chsdbacks How long can Chapter 163 hold out?
How long can Chapter 163 hold out?
At the very bottom of the abyss, the moment those two seals shattered, the entire void wailed.
Like a mirror shattered from the center, cracks spread in all directions from the sky of the seventh layer of the abyss, penetrating the sixth, fifth, and fourth layers, piercing through all barriers between the abyss and the human world, and reaching deep into the crust of that blue planet.
Jiang Chen sensed that power.
It is not as violent as Neltharion's crimson chaotic power, nor as insidious as Balthazaren's corrupting power, nor as cold as Frost's freezing power. It is pure, absolute, and transcends all laws—
nothingness.
Neltharion knelt in the void, the wound on his chest still emanating a dark red light. On the right half of his black dragon skull, the rune-covered horns began to crack from the edges, dark red fragments peeling off piece by piece, turning into specks of light and scattering in the void. On the left half of his old man's face, the wrinkles grew deeper and denser, like a crumpled piece of paper trying to be smoothed out, each crease clearly visible.
"Three million years." His voice was old and hoarse, with a sense of relief that had been suppressed for countless years. "The two demon gods at the bottom of the abyss were sealed away from the moment the origin of chaos was born."
He raised his head and looked at Jiang Chen. His dark red eyes reflected six-colored light and a golden sea of light, but deep within his pupils, two orbs of light, darker than dark red and almost black, were awakening.
"The first pillar is named 'Nothingness'—not the kind of nothingness that denies existence like the Immortal Emperor's, but the eternal void itself before the birth of the universe. Its power is 'Return to Nothingness.' It returns all existence, whether matter, energy, laws, or chaos itself, to its original state before the birth of the universe."
He raised his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing upward. In his palm, a ball of pure black light was gathering. That light was not the pure black of the Void Immortal Emperor—the Void Immortal Emperor's black was negation, a stripping away of "existence"; but this ball of black was "non-existence" itself, an absolute nothingness where even the concept of "negation" was erased.
"The second pillar is named 'Origin'—the first ray of light that burst forth from nothingness at the moment the universe was born. Its power is 'creation.' It creates everything that did not exist from nothingness, including matter, energy, laws, and life itself."
In the palm of his left hand, a ball of pure white light was gathering. That light was purer than Wang Kai's chaotic power, more ancient than the emerald light of the Immortal Emperor, and closer to some ineffable essence than the six-colored pillar of light formed by the fusion of the six heavenly fires on the Primordial Sword. It was light. It was the first ray of light that burst forth from nothingness at the moment the universe was born.
"Nothingness and Origin, the two poles of the primordial chaos. Three million years ago, they were born from the primordial chaos, but because their power was too great, they were sealed in the deepest part of the abyss as soon as they took shape. Three million years later, your six-colored pillar of light shattered the seal and released them."
His body began to dissipate from the edges into dark red specks of light. First his feet, then his legs, then his torso, and then his half-human, half-dragon face.
Before the last glimmer of light disappeared, he uttered his last words.
"Jiang Chen, didn't you want to know what the true power of the Seven Pillars of the Abyss is? It's the void before the birth of the universe, and the instant the universe was born."
The dark red light dissipated completely. Neltharion's figure vanished entirely into the void.
The seven thrones arranged in a ring collapsed completely at the same moment Neltharion fell. Dark red fragments drifted through the void like a silent, crimson snowfall. The three pillar demons, Frost, Shadowfiend, and Emberbone, were already severely injured by the impact of the six-colored pillars of light. Upon seeing Neltharion's demise, they simultaneously turned and fled deeper into the abyss.
Jiang Chen did not give chase.
Because there was one more person in front of him.
No, it wasn't human. It was a humanoid, pure black light. The light was about two meters tall, with long limbs and a well-proportioned torso. It had no facial features, no skin, and no other distinguishable characteristics. It stood there like a sculpture cast from pure nothingness, or a rift torn from the void before the birth of the universe.
The first pillar of demons, nothingness.
To its right floated another humanoid, pure white light. It was exactly the same height and size, with long limbs, a well-proportioned torso, and no facial features. But the aura it emitted was completely different from the nothingness—the nothingness was "return to nothingness," while it was "creation." The first ray of light that burst forth from nothingness at the moment the universe was born.
The Second Pillar Demon God, Origin.
They opened their eyes at the same time.
The eyes of nothingness are pure black, so black that even the six colors of light cannot leave any reflection within them. The eyes of origin are pure white, so white that even the light of the golden sea of light pales in comparison.
Jiang Chen gripped the Primordial Sword, gazing at these two beings who had awakened from the deepest recesses of the primordial chaos, and felt his heart race. It wasn't fear, but excitement—the pure, burning fighting spirit that surged from the very marrow of a hunter's bones after confirming the prey's strength.
