"The great momentum of heaven and earth dictates it, a harbinger of the Cataclysmic Tribulation descending ahead of time…"
"Indeed, it should be so."
Gu Changge watched the youth in a distant dimension, on whose body a nascent form of a protagonist's fortune was coalescing.
If given time to grow, that youth would surely become a formidable hegemon, stirring myriad storms throughout the Vast Expanse.
This was a great momentum of heaven and earth—what flourishes must decline.
When decline reaches a certain point, a period of replenishment arrives, and during this period, many beings born in response to the times will emerge.
Whether in a small world, a vast great realm, a multiverse, or even a True World, it is the same.
The Dark Clans had initiated the Grand Dark Sacrificial Ritual, and the number of worlds they had reckoned was so great; the civilizations they had swept through in these years were not few.
Under such circumstances, the remnant forces of shattered worlds and universes, driven by the grand momentum in the unseen, would collide and undergo certain changes.
Thus, they would descend upon some beings with stronger faith, becoming their good fortune, or so-called golden finger.
Immortal matter and creation matter themselves are the source that constructs all things in this world, and they can be called the origin of all things.
Back when he was in the Dao Chang True World, he had personally extracted these substances. To make the fortune of the Dao Chang True World more prosperous, he had personally scattered those opportunities.
Now, the vast Vast Expanse was exactly in such a period of beings born in response to tribulation.
Heaven and earth sensed that a great tribulation was approaching, so during this period, many people of great fortune emerged like a blowout to respond to the tribulation.
Just a single glance from Gu Changge, in those ruined and depleted universes, within just a few short years, many beings with extraordinary fortune had appeared, each carrying their own opportunities.
However, creatures like protagonists are born in every era; those who can truly grow to the level of the Ancestral Dao Realm are always the protagonists of several hundred eras.
And those who have walked to the End of the Path domain are the protagonists of countless eras.
Such figures, throughout the eternal passage of ages, have left thick and heavy marks across many eras.
"What flourishes must decline. Not long after the Grand Dark Sacrificial Ritual, the Reckoning of the Epoch Cataclysm will arrive. I should proceed with the next step of my plan."
Gu Changge withdrew his gaze and no longer paid attention to the current changes in the Vast Expanse.
In the following years, while he had Ling Yuling and others consolidate the Vast Expanse and contend against the Dark Clans, he also began to take action himself.
While stirring the River of Fate of various universes and worlds, he also continuously scattered various opportunities and fortunes into them through immortal matter and creation matter, deliberately beginning to manipulate the destinies of some living beings.
This included some people around him, such as Mo Tong, Chu Xiuyan, Ye Suyi, Ling Huang, the White Bone Ancestor King, Zhuo Fengxie, and so on, as well as many young and middle-aged powerhouses emerging within the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
Gu Changge sat in command of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, deterring the Vast Expanse.
Under his deliberate manipulation, these beings grew rapidly, like seedlings forced to grow tall, developing swiftly within a universe world, forming a certain destiny, and the embryonic features of era protagonists began to appear on them.
Meanwhile, Ling Yuling, through integration, brought the various large and small races and civilizations from the surrounding cosmic spacetimes under her fold, causing the Heaven-Slaying Alliance to continuously grow stronger.
Now, this speed was like a whale with its giant mouth open, swimming ceaselessly through the deep sea, constantly swallowing those large and small True Worlds.
To deal with this Black Calamity Catastrophe, the leader-level figures of various True World civilizations, many powerhouses whose cultivation and strength had already reached the degree of having crossed seven Heavenly Decline Tribulations, discussed and conferred ceaselessly during this period, and finally came together to the central great hall of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance to seek an audience with Gu Changge.
They had already noticed that to summon the Land of the Dark Source, the Dark Clans had dispatched four High Priests, with the most magnificent and enormous altar among them.
Four smaller but equally grand altars were arranged around it. Such a scene had never been seen in past or present, and had never even appeared in ancient records.
