Chapter 1494: Total War

To say it opened its eyes is not quite accurate.For this black phoenix has always kept its eyes open.It died with eyes unclosed.Those were hollow sockets, devoid of anything within.A hundred years' worth of time once drifted through them in solitude, leaving not a single echo.Now, however, soul flames have ignited within.Those dark and eerie flames pulsed and danced, portraying a power long silent...Now, among the nine kinds of phoenixes, the one named Ga Xuan, the black one, has revived in this clean and clear Diao Nan Yuan.

On the central mountain.Everyone shielded by the divine light heard the voice of Chaos.Perhaps it was a declaration, a manifesto.An ideal conveyed through words.Kui Shan grinned and said, "Hearing it makes us blood boil."Jiang Wang and the others already knew some truth about the Mountain Sea Realm. Zhu Weiwu and Kui Shan had their own channels for understanding.For a moment, there was an unspoken silence.Only... Dou Zhao.After repeated great battles, even the finest battle robes could not withstand the wear and tear and were somewhat damaged.But the red fabric with gold trim still shone brightly on this one-armed man.He looked left and right, then said, "You seem to know something... that I don't. Is it related to the changes in this world?"He hadn't paid much attention to the changes in this world, but with such drastic changes falling upon them, he couldn't ignore them.Especially at this moment, it felt as if the whole world had awakened while he was still drunk, which was quite annoying.Jiang Wang glanced at Zuo Guangshu.As a peer from a top noble family of Great Chu, Guangshu himself should be more capable of exercising discretion and knowing how much to reveal.Zuo Guangshu said, "We have indeed noticed some clues and understand that the Mountain Sea Realm was originally a fabricated creation, a work left by Huang Weizhen in the past."Dou Zhao looked at him, neither affirming nor denying. This statement had always existed and was not surprising."And Chaos is one of the strongest existences in this realm, its divine office being to guard Diao Nan Yuan. This Diao Nan Yuan bears some resemblance to the River of Calamity, so the power of Chaos can also be roughly imagined..." Zuo Guangshu continued, "But it is unwilling to be confined to this world. You just heard its declaration. It wants to break free from the shackles of this world and go to the real world, turning the illusory into reality. It wants to transform from a fabricated creation of Huang Weizhen into a truly existing chaotic beast in the world. This is also why it has instigated this war. The black tide surrounding the mountain at this moment is its masterpiece, these resentful insects and hateful thoughts surged forth from Diao Nan Yuan.""It attacked as soon as it arrived! I thought it wanted to do something! Doesn't it just want to go to the real world? Why should we stop it?" Dou Zhao chuckled, "With its strength, what kind of waves can it stir up?"This was why Jiang Wang had said earlier that for Candle Dragon, at the crucial moment of resisting Chaos, the Nine Chapters Jade Tablet in its hands was more reliable than in the hands of them, the trial-takers.Because, from beginning to end, they were indeed merely transient visitors in this world. They didn't need to care what happened in this world. As long as they ensured their safety and gains, they didn't need to care about anything else.Just as Dou Zhao said, even if Chaos truly turned the illusory into reality and stepped into the real world, what kind of great trouble could it cause?Within the borders of the Chu Kingdom alone, there was more than just one or two True Lords. They could crush it with a flick of their hands."That may be so..." Jiang Wang said, "But the problem is, it first blocked the rules of departure from this realm, preventing the rest of us from safely retreating. The way Chaos acts is very difficult to trust. At this point, if it forcibly shatters this world, our safety becomes an issue."Dou Zhao smiled but said nothing."I think the current problem is..." Zuo Guangshu furrowed his brow, "As the maintainer of world order, why is Candle Dragon still inactive when the world order has collapsed to this extent?""Perhaps it is very weak right now?" Yue Tiannu pondered, "Unlike Chaos, which abandoned its divine name early on and relied on its own understanding to resist the world, Candle Dragon, which was more integrated into this world, maintained world order, and adhered to its divine office, must have suffered the greatest harm at the moment the world order collapsed. It was most powerful when the world was stable. Therefore, it is weakest when the world collapses. This is a very simple principle."Candle Dragon wielded the greatest power in the Mountain Sea Realm by maintaining the world's order, but precisely because of this, it respected the rules of the Mountain Sea Realm more than anyone else.Being unable to interfere too much with the trial-takers who acted as "heaven's will" could, to some extent, be considered one of the reasons for the collapse of the Diao Nan Yuan boundary and the premature collapse of the sky.It seemed like a sudden accident.But the choices made by Chaos and Candle Dragon more than nine hundred years ago determined the experiences of the Mountain Sea Realm over these nine hundred years, and naturally, also determined everything that is happening today.The once most powerful Candle Dragon in the Mountain Sea Realm might now be too weak to move...Perhaps this is why Chaos transmitted its voice throughout the Mountain Sea Realm, and there was no one who could resist.Yue Tiannu's analysis was very reasonable.But Jiang Wang felt... it definitely wouldn't be this simple.Even at this moment of upheaval, Candle Dragon would absolutely not be completely powerless to resist.Earlier in Diao Nan Yuan, being able to mobilize the Eating Intent Beasts to obstruct the Withering