Chapter 1257: Outside the Boundary

From the era of slash-and-burn agriculture to the rise and fall of dynasties, the world of gods has perpetually hovered above, a mysterious and unknown realm, the very source of all legends.

The true scale of the world of gods remains an enigma; no one has ever been able to provide an accurate answer.

The instant the world of gods opened, the stars appeared to awaken, abandoning their fixed orbits and becoming elusive, seemingly in deference to its emergence.

No legend, theory, or past experience could account for this phenomenon.

As a sliver of light emerged from the world of gods, the entire White Horse Dynasty erupted in fervent prayers, imploring divine protection.

“Lord Supervisor, His Majesty has sent an envoy to inquire...” reported the Head Registrar of the Imperial Observatory.

The Supervisor’s lips twitched, his expression a complex mixture of emotions that made it impossible to tell if he was weeping or smiling. “What are they asking me about? Is it about the world of gods?”

Is this something I can possibly explain?

Not only me; even if all past Supervisors were to be resurrected and brought together, not a single one could offer an explanation.

“Father, is that fragment of the world of gods growing larger?” his previously silent son suddenly asked.

The Supervisor and the Head Registrar simultaneously looked up, their already anxious hearts seizing in their throats.

A fragment of the world of gods, now filling their entire field of vision, was rapidly approaching them.

Yet, when his son first noticed this fragment, it was merely the size of a sesame seed!

“An apocalyptic disaster, then?”

The Supervisor’s lips trembled, and his heart turned to ashes. This was a natural catastrophe, something utterly beyond human resistance.

When this fragment of the world descended, it would herald the White Horse Dynasty's demise. All thoughts of dynastic changes or partisan struggles became utterly meaningless in that moment.

Just as they succumbed to despair, an indescribably massive hand appeared, gripping the world fragment as effortlessly as pinching a pebble. The fragment halted its movement, suspended motionless in the air.

The Supervisor slumped to the ground, completely devoid of strength.

The profound emotional upheavals he had experienced throughout his entire life paled in comparison to the events of this single night.

He had previously scoffed at the existence of immortals; now, he believed it was time to reconsider that stance.

“This is beyond the Box World,” Lu Yang and others exclaimed, eager to pass through the fractured fissures of the Spiritless Land and enter the cosmos.

Within the vast and boundless universe, galaxies hung inverted, and stars blazed with brilliance. At this scale, all living beings appeared impossibly small.

Stars were so close they seemed within arm's reach.

Fragments of the Spiritless Land burst apart around them like fireworks.

Time seemed to stand still in that moment, as Lu Yang and the others became utterly captivated by the breathtaking beauty before them.

For Jiang Ping’an, Meng Junzi, and the others, this was their first encounter with the boundless cosmos, and they felt their spirits soar.

The Immortal Maiden and other ancient cultivators, however, were moved to reminiscence, recalling scenes from ancient times.

Even Yun Zhi was no exception; as a child, her favorite pastime was lying on the grass and gazing at the stars.

“Wait, why are there stars so close by?!” Lu Yang was the first to grasp the anomaly. When the Four Ancient Immortals transformed stars into continents, didn't they refine every star within reach? Logically, there should be no stars near the Box World.

Yet, reality clearly presented a different scenario.

This was no time for stargazing. Even the smallest fragments of the Spiritless Land were composed of hundreds of condensed stars. What star in the universe could possibly withstand such a collision?

And a collision with a populated star would be catastrophic.

Lu Yang manifested the Buddha Kingdom in his Palm, seizing the most distant flying fragment.

Witnessing Lu Yang’s actions, the others also realized the peril of letting the Spiritless Land fragments scatter freely. They promptly unleashed their own divine abilities.

Through techniques like Heaven and Earth Manifestation, the Demon True Form, Three Heads and Six Arms, and the manipulation of fundamental rules, they effortlessly plucked stars and seized moons, stabilizing all the fragments in place.