Originally, it might have taken several hundred more years for the Land of the Dark Source and the lair of the Dark Clans to touch.
But now, the Dark Clans were clearly impatient and unwilling to wait. Through various methods, they were accelerating the speed at which the Land of the Dark Source was falling toward the Vast Expanse.
The many high-ranking members of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance all fell into a grave and uneasy mood. They did not know Gu Changge's intentions, but they could see that he seemed unwilling to engage in a bloody slaughter with the Dark Clans and did not take the initiative to obstruct them.
Ling Yuling, as the Deputy Alliance Leader, though she intended to give orders for the various True World civilizations to gather their forces and resist, those Ancestral Dao Realm existences who had already crossed eight Heavenly Decline Tribulations would not necessarily obey her orders.
Especially now that Gu Changge was stationed in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, it seemed to give those powerhouses a sense of confidence.
The fact that the Dark Clans had not attacked the Heaven-Slaying Alliance for a long time was, in their view, the very reason for their wariness…
Perhaps this Black Calamity Catastrophe would not be as tragic as the world imagined. The Vast Expanse was so vast; what was wrong with leaving a region for the Dark Clans?
As long as they did not interfere with each other, and kept to their own territories, it was not unacceptable.
There were actually not a few powerhouses who held such a view, including those from the Forbidden Zones like Mu Fuguang, Beici Divine Monk, Tong Xian, and others.
As for what Gu Changge's thoughts truly were, that was not something they could fathom.
But they assumed that since he had chosen the name "Heaven-Slaying," it surely could not be for the purpose of resisting the Dark Clans that he had established the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
In the great hall, powerful auras pervaded; blurry figures appeared and stepped forward, and around them, space, time and the years seemed to shift.
If not for Gu Changge's presence in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance suppressing all auras,
the mere chaotic collision of auras from so many Ancestral Dao Realm existences gathered together would have been enough to disrupt space, time, and the years, causing this place to collapse.
Ling Yuling, as Deputy Alliance Leader, had no idea what Gu Changge had been doing during this period either. The courtyard where he had been cultivating in seclusion was very quiet, with no sound or movement emanating from it.
However, she was busy handling the many affairs of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and rarely went to discuss matters with Gu Changge.
Now, Gu Changge had completely adopted the attitude of a hands-off boss; basically, all the affairs of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance were entirely entrusted to her.
Out of necessity, Ling Yuling could only select some suitable helping hands, such as Ling Huang and others who had followed Gu Changge very early on, to assist her in handling affairs.
Now, the enormous Heaven-Slaying Alliance could be said to be the strongest force in the Vast Expanse, bar none. The mountain of daily affairs gave her quite a headache.
"I have already gone to invite the Alliance Leader; he will arrive soon," Ling Yuling spoke.
The great hall was incomparably vast, yet now it was crowded with figures—a truly astonishing sight. So many Ancestral Dao Realm existences gathered together was extremely rare in past and present, scarcely seen.
And among them were not a few whose strength had already surpassed seven Heavenly Decline Tribulations and had already crossed eight Heavenly Decline Tribulations.
Such as Mu Fuguang, Demon Ancestor Di Huang, Ji Hanjing, the current ruler of the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty, and others. There were also some supreme powerhouses from various reclusive clans who had appeared during this period. Counting carefully, there were well over ten existences who had crossed eight Heavenly Decline Tribulations.
Moreover, there were figures like the Ethereal Sacred Ancestor, who had already crossed nine Heavenly Decline Tribulations…
Not to mention existences like Ancestor Luo and the Eternal Primordial God, who were even more powerful than the Ethereal Sacred Ancestor. Even Ling Yuling, whose strength had almost recovered to its peak, still felt considerable pressure when facing the two of them.
She guessed that these two were probably true End of the Path level figures. The Eternal Primordial God might be slightly weaker, but his strength still surpassed the Ethereal Sacred Ancestor.
Take an Ancestral Dao Realm existence; they were already qualified to guard a Supreme True World.
