Chapter 2402 Shattered Universe

Amidst the boundless sea of stars, the Grand Universe Ark sailed quietly through the void.

At the bow, Lin Xun reclined lazily in a rocking chair, eyes half-closed, looking leisurely and at ease.

Although the Grand Universe Ark was a Saint-grade treasure, it had accompanied him through countless battles over the years. To Lin Xun, it held deep sentimental value so he couldn’t bear to part with it.

“How long until we reach the Great Thousand Realm Gates?” he asked.

Perched on a small table nearby was a green sparrow, its eyes bright and feathers gleaming. Its crystal-white claws were tucked beneath its chest.

This was the green sparrow gifted by Yuan Qingheng. It was sealed within a pale green sachet embroidered with the character ‘Yuan.’

The green sparrow paused to preen its feathers, then replied in a clear voice. “With this broken ship’s speed? At least a year.”

Broken ship?

Clearly, the sparrow looked down on the Grand Universe Ark. Its haughty tone and smug expression were a perfect mirror of its master, Yuan Qingheng.

Lin Xun simply smiled and said nothing.

The Great Thousand Realm Gates were passageways to the Great Thousand World Battle Domain. There were eight of such gates, each in a distinct region within the Great Thousand Worlds.

Emperors from different cosmic planes of the Great Thousand Worlds had to pass through one of these eight realm gates to enter the Great Thousand Battle Domain.

The gate that Lin Xun asked about was the one nearest to the Ancient Nebula Road.

Lin Xun didn’t say anything, and the green sparrow did not utter a word. It resumed grooming itself, occasionally tilting its head to glance at the starry skies beyond the ship.

Just like this, one man, one bird, and one ship, drifted forward through the vast void.

Along the way, they passed by groups of cultivators aboard massive ships, navigating the boundless starry sky.

Sometimes, they even caught fleeting glimpses of Emperor-level beings traversing the void.

It was only journeys like this that one could begin to grasp the vastness of the universe.

The Ancient Nebula Road alone encompassed the Nine Great Star Fields, each made up of countless world planes. For ordinary cultivators, even leaving a single world might be impossible over a lifetime, let alone crossing the starry sea.

Moreover, the starry sky was far from peaceful. Numerous starry sky pirate factions lurked throughout the cosmos, like swarms of locusts, preying on boundary ships and plundering travellers that moved between the world.

Aside from these, the starry sky was also riddled with countless ominous natural disasters, such as space-time rifts, galactic storms, spiralling black holes, and clusters of meteorites.

Even Emperors steered clear of such terrifying hazards, let alone ordinary cultivators.

However, to Lin Xun, those were of little concern. What bothered him was the monotony of life on the road.

“Dao Endless Pagoda, Broken Blade, Limitless Abyss Sword Cauldron, Sword Case of Rebirth, No-Nonsense Bow...” Lin Xun counted his belongings as he journeyed onward.

Most of the treasures he had collected over the years were no longer of much use, so he left them at Mind Cleansing Peak. At present, he only carried the treasures he deemed essential.

It should be noted that over the years, as the power of the Phoenix Flame of Order continued to be absorbed and refined, the Limitless Abyss Sword Cauldron also quietly evolved. Both its form and power had become far more formidable than before.

Lin Xun had also infused the lotus-shaped pattern of the law power of the Nirvana of Transcendence into the Limitless Abyss Sword Cauldron.

In his estimation, the Phoenix Flame of Order was likely around the fifth grade Earth Rank, which was decent, but not particularly exceptional.

Still, law power was ultimately law power, and it was a force that transcended the Ancestor Stage and was beyond the reach of ordinary Emperor Ancestors.

The Nirvana of Transcendence’s law power was actually the origin law power of the Ancient Nebula Road, and in terms of grade, it was far superior to the Phoenix Flame of Order.

It possibly even rivaled the Luo Clan’s eighth grade Earth Rank lightning law power.

In fact, Lin Xun suspected that its rank was most likely above the Luo Clan’s lightning law power!

Of course, that was only speculation. When it came to law and order, Lin Xun had yet to fully grasp their essence. His current understanding was still surface-level. He knew the facts, but not the deeper principles.

One reason was that his cultivation had yet to reach a realm where the comprehension of law and order was possible. The other reason was simply that he had encountered too few instances of true law power.

“At my current level, I no longer fear Emperor Ancestors, but if I were to come across an immortal-level being, I likely would have no choice but to retreat.”

Lin Xun fell into deep thought. “Fortunately, there aren’t many in this world who’ve transcended the Emperor Ancestor Stage. It’s not easy to run into one.

“But once I step into the Eternal True Realm and face off against giants like the Luo Clan, I worry that my strength alone may not be enough...”

Over these years, Lin Xun’s cultivation had not advanced with lightning speed, but every step he took was steady and solid. If he had remained in the Ancient Nebula Road, his strength would have allowed him to walk unhindered.

However, in the Eternal True Realm, with his current level of cultivation, he stood no chance against the Immortal Imperial Clans.

“I need to seize every moment to grow stronger. Although the Great Thousand Battle Domain is known to be perilous and blood-soaked, it’s also an excellent place to sharpen my strength.”

