The battle ended without any real danger. The last two Eternal Will Dharma Forms were eventually cut down by Zhong Qiu. It took around the time needed to brew a cup of tea.

Zhong Qiu, however, paid a visible price. Though his injuries were not severe, his appearance was a mess. His hair was in disarray, his face was pale, and his breath was ragged.

As soon as the battle ended, he let out a long exhale and said hoarsely, “Now I finally understand just how terrifying your cultivation truly is, Little Junior Brother.”

Lin Xun stepped forward, offering him a bottle of pills. “Senior Brother, tend to your wounds first.”

In the distance, Xuan Feiling, who had witnessed the entire battle, murmured, “As expected...no successor of Fangchun Mountain is ever ordinary...”

With his own strength alone, Zhong Qiu had fought two Eternal Will Dharma Forms head-on and won. His power was nothing short of heaven-defying. Of course, compared to Lin Xun, he was still inferior. However, compared to anyone in the world at the same cultivation stage, Zhong Qiu was unquestionably a ruler among his peers!

......

The Thousand Star Sea was gone. What remained was a vast wasteland scarred by chasms that stretched in every direction. Chaotic spatial storms howled endlessly, producing eerie, soul-chilling cries.

This was the aftermath of their war. Even with the golden cicada’s timely intervention averting the worst of the calamity, the devastation left behind by the battle’s lingering shockwaves was still horrifying.

At the very least, it would be a long time before the Thousand Star Sea ever returned to its former state. When the battlefield finally fell silent, Lin Xun collected the spoils left behind, then lifted his gaze toward the depths of the sky.

There, tribulation light blazed like a burning sea and thunder rumbled without end. The eternal tribulation targeting You Beihai still raged on, its aura alone enough to make one’s heart tremble.

“Let’s return to the sect.” A grave expression crossed Xuan Feiling’s face.

The Eternal crisis had been resolved, but whether You Beihai could survive this tribulation and ascend into eternity was still unknown. No one dared to relax.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Their figures quickly vanished into the entrance of the Origin Sect.

......

“Is it over?”

“That world-ending tribulation didn’t descend...”

“What in the world happened? Why did such a terrifying calamity erupt without warning?”

Across the vast Seventh Heaven Domain, billions of living beings slowly emerged from their terror and despair. The world-ending calamity they had all feared did not actually fall, but for the countless beings scattered across the Seventh Heaven Domain, it felt no different from brushing past the gates of death.

Now, as the laws and order of heaven and earth gradually returned to normal and no further catastrophic visions appeared in the sky, countless beings felt as though they had narrowly survived the apocalypse. Relief and bewilderment filled their hearts.

What exactly had happened? From the First to the Sixth Heaven Domain, and even the Eighth, countless voices buzzed with speculation about this unprecedented calamity.

Unlike the Seventh Heaven Domain, the others had not borne the brunt of the disaster. They felt shock, but not panic.

Only in the Eighth Heaven Domain did the Ten Immortal Giants sense something different. Something was off. However, even they could not foresee the outcome of this deadly tribulation striking the Origin Sect.

That very day, the Immortal Giants dispatched their forces to scour the world for information.

......

Within the Origin World, the terrifying eternal tribulation poured down like a torrent from the heavens. Amidst that tribulation storm, the figure of You Beihai fought alone, batting thunder and divine punishment with a ferocity that made the heart tremble.

“Do whatever you need to do. Don’t worry about me. I’ll watch from here.” Zhong Qiu remained where he was, eyes fixed on the blazing radiance of the eternal tribulation.

Lin Xun thought for a moment and said, “Elder, I’ll stay as well.”

Before leaving, the golden cicada had handed him a jade bottle and asked him to give it to You Beihai once the tribulation ended.

“Alright. I’ll find Old Fang and the others.” Xuan Feiling’s figure swept away toward the Heavenly Origin Secret Realm. At this time, the deputy pavilion masters such as Fang Daoping, Dugu Yong, and Yuan Wutian were still inside the secret realm, unaware of the cataclysm that had shaken the outside world.

Only after Xuan Feiling disappeared did Lin Xun finally ask, “Senior Brother...can you tell me now why Elder Golden Cicada insisted that Martial Uncle Kong Jue and the others head to Kunlun Dominion?”

Zhong Qiu paused, then said quietly, “Because the heavens are about to change.”

“The heavens...are changing?” Lin Xun’s eyes narrowed.

Zhong Qiu said softly, “Everything that happened today was like a grand game of chess. And the one moving the pieces is very likely the same mastermind behind the epoch-ending catastrophes.”

Lin Xun said solemnly. “Previously, Elder Xu Yin, the founder of the Spirit Sect, made a similar prediction. He said that the true target of this murderous calamity is...likely me.”

Zhong Qiu couldn’t help but sigh in admiration, “Elder Xu Yin truly deserves his reputation as a sage who has walked through countless eras. His foresight matches that of Master and Elder Golden Cicada.”

Lin Xun’s heart tightened. “So the calamity really was aimed at me?”

Zhong Qiu chuckled. “What’s wrong, Little Junior Brother? Are you afraid?”

Lin Xun shook his head. “It’s not that I’m afraid. I just never imagined that everything that happened today would ultimately be aimed at me.”

Zhong Qiu said, “Master once said that only the power of Nirvana can threaten that dark mastermind behind the scenes. In the past, you never revealed the power of Nirvana, and almost no one in this world believed that the Eternal Supremacy Path truly existed. But now, everything has changed. Not only the Shaman Sect, the Zen Sect, and those Eternal Divine Clans of the Ninth Heaven Domain have learned of it, but even that dark mastermind must have also sensed it as well.”

