"The Heaven-Slaying Alliance's momentum is now unstoppable; there is no longer any possibility of contending against it. Yet I have still reached the most critical juncture — I am not entirely without opportunity."
Within the Vast Expanse, in a realm called the Lesser Western Sacred Domain, there stood a corrosion-rusted bronze palace hidden amidst multiple layers of chaotic spacetime currents.
The palace was incomparably vast, as if myriad stars converged within, each star a colossal continent.
And on each continent dwelled many living beings, among whom were not a few Dao Realms existences.
On the surface, the Lesser Western Sacred Domain was ruled by Buddhist cultivators, but in secret it had always been under the control of the Heavenly Decline Faction.
At this moment, Progenitor Xu sat deep in thought at the head seat of this rusted bronze palace. Below him, in order, were the many high-ranking members of the Heavenly Decline Faction.
However, those like Wu Xu Zi who had accompanied him to the Nightmare Demon Domain had all perished and lost their lives; even he could not revive them.
"What meaning is there in our scheming and plotting like this? In the end, we have both suffered heavy losses," said the Master of Fate flatly upon hearing these words.
He had brought all his subordinates with him, including his two Bodies of Five Aggregates.
One was a figure in white robes, carrying the bloodline of Zhong Jun. He had shone brilliantly in the war against the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, using The Fourth Ancient Killing Formation to trap Ling Yuling and exile her into chaotic spacetime.
The two child attendants who had previously followed by his side had always addressed him as "Second Master."
His real name was Ji Wudao, and he could be considered his son.
For the Master of Fate had once, through his Body of Five Aggregates, been entangled with Ji Hanshuang, Zhong Jun's youngest daughter.
Ji Hanshuang bore him a son, and that son was Ji Wudao.
Through Ji Wudao, he schemed to usurp the final vestiges of fortune from the Radiant Ancestral Court, devouring all its destiny and severing all its future prospects. He also successfully obtained the Tribulation-Crossing Disk that had once been in Zhong Jun's possession.
The other figure, bound in chains, was the black-clothed being from the Lifeless Hall, also present here.
He had a total of five Bodies of Five Aggregates, one of which now served as his main body.
The remaining two were still hidden away, kept as contingencies for unforeseen needs.
In the great hall, there were also other former high-ranking members of the Alliance of Righteous Unity, of varying strengths. The strongest were at the Ancestral Dao Realm level, while the slightly weaker were at the True Dao Realm level.
These were all subordinates and chess pieces the Master of Fate had cultivated over the years. Now that the chessboard was ruined, he was unwilling to accept it and could only bring all his subordinates with him, seeking another opportunity to rise again.
The karmic ties between him and Progenitor Xu ran deep, so finding his whereabouts was not difficult.
After the Alliance of Righteous Unity collapsed and disintegrated, he had come to find Progenitor Xu, who had avoided seeing him for a time.
The Master of Fate expended some effort to force a meeting and discuss their collaboration.
"If we had not probed clearly and acted blindly, not only I but even you would have had no chance of survival. Though you possess quite a few trump cards and contingency plans, you don't truly believe it would be difficult for the Lord of Heaven's Proxy to kill you, do you?" Progenitor Xu's expression was calm and indifferent, his entire being like an ethereal illusion of light, indistinct and unclear.
Hearing this, the Master of Fate was not angered. After that battle in the Nightmare Demon Domain, he now had a clear understanding of the Lord of Heaven's Proxy's strength.
At the very least, it was not something that the current him, nor Progenitor Xu, could contend against.
Even if Progenitor Xu had numerous methods and even claimed to have studied and understood the origin of the Lord of Heaven's Proxy.
Before that absolutely overwhelming and terrifying power, it would have no effect whatsoever.
"Unless one holds Authority, there is little chance of victory against the Lord of Heaven's Proxy. Yet from what I know, he has not seized or claimed any Authority…"
"Why is he so powerful, so unimaginably powerful even when merely drawing upon slumbering strength?" asked the Master of Fate.