"Void. Origin." Jiang Chen raised the Primordial Sword, its tip pointing at the Void's pure black eyes. "Three million years ago, you were born from the origin of chaos and sealed in the deepest part of the abyss. Three million years later, the seal shattered, and you emerged."
He took a step forward.
"But do you know that this world is different from three hundred years ago? Three hundred years ago, humanity was barely surviving between the Apostles and the Demon Gods, not even qualified to look up to you. Today, three hundred years later, humanity has Immortal Emperors, Immortal Cultivators, Qingyun Academy, and 1,500 cultivators who can fight independently on the 30th floor in front of the Apostle Hall."
The second step.
"Humans are no longer the same as they were three hundred years ago."
The Void looked at him, its pure black eyes devoid of any emotion. It raised its right hand, fingers spread, palm facing Jiang Chen. Suddenly, a ball of pure black light shone brightly in its palm.
"Return to nothingness".
As soon as the word was uttered, the six-colored light in the entire void dimmed in the same instant.
The golden flames of the celestial constellations began to fade from the edges, turning from gold to pale gold, from pale gold to grayish-white, from grayish-white to transparent, and finally dissipating completely. The dark red flames of the Burning Soul were extinguished in the same instant, the icy blue power of ice peeled away from the blade, the pure black power of nothingness shattered before the higher level of nothingness, the emerald green power of life withered, and the pure white power of chaos collapsed.
Jiang Chen's six-colored light shield completely dissipated within a single breath.
Xu Wu withdrew his right hand, looked at Jiang Chen, and for the first time, emotion appeared in his pure black eyes—an extremely pure, emotionless "confirmation." He confirmed that his six-colored light shield couldn't even withstand a single breath before "Gui Wu."
Origin took a step forward. Its step was light, as light as the silence of the first ray of light bursting forth from nothingness at the birth of the universe. It raised its left hand, fingers spread, palm facing Jiang Chen. In its palm, a ball of pure white light suddenly shone brightly.
"Creation".
As the word fell, countless pure white rays of light surged from the Origin's palm in the void. These rays intertwined, coiled, and coalesced in the void, ultimately transforming into a sword. The sword's blade was entirely white, with fine, vein-like patterns flowing along its edge. An ancient rune was engraved on the hilt—the first mark left in the void by the first ray of light at the moment of the universe's birth.
Origin, holding the pure white sword, took a step forward.
"Jiang Chen." Its voice came from the void, calm and ancient, carrying a solemnity that transcended time itself, "Your six-colored light shield couldn't even withstand a single breath before the void's 'Return to Nothingness.' Your Primordial Sword couldn't even withstand a single breath before the Origin's 'Creation.' Your Dao Heart, before the combined forces of the void and the Origin—"
It raised its sword, the tip aimed at Jiang Chen's brow.
"How long can it last?"
Jiang Chen looked at the pure white sword, at the fine patterns flowing on the blade, and at the ancient rune on the hilt, and felt his heart stop beating at that moment.
It is the pure, indescribable awe that wells up from the depths of the soul when facing the first ray of light at the moment of the universe's birth.
But he did not back down.
The Primordial Sword lay horizontally before him, six-colored light re-condensing on its blade. This time, the condensation was much slower than before, and the light was much dimmer. But his sword remained, his hand remained, and his Dao heart remained.
"Void. Origin." Jiang Chen gripped the Primordial Sword and took a step forward. "Your 'Return to Nothingness' and 'Creation' are indeed powerful. Powerful enough to negate my six-colored light shield, powerful enough to create weapons that surpass the Primordial Sword."
He raised the Primordial Sword, its tip aimed at the pure white sword of Origin.
"But do you know how long humanity's Dao heart can withstand the combined attack of nothingness and origin?"
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"unlimited."
On the blade of the Primordial Sword, six stars lit up simultaneously. But this time, the six-colored light did not blast towards the void and the origin. Instead, it surged from the blade, condensing in the void into a six-colored light curtain that stretched across the heavens and earth. Countless intricate runes flowed across the surface of the light curtain, each rune being a fragment of a law etched into the origin of the void.
"Humanity's moral compass is not forged from matter, energy, or laws. It is forged from hope. It is the will to move forward even in despair, the determination to protect even after losing everything, and the belief to never give up even when pushed to the brink by beings like you."
He took a step forward.
"Nothingness, your 'return to nothingness' can deny all existence, but it cannot deny hope. Because hope is not existence, but something that is about to exist. Origin, your 'creation' can create everything that does not exist, but it cannot create hope. Because hope is not something that can be created, but something that can only be conceived."
The second step.
