Chapter 664: Break Through Without Restraint
Second Layer, Third Layer, Fourth Layer, Fifth Layer…
Layer after layer of sky was crossed by Dao Qiankun, layer after layer of worlds surged beneath his feet.
As the Finance Department, Demonic Cults, and Evil Gods erupted in rebellion, Dao Qiankun witnessed the heavens ablaze with crimson fire.
He saw once-silent, hardworking students transform into raging beasts, their roars echoing across the land as they rampaged through the world.
He saw cities scream in agony as skyscrapers collapsed into the starry sky, palaces perched among the clouds plummeted to earth, and countless magnificent pavilions and towers crumbled into ruins amidst the cultivators’ war.
He saw fortunes burn to ash, reflecting the despair on the faces of the wealthy.
He saw death truly descend upon the world, countless cultivators’ souls vanishing from the material realm without ever reaching the Spirit Realm, consumed by terror.
He saw Spirit Transformation cultivators unleash furious roars, their twisted Primordial Spirits unleashing a Financial Tsunami, like dying beasts desperately battering against the Sixth Layer world, their prison.
As Dao Qiankun stepped through the void, each stride carried him higher above the sky boundary, until he reached the highest point above the heavens. Beneath his feet, layer upon layer of worlds wept tears of blood, and streams of ash drifted down into the lower realms.
He raised his head, gazing into the boundless sky, which seemed like a bottomless black abyss.
In that sky, he seemed to see an incomparably majestic figure standing at the peak of the Sixth Layer, shielding the layers of worlds below with its back.
The figure turned its head slightly, its gaze meeting Dao Qiankun’s.
After a brief exchange of glances, a flicker of sorrow crossed Dao Qiankun’s face. His entire being transformed into a streak of light, merging with dozens of other luminous trails as they plunged into the Sixth Layer.
Simultaneously, the Sixth Layer’s rate of virtualization accelerated once more. A brand-new world, a future brimming with infinite possibilities, gradually materialized before Dao Qiankun’s eyes, drawing him forward into an unconscious embrace.
The figure glanced at Dao Qiankun and the other streaks of light descending into the Sixth Layer before turning its head again, facing forward once more.
“Ying Xintian…”
From the Nine Heavens, a woman’s voice descended: “You have already been defeated. What more is there to say?”
The man remained silent, closing his eyes as the endless Immortal Light bathed his body, tearing him apart, crushing him to dust, and… devouring him!
Flesh imbued with potent immortal aura was ripped apart and swallowed. Blood drops radiating the brilliance of the sun were fought over and devoured. Skin imbued with the power of Immortal Artifacts was peeled off inch by inch and fought over.
“Eat…”
The man grinned slowly. “If you’re still hungry, have another helping.”
With a roar, ten thousand suns seemed to ignite across the Nine Heavens, then exploded.
These were countless assets he had scattered across the layers of Kunxu.
In the next instant, the long-awaited, formidable forces transformed into tangible and intangible divine radiance, yet they surged forth like primal, insatiable, ravenous Taotie beasts, devouring everything he possessed with frenzied hunger. [TL note: The Taotie (饕餮) is a monstrous creature from ancient Chinese mythology, renowned for its insatiable greed and gluttony.]
Watching all this, the man slowly said, “Today, I will return everything the Demonic Realm has given me.”
“Look at yourselves now. Driven by the pursuit of profit, the desire for greater power, and the fear of falling behind your rivals… even as the heavens and earth crumble beneath you, you rush to seize the best treasures first…”
“Is this what Immortal Cultivation has become?”
No one answered, but the forces devouring the man’s power grew even more frenzied and rapid, as if terrified of being left behind in this feeding frenzy.
In the next instant, amidst wild laughter, the man unleashed his final reserves of power. With a sweep of his ravaged body, he struck repeatedly at the sky.
The black sky gradually tore apart, and the Sixth Layer world flickered violently, as if about to vanish from sight.
From above the Nine Heavens, the woman’s voice echoed once more: “Ying Xintian, you have scattered your cultivation, squandered your fortune, and doomed your clan to annihilation, all to buy these insects a fleeting moment of respite. Was it worth it?”
The man replied calmly, “I chose to do this simply because I wanted to.”
“If I didn’t pay such a price, how could I seize even a sliver of opportunity from your grasp?”
“As for whether it’s worth it, I no longer care to discern.”
“Whether it’s immortality, dominion over the world, or flawless cultivation with limitless potential… Perhaps these ambitions and desires can manipulate you, can drive Kunxu forward, but they cannot alter my resolve in this moment.”
In the next instant, a blinding light erupted from the sky of the Sixth Layer, illuminating the layers of worlds below.
As the light gradually faded, before the bewildered eyes of countless beings, the sky of the Sixth Layer vanished without a trace, leaving only a man’s voice echoing like thunderous resonance, reverberating across the realms.
“Break through without restraint!”
“Break through Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, and ascend beyond Spirit Transformation!”
“From this moment onward, no Heavenly Court or sect will stand in your way!”
“Three years from now, I will return to gather you all…”
At the same moment, just as the Sixth Layer of Kunxu vanished completely and before the connection between the Heavenly Court, the sects, and the Lower Realm was severed, a message descended into the Lower Realm, traveling through the Spirit Realm Network and embedding itself within the Bionic Eyes of every individual.
