In the distant starry sky, there was a brilliant divine light.
A huge hand reached out from among the stars and lay flat upon the firmament, palm open, and on it sat a golden yellow star.
"Sun," said a low voice, telling the story behind this golden yellow star.
"You took it from some minor realm again, didn't you? That's the seventh one," said an indifferent voice, revealing the origin of this golden star.
The huge hand grasped the golden star tightly again and withdrew back among the stars. After a moment of silence, the stars suddenly started swirling violently, and a pair of godly eyes peered out from their midst, standing at the very top of the stars. At the same time, a voice spoke:
"It will be perfect to trade with the Golden Crow Tribe of the Great Sun, especially since the Golden Crow Immortal Emperor is so fond of suns from different realms."
"Taking away a sun is equivalent to destroying half of a minor realm. You are quite ruthless," said the indifferent voice.
"Since they are minor realms, they should be prepared to be annihilated. Anyway, they will grow back after twenty thousand years or so," said the owner of the godly eyes indifferently.
The indifferent voice laughed lightly and said, "You'd better pray that the Supreme Being does not catch you, otherwise your newly advanced Quasi-Emperor status may be revoked and you'll have to start all over again."
The owner of the godly eyes was silent for a while as his eyes flashed among the stars. After half a moment, he asked,
"Is that Martial Emperor from All Heavens World really so terrifying?"
"Why else do you think he is called the Supreme Being?" asked back the indifferent voice.
The owner of the godly eyes fell silent again. When he attained divinity, he had heard about the legend of the Supreme Being.
The Way of Heaven allows a total of three hundred Grand Daos, collectively called the Three Hundred Grand Daos, to exist in All Heavens World.
The three hundred Grand Daos are not fixed but represent the different Daos that Emperors have cultivated to prove their title.
Some powerful realms like the Immortals Realm and the Gods Realm can have several Emperors at the same time.
While weak minor realms may not even have a single Quasi-Saint.
In addition, there is also a special existence above them called the Great Heaven.
It is said that the Great Heaven is the son of the Way of Heaven. There is no concept of realms there, only star domains that are closely connected and can interact with each other.
The Great Heaven occupies one hundred spots of the Grand Dao, leaving the remaining two hundred for the worlds below to divide among themselves.
Each Emperor can live up to a hundred thousand years or so. Some may live an additional hundred thousand years with the help of immortal elixirs, and that is the limit.
The Supreme Being is an exception.
Legend has it that there are three Supreme Beings who proved their emperorship a long time ago and have lived for more than five hundred thousand years, roaming All Heavens World.
Among them, the reputation of the Martial Emperor is especially prominent since he keeps wandering the worlds and has killed the most Quasi-Emperors and Emperors.
It is said that he has killed over a hundred Quasi-Emperors and more than ten Emperors.
According to legend, the Martial Emperor came from the realm that houses the All Heavens Formation that restricts the Way of Heaven itself. But he definitely did not come from the realm, but rather a minor heaven and earth inside of it.
It is said that he had participated in setting up that grand Realm Grand Array that restricts the Way of Heaven.
Still, the God Eye Master found it hard to believe. His eyes flashed as he spoke in a low voice,
"Now that I am a Quasi-Emperor, I am no longer an ant. It is impossible for me to be crushed to death casually."
The indifferent voice laughed lightly in response and spoke somewhat disdainfully, "A Quasi-Emperor is nothing. The Supreme Being has killed fifteen Quasi-Emperors like you tens of thousands of years ago. You really don't amount to much."
"What's more, there will be new Emperors proving their title soon. As a newly advanced Quasi-Emperor, you are truly insignificant."
The God Eye Master's eyes flashed once, and he spoke again in a low voice, "Did some Emperors perish?"
He had been in secluded cultivation for a long time in order to prove his Quasi-Emperor title and indeed did not know much about recent news.
The indifferent voice slowly said, "In the past three thousand years, three Emperors have perished—all from natural causes because of old age. Two were from other realms—one was the Blue Dragon Immortal Emperor and the other was the Star Emperor. They were both veteran Emperors."
"As for the third Emperor, I am unsure. He was from the higher Great Heaven. From the little that I managed to glimpse from the heavenly secrets, I only saw the word 'sword.' I presume he may be some Emperor associated with swords?"
The God Eye Master suddenly asked, "Doesn't that mean an Immortal Sword has fallen?!"
"What business could the Immortal Sword possibly have with you? Let alone that it belonged to an Emperor of the higher Great Heaven—countless beings from many places have their eyes set upon it already. What makes you, an outsider, think you can obtain it?" said the indifferent voice disdainfully.
The God Eye Master thought carefully and realized he had a point, so he shook his head and said,
"You asked me to come specifically to discuss the matters of the Great Death Realm's final battle, correct?"
"Not only you," replied the indifferent voice and his tone became heavy as he continued,
"I managed to glimpse a few surprising pieces of heavenly news."
"The first one, and also the most astonishing one I got..."
His tone grew heavier. He continued,
"This is the Great Death Realm's final opening!"
"What do you mean?" asked the God Eye Master, confused.
