Chapter 152: The Extremity of the Myriad Daos

In truth.

Everything had been decided from the very beginning.

Standing at the end of the River of Time, with nothing but endless void beyond, how could they not know the fate awaiting the Myriad Daos?

They merely wished to struggle one final time.

Had they succeeded in changing Caelum’s Dao back then, perhaps things would not have come to this.

Unfortunately, there were no "what ifs" upon the River of Time.

More than a million years ago, they had not been Caelum’s match.

Now that every Dao under his command had reached Dao Extremity, how could the four of them possibly rival him?

Wyrmvine and the others understood this perfectly well.

Caelum’s kindness toward them was as vast as heaven.

He had helped them attain human form.

He had taught them the path of cultivation.

Such grace could never be repaid.

For them to engage their master in a life-and-death struggle was simply impossible.

"Master, we know we can no longer obstruct your Dao."

"But neither are we willing to raise our hands against you."

"In that case..."

"Allow us to lend you our final assistance."

Determination filled Wyrmvine’s eyes.

Moonchaser and Cloudvault were no different.

"Master."

"This is where we part ways."

The moment those words fell, the three chose death without hesitation.

They poured out the entirety of their cultivation and severed their own fruits of Dao Extremity.

Three Primordial Script characters glowing with boundless Dao intent descended into Caelum’s hands.

Longevity.

Oblivion.

Time.

These were the fruits of their Dao Extremity.

Since they were already perfected Dao fruits, Caelum needed no further time to deduce them.

He absorbed them into his body.

In an instant, he inherited the complete cultivation of all three Daos.

He ascended to their ultimate limits.

The destruction of heaven and earth was inevitable.

The severing of the Myriad Daos was unavoidable.

This was perhaps the last thing Wyrmvine and the others could do.

Since they could not stop their master, they chose to help him instead.

"Master..."

Their figures slowly faded.

Until at last they vanished completely from the River of Time.

Only a final sentence remained behind.

"Wyrmvine bids you farewell."

From beginning to end, Caelum remained calm.

Not the slightest ripple stirred within his heart.

The path of cultivation was destined to involve countless partings and countless choices.

If one’s Dao Heart could be shaken so easily, then what meaning would a million years of cultivation hold?

At their level, concepts of right and wrong no longer mattered.

Once one recognized one’s Dao, one moved forward without hesitation.

No matter the cost.

In other words.

Even if one was wrong, one must be wrong completely.

If anyone disagreed, they could prove it through cultivation.

Besides, Caelum had always known what lay ahead.

He had long expected this day.

Buzz.

The Dao of Reincarnation erupted.

Vaelor, who had remained silent all this time, finally made his move.

He knew perfectly well that victory was impossible.

Even so, he had to try.

Unlike Wyrmvine and the others, Vaelor truly cared for all living beings.

Otherwise, he would never have severed his own cultivation and descended into a minor world all those years ago.

Only to stop the Imperial Calamity.

The Imperial Calamity had already become one of his greatest regrets.

He refused to leave another regret behind here at the end of time.

"Immortal Master."

"Forgive me."

The power of Reincarnation Dao Extremity surged forth like a cosmic flood.

Its overwhelming might stirred colossal waves across the River of Time.

Countless mortal worlds trembled.

Caelum smiled.

He still remembered that lifetime.

Even now, Vaelor still addressed him as Immortal Master.

It reminded him of their first meeting in Desolateheaven World, when the boy had been little more than a fearless child.

Caelum extended a finger.

Boom!

Dao Extremity erupted.

The Myriad Daos intertwined around him.

Boundless power crushed forward with unstoppable force.

Vaelor’s Reincarnation Dao shattered instantly.

The difference between them was simply too great.

Caelum had not even used a fraction of his true strength.

With a casual touch, he sent Vaelor crashing back into the River of Time.

Back into The Infinite Realms.

Crack!

The ancient wheel behind Vaelor once again became covered with countless fractures.

As he fell, memories from Celestial Arc Realm resurfaced.

Back then, Caelum had said they would meet again after ten thousand lifetimes.

Without question.

This battle was the one he had meant.

The power of Dao Extremity descended.

Vaelor crashed into a Great World.

The lingering shockwave spread across every corner of it.

Boom!

Before anyone could react, the entire Great World shattered into cosmic dust.

Chaotic energy surged wildly.

Even the void itself nearly reverted to its primordial state.

"What happened?!"

The immortals of the age were horrified.

The Immortal Emperors felt a terrifying force sweep through The Infinite Realms.

Their scalps went numb.

Their souls nearly left their bodies.

Even the venerables who had reached Lesser Transcendence felt the same.

The instant they sensed that aura, the shadow of death emerged within their hearts.

Every one of them was shaken to the core.

"There is actually such a being in this age?!"

Within the cosmic void.

Vaelor’s Dao Body shattered inch by inch.

Then rapidly regenerated.

Though the gap between him and Caelum was vast, a single strike was still insufficient to kill him outright.

Caelum stepped through the void.

His fingers brushed across a leaf of Bladeleaf.

Then he swung.

A supreme Sword Intent descended.

The boundless Sword Intent carried the full might of the Myriad Daos at Dao Extremity.

One sword strike.

And The Infinite Realms was cleaved in half.

Boom!

The Starsea erupted.

Countless stars vanished instantly into dust.

A terrifying abyss appeared across the endless void.

Within that chasm, Chaos Qi surged endlessly.

Everything was returned to its primordial beginning.

Vaelor floated helplessly within it.

Unlike before.

His Dao Body now stood on the verge of collapse.

For Caelum’s sword strike had not merely been an attack.

It had severed his Dao Fruit.

This was the Dao Severing Art.

Against Caelum’s cultivation, how could Vaelor resist it?

A Primordial Script character emerged.

Then descended into Caelum’s palm.

It was the Dao Fruit of Reincarnation at Dao Extremity.

As he absorbed it, the final gap within his Myriad Daos was completed.

Buzz.

The extremity of the Myriad Daos descended upon the world.

Its terrifying pressure caused the very fabric of existence to begin collapsing.

Heaven and earth could no longer sustain a being like Caelum.

Vaelor remained calm.

"Why don’t you kill me?"

"No need to rush."

With those words, Caelum vanished.

Activating the Secret of Transcendence and resonating with the cosmos itself, he stepped into the Sea of Transcendence once more.

Overlooking the Sea of Transcendence.

A lone boat drifted upon its waters.

Aurelius raised his wine flask and laughed heartily.

"It seems today is the day you finally attain true Freedom and Great Transcendence."

"I’ll drink to that."

"The Myriad Daos are about to collapse. Once they do, the Sea of Transcendence will cease to exist as well."

"And that doesn’t bother you?"

"Not at all."

Aurelius truly did not care.

Life and death had never meant much to him.

After taking a long drink, he replied,

"How do you know this won’t be a form of liberation for me?"

There were ways to live.

And ways to die.

Compared to such things, he was far more interested in witnessing Caelum attain Great Transcendence.

In a sense, this had always been the ultimate wish of the Eternal Celestial Court.