I Am the Fated Villain

Chapter 1824. The Withering of Universes, the Sorrow of All Worlds, and the Ancient Burial Civilization Connected to the True Land

“Who has disobeyed the Hall Master’s command…?”

This figure appeared only briefly. As though wary of something, it quickly vanished again.

The Unborn Hall was an extremely mysterious power. Calling it a power was not entirely accurate—it was more like a realm, a dao field, a spacetime domain, without any fixed designation.

The Hall Master of the Unborn Hall believed that this world itself was a prison, a cage from which living beings were destined to find no hope. It was better to die early and sever all ties to the past.

According to his philosophy, life itself was eternal sorrow and suffering. Only death could bring true transcendence and freedom.

To realize this ideal, he constantly searched for suitable candidates, granting them immortal bodies while also bestowing upon them everlasting pain and torment. Only by slaughtering living beings and granting them “release” could they temporarily ease their own suffering. Once their cultivation and strength reached a certain level, they might finally be granted death.

Members of the Unborn Hall were ranked by sequence numbers.

They could not be killed by anyone else and could only be granted death by the Hall Master himself.

Thus, every member endlessly carried out missions for the Hall in pursuit of death.

When Number One died, a new Number One would inherit the title.

The cycle repeated endlessly, over and over again, through countless iterations and reincarnations.

Across the entire world, the number of living beings who knew of the Unborn Hall’s existence could be counted on one hand. Nearly all of them were truly ancient beings who had survived epochal calamities and lived for ages beyond reckoning, to whom the concept of lifespan no longer applied.

When members of the Unborn Hall appeared during the war between the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and the Orthodox Unity Alliance, many beings throughout the chaotic spacetime realms vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Yet not a single person dared to reveal themselves.

Even those who merely glanced in that direction hurriedly erased all traces of their karma and existence afterward, leaving nothing behind.

This caution had long become instinctive, engraved into their very souls.

The destruction of the Orthodox Unity Alliance had already become an irreversible trend.

It was merely that this trend had arrived too late.

For the civilizations and true realms of the Vast Expanse, with the Dark Grand Sacrifice now underway, no one could escape.

At this moment, the only hope could be placed in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.

A cold, blood-colored sacrificial altar stood beyond all worlds.

It was vast and boundless, stretching beyond sight.

Endless dark matter poured down from it, as though a crack had opened in heaven itself, releasing an infinite tide of darkness into every world and universe.

Within that dark matter drifted one black warship after another.

They surged forth carrying countless dark creatures clad in black armor and wielding dark sabers, spears, and other weapons.

Cold.

Silent.

Solemn.

Ancient war horns sounded.

Under their command, the dark creatures began slaughtering all worlds.

Elsewhere, enormous immortal beasts forged from what seemed to be dark divine metal—True Dragons, Phoenixes, White Tigers, and more—carried terrifying dark beings into battle across countless realms, gathering offerings for the sacrifice.

Wherever they passed, universes collapsed and worlds disintegrated.

Even Dao Realm experts were powerless to alter the outcome and could only become sacrifices themselves.

Woo… Woo…

The horn calls echoed through existence.

It sounded as though ancient gods and demons were wailing.

Or as though the heavens themselves were weeping blood.

The region where the Ethereal Sacred Domain was located remained shrouded in endless black mist.

The outside world had no idea what was happening within.

Even many experts of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance were unaware of the truth.

Could this really be a scheme by the Dark Race to trap Gu Changge inside?

Regardless, the most urgent matter now was stopping the Dark Grand Sacrifice.

Ling Yuling donned armor and acted as the alliance’s leader in Gu Changge’s absence.

While continuing the purge of the Orthodox Unity Alliance, she also issued countless orders to resist the Dark Race’s sacrificial campaign.

After witnessing the collapse of the Orthodox Unity Alliance, the various races and true realms of the Vast Expanse finally understood the situation.

They abandoned their previous prejudices and began actively cooperating with the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.

Large numbers of experts and clansmen arrived every day.

Whatever resources were requested were supplied without hesitation.

Despite Gu Changge’s absence, the Heaven-Slaying Alliance remained stable.

Ling Yuling had once been one of the great predecessors who fought against the Dark Race, and everyone trusted her deeply.

Under her guidance and management, everything remained orderly and well organized.