Tower from leaving the realm was proof – proof that Candle Dragon could also bypass the world rules of the Mountain Sea Realm to a limited extent!This does not contradict its respect for world rules. For example, under the supreme rule of maintaining the stability of the Mountain Sea Realm, can it indirectly and slightly affect the safety of the trial-takers?No one could possibly understand all the rules that Huang Weizhen set when he created the Mountain Sea Realm back then.But Jiang Wang was certain that the impact of the world's collapse on Candle Dragon was not necessarily as astonishing as imagined.So why is it silent?Why did it hand over the right to speak to Chaos?Unless... this is not important.Are the things Chaos said, those passionate, burning, unyielding things... not important?Even though they were effectively standing on the opposite side of Chaos, this speculation secretly sent shivers down their spines.A earth-shattering boom shattered Jiang Wang's thoughts.The first thing he saw was a ghastly white, spiral-shaped object.Then it began to become clearer, revealing more details.He saw a pair of colossal curved horns, dozens of zhang long, emerge from the rolling black tide, smashing forward with tremendous force, hitting the divine light barrier, which had become almost corporeal, head-on.They struck the divine light barrier, which had been unmoving for a long time before the black tide, causing ripples!This pair of colossal curved horns was ghastly white, with deep spiral patterns on them.The power and might they represented had been proven by the reaction of the divine light barrier.To whom did it belong?What is it?Everyone on the central mountain heightened their vigilance.They knew that the true offensive of Chaos was about to arrive.After the declaration to the world, a full-scale war was inevitable.In the tremendous ripples caused by the collision between the curved horns and the divine light barrier, the rolling black tide also inevitably stirred. Those resentful insects and hateful souls dispersed and then gathered again under the fluctuation of powerful force, resembling the ebb and flow of a tide... This revealed two agile and powerful forelegs.The greenish-black hooves were like two doorposts, supporting the unknown existence, most of which was still within the black tide. Stepping into the black tide, they transmitted infinite power.And that pair of curved horns retreated and then smashed forward again.It had the imposing momentum of wanting to collapse the central mountain with its own strength.Huge ripples quickly spread across the entire divine light barrier, centered on the two points where the curved horns and the divine light barrier met. There was a terrifying sense of impending collapse.Dou Zhao stepped forward directly, his Tian Xiao saber slightly raised.Rip.The sound of fabric tearing.The black tide is not a real tide after all, but resentful insects, hateful souls, the aggregation of countless negative forces. It can even be understood as countless lives.So this tearing sound was their collective wail.Of course, quite a few were killed.In the boundless black tide, a giant fissure of the sky was pulled open. It was like a "canyon", into which the surging tide fell into the void. While devouring countless resentful insects, hateful souls, broken limbs, and decayed bones, it also revealed the true form of this mysterious giant beast—It was a giant beast, hundreds of zhang long, shaped like an ox.Its head was white, with only a single vertical eye between its brows. Its four hooves trod the air, strong and powerful, but its tail was a black venomous snake, still hissing and flicking its tongue."Cough, cough, cough! Cough! Cough!"The moment he saw the exotic beast clearly, Fang Heling suddenly coughed violently.Wang Changji glanced at him and casually pressed his hand in the air. A ball of eerie black lightning appeared in the air, silently, and went straight towards Fang Heling.It is difficult to describe Fang Heling's feelings when he saw this ball of lightning.Especially the face that unleashed this bolt of lightning...Every muscle in his body was resisting, his pupils narrowed to their limits, but he stood still and endured this lightning strike.The eerie black lightning fell on Fang Heling and exploded quietly. As the lightning flashed, a wisp of dark yellow smoke rose from the top of Fang Heling's head and dissipated in an instant...His coughing stopped then.Only then did he realize that Wang Changji was treating him for plague.The exotic beast currently crashing against the divine light barrier was precisely the monster in legends that "dries up water and kills plants wherever it goes," the powerful existence named "Fei," which, when seen, "causes widespread plague."And as everyone knows, the descendant of the Ge family who had craved a Fei beast for hundreds of years, that heaven's favorite named Ge Fei... at this moment, only a layer of human skin lay there limp.Toil and hardship, fighting to death, and then a missed connection.The cruelty of fate is no more than this.None of these people present actually knew whether Ge Fei successfully left before the collapse of the sky. They didn't know if he really died in the Mountain Sea Realm after only a layer of human skin remained. But the Ge family and the Fei beast seemed truly fated to be unconnected. Over the years, from the River of Calamity to the Mountain Sea Realm, they returned empty-handed time and time again.The name Ge Fei also reveals a natural tragic color.But in the vast and boundless real world, how insignificant is a mere Ge family!The great river flows eastward, and Ge Fei, renowned in the Yue Kingdom, is not even a single wave.In the hearts of the multitude, he could not even stir up a ripple.The fissure of the sky that Dou Zhao had slashed out briefly split the black tide, revealing the form of the Fei beast, but failed to wound it in the slightest, not even leaving