Chapter 888: Departure

In the Primordial World.

The Astral Gate that connected the Humanity Sanctum to the outside world was in complete chaos.

At this moment, countless Astral Gods were pushing and shoving forward nonstop. Angry shouts, desperate pleas, and furious roars filled the air.

"Let me in! I'm a close friend of the Sanctum Master Zhen Ming's personal disciple! Put me on the priority list!"

"Please, I beg you! Tyrant Zhen Ming is my master!"

"

Hahaha

! I've spent all these years in seclusion, cutting off every social tie just to focus on cultivating peerless techniques. Now I've finally succeeded! I reached the fifty-first step on the Supreme Ladder! That qualifies me for the priority list, doesn't it? Let me through!"

People swarmed the entrance in overwhelming numbers.

Some were prodigies chosen for the Eternal Ascent of Humanity Initiative. Others were top talents who had passed the Humanity Sanctum's examinations. Many more were simply followers, attendants, or companions of those elites, all mixed into the crowd.

The Astral World Disaster had come too suddenly. They hadn't had time to escape and were now trapped inside.

As the connection between the Primordial World and the Astral World was being eroded by the Eternal Oblivion Force, the fall of the Primordial World into the Material World had become inevitable. And that fall would be like a spaceship crashing down onto a planet.

Not everyone would be reduced to bones and dust, but the chances of surviving were painfully slim.

That was why everyone was fighting to reach the Astral Gate, desperate to leave the Primordial World.

A figure in golden battle armor stood at the edge of the crowd. His eyes were filled with unwillingness as he watched the Astral Gate.

Several others stood beside him. They were dressed in a similar style, with armor that carried a distinct flair, different from typical human design.

"There's no hope left, Ai Sa," said one figure with faint purple light glowing around him. "Even some of the top geniuses among the Human Race didn't make it through. Talent-wise, we're good enough to be called human prodigies, but we're still only a part of the affiliated races. We don't carry pure human blood. That might not matter in normal times, but in a disaster like this... the difference in how we're treated is clear."

The figure bathed in golden light before him was none other than Ai Sa, the proud genius of the Golden Emperor Clan. He had once contended with Li Pin in the Yin Luo Galaxy.

"Are we really going to die here?" another member of a subordinate race asked, unwillingness and frustration written all over his face.

"What can we do?" The one with purple glow sighed. "Unless we have some truly unshakable connections... and I don't mean the usual kind. Each of us already has a powerful cosmic-level being backing us, but if we want to make it through, we'd need ties to someone like a Tyrant's disciple... or someone within a Sacred Monarch's inner circle."

His words made the small group fall into despair.

Tyrants. Sacred Monarchs...

They had already become Astral Gods. Within their own races, they were admired by countless kin and entrusted with great hopes. But compared to existences like Tyrants or Sacred Monarchs... the gap was simply too vast.

Sacred Monarchs, in particular, were capable of transforming themselves into continents, forging foundations that would endure for eternity. Such figures were far beyond their reach.

"Sacred Monarchs..." Ai Sa murmured, a heavy weight pressing down on his chest.

The Sacred Monarchs' elite circle...

He had once come infinitely close to joining not the Sacred Monarchs, but the Heavenly Emperor's inner circle.

Unfortunately... that was all in the past. Now... they no longer shared any connection. In the other's presence, he might not withstand even a single glance.

The man bathed in purple light was filled with regret. "If only we had joined Dragon Abyss Tower... I heard their members were all given a unified retreat. Some of them weren't even peerless geniuses."

But now, it was too late to say anything.

"I just hope the laws of the Primordial World are strong enough... If the energy erupted from the fall into the Material World tears the world apart..."

Everyone would die. And this feeling of waiting for death... is far too agonizing.

Just as the remaining Astral Gods were on the verge of despair, the Astral Gate suddenly burst with dazzling starlight.

Then, to everyone's shock, hundreds of figures surged in. Heavenly Emperors and Sacred Monarchs who had always entered cautiously before... now all rushed in at once.

As soon as they appeared, they summoned battleships and flying vessels, as though they were completely unaware of the dangers of the Eternal Oblivion Force.

Vice Hall Masters Yuan Guang and Shi Xingzun had been maintaining order. Just then, they seemed to receive some kind of news. Overjoyed, they spread their inner spirit across the area.

"Remain silent! Everyone, board the prepared battleships and flying vessels in an orderly manner. We're heading to the Astral World!"

The Astral Gods and their followers had already resigned themselves to death. At those words, they froze in momentary shock before quickly erupting into an uproar.

No one knew why the Sacred Flame Hall suddenly made this decision, but if they could board those ships and go to the Astral World... that would mean they could survive!

The Astral Gods surged toward the gate, racing toward massive ships that ranged from several up to ten kilometers in length.

Yuan Guang once again released his inner spirit, this time also unleashing the full might of his Tyrant-level aura. "Maintain order! There's enough space on the battleships for everyone. All of you will be evacuated safely!"

