The Northern Spirit Empire.
The Imperial Council of Elders, representing supreme power.
The Speaker of the Council sat upright in his seat, toying with a token that emitted an aura of chaos in his hand.
"The Spirit Saint Domain," he said softly, without any expression, "Is surprisingly resilient, but under the combined attack of the three major forces, it won't last much longer."
"Your Excellency, Speaker of the Council," an Imperial Marshal bowed slightly, "the Devils of Hell is expanding rapidly Astral Realm, Destruction countless civilizations. Shouldn't we—"
"Should what?" The council speaker's gaze fell on the marshal, his expression chillingly calm. "Send troops to stop them? And then let the Spirit Saint Domain escape? Let the Divine Realm monopolize the spoils of the Chaos Sea?"
The marshal remained silent.
"However, if we stand idly by, the Devils of Hell will Destruction countless civilizations,"
"The civilizations of the Astral Realm will hold on." The Speaker withdrew his gaze, continuing to toy with the token in his hand. "If they can't hold on... then they don't deserve to exist in this Astral Realm."
"Besides, the current situation is nothing compared to the Destruction Tide that descended upon the Chaos Sea. As long as the Lord of Hell doesn't directly attack the territory of our Northern Spirit Empire, let Him be."
"Pass down the order: the main force of the Empire will continue its advance towards the Chaos Sea. As for Hell —leave a detachment to guard the border."
"Yes." The Imperial Marshal lowered his head helplessly.
Although he longed to send troops to rescue those civilizations, the highest power in the Northern Spirit Empire was controlled by the elders of the Imperial Council. Although he had the authority to command troops, this authority was granted by the Council, and since the Council did not allow him to go on expeditions, he had no opportunity to command an army.
Primogenitor Mountain.
Deep within the Fantasy Dimension, a mountain range, seemingly constructed from the bones of countless colossal beasts, is slowly floating.
At the very top of the mountain range, the colossal head of a hydra overlooks the distant, Fantasy Dimension.
In the eyes of the Nightmare Hydra at this moment, the Fantasy Dimension was like a dreamlike bubble, beautiful and enchanting, seemingly unreal yet real, a dream within which countless beings lived and multiplied, only to be shattered and reborn at any moment. Some beings as small as ants would transform into giant dragons in the next instant, soaring with wings spread, terrifying yet free.
"Hell?" The nine heads of the Nightmare Hydra laughed simultaneously, their laughter like nine different instruments playing at once. "Let those demons cause trouble. The Fantasy Dimension is my target."
"But, Ancestor..." A giant serpent with black patterns coiled around its body hovered in the Void, speaking cautiously, "The Lord of Hell has, after all, advanced to the Second-Step Eternity..."
"So what if it's Second-Step Eternity?" Nightmare Hydra interrupted him. "He's busy resurrecting His seven minions right now, he doesn't have time to worry about us. Besides—"
The most central head of the Nightmare Hydra displayed a sinister smile on its snake-like face.
"Let Hell cause some trouble. The waters of the Astral Realm are too murky; it's easier to fish in troubled waters. When the Divine Realm and the Northern Spirit Empire return from the Chaos Sea and find the Astral Realm turned upside down... just thinking about that scene is amusing."
All nine heads burst into laughter at the same time.
Amidst laughter, the Primogenitor Mountain slowly sailed towards the Fantasy Dimension, oblivious to the burning of the Astral Realm.
The Adrian Federation.
Arcane Council Hall.
The Magic Pioneer did not attend this meeting; He had more important matters to attend to. He wanted to control the Elemental Crucible, absorb the essence of the elemental laws contained within the Elemental Dimension, and advance himself to a higher level. At the same time, He wanted to integrate the power of the Elemental Dimension with the Immortal Continent, creating a brand new super universe.
"The Elemental Dimension has been conquered." The voice of the Elemental Grand Sage echoed in the council hall, "But digestion and absorption will take time before we can truly transform the power of the Elemental Dimension into our foundation. Right now, we cannot allow anything to hinder or slow us down."
"What about the current actions of the Devils of Hell Clan? Should we stop them or issue verbal Intimidation?" another Grand Sage asked.
"That's none of our business," the Elemental Grand Sage said calmly. "The Adrian Federation's diplomatic principle is: non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The expansion of the Devils of Hell in the Astral Realm is a matter between the civilizations of Hell and the Astral Realm, and it has nothing to do with us."
"However, if Hell continues to expand, it will eventually threaten our interests..."
"Then we'll talk when a threat arises," the Elemental Grand Sage interrupted the other Grand Sage. "Right now, our primary task is to digest the Elemental Dimension. Issue the order: all Federation fleets must return to their homeland, and no military force is permitted to approach the expansion zone of Hell."
