Chapter 494: Foreign Newcomer Time-Space Turbulence

For more than eight hundred years, the vast Outer Realm had been a forbidden place for human Venerables. But today, Meng Chuan unhesitatingly charged into the crack in the world's membrane.

Boom.

As Meng Chuan burst through the crack in the world's membrane and entered the Outer Realm, he was overcome by a peculiar sensation. It was akin to having always swum in water, encountering resistance at every turn. Now, he was suddenly on dry land, feeling an immense, effortless lightness, completely devoid of any hindrance.

"This is the Outer Realm?" Meng Chuan murmured, feeling as minuscule as an ant before the vastness of its void.

The Outer Realm was dark and boundless. With far fewer obstructions in the void, the visible distance became astonishing, and his perception of the void sharpened manyfold. The instant Meng Chuan emerged, he noticed an incredibly distant, colossal flaming star, erupting billions of flames and fiercely scorching the surrounding darkness. Behind this fiery star, a dark, frigid star of comparable size also loomed.

Meng Chuan had studied numerous records and recognized these as the most common 'Yin-Yang Twin Stars' of the Outer Realm.

The Outer Realm presented countless opportunities, yet also harbored many dangers. 'Lunar Stars' and 'Solar Stars' were among the most prevalent hazards. These celestial bodies spanned over a hundred million li. For instance, a Solar Star's surface flames were trivial; even Emperors could bathe in them. However, the deeper one ventured, the more terrifying it became. The core 'Solar Divine Fire' could instantly incinerate Emperors, and even most powerful Tribulation Realm beings often couldn't endure it, perishing in flames. The danger posed by Lunar Stars was equally formidable, rivaling that of Solar Stars.

Rumble.

A brilliant band of light streaked by at an incredibly high velocity. Within this luminous band, countless colorful meteors zipped at a frightening speed, capable of covering 380,000 li in a mere blink. An impact from them would instantly pulverize even Emperors. Their hyper-speed flight also generated terrifying void fluctuations that propagated in all directions, presenting another significant danger in the vicinity of Cang Yuan World.

While replete with opportunities, the Outer Realm was fraught with hidden dangers and an incredibly harsh environment. The myriad invisible forces concealed within the void could effortlessly obliterate the bodies of Marquis Godfiends, leading to their demise within mere breaths. The Outer Realm was also intensely cold, far more frigid than the malevolent energy Meng Chuan had previously cultivated. Even ordinary peak Marquis Godfiends would quickly succumb to the cold. Such extreme conditions necessitated a Cavern Heaven domain to counteract environmental threats.

Furthermore, while the home world provided gentle 'Heaven and Earth energy' for cultivators to absorb and refine, the Outer Realm offered only raw, destructive 'Outer Realm essence energy' that was highly damaging to the physical body. Typically, only Venerable-level cultivators could absorb 'Outer Realm essence energy' and convert it into their own power. Those unable to do so, even if they managed to survive briefly in the Outer Realm, would eventually 'starve' as their energy reserves dwindled. Coupled with various other factors, the Venerable level was the minimum requirement for traversing the River of Time and Space. The 'Peacock Monarch', who had entered the Outer Realm in desperation, was only able to survive and wander due to already possessing the Cavern Heaven realm and being a special Outer Realm life form with the 'Dark Peacock' bloodline.

"This is the Outer Realm," he thought.

The instant Meng Chuan shot out of the world membrane crack, he gazed greedily at the surrounding landscape. While intelligence records detailed the environment around his home world, he knew he ultimately had to self-exile and depart from its vicinity. As he surged forward, Meng Chuan simultaneously turned to look behind him. He saw the slowly mending crack in the world's membrane and, through it, the three figures of Li Guan, Qin Wu, and Luo Tang, gazing expectantly. More importantly, he truly saw his home world from the perspective of the Outer Realm.

"This is Cang Yuan World, the home that birthed and nourished me." Meng Chuan beheld Cang Yuan World as a massive sphere, 100,000 li in diameter, emanating a mysterious aura. Its world membrane layer protected it exceptionally well. As Meng Chuan gazed upon Cang Yuan World from the Outer Realm, his heart swelled with emotion, and his eyes welled up involuntarily.

"Cang Yuan World, my home."

"I will protect you," Meng Chuan vowed silently. "Even if it costs me my life, I will ensure your safety."

Meng Chuan's gaze also fell upon another immense world beside Cang Yuan World. That world exuded a demonic aura, and the Demon World itself measured over 300,000 li in diameter. The two worlds, one large and one small, slowly orbited each other, with a 'world rift' forming between them.

"Go," he urged himself. Without hesitation, Meng Chuan produced a black talisman. Strands of true essence, crackling with lightning, permeated the talisman, activating it instantly. A black wind materialized from nothingness, swiftly enveloping Meng Chuan.

