Chapter 578: Heaven and Earth Collapse, Furious Explosion in a Realm

With a boom!

Above the Heaven Sealing Grand Array, which covered the entire Sword-Leaving Grassland, Heavenly Mystery Dao patterns emerged prominently. The Dao patterns, filled with scorching red light, appeared to be brimming with energy, as if on the verge of explosion.

Upon seeing this, the Storyteller's expression immediately changed. Within his own ancient book space, even the Heaven Sealing Grand Array was merely a copied imprint. But how could these Red-clothed figures both manipulate the array and block out the Storyteller himself?

—He couldn't suppress it at all!

With a shift of his spiritual sense, the Storyteller realized that the Heaven Sealing Grand Array was completely unresponsive. Although he wasn't a Spirit Array Master, within his own world, these Heavenly Mystery Dao patterns should have been easily controllable. Even if he couldn't utilize them, destroying them should have been effortless. But now, it was utterly impossible!

“Second Brother!”

With a sharp cry, the Storyteller immediately turned his head towards Xu Xiaoshou. He knew that Second Brother possessed the Celestial Pivot Disk. If the Red-clothed wanted to forcibly detonate this space, at this moment, only Second Brother could stop them.

With a swish, before the Storyteller could even shout, Xu Xiaoshou had already summoned the Celestial Pivot Disk with a flick of his wrist. His spiritual sense swept over it, and he immediately grasped the full situation of the Heaven Sealing Grand Array.

The grand array was like a small hole that had been secretly chiseled open. A continuous flow of power surged in from the outside, constantly infusing the Heaven Sealing Grand Array within the ancient book space.

“When did the Red-clothed connect the ancient book space to the outside world?” Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed in surprise.

Through the Celestial Pivot Disk, he could sense that the power continuously flowing into the ancient book space from outside was very familiar. It was precisely the power of the ‘Thirty-Six Heaven Sealing and Nullifying Array’ belonging to the White Cave!

“They didn't bother with the replicated ‘Thirty-Six Heaven Sealing and Nullifying Array’ within the ancient book space. Instead, while everyone's attention was diverted, they secretly dug a small hole in the ancient book space…”

“And thus, connected it to the outside world?”

Honestly, Xu Xiaoshou truly wanted to applaud the Red-clothed at that moment. This unexpected, covert maneuver was something he hadn't even conceived of. Given the current situation, it became quite obvious. With the Storyteller present, forcibly blasting through the ancient book space would definitely be impossible. Because the moment the Red-clothed made a move, the Storyteller would surely suppress them forcefully. But amidst all the previous events, the Red-clothed hadn't forgotten to secretly dig a small hole? A thousand-mile dike collapses from an ant's nest.

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood why Yu Zhiwen had shouted ‘Run’ directly at his face. She wasn't just disrupting Lan Ling's thoughts; more importantly, she wanted to tell him something. The Red-clothed had another plan?

“Once the ancient book space is broken and they return to the White Cave, the ‘Thirty-Six Heaven Sealing and Nullifying Array’ will truly return to Lan Ling's control, in a way that even the Storyteller cannot interfere with.”

“At that point, Lan Ling's strength will inevitably surge.”

“And most importantly, once they are back in the White Cave, with the Red-clothed's methods, they will surely be able to communicate with the outside world.”

“And within the Eight Palaces, Gou Wuyue is lurking, waiting for an opportunity!”

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts flashed like lightning, and he immediately grasped the entire situation.

“Run?” He recalled Yu Zhiwen's final cry. But… running was impossible; he would never run in this lifetime.

Xu Xiaoshou knew he had no retreat. Even with Yu Zhiwen's warning, whether they could return to the White Cave was what truly determined if he had a chance to escape. Therefore, Xu Xiaoshou would not only not stop them, he would even help the Red-clothed detonate this ancient book space!

“Seventh Brother!”

His pupils suddenly constricted, and Xu Xiaoshou, with a face full of surprise, met the Storyteller's gaze.

“Can't you fix it?”

