The Land of the Dark Source was deathly still and bitterly cold, as if it had been so since time immemorial, even as if forgotten by all the worlds.
A World Tree that had long since withered and died stood within it, its branches and leaves utterly lifeless, cold, still, dark, and profound...
Whirr...
But now, a terrifying sound like mountain roars and tsunamis erupted within; all the dark mountains were collapsing.
The earth split apart, the firmament tore open like sheet after sheet of glass, and at the edges, dreadful black flames arose, burning and wrapping around the shattered fragments of the heavens, constantly falling and crashing down to the ground.
At the four sides of the dusky firmament, six hazy glows emerged, already very faint and indistinct.
One after another, Great Dao runes surged forth from them, transforming into torrents of power, as if trying to suppress the violently trembling World Tree and prevent the entity sealed beneath from bursting out.
Those six hazy glows were shrouded in the aura of primal chaos, faintly revealing the phantoms of six different weapons: an ancient mirror, a gate, a pool, a coffin, a disk, and a Dao book.
But clearly, these six weapons were only phantoms, not real objects; they grew increasingly blurry and dim, their residual power being worn away.
That dried-up World Tree was cracking ceaselessly, fissures spreading across every branch and leaf, like porcelain that would shatter into countless fragments and ashes with the slightest force.
As the blood-red passage that pierced through heaven and earth plunged into this Land of the Dark Source, it was as if it had found a connecting hub for the two vast realms.
The Land of the Dark Source had originally been falling steadily and slowly towards the Vast Expanse of myriad worlds, drawing close to touch them.
But now, that direction suddenly changed: a world equally strange and filled with an aura of darkness appeared beyond the myriad worlds. That Great Dark Realm, boundless and limitless, seemed as if... it was the very lair of the Dark Beings.
The Land of the Dark Source changed its falling speed, drawing nearer to that equally dark world.
The two vast realms were unimaginably distant, with no way for them to touch, but the appearance of that blood-red passage was like lighting a blood-red bonfire in the darkness, guiding it with coordinates.
"The Grand Sacrificial Ritual is about to begin."
Throughout the Vast Expanse's myriad worlds, in countless spacetimes and trillions of universes, numberless living beings heard a cold voice in their ears at that moment.
The barriers of heaven and earth became transparent, and in that vast and boundless dark world, an immensely grand altar appeared.
Upon it seemed to stand a blurry figure, shrouded in dense mist, only that cold, merciless voice resounding throughout the worlds.
Everyone trembled in terror; their souls at this moment seemed about to be annihilated, turning into formless nothingness and flying toward that grand altar.
No matter what True World civilization or what Dao lineage and race, at this moment they could only feel boundless fear and trembling.
At the four sides of that grand altar, four blurry figures appeared, seeming to wear ancient sacrificial robes; these figures knelt there, appearing to chant some sacrificial text, their obscure and indistinguishable intonations and voices as if rushing through the River of Time, resonating and surging there.
All manner of Great Dao symbols emerged there, transforming into terrifying majestic power—billowing, primal, unfathomable... finally becoming a storm that swept outward through that Great Dark Realm.
All living beings saw that behind the Great Dark Realm were boundless Dark Beings, solemn and silent, all kneeling and bowing there. As terrifying blood-red thunderbolts slashed down, streaking across heaven and earth, that Great Dark Realm was illuminated with stark clarity.
Like a tide of darkness, endless and infinite Dark Beings knelt there, cold and still, quietly awaiting the start of this Grand Sacrificial Ritual ceremony.
Such a scene caused all living beings in the Vast Expanse's myriad worlds to feel a cruel despair and horror.
No matter who it was, it was as if a chill surged through their entire bodies, rendering them immobile as they watched this scene.
The Grand Sacrificial Ritual of the Dark Beings had finally arrived, far sooner than anyone imagined, right when the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and the Alliance of Righteous Unity were locked in slaughter and the Vast Expanse was in ceaseless turmoil.
The Dark Beings had seized the opening.