The chaos quickly subsided, and the scene returned to order.

In terms of efficiency, a world backed by countless mighty powers sometimes far surpassed any organized institution.

***

The boarding of warships and flying vessels proceeded in an orderly manner. Ai Sa, the purple-glowing man, and several geniuses from subordinate races also stepped onto the warships.

Even after boarding, they still found it hard to believe what was happening.

"What's going on?"

The purple-glowing man turned to one of them. "Liang Luo, don't you always have your sources? What is this about? Weren't the passages to the Astral World all supposed to be eroded? Even the Heavenly Emperors didn't dare to come pick us up. So where did they suddenly get the courage to send warships through the spatial passage?

"No matter how careful they are, the Eternal Oblivion Force would still detect the fluctuations from the ships. The Sacred Monarch piloting this ship... does he have a death wish?"

"How would I know?" Liang Luo gave a bitter smile. "If my intel were really that good, I would've already escaped the Primordial World and gone back to the Sacred Flame Hall."

His words snapped the purple-glowing man back to reality.

Right... those with connections and talent have already left. The ones still here... are probably nothing more than expendable leftovers in the eyes of those high and mighty figures.

The crowd's confusion and unease lingered. As the warships and vessels activated and headed toward the Astral Gate, everyone's anxiety peaked.

No one knew what waited for them beyond the gate. Would they be swallowed by the power of Eternal Oblivion? Or... could they really pass safely through the spatial passage and return to the Sacred Flame Hall?

Before long, the Sacred Monarch piloting the warship gave an answer.

"Young ones, this is your great fortune. The mighty Central Sovereign Divine Emperor Origin has chosen to use his Transcendent power to directly resist the corrosion of the Eternal Oblivion Force, all so you can pass through the spatial passage in one go."

His spiritual voice echoed in everyone's mind, "Be grateful. Give your thanks to the great Central Sovereign Divine Emperor Origin. He is the one who has given you a new life."

These words left everyone stunned.

At their level, they rarely had access to first-hand information from the higher-ups. Since the Humanity Sanctum was based in the Primordial World, which was a subordinate world, news traveled even slower. Because of that, none of them had heard about the most recent events.

"Central Sovereign Divine Emperor Origin? Who is that?"

"If it's the Central Sovereign, shouldn't it be the Sovereign Heavenly Emperor Jin'que? No, that can't be right. I heard Jin'que was one of the Astral Lords who caused the Astral World Disaster. He betrayed the Human Race and was one of the main culprits behind the near destruction of the Primordial World."

"Divine Emperor? Don't we only have three Divine Emperors in the Human Race?"

"Wait... Divine Emperor Origin... That name sounds familiar. Could it be... His Majesty Li Pin? The one who came from our Humanity Sanctum, shattered countless records, and dominated the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War to become the overlord of the universe!?"

Shock, confusion, and disbelief rippled through every warship and flying vessel. Everyone was discussing who this Divine Emperor Origin really was. The warship carrying Ai Sa and the others was no exception.

"Origin... could it really be him?" the proud youth from the Golden Emperor Clan murmured to himself.

Just then, the Sacred Monarch piloting the warship suddenly spoke, "Suppress your aura as much as you can. We're entering the spatial passage."

As his inner spirit spread out, the warship surged forward and entered the Astral Gate.

In an instant, a corridor twisted by spatial forces and filled with flowing lights appeared in everyone's sight and perception. This was the connection tunnel.

Almost at the same moment, hundreds, even thousands, of warships and flying vessels rushed in together. The Eternal Oblivion Force sensed them and instantly erupted like a tsunami, surging straight toward the fleet.

It felt as if every ship was sailing past a star in the moment of its supernova, witnessing a cosmic explosion at close range.

That ever-present, all-penetrating wave of destruction filled everyone's vision and shook them to their core.

Some, unable to hold back their fear, cried out in terror, "Eternal Oblivion Force!"

Just when the Astral Gods thought they were doomed under the raging tsunami of the Eternal Oblivion Force, a soft yet brilliant light, like the blazing sun, suddenly bloomed within the spatial tunnel.

It didn't shine with blinding intensity, but it spread with steady, boundless power. In the blink of an eye, it filled the entire tunnel, forming a barrier vast enough to shield the heavens and guard the world. It enclosed the whole space.

When the Eternal Oblivion Tsunami slammed into the radiant barrier, it was like two tidal waves crashing together. Though countless bursts of energy erupted, neither side could overwhelm the other.

Bathed in that gentle light, everyone aboard the warships and flying vessels finally saw the figure who had released it.

His True Body had remained within the Astral World's core. Hence, the projection that descended was unimaginably vast, stretching for millions of miles in height.

He stood like a giant holding up the heavens, raising the radiant shield high above and blocking the annihilating force of the Eternal Oblivion outside the barrier.

That scene struck deep into the soul like a near-epic painting. It carved itself into everyone's heart, becoming a memory that would never fade.