Volume 1, Chapter 30: A Catastrophe, or an Opportunity?

To be sent to a fallen family in the lower realms to proclaim an oracle? This was simply the easiest of tasks, and the best way to display divine majesty.

He rose to his feet, accepted a scroll condensed from divine light, and unfurled his thunder-wreathed wings. Tearing through the void, he vanished from the temple in an instant.

The Lord of All Gods watched the direction in which the Divine Punisher had departed, his gaze deep and inscrutable.

He did not seek an apology; he sought the "submission" of the Gu family. He intended to use this opportunity to tear away the veil of mystery surrounding them and trample the existence that once made him look up in awe.

He could already visualize the scene: that dilapidated family shivering under the pressure of the Divine Punisher, offering up everything they possessed.

Meanwhile, in a small courtyard of the Gu residence.

Gu Changsheng smacked his lips in his sleep and rolled over.

"So noisy... sounds like there are mosquitoes..."

He muttered, subconsciously pressing the soft "ancestor's pillow" deeper into his chest. A faint, invisible wisp of primordial energy rippled across the surface of the pillow before settling into stillness.

The Tianyuan Realm, a mortal domain that could hardly be considered top-tier among the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, faced an unprecedented celestial upheaval today.

Above the firmament, a massive rift tore open without warning.

The rift was pitch-black and deep, like a scar across the sky. What flowed from it was not the turbulence of the void, but a terrifying, supreme divine power that far transcended the laws of this world.

In an instant, the wind ceased, the clouds stagnated, and even the flow of time seemed to thicken.

Every living creature in the Tianyuan Realm, from old monsters in deep mountain seclusion to children just beginning their path of cultivation, felt a tremor from the depths of their souls at that moment.

It was as if a true deity had cast its gaze upon this fragile land.

Countless powerhouses looked up in horror at the rift in the sky, their eyes filled with fear and confusion.

"What is that?!"

"The Heavenly Dao is weeping... the laws of this world are retreating!"

"A supreme being from the upper realms has descended! Is this a catastrophe, or an opportunity?"

Under the gaze of countless terrified eyes, a figure slowly stepped out from the rift.

He was clad in dark golden divine armor, holding a thunder-spear, his thunder-flashing wings blocking out the sun. His eyes were cold and arrogant, like a dragon looking down upon an anthill, sweeping over the land below with undisguised contempt.

He was the Divine Punisher of the Pantheon.

He was very satisfied with the effect. Every time he descended to the lower realms, seeing the fear and awe of these mortal beings brought him a sense of ultimate pleasure.

"The Gu family..."

The Divine Punisher spat out the two words, his gaze instantly locking onto the area in the realm that appeared ordinary but was actually wrapped in layers of Daoist rhyme.

He took a step forward, his figure instantly traversing millions of miles of mountains and rivers, appearing directly above the small Gu courtyard.

He hovered in the air, looking down at the humble, almost shabby courtyard, the sarcasm at the corners of his mouth deepening.

"Is this the legendary Gu family that spans eras and guards the order? How laughable."

He did not act immediately, choosing instead to clear his throat, preparing to read the decree of the Temple Master. He wanted this fallen family to listen to the judgment of a god in the midst of endless fear and despair.

He channeled his divine power, infusing his voice with the laws of the world, making it boom like rolling thunder as it exploded toward the small courtyard below:

"I am the Divine Punisher of the Pantheon, descended by the decree of the Temple Master! Gu family of the lower realms, you are bold enough to murder the descendant of the Heavenly Emperor—your crimes are unforgivable! You are ordered to immediately surrender the culprit and offer up..."

His voice was grand, majestic, and filled with unquestionable judgment. Every word was enough to shatter the Dao heart of an ordinary cultivator.

However, just as he was about to shout the words "half of your heritage," a sudden change occurred.

Lying on the lounge chair, Gu Changsheng, who had been sleeping soundly, was thoroughly annoyed by the sudden roar of thunder.

In his dream, he felt as if he were lying in his own bed when a construction crew arrived outside his window, wielding dozens of high-power jackhammers and blasting his eardrums.

That irritation, that morning grumpiness, reached its peak instantly.

"Give it a rest already..."

He rolled over with extreme impatience, turning his back to the sky, and grabbed the "ancestor's pillow" from beneath him, violently pressing it over his ears in an attempt to block out the annoying noise.

"Be... quiet..."

A muddled, resentful dream-muttering came muffled from under the pillow.

The moment he performed this action, the wisp of primordial energy on the surface of the plain-looking pillow glowed slightly.

*Hum—*

An indescribable ripple, transcending laws, time, space, and causality, spread silently with Gu Changsheng as the center.

In mid-air, the Divine Punisher, who was preparing to continue reading the oracle and enjoying the despairing expressions of those below, suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

The arrogance and majesty on his face froze.

He discovered that he could not make a sound.

It was not just his voice; all his connections to the outside world had been severed. He could not feel the wind, the light, the laws, or even his own divine power, of which he was so proud.

He realized with horror that he had been "locked up."

He could still see the small courtyard below, the old servant sweeping the floor, and the two handmaidens looking worriedly at the young man covering his ears with a pillow.

He could see everything, but the world seemed to have become a painting that had nothing to do with him.

He had been locked into a space of absolute stillness and absolute nothingness, independent of all things.

There were no directions, no past, and no future here.

There was only endless "silence."

"No! What is this!"

The Divine Punisher roared in his heart, but his divine sense could not transmit even a fraction of an inch out of this strange space.

He tried to struggle, tried to swing his thunder-spear, tried to unfurl his thunderous wings.

However, everything was in vain. His body, his divine artifact, everything he was, had been "frozen" in place, like a bug sealed in amber, stuck in the posture of the previous second, unable to move.

Fear, an unprecedented fear, instantly overwhelmed him.

What kind of power was this?

There was no energy fluctuation, no conflict of laws, not even a trace of killing intent.

It was as if that sleeping youth, simply because he felt it was "noisy," had created an absolute soundproof "cage" on a conceptual level.

He remembered the Temple Master's evaluation of the Gu family: "fallen," "decaying," "strong on the outside but weak on the inside."

Bullshit!

They called this fallen?!

This was clearly a supreme horror, an existence so great that they, who fancied themselves gods, were not even qualified to look upon its shadow!

In the courtyard.

Old Fu put down his broom and looked up.

The world-destroying pressure from outside had vanished, the rift in the sky was healing, and everything had returned to calm.

Only in mid-air did the Divine Punisher remain in his clawing posture, frozen there, motionless, like a ridiculous statue.

A flash of understanding and admiration crossed Old Fu's eyes.

"The Young Master is just as merciful as the Ancestor was back in the day," he thought to himself with emotion.

"For such an ant to dare to spout nonsense here while the Young Master is sleeping is a crime that should result in the total destruction of body and soul. Yet, the Young Master did not simply erase him, but imprisoned him in the 'Realm of Great Void,' granting him eternal silence and forcing him to reflect on his sins in endless solitude."

"This... this is what you call breadth of mind! What benevolence!"

The more Old Fu thought about it, the more unfathomable he felt it was.