The world was vast and empty.
"Not dead."
Although there was no Great Dao energy, the power of the world existed here.
This meant that the world was still alive.
Not yet dead.
Chen Fan had never seen an eighth-tier great world, let alone a ninth-tier one.
But he had seen a seventh-tier great world. The Qingxiao Great World, which had attacked him that day, was seventh-tier.
Compared to this world, it was too small.
If a sixth-tier world like Panshijie was only the size of a city below, then a seventh-tier great world should be the size of a domain.
"No..."
The next moment, Chen Fan seemed to sense something.
A vague guess formed in his mind.
This world was actually larger than the Four Directions Domain. Could it be... encompassing the entire chaos?
"Thunder Lord?"
He recalled the name he had heard during the lightning tribulation.
The five domains of chaos were Shenxiao, Longfeng, Chiyang, Jian, and the central Chaos.
This world before him was definitely larger than all five domains combined.
Hiss.
A breath of cold air rushed to the crown of his head. "No way?"
If the Thunder Lord was ninth-tier, then this would mean it was a ninth-tier great world?
It was too shocking.
"Is this the origin of the Seven Divine Artifacts?" Chen Fan guessed.
Other than this, he could think of nothing else.
Divine artifacts could alert the Boundary Tablet and open the Boundary Gate... could they be the divine weapons of the lord of a ninth-tier great world?
It was very possible.
While his mind was racing with guesses, Chen Fan continued to wander within the world.
He moved very quickly, yet it took him nearly ten minutes to traverse a single city.
"Hoo."
So big.
This city was definitely the size of a sixth-tier great world.
In ten minutes, he could indeed travel from one end of a sixth-tier world to the other.
Then... what about a seventh-tier world?
He continued to walk, observing this world.
The entire world was silent.
Not dead, but as if someone had pressed the pause button.
Everything was in a state of stillness.
"No, why is there no one here?" Chen Fan frowned.
Within the vast world, there was not a single human figure.
Famous mountains and rivers, cities and forests... they were all present, but they had stopped breathing.
Everything remained as it was before its demise.
Not a single person.
"Where did the people go?"
No one knew the answer to this.
However, there were some traces that could be captured, vaguely suggesting that people here had left in a hurry back then.
The messy traces showed no signs of battle.
"The people are gone, where did they go?" Too many mysteries.
Chen Fan walked here for a full day, but only covered a distance equivalent to a seventh-tier great world.
A day was very short.
The vastness of a seventh-tier great world would normally require a day to traverse by flying.
But that was excluding travel using the Great Dao Universe.
If it were within the radiation range of the Great Dao Universe, he could reach it in an instant.
After a day, he arrived before a towering, serene mountain that pierced the clouds.
This great mountain extended into the clouds.
Even the clouds in the sky had stopped moving.
"Let's go up and see."
Sensing no danger, he shot upwards.
His body tore open a human-shaped gap in the clouds. The gap remained as it was, showing no signs of healing.
"This is..."
A grand palace stood at the summit of the mountain.
There were no signs of battle here either, but Chen Fan sensed a residual trace of Dao rhyme.
"Finally, something different."
Everything else was in a state of stillness. If it continued like this, Chen Fan wouldn't know how to investigate.
This place was better, with residual Dao rhyme.
"Let me see what secrets this place holds..."
Buzz.
Yin-Yang Transformation Eyes, left eye Yin, right eye Yang.
In an instant, it was as if eons of change flickered in his eyes.
A very peculiar sensation.
In his sight, the palace before him seemed to shed all its colors.
Chen Fan could not reverse time; that was something only powerful beings of time could do.
But he could reverse Yin and Yang.
The residual Dao rhyme slowly grew stronger.
Yin and Yang flowed, consuming the power of the Great Dao.
At this moment, Chen Fan saw a terrifying scene in his eyes.
Clang.
A divine sword descended from beyond the heavens, piercing directly through this great world.
"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi?"
Chen Fan was shocked. He was too familiar with that sword.
A divine voice echoed from beyond the heavens, spreading throughout the great world: "Bai Chi, I need your world to forge the strongest divine weapon. In compensation, I will give you a complete ninth-tier great world, including its Great Dao Universe and world power.
All inhabitants must evacuate within seven days, and you may take the Great Dao Universe with you."
After speaking, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, along with the voice, vanished.
Bang.
The scene before him instantly shattered.
A line of bloody tears slid from Chen Fan's eyes.
"Buzz."
Simultaneously, the Gravity Pearl automatically appeared.
At this moment, the Gravity Pearl emitted a brilliant glow, with wisps of aura connecting to the entire world.
"Holy crap."
Chen Fan let out a vulgar exclamation. "No way?"
The behavior of the Gravity Pearl made him guess a certain answer.
This answer was too terrifying.
He didn't even dare to think about it...
This world was the inner space of the Gravity Pearl.
And that Emperor Tablet was likely the Boundary Gate of this ninth-tier great world. A supreme being had forcibly expelled a ninth-tier Great Emperor and, in return, gifted him a complete ninth-tier great world.
"This is too shocking." Cold sweat trickled down Chen Fan's face.
He would never forget the sight of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi piercing the ninth-tier great world.
Taking out the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, Chen Fan's face was filled with bitterness.
"I have buried your potential," he lamented.
In the hands of the voice's owner, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was truly the number one divine weapon under heaven.
With a single sword, it pierced the barrier of a ninth-tier great world.
A ninth-tier Great Emperor was forced to relocate shamefully.
"This is true power."
A hint of yearning appeared in Chen Fan's eyes.
When will I reach such a realm?
On that day, I will be able to rescue her.
His thoughts returned. If the Gravity Pearl was refined from a ninth-tier great world, what about the other divine artifacts?
The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Sky Crown, the Space Boots... could it be one divine artifact per world?
"Very possible."
Chen Fan became excited again.
Did that mean he was holding an earth-shattering treasure?
He had seen other divine artifacts, even Emperor Weapons.
But the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and others... were merely divine artifacts. Yet, these divine artifacts grew stronger step by step as his cultivation increased.
This divine artifact was fundamentally different from other divine artifacts and Emperor Weapons.
Growth.
This was a true divine artifact.
Chen Fan was in shock for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before he recovered.
"Your origins are too great."
He felt a pang of bitterness. "Your previous owner is likely still alive, right?"
He just didn't know if he would encounter them in the future.
Forget it, he wouldn't dwell on these matters.
Since this place was the internal space of the Gravity Pearl, it now belonged to him.
The Dao rhyme here naturally belonged to him as well.
"I accept it with thanks."
Chen Fan chuckled and began to comprehend on the spot.
Even the residual Dao rhyme was superior to his own.