Chapter 1154: Crimson Rift (Part 1)

“Welcome, Dragon Emperor!”

On the God Sealing Stage, everyone bowed in homage. After the four God Emperors had gathered, they were astonished and thrilled to personally witness the Dragon Emperor's arrival, feeling as if they could die without regret.

“There’s no need for such formality,” the Dragon Emperor smiled, and the hand hidden beneath his sleeve gently pressed downwards.

Immediately, everyone felt a gentle breeze brush against them. Under this breeze, their bodies were involuntarily, yet slowly, pressed back into their seats.

Endless astonishment surged anew in the hearts of the powerful cultivators… This was infinitely more difficult than forcefully suppressing them with absolute power.

The Dragon Emperor took his seat, positioned in the center of the eastern section, beside the Zoutian God Emperor. To everyone, this was naturally expected.

“Your presence, Dragon Emperor, is a great surprise and delight to us all. May I inquire if the Dragon Empress is well?” the Zoutian God Emperor asked.

“She is well, as always. Thank you for your concern, Zoutian God Emperor.” At the mention of “Dragon Empress,” a deep tenderness, stemming from his very soul, appeared on the face that seemed to contain all the majesty in the world.

“It has been over ten millennia since I last had the honor of seeing the Dragon Empress. If both the Dragon Emperor and Dragon Empress were to grace us with their presence this time, it would fulfill one of my lifelong desires,” the Zoutian God Emperor said sincerely.

The Dragon Emperor smiled, “Brother Zoutian, if you ever have leisure, you are welcome to visit my Dragon God Realm as a guest anytime. My wife and I will certainly offer you our full hospitality.”

The Zoutian God Emperor replied with delight, “To receive such an invitation from the Dragon Emperor is a great honor for me.”

“It seems the Dragon Emperor also takes a keen interest in this ‘major event.’ If I’m not mistaken, this is your first time proactively coming to my Eastern Divine Region,” the Brahma God Emperor said, casting a faint glance at the Shitian God Emperor.

The Dragon Emperor’s expression became slightly solemn, and he slowly said, “Although I had heard rumors earlier, I never fully believed them. It wasn’t until I suddenly heard that this Eastern Divine Region’s Profound God Convention would select a thousand young powerhouses to be sent into the Zoutian Pearl to cultivate for three millennia against the flow of time.”

The Dragon Emperor gazed deeply at the Zoutian God Emperor, “The power of the Zoutian Pearl is indeed vast and boundless. However, transforming three years into three millennia, while also maintaining the spiritual energy of the ‘Zoutian Divine Realm,’ I fear that even a powerful artifact like the Zoutian Pearl would exhaust its power… or even overdraw it. Who knows how long it would take for it to recover?”

The Zoutian God Emperor did not deny it. He nodded slowly, “As expected, Dragon Emperor, your knowledge is vast. It is indeed as you say.”

“The Zoutian Divine Realm is risking everything by using the Zoutian Pearl’s power, and moreover, it is bestowing this opportunity upon members of other clans. Unless there is a paramount reason, this would never happen, so how could I disregard it? I presume the Shitian God Emperor’s presence here is also for this reason.”

Cang Shitian nodded, a strange golden light flashing in his pupils, “Precisely. Zoutian God Emperor, please enlighten us.”

“Your presence, esteemed ones, is most welcome, of course.” The Zoutian God Emperor suddenly let out a soft sigh, “After all, if this matter truly comes to pass, it would not only be a disaster for my Eastern Divine Region but, if it spirals out of control, could also threaten the Western and Southern Divine Regions.”

“Oh?” The Dragon Emperor and Shitian God Emperor both revealed surprised expressions.

Everyone on the God Sealing Stage also focused their attention.

The Zoutian God Emperor cast a glance sideways at the Three Elders of Heavenly Mystery, who had been sitting quietly like ancient trees at the edge of the seats. “Master Moyu, Master Mowen, and Master Mozhi, I must trouble the three of you.”

Only then did the Three Elders of Heavenly Mystery open their eyes, their gazes appearing as a vast chaos.

They nodded simultaneously, rose into the air, and ascended to the center of the God Sealing Stage, forming a triangle as they floated above it.

“I, the elder Moyu, thank you all for coming from afar to discuss this important matter.”

Master Moyu’s white hair fluttered, and his eyes were clouded. Though he exuded the aura of an immortal, his voice clearly conveyed dryness and feebleness, and his life force was like a dying flame. It was a moving sight.

The rumors that the Three Elders of Heavenly Mystery were nearing the end of their lifespans due to excessive prying into heavenly secrets in recent years had become a visible truth to all. Their willingness to defy the Heavenly Dao and drastically shorten their lifespans to forcefully peek into heavenly secrets was undoubtedly connected to the ‘major event’ at hand.

