Chapter 1354: East Domain Shadows

Outside the Star God Realm, the terrifying and destructive cosmic storm finally ceased.

However, looking from afar, the Star God Realm, once surrounded by ancient stars and seemingly blessed by heaven, had become a desolate, ruined wasteland. Anyone observing from the Divine Realm space would never have believed it was indeed the Star God Realm, one of the Four King Realms of the Eastern Region.

At the core of the Star God Realm lay the former Star God City.

Not a single intact piece of land could be found here, nor anything else that remained whole. The Star God Palace, Heavenly Star Lake, Profound Protection Array, Star Picking Pavilion... the Star God Realm's million-year accumulation, symbols, and foundations... everything, absolutely everything, had been destroyed.

It was as if it had been completely wiped from existence.

The Star God Emperor stood amidst the desolation, in what was, just yesterday, Star God City—a place of twinkling stars, like a celestial wonderland or a sacred land.

Even if the Star God Realm were truly destined for destruction, it should have been through world-ending calamities or prolonged king realm wars spanning thousands, even tens of thousands of years. But in a single day, just one day... the mighty Star God Realm had become a wasteland!

A king realm destroyed in a single day... How ridiculous, how utterly ridiculous!

Among the Four God Emperors, though he was the first to exhaust his strength, his injuries were ironically the lightest. He looked around in a daze; this God Emperor, renowned for an era, now had a bewildered, clouded look in his eyes, as if desperately hoping to awaken from this absurd nightmare.

The Moon God Emperor's injuries were too severe, and he had been swiftly taken back to the Moon God Realm for treatment by Yue Wuji. While the Eternal Heaven God Emperor and the Brahma Heaven God Emperor were gravely wounded and constantly tormented by demonic energy, neither had left.

They had to personally witness the Evil Infant's demise; otherwise, they would never find peace.

"Cough... cough cough..." The Eternal Heaven God Emperor's face was still a frightening greenish-black and contorted in pain. Each violent cough brought forth crimson-black foamy blood.

With assistance, he struggled to his feet, but after only two steps, he swayed precariously and had to collapse back down.

On the other side, the Brahma Heaven God Emperor's chest had been pierced by Jasmine's fist; his injuries were even more severe than the Eternal Heaven God Emperor's. Yet, under his immensely profound divine power, his breathing had finally stabilized somewhat. They exchanged a bitter glance... Neither had ever seen the other in such a severely wounded and miserable state.

If not for the timely arrival of the Moon Gods, Guardians, Brahma Gods, and Brahma Kings, these two strongest God Emperors of the Eastern Region might have met their end here today.

"How are your injuries?" the Eternal Heaven God Emperor asked.

"...My injuries are not life-threatening," the Brahma Heaven God Emperor replied. "However, this lingering demonic energy is devouring my heart; I fear I won't know peace for several years."

His words sent a chill down the spines of the Brahma Kings nearby... Demonic energy invading the body could torment the Brahma Heaven God Emperor for years? What a terrifying power!

"Heh heh..." The Eternal Heaven God Emperor gave a bitter smile. "If you wish to find peace sooner, there is a way."

"The Dragon Queen?" The Brahma Heaven God Emperor shook his head. "The Dragon Queen's aid is too precious to be wasted like this. We should only consider it if my life is truly in danger."

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor nodded slightly, agreeing profoundly.

"As for the Moon God Emperor," the Brahma Heaven God Emperor glanced westward, "I fear he won't last long enough to see the Dragon Queen."

The two God Emperors fell silent. The Guardians and Brahma Kings standing guard also showed strong emotional reactions on their faces, and a sudden oppressive feeling welled up in their hearts.

As the most supreme beings in the world, to suddenly realize and personally witness the existence of a power capable of easily obliterating them—the weight in their hearts was unimaginable.

"Don't worry," the Brahma Heaven God Emperor said. "The Evil Infant's injuries are certainly no lighter than ours; she definitely won't escape."

No sooner had he spoken than powerful auras rapidly approached from afar, appearing beside them in an instant.

The Moon Gods, Guardians, Brahma Gods, and Brahma Kings who had pursued Jasmine all returned... but the Evil Infant's body was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is the Evil Infant?" the Eternal Heaven God Emperor asked, struggling to stand.

The Guardians knelt and bowed, replying regretfully, "Her speed was too great, and for some reason, her aura suddenly vanished..."

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor's body trembled. He opened his mouth, and a mouthful of congested blood spurted out. His sallow face abruptly took on an even more terrifying pallor.

It was then that he suddenly remembered she was not only the Evil Infant but also the Heaven Smiting Star God!

The Heaven Smiting Star God, the fastest and most skilled in concealment in the Eastern Divine Region!

The Four God Emperors were gravely wounded, the Moon God Emperor was critically ill, and a great number of Star Gods, Moon Gods, Guardians, and Brahma Kings had been lost—only then did they manage to push the Evil Infant into a perilous situation...

Yet she escaped!

If she were to recover someday, that would be a catastrophe for the Eastern Divine Region... no, for the entire God Realm!

"Your Majesty!" the Guardians exclaimed in alarm, trembling, "It is our incompetence; please calm your wrath, Your Majesty."

The Brahma Heaven God Emperor let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "The Evil Infant's emergence is terrifying beyond compare. This is no longer merely a matter for our Eastern Divine Region. We must immediately inform the Western and Southern Divine Regions and announce to the world to search extensively for the Evil Infant's trace. Once found, she must be annihilated with full force at the first possible moment... We absolutely cannot give her any respite or chance to recover."

After speaking, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, his gaze piercing the Star God Emperor, and he roared, "Xing Juekong! What exactly happened?!!"

The Star God Emperor's face was ashen, as if too weary even for sorrow. "I don't know, I never knew... that she would possess the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations."

