Chapter 427: Prior Sage

The old man was frail and emaciated, his hair withered, both legs gone, and only one arm remaining. His clothes were tattered rags.

He incinerated his incomplete body, roaring as his dim, cloudy eyes now shone with an astonishing brilliance—a final, desperate surge of life, igniting his last ounce of vitality as he pounced towards the enemy.

It was a tragic yet heroic sight, knowing certain death, yet charging like a moth into a flame!

"Go! You must all find a way to live, live!" he roared.

His body swayed in the flames, intending to hold back all enemies, but he was instantly pierced through the chest by a dazzling war spear. Only a little blood seeped out, his body almost completely dry, all his vitality expended.

"Kill!"

Disregarding the spear impaling him, the old man slid forward along the cold shaft. His single arm glowed as he forcefully pressed forward, shattering the powerful enemy into pieces with a bang.

Then, he charged forward again, still carrying the spear that had pierced him, and flew directly up, blasting another powerful opponent apart with another bang.

However, there were too many enemies, and powerful experts were like a forest. A man in silver armor nearby slashed forward with his blade, severing the old man's head, which flew off diagonally, trailing blood.

"Die together!"

Even so, the old man's head let out a mental roar. His remaining body shattered into pieces, exploding in all directions. In the dazzling light, some were hit and died there.

His head and his remaining body served as weapons, but they ultimately dissipated, becoming utterly still.

"Grandpa!"

In the distance, a teenager screamed, his eyes bleeding. He charged back bare-chested, reckless and fearless, like a small tiger.

He was strong and talented, possessing astonishing strength at such a young age, but he was ultimately too naive when facing even more formidable enemies.

The divine sword in his hand had just touched a man in purple-bronze armor when the opponent swung his blade, shattering the sword and severing the boy's head. The boy's body remained in a forward-charging posture, a geyser of hot blood spurted, and then he collapsed lifelessly.

"Uncle!"

Behind them, a four or five-year-old child wailed, tears streaming down his face. He struggled hard, trying to break free from an old woman covered in blood. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying.

At this moment, heartbroken, he cried aloud: "Uncle... you can't die! My father and all my other uncles are dead, Great-Grandpa just died too. You've all left, and I'm the only man left in our family... I don't want you to leave me!"

He cried his heart out, his small body struggling fiercely.

The old woman, tears streaming, also wept bitterly, but she held him tightly and quickly fled with the others into the distance.

The star road was desolate, piled high with corpses.

A race on the verge of extinction, a great exodus, fleeing their home planet. Scene after scene of tragedy was unfolding.

At this moment, Chu Feng's eyes were red as he gazed at that part of the starry sky. A surge of anger and resentment filled his heart; he wanted to tear open the firmament, charge in, and join the battle.

That group of pursuers was too cold-blooded, not even sparing women and children. Chu Feng witnessed scene after scene of tragedy unfolding, sometimes his eyes almost burst with rage. Even infants in swaddling clothes were cruelly treated, pierced by long halberds, then lifted and flung away.

"These beasts!"

Chu Feng's nose tingled, his eyes felt gritty and were already red. He wished he could cross over and join that battle.

"This is too tragic!" he murmured. The past events choked his heart; even knowing that countless years had passed, it was still hard to let go.

Because those pursuers, that group of executioners, might still be alive, still enjoying their cold-blooded glory, their names praised by their tribes.

And those old, weak, sick, and disabled people whose homes were destroyed and fled their home planet, those helpless women and children—where are they now? Did anyone survive?

These past events brought pain to his heart. That era was simply despair-inducing, with no way out. Their race was about to be extinguished, forced into a great escape.

"There was no way out; enemies were everywhere in the starry sky, all so powerful, making one feel utterly helpless."

As his heart felt choked, Chu Feng couldn't help but sigh like this.

Many past events were tragedies, offering no hope.

He just watched, as if he were experiencing it all, struggling and resisting in that desperate era, but finding no way out.

Then, with a boom, the firmament exploded, and the starry sky changed. Only then did everything end, or perhaps, it was another beginning.