Gathering such strength in the Vast Expanse was indeed reasonable, but Ling Yuling could also see that the underlying foundation of this era's Vast Expanse was far inferior to the past.
"To stop the Black Calamity Catastrophe, the best method now is to find The Six Supreme Treasures of the First Civilization…"
"Following the example of the former Sages, we shall once again seal the Source of the Dark Calamity."
Gu Changge's figure soon appeared in the great hall. Facing the salutations of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance members, he merely waved his hand casually.
"If we cannot gather all The Six Supreme Treasures of the First Civilization, then fighting a bloody battle with the Dark Clans is no solution either."
"I also do not intend to waste our strength here. The Epoch Cataclysm will soon descend again. In comparison, the Black Calamity Catastrophe is not worth worrying about."
Gu Changge was concise and succinct, laying out his plan. The trend toward the great unification of the Vast Expanse was now unstoppable.
Why should he continue putting on a self-directed show and senselessly waste these forces? Whether it was the Heaven-Slaying Alliance or the Dark Clans, they were, in the final analysis, his chess pieces and strength.
Making two chess pieces slaughter and deplete each other—why would he do that? It brought him no benefit at the moment.
After the Immortal Dao Alliance assembly concluded, he had remained in the Ethereal Sacred Domain, "resisting" the Black Lotus Cult together with everyone. He had thought that such a method would cause those big fish that had been hiding to reveal themselves.
But he had still underestimated those fellows' vigilance. In the end, only the Master of Fate fell into the net. He naturally had no interest even in keeping such a small fish.
As for Progenitor Xu, Gu Changge had always known of that fellow's ambitions and schemes. Back when he was still the Lord of Heaven's Proxy, Progenitor Xu had constantly sought to investigate his origins.
The Heavenly Faction Chaos had also been instigated by Progenitor Xu's plotting…
However, Gu Changge still had no intention of dealing with him. At present, Progenitor Xu did not actually know that he had, in the unseen, become Gu Changge's bait.
And this bait of his was still alive. As for whether it could lure anything out, Gu Changge could only wait and see for now.
The current situation of the Vast Expanse was such that no power or Dao lineage could restrain or check the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. As for the existence of the Dark Clans, they could be completely ignored, for they were originally his own handiwork.
The trend of the Vast Expanse's unification had taken shape, yet those hidden fellows still showed no sign of emerging onto the field.
If it were just one person, it might be a coincidence, but almost all the big fish were not revealing themselves. Then there was only one possibility.
The current Vast Expanse no longer held any necessity for them to step onto the field. Whatever happened to the Vast Expanse had nothing to do with them.
Standing outside the Cataclysmic Tribulation, unaffected by its erosion, even if the Vast Expanse suffered the Reckoning, it would eventually welcome a period of recovery again. Those fellows had already seen through the nature of the Cataclysmic Tribulation and were naturally unwilling to become that stalk of leek, to be slaughtered at will.
Let alone a mere Black Calamity Catastrophe—why would they care about that?
Neither the Dark Clans nor the Heaven-Slaying Alliance harmed their interests, so why would they need to step forward?
Such was the situation now.
If not for Gu Changge's consideration that publicizing his identity now would shatter the faith and hearts the Heaven-Slaying Alliance had painstakingly gathered, and even cause the many powerhouses before him, including Ling Yuling, to turn against him, requiring him to spend time and effort to clean up the mess again,
he could very well consider merging the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and the Dark Clans into one.
"The current underlying strength of the Vast Expanse is far inferior to before. Even if all the True World civilizations were combined, they would still be far from matching the era when we resisted the Black Calamity Catastrophe. With our strength, trying to stop the Dark Clans is likely very difficult."
"The Alliance Leader is right. The best plan for now is still to find The Six Supreme Treasures of the First Civilization and once again seal the Land of the Dark Source. Through the method of sealing, we can continuously wear away its power, and there will eventually come a day when it is completely ground away…"
The many powerhouses in the great hall fell into contemplation and discussion.
