"Moreover, if he had died long ago, then who exactly was the senior we met all those years ago?"

"You and I dared not examine the token for over a thousand years."

"Yet, rumors about Qing Yu Zi are everywhere, even mentioning things like the Qingyu Sect and Qingyu Card, with some claiming Qing Yu Zi is still alive."

"This matter is too strange, uncle even somewhat regretted making such a decision at the time."

Nolan Hao recalled and nodded dazedly: "Indeed, I've no idea whether it was Senior Qing Yu Zi or Senior Zhao Xing who rewarded us."

"So," Nolan De spoke with the bearing of someone experienced, "you should further solidify your cultivation before talking of venturing out."

"But what should I..."

"Enough, let's not discuss this. Let's head back first."

Nolan De interrupted his nephew: "The Desolate Domain is too unbearable to stay in, we'll talk further when we return."

"Alright."

The uncle and nephew started making their way back to Star Snow Pass.

But as they flew on, they both felt something was amiss.

"What's going on? We've been flying for two months, why are we still inside the Desolate Domain?" Nolan Hao was puzzled.

"Uncle, did we get the direction wrong?"

"Impossible, we didn't make a mistake." Nolan De looked at the star map, "Theoretically, we should already be inside Star Snow Pass."

"Why are we still in the shattered star belt?"

"Uncle, does that look like Ringland?" Nolan Hao pointed ahead, his voice trembling.

Ahead was a dilapidated, crumbling half-broken Ringland, devoid of any sign of life.

"What?" Nolan De's expression changed dramatically.

He immediately flew out of the Boundary Boat to survey the surroundings. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Then, he was utterly dumbfounded.

Where Star Snow Pass used to be, all the stars had vanished, replaced by pieces of fragmented Star Land.

They were completely flat, as if something had trampled them down.

Looking around, only the shape of the Ringland somewhat retained its former outline.

The Spiritual Energy Index, which initially should have exceeded 10 after Star Snow Pass, had not only failed to reach 10, it had plummeted to 5.

"Lady Aina, Aina!"

Nolan Hao kept calling out, but received no response.

"Lord Bu Ya, Lord Bu Ya!"

This was the Star Pass Guardian, a powerful figure of the Third Realm, but he too had disappeared with no response.

"Activate the Boundary Boat's long-distance communication, report this situation to the Da Ye Emperor!" Nolan De immediately ordered.

Nolan Hao promptly acted, but after waiting half a month, there was still no response.

Nolan De's scalp tingled, his eyes filled with intense fear.

He was informing the highest authority of the Da Ye Dynasty, and it had been half a month with no reply—could it be that the court was also out of contact?

"What about the family, can we reach the family?" Nolan De grabbed his nephew.

"No..." Nolan Hao was equally shocked.

"Even if a war had broken out, we should have heard something..." Nolan De murmured to himself, "But now...what exactly has happened?"

"What do you mean, uncle, are you saying the Da Ye Dynasty, even our family, has been wiped out? It's impossible, utterly impossible!"

"Boom!" Nolan Hao operated the Boundary Boat, steering it towards the territory of the Da Ye Dynasty, the domain of the Nalan Family.

Yet after flying for over half a month, they received no response.

The Spiritual Energy continued to plummet, even dropping to 1.

No living soul responded to them.

Once thriving galaxies had all turned into fragmented Star Land adrift.

Even the Sun and Taiyin Star had gone dark.

The entire universe was in darkness, enveloped in deathly silence.

"Stop searching! Stop searching!" Nolan De seemed to realize something, pushing his nephew to the ground, seizing control with a desperate roar: "Fly in the other direction, quickly go!!!"

"Uncle, what exactly is happening?!" Nolan Hao asked in equal terror.

"The Da Ye Dynasty, it's gone! The entire Da Ye Dynasty has turned into a Desolate Domain, don't you understand yet!"

"We must flee immediately!"

...

Xuanhuang Realm, House of Epoch.

[Xuanhuang Past·Volume 25]

Wang Tianzhi began documenting the events of the past one hundred years as usual.

[I have been here for 2500 years, nearing the 3000 years promised by the Grand Minister of Agriculture!]

[Lately, I have observed many strange phenomena, starting with the situation within the Xuanhuang Realm.]

[Before His Majesty left, he passed the throne to the fifth-generation Human Emperor Ji Chen.]

[However, even the Establishing Tao Realm (Ascension Realm) couldn't escape the lifespan constraints of the Fortune Dynasty, Ji Chen and Ji Ze both died in succession.]

[After three generations, the current Central Earth Great Zhou is now under Human Emperor Ji Hong.]

[Upon Ji Hong's ascension, the Heavenly Destiny Book, Emperor Sword, and Kunyuan Shovel all appeared successively.]

[Unexpectedly, a new Wu Yue God has emerged among the Southern Barbarians, along with the establishment of numerous Royal Courts.]

[I sent my disciple 'Ling Yue' to gather information, finding out that the Great Zhou is preparing for another ascension, which leaves me quite perplexed.]

[His Majesty and the Grand Minister of Agriculture had extracted most of the spiritual energy materials, and though the Xuanhuang Realm can still be considered in the 'Spiritual Energy Era', it should not meet the conditions for ascension.]

[Why, then, have the Emperor Sword, Heavenly Destiny Book, and Kunyuan Shovel appeared? Even the Wu Yue God has appeared, wasn't he dead, how did he suddenly revive?]

[Xiao Yue mentions that even the titles of Purple Dragon God, Keshen, and Jiuyou God have reappeared among the Southern Barbarians...this is simply absurd.]

[I wish to ask Ji Hong what exactly has happened, but the Grand Minister of Agriculture left a directive, instructing me not to interfere with the development of the outside world.]

[I have complied, ceasing my observation of events in Central Earth, turning my gaze towards the Western Extreme Continent.]

[The former Three Gods' Ruins have inexplicably been left deserted by the Great Zhou.]