Zachary Zephyr kept his gaze fixed on the spot where the aura of decay was seeping out, his brows furrowing ever deeper.
"Senior Zephyr, a great battle is bound to erupt soon in the Vast Chaos. We..." Hao Zuo glanced worriedly toward Chi Yao's side, his tone heavy. Yet he left his words unfinished, for Zachary Zephyr paid him no mind, not even noticing the changes unfolding around them.
"Senior Zephyr..." Emperor Ye and Nick Ning also sensed something was amiss. They stopped their discussion of Dao and looked toward Zachary Zephyr.
Zachary Zephyr exhaled deeply, speaking with grave seriousness, "Within that aura of decay, I sense something strangely familiar. It seems... it seems..."
After repeating himself twice, he once again furrowed his brows.
He was a primordial cultivator, present since the splitting and fission of the Vast Chaos into countless great universes. Even the likes of Du Bu could not rival his seniority. While he might not have known when the Five Elements Universe's chaos was separated, he remembered every moment of his existence within it...
Through all those memories, he was certain he'd never had any connection to that aura of decay. Zachary Zephyr was sure his recollection was not mistaken. Yet now, he could clearly feel that at the heart of the Saint Seat Plaza, within that decaying aura, fragments of his own memories lingered.
And those memories were not limited to the Five Elements Universe, but belonged to another tier of cosmic domain entirely.
......
Joe Di once again picked up the broken meditation mat, on which faint traces of Dao resonance lingered. Within those remnants, he sensed something familiar—as if someone he knew cultivated this same Dao. Yet, after pondering for a long while, he could not recall who it was. The feeling was simply too vague, a mere shadow, nearly imperceptible.
As Joe Di's divine sense penetrated the mat, he was startled to discover a broken space hidden within it. The restrictions of this space were nearly shattered. Joe Di immediately grew cautious, knowing that if his divine sense pressed further, the space would collapse entirely.
Carefully, his divine sense settled into the broken space, and Joe Di drew out a single jade slip. Before he could search for anything else, the space completely collapsed.
Joe Di's divine sense quickly landed on the jade slip, which was itself damaged; its front portion was marred by Dao resonance, rendering its contents unreadable.
What remained legible on the jade slip was less than one ten-thousandth of the whole.
"...Year 631 of the 3,924th Assembly, 4,507th Era of the Nine Realms Era. The sixth cosmic calamity descends upon the Vast Chaos... Under the calamity, not a single Dao Sage survives... Nearly all Saints perish in nirvanic annihilation, and the cosmic laws begin to settle..."
"Year 902 of the 2,456th Assembly, 7,316th Era of the Nine Realms Era. The seventh extinction-level calamity descends upon the Vast Chaos..."
Joe Di's heart skipped a beat. He had never experienced such events, but that did not mean he was ignorant of what a cosmic calamity was. Such a calamity meant the collapse of the universe, the Dao laws, and the very essence of life itself...
Depending on the scale of the calamity, if it was an absolute extinction-level event, everything would be destroyed. Joe Di instinctively surveyed the gray, featureless space around him, a world without order, and wondered silently: Could this be the aftermath of a cosmic calamity?
But that couldn't be right. In theory, after an extinction-level calamity, everything should collapse—how could any spatial domain remain?
His divine sense continued to probe the broken jade slip: "...Of the seven extinction-level calamities, the Rivergate Universe was utterly destroyed. Billions of cultivators perished in nirvanic annihilation, billions of stars and worlds were obliterated, all things ceased to exist, and Saints turned to dust..."
Joe Di drew a sharp breath—this was utter devastation. Even Saints had been reduced to dust; what could possibly survive? The Saints recorded on this jade slip surely possessed cultivation at least equal to his own.
"After the calamity, a remnant of Vast Chaos remained in the Rivergate Universe. Year 5098 of the 7320th Era, Nine Realms Era. Life force within the Vast Chaos began to evolve, splitting into the Star River Universe... That year, I record as the first year of the New Era."
Joe Di let out a sigh of relief. By his reckoning, the Five Elements Universe and all the universes gathered at the Saint Seat Plaza must have formed during the New Era after the calamity. All these universes were birthed from the Vast Chaos.
The cultivator who recorded this jade slip must have been unimaginably powerful, witnessing one cosmic calamity after another, and then witnessing the birth of new universes from the fission of Vast Chaos.