"You don't know?" The Brahma Heaven God Emperor's expression turned grim; he clearly didn't believe it. "Then tell me, why did your Star God Realm open the Star Soul Absolute Realm at all costs this time!?"

"When I say I don't know, I don't know," the Star God Emperor's voice turned cold. "Are you implying I intentionally brought my Star God Realm to such a state!?"

He truly had no idea that the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations, which had not appeared since the Era of Gods and Devils, would be on Jasmine. However... he could never forget the scenes of the Evil Infant's emergence until his dying day. He had vaguely realized that the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations should have remained entirely dormant, and what awakened it was Jasmine's drastic emotional change following Yun Che's tragic death.

The root cause, however, was the Star God Realm's ritual... or more accurately, his ambition!

And this matter, he absolutely could not reveal. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly become a sinner condemned by all beings. The wrath of the Brahma Heaven God Realm, Eternal Heaven God Realm, and Moon God Realm would also be entirely unleashed upon him.

The current Star God Realm—if the land beneath their feet could still be called the Star God Realm—was indeed utterly tragic. Everything was destroyed, and countless beings perished. Only six Star Gods and seventeen elders remained beside the Star God Realm, all injured. Heavenly Soul Star God's legs had been severed; reshaping them was easy, but restoring them to a "divine body" would take a very long time.

In such a tragic state, although over twenty Divine Masters still survived, it might no longer be qualified to be a King Realm... because the "realm" itself was gone.

The Brahma Heaven God Emperor's face remained grim. Just as he was about to press further, his body suddenly swayed as the demonic energy within him flared up again, causing his body to weaken and his face to contort in agony.

"God Emperor, your injuries cannot be delayed any further, or there might be irreversible consequences," a Brahma God said gravely. "We will exert our full strength to search for the Evil Infant's whereabouts... and we must trouble the Eternal Heaven God Realm to quickly inform the world with the Eternal Heaven's Sound."

The Brahma Heaven God Emperor forcibly suppressed the demonic energy and pointed at the Star God Emperor. "The matter of the Evil Infant had best have nothing to do with you, or else... I will personally tear you apart!"

"Let's go!" the Brahma Heaven God Emperor roared, as his injuries truly could not be delayed any longer.

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor also turned to the Star God Emperor and suddenly asked, "Where is Yun Che?"

"..." The Star God Emperor replied with a vacant stare. "The Evil Infant's power destroyed even all the Star Guards; how... how could he possibly have survived?"

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor remained silent for a long time, then let out a deep sigh. Indeed, under the Evil Infant's power, the entire Star God Realm was almost annihilated. With Yun Che's strength, even a tiny bit of residual power would have annihilated him into nothingness.

Although he had been mentally prepared, learning this outcome still brought a pang of regret and a heavy sense of oppression to his heart.

"Why did he come here? And how was he able to enter the Star Soul Absolute Realm?" the Eternal Heaven God Emperor asked.

"..." The Star God Emperor remained silent.

"Alas, so be it. Since he is gone, there's no point in asking more questions," he sighed. "It's just a pity for a prodigy who might have rewritten the profound way's myths in the Eastern Divine Region."

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor did not press further. He glanced around and sighed, "Star God Emperor, I fear that scarcely one in ten thousand beings survived in the Star God Realm. The demonic energy here will also take an unknown amount of time to dissipate. If you have nowhere else to go, why not come to my Eternal Heaven God Realm to recover?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Eternal Heaven God Emperor," the Star God Emperor replied, shaking his head. His gaze was still blank. "My ancestors' million years of effort and glory turned to wasteland in my hands. As the Star God Emperor, even if it is a wasteland, I cannot abandon it. Even if I die, I will die here; otherwise, I would have no face to meet my ancestors."

The six Star Gods all lowered their heads despondently, not uttering a word.

"Very well," the Eternal Heaven God Emperor nodded. "However, as the saying goes, 'as long as the green mountains remain, there will always be a chance to rise again.' I trust the Star God Emperor understands this principle. If you change your mind, you are welcome to my Eternal Heaven at any time."

"Let's go," he then said. The Eternal Heaven God Emperor had already shown the utmost benevolence and righteousness with these words.

Following the Moon God Realm, the Eternal Heaven God Realm and Brahma Emperor God Realm also departed.

The world grew increasingly quiet, increasingly desolate. And the lingering dark demonic energy imbued this ruined, chaotic world with a layer of gloomy despair.

"The ritual, and the matters concerning Yun Che and Jasmine, must not be spoken of... to anyone," the Star God Emperor said.

The Star Gods and elders nodded. None of them were fools; how could they not realize that this destructive "ritual" was very likely the catalyst for the Evil Infant's awakening? Now, with the Evil Infant still at large, if this matter became known to the world... the consequences would be unimaginable.

"My King, what... what should we do now?" the Star God Grand Elder asked dejectedly.

The Star God Emperor reached out, splaying his fingers, and a strange disc appeared in his palm. On the disc, twelve different profound lights shimmered, each corresponding to the power of one of the Twelve Star Gods. Among them, the starlight of Heavenly Poison, Heavenly Origin, and Heavenly Might was exceptionally intense, shining like flickering flames.

Looking up at the gloomy sky, the Star God Emperor slowly said, "As long as the stars do not perish, the Star God's source power will never fade. As long as the source power remains, the Star God Realm will have... a day of resurgence!"

As he spoke, the nightmares of the day clashed chaotically in his mind's sea. His gaze gradually blurred into a gray haze. At this moment, the congested blood in his body finally surged uncontrollably, wildly rushing to his head.

*Pfft...*

A jet of blood shot out several dozen feet. He fell straight backward, utterly unconscious.