Chapter 2812: Such a Truth, Better Left Unwanted

"Ba Qiu!" a thunderous sound rang out; it was Ba Xia's sharp cry.

The powerful onlookers in the distance only felt that something seemed amiss with the situation, but Ba Xia clearly perceived that Ba Qiu's current state was very wrong. His originally sharp and bright gaze now seemed covered with a layer of dust, beginning to dim as if his consciousness was sinking.

Yet, the aura emanating from him grew stronger and stronger, vaguely reaching an unsuppressable level.

Ba Xia and Ba Qiu's fates were intertwined; the sinking consciousness of the Inner Realm's strongest expert even had some impact on him.

"Clanking..." The sound of chains became increasingly clear. The massive black chains bound the nebula giant layer by layer, quickly securing it firmly.

This binding was even reflected on Ba Qiu's true body.

In a place unseen by others, a chain also appeared on Ba Qiu's body.

An unknown force erupted, and the nebula giant began to sink downwards, as if an invisible passage had opened beneath Ba Qiu. The giant's feet disappeared first, followed by its legs, and then its waist...

The light in Ba Qiu's eyes had completely vanished!

"A deep roar..." Ba Xia opened his mouth, and a strange bellow reverberated through the void. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of golden blood, and a vast area was instantly showered with golden rain. He gazed at Ba Qiu, his voice trembling as he articulated each word, "Still not waking up!"

The eyes that had lost their light suddenly cleared for an instant.

A hint of confusion first appeared in Ba Qiu's expression. Immediately after, as if perceiving something, he lowered his head, gazing into the unknown, and murmured, "So that's how it is!"

So this was the truth of the world!

In fact, he had vaguely sensed it before, but he hadn't truly taken this step, so there was no way to confirm it.

However, at this very moment, as he stood on the verge of breakthrough, he finally saw the essence behind the mist.

It was truly laughable and tragic.

Clanking...

The sound of chains dragging was still ringing. The nebula giant behind Ba Qiu now only had its upper torso remaining; all other parts had been dragged into the ethereal.

"Old friend, it's thanks to you!" Ba Qiu said slowly.

If not for his intertwined fate with Ba Xia, he most likely would not have been able to escape his previous state. It was precisely because their fates were connected that Ba Xia's voice could penetrate deep into his mind, awakening his remaining sliver of consciousness.

But the current situation was still not optimistic. He knew that if he didn't do something, he would ultimately repeat the same mistakes as before.

He slowly stood up, raised his hand, and gripped the giant blade beside him.

The giant blade hummed, as if responding to his resolve.

"Ba Qiu!" Ba Xia's voice trembled slightly. He already knew what Ba Qiu intended to do. "Must it really be like this?"

Ba Qiu grinned. "If the truth is like this, then... so be it!"

The giant blade swung down, and the Dao power within a million-mile radius boiled and converged onto the blade, transforming into a sky-shattering blade glow that slashed towards the black chain!

A silent collision, with no reaction.

However, the next instant, a blinding light erupted, as if ten great suns had exploded simultaneously. Such brilliance caused even the Ten Great City Lords watching from afar to squint their eyes, unable to see clearly for a moment.

But everyone noticed that as Ba Qiu's strike fell, the entire void seemed to violently shake.

Crack...

As if something had been severed.

The nebula giant behind Ba Qiu suddenly dispersed, turning into countless specks of starlight.

Ba Xia sighed in his heart.

He knew that what Ba Qiu severed was not the chain, but the possibility of his own further advancement. He didn't know what Ba Qiu had seen, but whatever it was, it must have utterly disappointed him; otherwise, Ba Qiu would not have made such a tragic choice.

Having cultivated his entire life to this point, if not utterly disappointed, who would sever their own path forward?

"Roar!" Ba Qiu roared furiously, his roar filled with rage. His unfinished blade momentum surprisingly experienced another massive surge at this moment, and he slashed down fiercely.

This strike was even fiercer than before; it could be said to be Ba Qiu's strongest strike to date.

This strike made the starry sky lose its luster, broke through the spatial barrier, and slashed into the ethereal.

This strike was also the Inner Realm's strongest expert's final release of resentment against the unfairness of fate.

As the blade fell, the void shattered.

The surrounding scenery rapidly transformed. It was as if two worlds were being blended together, merging and filling each other.

The powerful onlookers all changed their expressions.

"The Outer Realm and Inner Realm... are merging!" Dragon Venerable's expression was grave.

Before this, the boundaries between the Outer Realm and Inner Realm had been gradually blurring, showing signs of fusion. However, those were ultimately just signs; they hadn't truly merged.

If cultivators from the Inner Realm wanted to go to the Outer Realm, they still needed some special means.

But now, the Outer Realm and Inner Realm had truly begun to merge. This fusion might take some time, but sooner or later, their boundaries would cease to exist.

Dragon Venerable couldn't immediately figure out whether this was the result of gradual development or triggered by Ba Qiu's strike. If it was the latter, it would be too astonishing.

But if it was the former, the timing would be too coincidental.

Numerous anomalies gradually disappeared, but anyone could feel that the current Inner Realm was somewhat different from before. Because it was merging with the Outer Realm, many new things would inevitably appear; perhaps the next moment, a star or a universe of stars would suddenly appear beside them.

Ba Qiu's side also returned to quiet.

