Chapter 55 Five Seconds

In just five seconds, all colors vanished from their surroundings, replaced by a uniform expanse of gray mist.

"Alright." Lan Meng smiled, extending a finger. The fingertip glowed, and the surrounding gray mist abruptly contracted, converging on a single point above his fingertip, swallowed by a massive, condensed force.

Countless wisps of gray mist flew past Li Cheng颐, like gray dragons, plunging into the point above the fingertip.

*Hiss...*

This scene lasted for a few seconds.

Then, silence.

The two floated once more in the black sea.

The blind spot belonging to the Golden City and the Mother of Emerald had completely disappeared.

All that remained was a tiny gray bead suspended above Lan Meng's fingertip.

"Take it and burn it." Lan Meng gently tossed the bead to Li Cheng頤.

The latter hurriedly caught it, but as soon as he did, he felt an immense weight. Even with his power enhanced by Eternal Life, he could barely hold it, breaking out in a sweat.

The weight was not a physical sensation, but a mental and spiritual burden.

"Is that it?" he asked his Shixiong (senior martial brother).

"What else?" Lan Meng blinked. "This blind spot was quite large, composed of a small star system of fifteen planets. The Golden City occupied the largest, about the size of the Earth's moon relative to your home."

He pointed a finger.

Instantly, the gray orb in Li Cheng頤's hand changed color, transforming into a jet-black sphere with a beautiful, swirling, colorful galaxy inside.

"Want to burn it in sections?" Lan Meng continued.

"...Never mind, let's leave it as it is," Li Cheng頤 sighed, feeling somewhat out of place.

In essence, he could also use his Flower Language ability to seal an entire planet directly.

However, sealing an entire star system like his Shixiong (senior martial brother) was still beyond his capabilities.

He casually sucked the small sphere into the sword furnace within his mindscape.

As soon as it entered, the flames within the furnace surged violently, and massive amounts of consciousness poured out, continuing to expand his unique dimension of vitality.

"Don't worry, I fished out the Mother of Emerald and tossed her away," Lan Meng said with a smile.

"Thank you, Shixiong (senior martial brother)." Li Cheng頤 clasped his fist in salute.

"No need. Let's go, it's time to head to the main headquarters." Lan Meng's smile faded.

"Alright!"

Li Cheng頤 nodded emphatically.

Now that everything that needed to be settled was settled, there was nothing to fear, no matter what troubles they might encounter.

With a thought, the two were about to teleport directly to the nearest Tian Ju Ge (Heavenly Gathering Pavilion) teleportation point.

*Buzz...*

Suddenly, a faint fluctuation emanated from the depths of the distant black sea.

The fluctuation instantly disrupted all spacetime sequences.

"Ning Wu... Men... Na..."

A bizarre, indescribable trembling sound suddenly echoed in the hearts of Li Cheng頤 and Lan Meng.

Both of them paled simultaneously.

They turned their heads towards the direction of the sound.

"It's from the direction of the main headquarters!"

Lan Meng identified the direction from which the sound originated.

"That's Ancestor Tian Qingzi's voice!!" His expression was incredibly grave. "What is Ancestor doing!?"

Li Cheng頤, standing beside him, felt his scalp crawl, his body stiff, as if an immense terror had descended upon him in that instant.

*Crack.*

A crack suddenly appeared inexplicably on the back of his body.

Like porcelain about to shatter.

It wasn't just him; black cracks appeared out of nowhere in all the surrounding black sea space.

The cracks spread like vines, expanding and branching out densely in all directions.

Fortunately, the Zi Yun Pei (Purple Cloud Pendant) at Li Cheng頤's waist flashed with purple light, seemingly transmitting a signal.

The terrifying pressure vanished instantly.

The cracks on his body healed rapidly, as if nothing had happened.

*Huff!!!*

He abruptly regained his mobility, exhaling a long breath. Then, he hurriedly focused his mind and looked towards the direction of the main headquarters.

