7: A great power to promote the world!

That skyline, cleanly "erased."

Like an eternal scar across the universe, it silently narrated everything that had just transpired.

However.

Before Shi Hao and the others could recover from this incomprehensible terror,

A more ancient, more ultimate pressure.

From the end of the World Sea, from the upstream of the River of Time, from the source of every living being's bloodline, it slowly awakened.

The entire Perfect World froze.

The wind no longer blew, the clouds no longer flowed.

Even the operation of the Great Dao Laws came to a standstill!

A will, mixed with endless darkness, decay, and ill omens.

Like ink dripping into clear water, it instantly polluted the entire universe.

A blurry yet majestic Emperor's Shadow appeared in the true spirits of all existences above the Immortal King level.

"Outsider... You have crossed the line."

That voice did not propagate through any medium; it resounded directly on a conceptual level.

It was filled with supreme majesty and indifference, as if it were the judgment of the Heavenly Dao.

This was the true ruler of this world.

The one who initiated the Dark Turmoil, referred to as the "Supreme Being at the End of the Soul River," the "Emperor."

A Tier 10 Supreme Being who had lived for countless epochs and regarded the entire world as his own pasture.

Gu Jianghan's clone stood silently on the cliff.

Facing this will, powerful enough to instantly dissolve and destroy an Immortal King's Dao, his heart remained completely unperturbed.

Two forces, both at the Tier 10 limit, collided in the void.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only mutual cancellation and annihilation.

This was a pure contest of tiers.

And within the rules framework of this world, neither could truly overcome the other.

The Emperor's Shadow was somewhat surprised by Gu Jianghan's strength, then sneered:

"Interesting. An existence on par with this venerable one. Unfortunately, this world is this venerable one's cage, and also this venerable one's domain. Here, this venerable one is Heaven. Can you afford the cost?"

The clone did not answer.

Because Gu Jianghan's main body, behind it, seemed to have grown weary of this "evenly matched" game.

The next moment.

A silent sigh resounded from the very root of the multiverse.

There was no anger, no fighting intent in that sigh.

Only a sense of... boredom, as if finding the "arena too small, not enough fun."

Then, the entire Perfect World... began its "upgrade."

Boom—!!!

This was not a sound; it was the roar of the "Dao"!

The fundamental Great Dao supporting the entire universe was as if grasped by an invisible hand, forcibly stretched and expanded outward!

The sky visibly became higher and more distant, and above the firmament, it seemed as if nine more layers of heavenly palaces had been superimposed!

The earth extended infinitely, becoming incredibly thick and solid!

The World Sea was no longer an obstruction; its end was forcibly pushed open, revealing a vaster, unknown domain!

All cultivators, whether mortals or Supremes.

All felt their internal bottlenecks, their cultivation shackles, shattered in an instant!

Exotic Realm.

Immortal Kings An Lan and Yu Tuo rose from their imperial thrones, their faces filled with disbelief.

They felt it!

That path leading to the "Emperor" was no longer a vague legend.

Instead, it became incredibly clear, as if taking just one step would allow them to achieve emperorship!

Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

One by one, the sleeping Immortal Kings opened their eyes.

Their faces first showed ecstasy, then transformed into endless fear.

Because they understood that this was not a gift from heaven and earth, but that some... some unimaginable existence, was forcibly "reforming" this world!

"Who... who is shaking the myriad Great Daos of the heavens!!!" an Immortal King roared in terror.

"This is impossible! The structure of the universe is an ironclad rule that even the succession of epochs cannot change!"

At this moment.

That supreme Emperor's Shadow also fell into unprecedented shock and vacant stupor.

He was the strongest, and his perception was the clearest.

The "capacity" of this world was being forcibly expanded!

He, a "max-level" Tier 10 existence, suddenly had a higher, vaster Tier 11 sky appear above his head!

And at this very instant.

Gu Jianghan's clone opposite him began to surge wildly in power.

The power originally restricted to Tier 10 by the world's rules.

Like a fierce tiger breaking free from its cage, it unhinderedly stepped into that brand new Tier 11 domain, existing only for him!

The gap in tiers, at this moment, formed an unbridgeable chasm.

"You... what have you done..." The Emperor's Shadow's voice for the first time carried horror and bewilderment.