a white mark. This was, after all, a true, powerful exotic beast with the strength of Divine Presence. If they were to truly fight, it would not necessarily be weaker than the possessed Ge Fei from before.One strike of Heavenly Punishment was naturally insufficient."What to do?" Dou Zhao looked at everyone, his eyes filled with eagerness.Although he was asking for everyone's opinions, his posture, the way he held his saber, clearly indicated that he intended to charge directly into the black tide. What he was actually asking was - who is coming with me?Jiang Wang hurriedly said, "Let's slash a few more times and see the situation around us before deciding."Dou Zhao pouted, turned his head casually, and swept his saber across the air!In an instant, he unleashed a full nine fissures of the sky.Within the overwhelming black tide that even submerged the black snow from the dome, he created nine long and narrow blanks.Thus, everyone could clearly see—Within the rolling black tide, there was indeed more than just the Fei beast.There was a nine-headed exotic beast with a human face and a bird's body, its nine heads whispering something to each other. Upon noticing that the black tide had been pulled back and that it had been discovered by the people on the central mountain, one of its heads even enthusiastically began to sing.The song sang: "Who will kill me at Phoenix Mound? I bring my soul to ask for the culprit. Yesterday, oh yesterday, has become yesterday. Coming, oh coming, I am no more..."Undoubtedly, this was the Nine Phoenix that Jiang Wang and the others had gone to the North Pole Sky Cabinet Mountain to find but had not found. It turned out that it was also in Chaos's camp.Chaos truly had not been idle during these years of being trapped in Diao Nan Yuan!It was just that the song was truly strange, the tune was strange, and the content was also strange. It sang of it being killed in the future, and it carrying its future soul to find the murderer...Zuo Guangshu stared at it in a daze, suddenly bursting into tears!Jiang Wang strode over and directly pointed his index finger at Zuo Guangshu's glabella. The crimson-gold immortal light dyed the Tongtian Palace, clarifying his Dao heart. Only then did Zuo Guangshu break free from that sorrowful emotion.Zuo Guangshu's strength and talent were undoubtedly far superior to Fang Heling's, but in terms of will, he was not as tenacious as Fang Heling, who had always been docile and low-key among the crowd.Therefore, he was not affected by the Fei beast, but without paying attention, he was disturbed by the Nine Phoenix's song.As for the others, they were one by one as light as clouds."This singing is even worse than this broken gong of mine!" Kui Shan even had the leisure to criticize.Jiang Wang did not ask what Zuo Guangshu had thought of just now, but merely silently stood in front of him, giving him space to quietly wipe away his tears.The nine fissures of the sky flashed and disappeared within the black tide.But it was not just the Nine Phoenix that revealed its form.There was also an exotic beast shaped like a rabbit, with a bird's beak, eagle eyes, and a snake's tail. Around it, densely packed katydids and locusts swarmed.It should be the legendary Armadillo (qiú yú).This beast calls its own name, is cunning and timid, but is the instigator of locust plagues. Many farmers in the real world have a traditional custom of driving away armadillos.The exotic beasts in the black tide were indeed not limited to just one evil Fei!Although besides these three, no more were seen, the vision opened up by these nine fissures was still but a narrow corner compared to the vast black tide.Who knows how many powerful exotic beasts are still hidden within the black tide?This was truly terrifying.One Divine Presence exotic beast can be fought, but what about two? What about three?Even a warmonger like Dou Zhao momentarily abandoned the idea of charging into the black tide.The question of life and death was no longer a matter of preparing for a rainy day, but a brutal reality staring them in the face.They had to face it!Zhu Weiwu said, "With this declaration from Chaos, it really has the momentum of raising an army and having the world follow!""If Candle Dragon still doesn't appear, the central mountain will definitely not be able to hold." Kui Shan chuckled and said, "Has your junior brother Jiang thought of a retreat?"He was talking to Zhu Weiwu, but questioning Jiang Wang.The people in this Mountain Sea Realm are truly awkward, one by one.Jiang Wang blinked.This burly man seemed to have some inexplicable grievances towards him. But for Zhu Weiwu's sake, he did not intend to dwell on it.He merely said, "Let's wait and see.""Wait for what?" Kui Shan asked."There are two reasons worth waiting for," Jiang Wang said with certainty, "First, at the Outer Tower level, killing the possessed Ge Fei, we have achieved the limit that trial-takers in the Mountain Sea Realm can achieve. And I believe that the operating rules of this world are fair, so we who hold the Nine Chapters Jade Tablet should no longer be troubled."As he spoke, he calmly looked at the black tide, as if facing Chaos, who was hiding somewhere unknown, as if to say, Come on!His voice was not impassioned, absolutely not forcedly powerful, but clear and confident: "Second, we are absolutely not the party that least wants the central mountain to fall. There is no reason for only us to fight our best here."Surrounded by so many powerful exotic beasts, and with the world collapsing like this, it was hard to say that people like Zuo Guangshu and Fang Heling were not worried. But Jiang Wang's calm and confident attitude undoubtedly gave them confidence."Even the fairest rules are meaningless unless they can be maintained," Kui Shan said, "The world has collapsed..."Zhu Weiwu turned his head and glanced at him, and the burly man rolled a massive white eye, swallowing the rest of his words.