The fierce cold wind relentlessly assaulted Zhang Rongfang’s face, making his skin increasingly stiff.
He flew through the thin clouds.
Each flap of his more than ten-meter-wide bat wings stirred up a massive air current.
Below, the desert, the earth, and the horizon already revealed a faint arc.
Zhang Rongfang looked up, and the sky above was still a blurry pale blue.
He took a deep breath and suddenly rushed upward.
Poof!
The film-like layer from before was once again breached.
His vision suddenly turned black.
Everything quieted down.
An invisible air current swirled around him.
’As expected...’ Zhang Rongfang tilted his head back, gazing at the boundless black sky.
’As expected, the Moon God did not deceive me.’
In his heart, he was now seventy percent convinced.
He mostly believed the words about the sky and how it would keep contracting.
’Here... isn’t this the interlayer? How did you get here?’ The voice of White Scales hesitated slightly but still softly echoed.
’Interlayer?’ Zhang Rongfang asked in confusion. ’What do you know about this sky?’
Previously, White Scales couldn’t communicate due to being inside Taoyuan, so she remained silent.
It wasn’t until this moment that the connection was suddenly reestablished.
’The gap between the sky and the side layers of our world is the interlayer. There’s nothing here, why did you suddenly come here?’ White Scales asked in confusion.
’You know of the sky?’ Zhang Rongfang exclaimed in surprise.
’Of course. The first Celestial Lighters were those who were illuminated by the light that fell when the sky was broken.
However... the Light from the Heavens is not a good thing.’ White Scales replied.
’Why? Didn’t it grant longer lifespans and increased strength to those it illuminated?’ Zhang Rongfang inquired.
’Do you know how many people were illuminated back then?’ White Scales countered, ’The light was vast, covering a broad area, affecting at least ten thousand people. And the result?’
’What was the result?’
’Only a few dozen survived. The rest all died.’ White Scales sighed.
She sensed Zhang Rongfang’s current location, feeling somewhat puzzled.
’So, what are you planning to do now? The interlayer contains nothing but wind.’
’I... want to try...’ Zhang Rongfang lifted his head, gazing at the expanse of the black sky.
His wings flapped, and he rushed full speed toward the massive black sky.
’Are you crazy!?’ White Scales exclaimed in shock, her voice sharp.
Zhang Rongfang paid no attention, his body rapidly enlarged and expanded, turning into a massive three-armed crimson giant in an instant.
Countless blood clouds floated beneath him, holding him up firmly, preventing a fall.
The giant was over fifty meters tall, wielding a massive blood-colored axe, charging full speed toward the black sky.
From a distance, he resembled a meteor streaking upward toward the sky.
The boundless black gradually consumed the entire view.
Zhang Rongfang raised the gigantic axe in his hand, hurling it with all his might at the sky.
A roaring sound exploded.
The blood axe shot forth in an instant, transforming into a wheel of crimson that fiercely thudded against the sky’s surface.
Poof!
The blood axe created a small pit, but quickly, the endless black lines around it submerged and erased it.
Yet, the sky remained as it was, as if nothing had happened.
’It’s useless. The sky is bottomless, with an unknown thickness.
Even if you keep charging in, it’s unknown whether you’ll find anything.’ White Scales reminded.
Zhang Rongfang hovered in the sky, staring at the small pit he had made.
Countless black lines slithered there, like insects, quickly filling the pit completely, restoring it to its original state.
His power, though formidable, capable of seemingly catastrophic force against the Snow Rainbow Pavilion, seemed like an inconspicuous pebble against this boundless sky, incapable of even making a splash.
’White Scales.’ He suddenly asked, ’Which is real, Taoyuan or this world?’
’For gods, Taoyuan is real.’ White Scales seemed to understand something as well. ’For you, the world is real. But actually, both are places that truly exist.’
’Is that so?’ Zhang Rongfang gazed toward the sky, his eyes stretching into the distance.
’What kind of place is Taoyuan, really? Do you know?’
’My divine lord once told me.’ White Scales answered, ’Taoyuan is where the consciousness of all gods resides. She said that after a ray of light shone down from a broken sky once, seen by all gods,.
A similar light appeared in Taoyuan as well. Do you understand what this means?’
Zhang Rongfang remained silent.
Was that the light of hope in the hearts of the gods?
’Originally, Taoyuan contained only darkness, only the abyss of forgetting. But gradually, that light grew brighter and brighter!’ White Scales said. ’Especially recently, I’ve never seen such bright light.’
’So how were you all slaughtered back then?’ Zhang Rongfang asked.
’Spirit Flying Heaven wanted to reap all gods, and we couldn’t withstand them, simple as that.’ White Scales stated simply, seemingly reluctant to discuss those matters further.
Zhang Rongfang quietly observed the wriggling black sky for a long while before finally turning to fly back.
’Let’s go, it’s time to return.’
’So what do you plan to do by flying up like this?’ White Scale asked, puzzled.
’Just wanted to confirm some things.’ Zhang Rongfang replied. ’Do you know what lies in the higher levels of Taoyuan?’
