Chapter 33 – Battle in the Void

The resplendent train passed through the portal and entered a region shrouded in mist.

At that moment, the train seemed unable to endure any longer. Its radiance instantly receded, as if the dazzling, multicolored light had been violently stripped away by an invisible hand, leaving only a dull and mottled metal shell.

Upon closer inspection, the train’s body was covered in dense dents and scratches, as if it had just escaped a calamity.

At the locomotive.

From the outside, it appeared to be a battered locomotive, but inside, it was a world of its own.

A middle-aged man dressed in a black dragon robe and wearing a ceremonial crown emerged from a majestic and grand palace. He looked up into the void and murmured, “Young man, this is all I can do for you! How far you can grow from here depends on your own fortune!”

“…I look forward to the day we meet…”

“I hope… that day won’t be too far away!”

After speaking, the middle-aged man let out a “Pfft” and couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

——————

Within a brilliant nebula.

Here, light flowed like a dreamlike river, and stars twinkled like mysterious eyes.

Here, the concepts of time and space became blurred, with only the endless fluctuations of energy pulsating steadily and powerfully, like the heartbeat of the universe.

At the core of the nebula, a massive throne formed from pure energy hovered.

Upon the throne sat a colossal and indistinct figure. His face was Concealment within the light, impossible to discern, yet with just a slight breath, the majesty and terrifying aura he exuded made the entire nebula tremble.

Suddenly, two blinding beams of light erupted, causing the entire starry sky to tremble involuntarily!

It turned out the light originated from the eyes of the great being.

This was the result of it opening its eyes!

The light receded, and its distant gaze seemed capable of traversing time and space. Scenes flashed rapidly through the void.

When the scenes stabilized, the figure of Xiao Wuwang was unexpectedly frozen in the void!

With just a moment of thought, the great being understood why this insignificant ant, like dust, had drawn its attention.

“Interesting, is this the hope your entire race has been scheming for over ten thousand years?” The great being’s low voice echoed through the nebula.

As its gaze focused, the image of the world where Xiao Wuwang resided grew clearer, even the subtle changes in his expression becoming visible.

“Since that’s the case…”

“Then let it be crushed!!”

As the words fell, it extended a massive hand formed from energy and gave a gentle wave. An invisible ripple instantly traversed endless time and space, racing toward the world where Xiao Wuwang was.

“How dare you!!”

Suddenly, a sharp and authoritative voice exploded like thunder, shaking the entire fabric of time and space.

Accompanying this angry shout, an extremely dazzling sword light slashed forth from the boundless void. Wherever the sword light passed, space was torn apart, revealing the deep and mysterious chaos behind it.

The sword light and the invisible ripple collided with a “Boom,” erupting in a deafening roar as if the entire universe trembled at that moment.

An energy storm raged, dimming the stars in an instant.

Yet, in this earth-shattering collision, the sword light ultimately held a slight advantage, completely dispersing the invisible ripple.

“Hahaha! Hahaha!” The Great Being laughed heartily. “I never expected! A mere test was enough to lure you out, old thing.”

“Today, you have nowhere to run!”

“Why are you still hesitating? Now is the time!”

As soon as the Great Being finished speaking, three brilliant flashes of light suddenly ignited in the boundless void. As they rapidly expanded, they revealed themselves to be three more swirling nebulae!

“Hahaha!”

“Hehehe!”

“Wahahaha!! Once we cut down this old thing, your clan will lose another arm. Let’s see how much longer you can hold on!”

The three nebulae churned and condensed like violent whirlpools, from which three figures slowly emerged.

They radiated an aura of terror similar to the Great Being’s, each step distorting the surrounding space—a testament to their terrifying power.

Opposite them, a tall and upright figure gradually materialized.

He was clad in a plain white robe, embroidered with intricate and mysterious golden patterns that, when viewed together, resembled the form of a dragon!

“Clang!”

A longsword, imbued with an aura of righteous majesty, materialized in the hands of the tall figure.

“The Xuanyuan Sword!” exclaimed the Great Being, his voice tinged with a hint of fear, yet his eyes betrayed an unconcealable greed. “To think you, old thing, would bring out a World-Suppressing Divine Artifact!”

But it did not end there. The white-robed figure then tossed out another object.

The object hovered in the void, instantly enlarging. The surrounding space seemed to be suppressed as an ancient and profound aura spread like a surging tide, causing even the terrifying beings within the four nebulae to momentarily falter.

As the light slightly dimmed, everyone could see it clearly—it was an extremely ancient-looking cauldron.

“The Shennong Cauldron!” the Great Being exclaimed once more, his voice laced with a trace of resentment. “To think you, old thing, would bring out two Divine Artifacts! Are you willing to pay such a great price just to protect that brat?”

Another being chimed in, “The ten-thousand-year deadline approaches. Instead of guarding the World-Suppressing Divine Artifacts and clinging to life, you recklessly mobilize them at great cost. Aren’t you afraid the protective grand formation will collapse, leading to widespread suffering? What means will you have left to stop our clan’s invasion then?”

The white-robed figure replied, “It matters not! As you said, no matter how we struggle, it is merely clinging to life! Now, I would rather exhaust all my power to cut down two of you. That would make my life’s journey worthwhile!”

With those words, the Shennong Cauldron in the void suddenly erupted with a radiance of ten thousand zhang. The light, like a solidified golden torrent, carried the pressure to destroy heaven and earth, surging toward the four nebulae like a raging tide.

“Ring, ring…”

Simultaneously, the Xuanyuan Sword in the white-robed figure’s hand emitted a series of clear, crisp sword chimes. The blade then blazed with intense light, as if a dragon’s shadow swam within it. Extremely sharp sword rays seemed poised to tear apart the endless void.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

“Madman! Going all out from the start! He’s simply insane!!”

“Bastard! He really dares to fight to the death!”

“No, I must flee!”

Once one fled, the other three naturally refused to be left behind.

In a true life-or-death struggle, the opponent could indeed take one or two of them down. With their own lives at risk, none dared to be overconfident. In a panic, the four figures each employed their Divine Abilities to escape.

The four nebulae spun wildly, transforming into streams of light as they fled deep into the boundless void.

Only when the figures of the four demons had completely vanished did the white-robed figure let out a cold snort, slowly withdrawing the Xuanyuan Sword and the Shennong Cauldron.

Had the four demons persisted relentlessly, he had been prepared to fight to the death.

Now that they had wisely retreated, he naturally had no desire to prolong the conflict, as maintaining the power of the two World-Suppressing Divine Artifacts was an immense burden for him.

Moreover, the power of the Divine Artifacts diminished with each use—this consumption was depleting the very foundation of this realm!

The white-robed figure turned to gaze at the mist-shrouded “worlds” below, leaving behind only a final warning—

“Do not stop. The time left for you is running short!”