The Vanishing Duan Dong River

The pond water and the boundless sea water all hung suspended in mid-air. Duan Dong River, with a solemn expression, said, "When one is weak, they can rely on diligent cultivation to break through. But as strength grows, any super-powerful being must undergo countless battles and struggles to be forged. For instance, to become a True God, or what you call a Universe Overlord, one must also experience countless battles and gain innumerable insights before finally breaking through." "From the True God stage onwards, every step higher becomes extremely difficult!" "A true powerhouse is one who constantly walks the line between life and death, yet remains unyielding," Duan Dong River stated. Luo Feng listened and nodded. He agreed with these words. In fact, in his opinion, even to become a Universe Master, one must break through amidst the crucible of battle. Like Zuoshan Ke and Chaos City Lord, they both allowed themselves to venture out and be tempered to achieve breakthroughs. Universe Masters, Universe Overlords (True Gods), and so on, all need to walk between life and death. "There are many with talent, and many with perseverance; perhaps they can achieve minor success," Duan Dong River said softly. "But among those who truly stand at the absolute peak, which one hasn't had a multitude of fortuitous encounters? A powerhouse relying solely on their own efforts cannot possibly reach that ultimate pinnacle. The three most important ultimate techniques of my Duan Dong River lineage are precisely to minimize the probability of your demise in countless life-and-death battles." "Of course, even so, it doesn't mean you're immune to death. All previous inheritors of my Duan Dong River lineage have long since perished, even the third generation ancestor died…" Duan Dong River shook his head. "So, you must never be careless." Luo Feng nodded, then smiled, "In this era, it's far less dangerous than that civilization, thankfully." "It's not that simple," Duan Dong River gently shook his head. "Not that simple?" Luo Feng was startled. "What do you mean?" "First, carefully examine the three ultimate techniques you've received," Duan Dong River said directly. Luo Feng immediately began to examine them carefully. Each of the three ultimate techniques contained an incredible amount of information; the memory transfer alone took so long. The memory transfer merely crammed the information into Luo Feng's memory; to truly read it, Luo Feng had to do so slowly. At Luo Feng's reading speed, it took him more than ten days just to study the ultimate technique 'Annihilation' before his expression suddenly changed. "Discovered it?" Duan Dong River asked with a half-smile. "How, how is it gone?" Luo Feng looked at Duan Dong River in astonishment. "'Annihilation' was left by the third generation ancestor. According to the introduction at the beginning of the ultimate technique, it should be incredibly vast, with nine volumes. But why are there only the simplest first three volumes? I clearly sense the other six volumes in my memory, but I just can't read them. Why is that?" It was a very strange feeling. It was like remembering something clearly but being unable to recall it. The entire 'Annihilation' ultimate technique was in his memory, but the latter six volumes simply couldn't be recalled, yet he could sense they were there. This feeling of 'forgetting' was something that only happened when he was young and weak. Since becoming a super-powerful being, everything he had experienced in his life, every memory, could be easily reviewed without the slightest bit of forgetting. "Because these first three volumes are the limit that can be cultivated at the True God stage," Duan Dong River explained. "The limit of the True God stage?" Luo Feng vaguely understood something. "The three ultimate techniques, and these—" Duan Dong River pointed to the black pebbles at the bottom of the pond. "And those!" He then pointed to the scattered black pebbles in the boundless ocean. "Even if all information is transferred to your memory, you can only view up to the peak of the True God stage. All information beyond that level is inaccessible," Duan Dong River stated directly. "How can this be?" Luo Feng wondered. He didn't particularly care. Not being able to see it wasn't a big deal. After all, the information in countless legacy stones, from ordinary Immortals to the peak of Universe Overlords, was all meticulously recorded, which was already enough for him. After all, he was only a Universe Venerable now. But if it was clearly stored in his mind, who could silently prevent him from accessing his own memories? "Because…" Duan Dong River's gaze drifted, and he sighed softly, "It's the will of the Original Universe!" "The will of the Original Universe?" Luo Feng was stunned. "It is!" Duan Dong River nodded with a sigh. "The Original Universe is the largest celestial body in the entire Universe Ocean. Such a massive celestial body absorbs an incredibly terrifying amount of chaotic energy every moment. Compared to it, the Universe Boat is simply…" Duan Dong River shook his head. Luo Feng nodded. Although the Universe Boat was vast, compared to the Original Universe, it was like a palm-sized paper boat compared to a Sun! "If you live within the Original Universe, as a part of it, then it's fine," Duan Dong River nodded. "But if you are no longer a part of the Original Universe, and the entire Original Universe no longer protects you… then it's troublesome." "In the Universe Ocean, who is the strongest?" "It's not any single faction, but the will of the Original Universe!" Duan Dong River said. "Your strength is very weak, but you should still be able to feel