Outside Of Time

Chapter 1780  The Game Advances

This vast and boundless starry sky, brimming with endless mysteries, commenced its heart-stopping collapse.

Every moment was like a breathtaking painting of ultimate destruction, visually impacting all possible perceptions.

If one were to slow down the speed of its collapse, they would see—at the far, seemingly endless edge of this starry sky—a faint golden thread quietly emerge.

It was like a fine scratch inadvertently made on a dark canvas.

Seemingly insignificant, yet carrying an indescribable aura of danger.

It was the old Venerable Godʼs concept.

And also the guide for Desolateʼs gaze.

In the blink of an eye, this golden strand multiplied, spreading at a frenzied pace like a voracious net, rapidly expanding in all directions.

Where they passed, the once-tranquil starry sky rippled like a lake struck by a boulder, warping in layers of distorted waves.

The ripples spread outward, carrying a bizarre reality-twisting effect that even bent the light of the stars.

Then, the stars embedded in the cosmic darkness like jewels began their tragic dance of destruction.

Massive suns—usually blazing furnaces in the cosmos, radiating endless light and heat—now seemed struck by invisible hammers.

Their outer shells exploded first, crimson flames bursting forth like furious dragons breaking free, surging violently in all directions.

The flames burned so fiercely they seemed capable of incinerating the entire universe.

Within these raging tides of fire, surrounding planets were instantly vaporized, leaving not even debris—only twisted wisps of light dissolving into chaotic energy streams.

Then, the sunsʼ cores were crushed by an irresistible force, shattering into countless fragments glowing with eerie light.

These fragments shot outward like blades, carving long, distorted trails through the darkness, as if slicing the starry sky into tattered shreds.

It was as though they sought to tear deeper wounds into the void, or perhaps inscribe a tragic epic of cosmic collapse.

Meanwhile, the starry sky—once like an endless black tapestry studded with billions of diamonds—now suffered the most violent ravaging.

Stars exploded in clusters, their dazzling radiance intertwining into a blinding curtain of light that spread outward with overwhelming force. Where it passed, space itself was scorched into chaos.

The once-clear outlines of stars and galaxies were now drowned in this hellish spectacle of light and darkness madly intertwining and tearing at each other.

Each burst of brilliance was like the universeʼs desperate scream, using its final radiance to resist the impending nothingness.

Even galaxies could not escape.

Countless galaxies and starfields—once resplendent islands scattered across the dark sea of space, maintaining a mysterious and harmonious order—now crumbled like fragile sandcastles before raging tides.

Spiral arms snapped, stars scattered, and galactic structures were utterly demolished.

In mere moments, this endless starry sky was reduced to chaotic ruins!

All stars had shattered, their light fading into darkness that dispersed unchecked, as if determined to erase all traces of existence.

Occasionally, a faint glimmer of defiance might flicker in the darkness—but these were merely the death throes of the collapsing cosmos.

Ephemeral.

Soon swallowed by the encroaching void, leaving only silence.

Nothing remained.

And all this occurred in mere moments. This boundless starry sky had lived its entire life and met its end in the span of a few breaths.

Along with the old Venerable God within it, vanishing under Desolateʼs gaze.

All universes, all stars, all living beings within—like Peerless City before them—were reduced to nothingness.

Only the old Venerable Godʼs final thought lingered coldly amid the Fifth Star Ringʼs wailing destiny:

”Venerable Immortal, I could not defeat you—but you shall not win either!”

This thought imprinted itself onto the Fifth Star Ringʼs fortune, becoming an indelible rule that trembled the threads of law and remained eternal.

The Venerable God had fallen!

At this moment, all supreme beings across the upper star rings experienced violent tremors in their divine souls.

But the greatest upheaval occurred in the Ninth Star Ring!

To its east, a slumbering behemoth opened its golden eyes.

To its north, the flowing golden Mother River surged violently, lotus blossoms trembling upon its surface.

To its south, candlelight seemed to ignite within an imposing black tower.

And to its west, a terrifying paper figure licked its lips while gazing toward Wanggu.

On Wanggu, Desolateʼs opened eye slowly closed.

A long time passed.

Within the Fifth Star Ring, a figure emerged from the void.

An elderly man wearing straw sandals, tall in stature, with a golden rat perched on his shoulder—the Fifth Star Ringʼs Venerable Immortal.

He walked silently until he stood before the vast nothingness where the Venerable God had perished.

At its edge, he gazed into this endless void, sensing the thick aura of Desolate within.

The old man was silent.

He knew that from now on, the Fifth Star Ring would forever lack thirty percent of itself—no longer whole.

Moreover, every time Desolate opened Its eyes, Its residual gaze would emanate from here.

The Fifth Star Ring was irrevocably tainted by karma.

”This is the price of borrowing Desolateʼs power. You didnʼt need to lead Xu Qing and Erniu to Its location.”

Grandmaster Baiʼs figure appeared beside the Venerable Immortal, speaking softly.

The Venerable Immortal spoke nothing.

After a long pause, his aged voice resonated in all directions—as if speaking to himself, to Grandmaster Bai, and to all Venerable Gods across the upper star rings:

”Do you remember what Desolate proclaimed across the star rings when It failed Its divine ascension?”

”Fate can be broken, but destiny must be obeyed…”

”So tell me—is it possible that It didnʼt fail as the world believes? That everything since has merely been part of Its ascension process?”

With these words, the Venerable Immortalʼs figure dissipated.

All supreme beings across the upper star rings fell into silence.

Grandmaster Bai sighed after a long moment, gazing toward where Xu Qing had vanished in the Fourth Star Ring.

…

Time flowed quietly onward.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye.

Only three years remained until Xu Qingʼs self-imposed deadline for return.

Yet he had not come back.

As for the Fourth Star Ring, much had changed in these five years.

The territory of the gods had been confined to a small area, while beyond… as more and more cultivators migrated to live there, drawn by the immortal energy released from supply stars and the spreading fortune of the Fifth Star Ring, the region had transformed.

Immortal Lord Mi Ming had returned to the Fifth Star Ring to oversee his rotation.

Most other Immortal Lords had also withdrawn.

Only Grandmaster Bai remained, sitting silently where Xu Qing had disappeared, waiting all these years.

And the people—over these five years, they too had changed.

In their cultivation, they would often recall the Venerable Godʼs final words that had echoed across the star rings:

”Venerable Immortal, I could not defeat you—but you shall not win either!”