What worried Joe Di was that these calamities seemed to descend without warning, time and again. According to the broken jade slip, there had already been seven such calamities.
Is the Vast Universe really so unstable? Calamities erupt at any moment? After each calamity, even Saints are reduced to dust—what could possibly endure?
Why did he cultivate? To remain eternal in the Vastness with his loved ones and friends. But now, under the shadow of these calamities, any hope of immortality seemed a cruel joke. In the end, all cultivation led to just two words: dust and dissolution.
......
Outside the Vast Chaos, countless cultivators crowded together, for them, there was no way back. Entering the Vast Chaos meant likely death, yet to remain outside and be consumed by the aura of decay meant the same fate.
"Senior Zephyr, Brother Ye, Brother Ning, we truly have no way out." Zach glanced at Chi Yao's followers, knowing that this great battle was now inevitable.
The Cosmic Debate has yet to begin, but war is already on the horizon—and this time, it is for territory. The aura of decay seems to be blocked at the outer edge of Vast Chaos.
Between the outer boundary of Vast Chaos and the decaying aura, there remains a hollow zone—a temporary haven. Yet, this space is far too narrow to hold so many cultivators from the universes. If everyone wishes to survive, a great battle is inevitable.
"No, you can enter inside Vast Chaos. Look over there." Ning Cheng pointed to the distant Vast Chaos. At this moment, the chaotic aura within Vast Chaos was thinning, and the safe space available to them was expanding.
The Dao Lord of Fate sighed, "If this decaying aura seeps into the Five Elements Universe through the Gate of Creation, it will be a tremendous disaster for the Five Elements Universe."
Ye Mo’s mood grew heavy, but he still explained, "Don't worry—the Gate of Creation has already been sealed. If this decaying aura still manages to infiltrate, it means the Five Elements Universe’s destiny has run its course."
His heart was heavy because the emergence of the decaying aura meant the entire Creation Universe was falling into nirvanic dissolution. And he still hadn’t found Susu and the others. If they were still hiding somewhere in the Five Elements Universe, he might never see them again.
Even with his current level of cultivation, having reached the pinnacle of this universe, there were still things beyond his control.
Suddenly, Chi Yao stretched out his hand, and black sand formed a faint ring around him. He walked toward Zi Xiao, killing intent radiating beneath the swirling sand ring’s Dao rhythm.
Ning Cheng chuckled, unfazed, and summoned the Divine Creation Spear. Ye Mo shifted sideways, and the Purple Halberd was already poised in front of him.
Even if Di Jiu was absent, they did not fear Chi Yao’s challenge.
Zi Xiao’s gaze withdrew from the decaying aura, and he also drew out his jade disc.
Because of Chi Yao’s actions, powerhouses on both sides summoned their treasures. Though the battle had yet to begin, murderous intent already filled the space outside Vast Chaos—the fight could erupt at any moment.
Just over ten zhang from Zi Xiao, Chi Yao suddenly stopped. His voice turned icy: "Zi Xiao, you are indeed a remarkable figure. But if you don't give me an explanation for today’s events, I guarantee that everyone behind you will lose their chance at reincarnation—all of them will be buried outside Vast Chaos."
Ye Mo sneered, "Chi Yao, I’m not in the best mood today either. If you want a fight, then let’s fight. You, a mere pseudo-Fourth Step, aren’t even worth my attention."
Zi Xiao waved his hand, signaling Ye Mo to calm down. In this place, whether victory or defeat, the consequences would be catastrophic. If the decaying aura outside managed to seep in, no one would escape.
"Chi Yao, you once shattered the laws of my Five Elements Universe, concealing its chaotic aura—I haven’t even settled that score with you. But as for today, anyone with eyes can see what’s really happening. If you ask me, it’s likely your forced breakthrough to the Fourth Step collapsed the rules of Vast Chaos, allowing the decaying aura to seep in." Zi Xiao’s tone was gentle, but carried an undeniable authority. Clearly, he believed Chi Yao was responsible for the disaster.
Chi Yao laughed heartily. "Where is Di Jiu? Why hasn’t he appeared? If I’m not mistaken, this decaying aura must have been caused by Di Jiu."
With that, Chi Yao cupped his fists to all the cultivators. "Everyone, you may not have seen Di Jiu’s treachery, but I know it better than anyone."
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)