World Barriers

The terrifying battle beyond the heavens mentioned by the Lord of Annihilation reminded Gu Changge of a certain Great Emperor.

That seemed to be the one closest to the present era, and also one whose talent and brilliance could be called unprecedented and unrepeatable—the Great Emperor of Samsara.

He defied the heavens to prove his Dao in a relatively barren era, sweeping across the heavens with an invincible posture. Yet, after ascending to the imperial throne and reaching the absolute peak of his prime, he left his imperial court one day and never returned.

He left not a single word behind, nor were there any known ripples of battle. He just... vanished into thin air.

Could it be...

Gu Changge's gaze seemed to pierce through endless space and time as a clear thought surfaced in his mind.

Could it be that those Great Emperors who mysteriously disappeared in their prime did not hide themselves away, but... were swept into the level of extraterrestrial war that the Lord of Annihilation spoke of?

A terrifying conflict of such an extremely high tier that it was enough to involve Great Emperors at their peak, and perhaps even... make it impossible for them to extricate themselves, or even cause them to perish within?

If this was truly the case, then the truth behind this so-called battle beyond the heavens was probably far more complex than ordinary realm conquests or resource struggles.

To be able to make even peak Great Emperors fall and fail to send back even a single message... what kind of opponent could that be?

He recalled an earlier time when his divine sense was investigating the signs of the origin loss in this Xuanhuang Great World, tracing the unseen trajectory of the loss toward the outside of the realm.

At first, he thought it might be one or several equally powerful, or even more ancient great worlds, plundering the foundation of the Xuanhuang Great World through some overbearing means to nourish themselves.

This kind of law of the jungle between worlds was not impossible in the endless chaotic void.

However, the information about the great war provided by the Lord of Annihilation, along with the bizarre disappearance cases of those peak Great Emperors, made this seemingly reasonable speculation appear somewhat superficial.

If it was merely a war of plunder between powerful worlds, it might be tragic, but it would definitely not cause a Great Emperor at his peak, holding the Mandate of Heaven and practically omnipotent within this world, to vanish without a trace, unable to send back even the slightest bit of information.

"It seems the truth goes beyond this..."

Gu Changge whispered in his heart.

The waters behind this were deeper than he had imagined.

The Lord of Annihilation felt the indescribable profundity in Gu Changge's gaze, and his divine soul involuntarily tensed up, as if his words just now had pushed open a door to a more terrifying truth for his Lord.

He held his breath and concentrated, not daring to interrupt his Lord's thoughts.

Gu Changge's thoughts raced as he quickly weighed the situation.

The danger capable of making peak Great Emperors disappear silently was indeed beyond imagination. Although I am not afraid, getting rashly involved is not a wise move.

It seems that keeping a low profile all this time, staying hidden on the Purple Bamboo Peak to sign in and develop, was indeed the right choice. Being a bit cautious is never wrong.

An incredibly steady thought emerged: At worst, I'll just completely hole up within my Invincible Domain. No matter how the outside world turns upside down, it won't be able to affect me in the slightest.

But immediately after, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes:

But then, a sharp light flashed in his eyes: 'However, if the day truly comes when I must face it...'

With a slight movement of his mind, a virtual panel visible only to him appeared:

Host: Gu Changge

Identity: Peak Master of the Purple Bamboo Peak, Azure Profound Sect

Cultivation: Peak Great Emperor (Stored Cultivation: 16.92 million years) [Stored cultivation can be extracted at any time]

Cultivation Method: Primordial Grandmist Art (Perfected)

Divine Abilities: Delusion-Shattering Divine Eye, Law Follows the Word, Palm Controlling the Universe, Invulnerable to Myriad Laws, Invincible Domain (Range: Ten million miles in radius, within the domain, all things can be suppressed with a single thought)^

Physique: Grandmist Divine Physique

Magical Treasures: Grandmist Pearl (Great Dao Supreme Treasure), Time Shuttle (Great Dao Supreme Treasure), Fortune Jade Butterfly (Great Dao Supreme Treasure), Chaotic Green Lotus (Great Dao Supreme Treasure)...