In the black sea void, a point of golden light was slowly illuminating.

The light transformed into beams, blasting out in all directions.

Soon, the golden light began to grow roots downwards and sprout branches upwards.

Before long, a pure golden plant seedling appeared in Li Cheng頤's vision.

Then, the seedling trembled violently and began to grow rapidly, reaching for the sky.

In just two seconds, it had grown into a massive golden tree with intricate roots and a thick trunk.

The top of the giant tree extended countless branches, instantly connecting with the cracks in the surrounding space.

"Find the culprit within three days, or all will be restarted, and all beings will be reincarnated..."

Tian Qingzi's voice traveled along the countless cracks, instantly reaching the minds of all living beings in the known areas of the black sea.

In the dark void, the terrifying giant tree, reaching who knows how many light-years in height, began to absorb, draw in, and devour all surrounding blind spot worlds at an incredible speed.

Countless blind spots flew towards it like particles of dust.

"..." Lan Meng was speechless as he stared at the huge golden tree.

"The reason the Ancestor summoned us back was for this?" Li Cheng頤, standing beside him, also didn't know what to say.

"Apparently, the Ancestor can't find the culprit," Lan Meng nodded.

"So, he's threatening everyone, saying that if we don't find the culprit, he'll just wipe us all out?" Li Cheng頤's mouth twitched slightly.

"That's something Ancestor Tian Qingzi would do. Anyway, this spacetime isn't being destroyed for the first time..." Lan Meng shook his head helplessly.

"??? Shixiong (senior martial brother), what do you mean by that??" Li Cheng頤 was stunned.

"What it sounds like," Lan Meng said. "Quan Li (Omniscience) also has the concept of regeneration and revival. As long as they are willing to revive everything from the previous second of history, it is not a difficult thing. And the entire known area of the black sea has been destroyed countless times. Anyway, as long as the memories are traced back together, no one will notice."

"Then does such a threat have any meaning?" Li Cheng颐 frowned. He hadn't expected such a solution.

"Yes," Lan Meng said seriously, "because..." He looked at the massive golden tree.

"Because this time is different. This time... the Ancestor is planning to completely destroy the most basic concept of spacetime! When space no longer exists, all things will be eternally frozen, turning into countless fragmented pieces. Not to mention life, even inanimate objects will not be able to take shape!"

"..." Li Cheng颐 couldn't imagine such a scenario and could only look towards the huge golden tree.

"What about the other All-Knowing ones?" he asked in a low voice.

"They will resist, but Ancestor Tian Qingzi is different. Among the Four Elders, he is the strongest! Or rather, among the All-Knowing ones in the world, he is the strongest, comparable to the Void Mother and the Behemoth Asraduni when they crossed their limits." Lan Meng said solemnly. "So watch, the real war is about to begin."

*Chi!*

As soon as he finished speaking, the two disappeared from the spot, forcibly transferred by some immense power, flying towards the golden tree.

*

*

*

Among a thicket of branches composed purely of gold, a large number of twisting branches intertwined to form a circular clearing.

The original main headquarters building of the Tian Ju Ge (Heavenly Gathering Pavilion) was located in the clearing.

Outside the small building, numerous blurry, translucent figures were standing in a dense crowd.

They were all the All-Knowing ones and Dimension Fiends of the Tian Ju Ge (Heavenly Gathering Pavilion) who had been forcibly pulled back.

Among the four hundred plus people, two translucent figures suddenly appeared in the middle, flashing with golden light.

The figures quickly solidified, transforming into the forms of Lan Meng and Li Cheng頤.

After another few seconds or so, everyone had basically arrived, and no new people were teleported in.

Behind the main headquarters building, countless golden vines and branches flowed rapidly, weaving into a huge, ancient face, which was none other than Tian Qingzi.