The Storyteller immediately understood something. Spiritual energy surged from Xu Xiaoshou's hand, continuously pouring into the Celestial Pivot Disk, making it hum loudly.

It wasn't that he couldn't fix it! That small hole in the Heaven Sealing Grand Array was too small! Something like this, I, Xu Xiaoshou, could easily patch up. With the Celestial Pivot Disk, it would be as simple as plastering it with a bit of mud.

But…

“No!”

“These guys have connected to the ‘Thirty-Six Heaven Sealing and Nullifying Array’ in the White Cave; they've been preparing for this, and without your spatial power in the White Cave, no one can control it.”

“Once the Red-clothed get out and can contact Gou Wuyue, no one will be able to mend the heavens!”

“So…”

Xu Xiaoshou spoke very quickly, relaying the details directly via spiritual transmission. The Storyteller, however, stared at the wildly vibrating Celestial Pivot Disk in Xu Xiaoshou's hand and hesitated, “Even you can't control it…?”

“Then what exactly are you good for?!” Xu Xiaoshou instantly flared up in anger, and changing his tone, interrupted him, “In your own space, the Red-clothed were secretly digging a hole, and you didn't notice it at all?!”

“Was your job here just to watch a show?!”

“Huh?!”

Xu Xiaoshou was so angry his neck turned red. The Storyteller, hearing this, almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ever since you took out the Celestial Pivot Disk, who would still pay attention to the Heaven Sealing Grand Array? Besides, even if he did pay attention, how could a mere Storyteller discern whether the array was breaking or not? Not to mention your series of outrageous maneuvers had distracted everyone from paying attention to the space. To take a step back: the ancient book space was constantly shattering; if a small hole secretly appeared, who the hell would notice?! Do you think I, the Storyteller, am an omnipotent Holy Emperor?

“Second Brother, your reprimand is right, it's my fault…” Muttering inwardly, the next second, the Storyteller lowered his head, looking wronged.

“Teleport.”

On the other side, Lan Ling had already re-activated the Heaven Sealing Grand Array's power, light enveloping the Red-clothed crowd, and began rapidly, randomly teleporting them without any discernible pattern.

“Well, I'll be.” Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded.

He also felt that the opening in the Heaven Sealing Grand Array was too small, and the energy the Red-clothed had secretly stored earlier wouldn't be enough to instantly detonate the array. But he hadn't expected that, to prevent the Storyteller from ambushing the Red-clothed, Lan Ling would actually resort to such a measure. It was comical. But it had to be said, it was very practical!

“Stop this for me.” Xu Xiaoshou appeared to be exerting his full effort to control the grand array, but in reality, he was using the Celestial Pivot Disk to directly make the Dao patterns of the Heaven Sealing Grand Array glow even brighter.

When it came to explosions, he estimated no one present was more experienced than him. At the Heavenly Sang City Lord's Mansion's Flower Sea, its seven or eight layers of nested structures were already quite unstable, and Xu Xiaoshou could detonate it on the spot with just a single arrangement. The nested structure of the Heaven Sealing Grand Array here had countless more layers than the Flower Sea Spirit Array. Its stability, if normally tightly interlocked, would certainly be dozens of times that of the Flower Sea.

But now… to detonate it, it was merely a matter of breaking one crucial node within it.

The Red-clothed didn't dare to detonate it directly for fear that the ancient book space would instantly explode, causing many casualties among their own people. They had scruples, but Xu Xiaoshou… he had none!

“A bunch of fools,” he cursed inwardly, “they've gotten this far and still dare to hold back? Do they really think the Storyteller is a pushover? If they get suppressed again, how will they ever get out? They'll just be imprisoned in someone else's space for hundreds of years!”

Xu Xiaoshou cursed inwardly, and using the Celestial Pivot Disk, he employed his ‘Weaving Mastery’ to connect the Dao patterns. The spirit array patterns formed without any mental filter, directly causing the Heavenly Mystery of the Heaven Sealing Grand Array before Xu Xiaoshou to fall into chaos.

The next second.

