The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 470 The Cause and Effect (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"What kind of thing..." Kui Niu's face was full of bitterness: "It is indeed more appropriate to describe it as a thing. I have never heard of such a god in the Pangu Universe, nor have I ever seen such a being. If it is a god but not an immortal, then it is a so-called external god."

“An Outer God!” Zhao Ti frowned.

“There is always something conscious, possessing infinite power and majesty, originating from beyond the universe; calling it an Outer God would be more appropriate,” Kui Niu murmured. “As for its appearance…”

"How does he look?" Zhao Ti took a deep breath.

"It is neither humanoid nor demonic; it is an indescribable form that has never appeared in the Pangu universe before..." Kui Niu rarely showed a thoughtful expression, his thoughts mixed with a strange sense of guilt and fear.

"Hmm?!" Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows.

"It was... a massive, amorphous mass mixed with darkness and chaos, seemingly the ultimate chaotic center beyond all universes and time and space, an existence that existed from the beginning. From the half-open mass, several tentacles extended, and a mouthless face with sunken eye sockets peered out from within. The entire darkness and chaos seemed to be constantly merging and splitting. Although it could not be seen, it seemed to contain trillions of chaotic spheres. If the beginning of chaos, the initial creation of heaven and earth, was the birth of all things, then this thing was the return of all things to oneness..."

"All things return to one, the ultimate..." A look of hesitation appeared on Zhao Ti's face, an expression he rarely showed. The fact that he uttered this word at this moment represented extreme surprise and confusion in his heart.

“It’s the ultimate, it’s that kind of meaning…” Kui Niu hurriedly replied, panting heavily, as if he was having trouble breathing.

The hall was completely silent; you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was speechless, their eyes filled with shock.

After a long silence, Zhao Ti slowly spoke: "In other words... it was an alien entity mixed with darkness and chaos, filled with an ultimate sense, which came to the Pangu Universe at the end of the forty-ninth era."

“That’s it!” Kui Niu nodded vigorously: “It is incredibly large. As soon as it entered the Pangu Universe, it assimilated everything around its body into chaos and darkness. It was terrifying, more horrifying than devouring, and more terrifying than destruction.”

"Didn't the Heavenly Dao and the various sect leaders and Great Luo Immortals take action immediately?" Zhao Ti asked.

“How could we not act immediately? But…” Kui Niu’s eyes were bloodshot, as if they were about to bleed. “But we could not stop the enemy’s progress at all. We could only slow down the enemy’s pace and delay the enemy’s assimilation of the Pangu universe. Then we could think of a way to deal with it. But at this moment… the Great Cataclysm of the Era came.”

"The Great Cataclysm..." Zhao Ti closed his eyes slightly: "Has the forty-ninth era ended? What about the fiftieth era..."

"There was no fiftieth era at all. The fiftieth era never began. The Pangu Universe was destroyed in the Great Cataclysm of the forty-ninth era!" Kui Niu said. "Sectors of stars were assimilated into chaos and darkness by that ultimate force, countless cradles of life vanished, a colossal shadow descended, and panic gripped the entire universe..."

"Heaven silently resisted, and countless powerful beings rushed forward one after another. The three religions and the Heavenly Court fought at the forefront. Magical treasures were annihilated, and countless years of cultivation and practice were destroyed in an instant, but they could not stop the enemy's advance at all."

"Tens of thousands of years have passed. Under the assimilation of the other side and the destruction of the era, the Pangu Universe was swallowed up smaller and smaller until only a corner remained. The various sects fought for tens of thousands of years, destroying 99% of the Qi cultivators. Even the three sects and Buddhism were on the verge of collapse. In the end, all the sect leaders were injured, and a sense of panic spread throughout the world, with the feeling that the end of the world was coming."

"How is Master Hongjun now?" Murong Longcheng asked.

"The Sage Hongjun merged with the Heavenly Dao, and originally still possessed the emotions of a living being, recognizing the closeness or distance between his disciples and maintaining the operation of the starry sky. However, as the great war began, he had to prevent the outer god from assimilating into chaos, deal with the ravages of the Great Destruction, and also deal with his own decay. He began to lose all emotion, gradually losing contact with the three religions, until finally only the original star field remained in the universe..."

"What is Yuanxing?" Zhao Ti asked.

"The original star is the original world of the Investiture of the Gods, but forty-nine eras have passed, and it has changed its name forty-nine times. We immortals and gods all refer to it as the original star," said Kui Niu.

Zhao Ti nodded. It was Earth, though he didn't know what the forty-eight subsequent eras were called, but none of that mattered at the moment.

