Chapter Fifty-Two: Awe in the Void

Even Yue Chan herself revealed a look of astonishment, her gaze flickering with disbelief.
“What on earth is this man still hiding from me? With a single portrait, he can intimidate the darkness and shake the very void—how does he dare…”
Yue Chan could hardly believe what was happening before her eyes; it was all too real.
Originally, she had thought Ye Qiu had merely stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter that enabled him to grow this strong; after all, he was her age—he couldn’t possibly be much stronger than she was.
Regarding that painting from years past, Yue Chan’s previous guess was that someone had entrusted Ye Qiu with delivering the portrait, searching for an inheritor.
But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case at all; perhaps these paintings were truly his own creations…
Yet, for one person to be able to paint such works, just how far would their cultivation need to reach?
Yue Chan found it hard to accept, sensing more and more that Ye Qiu was becoming unfathomable to her. The being with the pineapple-shaped head, known as Tathagata, standing before them now, already possessed power to shake the heavens.
Who knew if even more formidable figures might emerge later?
At this moment, everyone was bewildered, but none more so than Tian Yi and Feng Xiao.
“Heavens! This great one is just too powerful! With him here, let alone these devil gods—perhaps even the legendary God of Darkness wouldn’t dare come out…”
“Who could stand against this? He barely lifts a hand, and with a single slap, you’re reduced to dust—brutal and direct, this is true aesthetic violence…”
For a time, the whole crowd was boiling over with excitement…
With eyes filled with reverence, they gazed up at that stone statue in the sky. It stood guard at the edge of the rift, watching over the darkness, and not a single demon god on the other side dared to move.
Clearly, they were all terrified…
“Hurry, report to the True Lord—there’s a big one outside…”
The demon gods watching from the darkness were thrown into panic; this was no longer about breaking out, but rather, whether that colossal being would break in.
Damn it, with one slap, he killed several of their generals. If he really got serious, would he not destroy the heavens and the earth?
Never mind breaking free—if he doesn’t invade, you should already count yourself lucky! How is one supposed to play this game?
“Damn it, where did this pineapple-head come from? His strength is terrifying—if even my god awakens, he might not be a match…”
For the first time, all the demon gods went mad. This sensation was utterly new—in the presence of Tathagata, they were like ants, insignificant and utterly powerless.
“He seems to be flipping us off? Tsk… Too arrogant! What’s he got to be so cocky about? Just wait till my god revives—we’ll make him pay…”
Facing Tathagata before the rift, all the demon gods nursed a stifled rage—mainly because of that single raised finger, which was nothing short of humiliation.

The attack was minimal, but the humiliation was immense…
“Enough nonsense! Which idiot opened the seal? Damn it, hurry and find a way to repair it! Otherwise, if that big guy comes in, we're all dead…”
A demon god roared in fury. Initially, the rift opening was seen as a good thing for them, but now—what good could this possibly be? It was like opening the pigpen to start a slaughter.
What a vicious scheme—could someone really have thought of such a way just to wipe them out?
For a while, all the demon gods cursed the one who broke the seal. Poor Tian Yi and Feng Xiao once again became innocent scapegoats.
They truly wished they could say:
How unfair…
On this side, people blame and scold us for causing catastrophe, releasing demon gods to threaten the world.
On the other, they curse us for opening the rift with sinister intentions to destroy them.
What are we supposed to do?
“Hurry, seal the breach! Don’t let him in, whatever you do…”
A decision was made on the spot. The breach in the seal was filled by the demon gods themselves. Though the cracks remained, the opening was now temporarily blocked.
Seeing this, Ye Qiu was also dumbfounded…
“My… so well-behaved? They repaired the seal themselves?”
Not only Ye Qiu, but everyone present was baffled, unable to make sense of it.
What was this? They had come in full force, yet the others didn’t even put up a fight? They even blocked the gap themselves—what a bunch of cowards…
“If only you’d been this sensible from the start, everything would have been fine! Why cause all this trouble? Sigh… What’s the point?”
Ye Qiu grinned, astonished that Tathagata’s mere presence could suppress all the demon gods with a single slap.
Impressive, old friend—no wonder you’re the master of taming monkeys!
After holding back for so long, someone finally couldn’t resist, sneering, “I thought the legendary dark realm that could destroy the world would be terrifying—turns out this is it? This is all?”
“So cowardly! I haven’t even made a move, and they scurried back with their tails between their legs?”
Faced with the crowd’s mockery, the demon gods on the other side of the River of Boundaries flushed with anger, clearly infuriated.

Yet, they had no way to retort. The stone statue of Tathagata still hovered above the river, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. How could they hope to defend against that?
The seal was blocked, but the demon gods inside dared not relax. The seal couldn’t be opened from the inside, but from the outside, it was possible.
Who knew if that mighty one would suddenly go berserk and attack from outside?
After all, it was from the outside that the seal was broken earlier—no one knew which fool had opened it for no reason.
Clearly, they were overthinking things.
Whether from inside or out, the seal was incredibly hard to open…
Previously, Tian Yi and Feng Xiao had only succeeded because the old tortoise from Mount Tuo had entered the River of Boundaries and altered the taboo, allowing them to break it.
As for that old tortoise, no one knew where it had gone now. All the world knew was that it had gazed across to the far side of the river, but what kind of world lay beyond, nobody could say.
“Senior, the seal has been blocked!”
After plugging the seal, Tian Yi and Feng Xiao approached Ye Qiu respectfully.
Ye Qiu made no reply, continuing to gaze toward the far side of the River of Boundaries. He truly longed to know what kind of world lay beyond—could there be some trace of his younger brother there?
A scroll bearing the image of Tathagata hung in the sky, stationed at the breach, intimidating the void so that the demon gods dared not approach.
Ye Qiu had no intention of retrieving the painting; instead, he turned his eyes toward the far shore, asking in confusion, “Do you know what kind of world lies beyond the River of Boundaries?”
The crowd was stunned, unsure why Ye Qiu would ask such a thing.
For millions of years, no one had crossed to the other side, so none could know what lay beyond.
All were at a loss for words. Then, Yue Chan spoke, “The Other Realm…”
“Hm? The Other Realm?”
Ye Qiu paused, murmuring, “A new continent?”
Yue Chan replied coldly, “According to ancient texts, it is an unknown world, standing opposite the Great Wilderness. Both exist under the same heavens, yet never interfere with each other…
The River of Boundaries is the only natural barrier leading to the Other Realm. Only by crossing it can one reach the far shore. Yet, for countless years, because of the presence of these demon gods, no one has ever set foot there…”