He paused, then continued, “Look at today’s murderous calamity. Without someone pulling the strings, do you really think the Shaman Sect, the Zen Sect, and the Ninth Heaven Domain would mobilize such terrifying forces? Would they truly dare risk a full-scale war with the Origin Sect, knowing they would suffer devastating losses themselves?”

Lin Xun recalled everything that had happened today. The Will Dharma Forms of the founding ancestors of the great ancestral courts appearing, and multiple Eternal Stage powerhouses descending. It was all so outrageous that no one would believe it unless they witnessed it themselves!

If no one was pulling the strings from the shadows, would the Shaman Sect, the Zen Sect, and those Eternal Divine Clans of the Ninth Heaven Domain really be willing to send so many of their terrifying powerhouses into battle?

“Was all of this orchestrated by that dark mastermind?” Lin Xun felt a chill run through his heart.

Zhong Qiu nodded. “That should be the case.”

“Senior Brother, do you know if this mastermind is a person, or some kind of mysterious and unfathomable force?” Lin Xun couldn’t help but ask.

Even back in the Fortune Dominion, he had asked Chen Linkong the same question, but even Chen Linkong could not give him a definite answer. Because throughout countless eras and epochs, no one had ever seen this dark hand behind the scenes!

Even Chen Linkong’s grandfather, Chen Xi, had begun searching for clues about this mastermind ages ago, yet it seemed he too had found almost nothing.

As expected, Zhong Qiu shook his head. “Not just me. Even Master and Elder Golden Cicada have nothing more than conjectures and hazy inferences.”

Then, as if remembering something, Zhong Qiu said, “Junior Brother, Master left long ago to seek out the All-Wonder Dominion. Do you know why he went?” 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Lin Xun replied, “It is said that within the All-Wonder Dominion lies a method capable of completely undoing the Great Silence Unlife Calamity.”

Zhong Qiu nodded. “Exactly, but more importantly, places like the All-Wonder Dominion lie beyond the mastermind’s control. Only there might we uncover the mastermind’s true identity.”

Lin Xun exhaled softly. “Right now, I truly don’t have the heart to worry about such things.”

Zhong Qiu chuckled. “Are you afraid that once that mastermind sets their sights on you, you’ll never know peace again?”

Before Lin Xun could respond, Zhong Qiu added, “Relax, before the epochal calamity of the next thousand years descends, that mastermind absolutely will not show themselves.”

Lin Xun asked. “Why do you say that?”

Zhong Qiu shrugged. “Master said so. If you want the details, ask him yourself when you see him.”

Lin Xun was struck speechless by that response.

Zhong Qiu clapped him on the shoulder. “If the mastermind were to appear openly, they wouldn’t be a ‘mastermind’ anymore. Across countless epochs, no one has ever known their true face precisely because they’ve never once revealed a single trace of themselves, and the same holds true even now.”

He paused, then added, “As for why Elder Golden Cicada insisted that Martial Uncle Kong Jue and the others head to Kunlun Dominion...the reason is simple. It won’t be long before the Eternal True Realm undergoes a great upheaval...”

Lin Xun’s heart trembled. “Please explain, Senior Brother.”

“In the past, before every epochal catastrophe descended, the Great Silence Unlife Calamity that targets Eternal beings would erupt one after another. Only by entering the Kunlun Dominion could one hope to escape such destruction.”

Zhong Qiu continued, “According to Master’s and Elder Golden Cicada’s deductions, the Great Silence Unlife Calamity of this epoch will begin appearing one after another in the coming years. If they don’t leave the Eternal True Realm soon, they’ll almost certainly be struck down by it.

“That’s why, for those at the Eternal Realm, the sooner they leave, the safer they’ll be. Right now, Master’s Will Dharma Form and Elder Golden Cicada are in Kunlun Dominion, and they can still help Martial Uncle Kong Jue and the others. But if they delay any longer, even they won’t be able to help.”

Understanding dawned across Lin Xun’s features. He had heard before that Kunlun Dominion was a unique and sacred dao dominion, and that whenever an epochal catastrophe descended, those at the Eternal Stage would gather there to compete for a chance to cross over, hoping to escape the devastating strike of the Great Silence Unlife Calamity.

Naturally, during that time, it would also be possible to uncover clues within Kunlun Dominion leading toward the All-Wonder Dominion. The so-called ‘strive for the passage’ referred to striving for the chance to enter the All-Wonder Dominion!

“So that means even the Eternal figures among the Eternal Divine Clans in the Ninth Heaven Realm will begin leaving one after another in the coming years?” Lin Xun’s eyes lit up. He understood exactly what that implied.

Zhong Qiu nodded. “That’s right. For the sake of their own survival, the Eternal Divine Clans of the Ninth Heaven Domain must prepare early. Unless something truly earth-shaking happens, they won’t easily intervene in anything outside the Ninth Heaven Domain anymore. And this will remain the case until the epochal calamity descends.”

Lin Xun finally grasped everything, and his voice carried a faint tremor of excitement. “If that’s the case, then the coming years will be our best chance to take revenge!”

Zhong Qiu shook his head. “Junior Brother, never underestimate the Eternal Divine Clans. The fact they’ve survived through countless eras and epochal cycles is proof enough of how terrifying their power and foundations are.”

He paused, then said gravely, “In the past, whenever the epochal catastrophe descended, the Eternal Divine Clans would leave behind one or sometimes several Eternal Realm powerhouses. These cultivators have already prepared to sacrifice themselves for their clan. Having cast aside their own lives, they naturally have no fear of the Great Silence Unlife Calamity or anything else.”