The closure of the Heavenly Mystery Realm before the Profound God Convention was also likely for this very day.

“If it weren’t for a matter of such immense importance, how would we dare alarm all realms and mobilize such a large gathering, cough… cough cough…”

Moyu let out a painful dry cough.

“Master, what exactly is this matter?” The Holy Cosmos Realm King rose and asked with a furrowed brow. By this point, they had all increasingly sensed the unusual nature of the situation.

Master Moyu turned and nodded slightly.

Mowen and Mozhi also nodded simultaneously. With a turn of their bodies and a flourish of their arms, a profound array quickly formed, then unfurled into a massive light screen in the air.

“A Profound Shadow Array? What could it be?” Many murmured softly.

Within the light screen, an image suddenly appeared, but it was nothing but darkness. This darkness, however, was only for mortals. The countless powerful cultivators present all perceived an extreme void within this darkness.

All gazes were firmly fixed on the light screen. Even though there was only darkness, no one dared to look away for an instant.

The void-like darkness persisted for a long time. Suddenly, at the very edge of the darkness, a faint red pinpoint of light appeared.

The moment this pinpoint of light appeared, everyone’s heart violently convulsed. It was an incredibly deep red light, more intense than fresh blood, more dazzling than a scorching sun. Staring at this minuscule red pinpoint, they felt an increasingly sharp, piercing sensation in their hearts.

It felt as if something was fiercely pricking their very souls.

“What is this?” The Dragon Emperor’s brow visibly furrowed.

“As you can all see,” Moyu stood before the light screen, his voice deep as a bell, “This place is the end of chaos, also known as the edge of chaos.”

“What?! The… the Edge of Chaos?”

At these words, everyone on the God Sealing Stage was struck with horror. The Dragon Emperor and Cang Shitian also reacted with strong emotion.

In the common understanding, chaos was boundless. Even if given ten thousand lifetimes, it would be utterly impossible to reach the edge of chaos.

However, at the divine realm level, it was common knowledge that chaos did have an end… because many ancient texts from the Age of Gods had mentioned the edge of chaos.

They also referred to the edge of chaos as an existence called the “Wall of Primordial Chaos.”

Yet, chaos was simply too vast, with countless star fields and star realms, and inconceivable amounts of space. To truly reach the edge of chaos, even within the divine realm, at least a high-level star realm would be required to achieve it… or rather, to afford the means to do so.

“If that’s the edge of chaos, what is that red light?” Cang Shitian asked.

The image on the light screen was not static; it was rapidly zooming in. The darkness expanded infinitely, but the change in the red pinpoint of light was minimal. After a while, some people vaguely noticed that it didn’t seem to be a mere red dot of light.

Instead, it was an extremely fine and tiny linear red light.

Moyu slowly explained, “Twenty years ago, the three of us inexplicably began to feel a growing unease, its intensity unprecedented. Sensing the extraordinary nature of this, we jointly peered into the heavenly secrets, and what we saw was this very scene.”

“At the time, we had no understanding of this scene, but the feeling of unease continued to grow day by day. Thus, the three of us, at the cost of violating ancestral teachings and overdrawing our lifespans and the power of the Heavenly Dao, repeatedly forced our way into heavenly secrets. We finally learned that what was shown in the vision was the edge of chaos.”

“Furthermore, it is the easternmost extreme of chaos, bordering the Eastern Divine Region.”

“And this red light appeared on the Wall of Primordial Chaos at the edge of chaos.” Moyu’s calm voice carried a profound weight, “And it appears to be… a crack.”

“That’s impossible!” the Shitian God Emperor stated definitively, “What kind of existence is the Wall of Primordial Chaos? Even the Dragon Emperor… no, not just the Dragon Emperor, even ancient True Gods exhausting all their divine power could not harm it in the slightest. How could there possibly be a ‘crack’?”

“Indeed,” the Dragon Emperor nodded in deep agreement. “The Wall of Primordial Chaos is a dimensional barrier that even ancient True Gods could not break through. If anything could possibly damage the Wall of Primordial Chaos… it would only be those three Profound Heaven Divine Artifacts.”

“The Sky Punishing Ancestral Sword, the Evil Infant Myriad Tribulation Wheel, and the Heaven-Earth Piercing Needle.”

The Shitian God Emperor interjected, “But these three Profound Heaven Divine Artifacts vanished after the destruction of the Gods and likely no longer exist. Surely, these three divine artifacts haven’t reappeared, have they? That would indeed be a major event.”

