Chapter 458: A Broken World
The ground below their feet slowly vanished. The world started spinning, and everything they saw turned black before they suddenly felt firm ground beneath their feet once more. Regaining their senses, they also felt a strong wind which almost made it impossible for them to keep standing upright.
It only took a brief moment before their eyes adjusted to their new location, and as they did, their eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
Previously the bull had told them that what they were in was called a realm, not a world. That this place was a failure which had never turned into a real world, and now they understood why.
They stood on top of a large black tower which seemed to be connected to the black stone mansion they had been in previously. Standing on a massive platform on top of this tower, everything surrounding them was barred for their eyes to see.
Mountains could be seen in the distance, and although they looked steady at first glance, when one looked closer they would see that many of these mountain tops were constantly overflowing with lava. The other mountains trembled from time to time as though there were constant earthquakes.
It was not only the mountains which appeared strange. All the ground in front of them was just barren land. Although they had seen a jungle at the start of their journey, it was obvious that it only had plants that could survive in the high temperatures of this realm. As to how they could survive, Hui Yue had no idea.
The sky above was filled with spatial tears. These tears in the fabric of space swallowed up anything which came near them, but even so, clouds filled with thunder could be seen in the sky. Clouds which constantly rained lightning down on this desolate world.
"As I told you before, this is a failed world." The bull sighed as he looked into the distance. "This is a realm. A place where no living mortal could survive. Although this place is not bad for cultivators because of its thick essence of the heavens and the earth, alongside its dense Ancestral Worldpower this place is not suitable for anyone but cultivators. Only a world able to sustain life on its own can be considered a true world. Anything else is a failure and is regarded as a realm."
"Within the vast endless sea of stars there are numerous worlds, but there are at least ten times as many realms. These realms have since been used as places where some Gods take residence because they enjoy the solitude. They build trials to test their descendants and to find their successors. Truthfully, there are so many different realms and so many experts, but even still, only around one in a hundred of the realms created actually transform into something useful. The rest of the realms just exist as broken worlds until the day that a rift in space becomes large enough to consume the entire realm. A world without mortals will always be weaker than a world with mortals. Worlds with mortals are constantly evolving while worlds without are standing still in time. As such, they will die much sooner than the worlds where mortals keep the environment nourished."
Looking at Hui Yue and his friends, he understood that these people did not understand why mortals would make a world last longer, and none of them asked for clarification. Still, the bull shook his head with a smile on his face. He had already explained so much, explaining a little more did not matter.
"Mortals might seem insignificant to experts such as us." He began, "but mortals are the ones who look after the world they reside within. They fertilize the soil and make sure it is filled with nutrients. They ensure that the forests stay healthy and that animals keep flourishing. They evolve and create societies, but even so, as long as they treat the world they live in with respect then the world will keep existing."
"If mortals stop looking after their world, if they become too conceited and forget about their duty, then the world will suffer. Soon, spatial cracks will start appearing because the world is no longer healthy enough to sustain itself. It will begin to succumb to the pressure of the surrounding space."
"When this happens, spatial cracks start to appear and then there is nothing anyone can do anymore. It is only a matter of time before the world collapses and turns into a broken realm much like this one."
"Although there have never been mortals in this broken realm, many such realms contain humans and beasts living in them for as long as they can."
Hearing this, Hui Yue could not help but think back to the world he came from originally. Earth was a place which had been nourished for years on end, but recently humans had forgotten to look after their world. Now it was much close to breaking down than ever before. Although it was likely to be thousands of years before its natural resources ran out, it was just a matter of time. To a creature like this bull, thousands of years was nothing.
Sighing, Hui Yue looked at this broken world and smiled a little as he turned to look at his friends. They were all filled with awe and their faces displayed their expressions of astonishment.
Having been within this world for a long period of time, they had not only managed to gain strength, new abilities, and a chance to reach the Formation of Life, but they had also gained an understanding of what they would experience later on in their journeys. They would, without a doubt, travel through both broken realms and other worlds while forging their martial path so they could defeat An He.
"We should set up a base in a broken world." Deng Wu said excitedly as he heard the words that the bull had said. Hui Yue, looking at Deng Wu, shook his head with a smile. "Let’s focus on getting our hands on the Formation of Life first. After that, we can spend time considering something like that."
