Chapter 416: After Fifty Years, The Upper Realm Will Begin the Cleansing

Just then, a figure slowly stepped upon the high platform.

Compared with the countless extraordinary existences surrounding him, his cultivation at the Late Stage of the Half Immortal Realm could hardly be considered particularly powerful.

In fact, among the beings gathered today, there were many who could suppress him with a single thought.

Yet, his expression remained completely composed.

After all, he was none other than the current Saint Lord of Kunlun Divine Mountain, representing Kunlun Divine Mountain, Li Daoming!

Moreover, behind him stood the Kunlun Saint Master, the strongest Half Immortal in the Second Great Mortal World, and even that mysterious Eternal Lord was backing him today.

Li Daoming cupped his fists towards the surrounding cultivators.

"Everyone, thank you for coming to Kunlun Divine Mountain despite your busy schedules."

His voice wasn’t particularly loud, however, the moment it sounded, it was carried by the natural elements and worldly laws throughout the surroundings, spreading across the entire First Summit and even reaching hundreds of thousands of miles beyond.

Every single cultivator present could hear it clearly, and even those standing in the furthest corners of the mountain range heard every word without exception.

Li Daoming’s expression gradually became solemn as he directly got to the main topic.

"I believe that many of you have already noticed that heaven and earth have undergone unprecedented changes during these past decades. A Providence vortex has appeared above the heavens, the Lower Realm Spirit has awakened, Spirit Qi has surged, and the natural elements, worldly laws, and heavenly rules have become increasingly active. At first glance, all of these changes appear to indicate the arrival of an unprecedented golden age, but..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the vast crowd.

"The truth is far from that simple."

The atmosphere immediately became tense as many powerful cultivators narrowed their eyes at these words.

Some had already vaguely guessed that something was wrong, while others listened with complete concentration.

Li Daoming slowly spoke.

"Even many of you may not know that the connection between the Lower Realm and the Upper Realm has already been completely severed."

As soon as he uttered thess words, for an instant, the entire Kunlun Divine Mountain seemed to have become completely still.

Then, the crowd suddenly exploded.

"What!?"

"Impossible!"

"The connection has been severed?"

"How could that happen?"

"Then what about the Immortal ancestors of our sects?"

One after another, shocked voices erupted from the crowd.

Countless cultivators’ expressions changed drastically, especially those from ancient inheritances possessing Immortal ancestors in the Upper Realm who had not been informed of this matter by their higher ups.

Their faces became particularly ugly, as they had always regarded the Upper Realm as their greatest backing.

After all, even if their inheritance encountered an unprecedented disaster in the Lower Realm, as long as they could contact their ancestors, there would always be a glimmer of hope.

But now, that connection had been severed.

What did it mean?

It meant that their greatest support had disappeared.

Several Vagrant Immortals exchanged solemn glances.

Unlike the weaker cultivators below immortality, they had already noticed that something was wrong with heaven and earth.

However, actually hearing Kunlun Divine Mountain confirm it was still shocking.

Above the crowd, Tian Yongheng’s expression remained calm as his gaze swept across the countless cultivators.

There were simply too many of them to count; the entire First Summit was densely packed with figures, and even the surrounding mountains had been occupied by countless powerful cultivators.

Some were Half Immortals, some were Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, some were powerful existences who had deliberately concealed their cultivation, and among the highest positions stood the Vagrant Immortals.

Nearly every Vagrant Immortal in the Lower Realm had gathered here. The scale was truly unprecedented.

Li Daoming raised his hand slightly.

The chaotic discussions gradually quieted.

"Everyone, please remain calm."

His voice remained steady, his expression becoming even more solemn as he continued.

"Although the connection between the Lower Realm and the Upper Realm has been severed, this is only one part of the matter. Through the deductions of several supreme existences from Kunlun Divine Mountain, as well as several other ancient inheritances and individual mighty figures... a great catastrophe is approaching."

The surroundings instantly became silent again.

Li Daoming’s next words were like a thunderbolt descending from the heavens.

"And this catastrophe is none other than the legendary Cleansing."

It was as if an invisible explosion had erupted throughout the First Summit.

Countless beings had their expressions change drastucally, and some weaker cultivators even felt their legs become weak.

"The Cleansing?"

"That world ending myth!?"

"How is that possible?"

"The end of a Heavenly Karmic Cycle?"

Many ancient existences had only seen records regarding the Cleansing in incomplete ancient texts, while some had even believed that it was nothing more than a myth.

