CHAPTER 34: THE ONE CONTROLLING THE COUNTLESS HEAVENS AND MYRIAD WORLDS

Wielding the massive sword, the void creature showed no fear even when facing all three opponents. It channeled flames, lightning, ice, earth, and fierce winds into the blade, unleashing wave after wave of relentless attacks.

For a moment, heaven and earth changed color as wind and cloud surged. The ground shattered into pieces. Heavenly fire rained down. Thunder rumbled. Floods surged, hurricanes swept across the land, and deep fissures tore through the earth. Every tribe and race scattered in panic.

In the end, the void creature could not withstand the combined might of the three. The sword was knocked from its grasp, and it was torn apart.

For the next hundred thousand years, the four creatures continued their unending battles.

Nevertheless, in Lu Chen's eyes, those years were not entirely without merit. Through their endless conflict, the spilled blood of the four beings gave rise to new and unique lifeforms.

From the blood of the Fire Phoenix emerged various rare and strange beasts. The essence of the void creature and the Candle Dragon gave birth to races blessed with unique talents. From the blood of humanoid beasts came a multitude of humanoid races. Through generations of war and survival, both humans and beasts learnt to organize, strategize, and adapt.

From that point on, it was no longer a war between four beings, but a war among four races. The land no longer belonged to a single side. Different races now coexisted in every region.

On the final day of those hundred thousand years, the world seemed to reach its breaking point. A surge of violent energy shot into the giant sword, and the weapon rose on its own. With a thunderous slash, it struck the towering divine tree. The tree burst apart, dissolving into pure spirit qi that dispersed into the heavens and earth.

With another mighty strike, the once-chaotic world turned clear and vast. The sword whirled into the sky, twisting midair as it charged toward the four primal beasts.

Its first strike landed on the void creature, reducing it instantly into raw elements that faded into nothingness. Next, the blade slashed through the Candle Dragon, severing its head. Its blood flowed into the roots of the now-vanished tree.

Then, the sword fell upon the Fire Phoenix. Its body dropped from the sky, and from its fallen form, more bizarre creatures emerged. At last, the sword turned toward the humanoid beast. Though it lacked the brute strength of the others, it possessed intelligence, and it dodged the attack again and again.

The giant sword, seemingly enraged, gathered all of its violent energy into one overwhelming attack. That single blow crashed into the earth, shattering the world that had taken seven hundred thousand years to form. The sword then soared into the air and disappeared into the depths of chaos.

Staring at the ruined world, the humanoid beast's eyes shed bloody tears. It seemed to have understood something.

It stretched out both hands and scattered the blood of the four beast races, including its own, across the ruins of the shattered world. Then, carrying the corpses of the other three creatures, it followed the giant sword into the depths of chaos.

The scene faded away.

"What... What was that? That sword looked so familiar... Was that the creation of the world? Why did it suddenly get destroyed?"

The entire scene had lasted only ten minutes in Lu Chen's eyes, but the questions swirling in his heart grew ever more complex.

"My king, please keep watching. This is only the beginning," Bai Ze said, coughing up another mouthful of blood to conjure the next scene.

The next scene started ten thousand years after the explosion. From the tiniest remnants of the shattered world, a vast new land had taken shape. Each patch of heaven and earth was now filled with elements and life. The survivors of the explosion began to grow and develop. Races, tribes, social hierarchies, and war soon returned.

The battles continued for another seven hundred thousand years. In some lands, the humans took the lead. In others, the demonic beasts dominated. Elsewhere, unique lifeforms ruled. Civilizations and techniques gradually emerged and evolved.

On the final day of those seven hundred thousand years, the giant sword returned. With a single slash, it destroyed everything once more. Following closely behind the sword were the four ancient beasts, now fully restored.

The sword moved with terrifying speed. In just one day, it reduced all lands to nothingness, returning everything to chaos. Then, it vanished into the depths of that chaos once again, and the four beasts disappeared along with it.

Lu Chen frowned. "Why does it feel like someone is controlling this world? Every time it reaches its peak, war breaks out... and then that sword comes back to destroy everything. That sword looks just like my Hunyuan Greatsword."

"Please, my king, keep watching. This isn't over yet," Bai Ze said, activating another spell.

Once more, a scene started playing. The world had now expanded into a vast star domain. And as Lu Chen had feared, after another seven hundred thousand years, the sword returned, again reducing all to rubble.

Lu Chen's expression grew grim. "It really does seem like someone is orchestrating this. Every seven hundred thousand years, the sword returns."

As he finished speaking, Bai Ze conjured another illusory scene.

This time, Lu Chen saw an endless number of lands, so many they seemed infinite, gradually drawing together to form a massive cluster.

As he looked upon it, Lu Chen suddenly recalled a phrase the mysterious face had one mentioned, "the countless heavens and myriad worlds."

The worlds continued to divide and merge. Spirit qi grew thin, no longer enough to sustain all life. In order to survive, the beings across the realms began developing cultivation systems. Cultivation civilizations flourished, advancing rapidly.

Ancient beings, sensing the fate that loomed over their worlds, began searching for ways to resist the return of the giant sword.