"Humanity's hope lies not in the past, nor in the present, but in the future. It resides in the heart of every life about to be born, in the heart of every cultivator about to awaken, and in the heart of every ordinary person about to rise up."
third step.
He stopped in his tracks, and the six-colored light on the blade of the Primordial Sword suddenly shone to its fullest extent.
"Nothingness. Origin. Your era has ended. The era of humanity has begun."
A six-colored beam of light exploded from the sword blade, hurtling towards the void and the origin.
Void raised its right hand, "Return to Nothingness." Pure black light surged from its palm, colliding head-on with the six-colored pillar of light. Under the erosion of "Return to Nothingness," the six-colored pillar of light began to fade from its edges. The golden Zhou Tian Xing Dou fire turned grayish-white, the dark red Fen Ji fire extinguished, the icy blue Bing Xuan power peeled away, the pure black Void power shattered, the emerald green life force withered, and the pure white Chaos power collapsed.
But this time, the six-colored beam of light did not dissipate.
It brightened up again from the edge of fading.
It was the embers of life of countless human awakeners, defenders, civilians, and explorers who had sacrificed themselves in the gap between apostles and demons over the past three hundred years, and who sank to the bottom of the abyss after death. Now, they were awakened by Jiang Chen's six-colored pillar of light, surging out from the golden sea of light and merging into every inch of the six-colored pillar of light.
Golden light particles adhered to the faded six-colored light surface, repairing, reinforcing, and strengthening them layer by layer. The Celestial Flame, nourished by the golden light, reignited, brighter, more stable, and closer to an ineffable perfection than before. The Burning Silence Flame, infused with the golden light, reignited, more intense, more fiery, and closer to the primordial temperature of chaos. The Ice Profound Power, permeated by the golden light, re-condensed, colder, harder, and closer to absolute zero. The Void Power, fused with the golden light, reawakened, this time no longer "denying existence," but "affirming the future." The Life Force, nourished by the golden light, grew wildly, enveloping the entire void in a verdant life shield. The Chaos Power, catalyzed by the golden light, underwent a qualitative leap, evolving from "denying everything" to "embracing everything."
The six-colored beam of light turned into seven colors.
The seventh color is gold. It is the color of the embers of life left behind by countless humans in despair over the past three hundred years. It is the color of hope.
The seven-colored beam of light struck the void of "Return to Nothingness". This time, the pure black light of nothingness did not erode the seven-colored beam of light, but instead, under the illumination of the golden light, it began to fade from the edges.
Nothingness lowered its head, watching its right hand begin to dissipate into pure black specks of light, starting from its fingertips. For the first time, confusion appeared in its pure black eyes.
"What is this?"
Jiang Chen gripped the Primordial Sword and took a step forward.
"This is hope. It is a power that humanity has accumulated bit by bit in three hundred years of darkness, with blood and tears, with life and death, with loss and protection, a power that is older than the universe itself and more powerful than the origin of chaos."
He raised the Primordial Sword, its tip aimed at the void between his brows.
"Nothingness, your 'return to nothingness' can indeed negate all existence. But humanity's hope does not belong to the realm of 'existence.' It is something that will exist in the future. And you cannot deny the future."
A seven-colored beam of light exploded from the blade of the Primordial Sword, piercing through the void's brow.
The ethereal body began to disintegrate from between its brows. Pure black light spots surged from the cracks and drifted in the void. In its final moment, its pure black eyes reflected Jiang Chen's seventeen-year-old face, the light blue hair ribbon on his right wrist, and the pale gold sword at the cuff of his dark blue uniform.
Before the last glimmer of light disappeared, it uttered a sentence.
"The Origin. Your turn."
The pure black light spots dissipated completely. In the void, only a pure white humanoid ray of light remained.
Origin stood there, its pure white eyes fixed on the spot where the nothingness had dissipated, remaining silent for a long time. Then it turned its head and looked at Jiang Chen.
"Jiang Chen. The 'Return to Nothingness' of nothingness negates your six-colored light shield, but it cannot negate your seven-colored light pillar. Because within your seven-colored light pillar lies the hope accumulated by humanity over the past three hundred years. Hope is indeed not within the scope of 'existence,' and nothingness cannot negate the future."
It raised its left hand, and the pure white sword floated in its palm, slowly rotating.
"But my 'creation' can create everything that doesn't exist. Including the future."
It took a step forward.
"Jiang Chen, humanity's hope is indeed strong. Strong enough to render the Void's 'Return to Nothingness' ineffective, strong enough to allow your seven-colored beam of light to pierce through the Void's brow. But humanity's hope, before the Origin's 'Creation'—"
It raised its sword, the tip aimed at Jiang Chen's brow.
"How long can it last?"