"It means literally that—the Great Death Realm will not open again after this time. And the second piece of news is that a great reckoning, not from the Way of Heaven but from somewhere else that I cannot divine, will ensue at the end of this opening of the Great Death Realm."
As the indifferent voice was speaking, his tone suddenly became heavier again as he said,
"I am unsure what this other reckoning is exactly."
The God Eye Master fell silent. The stars surrounding him kept swirling, indicating his disturbed state of mind. After a while, he asked,
"Good or bad?"
Silence filled the starry space with no reply.
"Half good, half bad," a sharp, sword-like voice suddenly laughed.
"Indeed," the indifferent voice concurred as he continued,
"The temptation of an Emperor's legacy is too attractive to refuse—it may even contain the opportunity to prove Emperorship. So we definitely must go. But not only I have glimpsed the heavenly secrets about this final battle of the Great Death Realm."
"Many mighty figures from across the ages will come to participate in this last grand carnival, and some ancient existences may even be awakened because of it."
"Although all of us are Quasi-Emperors, relying solely on our own individual strength will still be too difficult. That's why I specifically invited everyone to form an alliance!"
"You should at least let me know about everyone's backgrounds, right?" asked the God Eye Master in a low voice.
"Sword Venerable," said the sharp voice with a laugh.
"Jade Heart Immortal," said a gentle, feminine voice that seemed to come from nowhere.
"Five Elements Daoist," said this voice slowly from a distance.
The indifferent voice introduced them with a laugh, "These three are all long famous Quasi-Emperors with formidable strength."
The God Eye Master's tone eased up as he continued asking, "So who will lead? There should still be a leader, otherwise the alliance will be too chaotic."
The indifferent voice laughed. "There is, and he is someone who will leave you in awe—I happened to run into him halfway. He has also left me in awe."
His tone became more respectful as he continued,
"Vast Boundless Quasi-Emperor."
Among the starry space,
a big yellow dog with a human face and posture walked out proudly with its two hands placed behind its back. It stood in the center of the starry space.
Silence seemed to have filled the space for a moment.
The God Eye Master's eyes flashed once as he spoke again in a deep voice, "This joke is not funny. If you really want to insult me, there's no need to bring out a dog."
The big yellow dog’s eyes flashed suddenly, and it stretched out a paw from its back toward the God Eye Master, pointing down slightly.
Boom!
The entire river of stars started collapsing with numerous stars falling to the very bottom. The God Eye Master immediately lurched down too before managing to stop himself with great effort, still struggling to withstand.
The big yellow dog disdainfully said, "I have killed fifteen Quasi-Emperors of your level tens of thousands of years ago. You truly cannot be shown on stage."
The God Eye Master was frightened and did not dare to speak anymore to beg for mercy while still desperately holding up against the big yellow dog’s immense power.
Fortunately, the indifferent voice dissuaded at the side, "Senior Vast Boundless, please do not get angry. Junior God Eye was frivolous with his words and did not actually mean to say that."
The big yellow dog retracted his paw, and said disdainfully,
"If I hear words like that again, you will become the sixteenth Quasi-Emperor to die by my hands."
The God Eye Master heaved a long sigh of relief and got up slowly. The myriad stars in the river of stars also gradually floated back up one after another.
He dared not speak again, indeed quite frightened by the big yellow dog's power.
The indifferent voice chuckled, "Didn't I say earlier that there were Quasi-Emperors about to prove Emperorship?"
"Senior Vast Boundless is one of those about to advance."
The God Eye Master was shocked once more and did not dare to utter another word. As a newly advanced Quasi-Emperor, he truly could not compare with the big yellow dog who was on the verge of becoming an Emperor.
The other three Quasi-Emperors were also surprised. Sword Venerable suddenly respectfully asked,
"Does senior Vast Boundless intend on proving his Emperorship with this trip to the Great Death Realm?"
"No." The big yellow dog directly shook its head, and there was some anger in its arrogant eyes as it said, "I will crush Little Supreme's bones and ashes, thoroughly shatter his soul, and obliterate his meaning!"
"Who is Little Supreme?" Sword Venerable dared to ask again.
The big yellow dog glanced at him and replied, "Thirty million years ago, Little Supreme had another name, called Ash Emperor."
The hearts of the few quasi-emperors present jumped wildly, shocked beyond measure. They did not expect that such a fierce character would be invited to lead this time.
Although his appearance was ordinary, his strength was extremely domineering.
This kind of old quasi-emperor could be said to be the highest combat power under the great emperors. What stood out was just one word: fierce.
With such a fierce character present, their trip to the Great Death Realm this time should go relatively smoothly.
In the starry sky, the six quasi-emperors had already formed an alliance.
And in other interfaces and other starry skies, other quasi-emperors were also uniting.
This might be the last carnival in all the worlds.
The quasi-emperors who could be called overlords of the star regions would naturally not want to miss it.
Waiting for the Great Death Realm to open, and then...
Fight!
Between the silent stars.
Chen Xia sat by the window and slowly opened his eyes.
He had a dream that he had not had in a long time.
