Chapter 624 - 617: The Heavens Collapse
The Chief Commissioner hadn’t even finished speaking when his expression changed drastically.
"What happened?"
Seeing this, the others’ expressions also shifted as they asked.
"With Yuan Jue’s current realm, power, and influence, he occupies a unique position within Donghua’s National Fortune. You could even say he is one of the ’pillars’ of this power. That’s why when he successfully broke through, I was also affected, allowing me to comprehend and touch upon that same realm."
"But, just now, within the ’National Fortune,’ that pillar suddenly fell silent. It’s as if a once-resplendent sun has now lost its brilliance."
The Chief Commissioner said in a heavy tone, his expression incredibly grim.
"What does that mean?"
The others’ expressions grew heavy as well. Though they had a vague suspicion, they couldn’t help but ask. They needed a definitive answer.
They couldn’t believe that a being representing the pinnacle of humanity could meet with disaster so easily.
"I don’t know. Perhaps he’s facing some kind of danger, trapped in some special circumstances, or maybe..."
The Chief Commissioner trailed off. One only had to imagine what this news meant for Donghua, for the Far East Alliance, for the Martial Arts Realm, and for the entirety of Human Society.
Everyone fell into a deathly silence.
Zhou Yuanjue’s light was too dazzling. In this era, in the domain of individual human power, his radiance overshadowed everything and everyone.
Like the sun at its zenith.
Once, there were others of the younger generation who could be compared to him, all vying for glory under the same sky.
But in time, he left them all far, far behind.
Countless honors were heaped upon him. At the same time, the power he wielded was the most critical force in Human Society.
His significance was akin to that of nuclear weapons to a nation.
Against the Celestial Demons, he was the pillar humanity relied upon most.
No one knew what impact the collapse of this pillar would have on the world, or what fate awaited humanity at this critical juncture.
"Everyone, let’s not be too pessimistic or jump to conclusions just yet. Yuan Jue once told me that at his current realm, he can make a full recovery even if only a single cell survives, provided he has enough energy and time."
"In fact, with my help, he has left similar secret failsafes for his recovery all over the world—this is classified at the highest level. In terms of survivability, he is on par with any Primordial Ancestor. To kill him is a near-impossible feat. Even if he were no match for a Primordial Ancestor, he should still have been able to escape."
"The pillar of National Fortune falling silent is likely related to him being trapped in some kind of special predicament. Contact Daoist Bailong and the Spirit Guardians at once. Find out if the Primordial Ancestors possess similar methods, and see if we can offer any assistance," the Chief Commissioner said.
But a moment later, he fell silent once more.
This silence was longer and more... oppressive than any that had come before.
A deeply suffocating atmosphere slowly began to ferment among them.
"Just moments ago, I received news. The secret failsafes that Yuan Jue left behind in various laboratories have all fallen into a deathly state, losing all activity."
"At the same time, riots instigated by the Celestial Organization have erupted simultaneously in most Western nations outside the Far East Alliance. And the Starry Sky Country, just five minutes ago, officially issued a ’declaration of war’ to the entire world."
"The populace of the Starry Sky Country has been whipped into a near-frenzied state, fully supporting the launch of this war."
"We’ve also received an important message from the Spirit Guardians. They... have come under the ’gaze’ of the Primordial Ancestors."
"Their primary target is, without a doubt, the Far East," the Chief Commissioner continued.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each world-shattering bombshell left everyone present stunned and reeling, their minds going blank.
GASP! GASP!!
Only the sound of heavy breathing echoed through the hall.
The Starry Sky Country had declared war.
The Primordial Ancestors had awakened and turned their gaze upon the Spirit Guardians.
The Celestial Organization was inciting riots across the globe.
As shocking as this news was, it was also within their expectations. These were confrontations that humanity and the Celestial Demons would have to face sooner or later.
But the other development was something they had never anticipated—something they had not even dared to contemplate.
Because for the Martial Arts Realm and for all of humanity, this news was like the sky itself collapsing.
"You mean..." Chen Qingmu asked the Chief Commissioner in a low voice, seeking final confirmation.
"As much as I hate to admit it, and as hard as it is to believe, based on all the intelligence and information we have, we must make this assumption. We have to abandon any last shred of wishful thinking and prepare for the worst-case scenario to face what is happening."
The Chief Commissioner’s expression and voice appeared perfectly calm. Only Chen Qingmu, who stood at his side, could feel the tremor hidden deep beneath the surface.
"Yuan Jue... has likely fallen."
BOOM!!!
As the Chief Commissioner spoke those words, everyone felt a wave of vertigo, as if a thunderclap had just exploded by their ears.
They couldn’t imagine what would become of the world at this critical juncture, without Zhou Yuanjue’s power.
’Has the sky fallen?’
The world was facing an unprecedented crisis!!
...
...
「At that very moment, within a boundless darkness.」
At least, to Zhou Yuanjue’s perception, his surroundings were nothing but darkness.
It seemed boundless, perhaps because he simply lacked the ability to extend his perception and sense anything about this world.
There was only one thing he could feel.
All around him swirled an endless, immense energy, so dense it felt as if it had condensed into a liquid.
He didn’t know what the True Realm actually looked like.
But he knew that, exposed to this sea of energy, he was like an infant adrift in a terrifying, raging ocean.
The endless energy mindlessly battered his body, destroying his cells and eroding his spirit.
The rate of this erosion was faster than he could possibly imagine.
It would likely take less than half an hour for his body to be completely torn apart by this sea of energy.
These were the consequences for a physical lifeform without the proper "compatibility" to rashly make contact with the True Realm.
’I have to... do something. First, I need to stay alive...’
He struggled to move his body. His skin had already been destroyed by the sea of energy, exposing raw flesh and blood.
Under the immense pressure, he slowly moved his arm, reaching for his waist.
Thankfully, he had used the last of his power to protect the pouch at his waist in the first instant; otherwise, everything inside would have already been devoured by this sea of energy.