"Yes."
World Alliance.
The Ancestral Tree of Life is striving to advance from the pinnacle of Supreme God towards the realm of Eternity.
The entire World Alliance entered a state of complete retrenchment. All resources, all power, and all attention were focused on the breakthrough of the Ancestral Tree of Life. Because everyone knew that if the Ancestral Tree of Life could successfully break through, the World Alliance would have a second Eternity being—that would be the most glorious moment in the history of the World Alliance.
As for Hell--
"The Lawful and Good alignment will not stand idly by," the World Tree stated. "We have already dispatched a force to the Chaos Sea to support the Spirit Saint Domain. As for Hell... we'll figure out a solution after the Ancestral Tree of Life breaks through."
The World Tree sighed.
He actually really wanted to intervene and stop the Devils of Hell.
The civilizations burning in the demonic flames, the creatures howling under the claws, the planes collapsing in the process of being devoured—all these stirred a strong sense of compassion in the World Tree. The Astral Realm Astral Realm not be like this. It should be a peaceful and harmonious place where various races and civilizations interact and promote common development. But chaos brought war and Destruction, and He was powerless to stop it.
The current World Alliance is good at defense but lacks offensive capabilities.
"Where should we go from here...?" Even the World Tree showed a rare hint of confusion.
Bottomless Abyss.
The wills of many demon lords clashed.
"Hell?! Those damned demons?!" a demon lord roared, "I will tear them apart! I will devour them! I will—"
"Shut up." Another demon lord coldly interrupted him. "The people from the Demon Realm of the End and the Black Prison Realm are already at the gate. You want to deal with the demons? Fine, go and get rid of those two annoying guys first."
The demon lord fell silent.
While the Demon Realm of the End and the Black Prison Realm would be easily defeated by the Abyss in a one-on-one confrontation, their combined strength makes them the Abyss's greatest threat.
The demons of the Bottomless Abyss hate the Devils of Hell, wishing they could devour their flesh raw.
But at this moment, they hate the Demon Realm of the End and the Black Prison Realm even more.
and--
"Let the demons cause trouble," an ancient demon prince said lazily. "The more they cause trouble, the more scattered our opponents will be. Once we've driven back the Demon Realm of the End and the Black Prison Realm... heh heh."
That "humph" concealed Endless malice.
But that malice could only be swallowed back down at that moment.
However, not all demon lords share this view.
Gustavo's strength is improving rapidly.
He also sensed the changes in the Astral Realm landscape.
The raging Hell's Fire seemed to extend its heat into the frigid Abyss.
The chaos sent shivers down the spines of all the demons, including Gustavo.
Even the Abyss Will began to fluctuate with pleasure.
However, it seems that the Abyss is now waiting for something.
Perhaps they are waiting for Gustavo's successful promotion.
While the advanced civilizations, each harboring their own secrets, chose to remain silent, the Devils of Hell began their true revelry.
The Gate of Myriad Worlds has become completely stable; it is no longer a crack, but an Gate of Eternity spanning the Void. On one side of the gate lies the ninety thousand layers of Hell, and on the other side lies the Endless Astral Realm.
Trillions of demons surged into the Astral Realm through this gate, spreading in all directions like a black tide. Their speed and scope were astonishing.
Within a month, dozens of star systems surrounding the Nine Hells were completely emptied. Hundreds of low-level Astral Realm civilizations, dozens of mid-level Astral Realm civilizations, and several high-level Astral Realm civilizations were Destruction. Countless living beings were Destruction, and hundreds of thousands of cosmic planes were destroyed. These remnants from outside the universe were dragged into Hell, gradually filling the void of the Nine Hells, which had suddenly expanded to 90,000 levels, making it thick and desolate.
Within a few years, the devil's tentacles extended to hundreds of cosmic domains. After three months of fierce resistance, the peak Astral Realm civilization "Star Sea Divine Court" finally had its last line of defense breached.
Whether it was the Main God, the Supreme God, or that vast and boundless fleet, all were submerged in the tide of demons.
As time went by, countless civilizations burned in demonic flames, countless beings wailed in agony, and countless planes collapsed as they were devoured.
Every moment, civilizations are disappearing.
Every moment, living beings die.
Every moment, the Power of Original Sin is gathering.
The souls of those Destruction civilizations were extracted, categorized, and processed by demons, transformed into the purest power of the Seven Deadly Sins. Greedy souls belonged to the Greed Demons, wrathful souls to the Wrath Demons, envious souls to the Envy Demons... Each sin had a corresponding demon reaping its harvest, and every soul was squeezed dry.
The purest and most powerful souls were sent directly to the deepest part of the Nine Hells to become sacrifices for the resurrection of the seven Original Sin Demon Gods.
