Chapter 898: Chapter 898

"Eternity, is it?" said Li Pin.

He had understood what Miao Ya meant.

The universe had once witnessed the presence of Eternal power. For some unknown reason, possibly because They had offended that power, the Eternal force had driven Them out of this universe. It also twisted Their perception and erased all memory of what had happened.

The unknown and emptiness left behind by Their lost memories had given rise to a deeper, more mysterious fear—one that had carved itself into the depths of Their minds like a brand. From the collapse of the Ancient Astral World until now, across countless years, They had never dared to take even a single step back into this universe.

At most, They had only dared to use the most cautious, tentative methods to investigate, to learn.

Li Pin could understand that fear.

Anyone who suddenly realized that their memories had been altered and their perception of reality distorted, without knowing when or how, would naturally be overwhelmed by fear.

They would instinctively direct their fear toward the power that caused it, as well as the place where it existed—this universe.

That was why the surviving Creators of the Ancient Astral World had never dared to return.

But now... They had awakened. Or rather, They had come to understand what it was They had feared—Eternity.

It was no longer a nameless, formless terror. Now, They knew. What They feared was something above even Creation itself. A power far beyond what They currently possessed.

So even in the face of death, They had found the courage to return and step into this universe once more.

"The unknown... is more terrifying than Eternity itself," Li Pin said.

"There's nothing to fear anymore," said Creator Miao Ya as he steadied himself. He looked at Li Pin once again. "We will find that Eternal power."

"And if you don't?" Li Pin asked.

"He is here. In this universe," Miao Ya said firmly. "We will find Him, no matter what it takes. Even if we have to give up everything."

Li Pin understood. It was simple logic. If They couldn't find it, They would destroy this universe.

Since the power of Eternity was so overwhelming, and He existed within this universe, using it as His vessel, then He would have to intervene to stop its destruction. Whatever couldn't be destroyed, that would be the essence of Eternity.

It was just like how the Supremes searched for Indestructible Matter. There was no need to slowly probe or sense through the laws of matter, energy, time, or space.

As long as they knew it was somewhere on a certain planet or in a certain star system, they could simply destroy everything there. Whatever remained intact, that would be the Indestructible Matter.

These Creators clearly followed that same logic.

For that reason... even if it meant destroying everything, they would not hesitate.

"Just like how the Ancient Astral World was destroyed," Li Pin said.

"The destruction of the Ancient Astral World had nothing to do with us," Miao Ya replied. "Long before it collapsed... we were already outside the universe."

Li Pin was stunned. He had assumed the Ancient Astral World was destroyed in the battle that broke out when Eternity expelled the Creators.

After all, judging from the strength these Creators had shown, each of Them was stronger than a Supreme. And there wasn't just one of Them.

If a full-scale war truly broke out, it could very well lead to the collapse of the Ancient Astral World and cause a massive loss of universal matter.

"So..." Miao Ya looked at Li Pin. "Will you choose to join us in pursuing the power of Eternity, or will you cling to a path that's already proven wrong and try to stand in our way?"

Li Pin stared at the powerful being who called himself a Creator. "We were never meant to be on the same side. What if, after destroying everything in this universe, you still don't find that so-called Eternal power?"

Miao Ya understood what he meant.

It wasn't just Li Pin. Even Qiu Yu, Yang Guang, and the others standing nearby couldn't help but look uneasy.

If They still couldn't find Eternity even after destroying everything... then the only answer left would be that Eternity existed either within Li Pin, or within the surviving members of the Astral Lord Council.

When that happened, a choice would have to be made.

Miao Ya fell silent for a moment. In the end, he chose not to hide it. "I've already said this. If we can't find Him... we will destroy everything in this universe."

Naturally, "everything" included the Astral Lord Council.

Hearing that answer, the faces of Tian Yu, Yang Guang, Mo Xing, and the others darken all at once.

Li Pin looked calmly at the Creator. "Then you already know my answer."

Miao Ya let out another soft sigh. "That's only the worst-case outcome. Maybe it won't come to that. Maybe we'll find the power of Eternity soon after arriving in this universe. When that time comes, we'll study it together, rise to heights never reached before, and open an era that truly belongs to Eternity..."

As he spoke, there was still a trace of persuasion in his eyes. Follow current novᴇls on novelFɪre.net

But Li Pin didn't respond. His silence had already made his final decision clear.

At once... Miao Ya said no more.