“Bang!”

A huge roar echoed, directly sending the unprepared Xu Xiaoshou stumbling backward repeatedly. The Storyteller stared, dumbfounded.

“Second Brother, this…”

“Don't move, leave this to me,” Xu Xiaoshou snapped. “I don't believe it; with the Celestial Pivot Disk, I can't handle these Red-clothed!” Xu Xiaoshou seemed to have gone mad, and with a single word, he stopped the Storyteller who was trying to intervene. Spiritual energy once again frantically poured into the Celestial Pivot Disk.

“Boom, boom, boom!”

The scattering, exploding void, like hidden thunder being triggered, directly made the Storyteller's ears ring, even though he was far away. But looking at Second Brother's frantic expression, the Storyteller felt he had done his best. Though, something about this 'best effort' felt off. But he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong…

“Second Brother, what exactly are you doing?”

Just as suspicion arose in his heart, he saw Second Brother with a look of wild ecstasy, shouting aloud.

“Stop!”

With a swish, the scattered, teleporting Red-clothed figures, as if a switch had been flipped, abruptly halted randomly in various spots. They exchanged bewildered glances, their faces full of confusion.

Lan Ling's heart skipped a beat. Sweat beaded on the foreheads of all the Red-clothed. But a look of wild joy appeared on the Storyteller's face: “Second Brother, you stopped them?”

Xu Xiaoshou, however, awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth, flipped the Celestial Pivot Disk in his hand, putting it away, then adjusted his straw hat and looked up.

“Seventh Brother, to be honest with you,” Xu Xiaoshou said, “I haven't actually studied the path of Spirit Arrays for very long…”

Before the Storyteller could process the hidden meaning of that statement, and before Lan Ling could figure out who in the White Cave was helping her, suddenly, the space before Xu Xiaoshou, which had just exploded, was now filled with dancing silver sparks. As if a fuse had been lit, silver light followed the densely packed Heavenly Mystery Dao pattern network, clinging onto the entire Heaven Sealing Grand Array.

The next second. Silver replaced the scorching red. The world suddenly became blindingly bright. Dazzling light swallowed everything!

Immediately after, all sounds in their ears—wind, cries, chaotic noises—vanished simultaneously. After another breath.

“Rumble!!!”

The heavens shattered and the earth crumbled, and the Great Dao disintegrated. That giant net, which covered the entire Sword-Leaving Grassland, was like a net-shaped colossal nuclear bomb that had enveloped everyone within the ancient book space. It was detonated and ignited directly!

“Rumble, rumble, rumble…”

The surging, expanding explosive aura instantly tore every inch of space's 'skin' in the world, rendering it chaotic and fragmented. After the blinding silver light, the moment the explosion sounded, everyone instantly felt as if they had fallen into hell. Darkness swallowed everything before their eyes. Fragments of black holes replaced the ancient book space. The gigantic mushroom cloud of air currents that had yet to surge skyward was already pulled in and dissipated by the terrifying suction of the black hole.

Doomsday had arrived. The world was utterly desolate!

“Second Brother, you good-for-nothing…” Faintly, the Storyteller's voice, almost severed by the devouring black hole, drifted from afar. Also drifting over was Lan Ling's final, desperate shout to all the Red-clothed: “Protect yourselves…”

Then nothing.

Amidst this world-shattering explosion, no one had time to pay attention to anything else. Everyone was even too busy saving themselves, able only to silently wrap their entire bodies in spiritual energy, trying to pass through these endless black hole fragments and find a chance at survival.

“Spatial nodes!”

Xu Xiaoshou watched as everyone around him vanished in an instant, and his scalp tingled. He knew that the explosion of the ancient book space wouldn't actually kill people. After all, he had conducted experiments on this before… But while the explosion itself wouldn't kill, black holes could potentially swallow even those who had severed their Dao.

The last time he easily escaped from the ancient book space, it was entirely because the entire detonation process was under his control. He could even choose to proceed slowly, advancing gradually. So much so that after finding the spatial node, he even had the presence of mind to verify the Grey Fog Man's true intentions. But this time, under the Storyteller's intense pressure, Xu Xiaoshou didn't consider the consequences at all… he directly detonated it!

