Chapter 1000: Ancient Crisis

Chapter 1000: Myriad Eras of Terror

Boom! Boom! Rumble!

The entirety of Da Chu was shrouded in chaotic clouds and mist, and thunderous roars echoed across this vast land.

Everyone under the heavens looked up at the sky.

Every face was filled with terror. The chaotic clouds covered the whole sky, plunging the world into darkness, like a hellish realm that caused bodies to tremble and offered no sense of security.

Whoosh!

Ye Chen, like a beam of divine light, flew into a secret chamber of Heng Yue Sect and stepped into the teleportation array leading to Tian Ting headquarters.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The wind howled fiercely. Tai Xu Gu Long and Zi Xuan followed closely, entering the Void Heaven teleportation array with Ye Chen. Tian Ting had the Ancient Star Heaven Map, which they needed to consult.

"Share your thoughts."

In the teleportation channel, Ye Chen shook off his earlier weariness and glanced around at the group.

"That aura is repulsive."

Zi Xuan took a deep breath.

"That aura is terrifying."

Tai Xu Gu Long also took a deep breath.

"One thing is certain: it shares the same aura as the black-robed figure who descended on Nan Chu and the purple-robed figure who descended on Bei Chu."

"I've lived for so long and have never seen anything like this." Chu Hai Shen Bing Ouyang Wang pondered. "Tianxuan Men should be alerted. Perhaps we can go there and inquire."

"Head to Tian Ting headquarters first." Ye Chen, like a magnificent divine ray, stepped out in one stride, exiting the Void Heaven array.

"We greet the Holy Lord." The elders guarding the array bowed in unison.

"No need for formalities." Ye Chen replied before striding out of the chamber. He and Tai Xu Gu Long flew into the grand hall of Tian Ting headquarters.

In the hall, Hong Chen Xue with white hair was already waiting. Not just her, but also Gu San Tong, Wu Ya Dao Ren, and the other supreme elders of Tian Ting were there, along with Tian Zong's ancestor, who had lost his beloved daughter.

At that moment, everyone stood before an illusory water screen.

Ye Chen and his companions said nothing and joined them, narrowing their eyes at the water screen.

The screen displayed scenes from Bei Zhen Cang Yuan. The most striking feature was a massive black demonic pillar.

The pillar was enormous, thousands of feet thick, piercing through heaven and earth. It was wrapped in black mist and thunder, engraved with ancient runes, and echoed with chilling demonic sounds. Within a radius of 100,000 li around it, everything was scorched earth.

"What is this thing?" Ye Chen asked, looking at Hong Chen Xue.

"It descended on Bei Zhen Cang Yuan not long ago." Hong Chen Xue responded. "People from the Yellow Realm went to investigate and found that within 100,000 li of the demonic pillar, no living beings remain. The area centered on the pillar is enveloped by a mysterious force that devours anything that enters."

"Do you know its origin?" Ye Chen asked again.

"No idea."

Boom!

As they spoke, the entire hall shook violently—or rather, the whole land of Da Chu trembled at that moment. Everyone nearly lost their footing; the shock was so sudden.

Before anyone could steady themselves, Gu San Tong cried out in alarm, "Damn it."

It wasn't just him; everyone's faces changed drastically in that instant.

The reason was that on the Ancient Star Heaven, the section representing Bei Zhen Cang Yuan was filled with densely packed stars. Each star represented a person, and the Ancient Star Heaven could accurately show them.

But that wasn't the main issue. What mattered was that all those stars were golden in color, shining so brightly that they stood out starkly on the Ancient Star Heaven.

"Golden stars represent Quasi-Heaven Realm. Those golden ones—are they Heaven Realm?" Su family ancestor said, his voice trembling.

"Not Heaven Realm." Tai Xu Gu Long interjected sharply.

"Or rather, their cultivation is at least Heaven Realm." Zi Xuan stared fixedly at that section of the stars. "There are Heaven Realm, Emperor Realm, Saint, Saint King, Great Saint, even Quasi-Emperor and Quasi-Emperor peak."

"What the hell are you saying?" Gu San Tong looked at Zi Xuan in confusion. Terms like Saint King and Great Saint were completely unfamiliar to him.

He wasn't the only one; Dao Huang and Ouyang Wang had never heard of them either. The only ones who knew were Zi Xuan, Ye Chen, and Tai Xu Gu Long—those cultivation levels were far too esoteric.

"Hey, hey, hey? They're changing color!" Before Zi Xuan could explain, Wu Ya Dao Ren exclaimed.

No one needed him to point it out; everyone could see it.

Invisible ripples spread across the Ancient Star Heaven. Wherever those golden stars were touched by the ripples, their colors changed—to orange, red, purple, gold, and more.

Though everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their brows remained furrowed. It was all too strange.

"One thing is clear: those people aren't from Da Chu; they're outsiders." Tai Xu Gu Long said thoughtfully. "They must come from the same place as the purple-robed and black-robed figures."

"So, their cultivation is being suppressed by Da Chu's mysterious force, just like those two." Zi Xuan continued. "Quasi-Emperor is suppressed to Quasi-Heaven Realm, Great Saint to Empty Nether Realm peak, Saint King to Empty Nether Realm ninth heaven, Saint to Empty Nether Realm, Emperor Realm to Spirit Void Realm, and Heaven Realm to True Yang Realm."

"This must be Tianxuan Men's doing." Ye Chen frowned.

"The numbers are increasing." Shangguan Xuan Zong pointed to the Bei Zhen Cang Yuan section.

"It's related to that towering demonic pillar." Hong Chen Xue said. "They're all emerging from it."