Progenitor Xu spoke leisurely, "This is precisely the other path I mentioned to you before. To walk that path, one must fathom the true essence of his flesh and blood origin, understand everything about him, in order to forge a path anew for ourselves."
"You do not understand my boldness and ambition, nor do you know that I am blazing a new trail for the entire Vast Expanse. I am different from you."
The Master of Fate did not refute him. At their level, the ideals and beliefs each clung to were utterly different; it was impossible to convince one another.
Just like the path he himself persisted on—he was already on it, with no possibility of turning back, nor could he. Either he staked everything on one throw and succeeded, or his body and Dao would perish, his form and spirit utterly annihilated.
"During the Heavenly Faction Chaos back then, what did you obtain? Why are you so certain that a third path exists?" asked the Master of Fate.
"What did I obtain?"
Progenitor Xu smiled faintly. On his originally featureless face, a cold and then laughing expression suddenly appeared. "I obtained his blood and flesh. I studied and pondered it for many years and have come to know his origin. That is why I promised I could help more people advance further…"
"Why did the other tribes of The Eight Tribes all listen to me, to the point that I still have contingency plans and chess pieces within the Heavenly Faction even now? It is because I control the power they thirst for."
"The emergence of the Black Lotus Cult this time was one of my experiments, and the results pleased me greatly."
The Master of Fate did not wish to listen to such rambling. Right now, he only wanted to know: when the Lord of Heaven's Proxy's reckoning came, what were they to do? Did Progenitor Xu truly believe that hiding here would prevent them from being found?
But Progenitor Xu clearly did not intend to end this topic. A morbid, insane ambition revealed itself in his eyes, carrying a startling sense of the uncanny.
"I'll tell you—the Lord of Heaven's Proxy is not even a being of the Vast Expanse. It is precisely because of this that his existence has shattered everything we understood. Yet it is also because of his existence that I have the opportunity to come into contact with what is called 'truth'."
Hearing this, the Master of Fate frowned deeply.
Not a being of the Vast Expanse? Could he have come from the Land of Truth?
As for the third path that Progenitor Xu kept mentioning, the Master of Fate was well aware that it was nothing more than speculation, for no one had ever been able to walk that path.
Since ancient times, a rumor has circulated throughout the myriad worlds of the Vast Expanse: after crossing nine Heavenly Decline Tribulations, one could achieve Transcendence in a single leap.
But they all understood that to be a lie.
Even after crossing nine Heavenly Decline Tribulations, there was still no path to Transcendence before them. Instead, the fog grew thicker, and the way forward was severed.
This realm was what they called the End of the Path level.
Over the long cycles of ages, the many former Sages of antiquity, through various groping explorations and successive efforts, finally found two threads of clues within that fog.
Why only threads and not paths? Because no one had ever truly reached the end.
One method was, upon that End of the Path domain, to take yet another step forward—to shatter one's own path, abandon everything one had, and with supreme boldness, utterly fragment all that came before, thus stepping into the Supreme Shattering realm.
The Supreme Shattering realm was the ultimate extreme realm that could appear in the Vast Expanse to date.
The slightest misstep, and one's body and Dao would truly perish.
There is also the saying that when one takes a step with supreme boldness at the End of the Path domain, a gate will appear before one's eyes. That gate is considered the gate of Transcendence; one can shatter it and step through.
But only those who truly stand at the Supreme Shattering realm know that this is merely the gate of their own Dao Nirvana—the very gate they pushed open when stepping into the Dao Realms.
Supreme Shattering is simply shattering the Dao Realm gate and standing at a level transcendent beyond the Dao Realms.
The other method is when the Epoch Cataclysm descends and the Tribulation Reckoning Cycle is enacted upon the entire Vast Expanse. During that time, the Workings of Heaven will experience a period of obscurity and blurring.
At that moment, the Authority of heaven and earth will manifest, regarded as some kind of Dao Fruit.
If one can seize or occupy it, then one can lodge oneself upon this heaven and earth, coexisting with the Great Dao of the world, indestructible and unextinguishable, becoming an inconceivable existence and truly transcendent beyond the Dao Realms, unaffected by anything.
