still stood. Faintly, sounds like ghosts chanting Buddhist scriptures could be heard.
The Southern Ridge had collapsed. In the wilds, countless ancient beasts and fierce birds lay dead, their bodies covering the ground. Many small animals cried out, waiting to be fed—a scene of utter misery.
The seven Forbidden Zones of the Eastern Wasteland were very quiet, yet they still inspired awe, unfathomably deep. Perhaps some Supreme Beings would return to continue their slumber here.
The Northern Plains were desolate, with few traces of life. The Central Province had the most wailing and the most deaths. Unlike other regions with sparse populations, this place was densely packed, and the corpses truly formed mountains and seas.
Relatively speaking, the Big Dipper wasn't too badly off. After all, they had already experienced it—the Dark Turmoil was over for them. Unlike other star domains, where the torment was just beginning.
"Heavens, please open your eyes and look upon this land! Is there any way to survive? Living beings are being slaughtered, the earth is covered in blood and corpses. What hope is left?"
On a planet, an old man with white hair looked up at the sky and roared in anger, his face covered in tears. At his feet were several children trembling with fear. In the distance, there were many corpses—their parents, their relatives—all dead.
The Lord of the Divine Ruins had descended here. He opened his mouth and inhaled. Countless people, endless living beings exploded, their blood covering the star. The life essence of countless beings turned into wisps of multicolored light, flying upward.
Most of the strong had to die, leaving only a portion behind to allow the ancient land's life to continue, to be used when the next Dark Turmoil came.
As for the elderly and children, most could be spared, because the life substances they contained were relatively small and not within the scope of what was devoured.
The Lord of the Divine Ruins only stayed here for a moment. A billion living beings were devoured. This small star was shrouded in gloom and misery. The blood mist was thick, filled with cries of sorrow. This was a hell on earth.
And this was considered good. The crises erupting elsewhere were even worse. Some famous main stars in the universe faced great danger. Because of their large populations, even more people died!
For example, the ancient star Gouchen. This place had once produced a Great Emperor, had once been extremely glorious, becoming the center of the universe in a certain era. But now that the great calamity had arrived, it still couldn't withstand it.
Stone Emperor had come!
This was an extremely cold-blooded ancient Supreme Being. His heart had long been drowned in ice and ruthlessness. The deaths of billions of living beings wouldn't make him frown.
In the past, he had already devoured tens of billions of living beings. Now, if he wanted to extend his life, he would need even more. Otherwise, it would have no effect at all.
It was like taking an immortality pill. After the first time, the effect would sharply decrease. Only by taking ten times, a hundred times the amount could one continue to extend their life.
And if calculated this way, the number of living beings he needed in this era was terrifying. At the very least, it was hundreds of billions, and even the trillion mark might not be enough.
The universe was vast, with endless galaxies, but life-bearing ancient stars were far fewer than imagined. Especially main stars like Gouchen and the Ziwei Star Domain—they were even rarer.
Even counting the small stars and the small life-realms opened up by ancient sages, the number of living beings needed was still not a small amount.
Moreover, the Dark Turmoil of this era wasn't just him alone. There were also the Lord of Reincarnation, the Heavenly Venerable of Longevity, and several others. Their needs wouldn't be much less than his.
Therefore, in this era, as they marched on like this, traversing the eight desolates of the universe, they were destined to cause rivers of blood to surge. The entire universe would mourn and tremble.
The Dark Turmoil could only become more terrifying each time. This era would reach its peak. Some despairing celestial diviners even pessimistically predicted that it might bring about the end of the world!
"Year after year, the flowers are similar; year after year, the people are different. Another era. I have been here before, and it was also a scene of rivers of blood. But the feeling is different each time," said Stone Emperor, the Lord of the Immortal Mountain, as if it were nothing.
Below, countless figures ran about, crying, kneeling to pray to the heavens, dragging their children and families, crawling and fleeing. This was a human tragedy.
But what use was it? In the eyes of an ancient Supreme Being, these were all ants. It was hard to stir even a single ripple in his heart. He simply pointed a finger down. Tens of billions of people exploded. The multicolored light of life entered his mouth and nose, like wisps of white mist spreading.
Stone Emperor had a heart of iron and stone. Even the most tragic scene couldn't move his fundamental heart. After attaining the Dao, his will was like iron. And after cutting himself down, his blood had turned cold to the bone.
Turning around, he came to another region of this main star. He wasn't in a hurry to annihilate all living beings. Instead, with a cold smile on his lips, he appreciated this "spectrum of human life."
"Ah..."
A sage screamed, struggling to fly into the high sky. But under the pressure of the ancient Supreme Being, he couldn't move an inch. He directly shattered in the heavens and earth. As powerful as a sage was, at this moment, he was nothing but an ant.