At the same time, after concluding its campaign against the Ancient Nanzhao Kingdom, the Uncentral Immortal Dynasty dispatched armies throughout numerous true realm civilizations to help resist the Dark Race’s sacrifice.

For a time, the situation throughout the Vast Expanse became clear.

All true realm civilizations united under the banner of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and entered a genuine era of resistance against the Dark Race.

However, after the collapse of the Orthodox Unity Alliance, no one could find any trace of the Uncentral Immortal Emperor.

Like the alliance’s senior leaders, he seemed to have fled and gone into hiding.

Of course, no one had the time to concern themselves with such matters anymore.

Ling Yuling appeared on the front lines every day.

Drawing upon her experience fighting the Dark Race in the past, she ordered the construction of an Immortal Great Wall.

Using shattered universes as border regions, she established fortress after fortress across the battlefield.

Resources from every true realm and civilization continuously flowed in.

The largest defensive line was named Shanhai Pass, forged into an impregnable stronghold.

Behind this defense line, many Dao Realm formation grandmasters laid down terrifying restrictions and formations.

Blazing divine light surged through heaven and earth.

Countless Dao runes intertwined and flooded the region.

Behind these formations lay a chaotic exile zone personally created by numerous Ancestor Dao Realm experts.

Beyond the exile zone floated countless stars and continents.

Every race and civilization stationed powerful forces there for the long term.

Patrols constantly traversed the Immortal Great Wall.

The Heaven-Slaying Alliance dispatched squads to distant regions, helping endangered races evacuate and relocate within the protection of the wall.

Under these circumstances, the alliance’s prestige surpassed anything it had achieved before.

Unlike when Gu Changge personally presided over it, the Heaven-Slaying Alliance under Ling Yuling’s administration gave all living beings a profound sense of security.

A genuine feeling of safety.

With the Heaven-Slaying Alliance serving as the primary force against the Dark Grand Sacrifice, the Dark Race did not appear overly anxious.

Instead, it focused on the many undefended universes and spacetime regions.

Chaotic territories and divine civilizations alike suffered invasion and extermination.

Within the Divine Dao Civilization, the Taixuan Divine Realm became corrupted by dark matter and fell under Dark Race control.

Other hidden divine realms suffered similar invasions.

The Dark Race intended to sacrifice the entire Divine Dao Civilization.

Aside from Taixuan Divine Realm, realms such as the Jiu’ao Divine Realm also came under attack.

Years of warfare followed.

The Dark Taixuan Ancestral God personally led the citizens of her Dark Divine Kingdom in assaults against the remaining divine realms.

After the Dark Grand Sacrifice began, many powerful dark beings emerged to aid her campaign.

The entire Divine Dao Civilization fell into chaos.

The remaining divine realms stood on the brink of destruction.

Several ancient ancestral gods who had rarely appeared throughout history were finally forced to emerge and seek assistance from the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.

Yet the alliance initially gave no response.

Ling Yuling had considered intervening.

However, leaders from all races jointly advised against it.

Their reasoning was simple.

Throughout both the past and present, the Divine Dao Civilization had never involved itself in the affairs of other civilizations.

Whenever dark calamities descended upon the Vast Expanse, they remained detached observers, offering no aid whatsoever.

The ancestral gods considered themselves innate beings and looked down upon the affairs of “acquired” mortal civilizations.

If they now faced destruction, many believed they had brought it upon themselves.

As a result, few civilizations wished to help.

Moreover, although the Heaven-Slaying Alliance appeared powerful externally, it still faced a major unresolved threat:

The Black Lotus Cult.

Many civilizations believed the Black Lotus Cult was merely another scheme of the Dark Race, concocted together with the Orthodox Unity Alliance.

Its purpose had been to trap all races attending the Immortal Dao Alliance Assembly and imprison Gu Changge within the Ethereal Sacred Domain.

Only then could the Dark Race proceed confidently with the Dark Grand Sacrifice.

This theory quickly gained universal acceptance.

Thus, dealing with internal threats took priority.

No one had the spare resources to save the Divine Dao Civilization.

Furthermore, the civilization had already declined greatly.

Whether it survived or not would make little difference.

The strength of its ancestral gods was only roughly comparable to Ancestor Dao Realm experts.

The entire Divine Dao Civilization possessed fewer than ten surviving ancestral gods.

Such a force was not worth the enormous cost of rescue.

Ling Yuling could only abandon the idea.

