158: World Barrier

The terrifying battle in the outer reaches of the heavens, as described by the Lord of Annihilation, made Gu Changge recall a Great Emperor.

That seemed to be the most recent one, and also one whose talent and brilliance could be called unprecedented—the Great Emperor of Reincarnation.

He achieved Dao against the heavens in a relatively barren era, sweeping across the heavens with an invincible posture. Yet, after ascending to the Imperial Throne and being in his prime at the Peak of his power, he never returned after leaving his Imperial Court on a certain occasion.

He left no words, no known battle fluctuations occurred; he just... vanished into thin air.

Could it be... Gu Changge's gaze seemed to pierce through endless time and space, and a clear thought emerged in his mind.

Could it be that those Great Emperors who mysteriously disappeared in their prime did not conceal themselves, but were... drawn into the kind of outer-heaven battle that Silent Extinction spoke of?

A conflict of an extremely high level, enough to involve Great Emperors in their prime, and perhaps... prevent them from escaping, or even cause their demise?

If that were truly the case, then the truth behind this so-called outer-heaven battle would likely be far more complex than ordinary territorial conquests or resource disputes.

What kind of opponent could cause a flourishing Great Emperor to fall, unable even to send back a message?

He recalled an earlier time, when he had traced the loss of the Xuanhuang Great World's Origin with his Divine Thought, following the subtle trajectory of its outflow beyond the world.

Initially, he thought this might be some powerful, or even more ancient, Great World(s) plundering the Foundation of the Xuanhuang Great World through some overbearing means to nourish themselves.

Such 'survival of the fittest' between worlds is not impossible in the endless Chaos Void Realm.

However, the battle information provided by the Lord of Annihilation, as well as the cases of those mysteriously disappearing Peak Great Emperors, made this seemingly reasonable speculation appear somewhat superficial.

If it were merely a war of plunder between powerful worlds, it might be brutal, but it would never cause a Great Emperor in their prime, holding the Mandate of Heaven, and almost omnipotent within this world, to vanish completely without a trace, unable to transmit even the slightest bit of information.

"It seems the truth is more than this..." Gu Changge murmured in his heart.

The waters behind this were deeper than he had imagined.

The Lord of Annihilation felt the indescribable profundity in Gu Changge's gaze, and his Divine Soul involuntarily tensed, as if his words just now had opened a door to an even more terrifying truth for the Venerable One.

He held his breath, not daring to disturb the Venerable One's thoughts.

Gu Changge's thoughts raced, quickly weighing his options.

To make a Peak Great Emperor disappear silently, the danger behind this was indeed beyond imagination. Although I am not afraid, rashly getting involved is not a wise move.

It seems that keeping a low profile and signing in to develop on Zizhu Peak was indeed the correct choice. Being cautious is always good.

An extremely steady thought emerged—at worst, I'll just completely retreat into my Invincible Domain, and no matter how the outside world turns upside down, it won't affect me in the slightest.

But then, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes:

But then, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: 'However, if that day truly comes when I must face them...'

With a slight thought, a virtual panel visible only to him appeared:

Host: Gu Changge

Identity: Azure Profound Sect Zizhu Peak Master

Cultivation: Great Emperor Peak (Stored Cultivation: 16.92 million years) [Stored Cultivation can be extracted at any time]

Cultivation Technique: Grandmist Origin Art (Perfection)

Divine Ability: Eye of Illusory Breaking, Word is Law, Control of Heaven and Earth, Immunity to All Laws, Invincible Domain (Range: Ten million li radius, within the Domain all things can be suppressed with a single thought)

Physique: Hongmeng Divine Body

Magic Treasure: Grandmist Pearl (Great Dao Supreme Treasure), Time Shuttle (Great Dao Supreme Treasure), Creation Jade Disc (Great Dao Supreme Treasure), Chaos Green Lotus (Great Dao Supreme Treasure)...

Special Items: Small World (Upgradeable)

Skills: Alchemy (Emperor-tier), Artifact Refining (Emperor-tier), Formation (Emperor-tier), Talisman (Emperor-tier)...

Disciples: Xiao Ruobai (Cave Heaven Realm Peak), Fang Hanyu (Cave Heaven Realm Peak), Ling Xi (Cave Heaven Realm Early Stage)

Gu Changge's eyes were calm as he scanned the vast sea-like stored cultivation and the dazzling array of supreme treasures.

If it really comes to it, once I leave the Xuanhuang Great World and extract my cultivation, I refuse to believe I can't handle it.

A confidence stemming from absolute strength naturally arose.

"Come with me." Gu Changge's voice was flat.

Before his words finished, he had already taken a step, and the surrounding time and space instantly flowed.

The Lord of Annihilation's heart tightened. Not daring to delay, he immediately reined in all the surging Imperial Might around him, perfectly internalizing the terrifying aura that could collapse star rivers, not letting a single trace leak out.

His figure moved, following closely like a shadow behind that seemingly ordinary figure, which nonetheless seemed to contain the trajectories of all heavens.

The next moment, the two had quietly left that secluded Small World and returned to the vast and boundless Void Realm of the Xuanhuang Great World.

Gu Changge did not stop. His gaze turned towards a certain subtle direction deep in the Universe, which was the end of the trajectory of the world's Origin that he had long sensed was continuously flowing away.

His steps seemed unhurried, like a leisurely stroll, but with each step he took, the starry sky beneath his feet rapidly receded, stars turned into streaks of light, and star rivers flowed like shuttles.

The Lord of Annihilation followed closely, secretly amazed. Although he had returned to the Imperial Throne and could perfectly control his own power, at this moment, even exerting his full escape speed, he still needed to concentrate to keep up with the Venerable One's seemingly casual pace.

The two traversed endless star rivers, passing through desolate Star Domains. The deeper they went, the sparser the surrounding stars became, and the thinner the Spiritual Qi, as if they were entering the edge of the world.

After an unknown period, the scene in the Void Realm ahead suddenly changed.

A boundless Chaos barrier, as if isolating eons, stretched across the horizon.

The barrier was not a physical entity, but composed of countless shattered, twisted, and intertwined Law fragments and Chaos Qi currents. It was colorful yet silent, exuding a chilling aura of desolation and nothingness.

It was like a giant, translucent membrane, enveloping the entire Xuanhuang Great World. Outside the membrane was the unknown, perilous endless Chaos Sea.

This was the boundary of the Xuanhuang Great World—the World Barrier!

Gu Changge stood in the Void Realm, his robes fluttering in the Chaos Qi currents. The World Barrier he gazed upon was far more damaged than he had imagined.

That translucent membrane was covered with crisscrossing cracks, revealing the churning dark purple Chaos Qi currents within, like unhealed scars after the heavens and earth had been torn apart.

The edges of some cracks were solidified Law fragments, emitting a faint golden light, but without any of their former vitality, like dead stars.

Most shocking was the desolate battlefield beneath the barrier.

Countless stellar remnants were scattered in the Void Realm, not a single complete outline discernible.

And among these stellar remains, specks of dark red were interspersed—that was dried but unscattered Imperial blood.

A drop of Imperial blood solidified on a half-broken stellar core, and despite eons, it still exuded a Soul-trembling pressure.

Not far away, a half-broken fragment of an Imperial Armament floated in the Void Realm.

The fragment was pitch black, its surface etched with incomplete Imperial runes. Although only one-third of its original length remained, one could still feel a trace of Imperial Might contained within it.