Chapter 1583: Dark Chaos

The Beidou starfield was enveloped in darkness and deathly silence, devoid of any sound. Except for the ancient land of life, which was torn apart but preserved by the Desolate Lord, all other stars had been reduced to dust and ashes, never to exist again. An immortal cocoon floated, suspended above the ruined ancient land. Its immortal light gradually dimmed, then merged into the darkness and disappeared.

It was not until this moment, when all imperial might vanished, that wails of grief emerged from the cracked ancient land of life below. Countless people had died; blood flowed like rivers, and endless bones lay strewn across the land. Most of the strong had perished, leaving only the elderly and children. The same was true for other races, with only the old, the weak, and a small number of the strong remaining as seeds of life for continuation. But how could life continue without the sun?

These Supremes, having failed to achieve immortality, had clearly vented their rage on Beidou, intending to destroy it completely. Light emanated from the Ancient Forbidden Zone and various ruins left by ancient Great Emperors, enveloping the land. It kept the cold at bay, protecting the ravaged ancient land.

The Western Desert was deathly silent, but Mount Meru remained, with faint sounds of spirits chanting Buddhist scriptures. The Southern Ridge had collapsed, with countless ancient beasts and fierce birds lying dead across the vast plains. Many young animals cried out for their mothers, a scene of utter misery. The seven great restricted zones of the Eastern Wasteland were remarkably quiet, yet still awe-inspiring and unfathomable. Perhaps some Supremes would return to slumber there again.

The Northern Plains were desolate, with few signs of life. The region of Zhou had the most wailing and the highest death toll. Unlike other sparsely populated areas, this region was densely inhabited, and bodies truly piled up into mountains and seas. Relatively speaking, Beidou was not in the worst state; after all, they had already endured it, and the Dark Turmoil had seemingly ended for them, unlike other starfields where the suffering was just beginning.

"Heaven, please open your eyes and look upon this land! Is there still a way to survive? Lives have been trampled, blood and corpses are everywhere—what hope is left?" On a planet, a white-haired old man, his face streaked with tears, looked up and raged at the sky. At his feet, several children trembled in fear. In the distance lay countless corpses; their parents and relatives, all dead.

The Lord of God Ruins descended here. With a single inhale, countless people and endless beings exploded, blood splattering across the star. Countless wisps of life essence transformed into streaks of radiant light and ascended. Most of the strong were destined to die, with only a portion left to ensure the continuation of life on the ancient land, to be used when the Dark Turmoil erupted again in the future. As for the elderly and children, most could be spared because their life essence was relatively sparse and not within the scope of consumption. The Lord of God Ruins stayed here for only a moment, yet a billion beings were consumed. This small star was shrouded in a pall of sorrow, thick with bloody mist and filled with wails of lamentation—it was a living hell.

And this was considered fortunate. The crises erupting elsewhere were even more severe; some of the universe's most renowned main stars faced great catastrophe, and due to their large populations, even more people died! For example, the ancient star Gouchen, where a Great Emperor once emerged, was once incredibly glorious and, in a certain era, became the heart of the universe. Yet, with the current catastrophe, it still could not resist.

The Stone Emperor arrived! He was an extremely ruthless ancient Supreme, his heart long submerged in coldness and callousness. Even if billions of beings perished, he would not so much as frown. In the past, he had already devoured tens of billions of beings. Now, if he wished to prolong his life, he would need even more, otherwise, it would have no effect. Just like consuming an immortal medicine, its efficacy would inevitably sharply decrease after one use. Only by consuming ten or a hundred times the amount would it continue to prolong life. If calculated this way, the number of beings he needed in this era was astonishing—at least hundreds of billions, perhaps even beyond the trillion mark.

The universe was vast, with endless galaxies, but ancient stars of life were far fewer than imagined, especially main stars like Gouchen and Ziwei starfield, which were even rarer. Even including smaller stars and the minor realms of life created by many ancient sages, the number of beings required was still not a small figure. Furthermore, this era's Dark Turmoil involved not just him, but also the Lord of Reincarnation, the Heavenly Venerate Changsheng, and several others, whose needs would be no less than his. Therefore, as they continued on this path, traversing the entire universe, it was destined to cause overwhelming bloodshed, and the entire cosmos would mourn and tremble. The Dark Turmoil could only become more terrifying with each recurrence, reaching its peak in this era. Some desperate diviners even pessimistically predicted that it might lead to the destruction of the world!

"Year after year, the flowers are similar; year after year, the people are different. It's another era, and I've been here before, witnessing scenes of towering bloodshed, but each time the feeling is different," said the Stone Emperor, Lord of Immortal Mountain, with an air of indifference. Below, countless figures ran, cried out, knelt to pray to the heavens, dragging their children, crawling, and fleeing—it was a human tragedy. But what use was it? In the eyes of an ancient Supreme, these were mere ants, incapable of stirring even a ripple in his heart. With a single pointed finger, billions exploded, their life essence flowing into his mouth and nose like tendrils of white mist.

