Chapter 2159: Despair and Hopelessness (I)

Calamity wanted to protest his innocence, but one of the remaining ninth ranks laughed, “It’s fine, we don’t have much life span left to us since we were unable to return to our peak. We knew when we started burning our spirit that we would not end the day alive.

“Prophecy and Fate long foretold this day. They simply kept it from you and Skyward. Do you honestly think that we weren’t prepared in the slightest?”

“My dao of fate is wispy and intangible, it has long ceased to see through anything,” smiled the other ninth rank. “It might have some effect if used in conjunction with your dao of calamity. However, Calamity, take one word of advice from me. As opposed to believing in your destiny, it’s better to not believe in it!”

As immense dao strength surged into Calamity’s body, an extremely fragile voice sounded in his ears. “Calamity, everyone chose you and not Skyward only because... Skyward has greater ambitions! Be careful of him...”

Kaboom!

His body exploded as the dao master of fate fell. An even more unique power flooded forth after that.

“Heaven Earth, I...” Calamity looked on with an even more complicated expression.

The last person to bequeath his strength to Calamity was the master of heaven and earth. His smile was much more tender than it usually was. “Don’t give me that. Stick to being a petty villain, don’t become a hypocrite!

“My dao is that of reversing heaven and earth. It flips the two poles around! These people all cultivate the extremes of yin and yang, life and death. I hope you can succeed too, Calamity! Kill them and offer their heads as sacrifice to us. That makes our one million years worth it...”

A final surge of dao strength entered the region of calamity!

Calamity breathed out, then looked at Skyward in the distance with a complicated gaze. “So... it turns out... that they all knew!”

It was the first time that Skyward’s composed expression slid off his face. He, too, had thought that this group of people might not understand what Calamity had in mind. He hadn’t bothered to enlighten them because he felt that Calamity’s actions would be beneficial in eliminating this group of people!

However, he hadn’t anticipated that all of them would be well aware!

Things were truly getting out of control!

Calamity’s presence built rapidly. There was only him left out of the six that’d stood with him. Apart from the strength of life and death, he’d devoured nearly all of their dao strength.

And since they’d voluntarily sent it to him, not much had been lost.

Calamity truly seemed to recover to peak condition of yesteryear, and perhaps even slightly exceeded it. He took stock of the magnificent strength within his body and breathed out with amusement.

“Skyward, being a hypocrite is less than being a petty-minded rat. Wouldn’t you say that’s hilarious?”

Skyward looked stony-faced at him, saying after a long while, “Do you think that you can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me after incorporating their dao strength to complete your calamity dao?”

There’d been so many ninth ranks before, but now half were gone. And yet, the power of calamity dao continued to grow at a furious pace. It stretched in all directions, just like the thunder and lightning overhead that overshadowed the entire chaos.

An immensely catastrophic strength was brewing through the universe!

A catastrophe was upon them! The greatest disaster to ever face the chaos was only starting now!

......

Thunder, Fate, Heaven Earth...

Multiple dao masters had chosen to incorporate their dao strength into Calamity. A catastrophe had descended!

They could tell where Calamity’s ambitions lay, it wasn’t hard to guess his thoughts either. Of those present, both Li Hao and Skyward could easily read the man. They’d simply thought that perhaps the rest hadn’t.

As the truth turned out, everyone was in the know. That was what threw Skyward off balance.

He hadn’t thought that everyone would be aware and still choose to support Calamity. He frowned slightly at the revelation, but didn’t say anything.

After further thought... perhaps there’d been signs of it all along.

His goals were different from those of Calamity’s. Even if Calamity reigned supreme throughout the chaos universe, it would also mean endless unrest and disturbance. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, since it would be untold opportunities for premier powerhouses.

What Skyward, Li Hao, and the rest pursued, including Chaos Sky and Order, was a kind of peace and freedom...

That wasn’t actually a good thing.

For powerhouses, a peaceful era meant a lack of opportunity and the presence of a parental figure at the top. On the other hand, a chaotic age was when heroes from all walks of life could rise to power.

“Calamity!” Skyward looked on aloofly. “Do you think you can stand against me?”

Calamity ignored him. He summoned his energy in the surroundings, filling the void with the strength of a cataclysm. Innumerable cultivators and powerhouses could sense the might of existence ending.

The ninth ranks facing Li Hao watched with complicated emotions. Calamity had recovered his peak strength. They were aware of what he was thinking, but hadn’t thought that Heaven Earth and the others would choose to support him in their last moments.