"Issue orders to Hao Tian World, Zhu Jian City, Bei Hai World, Xuan Tian World, and Qi Xi Palace: withdraw from Bei Zhen Cang Yuan immediately. All Tian Ting forces in Bei Chu, hurry to Bei Zhen Cang Yuan for support." As Ye Chen spoke, he stepped out of the hall. "Tai Xu Gu Long, Zi Xuan, come with me to Tianxuan Men."

At his words, Tai Xu Gu Long and Zi Xuan shot out of the hall like two divine rays.

The others, like Dao Huang and Ouyang Wang, also flew out, heading straight for Bei Chu.

In the hall, only Hong Chen Xue and the intelligence leaders like Feng Ji remained, keeping a close watch on Bei Zhen Cang Yuan.

The heavens were dark, and what should have been a quiet night was anything but peaceful. Both the mortal and cultivation worlds were enveloped in endless darkness, instilling fear in all.

From above, one could see countless crowds of people fleeing toward Nan Chu.

In their eyes, Nan Chu was the safest place in Da Chu, protected by a wall that divided the regions, offering some sense of security.

Under the cover of night, Ye Chen, Tai Xu Gu Long, and Zi Xuan came to a stop.

They hadn't reached Tianxuan Men yet—or rather, they were still far from it. Even from this distance, they could see a terrifying scene.

Looking into the distance, it was like a massive cage rising to the heavens, trapping the ethereal Tianxuan Men inside. The symbol of Da Chu's protection was now confined, with no one able to escape.

"What is that?" Ye Chen frowned.

"We'll know once we get closer." Tai Xu Gu Long's face didn't look good either. Something that could trap Tianxuan Men had to be incredibly fearsome.

The three took to the skies again, like world-shaking rainbows, moving at incredible speed.

After a quarter of an hour, they stopped about 30,000 zhang from Tianxuan Men, as a mysterious force blocked their way, even suppressing their cultivation so they could barely stand straight.

Only then did they truly see the form of the massive cage.

It was enormous, towering between heaven and earth, formed by countless bronze pillars that reached the skies. They were engraved with ancient runes, wrapped in black thunder, and every wisp of energy emanating from them carried world-ending power.

"Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon." Zi Xuan said, her face pale as she looked at the cage.

"Even beyond an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon." Tai Xu Gu Long, who knew weapons well, murmured. "Its power is mainly targeted at Tianxuan Men; otherwise, we wouldn't be able to approach."

"Has something gone wrong with Tianxuan Men?" Ye Chen's brows furrowed as he glanced at the chaotic clouds in the sky, then at the cage with a grave expression. Da Chu's guardian was completely sealed.

"Does Da Chu have the Xuanyuan Sword, Immortal King Tower, Phoenix Zither, Mountain-Splitting Axe, and Kunlun Mirror—five emperor artifacts? Can't they break this seal?" Zi Xuan asked with a frown.

"It's not that simple." Tai Xu Gu Long said. "The Xuanyuan Sword and the other five emperor artifacts seem to be maintaining a balance, or perhaps sustaining a great array. Otherwise, those outsiders couldn't have their cultivation suppressed collectively. As for this massive cage, which surpasses an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon, even if the five artifacts were used together, they might not break its seal. What's certain is that Tianxuan Men and Da Chu's five emperor artifacts are resisting and restraining it. Otherwise, with its power, a single strike could flatten all of Nan Chu."

"With Tianxuan Men sealed, who's going to fight the invaders?" Ye Chen's expression grew even more serious.

"Tianxuan Men is already resisting." Zi Xuan said. "By restraining this weapon that surpasses an emperor artifact and suppressing the invaders' cultivation, they're proving that even though sealed, they're still fighting back."

"This massive disturbance—surely the myriad realms of the heavens should have noticed." Ye Chen muttered.

"The issue lies with that all-covering chaotic mist." Tai Xu Gu Long seemed to see through the mystery. "If I'm not wrong, it's an extremely powerful array that has cut off Da Chu's connection to the myriad realms."

"Now it seems they've placed their hopes on us."

"And we have no reinforcements."

"The question is, how do we break this crisis?" Ye Chen's face darkened further.

"Ye Chen."

Suddenly, a faint voice echoed through the heavens and earth, originating from Tianxuan Men, though it was so weak it was barely audible.

"Donghuang Tai Xin." Ye Chen turned sharply toward Tianxuan Men and asked hurriedly, "How do we break this crisis?"

"Destroy the towering demonic pillar in Bei Zhen Cang Yuan." Donghuang Tai Xin's response came, but it was still faint and intermittent.

"How do we destroy it?" Ye Chen asked again.

However, Donghuang Tai Xin didn't respond this time. The massive cage trembled, blocking her transmission and Ye Chen's, preventing further communication.

Ye Chen called out several more times, but received no answer.

Destroy the towering demonic pillar!

Ye Chen murmured with furrowed brows.

Let's go!

A couple of seconds later, he turned around, gave Tianxuan Men one last look, and took to the skies with Tai Xu Gu Long and Zi Xuan, heading straight for Bei Chu.

Puff!

As soon as they left, in Tianxuan Men, Donghuang Tai Xin spat out a mouthful of blood, her face deathly pale.

As mentioned before, her transmission was obstructed and had triggered a terrifying backlash. Still, it was a relief that she had told Ye Chen the most crucial step to resolving the crisis.

"The mighty Tianxuan Men, the pride of the myriad realms, actually pinning their hopes on Tian Ting, which doesn't even have a Heaven Realm expert. Is this ironic?" Beside her, Fu Ya laughed self-mockingly.

"Don't underestimate their power." Donghuang Tai Xin wiped the blood from her lips and gazed into the distance, as if she could see Ye Chen and the others departing. "United as one, they might not lose."