224: Chapter 220 Three Years

Time flows like a shuttle. The earth-shattering battle in the Northern Territory has already passed for three years.

For Mortals, three years might just be a small ripple in the long river of life.

But for the entire situation in the Desolate State, it was enough to trigger a world-shaking upheaval.

The first year after the battle ended.

The Great Chu Dynasty and the Great Yan Dynasty, having lost all their Great Grandmaster powerhouses, were like giants with their spines removed, collapsing instantly.

Their once-powerful national strength, which had been enough to deter all directions, vanished rapidly after losing the protection of their top combat power.

Domestically, those Sects and aristocratic families that had been lurking for a long time smelled the fragrance of power. Like hungry wolves catching the scent of blood, they began to crazily tear at the increasingly weak body of the Imperial Dynasty.

Internal troubles and external threats, precarious and teetering.

The second year.

The decline turned into a complete collapse.

The last emperor of the Great Chu Dynasty, after the capital was breached by the coalition forces of the three major Sects, hanged himself in the palace.

He used a strip of white silk to end his sorrowful life, and also drew a blood-colored period for the Great Chu Dynasty, which had a Legacy spanning thousands of years.

The situation of the Great Yan Dynasty was no better.

The Imperial Dynasty's decrees could not leave the capital. The vast territory was carved up by various ambitious opportunists. The flames of war flew, smoke arose everywhere, and the common people were displaced and suffering unspeakably.

The once-brilliant halls were now reduced to broken walls and ruins.

The third year.

The Great Xuan Dynasty and the Great Yu Dynasty, which had been watching coldly and accumulating strength, finally bared their fangs.

The iron cavalry torrent of Great Xuan swept from west to east, crushing everything in its path, sweeping across the old lands of Great Chu.

Those Sect coalition forces that had just established their ruling order and were still fighting for benefits were as fragile as sandcastles before the million-strong army of Great Xuan, collapsing at the first touch.

The military might of Great Yu struck from the east, unstoppable like a bamboo being split.

Within just a few months, they arrived at the foot of the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty, trampling that tattered Yan Dragon flag underfoot.

Facing the thunderous strikes of the two major Imperial Dynasties, the already disintegrated Great Chu and Great Yan could not organize any effective resistance at all.

Finally, after a symbolic negotiation, the vast territories of the two major Imperial Dynasties were completely carved up by Great Xuan and Great Yu.

Thus, the four-nation stalemate that had spanned thousands of years on the Desolate State became history.

The Great Xuan Dynasty, because it had Chen Heng and Chen Zhiwen, those god-like existences, saw its strength expand unprecedentedly. The vastness of its territory and the prosperity of its national power surpassed any period in history.

It was like a blazing sun, hanging high in the sky of the Desolate State, becoming the undisputed number one force within the Human Race.

Following closely was the Zetian Sect, which had the veteran Great Grandmaster Wang Ming sitting in command and possessed a deep foundation.

And the Great Yu Dynasty, which had also profited greatly from this change and seen its national power increase significantly.

These three constituted the new pinnacle of the pyramid of the Human Race forces in the Desolate State, jointly dominating this vast land.

And during these three years of changing winds and clouds, the North Sea Demon Clan, which had once brought endless nightmares to the Desolate State, remained surprisingly silent.

They huddled in the depths of the North Sea and never launched any probing war against the Desolate State again.

It was as if that day, the towering figure of Chen Zhiwen standing alone against the Yao Race army outside the Northern Territory city had turned into an indelible brand, deeply carved into the heart of every great demon.

The entire Desolate State ushered in a rare and brand-new period of peace and prosperity.

Days flowed by peacefully, day after day.

...

This day.

The Extreme Southern Land of the Desolate State.

This was the end of the entire Desolate State continent, a forbidden area never detailed on any map.

Further south was the legendary boundless "Taboo Sea" that even Great Grandmasters could not cross.

This place was covered year-round by gray, corrosive mist. The sky was always lead-gray, with no sun, moon, or stars to be seen.

