Chapter 712: Restarting the Mortal World
Countless seven-colored specks of light, like stars, flickered within the spatial rifts, rapidly growing larger at an extreme speed.
Or rather, they were approaching in the direction of Chenping Continent.
Standing atop the Myriad Laws Platform, Chen Yan raised his head and gazed at the rift above the vault of heaven.
He had known long ago.
The spatial rifts had no concept of time or space whatsoever, this point had been stated before.
Unless a powerful existence capable of disturbing "time" and "space" entered the spatial rifts, would the local area within the rifts gain the concepts of time and space.
As for where that powerful threshold lay.
According to the intelligence Chen Yan currently knew, the Mystic Maiden Statue, which had once been a weapon under Lord Qingluo's command, was undoubtedly an existence capable of disturbing "time" and "space."
And then, there was Mr. You, who had become a Sage eight thousand years ago.
At that time, Fusheng the Ultimate Sage had pushed the Mystic Maiden Statue manifesting in this domain heavens back into the spatial rifts, and within those rifts, engaged in an unknown battle to the death against the Mystic Maiden Statue and "that existence" behind Her.
As for how that battle within the spatial rifts had unfolded, Chen Yan did not know.
But he knew what the outcome was.
That was Fusheng the Ultimate Sage's fall.
And that Mystic Maiden Statue, now at full power, had descended upon this domain heavens once more.
Gazing at the sky-full golden light flickering within the spatial rifts, Chen Yan arrived at the final answer in but an instant.
There was no chance of victory.
Indeed, the so-called Mystic Maiden was a "weapon" under the command of Lord Qingluo, who governed the Three Thousand Worlds.
Moreover, this weapon was powerful enough that many Sages under Lord Qingluo's command had all heard of it, and were quite wary of it.
How could such a powerful weapon possibly be dealt with by a mere several Immortal Ascension cultivators?
The six Immortal Ascension cultivators, transformed into long rainbows, flew toward the Mystic Maiden Statue in the sky, and at the moment that sky-full golden light flickered from within the spatial rifts, the six long rainbows speeding toward the vault of heaven all simultaneously stalled for an instant.
The sky-full seven-colored golden light was incomparably dazzling, as one after another, Mystic Maiden Statues measuring thousands of zhang tall emerged from the spatial rifts.
The vault of heaven, originally occupied by the massive rift, was now completely covered by densely packed Mystic Maiden Statues.
They were not arranged neatly, but scattered at varying heights.
A "sea of Mystic Maidens" vast enough to inspire despair, shrouding the entire sky above Du Cang Mountain, each one radiating an extremely magnificent seven-colored golden light, illuminating the earth down to the finest detail, transforming this domain heavens from the originally sunless "Eternal Night" into this current cold, eerie, and utterly lifeless "polar day."
The six Immortal Ascension cultivators, who had originally intended to besiege that first Mystic Maiden Statue, all halted their movements.
Apart from Realman Xihe and Realman Liuguang, who had only ascended to immortality within the past century, the other four Immortal Ascension cultivators were all Immortal Ascension Realm Stewards who had at least roamed this domain heavens for several thousand years, and had weathered countless great storms.
Yet as they gazed up at the densely packed Mystic Maiden Statues appearing in the sky, these Immortal Ascension cultivators' blank gazes looked almost no different from children's.
Just a single Mystic Maiden Statue, and without Chen Yan's assistance, at the very instant when He first pressed His palms together, all Immortal Ascension cultivators on Du Cang Mountain would have instantly been reduced to ash.
And now, the Mystic Maiden Statues appearing in the sky numbered at least several thousand!
There was no method of resistance.
Everyone was well aware of this in their hearts.
Floating in the air, Realman Lingxuan Gu Jing's eyes flashed with a resolute expression. He turned his head to look at the Heavenly Summit Palace suspended above Du Cang Mountain behind him, as though he had resolved himself to something.
But before he could take any action, the several thousand Mystic Maiden Statues distributed across the vault of heaven all began to move.
Just like that first Mystic Maiden Statue, these several thousand statues, almost all carved from the same mold, spread their hands to both sides, then raised them above their heads, and finally began to bring them together before their chests.
Still standing atop the Myriad Laws Platform, Chen Yan subconsciously raised his right hand, wanting to forcibly activate his dao rhyme once more, to unleash the Emptiness Annihilation Art, to sever the karmic connection between these several thousand Mystic Maiden Statues and Chenping Continent.
But just as Chen Yan placed his right hand upon his chest, he suddenly hesitated.
Damage to dao rhyme was irreversible.
Being able to re-enter the Cycle of Reincarnation was the same.
Even if he now risked severe damage to his dao rhyme, even an outcome more miserable than Kong Yang's from days past, to stop these Mystic Maiden Statues' current assault upon Chenping Continent, what exactly could it change?
It could change nothing.
Chen Yan suddenly felt relieved.
He slowly lowered his right hand placed before his chest, and all of this was taken in by Mr. You at his side.
"You've decided to give up?"
Mr. You said slowly.
"Mm."
Chen Yan nodded, then continued:
"The current approach won't work."
"Then, we still have to place our hopes on the cause and effect of the Sage of Imperial Void?"
Mr. You continued to ask.
"Perhaps."
Chen Yan replied.
At this very moment, the complete Heavenly Summit Mirror was within Chen Yan's Storage Treasure.
He had originally planned, at the final moment of crisis, to use the Heavenly Summit Mirror to project the Sage of Imperial Void from his past peak period into the current era.
It was just that the situation's development up to now had completely left him no opportunity to carry it out.
"I've always been curious about one question. If you could choose to start over, then when would the point of starting over be?"
Mr. You asked.
"That question, I'm not clear on either."
Chen Yan merely shook his head gently.
And it was precisely at this very moment that Qiu Siruo, severely wounded at his side, inconceivably turned her head, gazing toward Chen Yan and Mr. You, her eyes filled with confusion and shock.
"You two... from the very beginning just now, what have you been talking about, what starting over, could it be..."
Qiu Siruo's expression shifted slightly, as she gazed at Chen Yan behind her with an indescribable look in her eyes.
Chen Yan merely remained silent, raising his head to gaze at the vault of heaven, where the several thousand Mystic Maiden Statues moved in perfect unison, pressing their palms together.
And Mr. You lowered his head, smiling faintly at Qiu Siruo beside him, then spoke in a calm tone:
"Then, goodbye, True Person Qiu."
Dong!
As the several thousand Mystic Maiden Statues pressed their palms together, a bronze bell toll, more crystalline and luminous than ever before, rang out.
The Heavenly Summit Palace, Du Cang Mountain, and every cultivator, every living being, every wisp of wind, every speck of dust in this domain heavens, all in an instant, evaporated, melted away.
Everything, reduced to nothingness.