Several figures appeared, towering, overshadowing the stars. They exuded power that could swallow the world, standing in the starry sky as if eternally present, reflecting the sea of stars.

At this moment, even their eyes were more terrifying than stars and moon; they could swallow planets with a single gulp.

Imposing figures, massive bodies, half-hidden in the dark universe. Only their gazes were blazing, carrying boundless rage and killing intent.

They saw the elderly, young, women, and children fleeing, and saw iron-clad cavalry grinning ferociously as they pursued.

Incensed and unable to bear it, they slammed a palm forward. The countless iron-clad pursuers, crisscrossing the star paths with cruel smiles, were shattered, exploding in vast swathes, even tearing open the star path wormholes!

"The elites and prodigies among our descendants have all been killed, only the old, weak, women, and children remain, yet they are not spared; they want to cut them down and kill them all!" one person said sorrowfully.

They had no time to provide aid because they also had enemies, even more powerful ones, who readily used forbidden secret techniques!

Just recently, they had been in a bloody battle; some had died. They had fought their way out with great difficulty and at a huge cost.

At this moment, majestic figures stepped forward. One was a Saint Master among field researchers; his gaze was fierce, and he held a Star-Herding Whip.

It was not a flexible whip in the usual sense, but like a blunt weapon, more like an unsharpened sword. It was made of many segments. The Saint Master wielded the whip, and starlight filled the sky, reversing all wormhole star paths in this area!

He hoped that the old, weak, sick, and disabled, and the women and children, could all escape, while the few of them would engage in their final battle.

"They killed our descendants, destroyed our clan. We will go to their star regions and wreak havoc, blood for blood!"

The few saw their distant enemies. Many figures descended at the end of that starry sky, making the sea of stars tremble, each exuding a world-shaking aura, reaching boundless distances!

The great enemy had arrived. The few immediately went far away. The Saint Master, holding the Star-Herding Whip, cut open the starry sky, constructing a magnificent star path, charging directly into the enemy's main base.

This was a heaven-defying strike. With a single strike of the Star-Herding Whip in his hand, connecting to the other shore, the few of them vanished from this area, stepping onto the other side of the starry sky.

"Kill!"

This was a bloody battle, erupting in the enemy's main base.

However, the few of them underestimated their opponents' strength. In an instant, the stars trembled; some massive figures materialized, standing in the vast starry sky.

A bloody battle, with overwhelming slaughter. Later, planets shattered, Saints fell, and stars dimmed.

The few escaped, all heavily wounded.

This was not a battle of one or two years, but many years. Wherever they went, the starry sky collapsed, and Saints fell periodically.

One day, the Saint Master stopped with the others. They looked up at a certain part of the sea of stars, all showing sorrow. There, massive explosions continued, and starlight was extinguished in vast swathes.

Those were two other individuals from their home planet, standing at the absolute pinnacle of the evolution domain, but today, they ultimately fell.

Reflecting the Heavens!

That was the strongest contention, a grand duel of absolute peaks.

What a pity, two such extraordinarily brilliant and powerful individuals, who looked down on past, present, and future, ultimately died. The battle there had lasted for many years.

"Our two brothers, the two strongest on our home planet, they were still young, yet they died prematurely at the hands of those people!" The Saint Master grieved, howling towards the sky like a wounded beast.

The others were also saddened, shedding silent tears. At their level, they had long forgotten what crying was, yet now they were profoundly melancholic, and crystalline drops slid down their faces.

The two relatively young strongest experts on their home planet vanished from the world!

At the same time, the cosmic sea of stars, all star regions, fell silent. All living beings abruptly looked up!

The fall of a Reflecting-the-Heavens expert! The myriad realms felt it!

At this moment, above the altars on various planets, star projections exploded. A Reflecting-the-Heavens expert shattered, body and spirit utterly destroyed.

Blood fell onto the altars in various places.

This sight was too terrifying, shaking the starry sky!

"Reflecting the Heavens... a supreme powerful being has died, another glorious destruction..."