The atmosphere in the field turned suffocating and heavy, holding for a single breath.

After that breath passed, Miao Ya slowly lifted his head again and looked at Li Pin. "You've made an utterly wrong choice."

Deep within Abyssal Rift No.3, from a place even further beyond the boundary of Void of Chaos, some massive, terrifying presence began to draw near, pressing in on the Rift itself.

Its true form hadn't arrived yet, but its sheer size had already clogged the entire rift. Boundless forces of law surged from the lawless void, and in an instant, the once-lifeless abyss began to change. Matter, energy, time, space, all began to shift and evolve.

Dust, stars, suns, black holes, all began to take shape. A compressed, miniature galactic system started to form.

Even after being compressed countless times, the illusory projection of this star system still filled the entire rift. Just by visible area alone, it stretched across tens of millions of li.

"I've been patient with you because I saw your potential. To reach this level in just three hundred years, your talent would have been among the very best even in our era. In time, you could have stepped into the Transcendent Realm, then rebuilt yourself as a Creator and joined our ranks. But that still doesn't justify your repeated defiance... and your rejection."

Bathed in a river of stars, radiating a vast and majestic presence, Miao Ya looked down slightly at Li Pin. "Do you understand now?"

"The power of Creation." Li Pin stood beneath the dazzling starlight, a faint smile forming on his lips. "It is very similar to the Supremes. If a Supreme fully revealed its true form in the Material World, it would probably look ... But I believe your essence goes deeper than that."

He rolled his shoulders slightly. A strange, unexplained heat surged through his body, followed by an overwhelming urge of battle-lust and anticipation he could no longer suppress. "Finally... the real feast begins. I hope you don't let me down."

Creator Miao Ya looked at Li Pin and, from his expression, could more or less tell what he was about to do. Or rather, he already understood the answer Li Pin had chosen.

"How typical... the ignorant know no fear," Miao Ya said quietly.

The next moment, his entire body turned into a burst of dazzling starlight and shot straight into the illusory star river that had emerged from Abyssal Rift No.3, merging directly with it.

As he became one with the star river, a colossal figure spanning tens of thousands of li appeared above the rift.

The starlight radiating from that figure even blanketed the You Ying Palace, causing a visible change in expression among those guarding the Abyss, including the Heavenly Emperors.

Even Divine Emperor You Ying stared at the scene in bewilderment.

The star river might have only been a projection, but to create such a spectacle in a place where rules didn't exist was already beyond what she could comprehend.

She couldn't help but murmur, "What... happened on that battlefield?"

Ji Shun's heart sank. "So this... is the true trump card of the Astral Lord Council?"

If this is their real strength... then what could we possibly use to stand against them?

Sensing the vast power surging within the Abyssal Rift, even the likes of Divine Emperor Qiu Yu, Tian Yu, and Yang Guang quickly backed away, no longer daring to step onto the battlefield. The aftermath alone could easily drag them down with it.

Only Li Pin remained. By observing how the Creators wielded control over the laws of the universe, he directly simulated and learned their methods through the Dao Realm. In that instant, his body began to grow. From normal human size, he shot up to over a thousand meters tall in the blink of an eye.

But he didn't stop there. Drawing in all the laws of the Abyssal Rift, his form expanded again, surging past ten thousand meters in a single leap.

The power radiating from him constantly battered the limits of the Astral World—no, he had already surpassed them. But because he had rewritten the laws of this region, the Astral World mistook him for part of its natural order and treated him as just another normal phenomenon. As a result, not even a trace of Eternal Oblivion Force was triggered.

In fact... under his pull, the Astral World's own matter, energy, time, and space were all converging toward him, pushing his form even further, toward thirty thousand, even a hundred thousand meters tall.

A hundred thousand meters was just two hundred li. Still, compared to Miao Ya's form that spanned tens of thousands of li, the difference was more than a matter of scale.

But Li Pin's body was solid, almost physical, whereas Miao Ya's manifestation... appeared faint and illusory.

If both were compressed to the same Energy Level, the gap between them wouldn't be as vast as it seemed.

Li Pin looked up at the towering figure, over ten thousand li tall and bathed in starlight. It loomed across the illusionary star system of the Third Abyssal Rift, so immense it seemed to hold up the heavens themselves.

Sword in hand, he charged forward. "Come! Let me see just how powerful a Creator who's walked the right path truly is."