The chaotic weaving of spirit array Dao patterns from ‘Weaving Mastery’, plus the ‘Ash-Illuminating Condensing Elixir Art’ at the last moment. Using the world as a furnace, igniting the chaotic 'elixir' of Dao patterns, and forcibly blowing up the furnace! Such a feat was now second nature to Xu Xiaoshou. While the explosion was certainly artistic, if he couldn't find a spatial node this time, he, Xu Xiaoshou, might genuinely trap himself and die in this explosion!

“Ugh, ugh…”

The black hole tore at his red robe, and Lu Ke could no longer utter a single word. Even the flesh on his body was being ripped away in pieces by this terrifying suction. Xu Xiaoshou heard the guy's painful whimpers, and with a lift of his hand, pulled the young man before him.

“If you want to live, nod your head.”

“Ugh, ugh…” Lu Ke nodded like a pecking chick.

“Good, close your eyes, I will ensure you don't die.” Xu Xiaoshou spoke halfway, feeling that he too was close to his limit, and directly grabbed the guy, not waiting for him to react. His eyes narrowed.

“Freeze!”

Crack—

The person in his hand instantly turned into an ice sculpture. The power of ‘Three-Day Freeze Calamity’ could freeze even a soul. If it weren't for someone like the Storyteller, but merely an ordinary young Red-clothed person, how long they could last would purely depend on fate.

“Don't worry, if I survive, I will definitely unfreeze you from this ice sculpture.” Xu Xiaoshou, with a backhand motion, tossed the humanoid ice sculpture, along with the frozen famous sword, into his Yuan Mansion.

Lu Ke couldn't die. Gou Wuyue was outside. Perhaps when the time comes, this young man could also be an asset.

“Now…” Xu Xiaoshou felt his body losing control again, being dragged wildly by the black hole, and finally stopped suppressing the ferocious demonic power of the four swords within him.

“Boom!”

Instantly, golden light burst forth within the black hole, and a colossal berserker appeared.

“Rumble!”

With his two feet planted between the black holes, a giant ice lotus suddenly bloomed beneath the golden berserker, who had barely stabilized his form. The ice lotus had twelve petals, each one dancing gracefully.

“Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling…”

“Little one.” The berserker shook his head in mid-air, as if shaking off the dizziness in his mind, then rumbled to the ice lotus beneath his feet: “Can you feel the ice elements of the White Cave? Find it; that is the spatial node!”

“Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling…”

A beam of silver light shot out of the Sword-Leaving Grassland, turning half of the White Cave into a silver realm.

After a deafening explosion.

Above the real White Cave and the real Sword-Leaving Grassland, the originally lush green scenery was directly obliterated by the explosion. Centered on the Sword-Leaving Grassland, a good part of the White Cave territory saw its space disintegrate inch by inch, and the earth crumble and break apart piece by piece. Gray currents of destructive energy raged, like the Grim Reaper's scythe sweeping across the land, instantly reaping the lives of countless White Cave creatures.

Profound darkness. Silence.

Indeed, many unintelligent white skeletons and other creatures directly perished in the explosion, dying inexplicably. But the White Cave's cultivators—including those wounded in earlier battles, those not drawn into the ancient book space by the Storyteller, and those who hadn't yet entered the Sword-Leaving Grassland but were only cultivating in the periphery—all vanished without a trace!

Yes. They were simply gone. Not because of the explosion. But rather, the vast White Cave, before the explosion erupted, had already returned to its state before the White Cave cultivation event began. If not for the missing Spirit Melting Marsh within, the missing unearthed treasures, and the added craters and potholes left by battles and explosions, it would truly seem as if it had all been a dream.

“Drip.”

A single raindrop suddenly appeared, falling from an unknown place, and dripped onto the black hole. In an instant, it was churned into water fragments, then turned into nothingness.

The next second.

“Pitter-patter…”