’Spirit Flying Heaven is only on the fifth level, no one knows what’s beyond that. Maybe you’ll have a chance to go up there someday. Anyway, I don’t have that ability,’ White Scale answered honestly.
The two flew back swiftly, passing through the blue light, through the clouds, and once they determined their direction in mid-air, they headed straight towards Great Capital.
The earth below quickly swept past.
Rivers, mountains, forests, everything appeared miniature and exquisite as if a sandbox in Zhang Rongfang’s eyes, akin to the various struggles he had encountered before.
’Do you still want to purify all the gods and Buddhas?’ White Scale suddenly asked before they flew back to Great Capital.
’Of course. Without gods and Buddhas, there would be far fewer conflicts on the earth,’ Zhang Rongfang replied calmly.
’But how does this relate to finding your master?’ White Scale countered. ’Doing this won’t help you find your master. Moreover, the Moon God is not as easy to deal with as you might think. What you fought before was merely one of his avatars. The difference in power between the avatar and the true form is massive. Spirit Flying Heaven is the same.’
’Have you got a better idea?’ Zhang Rongfang sensed her implications.
’My deity once mentioned that although the sky curtain isolates us from the outside world,
Taoyuan does not... Beyond the fifth level of Taoyuan, there is a place where the consciousness of beings beyond the sky curtain converge,’ White Scale whispered.
This was the inside story that even the Moon God didn’t thoroughly discuss with Zhang Rongfang.
Zhang Rongfang’s body suddenly paused, hovering in the high sky.
He frowned deeply.
’You mean, beyond the fifth level of Taoyuan, there are gods and Buddha consciousnesses from outside the sky curtain?’
’That’s what my deity said. She was once a deity who ascended to the fifth level, immensely powerful. Later... she went further up to explore,’ White Scale stopped there.
’But what does this have to do with my master?’ Zhang Rongfang asked.
’My deity is actually also an Innate God,’ White Scale said, ’She once mentioned her homeland was a place called Scaled Capital. She was strong, gentle, and treated her divine subjects and followers very well, but she always wanted to return to her homeland.’
’She mentioned that above the fifth level of Taoyuan, it might be possible to connect with the Scaled Capital outside the sky curtain. Then, god and Buddhas would descend to lead the way.
That’s why they always like to look up. Look up at the sky, look up at the higher places above Taoyuan.’
’And it’s said that Scaled Capital has mysterious knowledge that can make one’s soul split.’
Zhang Rongfang’s mind raced with thoughts.
Why has Spirit Flying Heaven been gathering power, is it because gods of the past wanted to ascend to higher levels of Taoyuan?
Or about finding the chance to escape the sky curtain?
’So what?’ he asked.
’So, Innate Gods always have bizarre objectives. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but.... if you want to find a chance to save your master, the only way might be to continue exploring Taoyuan,’ White Scale said.
Zhang Rongfang was silent.
His wings spread, he continued to rush ahead.
But at this moment, his flying speed was not as swift as before.
Time passed second by second.
Before long, he paused, hovering above the battlefield where the Grandmaster Alliance and Spirit Flying Heaven armies had fought fiercely.
The battlefield had already concluded.
The setting sun was blood-like, the ground was full of pitted holes and craters.
Piles of corpses amassed like mountains, flies and insects buzzed around. Carrion birds rose and fell, constantly pecking at the bodies, making strange calls.
Zhang Rongfang circled the battlefield for a moment, then continued towards the Great Capital city.
Before completely approaching the city, he saw the flames soaring from afar within the city.
A bright red flag, representing the Reversal Society, was raised high and rushed quickly towards the city center.
The Reversal Society was attacking the inner city.
Agile figures of elite warriors swiftly broke through to the inner city.
Rounds of fire arrows were launched, covering the center.
This was the source of the great fire.
"The heavens are dead! Gods retreat!!"
Loud shouts sounded continuously from all directions.
Zhang Rongfang hovered in the high sky, looking down with his strong eyesight.
He could see.
Fighting against the Reversal Society elites, were God Worshipers from the Grandmaster Alliance, experts from Sensing Sect.
There were also some unfamiliar divine powers constantly erupting. They seemed to be hidden sects’ God Worshiper experts.
The Reversal Society was completely eradicating all God Worshipers.
The entire Great Capital was chaotic, flames gradually spreading along the continuous pavilions, burning more fiercely.
Zhang Rongfang looked down, suddenly feeling a sense of exhaustion.
The Moon God was absent.
Clearly, he should be pursuing the remaining Spirit Seals, indifferent to the outcome of these so-called battles.
The Moon God’s goal was to seize all the power accumulated by Spirit Flying Heaven.
While the mortal battles were not within his concerns.
With the Moon God gone, the Spirit General Yuehou from Sensing Sect was also severely injured in the previous battlefield.
Thus at this time, the top Grandmasters from the Reversal Society were almost invincible, unbeatable.
Ordinary Earth Mother walkers and normal Spirit Generals were merely few moves in front of their magic weapons.
’Not going down to help?’ White Scale asked.
’The outcome is already decided here; no need for me to intervene. The Holy Patrol and Emperor Lingxin should be avoiding the Moon God. This land is now certain for the next era.’
Zhang Rongfang replied softly.