"But will we be fine in a broken world? Firstly, we need to know how to enter broken worlds. Secondly, we can't have it collapsing on us while we are inside of it, and lastly, we need to be able to bring it with us. With all these things, I don't think it'll be easy to find a broken world that fits us."
Hearing Hui Yue's words Deng Wu shook his head and with a sigh agreed. "Well, one can always dream." He continued before all of them withdrew their eyes from the world in front of them and once more focused on the black tower they were standing on top of.
By their side was a set of stairs leading down into the tower. On the way down one could see doors leading into rooms, and it was within these rooms that the final trial would be concluded.
"When you finish the last trial, I will need everyone to once more come to the top of the platform. When everyone is done, I will tell you who passed and who, if any, failed. I will then take the ones who passed to the Formation of Life while the rest will be thrown out of this world." Hesitating a moment, he said with a determined voice; "If you all do well, I will give you something amazing." He continued, his words causing everyone to be filled with excitement; however, even if he had not said anything, the group would do their best to overcome the final trial.
"Let’s move." The bull said and took the lead as he moved towards the narrow staircase. Moving down, the others followed him, but everyone walked slow taking their time. The wind here was very strong, and there was no railing to protect them; one mistake and they would plummet to their death.
They walked for around ten minutes before they reached the first room. At the first room, Hui Yue ordered Jo to enter. Jo was the smallest of the group, and it was clear that she had the most problems staying on the staircase. She was only an Emperor ranked expert, and the wind was truly too strong. By letting her enter first, she wouldn’t have to worry about the conditions outside anymore.
The second person to enter was Lao followed by Wang Ju Long and Sha Yun. After saying goodbye to these three, Deng Wu was the next to depart from the group. After walking down the staircase for 20 minutes after Jo had left, Cai Jie and Hui Yue finally found a room to test their talent.
Looking down, Hui Yue saw that there were at least another ten rooms below him; it seemed that the beast Gods had prepared for quite large groups of experts to enter together.
Entering a room, Hui Yue only knew what the bull had told him. This final test was a test of talent, and it was also a test that relied on one’s strength.
The room in which he had entered was thirty by thirty meters. Inside there was one window which allowed the sunlight of the never setting sun to shine into the room.
The light was not enough to light up the dark room, but there was nothing inside apart from him. There was not even a bed or a chair to sit on just a cleaned out room.
Moving to the window, Hui Yue sat down in front of it as he started to slowly enter meditation. Before he was able to fully submerge himself in meditation, he noticed something move in the room. He instantly opened his eyes, looking around with vigilance.
"Welcome to the final trial in this Trial of Fire." A domineering voice sounded out, and every word caused Hui Yue to tremble but deep within he felt great happiness.
This happiness did not come from Hui Yue himself but rather from Lan Feng who was on the verge of crying. 'Father's voice!' He said with a hoarse voice, and Hui Yue instantly understood exactly why this voice was so strong and domineering.
"This Trial of Fire was created for the sake of testing those young talents who dare to see if they have what it takes to enter the world of the immortals."
"As time went by, fewer and fewer were allowed to enter this realm, and after we had decided to enter our eternal slumber, we changed the rules of the trial. Anyone who manages to pass through the trials will be allowed to take the Formation of Life with them and become the guardians of our world! The world of the Beast Gods."
"Should you wish to just use the formation then you are welcome to use it and leave it here, but if you want to take it with you then you will have to go through some difficulties. The only ones who can take the Formation of Life’s Trial of Fire are those who have yet to become Gods. If a God dares to enter then... Hahaha! They will have a horrible ending."
"This is just a warning. This final trial is not as difficult as the others. All you need to do is prove that your talent is above average. I look forward to seeing your performance."
After this, the voice no longer spoke. Instead, a ball of energy appeared in front of Hui Yue. It quickly took the shape of one of the flame soldiers he had fought in the first trial. It was clearly a General level soldier, despite this being his very first trial; this would clearly not be an easy test. Looking at this expert in front of him, Hui Yue was unsure if he would be given any rests after the battle thus he decided to use as little energy as possible in his fights. Starting the last trial, he threw himself at the general with his two swords in his hands and a determined expression on his face.