Special Items: Small World (Growth Type)

Skills: Alchemy (Emperor Grade), Forging (Emperor Grade), Formations (Emperor Grade), Talismans (Emperor Grade)...

Disciples: Xiao Ruobai (Peak Cave Heaven Realm), Fang Hanyu (Peak Cave Heaven Realm), Ling Xi (Early Cave Heaven Realm)

Sweeping his gaze over the ocean-like stored cultivation and the dazzling array of supreme treasures, Gu Changge's eyes remained calm.

If push comes to shove, once I leave the Xuanhuang Great World, I'll extract all the cultivation. I refuse to believe I won't be able to handle it.

A confidence stemming from absolute strength spontaneously arose.

"Come with me for a trip." Gu Changge's voice was plain.

Before his voice even faded, he had already taken a step forward, and the surrounding space and time instantly flowed around him.

The Lord of Annihilation felt a chill in his heart and dared not show the slightest negligence. He immediately retracted all the surging Emperor's might around him, perfectly concealing that terrifying aura capable of crushing galaxies, without leaking a single trace.

His figure moved, following closely like a shadow behind that seemingly ordinary silhouette which appeared to contain the trajectories of the heavens.

The next moment, the two had quietly left that isolated small world and returned to the vast and boundless void of the Xuanhuang Great World.

Gu Changge did not stop. He cast his gaze toward an unseen direction deep in the universe, which was the end of the trajectory of the continuous loss of the world's origin that he had long perceived.

His pace did not seem fast, akin to a leisurely stroll in a courtyard, but with every step he took, the starry sky beneath his feet rapidly retreated. Stars turned into flowing light, and galaxies shuttled past.

The Lord of Annihilation followed closely behind, secretly alarmed. Although he had returned to the Emperor realm and could perfectly control his own power, even utilizing his full flying speed at this moment, he still needed to focus intently just to keep up with his Lord's seemingly casual pace.

The two traversed endless galaxies and swept past dead star fields. The deeper they went, the sparser the surrounding stars became, and the spiritual energy grew thinner, as if they had entered the edge of the world.

After an unknown amount of time, the scene in the void ahead suddenly changed.

A boundless chaotic barrier that seemed to isolate all eternity stretched across the end of their vision.

That barrier was not physical, but composed of countless shattered, twisted, and intertwined law fragments and chaotic air currents. It was colorful yet deathly silent, exuding a heart-palpitating aura of ancient desolation and nothingness.

It was like a massive, semi-transparent membrane enveloping the entire Xuanhuang Great World. Outside the membrane lay the unknown, endless chaotic sea filled with danger.

This was the boundary of the Xuanhuang Great World—the World Barrier!

Gu Changge stood in the void, his robes fluttering loudly in the chaotic air currents. The World Barrier within his sight was far more dilapidated than he had imagined.

The semi-transparent membrane was covered in crisscrossing cracks, revealing the churning dark purple chaotic currents inside, like scars left behind after heaven and earth were torn apart that had failed to heal.

At the edges of some cracks, long-solidified law fragments had condensed, emitting a dim golden light, yet lacking any of their former agility, like dead stars.

The most shocking sight was the desolate battlefield beneath the barrier.

The wreckage of countless stars was scattered across the void, making it difficult to discern even a single complete outline.

And among these stellar remains, specks of dark red were dotted—that was Emperor's blood, long dried up yet never dissipated.

A drop of Emperor's blood was solidified on a severed star core. Despite enduring through the ages, it still emitted a coercion that made one's soul tremble.

Not far away, a broken fragment of an Imperial Weapon hovered in the void.

The shard was pitch-black through and through, its surface etched with fragmented Imperial runes. Even though only a third of its original length remained, one could still sense a faint trace of the Imperial might contained within it.