Chapter 290 - 289: The End of the World

As all living beings in the Northern Boundary were struck with terror, Jiang Qiu’s pristine Dragon Body, like a lotus emerging from the water, was exposed above the Dragon Lake on Northern Boundary Peak. The lake’s mirror-like surface reflected the sky and his figure, but the image was shattered by the drizzling rain.

The [Dragon Lake] had been completely refined. The concentration of Spirit Charm here was ten times richer than at the foot of the mountain, and it would purify the Spirit Charm like a filter, making it easier to absorb.

Furthermore, the core of the Dragon Vein lay suppressed beneath the Northern Boundary Mountain, and the entrance to the Secret Realm was directly overhead. He was essentially guarding the two largest wellsprings of Spirit Charm in the Northern Boundary, holding the ultimate geographical advantage.

But this was no time to be pleased about the excellent location. Jiang Qiu closed his eyes, his brow furrowed. A hazy and distant scene flowed through his mind, like a small fragment leaked from the shattered memories of the Dragon Race.

In the vast, endless sea of worlds, there always existed powerful races whose descendants spread across countless Great Realms, their reach extending to the farthest corners.

Most Great Realms were interconnected. Some races grew powerful enough to rule an entire Great Realm, using it as a hub to continuously discover unexplored Great Realms and bring back anything that would benefit their own race’s development...

Accompanying these memories was the appearance of an illusory, humanoid figure. His form was that of the cosmos and stars. With a casual flick, he unleashed an endless storm, and a great catastrophe that eroded countless Great Realms swept forth.

And the infinitesimally small and distant Blue Star was instantly engulfed.

RUMBLE—

A furious clap of thunder roared. Terrified, Jiang Qiu’s eyes snapped open, his Dragon Eyes trembling slightly.

’Was that something that happened tens of thousands of years ago, or is it happening now? Is a great calamity about to descend upon Blue Star?’

Muttering to himself, he looked up at the sky of overlapping cloud layers. He could perceive the entrance to the Secret Realm and could even force it open, but the heart-pounding sense of dread had now climbed to its peak.

Compared to the unease he felt three months ago, he was now separated from death by a razor’s edge. If he opened the Secret Realm, disaster would surely strike!

According to the memories that emerged after the Refinement of the [Dragon Lake], there were indeed countless Great Realms. Some of them were complete and powerful, and such Great Realms were keen on expanding into others.

The resources of a single Great Realm were not enough to cultivate a powerhouse who could achieve Transcendence; plunder was necessary.

Even in the already shattered Celestial Profound Great Realm, the Demon Emperors of the Harmonization Realm who once existed must have gone to other Great Realms in search of opportunities to break through.

But later, the great calamity of the True Dragon’s fall occurred. This shattered fragment of the Celestial Profound Great Realm was sealed, and other Great Realms could no longer sense it.

However, this protective sealing mechanism seemed to still be in effect. Could it be that the Northern Boundary was not the place where the calamity was fated to strike?

Blue Star was!

...

Within a single day, the situation on Blue Star changed dramatically. A purple radiance pierced through the clouds, spreading down from the boundless sky and casting a strange, violet filter over thousands of cities.

Skyscrapers were shrouded in the purple radiance. People poured out from streets and alleys to gaze at the sky. Cars stopped on the roads, and the piercing blare of horns rose and fell at intersections.

It was as if a cloth had suddenly been thrown over a camera lens—the sky changed in an instant, without any warning.

And this strange phenomenon wasn’t just appearing within Xia Country’s borders. It could be seen in North Border City in the Northern Wilderness, on Sang Island, in the West, in America, at the Arctic—all over the world, the sky was purple.

"What’s happening?"

"I don’t know."

While ordinary people in the streets were still confused, a piercing alarm suddenly rang out like a bomb exploding. The startled crowds flinched, covering their ears and ducking their heads, their eyes wide.

WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP—

WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP—

WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP—

Level One Alert!!!

Countless people panicked, and the streets devolved into chaos. Some centenarians suddenly shot up from their wheelchairs, their faces filled with terror.

A Level One Alert was a level reserved for threats to the entire nation’s security. It was the country’s highest alert level. To date, the only other time a Level One Alert had sounded was over a hundred years ago, when the world’s Secret Realms had just reawakened!

That’s right. Back then, every province in the Xia Country had been impacted by the Secret Realms. Various members of the Demon Race emerged, destroying countless small Settlements, to the point that there are no longer any scattered, county-level communities today.

It showed just how terrifying that disaster had been. The death toll was astronomical, no less than that of a world-ending cataclysm!

But that time was because of the global reawakening of Secret Realms, when humanity encountered incredibly powerful enemies. Now... what could be the reason?

KSHH—

"Emergency announcement: All citizens are to return home. Do not move about freely. Do not move about freely. Provincial agencies and the Capital City have detected special Array fluctuations. The Xia Country is currently within an unknown Array Realm. There is a risk of death or injury. There is a risk of death or injury..."

The television abruptly switched to a news channel, and a stiff, electronic voice echoed from the radio.

However, the news broadcast was soon cut off, replaced by a screen of static.

RUMBLE—

A rolling roar like Thunder exploded from the heavens. A purplish-black rift suddenly appeared above the clouds, as if the universe itself had opened an eye.

A heart-stopping pressure poured down, enough to make countless beings simply offer their necks for slaughter. It was the irresistible pressure an ant feels before a god.

Everyone was terrified.

Doomsday theories ran rampant online, spreading like wildfire and becoming nearly impossible to suppress. The only good news was that the two sides fighting fiercely on the East Coast had suddenly stopped their battle. The leading Grandmaster frowned as he looked up at the sky; the purplish-black rift was still expanding.

"What’s going on? Is something about to descend?"

"I can’t sense its Realm!!!"

"What is that?!"

Under the panicked gazes of countless people, a sharp, square corner emerged from the purplish-black rift. It looked like the tip of a pyramid, but it was far more massive—already large enough to blot out the sun.

And as its complete form was slowly dragged out, an aura of despair spread across the globe. Every province in the Xia Country, in particular, was plunged into darkness, devoid of daylight!

Only the violet filter illuminated the darkened cities, where scattered streetlights flickered and irrepressible screams rose and fell.

It was a colossal, cube-shaped flying object, pitch-black all over. Its surface was engraved with incredibly intricate, purple Ancient Inscriptions that glowed like streaks of lightning.

After receiving the satellite images, the staff at the observation station nearly fainted from shock.

The vessel looked like a black magic cube, and Blue Star was merely the size of a basketball next to it. Furthermore, the planet was now enveloped in a special Realm Barrier that the object had generated!

One could imagine that if the vessel were to descend, it could flatten an entire country.

And yet, just as the world was gripped by terror, the vessel stopped its descent. A shimmering blue screen suddenly unfurled in the sky, visible no matter where one was on Blue Star—

The image of a lizard-like member of an Alien Race materialized.