226: Chapter 222 Void Rift

Inside the Yangxin Hall, the air seemed to have solidified.

In the gilded beast-headed incense burner at the corner of the hall, high-quality calming incense was burning quietly, exhaling wisps of blue smoke, yet it could not disperse the almost suffocating heaviness in the space.

The lamplight flickered, casting three figures onto the mirror-smooth floor, stretching out long, silent shadows.

They swayed slightly with the flickering candlelight, like three silent mountains, bearing an indescribable pressure.

Chen Zhiwen's gaze moved back and forth between Old Ancestor Chen Heng and Zheng Ming.

He could clearly feel an unprecedented, heavy atmosphere enveloping this hall, which represented the highest power of the Great Xuan Dynasty, making it so oppressive that one could barely breathe.

This was not a pressure derived from cultivation, but a profound anxiety arising from the depths of the Soul regarding an unknown crisis.

"Zhiwen, you've come."

Chen Heng was the first to break this heart-palpitating silence; his voice was deeper and hoarser than usual, as if every word were stained with heavy lead.

He slowly raised his hand and pointed to the carved rosewood stool opposite him.

"Come over and sit."

Chen Zhiwen's eyes narrowed slightly; he read an unusual meaning into these two simple actions of the Old Ancestor.

He nodded, said nothing more, and walked forward as instructed, sitting down on the other side of the chessboard.

The coldness of the stool seeped through his clothes, allowing his chaotic thoughts to settle slightly.

His gaze swept over the chessboard, where black and white pieces were scattered; it was an unfinished game.

Obviously, the people playing chess no longer had the leisure to do so, and the direction of the game, much like the current situation, had fallen into a stalemate and Chaos.

After sitting down, Chen Zhiwen's gaze inevitably fell upon Zheng Ming.

His heart was filled with curiosity and confusion; countless thoughts surged into his mind like a tide.

Chen Zhiwen could clearly see that Zheng Ming's hands, which were holding the teacup, had knuckles that were slightly white from the force, and the veins on the back of his hands were faintly bulging.

Seemingly sensing Chen Zhiwen's probing gaze, Zheng Ming slowly raised his head.

He looked at this excessively young "Taboo" expert before him, and a complex emotion flashed in his bloodshot eyes—there was amazement, there was helplessness, and in the end, it all turned into a bitter, long sigh.

He did not hide anything; at this point, any concealment was meaningless.

"Young Friend Chen, you must be wondering why I have come here in the middle of the night."

Zheng Ming spoke, his voice carrying a hint of imperceptible hoarseness and exhaustion, as if he had not had a good rest for a long time.

Chen Zhiwen did not speak, just quietly looked at him, his eyes calm and profound.

He knew the answer would soon be revealed, and this answer was likely the final source of the unease in his own heart.

Zheng Ming picked up the tea that had already gone cold in front of him and drank it in one gulp; the cold tea slid down his throat, as if to dispel the inner heat and chill.

He placed the teacup heavily on the table, emitting a crisp sound.

He looked at Chen Zhiwen and Chen Heng, and said word by word:

"I have come today because there is... a major matter concerning the life and death of the entire Desolate Province that I wish to discuss with you both."

"Recently, in the Extreme Southern Land of my Great Yu, some extremely bizarre things have occurred."

Zheng Ming began to speak slowly, recounting that experience which was enough to subvert everyone's understanding.

"At first, the frontier governor reported that some strange phenomena had appeared above the firmament of the Extreme Southern Land."

"Initially, I did not take it to heart."

He smiled self-deprecatingly, his smile full of regret and bitterness.

"After all, the south of the Desolate Province has been a wild and desolate land since ancient times, filled with toxic miasma and harsh environments, where strange celestial phenomena often occur. I merely considered it a routine matter and put it out of my mind after reviewing it."

"But later, following the appearance of this phenomenon, bizarre and eerie events began to occur one after another in the Extreme Southern Land."

"At first, it was a remote village; overnight, all living beings, whether human or animal, disappeared without a trace. The village was terrifyingly quiet, yet there was not a single trace of blood or signs of a struggle, as if they had been erased out of thin air by some invisible force."

"Then, it was a Sect that had passed down for hundreds of years; overnight, the mountain gate collapsed and turned into powder. The hundreds of Disciples in the Sect, from the Sect Master and Elders down to the Utility Disciples, all turned into withered bones, as if their vitality had been drained in an instant."

"Even... a team of elites I sent from Great Yu to investigate, led by a Grandmaster, never returned, and even their Divine Soul jade tablets shattered instantly at the same moment!"

"These events finally aroused my vigilance."

"I realized that the severity of the matter might far exceed everyone's imagination."

"Therefore, I decided to go to the Extreme Southern Land myself to investigate."

Speaking of this, the composure Zheng Ming had been forcibly maintaining finally collapsed completely!

An irrepressible trace of fear crawled up his face like vines, causing his majestic Dragon-like face to twist slightly.

In those Dragon eyes that had once looked down upon the world and were accustomed to life, death, and political intrigue, there was now only shock and horror, as if he were recalling some terrifying scene that he would never forget.

This generation's emperor, whose cultivation had reached the Great Grandmaster realm and whose will was as firm as a rock, began to tremble uncontrollably.

This scene caused a massive upheaval in the hearts of both Chen Heng and Chen Zhiwen!

They truly could not imagine what kind of terrifying scene could scare someone like Zheng Ming, a powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the world, into such a state!

For a time, the atmosphere inside the hall became even more oppressive, and even the air seemed to become viscous.

Neither of them urged him to continue, just silently watching Zheng Ming, quietly waiting for what he had to say next.

They knew that what Zheng Ming was about to say next would likely be earth-shattering news, terrifying enough to change the entire landscape of the Desolate Province.

Zheng Ming closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, his chest heaving violently, as if he were trying his best to calm his intensely fluctuating emotions.

A long time later, he opened his eyes again; although the fear in his eyes still remained, it was finally forcibly suppressed by his will as an emperor.

He picked up the teacup again, had the eunuch beside him refill it with scalding hot water, and then held the cup with both hands, feeling the intense heat transmitted to his palms, as if only in this way could he dispel the chill emanating from the depths of his Soul.

After a long while, he continued in a voice that was almost like a dream-talk:

"I... saw it."

"At the end of the Extreme Southern Land, in that sky, I saw that scene with my own eyes."

His voice was trembling, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"It was a... a Void Realm rift spreading from the horizon!"

"A Void Realm rift?"

Chen Heng and Chen Zhiwen looked at each other, their brows furrowing simultaneously.

With their cultivation, tearing through the Void Realm was nothing more than a simple task, but this was clearly not enough to make Zheng Ming lose his composure to such an extent.