The Vanished Ancient Emperor

Gu Changge stood quietly deep within the void of the small world. His gaze fell calmly upon the Lord of Annihilation, taking in the surging, boundless imperial might radiating from him—a power that felt as though it could effortlessly tear apart galaxies.

This boundless and majestic power carried the chaotic intent of the cycle of life and death. Merely its naturally exuded aura was enough to make the laws of a great world tremble and force all living beings into instinctive submission.

This was the ultimate power on the cultivation path of this world, a realm dreamed of by billions of cultivators yet forever out of reach—the peak of the Great Emperor realm!

The Lord of Annihilation had undoubtedly returned to this state. Furthermore, thanks to the Chaos Heaven-Mending Stone, his foundation was far more profound and solid than it had been in the ancient era. With purer and more majestic imperial power, he now stood as one of the supreme experts at the absolute pinnacle of eternity.

However, Gu Changge quietly sensed his own condition.

Although he was also at the peak of the Great Emperor realm, standing there felt as though he existed in a completely different dimension.

He could clearly perceive the strength of the Lord of Annihilation, vast and boundless like a sea of stars.

Yet, in his eyes, this sea of stars seemed well within reach. The trajectories of its movements and the tides of its power were entirely clear to him.

An absurd yet incredibly real thought naturally surfaced in his mind.

He needed no divine abilities, no secret arts, not even any power that transcended the laws of this world.

Through the purest, most direct application of force alone, a single slap would be enough to instantly reduce the Lord of Annihilation at his peak, along with his proud imperial dao laws and imperishable imperial body, into flying ash.

This disparity was not a matter of cultivation realms, but an absolute chasm on a fundamental, life-form level.

The root of this lay in his unique Hongmeng Divine Body.

The strength of the Lord of Annihilation was the absolute limit achievable within the framework of this world's rules, the endpoint of countless legends and myths.

In contrast, the very existence of Gu Changge's Hongmeng Divine Body was akin to the source of the Dao, a symbol of origin that transcended all rules.

His power did not stem from heaven and earth, but from the infinite Hongmeng world harbored within his own divine body.

The power of the Lord of Annihilation was undeniably real.

He could effortlessly extinguish galaxies and reshape the universe, serving as the endpoint of countless legends and myths.

Yet, Gu Changge's strength was a state of normalcy that the Lord of Annihilation could neither comprehend nor even imagine.

His power was restrained to the absolute limit, returning to its original simplicity. So much so that, despite both being at the peak of the Great Emperor realm, standing opposite him was like a firefly gazing up at the eternal sky—there was simply no comparison.

Gu Changge withdrew his gaze, his heart entirely tranquil. He had merely confirmed a fact once again: even under the label of the same cultivation realm, there existed an uncrossable chasm between him and ordinary peak Great Emperors, one they could never traverse in all eternity.

The Lord of Annihilation was already a rare powerhouse in this world, fully capable of sweeping across the heavens.

But before him, he remained as insignificant as a speck of dust.

The Lord of Annihilation slowly withdrew the surging imperial might surrounding him. That terrifying aura, capable of crushing galaxies, was now perfectly under his control, sealed within his body so as not to shake this small world any longer.

He carefully familiarized himself with this revitalized imperial body, which was far stronger than during his ancient peak. Feeling the cycle of life and death and the brand-new power of chaos unifying into one, a complex light of mingled excitement and awe flickered in his eyes.

A moment later, having fully adapted to his power, he once again faced that blurry and majestic figure deep in the void. Bowing with the utmost respect, his voice grew much steadier, carrying the vicissitudes and solemnity befitting an ancient Great Emperor:

"My Lord, I have adapted to this body. This restoration has not only reshaped my imperial foundation, but the fragmented and chaotic memories from my decay during slumber have also been largely restored alongside my returning power."

He pondered slightly, seemingly organizing distant memories from eons past, and continued:

"After I severed my own cultivation and fled into the forbidden life zone to linger on with my last breath, the outside world did not fall into dead silence over the long years.

According to my revived memories, even after my time, stunningly brilliant individuals still rose against the heavens in this world, proving their Dao to become Great Emperors and illuminating one era after another."

His tone carried a trace of emotion, a sigh directed at the long river of time and the endless emergence of heroes.

"They were like brilliant meteors, illuminating their respective eras and creating invincible legends... However, they ultimately could not escape the mandate of heaven. Failing to find the method of immortality, they eventually either passed away in obscurity, returning to dust.

Or... perhaps, much like myself, they chose to sever their cultivation and fled into the major forbidden zones, becoming a part of the darkness to prolong their waning lives."

At this point, his voice paused slightly. His expression became unprecedentedly solemn, as though he had recalled something incredibly terrifying.

"But during a certain era, an earth-shattering event truly occurred.

That great war did not erupt within the continent we reside in, but deep within the boundless starry sky, perhaps even... beyond the realm walls!"

"The level of that battle was extraordinarily high. With our profound cultivation, we could vaguely sense powerful energy fluctuations from an extreme distance.

Although I did not participate personally, those terrifying fluctuations made even Great Emperors tremble, accompanied by the horrifying sights of snapping laws and entire swathes of stars being annihilated..."

He raised his head and looked at Gu Changge, a trace of uncertainty and deep dread lingering in his eyes.

"Ever since then, heaven and earth seemed to grow more 'silent.' Becoming an Emperor... seemingly grew increasingly difficult."

Any one of these eternal secrets would be enough to shake the heavens if leaked, but before the unfathomable lord before him, he dared not hide or exaggerate the slightest detail.

Gu Changge stood quietly in the void. Listening to the deep, weathered narration of the Lord of Annihilation, his face remained completely placid, though a faint ripple stirred in his heart.

During the long years he had spent checking in, slumbering, and occasionally awakening on this Purple Bamboo Peak, he had sometimes let his divine sense roam the heavens on a whim. He had perused extremely ancient ruins and lost tomes, learning scattered fragments of this world's ancient history.

He knew that during the long years after the Lord of Annihilation fled into the forbidden zone, things were indeed exactly as he described—it was not completely dead silent.

The protagonists of various eras took the stage, and stunningly brilliant Great Emperors rose to power. They suppressed their contemporaries and illuminated eternity, leaving behind countless myths and legends.

However, the ultimate fates of these Great Emperors had largely become mysteries.

Records indicated that a portion of the Great Emperors had indeed exhausted their imperial lifespans, ultimately passing away in obscure corners. Their imperial bodies dissolved into the Dao, feeding their energy back to heaven and earth.

But there were others—especially those in their prime who should have had long imperial lifespans ahead of them—who would often, at a certain moment and without any warning... vanish.

They were not defeated in battle, nor did they fall. Instead, it was as if they had evaporated from the world, leaving absolutely no traces to be found.

Their Dao traditions might still exist, and their legends might still circulate, but they themselves had completely vanished into the long river of time, making it impossible to trace even the slightest hint of their existence.

I have some matters to attend to this afternoon, so today's update is a bit early!