This level is also referred to by many ancient beings as the True Path Realm.
Beings who stand at this realm are the only ones who truly have the ability to evade the Workings of Heaven and the Reckoning. Even when the Epoch Cataclysm descends, they can easily obscure the Workings of Heaven to preserve themselves and the beings they wish to shelter.
As for the Supreme Shattering existences, because they are already sufficiently powerful, far beyond the Dao Realms domain, yet lack the ability of the True Path Realm level to obscure the Workings of Heaven and merge with the Great Dao of heaven and earth,
their every movement must be extremely cautious. The slightest misstep could draw notice, inviting the Reckoning.
Supreme Shattering and True Path Realm do not have a distinction of superiority in terms of strength or methods; they are simply two different choices made at the End of the Path domain.
Of course, if one could stand in the True Path Realm, no one would want to walk the Supreme Shattering path. Not to mention whether one could succeed, even after success one must tread as if on thin ice, meticulously cautious, fearful of revealing karmic traces and suffering the Reckoning, reducing eons of effort to nothing.
The Master of Fate's long-held scheme had always been to contend for the Dao Fruit—the so-called Authority of heaven and earth—before this epoch's Great Epoch Cataclysm, to establish himself in the True Path Realm.
Unfortunately, the appearance of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and Gu Changge had turned all his calculations and plans to naught.
Aside from these two paths, there had never been a third path from ancient times to the present. Yet during the Black Calamity Catastrophe, the appearance of the Lord of Heaven's Proxy allowed many who stood at the End of the Path level to see new hope.
The Lord of Heaven's Proxy seemed neither at Supreme Shattering nor established in the True Path Realm, yet his power faintly surpassed even those domains…
Thus, many speculated that he might have walked a third path. Progenitor Xu had once voluntarily followed the Lord of Heaven's Proxy and repeatedly sought his guidance, precisely to probe for news of this third path.
"I have no interest in the third path you speak of. You and I are now like grasshoppers tied to the same rope."
"Facing this situation, what solution do you have?" The Master of Fate's thoughts returned, and he looked at Progenitor Xu and asked.
"No solution."
Progenitor Xu said bluntly, "In the current Vast Expanse, those who could contend against the Lord of Heaven's Proxy or possibly deal with him will not easily reveal themselves. I followed him for a long time and have now personally risked myself to probe—I understand that he is still fishing. And those beings who hold Authority or have already reached Supreme Shattering will not easily take the bait and enter the field."
"He has been casting his net for a long time, but those fish are not foolish; how could they swim into the net at will? I suspect he has lost much of his patience and is ready to flip the table at any moment."
The Master of Fate was stunned; he had not considered this.
He fell silent for a moment. Though he felt unwilling, he could only accept this reality.
Progenitor Xu said indifferently, "You and I have only set foot in the End of the Path domain. In his eyes, what difference is there between us and small fish or shrimp?"
The Master of Fate remained silent.
He actually had another thought: back then, those former Sages had managed to seal the Lord of Heaven's Proxy using The Six Supreme Treasures of the First Civilization.
Why couldn't they do so now?
Gu Changge's strength surely had not yet recovered to its peak; they should still have a chance.
Progenitor Xu looked down at him and said, "However, it is not entirely hopeless. Wait for an opportunity and continue to lie low. The Epoch Cataclysm is approaching swiftly, and the Ancient Burial Civilization will soon be making its move…"
In his eyes, the Master of Fate was merely a chess piece. Now that the Master of Fate had come begging to him, he could at least make some use of him again.
As for whether the Master of Fate had his own schemes, he did not care.
Compared to everything he himself was plotting, the Master of Fate was indeed the insignificant fish and shrimp he described.
"I indeed have no choice now but to trust you." The Master of Fate looked at the many experts who followed behind him.
His conversation with Progenitor Xu had not been hidden from them.
As for Gu Changge's true identity, he had also considered exposing it to the public and then borrowing the combined power of the myriad races and civilizations of the Vast Expanse to deal with him.
But he rejected the idea.