it. When you fight True Gods, it can help you. No matter where you are in the Universe Ocean, it can help you." "The strength of True Gods is universally suppressed; their divine power is completely suppressed by it," Duan Dong River said. Luo Feng nodded. Yes. It was indeed so. The will of the Original Universe was an irresistible behemoth, and Original Ancestor had once contended with the primal will, resulting in his permanent suppression. "With the entire Original Universe as its backing, the power the primal will can exert… is completely beyond your imagination," Duan Dong River sneered. "You ask how this Universe Boat was shattered, this—" Duan Dong River's expression suddenly changed. "I can't say anymore," Duan Dong River looked at Luo Feng, solemnly stating, "There are some things I cannot say. You must know, the entire Universe Ocean… there is no place not under the control of the Original Universe's primal will. Fortunately, it is merely a simple will formed by the operation of immense laws, without desires or anything else, otherwise, who knows what it would become." "To transcend, there is only one way—" Duan Dong River looked at Luo Feng, "Transcending Reincarnation!" "If you transcend reincarnation, you will enter a new realm." "The information in the many memory stones of my Duan Dong River lineage, you can only view up to the True God stage now, but if you transcend reincarnation… you will be able to view everything," Duan Dong River said. Luo Feng nodded slightly. Although Duan Dong River didn't explicitly say it, Luo Feng vaguely understood that the matter involving Duan Dong River and the many powerhouses of his civilization aboard the Universe Boat was likely related to the 'will of the Original Universe,' and the destruction of the Universe Boat was very possibly its doing. "You and I are different; you are a part of the Original Universe, at least for now," Duan Dong River smiled. "Therefore, you are protected by it." Duan Dong River suddenly waved his hand. Below the suspended boundless sea water, the scattered black pebbles in the vast trenches and submarine canyons, as well as some black pebbles at the bottom of the pond, all flew up towards Duan Dong River. Soon, they were all collected by Duan Dong River. "Boom~~~" The boundless sea water suspended in the sky then crashed down, and the pond water also fell. "Follow me," Duan Dong River pointed ahead, and ripples immediately spread, forming a spatial entrance. Luo Feng obediently followed. The two entered the spatial entrance one after another, quickly arriving in a new space. This was a seemingly boundless, vast world, surrounded by endless darkness, with a landmass merely a dozen kilometers in diameter beneath their feet. "This is a time acceleration space," Duan Dong River pointed to the endless darkness in the distance. "The seemingly boundless darkness is actually an illusion. This time acceleration space is very small, only this landmass." "The smaller the area, the less energy consumed by time acceleration," Duan Dong River smiled. "I have already perished; my control alone can only accelerate time by ten thousand times." "As for you, the stronger your divine power, the faster it will accelerate time under your control." "Under time acceleration… the cultivation time can be extended." Duan Dong River waved his hand. A black pebble floated before Luo Feng. "Originally, having been lonely for endless cycles of reincarnation… I had many, many things to say, many, many instructions, and much pride about my Duan Dong River lineage that I wanted to share with you," Duan Dong River slowly shook his head. "But when you accepted the three ultimate techniques, I suddenly realized… I had already perished, so what was the point of reluctance? So, I recorded everything into this memory stone." "This memory stone contains everything I wanted to tell you, as well as all the mysteries of the entire Legacy Space." "Once you read it, you will know everything." Duan Dong River then looked up at the boundless darkness, then squatted down, gently picked up some soil from the land, sniffed it lightly, and then smiled, "I have long since died. The me now is merely a virtual consciousness." "Virtual, merely virtual…" "I was never truly alive…" *Whoosh~~~~* Duan Dong River completely disintegrated, then directly dissipated. "Teacher!" "Duan Dong River!" Luo Feng called out repeatedly, but only he remained. Luo Feng was somewhat bewildered. This, this… He was trapped here, how was he supposed to get out? "Boom~~~" Streaks of light emerged from the endless darkness, rapidly enveloping him. Luo Feng looked up at the sky; streaks of black and white light descended, with nowhere to hide, directly converging on Luo Feng. The legacy mark on Luo Feng's forehead also automatically appeared. The black and white intertwined mark rotated, and all the boundless light surged into Luo Feng's body, then everything returned to calm. An immense sense of affinity arose in his heart. Luo Feng looked around, and with a thought, a small blade of grass began to sprout from the land, breaking through the soil and growing more luxuriantly, even spreading outwards. In just a moment, the entire dozen-kilometer landmass became a grassland. "Acknowledged as master?" Luo Feng was startled. The Legacy Space had acknowledged him as its master. Although he still felt unfamiliar, he could sense the entire Legacy Space. "Did Duan Dong River voluntarily relinquish control?" Luo Feng looked to his side, where Duan Dong River had just picked up the soil. Recalling those words, Luo Feng suddenly realized… That Duan Dong River… had probably vanished forever. In this Universe Ocean, only he, the 193rd Duan Dong River, remained.