498: Turmoil is coming

"What a pity... it failed!"

The voice of Ancient Emperor Lei Peng rang out, carrying a hint of indescribable exhaustion and cold mockery.

One couldn't tell if he was mocking his opponents or themselves.

Indeed, it had all fallen through at the last moment.

No one knew better than these Forbidden Zone Supremess how meticulous their plan had been.

From the very beginning of their scheme, they knew a mysterious expert was hidden behind Battle Asura, and they even vaguely sensed there was more than one; this wariness was etched into their very marrow.

To ensure a certain kill and eliminate all future troubles, several Forbidden Zones broke their barriers to join forces, deploying seven Supremes and planning for a long time.

They struck ruthlessly, precisely timing the moment when the Human Race Prodigies relaxed after their victory, killing the Human Race Prodigies first.

Then, the seven of them would join forces to surround and kill the mysterious experts behind them, believing their plan was foolproof.

They had accounted for Xiao Hei's strength being comparable to a Great Emperor, and they had even anticipated that other experts might come to his aid, preparing countermeasures accordingly.

But they never expected that Xiao Hei's strength would be so formidable.

Even with four Supremes surrounding him at the risk of their lives, they still failed to stop him.

They hadn't expected that a Supreme intercepting reinforcements would be heavily injured by the opponent within a few breaths, held in his hand like a dead dog.

Even less did they expect that Xiao Ruobai and the others would each possess a Supreme Emperor Weapon; such a Foundation was enough to overturn any prediction.

However, what caused a chill to rise from the depths of their Dao Hearts—even surpassing the sting of failure—was another incomprehensible mystery.

The two before them were genuine, Flawless Great Emperors!

But the Xuanhuang Great World had only just recovered, and the Myriad Daos had not manifested the heavenly phenomena of a Great Emperor's birth; how exactly did they achieve emperorship?!

This variable that defied common sense caused them more unease and fear than the five emperor weapons.

This could no longer be described as "Foundation"; it was an anomaly capable of overturning their entire perception!

The narrator's sighs were hidden in the deathly silent wind; the faces of every Forbidden Zone Supremes grew increasingly gloomy, with resentment and ferocity churning within their decaying auras.

"Since we have already acted and become entangled in Karma..."

Beside him, Ancient Emperor Tian Ming, whose body was wreathed in netherworld Death Qi, slowly raised his head. Soul-fire burned faintly in his eye sockets, and his voice was like the cold wind of the Nine Netherworlds.

"Then there is no turning back."

Ancient Emperor Lei Peng slowly closed his eyes and then opened them again. The last ripple of emotion in his eyes had faded, leaving only eternal, unyielding coldness and resolve.

He looked at Great Emperor Ji Mie and Xiao Hei, speaking slowly:

"And this Southern Region shall be the place where you Emperors fall!"

Ancient Emperor Lei Peng's words were like the bell of final judgment; before the echoes could fade, a sudden change occurred!

"Buzz—!!!"

The entire Xuanhuang Great World suddenly let out a wail that pierced through past and present, making the Divine Souls of all living beings tremble!

It wasn't a sound, but a violent vibration originating from the world's Origin, as if the Foundation of the entire Universe was being shaken.

The sky darkened in an instant, the sun and moon lost their light, and the stars swayed as if they were about to fall.

The Dao Laws became chaotic and disordered, and apocalyptic scenes of landslides, tsunamis, and erupting earth veins appeared simultaneously in countless regions.

"It has begun..."

Ancient Emperor Lei Peng whispered indifferently, the last trace of humanity in his eyes completely extinguished, leaving only pure destructive will.

Almost at the same time.

In the Eastern Region, in that forbidden land that could swallow even light, Burial God Abyss, a massive rift spanning hundreds of thousands of miles suddenly split open!

Surging black-red Evil Qi, like the breath of an awakening prehistoric beast, soared into the sky, dyeing half the heavens an ominous blood color.