She focused instead on strengthening defenses and managing the alliance.

She understood Gu Changge’s strength better than anyone.

She did not believe he could truly be trapped within the Ethereal Sacred Domain.

Yet every expert sent to investigate returned with the same report.

The region was engulfed in endless darkness and black mist.

No one could enter.

No one knew what was occurring inside.

The only option was to wait.

Time flowed onward.

As the Dark Grand Sacrifice continued, the Vast Expanse entered its darkest and most tragic age.

Although the Heaven-Slaying Alliance resisted with all its might, it remained powerless against the seemingly immortal Dark Race.

Vast territories were consumed by dark matter.

Countless worlds and universes withered away.

All realms fell into sorrow.

Yet when facing universes protected by Dao Realm experts, the Dark Race did not completely harvest them.

Instead, they slaughtered and took away only those above the Immortal King Realm.

The weaker beings lacked sufficient blood and vitality to serve as offerings.

World after world was harvested like crops of leeks.

Despite the alliance’s efforts, countless races vanished forever over the years.

The dark altar beyond the Vast Expanse grew increasingly solid and majestic.

Ancient sacrificial chants echoed there, resounding in the ears of every living being.

During this period, the Divine Dao Civilization—which had stubbornly resisted—finally collapsed.

It became completely darkened.

Against the Dark Race’s overwhelming assault, it never had any chance of survival.

One extremely ancient ancestral god emerged.

Its strength rivaled that of a being who had survived nine Heavenly Decline Tribulations.

It attempted to resist.

But eventually, a Grand Priest personally intervened.

Dark chains pierced through its shoulder blades, sealing its divine fire within its body.

The ancestral god was dragged back to the Dark Race’s homeland.

Before long, a tremendously powerful Dark Ancestral God would be born.

Despair.

Fear.

Terror.

These emotions swept through all worlds of the Vast Expanse.

Every living being lived in trembling anxiety each day.

While harvesting and sacrificing other universes, the Dark Race never stopped testing the defenses created by the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.

Although they repeatedly failed to break through, every attempt resulted in massive battles.

As vice alliance leader, Ling Yuling grew increasingly exhausted.

A sense of helplessness often overcame her.

She did not know how long this situation could continue.

The Dark Race was merely probing.

It had not yet launched its full-scale assault against the alliance.

Meanwhile, Gu Changge remained within the Ethereal Sacred Domain, showing no signs of escaping.

After failing to deal with the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, the Dark Race turned its attention toward other regions of the Vast Expanse.

Among them were the Nine Heavens Land, known as the source of immortality, and the Ancient Treasury Civilization, said to control great calamities.

Both were exceptionally special places.

The Nine Heavens Land stood detached from worldly affairs.

Many believed it to be the origin of the Immortal Dao cultivation system.

Some even claimed that the beings of the Nine Heavens Land had originally created the Immortal Dao path itself and that immortality cultivation did not exist before them.

Whether such claims were true or false could not be verified.

However, to every cultivator of the Immortal Dao system, the Nine Heavens Land held extraordinary significance.

As for the Ancient Treasury Civilization, it was famous because the Epoch Mother Tree grew there.

The Epoch Mother Tree was also known as the World Tree.

Every leaf upon it carried an entire great world.

The cycles of birth and destruction throughout all realms flowed beneath its roots like waves upon a boundless emerald sea.

It was mysterious beyond measure.

Some claimed that hidden behind the Ancient Treasury Civilization was a path leading to the True Land.

Whenever an epochal calamity descended, the civilization acted as the vanguard, wielding heaven’s authority on its behalf.

At such times, the road connecting the two places would appear.

Beings from the True Land responsible for overseeing the calamity would emerge.

They would push the World-Destroying Millstone and annihilate all worlds, plunging heaven and earth into the winter of an epoch.

After all, an epochal calamity differed greatly from minor or major calamities.

It affected the entire Vast Expanse.

Even the mightiest true realms could not escape.

No so-called supreme realm existed that could remain detached from it.

These stories could not be verified.

However, one fact was certain:

The Ancient Treasury Civilization was indeed connected to the True Land.

Across endless ages, its inheritance had never been severed.

Only its name changed from era to era.

Its true name was actually:

The Ancient Burial Civilization.

A civilization that had personally witnessed the burial of countless ages, observed the rise and fall of all worlds, and watched the endless cycles of reincarnation and renewal.