Gu Jianghan's clone finally slowly lifted his eyes.

That gaze.

It was like a creator looking down at a flawed old work he had just casually molded.

"Nothing."

The clone's voice was terrifyingly calm, "Just felt this world was too small, so I... made some room for you and me."

No sooner had he spoken, he didn't even make a move.

That Tier 11 thought gently swept across.

That Tier 10 Supreme Ruler who had spanned countless epochs, initiated endless dark turmoils, and was regarded as ultimate terror.

Along with all traces of his existence in the past, present, and future.

Like a bubble in the sunlight, with a "pop," it cleanly and utterly... shattered.

The moment the Dark Ruler was completely obliterated.

The sky of the entire Perfect World wept.

Endless blood rain poured down from above the Nine Heavens.

Every drop of rain contained fragments of the Great Dao and the wailing of the laws.

The rain stained the mountains and rivers red, and permeated the star rivers.

Whether it was the cities where mortals lived, the grotto-heavens where cultivators resided, or the ancient islands deep within the World Sea.

All were now covered by this sorrowful blood rain.

This was the lament of heaven and earth, a necessary anomaly caused by the enormous void in the entire cosmic rule system after the fall of a Tier 10 Supreme Being.

Exotic Realm, above the ancient Imperial Pass.

An Lan abruptly crushed the golden ancient spear in his hand, and Yu Tuo's eyes were filled with unprecedented horror.

They looked up at the blood-red sky, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"The Emperor... has fallen?"

An Lan's voice was incredibly dry, "Was... was he obliterated by that outsider with a single strike, across endless time and space?"

Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

One by one, the Immortal Kings awakened from their slumber, staring blankly at the blood rain sweeping across the myriad realms, a chill rising from their feet to the crown of their heads.

They understood the meaning of this blood rain better than anyone.

The overlord of an era, the end of an epoch, just like that... gone?

Not besieged, not sealed.

But completely "deleted" from the very foundation of his existence by a power they could not comprehend!

Fear!

Unprecedented fear enveloped the heart of every supreme powerhouse.

What exactly was that existence that forcibly elevated the world's level just now?!

And on the nameless precipice at the center of the storm, the blood rain poured down, yet it could not approach within a hundred zhang of Gu Jianghan's clone.

That area was a world unto itself, impervious to all laws.

Shi Hao, Lin Moyan, Su Qingyuan, and Gu Yanci stood in this absolute pure land.

They looked up at the dirge of the apocalypse outside.

Then they looked at the calm figure before them, their brains having completely lost the ability to think.

With a "thump," it was Gu Yanci.

His knees buckled, and he prostrated himself, bowing down completely.

He was so excited that his whole body trembled, and he shouted with all his strength, from the bottom of his heart:

"Long live the Group Leader! Long live! Long, long live!!!"

However.

His shout had not yet faded.

Su Qingyuan, also kneeling beside him, suddenly slapped him on the back of the head.

The force was so great that Gu Yanci face-planted into the mud.

Gu Yanci turned back in astonishment, only to see Su Qingyuan's face, a look of anger and piety almost like a fanatic.

She lowered her voice and reprimanded him in an incredibly stern tone:

"Fool! What nonsense are you spouting! 'Long live,' that's a lifespan that mortal emperors need to calculate! You use 'time' to measure a god? This is the greatest curse upon a god! Do you want to die?!"

Curse... a god?

Gu Yanci and Shi Hao, who was beside him, were struck by lightning simultaneously, instantly understanding the meaning behind those words.

Yes... for an existence that could casually upgrade worlds and obliterate Supremes, did time still hold any meaning?

To bless him with "ten thousand years of life" was not that a curse, implying he would eventually have a day of passing?

This was simply the most malicious offense under heaven!

Shi Hao trembled all over as he looked at the clone before him.

The last shred of pride and unwillingness in his heart completely transformed into pure reverence, like gazing at the starry sky.

So.

This was the true pinnacle, a realm that even the word "immortality" was unfit to describe.

As for the farce behind him.

Gu Jianghan's clone never looked back from beginning to end, not even a ripple of emotion.

He merely watched the sky full of blood rain, as if appreciating a landscape unrelated to himself.

It was not until the blood rain gradually subsided that he slowly turned around, his gaze calmly falling upon Shi Hao.