The Spiritual Qi here was thin and violent, the environment extremely harsh. Since ancient times, it had been a land of death where human footprints were rare and life was extinct.

However, right in this eternal land of silence.

"Chi la —"

A very slight sound, as if cloth were being carefully torn, rang out in mid-air without warning.

Immediately following, a thin line, pitch-black as ink and purer than the deepest night, appeared out of thin air.

It was as if someone had used an invisible sharp blade to gently slice open a gap in the sky of this world.

This thin line was initially only a few feet long, quietly floating in the gray mist, completely inconspicuous.

But as time passed, it began to extend towards both ends at a slow and steady speed.

One day...

Two days...

One month...

Several months later, this pitch-black thin line had turned into a huge Void Realm rift that was thousands of miles long and a hundred feet wide!

It was like a hideous and terrifying scar, fiercely branded onto the sky of this world.

From the depths of the rift, a chilling, cold, and alien aura that did not belong to this world continued to seep out.

That aura was filled with deathly silence, chaos, and destruction.

Even more terrifyingly, this chasm-like rift was still slowly but unstoppably spreading towards the north, towards the direction of the Desolate State continent.

Its speed was not fast, but it had never stopped for even a moment.

According to this trend, it wouldn't be long before it truly descended upon the Desolate State, casting its ominous shadow over this prosperous land.

And all of this was something the creatures of the Desolate State, who had just walked out of the shadow of war and were immersed in peace and joy, were still completely unaware of.

...

Meanwhile.

Ten thousand miles away, Great Xuan Dynasty, the capital.

South of the city, Chen Prince's Mansion.

Inside a quiet room in the deepest part of the mansion, sandalwood incense curled, and everything was silent.

Chen Zhiwen sat cross-legged on a futon, eyes closed, breathing long and steady, his body surrounded by an aura that was profound and mysterious, as if he had merged with the heavens and earth.

Three years of time were enough for the world to change, and enough for him to completely consolidate his cultivation of the profound and mysterious "Taboo" Realm, allowing him to control it freely.

Now, his control over power and his comprehension of the heavens and earth were no longer what they used to be.

However, at this very moment, in his heart, which had been as still as an ancient, waveless cold pool, a slight ripple arose without warning.

It was an extremely abrupt, yet incomparably clear sense of unease.

This feeling came inexplicably, rootless and baseless, yet so real that he could not ignore it.

It was as if, in the dark, a pair of cold and evil eyes were watching this land and all the living beings on it from the end of the distant space-time.

Or as if a huge disaster, enough to sweep across the entire Desolate State and drag everything into the abyss of destruction, was quietly brewing and ready to strike.

"Hum!"

Chen Zhiwen opened his eyes abruptly!

Two rays of light, like substance, flashed past the bottom of his eyes, cutting fine ripples into the air of the quiet room.

There was no joy on his face from the improvement of his cultivation; instead, it was filled with unprecedented solemnity and confusion.

At his current Realm, it was no longer just about pure martial power.

His mind and spirit were faintly connected with this world, and he had an almost instinctive intuition and early warning for crises in the dark.

He trusted his feelings.

This was definitely not groundless!

"Dark One."

Chen Zhiwen's voice had no ups and downs, yet it clearly penetrated the walls of the quiet room and sounded directly outside.

The next moment, a black figure, as if condensed from shadows, appeared silently before him, kneeling on one knee with his head bowed low.

"Master."

Dark One's voice was as hoarse and low as ever, devoid of any emotion.

Chen Zhiwen's sharp gaze fell upon him, and he asked in a deep voice:

"Has there been any anomaly outside recently?"

Dark One heard this, raised his head slightly, a flash of confusion in his eyes, but he immediately reported the recent situation of the Desolate State to Chen Zhiwen in detail, without missing a single thing.

From the fall of Great Chu and Great Yan, to the rise of the Great Xuan Dynasty, to the silence of the North Sea Demon Clan, and the customs and conditions of various places among the people...

Every single thing was stated clearly and plainly.

Chen Zhiwen listened quietly, but his brows furrowed tighter and tighter, forming a deep " river" shape.