John carefully read through the details of the item—an item so terrifying that even Starsea Sovereign had cried out in alarm.
A chill rose from the depths of his heart.
This was an existence that transcended even origin-level laws. Not even the will of the universe could do anything about it.
Moreover, its effects were unbelievably vicious.
First, it devoured the vitality of all living beings.
Then their divine souls.
After that came their laws, followed by their lifespans.
Finally, it would devour the inhabited planes themselves!
Once such a poisonous object fully awakened, half the living beings across the myriad universes and countless space-times would perish.
Even those who survived would lose half their strength and half their lifespans.
More fatally—
The loss of one’s laws was irreversible.
Even comprehending them again would be useless. It was equivalent to permanently severing the future path of every powerhouse!
"However..."
"Once the Worldbane Bloodline fully awakens and absorbs the power of all living beings and universes, its wielder may be able to break through to the Supreme realm."
"And completely transcend the restraints of the universe’s will."
However, this item was controlled by a Peak Sovereign—a Half-Step Supreme.
That was already an existence standing at the absolute ceiling of combat power.
At present, there was virtually no hope of either destroying the item or seizing it.
Even the universe’s will in its complete form might not be able to do anything to that powerhouse.
Thinking of this, John asked,
"Starsea Sovereign, this matter..."
"This is far too serious! It is a catastrophe beyond measure!"
Even Starsea Sovereign’s voice had become somewhat disordered.
He said urgently,
"You have seen the Worldbane Bloodline yourself. The Apocalypse Tribulation must have been arranged by one of those ’Transcendents’!"
"Under the coming Judgment, all existences below the Peak Sovereign level are nothing more than ants!"
"You and I are no different beneath such annihilation."
John’s expression turned solemn.
"What exactly is the Apocalypse Tribulation?" he asked. "And why do those Transcendents not stop it?"
Starsea Sovereign explained,
"The Apocalypse Tribulation..."
"Creation, destruction, death, and rebirth form the eternal cycle by which the universe operates."
"The will of the universe is absolutely impartial. It treats all living beings equally."
"Some Innate Races are born immensely powerful, yet find it exceedingly difficult to break through their natural shackles."
"Some Acquired Races are born weak and insignificant, yet can easily shatter their limitations and advance toward the peak."
"Every living being throughout the myriad heavens and space-times struggles to survive."
"Every one of them plunders resources in order to grow stronger."
"As time passes, conflicts accumulate, destinies intertwine, and karmic threads become entangled."
"Eventually, they are destined to erupt violently at a certain moment."
"That is the Judgment."
John listened intently.
Starsea Sovereign continued,
"Judgments vary in scale, and the weight of each calamity differs."
"When a Grand Judgment descends, the Law of Destiny becomes obscured, and the will of the universe conceals itself."
"All living beings must then endure a tribulation of slaughter."
"Those who survive may continue living. Those who fail will have both body and Dao destroyed."
"But the Apocalypse Tribulation..."
"It is far more terrifying."
Starsea Sovereign’s voice trembled faintly.
"The Apocalypse Tribulation exists to overturn everything."
"All living beings perish. Everything returns to zero. The entire order of existence is reshuffled."
"Only Peak Sovereigns can transcend the Apocalypse Tribulation."
"Under a Grand Judgment, all living beings still possess a thread of hope."
"But beneath the Apocalypse Tribulation..."
"That thread of life is almost impossible to find."
"Existences like us are nothing more than ants—either waiting for death to arrive or struggling uselessly before it does."
John could not help drawing in a cold breath.
If that was true, then this truly was a catastrophe beyond measure.
Starsea Sovereign continued,
"To qualify as a Transcendent, one must possess the strength of at least a Peak Sovereign."
"They can cast their lines into the River of Space-Time, using the myriad universes as their chessboard and all living beings as their pieces..."
"Such existences seek to transcend the restraints of the universe’s will through this grand game and reach the legendary Supreme realm."
"They must contend not only with other existences of the same level, but also with the will of the universe itself."
"As for why they do not stop the Apocalypse Tribulation..."
"The truth is, without the tacit cooperation of several Transcendents, an Apocalypse Tribulation could never take shape in the first place."
"Since the Apocalypse Tribulation has already appeared, it must have been brought about by their joint schemes."
Hearing this, John finally understood.
He thought silently,
"After reaching the Peak Sovereign level, one possesses very few worldly attachments."
"Just as I have now advanced to the High God level, my ties to ordinary players have already faded considerably..."
"Our levels of existence are simply no longer the same."
"Peak Sovereigns stand shoulder to shoulder with the will of the universe."
"To them, ordinary living beings are no different from ants."
"Why would a person form attachments to ants?"
"Why would they care whether those ants lived or died?"
"Let alone existences that have already ’transcended.’"
"Once they reach that stage, their only remaining pursuit is to surpass the universe’s will and attain the Supreme realm."
"For that goal, they would willingly pay any price..."
"Even if it required exterminating every living being across the myriad universes, why would they care about creatures they regarded as ants, so long as those deaths were useful?"
"So..."
"The Apocalypse Tribulation is merely something those powerhouses have tacitly agreed to bring about."
"They intend to seek the opportunity to break through to the Supreme realm amid the end of all things."
"As long as those existences refuse to interfere personally..."
"No one can restrain the Worldbane Bloodline."
"The Apocalypse Tribulation will inevitably continue until the blood seed fully awakens!"
The deeper John thought, the more a bone-piercing chill seeped from the depths of his marrow.
So this was what awaited at the peak of power—at the end of the Great Dao.
If that old Mage God were still alive and saw the truth of it all...
Would he still be in the mood to stand at the summit and admire the scenery?
John had not yet reached the summit.
Yet he had already seen that there was no scenery there.
Only a coldness that pierced to the bone.
At that moment, Starsea Sovereign broke the silence.
"I have already reported this matter to the Consortium’s upper echelons."
"We are powerless to resist it. We can only passively accept the arrival of the Apocalypse Tribulation."
"Perhaps..."
"This is precisely what drives Peak Sovereigns to break through to the Supreme realm."
"The stronger one becomes, the less willing one is to remain constrained."
"The more one despises passivity, the more one desires to control one’s own fate."
"However..."
"For now, the matter you must focus on remains the Myriad Worlds Tournament."
"The Apocalypse Tribulation has only just revealed its first signs."
"Life must continue as usual."
John nodded.
"I understand."
...
Time rewound to shortly before the death of the God King of the Myriad Races.
Deep within a plane belonging to the Hidden Race—
Beside the God King’s physical body, his divine soul was gradually dissipating.
His face was filled with extreme unwillingness and pain.
Starsea Sovereign’s treasure had inflicted fatal damage upon his true body through his avatar.
Once the avatar died, his true body would perish alongside it.
"Demon King Council..."
"You made me a promise."
"Before I died, you would gather a portion of the myriad races and preserve their bloodlines."
"Why have you still not acted?"
As the strongest existence in an entire universe, the God King’s duty had always been to protect the continuation of the myriad races.
Now that his life had reached its end, only this final obsession remained.
After sending the message to the Demon King Council—
His physical body and divine soul dissipated at the same time.
At that moment—
Rumble!
The major inhabited planes of the myriad races suddenly began to tremble violently.
One teleportation formation after another rose from the ground, emitting blue radiance as they appeared throughout the void.
The powerhouses of the myriad races stared at the formations.
Shock, grief, helplessness, and hatred surged within their hearts.