After all, how could an entire realm possibly be cleansed?

Yet now, Kunlun Divine Mountain had personally announced it.

The myth had become reality.

Li Daoming continued, "According to our deductions, this Cleansing will not be limited to one Great Mortal World, it will encompass the entire Lower Realm."

Li Daoming’s voice echoed throughout heaven and earth, causing the atmosphere to become even heavier.

The Nine Great Mortal Worlds, countless small worlds beyond them, the entire Outer Void, every single place would be involved.

There was nowhere left to escape.

Even those ancient existences who had secluded themselves in remote star domains couldn’t remain indifferent.

Above the clouds, Hu Xuanji’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as Di Tianyang’s expression similarly became solemn.

The other Golden Crows exchanged glances.

Although they knew that a catastrophe was approaching, they had never expected the situation to become so severe as to involve an earth shattering event such as the Cleansing.

Li Daoming took a deep breath before continuing.

"As for the reason behind this Cleansing, we do not know. We only know that the Upper Realm appears to have already begun preparing, and that is why the connection between the realms was severed. Whether they intend to destroy the Lower Realm completely, or whether there is another purpose behind this matter, Kunlun currently cannot determine. However, there is one thing we can confirm."

His voice became somewhat bitter, "There is no way to stop it."

The moment those words fell, the faces of countless cultivators became pale.

Those few words were far more terrifying than any description of the Cleansing itself.

Even many Half Immortals couldn’t help clenching their fists.

Every single Half Immortal could be considered a peerless genius of the Mortal World, a darling of the heavens, blessed with supreme talent and myriad opportunities to reach where they are today.

They had cultivated for tens, hundreds of thousands of years, having experienced countless calamities, fought innumerable enemies, and survived many life or death situations.

Yet now, they were being told that an unavoidable catastrophe was approaching.

And the most important part was that this wasn’t an enemy they could fight.

It was the entire Upper Realm, those heavenly Immortal Sects, ancient Divine Dynasties, uncountable supreme inheritances, headed by those legendary Immortal Gods standing above all living beings.

Even the weakest among them possessed power beyond their imagination.

The crowd erupted into discussions once more.

"How long?"

"How much time do we have?"

"Can Kunlun contact the Upper Realm?"

"Is the news truly accurate?"

"Could the ancestors intervene?"

"Perhaps there is another way..."

Voices continuously overlapped, yet among the strongest existences, there was far less confusion.

The Vagrant Immortals and Half Immortals were mostly silent, already understanding that this wasn’t something ordinary cultivators could interfere with.

At this moment, an ancient figure slowly stepped forward.

It was an old man wearing an extremely simple gray robe, appearing above the clouds with a seemingly ordinary fishing rod hanging around his shoulder.

He had white hair, his face covered in wrinkles, and his body appeared somewhat frail, but the moment he appeared, the entire surrounding void seemed to become slightly heavier.

Vagrant Immortal, moreover, not an ordinary Vagrant Immortal, but a Perfect Vagrant Immortal!

One of the oldest Vagrant Immortals still alive in the Lower Realm!

He had been born during an ancient age, around the same generation as the Sword Venerable.

Now, after countless years, his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Vagrant Immortal Realm.

Unfortunately, his lifespan was also nearly exhausted. At most, only several thousand years were left of his remaining lifespan.

Compared to ordinary mortals, several thousand years were an unimaginably long time, but for a Vagrant Immortal who had already lived for over ten million years, it was nothing more than the final stretch of his life.

The old man cupped his fists towards Li Daoming, his voice ancient and resonant.

"Saint Lord Li, may I ask... when will the Cleansing descend?"

The entire Kunlun Divine Mountain fell silent, countless gazes turning towards Li Daoming.

No one felt that the old man’s question was unreasonable.

In fact, this was the question many wanted to ask as well.

How long was left?

Ten thousand years?

A thousand years?

A hundred years?

Even if there was only one year left, knowing the exact time would allow everyone to prepare accordingly.

Li Daoming’s expression became slightly complicated.

"Senior, I’m afraid Kunlun cannot give you an exact—"

"Fifty years."

A calm voice suddenly interrupted him.

The moment those words sounded, everyone’s attention instantly shifted to the figure floating above the clouds.

Above the First Summit, Tian Yongheng stood calmly in the sky.

His black hair fluttered slightly, his crimson eyes indifferent as he looked down upon the countless cultivators.

"Fifty years." He repeated.

"After fifty years, the Upper Realm will descend upon the Lower Realm and begin the Cleansing."