Lu Chen had listed the construction of the Calamity-Viewing Platform as Abyss's highest priority.
The reason was simple.
He was afraid.
Afraid that the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin would suddenly fight their way to the Northern Sea.
Afraid that Rahu would scheme in the shadows.
Afraid that Hongjun might one day act on a whim and trace the line of cause and effect all the way to Abyss.
Even more afraid that he might sleep too deeply one day, wake up, and find that the outside world had already begun rehearsing Buzhou Mountain's collapse.
Therefore, he needed a Calamity-Viewing Platform.
Its true purpose was exceedingly simple.
Watch from afar.
Run away early.
Of course, only Lu Chen himself knew this true intention.
When Lan Shuang heard that the Emperor wanted to build a Calamity-Viewing Platform, her entire expression changed with excitement.
She immediately summoned the various departments of Abyss for discussion.
"The Emperor wishes to build a Calamity-Viewing Platform."
"This platform can observe the aura of the Great Tribulation, survey the Three-Clan War, and deduce in advance Abyss's path of calamity evasion."
"This will be one of the foundations of Abyss for the next ten thousand years."
Lady Mingzhu's expression was solemn.
"The Treasury Bureau can provide Mystic Water Spirit Crystals, Northern Darkness Mystic Pearls, and Sea-Calming Water Jade."
Ancestor Xuan Jia said slowly, "The Black-Shelled Turtle Tribe can carve Sky-Viewing Tortoise Patterns to stabilize the platform's foundation."
Feng Li said, "The Frost Phoenix Lineage can provide branches of the Frostflame Parasol Tree to purify the murderous aura tainted during calamity observation."
Lin Yue spoke up. "The Water Qilin Branch can draw upon the earth veins of Mysterious Peak Mountain to support the Calamity-Viewing Platform."
Ao Lie said in a deep voice, "The Ancestral Dragon's Reverse Scale can serve as a catalyst for observing the Dragon Clan's fortune, but it must be sealed tightly. We cannot allow the Eastern Sea to sense it in reverse."
Lan Shuang nodded.
"The Emperor has already sealed the Reverse Scale with the Heaven-Deceiving Tortoise Shell."
"However, we must still proceed with caution."
Han Jue stated directly, "The Realm Guard will defend the platform."
Lan Shuang looked at everyone, her heart swelling with excitement.
Abyss truly was no longer what it had once been.
The resources, manpower, formations, tokens, and suppressive power needed to establish a Calamity-Viewing Platform tied to the aura of the Great Tribulation would have been unimaginable in the past.
But now, Abyss could produce them.
The Ancestral Dragon's Reverse Scale.
Yuanfeng's Frost Feather.
The Earth-Vein Seal of the Primordial Qilin.
The Book of Cause and Effect.
The Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl.
The Frostflame Parasol Tree.
Mysterious Peak Mountain.
The Sea Devourer Beast Spirit, Sea Devourer.
Only when all these things were gathered together did they qualify to support the Calamity-Viewing Platform.
The Calamity-Viewing Platform was ultimately built between the Northern Darkness Dao Palace and the Northern Darkness Sea.
Above it connected to the Abyssal Womb Membrane, below it linked to the water veins of the Northern Darkness, and beside it rested against the earth veins of Mysterious Peak Mountain. It was precisely located where the auras of the Abyss Minor World converged.
Construction lasted three hundred years.
Throughout those three hundred years, Lu Chen personally kept watch.
This made Lan Shuang and the others even more certain that the Calamity-Viewing Platform was of immense importance.
In truth, the reason Lu Chen personally watched over it was simple.
If this thing was built crookedly and somehow lured Rahu or Hongjun over in reverse, the trouble would be enormous.
He had to ensure that every formation pattern was sufficiently concealed.
That every layer of perception could be severed at any time.
Most importantly, the Calamity-Viewing Platform had to be equipped with a "turn off the lights and run" function.
The moment a great power noticed them in reverse, it would immediately cut off all auras.
Without hesitation.
Three hundred years later.
The Calamity-Viewing Platform was complete.
The entire elevated platform was gray-black and utterly unadorned.
Its foundation was formed from interwoven Black Shell tortoise patterns and Water Qilin earth-vein patterns.
At the center of the platform floated a circular water mirror.