There was no power that could stop the ancient Supreme Beings from coming out to hunt. From sages to mortals, all were targets to be hunted. The strong were the first choice, because they contained more life essence.
"Although it's a large star, it's still not enough for this Emperor. Too few. And where are the sages? Have they all hidden away?" Stone Emperor's cold voice was bone-chillingly cold, shaking this starry sky.
His thoughts reached the eight desolates. In an instant, his divine sense swept over all the stars, releasing his majesty without reservation. Then he soared into the sky, entering the star domain. On the stars deep in the darkness, many sages screamed and turned into bloody rain.
Stone Emperor only made one round, and most of the sages belonging to Gouchen Star were killed or wounded. Hiding in the star river was useless. With a single thought, the Supreme Being could find them.
"Leave some fragrant seeds for the future."
Stone Emperor rose and disappeared from this large star in a single step, plunging into the depths of the universe. Here, blood filled the sky. The number of dead living beings was in the tens of billions.
But still, it couldn't satisfy his needs!
On this day, the entire universe was in mourning. All living beings roared in grief. The dark apocalypse had arrived, and no one could save them.
The Great Emperor had grown old and passed away. In this era, no one had attained the Dao. No one could resist the Dark Turmoil. The bloodshed continued...
The Dark Era had officially begun. This was an age of chaos and misery.
What love, hate, and grudges? What grand goals on the path to immortality? What dreams of attaining the Dao? In this era, everything was illusory. Only survival was real.
"Emperor Void, where are you? The millions of people pray, wishing you eternal life! Please fight for our human race one more time! Waaah..."
The living beings were grief-stricken. In this dark age, they remembered Emperor Void, who had fought east and west, bled across the eight desolates. He had spent his entire life in battle, right up to his last moment.
He never rested. Alone, he had pacified the various domains, held back the dark tide, and saved countless lives. But unfortunately, he had died young, living less than a full era.
"Emperor Void! Your people miss you! Wuwuwu... Please come back to life! How can the earth be without you!"
Even some sages were praying. Some old great sages who understood the secret history were crying loudly, kowtowing and wailing towards the dim Big Dipper.
"Emperor Void, how could we forget you? You alone went to block the exit of the Sea of Reincarnation, and then, with a heart set on death, you fought the Immortal Mountain. In this era, who will fight for us? Who will block the Dark Turmoil for us?"
On another main star—Tongtian—the tragedy was also unfolding.
The Light and Dark Supreme Being was making his move. He slaughtered for millions of miles, opened his mouth and inhaled, and endless life essence entered his body.
Suddenly, his heart felt a sharp pain, and his body staggered. Because he saw some scenes, remembered some "past events."
He saw a little boy dragging an old man's corpse out of a pile of bodies, crying loudly, throwing himself into its arms. The white hair was all blood, staining him.
He saw an infant curled up in its mother's arms, crying loudly, using its little hands to touch that cold, young face.
He saw a young female cultivator explode. A young man, as if gone mad, threw himself onto the blood and bones, banging his head against the ground, and then died.
...
He too had once been weak, had struggled, had gone through an unbearable stage of growth. At this moment, he was momentarily lost.
"Heh heh..." The Light and Dark Supreme Being clutched his chest. It took him a long time to catch his breath. He laughed at himself, saying, "My heart actually felt a moment of pain. Remembering some past events?"
But soon, coldness replaced it. Killing intent filled his body. His eyes shone with cold light, sweeping over everything. The boundless slaughter began again, blood splattering across an entire ancient star.
"Emperor Wu Shi, you once suppressed the nine heavens and ten earths, fought until the universe trembled. Now the star domain is withered, all directions are silent. The human race needs you..." Cries of anguish filled the heavens and earth.
The Heaven-Abandoning Supreme Being slaughtered his way through. His harvest could only be described as average, because his needs were not much less than Stone Emperor's. Now, his needs were tens or hundreds of times greater than in the past. If you really calculated it, the number was terrifying!
On this day, he killed his way to a giant star he had never been to before, one he didn't recognize in his sea of consciousness.
However, when he descended, his heart suddenly pounded. His eyes shot out two terrifying beams of light, staring at a certain direction.
"The ancestral star of the Overlord Body... No wonder... The people here are all very strong. And there seems to be a place that is very unusual!"
In another stretch of starry sky, the Lord of Reincarnation was also in action. He had already blood-washed three stars. Behind him were boundless bones and waves of blood, shaking the universe!
He traveled all the way, arriving at the other shore of the starry sky. He knew this place and understood that it was unusual, but he still came, because there might be a great harvest here.
This was a water-blue star, now known as Earth!
"Hangu Pass... still exists. It has gone through several cycles, yet it still has this name. Heh!"