Within the University City of Myriad Laws University, True Monarch Magnetic Pole slowly opened her eyes and gazed at the message before her.
“Within two years, the Heavenly Court will reestablish the connection between the Fifth and Seventh Layers.”
This was the standard message from the Heavenly Court, accessible to all. However, each faculty member and student at Myriad Laws University also received additional, personalized messages.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s gaze flickered slightly as she thought, “So, I’ll be serving as the acting principal of Myriad Laws University for the next two years?”
Accompanying the message was a flood of radiant Spirit Realm light, revealing stacks of certificates representing approvals from the Heavenly Court and various sects.
These included five Spirit Transformation Certificates, fifty Nascent Soul Certificates, five hundred Golden Core Certificates, and five thousand Foundation Establishment Certificates, all entrusted to True Monarch Magnetic Pole, the principal of Myriad Laws University, for distribution.
“Truly… remarkably generous,” she mused. “But with nearly all Spirit Transformation cultivators departing with the Sixth Layer, without these extra certificates, they’d be forcing people to break through illegally.”
A faint smile touched True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s lips as her gaze continued to scan downward, examining the Heavenly Court’s remaining directives.
Simultaneously, she sensed similar messages, also containing vast quantities of certificates, being dispatched to the other Ten Great Universities.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole sighed, “In the coming era, there will be far more Spirit Transformation cultivators emerging between the Second and Fifth Layers than ever before.”
As everyone stared in shock, tension, lingering fear, and terror at the final message left by the Heavenly Court, the moon in the Second Layer’s night sky suddenly became tainted with a dark aura.
From within the Long Night Jade Palace, a magical artifact, came the maniacal laughter of the Evil Gods.
“You’re not the only ones who can broadcast messages.”
In the next instant, layers of crimson light seeped from the moon, dyeing the entire Second Layer world a blood-red hue.
Immediately afterward, everyone discovered that their Bionic Eyes were constantly flashing recruitment messages from the Evil Gods and advertisements from the Demonic Cults.
“The Heavenly Court and the sects will never return!”
“From today onward, we control the entire Spirit Realm Network!”
“Break through without worry! No more certificates can restrict you!”
A wave of shock swept through countless minds: “The moon has been hijacked?!”
From that day forward, the Second Layer’s night sky was dominated by a Blood Moon.
Whenever the moon reached its zenith, the Spirit Realm Network in the Second Layer would be flooded with endless messages and attacks from the Evil Gods.
Attempting to connect to the Spirit Realm at night would become a perilous act, risking conversion into a Demonic Cult member or a believer of the Evil Gods.
Even the most powerful cultivators would find navigating the Spirit Realm Network at night infinitely more challenging than before.
A rainbow-colored beam shot skyward from Myriad Laws University City.
Though she had chosen to break through immediately upon receiving her certificate and rushed toward the moon the instant her breakthrough was complete, Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole was still a step too late.
She gazed at the Blood Moon hanging in the sky, sensing the aura of a Spirit Transformation cultivator lurking within.
“Another recent breakthrough? But this one must have been… an unauthorized breakthrough.”
“The Evil Gods’ swift control of the Long Night Jade Palace suggests they had an inside accomplice.”
The image of the Finance Department flashed through Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole’s mind.
She frowned slightly, thinking to herself, “After today, many with dwindling lifespans, excessive ambition, or untapped potential will likely choose unauthorized breakthroughs.”
“Unfortunately, I’m the only one from Myriad Laws who has completed my breakthrough. The others still need time.”
Refraining from engaging in a futile struggle over the Blood Moon, Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole wasted no time. Despite the turmoil in her thoughts, she immediately charged toward the Sun-Patrolling Falling Darkness.
With the moon already lost, the sun could not be allowed to fall as well.
Simultaneously, Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole dispatched an Incarnation toward Zhang Yu’s location.
Recalling the mission assigned by the Heavenly Court, she mused, “The Immortal Dao Technology from Kunlun in the Palm can be used to dismantle the enemy’s arrangements on Layers 2 through 5.”
“It won’t be long before Zhang Yu becomes a target for the Finance Department, the Evil Gods, and the Demonic Cults.”
Heavenly Sword University.
Countless flying swords surged like a tidal wave, encircling the university campus floating in the sky. They wove invisible Spirit Realm defenses, repelling any Evil Gods from the outside world.
Similar scenes unfolded at universities across the land. As the Blood Moon rose, each institution activated its Spirit Realm Barrier to guard against the elusive Evil Gods, transforming into isolated islands of information adrift beneath the crimson moonlight.
Outside Celestial Monsters University, countless lower-tier monsterfolk roared skyward, agitated by the Evil God’s information constantly surfacing in their Bionic Eyes.
One monsterfolk couldn’t resist attempting a Foundation Establishment breakthrough, immediately drawing the surrounding monsterfolk into a frenzied attack.
The outer perimeter of Celestial Monsters University had become a hunting ground, each monsterfolk battling their inner impulses and desires while vigilantly monitoring others for unauthorized breakthroughs.
Many more monsterfolk sought refuge within the university’s inner sanctum, but they were blocked by layers of Spirit Realm Barriers and formations, like relentless waves crashing against an unyielding dam.
Xiong Wenwu gazed at the endless tide of refugees, a flicker of uncertainty in his heart. “What will the future… truly become?”