Around the water mirror, the auras of three tokens—the Ancestral Dragon's Reverse Scale, the Frostflame Phoenix Feather, and the Earth-Vein Seal—were sealed within three small formation nodes.
The Book of Cause and Effect hung above the water mirror.
The Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl cast down a beam of watery light from the depths of the Northern Darkness Sea.
The Sea Devourer Beast Spirit lay by the Northern Darkness Sea, responsible for devouring the foul murderous aura overflowing from the Calamity-Viewing Platform.
The Frostflame Parasol Tree swayed gently, scattering icy-blue sparks that purified the resentment in the surrounding area.
Everything was ready.
The various clans of Abyss gathered in the distance.
No one dared approach too closely.
Because they all knew that the Calamity-Viewing Platform was about to observe the Great Tribulation of the Primordial World.
Looking too deeply into such a thing could easily result in a backlash from tribulation aura.
Lan Shuang stood beneath the platform and said respectfully, "Please activate the platform, Emperor."
Lu Chen's Dharma body slowly appeared.
He was somewhat nervous as well.
It was his first time watching a Great Tribulation from afar. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong.
He activated the Calamity-Viewing Platform.
The water mirror trembled lightly.
At first, there was only a field of gray mist within it.
Then the gray mist dispersed.
The first scene emerged.
At the edge of the Eastern Sea.
The Dragon Clan army stretched across sea and sky.
Countless True Dragons, flood dragons, and Water Clan auxiliary formations stood in endless ranks.
Dragon banners blanketed the heavens.
The sea was driven tens of thousands of feet high by the intent of war.
On the other side of the water mirror, the Phoenix Clan army pressed in from the south.
Divine fire scorched the sky.
Crimson feathers were like clouds.
Frostflame, golden fire, and Southern Bright Fire intertwined into a sea of flames.
Before the two clans had truly collided, the murderous aura between heaven and earth had already become terrifyingly dense.
The clans of Abyss all sucked in sharp breaths upon seeing this scene.
Many smaller clans that had fled from the battlefield trembled all over.
They had only ever witnessed localized warfare.
Only at this moment did they truly see the scale of the Three-Clan War.
This was not a struggle between a few water palaces.
Nor was it a conflict between several clans.
This was a great calamity of the Primordial World that could sweep up hundreds of millions of living beings at a moment's notice.
The water mirror shifted again.
Near Buzhou Mountain.
The Qilin Clan army stabilized the earth veins as it confronted the remnants of the Dragon and Phoenix forces.
The earth split apart.
Mountains and rivers collapsed.
Countless beast clans were swept into the chaos.
The sound of war drums seemed to come from the very edge of heaven and earth.
Lin Yue's face turned slightly pale at the sight.
He saw the earth-vein defensive line where the Water Qilin Branch should have gone.
It had already become a meat grinder.
If he had led his clansmen there back then, the young branch would never have survived.
He slowly bowed toward the depths of Abyss.
"Thank you, Emperor, for preserving a thread of life for my clan."
Lu Chen did not respond.
His heart was filled with shock.
It was too tragic.
This Dragon-Han Cataclysm was even more tragic than he had imagined.
He was now even more certain that he absolutely could not go outside.
His shell had to stay tightly tucked in.
Abyss had to remain securely sealed.
Whoever wanted to fight could fight.
He only needed to take a look from afar, then hide in advance.
Lan Shuang watched the water mirror, her expression heavy.
"The Emperor has always reminded us not to enter the Great Tribulation."
"Only today do we understand how terrifying the momentum of the Great Tribulation truly is."
Lady Mingzhu said softly, "If Abyss's clans had remained in the outside world, we likely would have long since turned to tribulation ash."
Han Jue fell silent, a rare occurrence.
He had always loved battle.
But upon seeing warfare on such a scale within the water mirror, he realized for the first time how insignificant his own passion for battle was before a true Great Tribulation.
Ao Lie watched the Dragon Clan army, his fists clenched tight.
Feng Li watched the sea of Phoenix Clan flames, her gaze dim.
Lin Yue watched the Qilin earth-vein battlefield without saying a word.
They all came from the three clans.
Watching their respective clans slaughter one another within the Great Tribulation, their feelings were far more complicated than those of the others.
The water mirror continued to turn.
Suddenly, Lu Chen sensed that something was wrong.
