Chapter 912: The Most Terrifying Catastrophe!

The very first sight to greet the eyes of all present was a vast, boundless expanse of rich, teeming earth—the ancient Central Plains of Huaxia, in an age primeval.

Upon that infinite continent, eight hundred vassal states were scattered like stars across a chessboard, intricately blanketing the realm, while the domains of the four great grand dukes stood like colossal ancient kingdoms, their majestic, fortified strongholds guarding the four quarters.

Whether it was Su Tianji and her companions watching as a group, or the elves back in the store at Canglan City, all of them felt at this moment as though they had been transported into an immensely remote and primordial empire.

From the golden throne room where auspicious mists swirled and divine light gathered, to the civil and military officials lined up before the white jade steps, every single detail impressed upon them the sheer splendor of this ancient land.

"Wow—! So this is what ancient Huaxia looks like!?" Beside Boss Fang, the elf girl Sera and her friends could not help but exclaim in wonder as they watched the series unfold.

"Is this that same... legendary Huaxia? The one with Nuwa creating humans and mending the heavens, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors... Houyi shooting down the suns, and King Yu the Great taming the floods?" Lorleen asked beside her, equally astonished.

Between the previous Legend of the Sword and Fairy and Journey to the West, the lore of this "Huaxia World" had already struck them as vaster and more intricate than any world they had encountered before; even though they had all made a special effort to study it, they had still only scratched the surface.

Yet now, they felt as if they were standing right inside that legendary realm they had only ever heard of by name...

Or perhaps... a legend among legends!

"What... what are you all seeing?!" Kellynbeer, the lone onlooker standing at the back, was sweating with anxiety, wishing she could drag the other elves away so she could see for herself. "Is it good?!"

"It's so magnificent... it's hard to imagine this is actually an ancient kingdom..."

...

"This era seems to be right after the Xia Dynasty, which was founded by King Yu the Great..." Over at the Jiuhua City store, Shen Qingqing, a dedicated lore enthusiast, had clearly done her research. "To the era of Journey to the West, this period could probably be considered antiquity itself."

"It's actually that ancient!?" Su Tianji and the others watching in their group could not help but stare at the primeval dynasty in shock. Without a point of comparison, none of them would have understood the significance, but after various immortal cultivation games and Journey to the West...

A mythology that seemed to predate Journey to the West by countless millennia... the emotion in their hearts could no longer be described as mere shock.

Journey to the West was already a myth, so wouldn't this... be a myth within a myth?!

Meanwhile, the Valkyrie up in the Heavenly Realm could only join the Elven Queen in watching... the people who were watching the Investiture of the Gods.

"What 'Huaxia'? What ancient kingdom?! What on earth are they watching?!" The Valkyrie Isabella lay in her pool, her face utterly blank with bewilderment. "What is so captivating that they're all staring like that? Why can't I see it?!"

"Isn't it just a human kingdom? What's so special about that?" The black dragon Gutonisi was also watching from his spot, muttering in confusion as he stared at the screen.

That said, he kept his eyes glued to the display.

...

At that moment, within the golden throne room, the entire court of civil and military officials had assembled, and Prime Minister Shang Rong requested King Zhou to offer incense for Nuwa's birthday.

King Zhou spoke, asking: "What virtues and merits does Nuwa possess that We should deign to leave Our royal carriage and offer incense?"

"This king—!?" Not just the black dragon Gutonisi, but even the Saint-tier entities and powerhouses of various nations were dumbfounded on the spot.

Weren't they saying this was an ancient deity?! Could a king just ignore an ancient goddess if she lacked merit?!

And he looked so utterly casual about it...

"Is this really a human kingdom—!?" At this moment, a collective uproar broke out among the audiences not only at the Canglan City store and the new East Continent store, but across all the old branches as well.

In the past, especially for someone like Mage Merlin who had lived in nations ruled by religious faith, this was something one wouldn't even dare to dream of!

Only then did they see Shang Rong petitioning within the play: "Goddess Nuwa possesses sacred virtue. In the days of yore, Gonggong struck his head against Mount Buzhou, causing the heavens to tilt in the northwest and the earth to sink in the southeast. Nuwa gathered five-colored stones to mend the blue sky, thereby rendering great service to the people. It is only right and proper that the common folk establish shrines to repay her. Now that Zhaoge worships this deity of blessings, the four seasons will be peaceful, the dynasty's destiny will endure, the wind and rain will be well-regulated, and disasters will be quietly dispelled. As she is a righteous deity who blesses the state and protects the people, Your Majesty ought to offer incense!"