The nebula giant had long since dispersed and vanished, and the black chains had also disappeared. In the dilapidated Yi Fu City, only the tall and robust figure stood alone, holding the giant blade.

"He's injured!" The Phoenix Master's eyes showed a worried expression.

"Has he failed?" Dragon Venerable frowned. Even with his eyesight, he hadn't seen clearly what had happened just now. The commotion from Ba Qiu's side was too grand and overwhelming, severely interfering with his perception and investigation.

But from the current situation, it was very likely that Ba Qiu's breakthrough had failed. The current Ba Qiu was definitely the weakest he had ever seen him.

"The situation is not good..." Dragon Venerable said, turning his head to look in another direction.

In that direction was the location of Zong Shenliang and the other Four City Lords.

Ba Qiu's failed breakthrough and injury were so obvious. It was impossible for Zong Shenliang and the others to be unaware. At this moment, they had probably already harbored some improper thoughts.

They hadn't made a move yet. Firstly, they were wary of Ba Qiu's strength, and secondly, they were considerate of the other powerful experts present.

But once they ascertained Ba Qiu's true condition, they certainly wouldn't miss this opportune moment.

"I'll go check!" The Phoenix Master said, and instantly flashed towards Yi Fu City.

When they were young, there was much entanglement between the Phoenix Master and Ba Qiu. Although they eventually went their separate ways, at this moment, how could the Phoenix Master not be worried?

"Be careful, I always feel that his current state is somewhat off!" Dragon Venerable warned, unsure if the Phoenix Master heard him.

However, soon after, he saw a sky-shattering blade glow slash out from Yi Fu City.

"Ba Qiu, what's wrong with you?" The Phoenix Master was furious. She hadn't even gotten close to Yi Fu City when Ba Qiu's blade struck her back.

This was the first time Ba Qiu had attacked her in all the years they had known each other.

In Yi Fu City, Ba Qiu merely glanced indifferently at the Phoenix Master, then withdrew his gaze, treating her as if she were nothing.

Below the city, Ba Xia sighed. He turned his massive body around and, carrying Yi Fu City, soared into the distance.

Many powerful experts followed with their gazes.

"Go to hell!" the Phoenix Master angrily shouted, but she received no response.

"What's going on?" Dragon Venerable flashed beside the Phoenix Master and asked in a deep voice.

The Phoenix Master's red lips moved. After a long while, she finally managed to force out a few words: "He seems to have been completely corrupted..." As she spoke, her eyes turned red.

The look Ba Qiu gave her had no emotional fluctuations; it was like he was a living corpse.

Dragon Venerable couldn't help but turn to look at the Phoenix Master, his heart sinking.

For the Inner Realm's strongest expert to merely fail his breakthrough would be one thing, but if he were completely corrupted, losing his own consciousness, that would truly be a colossal joke.

"They won't miss this opportunity." Dragon Venerable then looked towards the location of Zong Shenliang and the others. For so many millennia, Ba Qiu had been like a great mountain pressing down on all the powerful experts in the Inner Realm. Now that there was a rare chance to overturn this mountain, who would miss it?

The Phoenix Master gritted her teeth, forcefully suppressing the grief in her heart, and chased in the direction of Yi Fu City.

Dragon Venerable was helpless and could only follow.

In Yi Fu City ahead, Ba Qiu's gaze shifted slightly, no longer so lifeless, but the halo of light in his eyes had already dispersed.

Although he had just been awakened by Ba Xia before his final descent, this complete corruption ultimately had an indelible impact on him.

He could feel that it wouldn't be long before he would ultimately lose his consciousness.

"Old friend, don't tell me you didn't see this scene coming," Ba Qiu said slowly.

Ba Xia sighed, "I only saw the outcome."

Many years ago, he had already seen the outcome. However, the trajectory of fate was predetermined, so even if he saw it, he couldn't change anything; he could only follow the trajectory.

"What is the outcome?" Ba Qiu asked with interest.

Ba Xia was silent for a moment. "I will die!"

After a brief silence, Ba Qiu burst into laughter.

Ba Xia's fate was connected to his. If Ba Xia were to die, then there could only be one reason.

"There's still one thing left to do!" Ba Qiu suddenly stopped laughing and spoke slowly.

"Then go do it; there should be no regrets!" Ba Xia responded.

"Do it!" Ba Qiu nodded.

A moment before.

Origin Realm, Abyss Island.

Heaven and Earth trembled. Above the firmament, black chains stretched across, piercing the sky.

Xue Jiu and Lu Ye stood side by side, quietly observing, their eyes filled with shock. It wasn't just the two of them; throughout the entire Origin Realm, all cultivators were watching this astonishing scene. Especially the Half-Saints, who all knew this was a sign of someone achieving True Saint status, were very curious about what kind of foundation that powerful expert possessed to cause such a grand commotion.

"Lu Ye!"

Xue Jiu suddenly tugged at Lu Ye's sleeve.

"What?" Lu Ye frowned.

"Look over there!" Xue Jiu raised a hand and pointed in a direction.

Lu Ye turned his head to look, and his pupils immediately contracted.

He saw that beneath a giant pillar over there, an additional figure had appeared at some unknown point. That person stood beneath the giant pillar; although their figure was small, when Lu Ye looked over, it gave him a feeling that he absolutely couldn't ignore.

And this person wore a white-based mask on their face, upon which was a bloody, calligraphic character: 'Si'!