Emperor Withered Bone, The Saint's Fear

Underworld!

Nuwa's cry of alarm froze the joy that had just risen on the bridge due to the Chaos Engine into ice.

Every word was like a piece of ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, striking everyone's heart.

Fear.

A primordial fear, indescribable in words, originating from the deepest parts of their bloodlines and true spirits, gripped the hearts of every Immortal and God.

Even the several Saints, who were observing remotely through their magical treasures, their indestructible Dao hearts experienced violent fluctuations at this moment.

"The Underworld... how did he get out!"

Lord of the Heavens' furious roar no longer transmitted telepathically but directly shook the entire flagship bridge.

His will descended, carrying a tremor that he himself had not even noticed.

"Amitabha."

The Buddhist chant of the Two Saints of the West also sounded incredibly heavy.

The Buddhist kingdom behind them, the Buddha-light that illuminated all directions, dimmed slightly.

Guang Chengzi, Zhao Gongming, Bai Ze... these great powers who usually commanded the Primordial Era were now pale-faced and stiff, like common beasts targeted by their natural enemies.

They didn't even dare to look directly at the skeletal emperor emerging from the bloody vortex on the screen.

"What is that?"

Youchao Shi spoke with difficulty, voicing the thoughts of all the new generation Human Race cultivators.

"Isn't that the Underworld, the place of reincarnation?"

"The Underworld?"

Zhao Gongming gave a bitter laugh, his laughter filled with despair.

"That's different."

"The Underworld was established by Empress Houtu with her own body to embody reincarnation, creating order for our Primordial Era world. It is the destination for all living beings, a part of the cycle."

"But the Underworld..."

He took a deep breath, as if he had to use all his strength to utter that forbidden truth.

"It's a locust that devours worlds!"

Nuwa continued his words, her face carrying unprecedented solemnity and disgust. As the mother of life, she could feel the essence of the laws emanating from the skeletal emperor better than anyone else.

"The reincarnation of the Primordial Era is the conservation of energy, the transmigration of true spirits, with birth and death, ingress and egress."

"But the Underworld only has ingress, no egress."

"It doesn't manage death; it only creates death and devours death."

"It is a black hole with only ingress and no egress, a parasitic dimension that survives by devouring the vitality and death energy of other worlds!"

Parasitic dimension!

This phrase made Chen Ran understand instantly. If the Primordial Era world was a healthy organism, then the Underworld was a giant cancerous cell attached to this organism. Its sole purpose was to drain everything from its host until the host completely died, and then it would seek the next host.

The skeletal emperor, the so-called "Emperor Withered Bone," did not attack. He simply stood quietly behind the bloody gate, overlooking the entire Primordial Era. However, his very existence was the most terrifying attack.

Streams of gray-white laws, carrying the aura of decay and withering, seeped out from the vortex like toxins. On the flagship's monitoring screen, the runes representing the overall life index of the Primordial Era world were rapidly declining at a visible rate.

In the distant Primordial Era continent, the sky began to be covered by a layer of gray. On the ground, countless newly sprouted plants instantly withered. Fish and shrimp in the streams floated to the surface, belly up. Countless mortals and beings with low cultivation felt their life force being drawn away by an invisible power. This was an erosion and plunder at the law level!

Panic spread throughout the United Fleet like a plague.

"It's over..."

Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, an old dragon who had experienced countless great tribulations, had completely lost all composure. He slumped onto his throne, his dragon whiskers hanging limply.

"The Primordial Era is finished!"

"That's not something we can fight!"

"Quick! Return to the Dragon Palace! Activate all formations! No! We can't go back to the Primordial Era!"

His voice grew sharp and frantic.

"Flee! Flee into the depths of Chaos! As far from the Primordial Era as possible!"

"This world has been cursed!"

His words ignited the flame of despair in everyone's hearts.

The alliance, which had been united in purpose moments before, instantly collapsed.

Countless flying ships began to break formation, their bows turning, attempting to flee into the vast Chaos.

They did not fear dying in battle, but they feared this slow death, watching their world, their foundations, being gnawed away bit by bit while they were powerless to stop it.

"Who dares to flee!"

Lord of the Heavens roared, his Immortal Slaying Sword Qi sweeping out, forcibly stopping several flying ships.

But more flying ships continued to attempt escape amidst the chaos.

The alliance, faced with true apocalypse, once again became fragile.

Chen Ran watched this chaotic scene with no expression on his face.

He once again walked to the main control console.

However, he did not press the red button that represented "Unified Command."

Forcibly controlling their ships could only buy them time.

It could not control their shattered hearts.

He simply activated the highest level broadcast to the entire fleet.

All flying ships, regardless of which faction they belonged to, heard Chen Ran's calm, almost cold voice at that moment.

He offered no comfort, no reprimand.

He merely displayed two images side-by-side on the main screens of all the flying ships.

On the left was the skeleton emperor wearing a flat-top crown, Emperor Withered Bone, who emerged from the blood-red vortex.

On the right was the simulated final form of the "Mechanical Immortality" plan, deciphered from the "Star Devourer's" probe.

It was a monster made of countless mechanical parts and flesh, attempting to transform itself into pure data in pursuit of immortality.

Chen Ran's voice echoed through the silent fleet.

He asked only one question.

"Look at him."

His finger pointed to Emperor Withered Bone on the left.

"Now look at it."

His finger pointed to the mechanical monster on the right.

"Don't you think,"

"They look very similar?"