And what filled the countless trillions of living beings with terror was that now they all heard a dreadful breathing sound resounding in their ears, as if it were right before them; in every universe and world, that sound could be heard.
No matter what level of cultivator, they felt their scalps crawl and their skulls about to split open, the coldness freezing their entire being.
That sound was like breathing, yet also as if some indescribable sleeping existence were about to awaken; that pervasive terror and boundless horror drove people to despair and fright.
In the Land of the Dark Source, as the six blurry marks of the weapons dissipated, that withered World Tree also instantly turned to flying ash, with nothing left. Endless Dark Matter shot up into the sky from there, like a reverse waterfall sweeping back towards the high heavens.
Faintly, it seemed a terrifying will was reviving from that place.
Many powerful beings seemed to see a pair of cold eyes.
Those eyes were terrifyingly ghastly, as if cleaving open the heavens and earth, causing space to collapse, time to twist, and all heavens on the verge of returning to dead stillness.
Yet clearly, in that darkness, nothing could be seen.
Only those dreadful eyes, incomparably terrifying, cold and merciless, hanging high above, overlooking all heavens, watching them.
Though it lasted only an instant, quickly vanishing like an illusion, they were absolutely certain they had not seen wrong.
The Dark Beings had initiated the Grand Sacrificial Ritual, about to open the Land of the Dark Source and allow the sealed will of the Lord of Heaven's Proxy to revive.
And in that Great Dark Realm where the Dark Clans resided, that grand altar grew ever more immense and solid, about to appear within the Vast Expanse.
A terrifying black crack appeared beyond the myriad worlds; it was a gate, and from it, supremely powerful Dark Beings, wreathed in dark mist, stepped forth.
In the various regions of the Vast Expanse, in the universes already occupied by the Dark Clans, Dark Beings also let out roars.
Those worlds were the first to be harvested; powerful Dark Beings struck, their great hands piercing through, and whole worlds collapsed, landmasses shattered, mountains and rivers broke apart, seas dried up and evaporated, and endless living beings died, transforming into dense torrents of life force that surged toward the grand altar in the sky.
In some worlds, strong beings could not bear this scene and roared as they charged forth, but before they could draw near, they collapsed and disintegrated in midair, nothing left behind.
Everywhere was a scene of wailing and misery.
In the various True World civilizations, those who witnessed this scene trembled with fury, their eyes splitting with rage. If the Dark Beings were allowed to continue this Grand Sacrificial Ritual, the time would eventually come for them.
Now within the Vast Expanse, the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and the Alliance of Righteous Unity were still locked in slaughter; the Immortal Dao Alliance could be said to have collapsed midway. Now the Ethereal Sacred Domain was shrouded in endless dark mist, and even Gu Changge, the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, was trapped within it. Looking across the current Vast Expanse, who could stop this catastrophic calamity?
"My main body is dead…"
"But exactly how it died, I know nothing at all; only vague memories tell me that my main body was plotted against by Progenitor Xu."
"However, it doesn't matter. The main body and I are indistinguishable; from now on, I am the Master of Fate."
In a mundane territory, within a village singing with birds and fragrant with flowers.
A refined-looking middle-aged man was teaching children to read in a private school. Suddenly, his expression froze slightly; a boundless, immense karma rapidly surged in, causing him to instantly comprehend the causes, effects, and sequence of events.
Although the details of what happened while heading to the Dark Clans' lair had been completely erased, making it impossible to know what transpired, he still understood that he had been schemed against by Progenitor Xu.
Even the two child attendants who had followed him for so long had died miserably from this.
The Master of Fate's face showed a trace of grief. Those two child attendants had followed him since the Innate Period, having gone through many reincarnations, but he had managed to find them again each time.
Now, with his own body miserably dead, the Dao cultivation and memories of that body had also been buried, completely erased. The traces of the two child attendants had vanished from the world, never to be found again.
