102: Chapter 102 The Fallen

"Vice Commander Ye!"

"This person is no longer a concern. I'll leave the rest to you..."

Master Guzhen said.

With a simple wave of his hand, a spatial tunnel formed directly in front of him.

Then,

he took a step forward and instantly vanished into the spatial tunnel.

"Respectfully seeing off Master Guzhen!"

...

In the entire Qingmu World,

Zhou Minghao was the only anomaly; otherwise, they would have been completely unable to stop Ye Tian and the Divine Martial Guards.

And now,

the "core of world origin" inside Zhou Minghao had been stripped away. He was now, at best, just a Martial Artist at the Land Immortal Realm.

Furthermore,

his entire cultivation had been forcibly boosted by the Origin energy within the "core of world origin."

Now that he had lost the "core of world origin," his true combat strength was likely inferior to even a Divine Martial Guard who had just entered the Land Immortal Realm.

Such strength

was no longer a concern within the Imperial Dynasty!

As for Master Guzhen,

part of the reason he left in such a hurry was because of that "core of world origin"!

Zhou Minghao simply didn't know its value.

One must realize

that even in the context of the entire Star Domain, a "core of world origin" was considered a rare supreme treasure.

The conditions for its birth were extreme to the point of absurdity.

Not every world could nurture one. It could even be said that among countless worlds, after countless tens of thousands of years, only one might be born!

It was not the wreckage of a destroyed world.

Rather, it was a physical crystal manifested through high condensation during a special, irreplicable transformation of a world!

One could say

that a "core of world origin" was the direct manifestation of a world's rules!

Its effects were even more Heaven-Defying.

Beyond allowing someone like Zhou Minghao to mobilize the world's Origin energy,

most importantly,

it carried a world's most fundamental Law imprints and evolutionary potential!

For Cultivators, especially experts who had already entered the Cave Heaven Realm and begun exploring the essence of worlds to construct their own Cave Heavens, the "core of world origin" was a priceless treasure!

By meditating on it,

one could understand the structure of a world and gain insight into the mysteries of Law operations.

It could greatly solidify one's Cave Heaven Foundation and even allow one to glimpse the threshold of higher Realms!

Legend has it

that if one could perfectly refine and fuse with a core of world origin that matched their own Dao, it was equivalent to mastering part of the mysteries of a "Domain" in advance, granting a pass to enter the Domain Realm!

While not a hundred percent guarantee, any Cultivator who obtained a core of world origin and successfully established a deep connection with it was essentially destined to step into the Domain Realm that countless Cultivators dreamed of—provided they didn't die prematurely.

They would become a true powerhouse and hegemon within a Star Domain!

This was why

Master Guzhen had shown a look of pity toward Zhou Minghao when he saw the core of world origin.

Such a treasure falling into the hands of someone like Zhou Minghao—whose Heart-Nature was unworthy and who only knew how to squander its surface-level power—was simply the greatest waste!

If it fell into the hands of a Cultivator with a resilient Heart-Nature, a clear Dao Heart, and aspirations for the Great Dao, it would be enough to shape a future Domain Realm powerhouse, or perhaps someone who could go even further.

Master Guzhen himself was already a powerhouse at the Seventh Heaven of the Cave Heaven Realm, currently in a critical period of climbing toward higher Realms.

Although the attributes of this Qingmu World core of world origin did not perfectly match the Formations and spatial Dao he primarily practiced, the fundamental principles of world construction it contained were all interconnected.

While Master Guzhen took the "core of world origin" to report to Wang Chen,

over in the Jiuyuan World,

the Imperial Dynasty's army swept through the entire world with an unstoppable Aura.

Compared to the Qingmu World,

the slaughter caused by the Imperial Dynasty's invasion of the Jiuyuan World was far greater!

This was because the one leading the Divine Martial Guards was none other than Li Youming.

Crucially,

their unit of Divine Martial Guards also gathered everyone from the original Nine Nether Sect.

There is a saying: "He who touches vermilion becomes red, and he who touches ink becomes black."

Could those who were close to Li Youming be any good?

Therefore,

aside from the original members of the Nine Nether Sect, the rest of the troops led by Li Youming were the more morally ambiguous members of the Divine Martial Guards.

These people,

compared to others in the Divine Martial Guards, had a much stronger bloodlust.

In this invasion of the Jiuyuan World,

Li Youming and his men could barely manage to spare those who immediately knelt and begged for mercy.

But anyone who was even a bit slow to surrender was directly hacked to death by them.

Meanwhile, in a remote corner of the Jiuyuan World,

deep within a treacherous mountain range perpetually shrouded in thick gray miasma, stood two figures, one old and one young.

The elderly man wore a green robe; he was thin with refined features, but his eyes were exceptionally bright and clear, as if they could pierce through all illusions.

Simply by standing there, he gave off a sense of stability as solid as a mountain.

The youth was about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in an exquisite moon-white brocade robe. He had handsome features, though his brow still held a hint of lingering childishness.

He pressed his lips together tightly, his gaze piercing through the thin miasma toward the distant horizon.

"Grandpa Mo! Should we... should we help this world?"

The elder known as "Grandpa Mo" was also looking into the distance.

However, upon hearing the youth's words, he gently shook his head and said in a somewhat raspy voice,

"Young Master, do not be impulsive! This matter is definitely not as simple as it appears on the surface."

He paused after speaking.

Then, pointing toward the massive spatial tunnel in the distant void, he explained to the youth beside him,

"Young Master, do you see that tunnel? Behind that spatial tunnel, two terrifying gazes are watching this world!"

"The owners of those two gazes... their Auras are so vast and profound that even I feel a sense of palpitations."

"What?"

Hearing this, the youth's expression changed abruptly. He whipped his head around to look at the elder, his eyes filled with unbelievable shock.

"Could it be that behind that spatial tunnel, there are existences even stronger than you, Grandpa Mo?"

He knew the background of this old servant very well.

Grandpa Mo's full name was Mo Wentian. He was once the third strongest person in the Family, second only to his grandfather and father, and had already entered the Cave Heaven Realm many years ago.

For gazes to make even Grandpa Mo feel "palpitations," the strength of their owners must be far beyond their imagination!

"Both owners of those gazes are stronger than me. One of them, I feel, is even superior to your grandfather!"

"Young Master, have you forgotten why we ended up in this barren land at the edge of the Star Domain? The world outside is vast and boundless, with experts as numerous as the clouds and the sea."

"This invading army before us is ruthless and efficient in its style, with strict military discipline. They are certainly no ordinary force. It is difficult to estimate what kind of existence stands behind them."

He patted the youth's shoulder and then said with deep meaning,

"We are currently like stray dogs, barely able to protect ourselves. We must not get caught up in an unknown whirlpool."

"Watching the situation unfold is the best policy. If this force is truly powerful and their methods... are acceptable, then perhaps..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the youth already understood his meaning.

Perhaps,

as wanderers with nowhere to go, they could try to make contact.

Or even... seek asylum?

The youth fell silent.

He looked up at the massive spatial tunnel, and a light seemed to be slowly dawning in his eyes...

[Let's discuss the plot, even just an emoji is fine...]