Chapter 1306: Advancing into the Game

This vast, boundless starry sky, filled with endless mysteries, began its heart-wrenching collapse, each moment like a shocking painting drawn with ultimate destruction, visually impacting every possible perception.

If the collapse's speed were slowed, one could see that at first, in the distant, seemingly endless edge of this starry sky, a faint golden thread quietly appeared.

Like a tiny slit carelessly cut into a dark canvas.

Seemingly insignificant, yet carrying an indescribable dangerous aura.

It is the concept of the Old God Sovereign.

And also the lure of the Upper Wasteland's gaze.

In the blink of an eye, this golden thread multiplied, spreading at a frenzied speed like a greedy giant net, rapidly expanding in all directions.

Wherever it passed, the originally calm starry sky was like a lake struck by a huge stone, rippling with layers of distorted waves.

These ripples spread outward in circles, carrying a strange distortion of reality, causing the starlight to twist and deform along with them.

Immediately after, the stars, like gems embedded in the cosmic black curtain, began their tragic dance of shattering.

One by one, enormous suns, usually like scorching furnaces in the universe, emitting endless light and heat,

now seemed to be fiercely struck by an invisible giant hammer.

First, the outer shell burst open violently, fiery flames like angry mad dragons breaking free, surging and pouncing in all directions.

The color of the flames was blindingly red, red as if it wanted to burn the entire universe to ashes.

Amidst this surging fire wave, the surrounding planets that had been orbiting were instantly vaporized, leaving not even a trace of residue, only turning into twisted light and shadow that dissipated in the chaotic energy flow.

Then, the sun's core was ruthlessly crushed under an irresistible force, turning into countless fragments flashing with eerie light.

Shooting toward even farther places.

Each fragment seemed to contain the sun's last unwillingness, as they traced long,

distorted paths in the darkness, like sharp swords cutting the starry sky into pieces.

As if wanting to tear deeper wounds into this endless void, and also as if writing a tragic epic of the universe's collapse.

At the same time, the originally vast starry sky, like black silk embroidered with billions of diamonds, now seemed to have suffered the most violent frenzy.

Vast expanses of stars exploded one after another.

Thus, the brilliant light that burst forth intertwined into a piercing curtain of light, surging outward like mountains and seas, wherever it reached, space was scorched into chaos.

The originally clear outlines of stars and the shapes of galaxies were now completely submerged in this frenzied interweaving of light and darkness,

tearing apart in this hellish landscape.

Each burst of intense light seemed like the universe desperately shouting, trying to use this final brilliance to resist the approaching nothingness.

Even the star systems were not spared.

Countless star systems, and even star fields, which had once been like radiant islands scattered in the endless dark sea, maintaining a mysterious yet harmonious order, now were like fragile sandcastles, rapidly collapsing under the surging waves.

Spiral arms broke, stars scattered, and the entire structure of the star system was completely destroyed.

This endless starry sky, in a short time, had completely become a chaotic wasteland!

All stars had been shattered to extinction, their light gradually dimmed and extinguished, leaving only endless darkness spreading wildly, as if wanting to completely devour all traces that had ever existed.

Even in this darkness, occasionally a faint, unwilling glimmer would flash, but that was merely the last echo of the starry sky's collapse.

A fleeting bloom.

Soon it was drowned by the ever-increasing dense nothingness, leaving only dead silence.

Nothing existed anymore.

And all this happened in just a few breaths; this vast starry sky had completed its life.

Together with the Old God Sovereign within it, under the gaze of the Upper Wasteland, it became nothingness.

All universes, all stars, all beings and things within it, were like the former Unparalleled City—

reduced to nothing.

Only the last trace of the Old God Sovereign's thought, under the mournful lament of the Fifth Star Ring's fortune, coldly echoed back.

"Immortal Sovereign, I cannot defeat you, but you too must not think you can win!"

This thought was imprinted into the fortune of the Fifth Star Ring, becoming an unerasable rule, trembling the threads of law.

Eternal and undispersed.

God Sovereign, fallen!

At this moment, the highest status of the entire Upper Star Ring stirred violently in the souls.

And the greatest disturbance was in the Ninth Star Ring.

In the east of the star ring, the slumbering giant beast opened its golden giant eyes.

In the north of the star ring, the flowing golden mother river surged, and on the countless lotuses blooming within it, countless figures trembled.

In the south of the star ring, within the awe-inspiring black tower standing there, candlelight also seemed to be lit.

Moreover, in the west of the star ring, the terrifying paper figure sitting cross-legged there licked its lips and gazed toward Eastern Wanggu.

On Eastern Wanggu continent, the eyes of the Upper Wasteland, which had opened, slowly closed.

After a long while.

Within the Fifth Star Ring, in the starry sky, a figure walked out from nothingness.

This figure was an old man, wearing straw sandals, tall in stature, with a golden rat perched on his shoulder.

He was precisely the Immortal Sovereign of the Fifth Star Ring.

At this moment, his silent figure approached and finally stood at the place of the God Sovereign's death, before that astonishing expanse of nothingness.

Standing at the edge, he raised his head to gaze upon this endless nothingness before him, sensing within it the dense aura of the Upper Wasteland.

The old man remained silent.

He knew that from now on, the Fifth Star Ring would eternally lack thirty percent, its ring no longer complete.

And, each time the true form of the Upper Wasteland opened its eyes, its residual light would also emanate from here.

The fifth star ring was thoroughly and completely stained with karma.

"This is the price of borrowing from the Upper Wasteland; you clearly could have avoided leading Xu Qing and the other to that place."

Beside the Immortal Venerable, Master Bai's figure stepped out and spoke softly.

The Immortal Venerable remained silent.

After a long while, his voice carried the weight of age, rising and falling in all directions.

It seemed as if he were speaking to himself, as if to Master Bai, and as if to all the Divine Venerables of the other star rings in the Upper Realm at this moment.

"Do you still remember that saying which spread throughout the Upper Realm when the divine ascension failed in the Upper Wasteland?"

"Fate can be broken, but the fixed numbers must be upheld—"

"So you say, could it be that, contrary to the outside world's judgment of promotion failure, it is—everything after this, in fact, merely the process of promotion?"

Having spoken, the Immortal Venerable's figure dispersed.

In the Upper Realm's star rings, all the supremes fell silent.

Master Bai was no different; after a long while, he let out a soft sigh and gazed into the fourth star ring, toward the place where Xu Qing had vanished.

Time passed thus, slowly flowing by.

In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

There remained only three years until Xu Qing's promised return, as he had initially set for himself.

Yet he had not returned.

As for the fourth star ring, during these five years, changes were not minor.

The divine spirits' region had been confined to a very small area; as for the outside world—with each supply star releasing immortal spirit essence, and with the fortune of the fifth star ring spreading, more and more cultivators had migrated to reside in the fourth star ring.

The Immortal Lord of Clear Understanding had returned to the fifth star ring, taking his turn in duty.

The other Immortal Lords had also largely returned.

Only Master Bai, throughout these five years, had remained seated at the place where Xu Qing disappeared, silently waiting there.

And all beings, during these five years, had also undergone significant changes.

They would often, during cultivation, have the echo of the Divine Venerable's voice from five years prior surface in their minds.

"Immortal Venerable, I cannot defeat you, but you too must not think you can win!"