"When only the original star field remained, the Heavenly Dao suddenly sent a message, telling the remaining people of the three religions to prepare to leave the Pangu Universe, as the destruction of the Pangu Universe was inevitable..." Kui Niu said in a sorrowful voice.

"At this time, almost everyone was injured. My master's Qingping Sword was broken, all four Zhuxian Swords were destroyed, and even Biyou Palace on Jin'ao Island was in ruins. There were only three or five disciples left."

"And what about us? Although I don't remember what happened back then, do you think our Chan Sect and Ren Sect suffered less damage than the Jie Sect?" Xiaoyaozi said coldly.

"This..." Kui Niu blinked, somewhat reluctantly saying, "It was quite a small one, and... there are only a few left."

"Master Hongjun told his fellow disciples to leave the Pangu Universe, but what about himself? Does he also intend to leave?" Zhao Ti pondered.

"The Sage has already merged with the Heavenly Dao, so how can he leave so easily? He must live and die with the Pangu Universe. Moreover, with the universe in such a state of ruin, that enormous dark chaotic alien is closing in step by step. Even if the Sage Hongjun has a way to extricate himself, I fear that the Pangu Universe will collapse in an instant, burying all living beings in a flash. And with no obstacle, the chaotic alien will be right in front of the Sage in the blink of an eye. The Sage has merged with the Heavenly Dao and presided over the affairs of the universe for forty-nine eras. He has gradually weakened and has been fighting against the chaotic alien for countless years. His magical power has been exhausted to an immeasurable degree. I fear that when the time comes... he will not be able to escape unscathed."

"So that's how it is." Mo Ronglongcheng frowned.

“Moreover, the Pangu Universe is now fragmented, with countless spatial turbulences and interstellar barriers that have become incredibly thick. Spatial nodes are hidden and difficult to find. Without the help of a sage who has attained the Dao, we would not be able to leave easily. I’m afraid that before we can find the correct path, the chaotic alien will have already assimilated the entire Pangu Universe, and all living beings will be destroyed,” Kui Niu said.

"Then Master Hongjun saw the rest of them off?" Zhao Ti pondered. "Which sages and great powers embarked on their journey to the stars?"

"It's hard to say exactly who, since by that time only a few remained. But there were the leaders of the three religions, some Buddhists, the Sage Nuwa, and some powerful deities from the Heavenly Court..." Kui Niu said. "Did the Sage Nuwa also enter the Vast Expanse?" Zhao Ti recalled the Demon-Summoning Banner and Golden Gourd he obtained in the surface world. He wasn't sure if Nuwa had brought them, since even if such an item existed, it was possible that Nuwa had perished and someone else had obtained it and brought it here. But now he was certain that it was her true form who had brought it to this world.

But where did Nuwa go? Could she have been reincarnated like Taishang and Yuanshi? The Demon-Summoning Banner appeared in the outer world, could it be that Nuwa was reincarnated in the outer world?
"The Sage Nuwa did indeed enter the vast expanse together, but my master and I... my master and I... did not see her." Kui Niu's eyes flickered as he spoke, and he hesitated.

Xiaoyaozi snorted, "What do you mean you haven't seen it? You two are the ones with ulterior motives, trying to ditch us, aren't you? You've been making things difficult for us at every turn on the Starry Sky Path, trying to prevent us from following you. Even when we offered to help you, you refused!"

"How could this be? How could this be?" Kui Niu said awkwardly, "It's all just your guess, Yuanshi. You can't remember what happened back then, so it can't be true, it can't be true."

"Then tell me the truth?" Xiaoyaozi's gaze sharpened as he stared at Kui Niu.

"The truth is... naturally, it's because I'm well-versed in the arts of the stars and proficient in the laws of space. I've been traveling faster than my master, and you've been following behind, getting further and further apart and unable to catch up..." Kui Niu muttered. "Actually, this was all for your own good. My master and I were the vanguard, clearing the way ahead, eliminating any dangerous places, and killing any star beasts, so that you could travel smoothly without any effort. For this, my master and I have truly suffered a lot!"

"Wasn't it Tongtian's so-called re-establishment of earth, water, fire, and wind, creating a new world, and deliberately leaving us behind?" Xiaoyaozi said, "I don't know him well enough. Not only is he narrow-minded, but how could he be willing to suffer alone to pave the way? If he really wanted to work together, he should have asked us to lead the charge or contribute our efforts together."

"Yes, it's because I'm skilled in the Way of Space, and the Master arranged it this way..." Kui Niu stammered as he explained.

Xiaoyaozi snorted, not believing such words at all. However, unable to recall what had happened before, he had no choice but to listen to Kui Niu's full of loopholes in his explanation.

Zhao Ti then asked, "Then how did you and Tongtian find your way here, and what kind of world is this?"