“However, this is no longer the Age of Gods. The primordial qi within chaos has long dwindled. Even if an ultimate Profound Heaven artifact like the Ancestral Sword were to reappear, its power would certainly not compare to what it once was, and it’s unknown whether it could still harm the Wall of Primordial Chaos. Just like the current Zoutian Pearl, existing in the current chaotic world, its divine power is merely…” Cang Shitian’s voice paused, as if realizing his impropriety, and he quickly said to the Zoutian God Emperor, “Shitian means no offense to the Zoutian Pearl.”

“It’s fine. What the Shitian God Emperor said is merely a fact. And if one of these three divine artifacts truly reappeared, that would only be a great blessing; why would we worry?” The Zoutian God Emperor sighed softly, “Have you forgotten something? The Wall of Primordial Chaos is an extremely high-level dimensional barrier. Even if truly breached by an existence like the Ancestral Sword or Myriad Tribulation Wheel, it would quickly heal, just like ordinary space that has been torn open…”

Before the Zoutian God Emperor finished speaking, everyone’s brows collectively furrowed.

“However, this red mark has remained etched upon the Wall of Primordial Chaos, defying comprehension. It is precisely this fact that causes extreme unease.”

The smile vanished from the Shitian God Emperor’s face, and the Dragon Emperor’s expression turned solemn. After a long silence, he said, “Are you truly certain that place is the Wall of Primordial Chaos?”

“If we weren’t certain, would we mobilize such a large force?” the Brahma God Emperor said. “Over a decade ago, after the three Heavenly Mystery Masters informed us of this matter, the Zoutian God Emperor and I paid a tremendous price to personally travel to the edge of chaos.”

The Dragon Emperor finally showed emotion again. “Are you saying you witnessed it with your own eyes?”

Witnessing something firsthand and what the Three Elders of Heavenly Mystery ‘peeked into’ are fundamentally different concepts, as the latter could entirely be mere conjecture. But the former… if two God Emperors witnessed it personally, it could absolutely not be false.

“That’s right!” The Zoutian God Emperor nodded slowly, his voice heavy. “The words of the three Heavenly Mystery Masters were too unbelievable; if we hadn’t seen it for ourselves, we would never have believed them. When the Brahma God Emperor and I reached the easternmost extreme of chaos, we felt a heart-piercing red glow even from a million miles away. As we approached the Wall of Primordial Chaos, everything we saw was exactly as the three Heavenly Mystery Masters had described.”

“No, it was even more unsettling,” the Brahma God Emperor stated. “The bizarre radiance of that red crack etched on the Wall of Primordial Chaos was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life. A mere thin line, yet its light could extend tens of millions of miles.”

“This is the profound image that the Zoutian God Emperor and I recorded before the Wall of Primordial Chaos back then.”

As he spoke, the Brahma God Emperor suddenly pushed his arm forward. Instantly, the image on the light screen above the God Sealing Stage transformed, and a red mark, longer than a human, abruptly appeared within it.

In an instant, the entire God Sealing Stage turned crimson, as if drenched in an extremely thick rain of blood. Everyone stared blankly at the red mark, which, though clearly within the profound image, seemed to be seared onto the very zenith of the sky. An nameless terror wildly sprouted in their hearts, and their souls convulsed and trembled madly, like venomous snakes gripped by their vital points.

“W-w-what… what is this?” Mu Huanzhi cried out, losing his voice.

“This… is this really on the Wall of Primordial Chaos?”

“How could the words of two God Emperors be false?” Yan Juehai said, his pupils constricting.

And this was merely a recorded profound image!

The Brahma God Emperor withdrew his arm, and the profound image vanished. The world finally shed its terrifying crimson hue. Everyone felt their minds ease, and in that moment, they experienced a strange sensation of having escaped the edge of a bloody purgatory, their hearts remaining in prolonged horror.

“Since you personally went to the edge of chaos and approached this strange red mark, did you discover how it came to be?” The Dragon Emperor frowned deeply.

The Zoutian God Emperor shook his head, “We found nothing. However… to ascertain the reason, the Brahma God Emperor and I remained before the Wall of Primordial Chaos for a full year. Other than ordinary spatial storms, no external force ever approached, yet that red mark was gradually expanding.”

The Dragon Emperor: “…”

“When the Zoutian God Emperor and I first arrived, the red mark was just over seven feet long,” the Brahma God Emperor stated. “After a year, it had grown to ten feet. Therefore, the Zoutian God Emperor and I were forced to consider a terrifying possibility…”

“This red mark was not born from some chaotic force. Rather, it originated from the Wall of Primordial Chaos itself, or… from beyond chaos!”