Chapter 594 - 325: Arriving Just in Time

The void fissure torn open by the Divine Venerable had not yet closed. A golden light erupted from Zhao Rui’s body, transforming him into a blazing streak of light that shot straight into the distorted spatial fissure.

At the same time, the surrounding Star Core Longswords, part of his Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Root divine state, also transformed into streaks of light and followed him into the fissure. The shriek of the swords shook the entire starry sky.

"Close!"

The Divine Venerable wasn’t about to just wait for his doom. He immediately used a great Divine Technique to seal the spatial fissure.

Unlike the spacetime tears created by ordinary experts, the spatial fissures he created were under his control.

This was a unique spatial manipulation ability he possessed as a main god of the evil god lineage.

"Ten Thousand Sword Domain, activate!"

Zhao Rui’s eyes sharpened. The surrounding Star Core Divine Swords instantly formed a protective barrier around him, transforming into colossal pillars that blotted out the sky.

They stretched across the space within the void fissure.

The void fissure, which had been on the verge of closing, was forcefully propped open.

"How is this possible!"

The evil god was terrified out of his wits and dared not linger any longer. He unleashed all his Magical Power, using his control over the void to flee immediately.

Seeing this, Zhao Rui also transformed into a streak of light and quickly gave chase.

Within the void, there was no sense of direction, no concept of space, and not a single glimmer of light.

Zhao Rui could only rely on the faint trail of the evil god’s aura to follow him closely.

He chased for an unknown amount of time—it could have been several minutes, or perhaps only a few breaths.

The scene before his eyes suddenly changed.

The black, chaotic void instantly vanished, replaced by a bizarre and fantastical Star Realm.

There were no main-sequence stars to illuminate this place. In the firmament above hung several white dwarfs and neutron stars, interwoven with hues of blood-red and dark purple.

The light was dim and oppressive, and a thick aura of destruction permeated the space between heaven and earth.

Below was a boundless expanse of "land," but it was not made of solid rock or soil. Instead, it was some strange substance, impossible to tell if it was liquid or gas.

Zhao Rui didn’t dare set foot on it rashly. His Divine Power formed a barrier that securely protected him.

Gazing into the distance, he could see countless colossal peaks built from the dried bones of unknown Exotic Beasts and strange metals.

Atop the peaks, a strange altar was faintly visible, from which a malevolent energy soared into the sky, identical to the Light of Destruction the evil god had previously wielded.

Shattered debris floated throughout the entire space. Countless black chains stretched across the sky, and wailing Divine Souls were entwined around them.

In the distance, massive ferocious beasts from an Exotic Realm were prostrated on the ground. It was unclear if they were restrained or merely resting, but all of them remained completely still, not daring to make a move.

’What is this place?’

Zhao Rui was somewhat surprised.

’This place looks nothing like a normal part of the cosmos should.’

Just as Zhao Rui entered this area, the Divine Venerable was stumbling, collapsing onto a mass of the strange substance. His aura was in chaos, and black blood trickled continuously from the corner of his mouth.

From the direct clash with Zhao Rui moments ago, not only had his weapon been destroyed, but even his divine foundation was severely damaged. He was now a spent force.

’Dammit... Just what kind of being is this person, for his Divine Power to be so terrifying! And that bizarre Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Root... what kind of Swordsmanship is that?’

The Divine Venerable gritted his teeth and pushed himself up, his eyes filled with terror and indignation. He had roamed the Star Realms for countless ages and had never seen anyone who could merge Divine Power and Sword Dao to such a degree.

He had certainly never seen anyone who could resist the collapse of the void, cross dimensional space, and barge directly into his Divine Domain.

’No, it’s not safe here either. I have to escape somewhere else.’

The Divine Venerable’s brow furrowed. Just as he was about to circulate his remaining Divine Power to conceal himself, the void behind him suddenly trembled.

