In the extreme south, not the southernmost part of Sky State or the Wilderness, but the very southern end of the entire world, spanning endless oceans.
Along the way, there were chaotic currents of time and space, storms of wind and thunder, and other obstacles that could stir up colossal waves, with the sea connecting to the sky and shadows as large as giant cities moving beneath the surface.
Crossing an unknown distance.
On the sea surface, a figure in a black robe and bamboo hat walked on the waves. The aura of the Sky-Reaching Realm rippled, instantly calming all natural disasters and beastly threats that blocked the way.
With one step, the distance shrank.
In an instant, he had traveled ten thousand miles. The second step covered a hundred thousand miles. The third step…
The figure in the black robe and bamboo hat took only ten steps to reach the extreme south of the world, where a dilapidated temple could be seen in the distance, its spire protruding from the sea.
Starting from Sky State, even a Morning Glow Realm cultivator would need half a year to reach this place at full speed, and any minor disaster along the way could spell their doom.
“Retreat.”
The figure’s hoarse voice uttered a single word, and the sea split open, revealing the entirety of the sunken temple.
Looking down from above.
Grand and majestic ancient buildings stretched endlessly in a circular formation. Surrounding them were simple stone houses, guarding a central temple nearly a thousand meters tall.
These structures had long fallen into disrepair under the ravages of time, except for a thousand-meter statue enshrined in the temple, which remained intact, faintly exuding a divine radiance.
“The God of Calamity—Huotu, after sleeping for tens of thousands of years, it’s time to wake up.”
The figure in the black robe called out, then took out an irregularly shaped crystal and pressed it into the hollow between the statue’s eyebrows.
Boom!
The stars trembled, and in broad daylight, hundreds of meteors turned into a rain of fire, falling from the sky. The sea was tainted with black currents, filled with plague, poison, curses, and death.
The stone skin on the statue peeled off, and it slowly opened its eyes, gazing at the tiny human before it. Its voice boomed like a celestial bell:
“What year is it now?”
“Thirty thousand years after the fall of the era of gods, Huotu. Do you still remember the Covenant of the Gods?”
“Thirty thousand years…” The statue murmured, then suddenly remembered something and roared angrily:
“Where is the Human Emperor? Where is he!?”
The figure in the black robe sneered disdainfully, “If the Human Emperor were still here, would I dare to awaken you? If he were here, do you think you have the power to seek revenge on him?”
The statue fell silent for a moment, then regained some composure and asked:
“Who are you, and why is my divine essence in your hands?”
The figure in the black robe replied calmly:
“Heaven-Watching.”
Upon hearing this, Huotu pondered for a moment and hesitated, “Heaven-Watching Pavilion?”
“The organization founded by the Human Emperor. Back then, when the Human Emperor slaughtered the remnants of the gods, it was the Heaven-Watching Pavilion that collected the divine essences. Did you secretly preserve the divine essences behind the Human Emperor’s back, waiting for tens of thousands of years to revive us?”
“Speak, what is your purpose?”
The figure in the black robe remained silent, sensing a gaze upon him. He lowered his head and said, “Master, my apologies, I forgot to remind Huotu not to call Heaven-Watching by its full name.”
“Master?”
Huotu was bewildered. He tried to trace the source of the gaze but failed, his expression filled with doubt:
“Wasn’t the master of Heaven-Watching the Human Emperor’s proxy?”
“The Human Emperor is missing, presumed dead. Who is the current master?”
The figure in the black robe replied coldly:
“Who said the Human Emperor is dead? He is merely missing, his fate unknown! And you ask too many questions.”
Huotu’s eyes, as brilliant as stars, revealed a divine indifference:
“Ant, if not for the fact that you revived me, I would have sent you into the cycle of reincarnation for your repeated disrespect.”
The figure in the black robe remained unafraid, shaking his head and saying:
“Thirty thousand years have passed, your divine essence is no longer complete, and part of it is damaged. How much power do you think you can wield? Besides, this is now the era of humans. You are merely a remnant from ancient times.”
Huotu was silent for a moment, then spoke in disbelief:
“Morning Glow Realm early stage?!”
“I have fallen from the Sky-Reaching Realm to Morning Glow…”
“But fortunately, the basic framework of my divine essence is still intact. In at most a month, once I spread calamity and devour billions of lives, I will return to my peak.”
The figure in the black robe continued:
“Do you remember the covenant made during the Twilight of the Gods?”
“I remember.”
“If anyone could revive us, we would help them with one task. Speak, what is your wish?”
Huotu was very clear-headed.
He knew very well that the era of gods had ended, and he was no longer the chess master overlooking all beings from tens of thousands of years ago.
Since the rise of the Human Emperor, the era of humans had arrived.
He could sense, through his divine essence, that this world was filled with many terrifying deep-sea predators, lurking, hiding, and plotting something.
So, what was originally an empty promise made in the unwilling roars before the fall of the gods, now had to be fulfilled.
The figure in the black robe pointed in a direction and said:
“You don’t need to do anything special. Just move forward. There are plenty of aquatic creatures in the ocean. In three days, you will be able to recover to the Sky-Reaching Realm. Then, land on that piece of land and slaughter at will, spreading calamity. Once you recover to the Sky-Reaching Realm, Heaven-Watching will help you and others to restore the glory of the era of gods.”
“Remember, no matter how much you recover in three days, you must land on that piece of land. Otherwise, someone will come to take your divine essence and put you back to sleep.”
Huotu was silent, then chuckled:
“Ant, you are using me, aren’t you? Restoring the glory of the era of gods… what a joke. No matter how corrupt Heaven-Watching becomes, it would never allow the era of gods to return.”
“On that piece of land, there is an enemy you fear, right? You want me to kill him for you.”
The figure in the black robe remained silent, his cold eyes fixed on Huotu.
Huotu shook his head and said indifferently:
“Never mind, being able to live again is already satisfying. For the rest of my life, I will seek revenge! Destroying the remnants of the Human Emperor’s glorious era, it doesn’t matter who uses me. The defeated are always at the mercy of others, reduced to pawns. I understand this principle.”
“After all, the gods once ruled the world, and I have played these tricks before.”
“I agree to your terms.”
Hearing this, the figure in the black robe nodded slightly, took a step, and disappeared.
The split sea water rushed back, submerging the temple once again.
After a while.
The vast blue sky turned purple, black, and green, stretching over tens of thousands of miles. Countless aquatic creatures floated to the surface, lifeless, their deaths horrifying.
Huotu’s aura grew stronger. He began to move towards the Wilderness.
As he advanced, his body expanded rapidly. In just half a day, he had grown to three thousand meters tall.
A day later.
His feet touched the sea floor, and his head began to emerge from the sea.
A ten-thousand-meter body!
Wherever he went, calamity followed. Countless aquatic creatures died, their life force devoured.
…
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