Rumble—a crack suddenly ripped open in the world membrane of the distant, colossal Demon World. A golden streak of light burst forth, already moving at high speed and accelerating relentlessly through the Outer Realm. Within this golden radiance was Peng Huang, his eyes fixed on Meng Chuan, brimming with murderous intent.

Meng Chuan, however, remained calm. Given the distance between Cang Yuan World and the Demon World, unless the demon race had set up a prior ambush, Peng Huang would still require several breaths to reach him, despite the Outer Realm's environment allowing continuous acceleration over hundreds of thousands of li. The 'Exile Prison' talisman, however, could be activated instantly, rendering the demon race utterly incapable of stopping him.

"Cang Yuan World, my home," Meng Chuan repeated, taking another lingering look. From the Outer Realm, Cang Yuan World appeared truly captivating. Meng Chuan etched this scene deeply into his memory.

Whoosh.

The black wind, enveloping Meng Chuan, instantly tore through the void, drawing him into a spatial rift until he vanished from sight.

"Meng Chuan has self-exiled, departing from this void."

Through the slowly mending crack in the world membrane, Li Guan, Qin Wu, and Luo Tang watched as the black wind enveloped Meng Chuan, drawing him into the spatial rift until he disappeared. Though described at length, Meng Chuan's entire sequence of bursting into the Outer Realm, observing it, glimpsing his home world, and then self-exiling happened in a flash.

"In the Outer Realm, Meng Chuan will be entirely on his own," Qin Wu remarked.

"We must believe in him," Li Guan said with a faint smile.

Luo Tang also nodded slightly. All three were filled with anticipation.

Meanwhile, Peng Huang's primordial spirit avatar, accelerating relentlessly, soared through the Outer Realm. Within moments, it arrived at the exact spot where Meng Chuan had vanished. Its expression was icy as it surveyed the surroundings. Soon after, the primordial spirit avatars of Emperor Xinghe and Empress Xuanyue also arrived. Their true bodies, stationed within their home worlds, would never be deployed.

"You couldn't catch him?" Empress Xuanyue frowned.

"By the time I reached the Outer Realm, the winds of space-time had already enveloped Meng Chuan," Peng Huang said, shaking his head. "Even a 'Void Teleportation Talisman' couldn't have stopped him, let alone... we don't possess such talismans." Only four Void Teleportation Talismans remained in the Demon Ancestor Cave. One had already been acquired by one of the Emperors, and obtaining a second would require extraordinary merit.

"Xinghe, where did Meng Chuan escape to?" Peng Huang asked. "Use your causal divination to determine his location."

"He fled incredibly far, beyond the Three Bay River system, to a distance I likely couldn't traverse in a lifetime," Emperor Xinghe stated gravely, shaking his head. "At such an immense distance, even if my mastery of causality were ten times greater, I couldn't pinpoint his exact location. Furthermore, I must inform you both: through causality, I can confirm that Meng Chuan still possesses another true body, which remains within Cang Yuan World."

"What?" Peng Huang and Empress Xuanyue's expressions shifted dramatically.

"He has two true bodies?" Empress Xuanyue exclaimed in disbelief. "He's merely a Creation Venerable!" Possessing another clone was a feat almost exclusively achieved by Emperors.

"My causal sensing cannot be mistaken, and Cang Yuan World is so near. I am absolutely certain that one of Meng Chuan's true bodies remains within Cang Yuan World," Emperor Xinghe stated. "The true body that just escaped, however, is now incredibly distant."

Peng Huang and Empress Xuanyue fell silent.

"Perhaps Meng Chuan, upon entering the Outer Realm, immediately offended a powerful Tribulation Realm being, who then used causality to directly eliminate all his clones," Empress Xuanyue mused darkly.

"We cannot rely on luck, and Meng Chuan is not a fool," Peng Huang said, his eyes icy. "We must expedite our plans against the human world. The longer this drags on, the stronger Meng Chuan will become, and we cannot afford that delay."

"Indeed, we must act swiftly," Emperor Xinghe agreed, nodding. "Even if our chances are slim, we must try."

"The two possessed Demon Sages are still quite weak; we can't rush them," Empress Xuanyue countered with a frown.

"Ten years," Peng Huang stated coldly. "We must make our move within a decade."

The black wind swept Meng Chuan away, carrying him into a chaotic current of space-time. Watching the distorted space-time scenes flash past, Meng Chuan, caught in the current, felt a surge of apprehension. "According to the records, being swept away by space-time turbulence merely banishes one to an extremely distant location," he mused. "The probability of entering a perilous region is very low. Surely, my luck can't be that bad."

Thus, the Outer Realm Arc officially began.