At the edge of the battlefield, an extremely faint black shadow flashed past.
The shadow did not participate in the slaughter between the three clans.
It moved among mountains of corpses and seas of blood, silently gathering death aura, resentment, and murderous aura.
The resentment of countless fallen beings around it was all drawn into a small black banner.
Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat.
"The Demon Cult."
The image in the water mirror rapidly magnified.
The shadow seemed to sense something and turned its head slightly.
Although they were separated by an immense distance, Lu Chen still felt an incomparably cold aura.
It was not Youdu.
It was far stronger than Youdu.
Even though it was only a vague silhouette, it made the water mirror of Abyss's Calamity-Viewing Platform tremble violently.
The system's voice suddenly rang out.
"Detected Demon Ancestor Rahu advancing the Dragon-Han Cataclysm into its final stage."
"Host, please observe with caution."
Lu Chen's scalp went numb.
Rahu.
It really was Rahu!
He nearly wanted to shut down the Calamity-Viewing Platform immediately.
But Rahu in the water mirror had not truly turned around. He merely seemed to sense something faintly.
Lan Shuang also noticed the anomaly.
"Emperor, that demonic shadow..."
Lu Chen's voice lowered.
"Do not watch for long."
After saying that, he directly shut off the water mirror.
The Calamity-Viewing Platform instantly went dark.
All traces of aura were severed by the Heaven-Deceiving Tortoise Shell.
The final scene in the water mirror was the demonic shadow at the edge of the battlefield turning its head slightly.
The people of Abyss had yet to fully react.
Lu Chen had already dispersed his dharma body.
Only one thought remained in his heart.
"Almost got discovered."
"Even watching a show will have to be done carefully in the future."
Below the platform.
Lan Shuang spoke with a grave expression.
"The Emperor took the initiative to sever the calamity-viewing aura because he did not wish for Abyss to become entangled in the karmic consequences of the Demon Ancestor."
"Remember this, everyone."
"During a Great Tribulation, what is truly terrifying may not be direct slaughter."
"There are also those who secretly drive the tribulation forward."
Everyone nodded in unison.
Their awe for the Emperor deepened further.
The Emperor saw the Demon Ancestor, yet could immediately sever karma.
Such clarity and decisiveness were precisely the core of Abyss Calamity Evasion.
If Lu Chen knew they thought this, he would probably only fall silent.
He was not clear-headed.
He had simply chickened out quickly enough.
At the edge of the distant battlefield.
Luohou suddenly halted his movements.
He raised his head and looked toward the Northern Sea.
"Who is watching me?"
Black demonic aura churned.
He caught only an extremely faint wisp of Abyss Water Aura.
That presence vanished in an instant.
It was as though the moment it saw him, it immediately shut the door.
Luohou chuckled softly.
"Northern Sea Abyss."
"Black Tortoise."
"You really are watching the tribulation."
At the same time.
On Nameless Immortal Mountain.
Hongjun also opened his eyes slightly.
"Watching the tribulation without entering it."
"Seeing demons and severing karma."
"This Black Tortoise is becoming more and more interesting."
Deep within Abyss.
Lu Chen shrank back into his true body, his mood far from relaxed.
The Calamity-Viewing Platform was indeed useful.
But it was also dangerous.
He could not casually watch Luohou in the future.
And he absolutely could not casually watch Hongjun.
It would be best to only watch the edges of the battlefield, to see where the Northern Sea might be affected.
Just as he was about to resume his secluded cultivation, the system's voice rang out again.
"First activation of the Calamity-Viewing Platform successful." "Host has discovered Demon Ancestor Rahu driving the Great Tribulation." "The various clans of Abyss have gained a profound understanding of the way of calamity evasion." "Reward: Three Lives Gate Construction Method."
Lu Chen froze.
Three Lives Gate?
He sensed the construction method, and his heart immediately stirred.
Karma, disposition, and killing tribulations.
Three layers of scrutiny.
If the Three Lives Gate were built, Abyss would be able to recruit people more reliably in the future.
Spies, demonic cultivators, and those burdened by excessive killing karma would all find it difficult to slip inside.
Good stuff.
It had to be built.
Lu Chen looked toward Dragon-Suppressing Pass and slowly spoke.
"Send word to Lan Shuang."
"At Abyss's entrance, the Three Lives Gate must be erected."