Many were now waiting for Gu Changge's stance. After all, such a matter required a backbone, and now, only Gu Changge could truly convince everyone to accept.
"If the calamity of the Dark Clans is not eliminated for a single day, the Vast Expanse will not know peace."
"Now, so many races and civilizations have been destroyed under the claws and fangs of the Dark Clans. Every day, many more universes and worlds are invaded and sacrificed. Even if we now maintain separate territories with the Dark Clans and do not interfere with each other, in the long run, after the Dark Clans grow stronger and recover, they will absolutely be the first to strike at us."
"Alliance Leader, we believe it is still necessary to take action against the Dark Clans. There is no need to delay further; none of us are afraid to die."
The resolve of many people was also firm. The homelands of many behind them had already fallen and turned into Dark Territory, and they hated the Dark Clans to the bone.
"Alliance Leader, the reason the Dark Clans have not engaged us in battle for so long must be because they are wary of our strength."
"Why don't we first pretend to coexist peacefully with the Dark Clans, delineate territories, and restrain their actions so they do not rampage, slaughter, or sacrifice various great realms at will? Meanwhile, we secretly search for the Supreme Treasures of the First Civilization, waiting for the right moment to counter…"
Others also offered suggestions. Regardless, when facing the Dark Clans now, there were only a few choices: either fight to the death without respite, coexist peacefully, or pretend to coexist while secretly plotting countermeasures.
Luo Zhu and the Eternal Primordial God remained silent. Listening to the many discussions and deliberations in the great hall, their emotions were complicated to the extreme.
If these people knew that the Dark Clans they had always wanted to crusade against were exactly the creation of the Gu Changge before them, just how wonderful would their expressions be?
Discussing, right in front of Gu Changge, how to seal and deal with him in the future?
"Although I am the Alliance Leader, I will leave this matter to be decided according to your opinions."
"I will give you three days. After three days, everyone will come to this hall for a vote, and the final decision will be made by the majority," Gu Changge casually swept his gaze over them and knew the thoughts of the vast majority in the hall.
He also displayed his wise and democratic side, not making the decision alone but letting them choose for themselves.
In such a matter, any clear-sighted person would know how to choose to minimize losses.
The current Heaven-Slaying Alliance was the most stable and peaceful place in the Vast Expanse. The various races and True Worlds that had migrated here could develop in safety. Once a real, bloody decisive battle with the Dark Clans began, who would bear the losses?
Human nature had always been selfish, and not everyone could truly be selfless and care for all living beings.
Three days later, all voting results were out. Almost ninety percent of the Ancestral Dao Realm existences chose the third method: first pretend to coexist with the Dark Clans, while secretly searching for the Supreme Treasures of the First Civilization.
The various True World civilizations also began to focus all their efforts on collecting and investigating related clues, deducing numerous karmic threads, and seeking their whereabouts.
Of The Six Supreme Treasures of the First Civilization, the Gate of Eternal Life was in Gu Changge's hands.
The Mirror of Reincarnation was in the hands of Saintess Xiyuan, the Tribulation-Crossing Disk in the hands of the Master of Fate, the Coffin of World Burial with the Heavenly Faction, the Book of the Grand Dao's whereabouts were unknown, and the Creation Pool was on its way back to the Heaven-Slaying Alliance…
Within Gu Changge's perception, he could clearly see the current trail of the Creation Pool.
The chess piece he had casually left behind back then—that youth from the Floating Continent named Zhu Xuan, who carried the bloodline of the Lord of the Pan Clan—
had now found the Creation Pool and brought it back, currently hurrying back to the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
The Lord of the Pan Clan, who was the Dong Huang who had once resisted the Black Calamity Catastrophe, had his race annihilated by the Heavenly Faction, leaving only this one clansman alive. Indeed, he carried clues to the Creation Pool on his person.
After so many years, that Zhu Xuan had finally retrieved it. Although the process had not been entirely smooth and he encountered quite a few troubles, after all, he possessed great fortune, and in the end, everything was resolved without real danger.