Upon hearing this, Kui Niu became smug: "This is all thanks to my abilities. I have an unparalleled insight into spatial directions and a keen sense of the stars. The same is true in the vast universe. Relying on my innate divine abilities, I have spent countless billions of years crossing countless black holes, vortexes, chaotic seas, and vast oceans, searching according to my intuition, and finally found this universe and entered it."

Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes and said, "Then why not live openly in the main world, instead of hiding in this parallel inner world?"

"Junior brother, what did you say? This is a parallel world?" Murong Longcheng asked in surprise.

“That’s right, Senior Brother!” Zhao Ti nodded and said, “The world we are in right now is just a parallel inner world. The real world is outside, under the true starry sky.”

"How...how do you know about this?" Kui Niu looked at Zhao Ti with a look of surprise and uncertainty.

"Never mind how I know about this, just keep answering my questions, or I'll have you hung up in front of that bell tower again as a public spectacle!" Zhao Ti said.

"It's because we entered this universe and discovered that there are local immortals in this star system. Their magic power is not weak and their supernatural abilities are not weak. We were injured and could not fight with them, so we planned to find a secluded place to recuperate. I searched around and came here. I explored the spatial nodes through the outer world and finally entered this parallel inner world," Kui Niu said indignantly.

"Then why was this place arranged to be exactly the same as the original Investiture of the Gods world? And what methods were used to create such an identical scene without any difference?" Zhao Ti asked.

This was his biggest question, and Murong Longcheng and the others were also puzzled by it, all looking at Kui Niu.

"This..." Kui Niu said, "It was originally for recuperation. After all, although this universe is similar to the Pangu universe, and humans are also the most intelligent of all beings, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and various other things are still slightly different. Since it is not our origin, it is not conducive to recuperation. Changing it to be like the Pangu world and then blocking out those slightly different spiritual energies will help with recovery."

"Is this why there was no spiritual energy here before?" Zhao Ti asked.

"That's exactly right. When my master and I were transforming this world, we shielded the spiritual energy that originally belonged to this universe from the outside, so that this energy would not be able to penetrate for at least a million years. Who knew that something happened outside while my master and I were in seclusion, and it actually seeped in ahead of time, causing a great change in the world and the mountains and rivers, which can never be repaired."

"Why do you say it's hard to make up for it?" Zhao Ti frowned.

"Although my injuries have stabilized, my cultivation level has plummeted, and I no longer possess the power to create the starry sky. As for my master, the same is true. Don't you know that my master's three souls were separated? His cultivation level also dropped. If his souls hadn't been separated, he might have been able to stabilize and recover from his injuries. However, after setting up this world, my master suddenly had a conflict with his own soul, which aggravated his injuries. Not only is healed, but even maintaining his condition is difficult, let alone repairing or making amends," Kui Niu said.

"What about the humanities and history? Why is it arranged to be the same as the world of Investiture of the Gods?" Zhao Ti asked.

"This was also for the purpose of recuperating from injuries. The master wanted to arrange this place to be the same as the Investiture of the Gods world, not only in terms of mountains and rivers, but also in terms of people and historical development. The human race's reproduction and habitation would be exactly the same as before. It was just that the history of the Investiture of the Gods world was being pushed forward in the dark. However, the world changed drastically, and the infiltration of spiritual energy from the outside broke this rule. Now it is completely different and has begun to develop on its own." Kui Niu said dejectedly, "But even without the great change in the world, it wouldn't be of much use anymore. After all, the master's three souls have been scattered, and it is impossible for him to return to his original body."

Zhao Ti asked in surprise, "How is this possible? The historical development and cultural changes are almost identical, as if we were in the world of Investiture of the Gods. And how are the landscapes and rivers made to be exactly the same as the original?"

Kui Niu glanced at Zhao Ti and said, "The scenery and landscapes are exactly the same as those in the Investiture of the Gods world, and the slight changes that have occurred over the years are also the same. This is all thanks to a treasure. You all know this treasure. It is the Map of Mountains and Rivers. The Map of Mountains and Rivers records all the geographical features of the Investiture of the Gods world. The changes of the sea and the mulberry fields cover this land and are in harmony with its pulse, which is why the scenery changes in the same way as those in the Investiture of the Gods world."

"So this is the treasure." Zhao Ti exclaimed in realization, then narrowed his eyes slightly: "Isn't this the treasure of the Goddess Nuwa? How did it end up in Tongtian's hands?"

"It was borrowed by the master when the Pangu Universe was fighting off the alien chaos, and then... and then... it was never returned to Goddess Nuwa," Kui Niu stammered.

"Then how come they share the same cultural history and have developed in almost the same way?" Zhao Ti asked, frowning.

(End of this chapter)