...

At this point, the waters remained calm, but at this very moment, no one could have guessed that beneath this placid surface, a terrifying catastrophe of unimaginable proportions was brewing—one that would engulf heaven, earth, mortals, and gods alike!

When Heaven unleashes its killing intent, the stars shift and turn; when Earth unleashes its killing intent, dragons and serpents rise from the soil; when Man unleashes its killing intent, heaven and earth are overturned!

Step by step, the audience watched as King Zhou listened to the slander of treacherous ministers to select concubines, followed by the fox-demon-possessed Daji entering the palace, the creation of the branding pillar torture, and Prime Minister Shang Rong striking his head against the pillars of the golden hall to his death. Each event was more shocking than the last, and in just two short episodes, a heavy sense of an impending storm and a collapsing empire weighed down upon them.

A kingdom that had been so prosperous just moments ago, wielding such overwhelming power that even ancient gods required merit to earn its respect, could well be called a divine kingdom on earth. It was perhaps the most glorious mortal empire they had ever witnessed.

But at this moment...

Right before everyone's eyes, it was brutally transformed into a demonic palace on earth!

Fiends danced in chaos, and demonic energy surged to the heavens. Almost overnight, the world turned upside down, and the entire mortal realm seemed to be gradually sinking into a domain of demons and ghosts.

"...How can this Su Daji be so cruel and vicious!?" Watching the branding pillar scene, several peace-loving elves were so terrified that they clung to each other, covering their eyes and not daring to look.

"This King Zhou is so tyrannical as well...!" Even the regular viewers in the old stores now looked at King Zhou as if he were a living fiend.

Perhaps even more terrifying than a fiend...

...

"Look... isn't that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, Li Jing?!" Inside the old Jiuhua City store, they had already reached the part showing Nezha's reincarnation.

Whether it was Su Tianji, Shen Qingqing, or anyone else across the stores, they could hardly believe their eyes. The Heavenly King Li, who had fought back and forth evenly with the Great Sage Equaling Heaven in Journey to the West, was currently just a minor regional commander of Chentang Pass?!

This shattered their understanding once more. Just how powerful did a human empire have to be to dare employ such a being as a mere regional commander?

"But... where is his precious pagoda?"

"Could it be... this is from before he became a god—!?" A terrifying thought flashed through the minds of Su Tianji and her companions.

"Then this dynasty...!!??"

...

Heaven unleashes its killing intent, an era where a dynasty draws toward its end; this was a time when a kingdom's destiny was spent, dropping withered twigs and ruined leaves like the shedding of autumn foliage.

Earth unleashes its killing intent, dragons and serpents rise, demons emerge on all sides to plague the mortal world, and catastrophe draws near.

Man unleashes its killing intent, as loyal and righteous ministers were slaughtered one after another by King Zhou, the entire human realm was undergoing an earth-shattering transformation.

Heaven, Earth, and Man aligned, and at this moment, what unfolded before all of them was the quiet arrival of the greatest tribulation—one that perhaps had only ever existed in legends before.

It would sweep through heaven, earth, mortals, and gods... and the entire world itself. Let alone mortals, even the immortals and deities could not hope to remain aloof.

At this time, whether it was Su Tianji and the others in the old stores, or the many powerhouses in the new stores, a hushed silence fell over them the more they watched. They did not grasp the deeper implications entirely, but an innate intuition made them sense a great terror they could not even begin to conceive, an unprecedented calamity... the massive weight of that pressure seemed to rush right at their faces.

And in the midst of such a cataclysm, what kind of earth-shattering legends would be forged by this mortal dynasty, its countless extraordinary talents, and the various immortals living in seclusion across the sacred mountains and overseas islands...?

At the thought of this, dread, excitement, and awe intertwined, causing everyone's minds to tremble involuntarily.

This sensation and emotion surpassed almost everything that had come before!

Confronted with such a vast, mythological scroll, Su Tianji and her companions felt... as if their minds were simply completely overwhelmed...

.

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Note: The historical Di Xin (King Zhou) was indeed not this incompetent, but the one in the Investiture of the Gods... is truly an irredeemable tyrant. Just think of them as different portrayals of the same person in different parallel dimensions.

I couldn't finish the second chapter today, my apologies to everyone. This is close to the final stretch; I'll go as fast as I can, but if I can't rush, I'll take my time to deliberate and finish it properly. I hope everyone understands.

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