At this thought, a flicker of anticipation stirred in his heart.

The Great Thousand Battle Domain!

This was a realm where only peerless Emperors could roam freely. To survive there, one might have to carve a bloody path forward, but Lin Xun was not afraid.

He never feared powerful foes, but only the absence of challenge!

......

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

The Grand Universe Ark, carrying Lin Xun and the green sparrow, finally exited the territory of the Ancient Nebula Road and entered a chaotic, unfamiliar starfield.

Space-time storms howled and raged, rivers of light surged like crashing tides, and natural disasters and apocalyptic phenomena erupted one after another. It was a place of sheer terror.

At this point, Lin Xun had no choice but to store the Grand Universe Ark away and carefully navigate the starry void.

According to the green sparrow, this was a cosmic plane ravaged by disasters and on the brink of collapse, isolating the Ancient Nebula Road. It was so perilous that generally, only Emperor-level cultivators could safely cross it.

On the path to a Great Thousand Realm Gate, it was not uncommon to encounter such disaster filled and collapsing universes.

Lin Xun set foot into it. Though his current cultivation allowed him to traverse the void and leap across thousands of miles in an instant, in this shattered starfield, he had to slow his pace.

There were simply too many hazards and terrifying forces scattered across the sky. The danger was boundless.

Sometimes, torrents of light seemed distant on the horizon, but in the blink of an eye, they would surge forth. If caught in one, it would obliterate flesh, blood, and spirit in an instant.

Even seemingly calm zones could, without warning, collapse into massive rifts in the void, like bloodthirsty mouths opening. Anyone who fell in would be doomed.

With Lin Xun’s cultivation, he frequently encountered such sudden and deadly dangers. Although he always managed to escape safely in the end, each time he was left chilled to the bone.

A few days passed.

Just after he narrowly evaded a gray cloud resembling a black hole, he heard urgent cries in the distance.

“Old Ancestor!”

“Run! Don’t worry about me!”

Startled, Lin Xun’s spirit sense swept out like a tide.

In the distant starry void, he spotted a colossal black hole vortex. The surrounding space was twisted, torn and collapsing.

A woman radiating an Emperor-level aura was trapped near the edge of the vortex. Dao light surged around her, roaring as she expanded all her strength just to keep from being pulled in. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t escape at all.

Moreover, as the black hole rotated, the devouring force of the vortex grew stronger and more terrifying. Despair crept across the woman’s face.

Nearby, a Windfire Mat hovered in the void, carrying several young cultivators, men and women. They all looked on in anguish, unwilling to leave.

“Run!” The woman shouted. “I risked everything to save you. Do you want to die here with me?”

The men and women were all visibly filled with sorrow.

At this moment, a massive hand pierced through the void, aglow with divine dao light. Its appearance caused the black hole vortex to tremble violently and let out an eerie wail.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The giant hand made a grabbing motion.

The woman was pulled away from the black hole and placed in a safe area nearby.

“Old Ancestor has been saved!”

Cheers erupted from the young cultivators, their voices filled with joy and disbelief.

The woman, who was prepared for death, was stunned for a moment. She then turned and bowed deeply toward the direction the hand had come from.

“I am Jintian Xueyun of the Imperial Jintian Clan. Thank you for saving my life!”

The young cultivators looked up and saw a tall figure stepping forth from the void. Clad in a flowing moon-white robe, he exuded a transcendent aura like a celestial being descending upon the world.

It was none other than Lin Xun.

When Jintian Xueyun introduced herself, Lin Xun smiled faintly, as though he had expected it. From the start, he had sensed their auras were the same as Jintian Xuanyue’s.

Lin Xun immediately smiled and said, “No need for thanks. Actually, I’m friends with Sword Emperor Brave Gale and Miss Xuanyue.”

Jintian Xueyun froze, then studied Lin Xun carefully for a moment. Then, she cried out as her expression suddenly changed. “You’re...Emperor Daoyuan!”

Lin Daoyuan.

Who in this starry sky hadn’t heard of him?

The young cultivators were visibly shaken. They stared wide-eyed at Lin Xun with awe, curiosity, excitement, and reverence, as if they had seen a living legend.

Lin Xun paid them no mind and asked, “Why are you here? Are you also heading to the other side of the cosmos?”

Jintian Xueyun nodded. “That’s right. To be honest, I intended to lead these youngsters from our clan to the other side of the cosmos in hopes of finding fortune. If we could come across some opportunities, it might open up a wider path for their cultivation journey.

“But who would have thought...we would encounter a disaster on our way...”

Speaking of this, Jintian Xueyun couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Even now, recalling the black hole vortex, she felt lingering fear.

The others felt the same.

In the Ancient Nebula Road, an Emperor-level figure like Jintian Xueyun was a supreme figure able to command fear and awe across the heavens.

Clearly, she had underestimated the dangers of crossing to the other side of the cosmos!

Or rather, she hadn’t realized that reaching the Eternal True Realm meant passing through the bloody, perilous Great Thousand Battle Domain.

Otherwise, how would she have brought so many young cultivators with her?