"Now that everyone is here, let's start the restart. All things were born because of me, and they should also be destroyed because of me." Tian Qingzi's expression was indifferent, and his voice, like a ringing bell, appeared in everyone's heart at the same time.

"Ancestor... isn't this a bit too hasty?" One of the All-Knowing ones couldn't help but ask. "There are still allies of ours from the Lian Cheng Hui (United City Council). Is acting like this a bit..."

"All things should follow my will. All beings are my children. If they are rebellious children, they should be cleansed and reborn. What's hasty about that?" Tian Qingzi said calmly.

"Ancestor's anger is being used to force the mastermind behind the scenes to come forward, which is indeed a good strategy. However, the concept of spacetime is the foundation. If it is destroyed, reconstructing it will be extremely difficult. The unknown territory will surely take this opportunity to swallow the known... At that time, it will be even more impossible to reverse. Wouldn't that mean that all beings will not even be able to preserve a glimmer of hope?" Tian Shou Daoren (Heavenly Hand Daoist), as the Pavilion Master, stood up and said with a worried expression.

"Dao (the Way), is law, is rule. At this point, it's nothing more than a collision between different Dao. At that time, it will simply be a restart from the primitive era. We can still preserve our vitality without any hindrance, so what is there to fear?" Some All-Knowing ones also agreed with Ancestor Tian Qingzi's approach.

"This move will inevitably provoke opposition from the other forces of the Lian Cheng Hui (United City Council). Presumably, those All-Knowing ones are already on their way here. It's just that the fragmented space concept is preventing them from continuously teleporting, which is why they are slightly delayed. We should still think about how to deal with the censure of the many All-Knowing ones," Tian Shou Daoren (Heavenly Hand Daoist) said helplessly.

Li Cheng頤 stood in the crowd, watching the various All-Knowing ones of the sect express their opinions and suggestions. Some agreed, some opposed, and some hoped to postpone the restart.

At this critical moment, he glanced at his Shizun (Master), Tian Xuanzi, at the very front of the crowd.

His Shizun (Master) seemed to sense something, glancing at him with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Li Cheng頤's heart trembled, and he retracted his gaze, continuing to listen to everyone's arguments and suggestions.

Unfortunately, there were many suggestions, but Ancestor Tian Qingzi completely ignored them. He also didn't care about the potential encirclement by the other All-Knowing ones.

It was unknown what he was planning in his heart.

"Bai Lu, would you be willing to return to your past history to find the traces of the first generation's work?"

Suddenly, Tian Xuanzi's voice echoed in his mind out of nowhere.

Li Cheng頤's eyes narrowed, and various thoughts flashed through his mind.

"Reporting to Shizun (Master), this disciple is now in a state of Hunyuan Guiyi (Primal Unity), and no longer has a past history. How can I resolve this?"

"Your absence is like a painting missing a blank space. Even if it is naturally filled, there will be other traces. Now, the mastermind behind the scenes is besieging the Tian Ju Ge (Heavenly Gathering Pavilion), and among them is the first generation Flower Emperor, who hid and disappeared after the failure of the Royal City."

Tian Xuanzi continued.

"Now that you possess half of the first generation's Royal City inheritance, if you can find the traces of when he left his mark from the root, we can take advantage of the gaps and disrupt his plans. We can capture his aura, locate him, and intercept him!"

He paused.

"Of course, you may encounter the historical traces he left behind, and as a fellow inheritor of the Royal City, you will also encounter danger. But if you succeed, everything left behind by the first generation will be absorbed and fused by you, and you will rise to the sky in one step..."

Li Cheng頤 was silent.

In an instant, he realized the Ancestor's plan.

This meant that a full-scale war against the Royal City was about to begin. If he, the carrier of the other half of the Royal City, left the Tian Ju Ge (Heavenly Gathering Pavilion), he would immediately draw out the first generation Flower Emperor.

So, this wasn't just a little dangerous, but extremely dangerous!

The Ancestors... are planning to fish.

(End of Chapter)