All of them were heavyweights and could sense spirit fading from their bodies. They could feel how strong their opponents were and how much their lifespan was being consumed...

They all had extremely complicated expressions on their faces.

We are ninth ranks and stood at the top of the pyramid back in the day. But in that day and age, there didn’t seem to be much when it came to ninth ranks.

There was Skyward, there was Order. The rest of us didn’t stand out all that much a million years ago.

They were just there to showcase the loftiness of others! They made others look better in comparison.

In Li Hao’s age, there were also a lot of heavyweights. Today, Chaos Sky and Long Zhan both passed away. Perhaps only the Human King and Su Yu could go against Li Hao now, but in actuality...

To the ninth ranks, Su Yu wouldn’t have appeared at all had Li Hao not voluntarily relinquished time. The Human King didn’t compare at all when it came to viciousness, treacherousness, and cruelty.

The young man had truly set foot on the path of the dao of no emotions. Many of the previous wars had been started by this person.

The same situation might stand a million years from now. People might only know of Skyward and not of the rest of the ninth ranks. Or they would have heard of the ninth ranks, but recognize Skyward as the foremost among the chaos!

The remaining ninth ranks focused on Calamity, ignoring everyone else. His presence continued to rise!

Skyward didn’t interrupt the process. He simply watched, as if the proceedings had nothing to do with him.

“Brother Skyward has a lot of confidence in yourself!” Calamity brooded. He’d absorbed so much strength from multiple ninth ranks that his strength had risen to the most it could. And yet, Skyward was still unmoved.

It was like everything was still within his grasp!

This was the version of him that everyone least wished to see. It irked them immensely. Calamity, on the other hand, always presented a careful and cautious side. That was what they liked to see—a foolish, yet bizarrely self assured person that they all saw straight through.

Calamity had no secrets from them, whereas Skyward was always so mysterious.

No one liked someone like that. Take Li Hao, for example. When Li Hao and the Human King were together, they liked the Human King more. Just as when the Human King and Supreme Zhang were together, people like the Human King more.

The Human King was not a kind soul either. He had an extremely foul mouth! But he could be read, both in terms of intent and action.

What Skyward showed them today made them very uncomfortable. They’d always been very uncomfortable! It’d been too many years of discomfort.

Calamity fully let loose, thanks to his increase in strength. He stared down Skyward and gnashed his teeth, venting the rage in his heart. “This is how you’ve always been, Skyward. You always think that there’s nothing you can’t do!

“You were like this a very long time ago, as if everything’s under your control. It’s like we were all born to be your servants! You make us sick!”

“This isn’t my fault, Calamity,” laughed Skyward. “You guys... just suffer from low self esteem!”

He was the same composed gentleman that he ever was.

“You guys felt inferior to me and were suppressed by me for an entire age because of it. Because of your low self esteem, I comprehended dao more quickly and grew stronger because of it. I have a deeper understanding of dao, but I’ve always viewed you guys the same way from beginning to end.

“I’ve never thought less of any of you, but also never thought highly of any of you.”

He chuckled, finding nothing wrong with his words. If there was anything wrong, it lay in these people’s sense of inferiority. What I think of you guys is a function of your strength, not a problem with my attitude.

Chuckling, Skyward turned his gaze to Li Hao. “Li Hao is very young and not that strong. He’s also more ignorant than you guys were back in the day. But I rather like conversing with Li Hao. We are different people, Calamity. Since we are not of the same level and can’t run in the same circles, why do you insist on joining mine and making me accept you guys?”

He spoke so indifferently, but that further infuriated the rest!

Not of the same level?!

Not of the same circles?!

We’re all ninth ranks! How noble do you think you are?!

Thunderbolts exploded in the surroundings, heaven and earth seemed to exchange places. The power of calamity... somehow gave birth to clouds of auspicious omen. Everything seemed to be turning upside down and inside out!

Calamity had somehow turned into fortune and blessings.

That finally prompted Skyward to take things seriously. He nodded as he looked at the unique dao strength that’d manifested around him. “That’s more like it!”

It was interesting that Calamity had used the daos of heaven and earth to transform calamity into blessings. How fun! It felt more like daos of two extremes!

“Calamity, do you want to go a few rounds with me?”

The man stepped forward and raked Skyward with a cold glare. “Cease strutting around arrogantly, Skyward. I know that I may not be a match for you, but I’d like to see today how many trump cards a guy like you has up his sleeves.

“What right do you have to be so cocky?! What is there to fear about death?? We’ve all lived for so long that, although we still fear the final end, we’re not losing anything because of it!”