Very quickly, he suppressed his grief, becoming calm and unruffled. He put down the book in his hand, gently waved his sleeve, and the private school before him disappeared, all the clear sounds of reading vanished, even all the children before him disappeared…
As he took a single step forward, where was the village now? Nothing remained, like a great wave crashing in and smoothing everything on the sand.
To guard against unforeseen circumstances, he had left behind his Body of Five Aggregates precisely to deal with this situation.
Although he had ultimately escaped, his losses were still heavy. Everything on that original physical body had been obliterated, and even the Void Mark had dispersed, within which there had been several Innate Artifacts he had collected.
But now, dwelling on it was useless. Progenitor Xu had schemed against him, but he himself had also schemed against Progenitor Xu.
He had already suspected the identity of Gu Changge, the Lord of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. Now Progenitor Xu's extremely cautious actions made him even more certain of his previous conjecture…
"The Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance is the Lord of Heaven's Proxy. Though I don't know when he reappeared in the world, he should have broken free long ago; everything now is just a setup."
"Progenitor Xu used me to probe the truth of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance Leader. It's a pity that even he fell into a trap. I suppose that was what happened in the Dark Clans' lair…"
"Progenitor Xu had a plan in mind. At that time, I should have investigated that body more thoroughly; otherwise I wouldn't have suffered such a great loss."
The Master of Fate sighed. His Body of Five Aggregates was incomplete; his plan to condense the Dao Fruit of the Five Aggregates would have to be put aside for now.
The immediate priority was to retreat. The Heaven-Slaying Alliance Leader's sharpness was too overwhelming; he had no confidence to contend. To stake everything on one throw required the ability to resist.
Now, knowing Gu Changge's identity, he no longer had any thought of resistance; it was impossible to oppose by force.
Since the birth of the Vast Expanse, only one Lord of Heaven's Proxy had reached that level without occupying or seizing Authority; he was the only one.
He even suspected that even if the few who had obtained Authority took action, they might not necessarily be able to match Gu Changge.
This was simply an unimaginable anomaly, a monster with no known origin.
Progenitor Xu's schemes were also grand; knowing all this, he still dared to act. And such a thing had only two outcomes: either death, or insight into and control of his secrets, attaining the Dao in one stroke and embarking on another unprecedented path.
"That said, perhaps I still have a sliver of a chance."
"Since Progenitor Xu dared to do this, he must be confident…"
The Master of Fate fell into a long silence. He had laid down contingency plans, still had many chess pieces and methods unused, but before absolute power, all those calculations and schemes appeared utterly pale.
Now his only chance was to cooperate with Progenitor Xu, truly setting aside past grievances. He would help him scheme for the flesh and blood creation of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance Lord, and in turn, Progenitor Xu would help him seize the Authority of this world.
As for the Alliance of Righteous Unity, it was originally a chess piece he created to contend with the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. Now that even he, the chess player, had lost the courage to play, of what use was this chess piece anymore?
After the Grand Dark Sacrificial Ritual began, the situation across the entire Vast Expanse fell into unprecedented turmoil and chaos. Order was no more, rules shattered.
And on the battlefield where the armies of the Alliance of Righteous Unity and the Heaven-Slaying Alliance were locked in slaughter, the white-robed figure at that moment seemed to sense something. His expression changed again and again, and then he let out a deep sigh.
He swiftly appeared on the battlefield, grabbed the black-clothed figure who was fighting against the group of Forbidden Zone Existences, and chains emerged, instantly binding him. Without any explanation, he turned and left, not pausing for a moment.
Mu Fuguang, Tong Xian, and the other Forbidden Zone Existences from the Heaven-Slaying Alliance were deeply puzzled, but none attempted to stop them, merely watching them leave.
Even Ling Yuling had found dealing with that mysterious white-robed figure somewhat taxing; she had once been trapped by The Fourth Ancient Killing Formation and exiled into endless void spacetime.
They naturally would not be so tactless as to try to stop them, especially now that everyone was injured. To restrain that being brimming with killing intent, they had been strained, only barely managing to hold him back after exhausting all their methods.