Yet, on the final day... the world was destroyed once again.

Lu Chen watched in silence as the scene played out for the fifth time. Another world reduced to ashes.

***

Moments later Lu Chen looked toward the illusory scene for the sixth time; once again, the world crumbled.

Boom...

The scene before him shattered into pieces.

The beasts around the formation spat out mouthfuls of blood. Their spirit qi could no longer support their massive forms, and one after another, they reverted to their humanoid states.

Lu Chen quickly stepped forward to help them up and guided them to sit down. "What happened to all of you?"

Bai Ze exhaled weakly. "We've consumed too much of our blood essemce. We can't keep the formation running any longer."

Lu Chen gave a small nod, then asked, "Since we can't watch it anymore, what do we do now?"

Bai Ze looked up at him. "It's not that we can't watch it. The truth is... the final part of that history no longer exists within our bloodline. It was erased during the Dark Rebellion. From that moment on, we were sealed within this world, unable to leave. The Genesis Era your human historians recorded is merely a substitute for that Dark Rebellion.

"We want your help to recover that lost history. That rebellion didn't just wipe out ancient legacies; it also erased the records of the only method to counter that massive sword. My Bai Ze clan has been searching for someone, and that someone is you. You're the only one who may still have the power to save this world."

Lu Chen interjected, "But..."

He understood how important that history was, but right now, all he wanted was to find his grandfather. Everything else still felt too far removed from him.

Bai Ze saw through Lu Chen's thought and said, "I know what you truly seek. Since we've already acknowledged you as our king, then naturally, we will fight for you. But for now, we've drained too much of our essence and need time to recover.

"Nevertheless, with your current strength, any enemies you face will likely be no stronger than those at the Sunken Core Realm. Beasts from the lower three levels are more than enough to handle them. And if you need help, you can use the Spirit Beast Summoning Art to call on them."

Bai Ze pressed a hand against Lu Chen's forehead and passed the technique directly into his mind.

Bai Ze explained, "This is the Spirit Beast Summoning Art once used by the Beast King himself. I've engraved it into your mind. As long as you focus your thoughts and silently chant the name of the spirit beast, you can summon it into the outside world."

Lu Chen felt the mark of the summoning art take root inside him. Yet, uncertainty lingered in his heart.

He was just an eighteen-year-old boy from a remote village. Everything he knew about the cultivation world came from the stories others told. If his village hadn't been destroyed, he might have lived his entire life without ever leaving it.

All he had ever wanted was a simple, peaceful life with his family. But ever since his eighteenth birthday, every step he took seemed to push him toward something else, toward some greater destiny.

On one side lay the profound secrets of cultivation. On the other side, the happiness of a complete family.

He had once dreamed of chasing the truth behind cultivation. But those were nothing more than the wild dreams of a boy. Now that the dream had turned into a burden, a duty, Lu Chen wasn't sure he dared to bear it.

The Red Fox whispered from the side, "Please say yes..."

Others in the crowd echoed quietly, "Please say yes..."

Everyone in the hall had their eyes on Lu Chen and Bai Ze. They had placed all their hopes on him.

Demonic beasts were far more sensitive to danger than humans. They had a feeling that if Lu Chen chose not to recover the ancient memories, then the inheritance of their entire race would be cut off forever.

Lu Chen lifted his gaze to Bai Ze. "Can you give me some time to think about it? I really can't make this decision right now."

Seeing that Lu Chen hadn't given a flat-out refusal, the crowd let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Phew... At least he didn't reject our pleas right away."

To these beasts, not being turned down directly meant there was still room to negotiate.

"Now that you understand what truly happened, there's still a long road ahead before heaven and earth fall into ruin. You have time to consider. But keep in mind, time waits for no one. What's most urgent now is for you to seize control of the Beast King Manor and strengthen yourself. We need time too, to rest, to recover, and to prepare for the day we can fight alongside you."

With the matter of the Dark Rebellion explained, Bai Ze led Lu Chen to the entrance of the fourth level. "Above is where the five great chieftains and the Beast King himself once lived. There's no danger up there. You can head up freely."

Just as Lu Chen was about to head up, Bai Ze called out, "My king!"

Lu Chen turned back. "What is it?"

Boom...

Bai Ze and everyone on the third floor knelt in unison before him, the air thick with solemn resolve.

"My king! What you've seen today must remain a secret. The fate of our beast clans now rests entirely in your hands."

Lu Chen met their hopeful eyes, and his heart wavered. "I'll give it some serious thought."

With that, he turned and climbed the stairs to the fourth level.

Boom...

Once again, the crowd knelt, their voices unified in solemn respect. "Farewell, my king."

After Lu Chen disappeared from sight, the Golden Dragon approached Bai Ze.

"Bai Ze, are we really doing the right thing? He's only at the Qi Regulation Realm."

Bai Ze replied calmly, "I was taking a gamble. But when that tree appeared, I became sure that he is the one our Bai Ze clan has been waiting for."

He manifested a scene from his mind. It looked identical to when Lu Chen had activated the Innate Bagua Diagram.