The Stone Emperor was hard-hearted; even the most tragic sights could not move him. After attaining his path, his will was like iron, and after severing himself, his blood turned cold to the bone. Turning around, he moved to another region of this main star. He was not in a hurry to annihilate all beings but, with a hint of ruthlessness on his lips, admired this "human drama."

"Ah..." A Saint screamed, attempting to fly high into the sky, but under the ancient Supreme's pressure, he could not move an inch and simply disintegrated between heaven and earth. Even a powerful Saint was no more than an ant at this moment. No power could stop ancient Supremes from coming out to forage. From sages to mortals, all were targets for hunting, with the strong being the preferred choice because they contained more life essence.

"Although this is a large star, it is not enough for me, the Emperor; it's still too little. And where are the Saints? I haven't seen many. Are they all hiding?" The Stone Emperor's cold voice was chillingly severe, shaking this part of the starfield. His thoughts reached the eight directions. In an instant, his divine sense swept across all stars, unleashing his might without reservation. Then, he soared into the starfield. On the stars in the deep darkness, many Saints screamed, turning into a rain of blood. The Stone Emperor only made one pass, and most of the Saints belonging to Gouchen star were dead or wounded. Hiding in the galaxy was useless; a Supreme could find them with a single thought. "Leave some fragrant seeds for the future."

The Stone Emperor rose and vanished from the great star in one step, disappearing into the depths of the universe. Here, blood flowed everywhere, and the deceased beings numbered in the tens of billions. Yet, it still could not satisfy his needs!

On this day, the entire universe wailed, all beings cried out in sorrow. The dark apocalypse had arrived, and no one could save them. Great Emperors had aged and passed away; no one had attained the path in this era, and no one could resist the Dark Turmoil. The bloodshed thus continued... The Dark Era officially began—a time of chaos and tragedy. All notions of love, hate, and grievances, all grand goals on the path to immortality, all dreams of attaining the Dao... in this era, everything was illusory. Only survival was real.

"Great Emperor Void, where are you? Your myriad people pray, wishing you eternal life. Please fight for our human race once more, oh..." All beings mourned. In this dark era, they remembered Great Emperor Void, who had once fought valiantly across all directions, battling to the very last moment of his life. He never ceased fighting; alone, he pacified various regions and resisted the dark tide, saving countless beings. Alas, he died young, living for less than a full era. "Oh, Great Emperor Void, your people miss you, wailing... Please live again! How can the land be without you!" Even some Saints were praying, and some old Great Sages who knew the secret history were weeping openly, kowtowing and wailing towards the dim direction of Beidou. "Great Emperor Void, how could we forget you? Alone, you blocked the exit of the Sea of Reincarnation, and then, with a will to die, battled Immortal Mountain. In this era, who will fight for us? Who will stand against the Dark Turmoil for us?"

On another main star, Tongtian, tragedy was also unfolding. The Light-Dark Supreme was in action, slaughtering beings across a million miles. With an open mouth and an inhale, endless radiant life essence entered his body. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his heart, and his body staggered. He had seen certain scenes and recalled some "past events." He saw a small boy pulling an old man's corpse from a pile of bodies, crying loudly, and throwing himself into the old man's arms, his white hair stained with blood. He saw a baby curled up in a mother's arms, crying, and touching her cold, young face with its tiny hand. He saw a young man, after a female cultivator exploded, falling onto the bloody remains as if insane, banging his head against the ground, and then dying in despair. He too had once been weak, had struggled, and had gone through an unbearable period of growth. At this moment, he was momentarily lost in thought.

"Hehe..." The Light-Dark Supreme clutched his chest, gasping for breath after a long while, and scoffed at himself, "My heart actually felt a momentary pang of pain. Did I recall some past events?" But soon, indifference replaced it. Killing intent permeated his body, his eyes gleamed with cold light, sweeping all around him. Limitless slaughter erupted once more, and blood splattered across an entire ancient star.

"Great Emperor Wu Shi, you once suppressed the heavens and earth, making the universe tremble. Now, the starfield is desolate, all directions are silent, and the human race needs you..." Cries echoed through heaven and earth. The Abandoned Heaven Supreme slaughtered his way through, but his gains could only be described as ordinary, because he needed hardly less than the Stone Emperor. What he required now was dozens, even hundreds of times what he needed in the past, and if truly calculated, the quantity was astonishing!

On this day, he arrived at a massive star he had never visited before, unknown in his consciousness. However, as he descended, his heart pounded, and two terrifying beams of light shot from his eyes, staring at a particular direction. "The ancestral star of the Hegemons... no wonder. The people here are very powerful, and there seems to be another extraordinary place!"

In another part of the cosmos, the Lord of Reincarnation was also active, having already bloodbathed three stars. Behind him lay boundless skeletons and waves of blood, shaking the universe! He traveled on, reaching another shore of the starfield. He knew this place and understood its uniqueness, but he came anyway, for there might be great gains here. This was a blue planet, now called Earth! "Hangu Pass... it still exists, after several cycles of reincarnation, it still bears this name. Heh!"