"Has something happened?"
"Because the Grand Dark Sacrificial Ritual has started, so they chose to retreat?"
They were still perplexed, not understanding why the white-robed figure would retreat. Could he be wary of something?
A ripple spread, appearing beyond the myriad worlds. Ling Yuling appeared there, having also noticed that scene just now. She too had not stopped him, because she couldn't.
That white-robed figure was a blood descendant of Zhong Jun. Though it was unknown why he had become a subordinate of the Master of Fate, relying on The Fourth Ancient Killing Formation allowed him to come and go freely, with no one able to stop him.
"It seems there is no surprise. The great decisive battle has just begun but is about to end."
"The high-ranking members of the Alliance of Righteous Unity have lost the will to fight and are already planning to flee. The backbone has shattered."
She looked toward the various universe battlefields where the slaughter continued and already understood the outcome.
As the white-robed figure retreated, one after another, beings with overwhelming auras on various battlefields followed suit and soon left.
The strands of willpower above the army of the Alliance of Righteous Unity rapidly collapsed and disintegrated; the condensed phantom battle spirits could not be sustained at all.
Before long, the situation, which had been in a state of mutual check and constraint, shifted as one powerful being after another retreated. The Heaven-Slaying Alliance instantly surged forth with overwhelming force, crushing all resistance.
The army of the Alliance of Righteous Unity could only retreat. Common cultivators did not understand what had happened, why the situation had undergone such a heaven-and-earth change in an instant. Soon, the army's morale began to crumble. Undoubtedly, the news that the high-ranking members of the Alliance of Righteous Unity had abandoned them spread, then propagated at a terrifying speed toward the various universe battlefields…
Many members of the Alliance of Righteous Unity who were completely unaware of the truth turned deathly pale, then fell into despair.
Clearly there had still been hope of defeating the Heaven-Slaying Alliance; why retreat and flee? They had originally intended to fight to the death, but now they seemed to have become clowns and jokes.
"It should be that something happened on the Master of Fate's side."
Ling Yuling did not press to exterminate them all. Especially now that the Dark Clans had initiated the Grand Sacrificial Ritual, this was a time when unity was needed. The departure of the Alliance of Righteous Unity's high-ranking members gave her the chance to integrate these forces.
She quickly issued orders: those who surrendered and submitted would not be killed. At the same time, she had the message spread that the high-ranking members of the Alliance of Righteous Unity had long been corrupted by darkness and turned into Dark Clans. Their instigation of the war between the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and the Alliance of Righteous Unity was precisely to initiate the Grand Dark Sacrificial Ritual.
Now that the Grand Dark Sacrificial Ritual had begun, the high-ranking members naturally departed one after another, not caring about the life or death of the remaining members and powers.
Under her forceful consolidation, only a few stubborn ones fought desperately, unwilling to surrender. Ling Yuling was not soft-hearted and directly ordered their execution.
Now that Gu Changge was not in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, all these matters fell to her, and she finally wielded the authority of the Deputy Alliance Leader.
Although the decisive battle between the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and the Alliance of Righteous Unity hadn't lasted long, the various battlefields were already shattered and scarred beyond recognition. Everywhere were weapon fragments and corpses; an unimaginable number of beings had died, and countless universes and worlds had been swept up and annihilated.
And while Ling Yuling focused all her mind on how to integrate and absorb the remaining forces of the Alliance of Righteous Unity,
a figure wreathed in black aura appeared out of thin air at the place where the two armies had been slaughtering earlier, extending a hand to trace something in the void.
"It's indeed the aura of my Lifeless Hall. Which number is it?"
This figure seemed to show some confusion. Members of the Lifeless Hall had once again appeared in the Vast Expanse, yet no member was aware of it; this in itself was a problem.
Moreover, the time for the Lifeless Hall to carry out missions had not yet come; they could not easily walk the world. If the Hall Master found out, they would surely be thrown into the Lifeless Pool to suffer eternal torment.