The Lord of Hell sat at the core of the ninety thousand layers of Hell, feeling the ever-flowing Power of Original Sin.
He could sense that the souls of the seven Original Sin Demon Gods were reviving.
The Pride Demon God's flames of arrogance have been reignited, and those flames are purer and more intense than before.
The Mirror of Jealousy, Envy Demons God, reformed, its surface now deeper and more eerie than before.
The raging thunder of the Wrath Demons God roared once more, its Berserk even more Destruction than before.
The Sloth Demon God's Sloth Mist has returned, more subdued and deadly than before.
The Greed Demons God greed flowed again, its brilliance and greed even greater than before.
The Demon God of Gluttony's Mouth of Gluttony reopened, its mouth even larger and hungrier than before.
The lustful light of the Lust Demons God shone once more, more alluring and more dangerous than before.
They are returning.
With a more powerful posture, with a more perfect body, with a purer soul.
The moment the Lord of Hell resurrects the seven Original Sin Demon Gods, He will have seven most powerful subordinates—not subordinates, but brothers and sisters. They will stand side by side once more, sweeping away all obstacles once more, and once again—
Conquer all worlds.
And when the Lord of Hell takes the final step, achieving the Third-Step Eternity—
The entire Astral Realm will prostrate itself at His feet.
The Astral Realm is burning.
This is not an exaggeration, not a metaphor, but a fact.
Starting from the cosmic domain where the Gate of Myriad Worlds is located, and extending to hundreds of cosmic domains beyond, everywhere are burning Void stars, shattered planes, floating corpses, and flowing Blood River.
Countless relics of civilizations float in the Void; those once magnificent buildings, once bustling cities, once proud civilizations, have all been reduced to ruins. And upon those ruins, demons revel.
The Winged Devils hovered in the Starry Sky, the storms stirred up by their wings scattering the remaining fragments of the planet in all directions.
The Horned Devils rummaged through the ruins, searching for any valuable loot.
The Chain Devils dragged strings of souls through the Void; the souls howled, struggled, and cursed on the chains, but no one heard them.
The Gluttony Demons is devouring everything it can—planetary planes, corpses, souls, and even the Void itself.
The Envy Demons planted seeds of jealousy in the hearts of the surviving creatures, watching them struggle, collapse, and fall into depravity.
The Greed Demons is plundering all valuable resources, transforming them into the purest form of greed.
The Lust Demons is capturing the most beautiful and powerful beings, sending them to the Nine Hells to become sacrifices to the demon god who resurrected them.
And the Pride Demons—
The Pride Demons stood at the highest point, looking down on everything.
A smile played on their lips, a smile that was neither smug nor arrogant, but rather one of self-righteous, haughty arrogance.
Because they are Pride Devils.
Because they are the most honored inhabitants of Hell.
Because they are conquerors.
In this burning Starry Sky, there is no pity, no mercy, no justice, no kindness.
There is only devouring and being devoured, only conquering and being conquered, only Destruction and being Destruction.
This is the law of Hell.
This is the law of original sin.
This is --
The laws governing the burning of all realms.
In this burning Starry Sky, the surviving civilizations could only tremble and hide in their own corners, praying that the devil's next target would not be them.
They prayed that the advanced civilization would come to their rescue.
They prayed that the Northern Spirit Empire would change its mind.
They prayed that the Primogenitor Mountain would lend a helping hand.
They prayed that the Adrian Federation would break its silence.
They prayed that the World Alliance would protect them.
They prayed that the Bottomless Abyss would defeat its opponent as soon as possible.
Praying--
But is prayer helpful?
The Divine Realm was locked in fierce battle with the Spirit Saint Domain in the Chaos Sea.
The main force of the Northern Spirit Empire was eyeing the Chaos Sea covetously.
When the Primogenitor Mountain runs rampant in the Fantasy Dimension.
The Adrian Federation was preoccupied with digesting the Elemental Dimension and had no time to spare.
The World Alliance Realms contracted completely during the breakthrough of the Ancestral Tree of Life.
The Bottomless Abyss was caught in the crossfire between the Demon Realm of the End and the Black Prison Realm, leaving it unable to defend itself.
Who would care about those inferior civilizations burning in demonic flames?
Who cares about the innocent lives screaming under those claws?
Who cares about those beautiful planes collapsing in the process of being devoured?
There is no one.
On the chessboard of the Astral Realm, those low-level, medium-level, high-level, and even peak Astral Realm- level civilizations are all just pawns.
And the chess pieces—
It is something that can be sacrificed.
Relying on others is never as good as relying on yourself.
It is a sad thing to place your hopes on others.
The same applies to the development of civilization.
Only by being strong enough can one stand tall and watch the tides rise and fall in a world full of unpredictable changes and upheavals.