Not to mention whether Gu Changge had already anticipated such a scenario, even if all the apparent forces of the Vast Expanse were combined, they would not be enough to contend with him.
The Heaven-Slaying Alliance's momentum was already unstoppable; no one could hinder it. Once he exposed his identity, Gu Changge might simply drop the pretense and, as Progenitor Xu had just said, flip the table.
What then? Without supreme power to rival Gu Changge, all calculations and schemes were futile.
With the Dark Clans obeying Gu Changge's commands, the entire Vast Expanse would once again welcome the former Dark Era, living under his rule and shadow.
Thus, only by taking advantage of Gu Changge's willingness to continue casting his net and maintaining the current situation could they lie low and scheme in the cracks.
Though he wished to cooperate with Progenitor Xu, he was inwardly on guard. The Six Supreme Treasures of the First Civilization were his greatest possibility and chance to reverse the situation.
Progenitor Xu did not know that he indeed possessed the Tribulation-Crossing Disk.
"I have plotted for so long, aiming for the Dao Fruit of this epoch, yet now it seems as if I'm about to become the savior of the Vast Expanse's myriad worlds…"
The Master of Fate felt somewhat self-mocking.
"On the side of the Ancient Burial Civilization, I have a friend I've known for a very long time. We can go there next."
"As it happens, the Great Epoch Reckoning of this epoch seems to be descending ahead of schedule…" said Progenitor Xu.
…
Another hundred years passed leisurely.
The situation in the Vast Expanse gradually stabilized. The Dark Clans, having abandoned the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, shifted their offensive. While searching for clues to the Land of the Nine Heavens, they systematically swept through the cosmic civilizations hidden within various dimensional spacetimes, one by one.
Some deeply concealed civilizations were exposed in the Vast Expanse as the Dark Clans invaded.
Among them were arcane civilizations comparable to the Divine Dao Civilization, as well as some heretic Dao civilizations born from imitating faith.
These civilizations successively took the field, suffering invasions by the Dark Clans and having no choice but to resist.
One universe after another was invaded by Dark Matter; black rain fell from the sky, black mist spread, and everything was continually corroded. The multiverses formed by many great realms were also unable to escape. In this process, True Worlds successively fell, completely turning into the territory of the Dark Clans.
Yet the Vast Expanse was indeed too vast. Even at their peak, the Dark Clans could not be everywhere, let alone now. Even with the Grand Sacrificial Ritual underway, they could not fully reach those far-flung corners.
A hundred years was far from enough to complete the Grand Sacrificial Ritual. Thus, the four High Priests of the Heavenly Faction once again took the field. Beyond the blurry firmament and the barriers of the myriad worlds, the ancient sacrificial chants resounded once more, and countless figures of beings appeared.
Around the blood-colored, ancient and boundless altar at the center, four more altars rose and stood.
The scale of the Grand Sacrificial Ritual grew even greater.
During this process, within those shattered and incomplete True Worlds and universes, many unreleased threads of destiny began to intertwine.
In the intangible nothingness, it seemed some great fortune was being born in response to the times, some force of heaven and earth converging in an indescribable pattern.
"Dark Clans! You destroyed my home, overturned my native soil, killed my parents! I am irreconcilable with the Dark Clans! In this life, I will surely quell the Black Calamity!"
On a charred, shattered land, a youth let out an angry roar, his fists clenched tight.
At this moment, some kind of fortune seemed to coalesce upon him; indescribable threads of destiny surged forth, transforming into a majestic power born in response to the tribulation.
Simultaneously, a certain voice seemed to echo between heaven and earth, as if even the High Heavens could not bear to watch the Dark Clans slaughter and harvest living beings, and was responding to this youth's call.
Mysterious forces were conceived and born within him. A strange vortex appeared inside his body, located at his dantian, shaped like a river of stars yet vast as an abyssal sea.
From those shattered and torn universal dimensions, residual forces seemed drawn by that vortex, continuously surging into his body.
In the span of a mere breath, the youth gained formidable and terrifying strength.
And in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, far across dimensions of spacetime, a pair of eyes calmly and indifferently watched him.