Although the imminent collision of the Spiritless Land fragments with stars appeared to be a hair-raising moment, the actual distance between them was vast, posing no immediate danger.

Once the potential hazard was recognized, they effortlessly neutralized it.

“We forgot that both the stars and the Box World are in motion,” said the Four Ancient Immortals, who had now arrived. “The stellar distribution forty thousand years ago must certainly be different from today.”

With the Box World now open and the dark clouds and lightning dissipated, the mortals could no longer perceive them, rendering their elaborate deception unnecessary.

The Qilin Immortal stretched languidly like a cat, sprawled atop a continental fragment. “The outside world is indeed more comfortable,” she purred.

“Indeed,” agreed Ying Tianxian and the others. “Out here, there’s no need to hold back, whether we’re engaging in combat or meditating on divine abilities.”

The Box World was teeming with people. At the immortal cultivation level, even a minor misstep could inadvertently affect countless others.

In the vastness of the universe, however, it was a different story. One could simply find a desolate, lifeless star and unleash their full power without much concern for repercussions.

Across the various continents of the cultivation world, both humans and demons were locked in fervent discussions about the universe that had briefly revealed itself before the dark clouds dispersed.

“Is that truly the world beyond?” a young cultivator grumbled, pouting with disappointment. “It looks pretty similar to the night sky we usually see. All that excitement for nothing.”

His elder, a Divine Transformation cultivator with greater knowledge, explained: “That’s because your cultivation is too low. The outside world is vastly larger than our Box World—a fact that becomes more profoundly apparent the higher one’s cultivation. Furthermore, there are genuine, tangible stars out there.”

Cultivators of the Integration Stage gathered in small groups, rubbing their fists together in eager anticipation. “The seal is finally broken!” they exclaimed. “Let’s proceed according to our previous agreement!”

Three Integration Stage cultivators arrived at the Imperial City and located the Outer World Investigation Department, established by Great Xia. They joined the queue, collected application forms, meticulously filled in their personal information, team preferences, and pledge documents, then submitted their applications and awaited approval.

The Outer World Investigation Department was primarily staffed by members of the Luo Shui Guard. With the resolution of the two major issues—the Demonic Sect and the ancient cultivators—their workload had significantly decreased. Given that the Outer World Investigation Department exclusively handled high-level cultivators and faced a shortage of personnel, the imperial court had strategically reassigned them to this new role.

Similar organizations existed in the Buddhist Kingdom, the East Sea, and the Demon Realm. Their establishment had been decided during a conference attended by Emperor Xia, the Demon Emperor, and others, specifically to ensure that civilian cultivators could venture into the outer world in an orderly fashion.

Yu Qian, one of the Nine Palaces of the Luo Shui Guard, cautioned the Integration Stage cultivators before their departure: “Congratulations, your application for the outer world has been approved. Do not forget the newly promulgated laws regarding the outer world, nor the pledge you have signed.”

“Should you violate any regulations in the outer world, we will apprehend you and bring you to justice, no matter if you flee to the ends of the earth.”

“Of course, of course,” the three Integration Stage cultivators replied, their faces beaming with smiles too wide to conceal. “Fellow Daoist Yu knows our character; we guarantee we will not commit any transgressions.” They had not anticipated their application would be approved so swiftly.

The three, sworn brothers with deep bonds, formed a team and ascended directly from Great Xia. They passed through a protective formation, successfully emerging into the outer world.

This protective formation was designed to automatically identify the items they carried upon departure and return, while also serving to prevent the spiritual energy of the Box World from dissipating into the outer cosmos.

“This is the outer world,” the leader marveled, effortlessly pushing aside a star that obstructed his view. “It’s vast.”

“However, the lack of spiritual energy out here is a significant issue.”

“Then we should conserve our spiritual energy as much as possible,” another suggested. “We can rely on our physical bodies to fly and leap between stars.”

“True enough. Let’s start by examining the nearby stars to see if they harbor any life.”

“We must proceed with caution,” cautioned the third. “The beings in the outer world might well be more powerful than all three of us combined.”