A golden sword light tore through space and stabbed into the ground directly in front of him. The Pure Yang Divine Power erupting from the sword’s body instantly incinerated the surrounding strange aura.

The ground even ignited with golden divine fire.

Following that, Zhao Rui’s figure slowly stepped out, Star Core Longswords orbiting his body. He looked at the Divine Venerable before him with an indifferent gaze, as if looking down upon a speck of dust.

"My Domain is not a place you can enter and leave as you please."

The Divine Venerable struggled to his feet, the remaining dark Divine Power around him surging wildly in a desperate bluff.

"The Ancient Divine Court was destroyed long ago! Even if you’re one of its remnants, you can’t run rampant in my territory!"

"Why don’t we call a truce? We can rule the entire starry sky together."

Hearing this, Zhao Rui’s expression turned icy. He didn’t answer, simply waving his hand.

The dozens of Star Core Longswords floating by his side shot through the air, their afterimages weaving a dense net that sealed off all of the Divine Venerable’s escape routes. Wherever the Sword Qi passed, even the space of this Exotic Star Realm developed fine cracks.

"The Ancient Divine Court has nothing to do with me."

"And I certainly don’t need to cooperate with you to rule the starry sky."

Zhao Rui’s voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable pressure:

"You just need to tell me what exactly the Divine Court is, and where the Battle-axe of Destruction came from."

"And why did you invade the Divine Domain?"

"You’ve gone too far!"

Rage surged within the Divine Venerable. ’To think he had roamed the Star Realms for tens of thousands of years, his cultivation methods peerless across the starry sky.’

’His Divine Power was blessed by the evil gods, and he had dominated the starry sky for tens of thousands of years. When had anyone ever threatened him like this?’

But he also knew Zhao Rui’s strength, and the frustration in his heart reached its peak.

"You forced my hand!"

The Divine Venerable suddenly threw his head back and roared as his blood essence began to burn. The dark Destruction Power around him transformed into a colossal, sky-blotting claw that swatted thunderously toward Zhao Rui.

"Even if I die, I’ll make sure you don’t get off easy! You want to know about the Divine Court? Dream on!"

Carrying the power to annihilate everything, the giant claw gathered the aura of the entire bizarre Star Realm as it rushed toward Zhao Rui, its might utterly terrifying.

Zhao Rui’s eyes were like ice. The phantom of a sun behind him suddenly expanded, and an immense golden light instantly illuminated the entire bizarre Star Realm.

He made a gentle pinching motion with his fingers. His Sword Dao’s Divine Power and his Solar Divine Power merged, and a colossal golden sword that stretched across the heavens materialized from thin air.

"Sword Reversal. Immeasurable."

As his voice fell, the giant sword came crashing down.

There were no superfluous moves, no flashy techniques—just pure, ultimate energy. It instantly tore the giant claw apart and continued straight toward the Divine Venerable to crush him.

Despair filled the Divine Venerable’s eyes. He could clearly feel that before this sword strike, he didn’t even have the right to resist.

Just as the blade was about to fall, an ancient, cold voice suddenly sounded out from the depths of the bizarre Star Realm, piercing through layers of space to echo throughout heaven and earth.

"Your Excellency, it is better to forgive where you can. Do not take things too far."

As the voice fell, a terrifying aura far surpassing that of the Divine Venerable suddenly surged forth.

Atop the tallest of the strange, colossal peaks in the distance, a figure clad in dark-gold divine robes slowly rose. His gaze pierced across the vast distance to land directly on Zhao Rui.

The aura of the entire Star Realm began to churn madly, gradually forming an overwhelming pressure that descended upon Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui looked up toward the depths of the Star Realm, a cold smirk touching the corner of his mouth.

’Perfect timing.’

’The stronger they are, the more they know.’

’Through my previous battle with the Divine Venerable, I already copied the Cultivation Technique of the evil god lineage. Now is the perfect time to verify a theory of mine.’