In various places, countless people were shocked, discussing amongst themselves.

The Saint Master's spirits sank. He revealed his true appearance, which was surprisingly young, a time of vibrant youth and high spirits. Yet now, his heart felt as if it had aged ten thousand years.

"Our two brothers are dead; they have completely fallen in the contest of Reflecting the Heavens. Next, it's our turn, and perhaps we too will be annihilated!"

His voice was deep and melancholic, but also held a trace of defiance. He suddenly looked up and said: "However, I still have a way, I am the Saint Master!"

The enemies arrived faster than they imagined, boundless in their terror.

"Kill!"

Many figures appeared, blasting forward.

The Saint Master showed his youthful face. Holding the Star-Herding Whip, he swung it repeatedly. At this moment, all the stars in the heavens trembled and began to shift, forming a vast stellar field!

The next moment, starlight shone brilliantly, illuminating all the heavens.

"What? Another Reflecting-the-Heavens expert? That planet is too terrifying. Among the top hundred experts, do they intend to claim three spots exclusively?!"

"No, but it's even better than Reflecting the Heavens!"

Some ancient experts exclaimed in astonishment, utterly shocked.

"You..." On the scene, a Saint fell, blood staining the heavens and earth, filled with horror and unwillingness until death.

"How can you possess such great power?!" Another Golden-Bodied Bodhisattva roared.

"I am the Saint Master, capable of being a teacher to Saints. Kill!" The Saint Master roared lowly, his long black hair turning snow-white in an instant, and his body seemed to age an infinite number of years.

He shaped heaven and earth, arranged the star rivers, using planets as magnets to set up a field array unmatched through the ages. This battle ultimately became a legendary feat...

All those who came in pursuit were annihilated. Whether the Saint Master died was hard to determine.

At the last moment, a white-haired figure, his face still handsome, but his body already emitting an aura of decay, was smiling—sometimes desolate, sometimes brilliant, very complex, yet still proud. He looked down upon the starry sky and said: "You stifle us, but your vision limits your achievements. You only stare at a single cosmic pond, it's laughable!"

He waved the Star-Herding Whip, and several ancient bronze coffins were summoned from distant places and appeared there. He and several other powerful individuals each lay down in a coffin. He gently waved the field-array Saint Whip, and, on the verge of death, they tore open the sea of stars and vanished.

Their vows echoed in many star regions.

"One day, when lightning tears through the cosmic sea of stars, that will be the light of my fist, signifying my return!"

"When the stars align and sacred flowers bloom throughout the cosmic sea of stars, they will be smiling for me, for I have revived, I am returning!"

Some said they had all died, and their final vows were merely meant as a deterrent, to create a haven for their fleeing kin—the women, children, and the old, weak, sick, and disabled.

Many years later, some could no longer restrain themselves and began to act, hunting down the fleeing women, children, and disabled veterans, and even wanting to destroy their home planet.

On that day, lightning tore through the cosmic sea of stars. Someone truly returned as promised, waging a bloody war, staining the starry sky with blood, and destroying multiple planets in the enemy's main base.

However, he also died in that battle, never to rise again.

After that day, the will of the home planet revived once more.

For many years, no one dared to set foot there again, fearing an all-consuming attack.

Long years passed. Countless people had already forgotten those past events, but those who knew of the mighty battles of the past wondered: are those few still alive? Will the Saint Master reappear? They believed they were already dead!

However, occasionally, a few individuals at the edge of the universe had seen ancient bronze coffins, existing since eternity, drifting aimlessly, with no known beginning or end, rapidly moving away along an inexplicable trajectory. At such times, the world would once again tremble.

Chu Feng stood under the starry sky, his eyes red and his heart aching. He knew that those people were most likely never going to appear alive again.

Here, he saw their decline, and how their once-invincible spirits had been silenced.

"Nothing on Earth is useful anymore, there is no more protection. I... will start from here, to rise from decay, to revive from stillness. I will fight my way out from Earth!" This was Chu Feng's whisper, his vow.