Vaguely, three blurry figures larger than mountains slowly stood up within the Evil Qi, their cold gazes crossing endless space to lock directly onto the Southern Region battlefield.

At the same time, in another life-forbidden zone in the Eastern Region that made people turn pale at its mention, the Ruins of Gods Demise, an earth-shattering roar erupted.

The entire ruins seemed to come alive, the ground turning into a quicksand vortex that swallowed everything.

In the center of the vortex, four crimson lights lit up, looking toward the south with playfulness and cruelty.

In the Central Region, in the Sea of Reincarnation—located at the center of the continent and rumored to connect to the mysteries of Reincarnation—the originally calm sea surface instantly boiled!

The seawater spiraled up into the sky, turning into blood-colored waterspouts that connected heaven and earth. From the depths of the sea eye, an ancient palace built from countless white bones and vengeful souls slowly surfaced.

Three figures shrouded in Reincarnation divine light sat upon bone thrones, their auras obscure, as if they held dominion over the rebirth and death of all living beings.

And echoing the Sea of Reincarnation, from the Void Cave, an endless void storm swept out; wherever it passed, space, time, matter, and energy were all reduced to nothingness.

Two figures, appearing both real and illusory, strolled out of the cave, each step causing everything around them to be annihilated.

In the Northern Region's Permafrost Glacier and the Western Region's Yellow Springs Ancient Desert, apocalyptic phenomena also broke out, and five figures slowly walked out.

At this moment, the six major Forbidden Zones and the auras of sixteen Supremes erupted simultaneously without reservation!

The Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth was frantically siphoned away and injected into the various Forbidden Zones to support the Supremes' manifestation in the world.

Laws wailed, space collapsed inch by inch, light distorted, and all things lost their original color, leaving only a desperate grayness.

Along with the Golden Crow Ancient Emperor and the five others above the Bronze Ancient City in the Southern Region, a total of twenty-two self-severed Supremes had their auras linked to heaven and earth, triggering the most fundamental fear and wailing of the Xuanhuang Great World.

"This... this is..."

"Supreme auras, and more than one! It's all of them! They've all awakened!"

"Could it be the Dark Turmoil?

The true Dark Turmoil has come!"

In the Xuanhuang Great World, whether it was the ancient Holy Lands that lived in seclusion or the gathering places of Loose Cultivators struggling to survive...

...all of them, at this moment, let out the most terrified screams from the depths of their Divine Souls.

It was not one or two, but twenty-two undisguised, terrifying auras that pierced through the heavens.

Like twenty-two pitch-black suns of destruction, rising simultaneously in different corners of this world!

The entire Xuanhuang Great World was filled with scenes of doomsday everywhere!

"Run! Run quickly!"

"Where can we run?! In all the vastness of heaven and earth, there is no longer a pure land!"

"All the Supremes have emerged; they're going to destroy the world! Destroy the world!"

In the midst of this extreme chaos, some well-informed old Cultivators, looking at the pillars of destructive light soaring into the sky, let out even more desperate and unbelievable roars.

"They're crazy! They've all gone crazy!!"

"Burial God Abyss, Ruins of Gods Demise, Sea of Reincarnation, Void Cave... all the Forbidden Zones! All the Forbidden Zones are moving!"

"What on earth happened?! According to ancient records, even during the most tragic Dark Turmoils of the past, only a few Supremes from one or two Forbidden Zones would emerge to harvest life essence to sustain themselves... Why, this time, have the ancient Supremes from all the Forbidden Zones emerged?!"

"Twenty-two Supreme auras! Unprecedented since ancient times! Unheard of!"

"This isn't a harvest; this is a cleansing! They want to completely tear down and restart the Xuanhuang Great World! Terror! Great terror!"

These screams filled with horror were like cold knives, piercing the hearts of everyone who heard them.

They gave them a clearer and more desperate understanding of the catastrophe before them.

This far exceeded any turmoil in recorded history; this was the true end!