He dreamed that he had transmigrated and gotten a system. He could add one point for every year he lived. Then he arrived in a small town and became a patrol officer, taking care of others.
Later, he lived longer and longer, gained more and more points, and became stronger and stronger.
He stood at the top of a mountain, as if he could touch the clouds at any time.
But when he looked back, he suddenly realized that the small world he was in seemed to no longer accommodate him.
Was the world too small?
He wasn't sure.
Later, after many twists and turns, he went to another place, a large sect that wanted to turn him into an elixir of life.
He spent another few thousand years in that sect, experiencing many things.
At first, he wanted to escape, and indeed escaped later.
But he kept reminiscing.
The past could be forgotten and would not be reminisced about.
What was reminisced was the things of the heart.
Since then, homeless, drifting for hundreds of years, found an old friend, and was at peace for a long time.
Eventually, the old friends parted.
In the end, things kept happening, and now he was in this godforsaken place.
Chen Xia smiled lightly and shook his head.
"This dream was really familiar."
His eyes looked around, as if looking for something, but in the end he could only stare blankly in disappointment.
Because the room was extremely empty.
He touched his head and walked slowly to the door, unusually walking out to take a look.
According to what Xuan Li said, they were very close to the Dead Sea Galaxy and would arrive soon. This was indeed good news.
During this time, Ma Xiaohong was also cultivating, although she was cultivating very unsatisfactorily, at least she was working hard.
Chen Xia leaned against the railing, propping up his head. His consciousness circulated in an extremely rare occurrence back to the small world where he started.
After Xia Chan died, he had never returned.
The people in the small world were still worshiping his statue, but the title had shortened to Great Heavenly Venerable.
He did not land. His consciousness floated in the sky and just watched like this.
In the small world, it was now dominated by cultivators. Mortal dynasties were completely insignificant and could only look up to sect cultivators obsequiously.
All major sects had statues of Great Heavenly Venerable, right in front of their ancestral hall gates. They collectively referred to Great Heavenly Venerable as their founding teacher, and also the founding teacher of all cultivators under heaven.
This was indeed true.
Chen Xia's consciousness continued to flow, reaching Tail Creek Town, the town where he started his dream.
After thousands of years of change.
No more Tail Creek Town.
Only a few broken tile houses stood alone, and some destitute farmers lived inside. Under the scorching sun, they tilled the land that had long dried up and was extremely difficult to cultivate. Their hoes could not even penetrate the ground.
The farmers sighed and collapsed, sitting limply in the dried up fields. Their skinny bodies stared at the blazing sun. Not afraid of scorching heat at all, some wet tears flowed yet evaporated quickly.
Chen Xia's consciousness stopped and he saw a house that he recognized was where he used to live.
Now it was broken down beyond recognition.
"Heaven, please give us rain, please!"
The elderly farmer kneeled down, his skinny body constantly kowtowing towards the sky, yelling sadly.
Many had already died in this severe drought. They might not live much longer either.
Boom.
Suddenly there was thunder in the sky.
The elderly farmer looked up in disbelief.
In an instant, dark clouds filled the sky!
The farmer's feeble body trembled, tears brimming his eyes, as he constantly kowtowed towards the sky.
"Thank you Heaven, thank you Heaven!"
Heavy rain poured down instantly, filling up the rivers.
Chen Xia's consciousness still floated in midair, watching the overflowing river water, reminding him of Tail Creek Town's water distribution in his memory.
His consciousness floated everywhere, finally facing the statue of Great Heavenly Venerable.
The appearance of every Great Heavenly Venerable statue was blurred and unclear, no one knew what they originally looked like.
The farmers below were still worshipping.
For a brief moment.
Chen Xia truly felt like the Way of Heaven itself.
"Can you deduce anything about this person?"
The big yellow dog stood on the stars and suddenly asked.
A plain voice replied, "I can deduce, but only roughly."
"Deduce then," the big yellow dog directly said.
The plain voice nodded. Calling himself a fortune teller, deducing such a person was naturally no problem. Making gestures, he replied,
"Inferior Sea Realm 9th Layer, vitality normal, destiny extremely good."
"Mm," the big yellow dog nodded, then asked, "Where is he now, is he in danger?"
The fortune teller gestured again and shook his head, "No danger..."
He hesitated and then added, "But danger may come very soon."
The big yellow dog's expression sank as he asked solemnly, "Why?"
"Because he is in the Great Death Realm," the fortune teller replied.
Boom!
Hundreds of uninhabited stars around them suddenly exploded.
Fury filled the big yellow dog's eyes, its power raging chaotically for hundreds of miles, gritting its teeth, "When I left the Domains, I warned those useless beings not to do such a thing."
"When I return, I will slaughter all those useless beings!"
The anger in its eyes faded. The chaotic power that disturbed hundreds of miles of stars calmed down, but anger still lingered in its expression.
The fortune teller watched on the side, shocked in his heart and spirit, not daring to speak.
In that instant earlier, he actually felt a sense of peril between life and death.
The boundless quasi-emperor is even stronger than before!
He took a deep breath, a shocking thought came to his mind.
Is the boundless quasi-emperor about to break through to great emperor?!