Chapter 734: The Rise and Fall of the Universe: The Finite and the Infinite

The Lord of Nothingness saw the will of the masses re-coalescing, but did not show any anger.

On the contrary, his voice became even deeper and calmer.

"It seems you still need a more profound realization."

"Then, let this seat show you the true history of the universe."

The power of nothingness began to construct a massive illusion in the air.

Unlike the simple images from before, this illusion possessed a realistic, three-dimensional quality.

The crowd felt as if they were deep within the universe, looking down upon the changes of the Xinghe.

The first civilization appeared before everyone's eyes.

It was a highly developed technological civilization, their cities spread across the entire galaxy.

Massive energy collectors circled the stars, drawing in endless light and heat.

"This is the Titan civilization from thirty million years ago," the voice of the Lord of Nothingness narrated.

"They mastered interstellar travel, were able to reshape planets, and created artificial life."

"At their peak, they ruled over one hundred thousand galaxies."

The Titan civilization in the image was truly shocking.

The space cities they built were as clear and translucent as crystal.

Advanced starships shuttled between the stars, transporting supplies and information.

Each individual possessed power approaching that of gods, with lifespans reaching one million years.

"However," the voice of the Lord of Nothingness suddenly turned cold.

"They pursued eternal life and exhausted all the resources in their galaxies."

The image began to change, showing the decline of the Titan civilization.

To maintain their immortality technology, they began to plunder energy from other galaxies.

The stars of entire galaxies were drained dry, turning into cold white dwarfs.

Countless lives were extinguished because of their greed.

In the end, the resource-depleted Titan civilization descended into civil war.

Former allies slaughtered each other to fight for the final energy sources.

Powerful weapons tore planets apart, and the entire civilization was destroyed in the flames.

"This is the price of pursuing eternity," the Lord of Nothingness concluded.

The image shifted, and the second civilization appeared before everyone.

This was a cultivation civilization based primarily on spiritual power.

They did not pursue technology, but focused on elevating their own realms.

"This is the Spirit Race civilization from twenty million years ago," the Lord of Nothingness continued to narrate.

"Each of their individuals possessed powerful spiritual strength and could alter reality with their thoughts."

The Spirit Race civilization looked more harmonious.

Their cities blended perfectly with Nature, without pollution or destruction.

Each member of the Spirit Race possessed cultivation approaching that of an Immortal, with a lifespan reaching one hundred thousand years.

The artworks they created could directly touch the souls of the viewers.

The buildings they constructed echoed perfectly with the laws of Nature.

"However," the voice of the Lord of Nothingness turned cold again.

"The inequality of power led to irreconcilable class divisions."

The image showed the dark side of Spirit Race society.

Powerful members of the Spirit Race became rulers, while the weak individuals were reduced to slaves.

To maintain their rule, the upper-class Spirit Race began to suppress the cultivation of those below them.

They monopolized cultivation resources and established unfair laws.

In the end, the accumulated contradictions erupted into a full-scale civil war.

The collision of powerful spiritual forces tore space itself apart.

The entire Spirit Race civilization perished in mutual slaughter.

"This is the inevitable result brought about by power," the Lord of Nothingness commented.

The third, fourth, and fifth civilizations appeared one after another.

Each one had once been incredibly glorious and had created astonishing achievements.

Some mastered time-travel technology, while others were able to create dimensional spaces.

Some developed perfect social systems, while others achieved the collective evolution of their race.

But without exception, all civilizations eventually headed toward destruction.

Some triggered cosmic disasters due to excessive expansion.

Some turned into monsters due to out-of-control genetic modification.

Some were wiped out by their own creations due to artificial intelligence rebellion.

Some lost the motivation to evolve due to their pursuit of perfection.

The Lord of Nothingness displayed the history of the rise and fall of hundreds of civilizations.

Every story was so real, and every ending was so desperate.

The crowd watched in a daze, their hearts suffering a massive shock.

So it turned out that in the long history of the universe, so many civilizations had already tried various paths.

Technological, cultivation-based, spiritual, material.

Individualistic, collectivist, egalitarian, hierarchical.

Every direction of development imaginable has been attempted by civilizations.

But the result is always the same—destruction.

"Do you see?" The voice of the Lord of Nothingness was filled with profound wisdom.

"This is the truth of the universe."

"No matter how a civilization develops, no matter how a race evolves."

"In the end, they must all face the iron law of entropy increase."

He began to expound upon deeper cosmic laws.

"Energy always flows from order to disorder."

"Information always moves from concentration to dispersion."

"Life always marches from birth toward death."

"This is the fundamental law of the universe; no existence can defy it."

The image showed the evolutionary process of the universe as a whole.

Starting from the singularity of the Big Bang, matter and energy expanded through space.

Galaxies formed and disintegrated, stars burned and extinguished.

Black holes devoured everything, and in the end, even light could not escape.

"In trillions of years, all stars will burn out."

"In quadrillions of years, all black holes will evaporate."

"Ultimately, the universe will return to complete nothingness."

"This is heat death, the end of everything."

These words struck everyone's soul like heavy hammers.

Even Lin Xuan began to feel a deep sense of shock.

He had never thought about these questions.

So it turns out that no matter how glorious a civilization, no matter how powerful an existence.

They are all so insignificant in the face of the scale of the universe.

Just as ants cannot understand the world of humans.

Individual life is simply not worth mentioning before the universe.

"That is why this seat says that existence is futile," the Lord of Nothingness continued.

"No matter how you struggle, how you grow, how you create."

"In the end, you must all return to nothingness."

"Since the result is already destined, why must you endure the pain of the process?"

These words were more lethal than any previous attack.

Because this was not a malicious temptation, but a cold, hard fact.

Many people began to sink into deep despair.

If individual effort is meaningless in the face of the universe.

If all civilizations must eventually be destroyed.

If the end of the universe is nothingness.

Then persisting in existence truly seems very foolish.

The river of light of the will of all living beings began to dim.

This time it was not because of fear, but because of despair.

Faced with such a grand truth, the individual will appeared so fragile.

Even the three heroes who had persisted in the sacrifice began to waver.

"Perhaps... the Lord of Nothingness is right," Tianjizi said bitterly.

"Our efforts are indeed meaningless in the face of the universe."

Bai Suxue thought of the ten-million-year heritage of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan.

Such a long history was but a fleeting moment in the face of the cosmic scale.

All traditions, all cultures, must eventually vanish.