"The Chaotic Void Sea we inhabit is actually a fragmented and incomplete void.
In the Ancient Era, the true Chaotic Void Sea was incredibly vast, almost infinite in scope.
You could say the Chaotic Void Sea we exist in now is merely a small part of the true Chaotic Void Sea from the Ancient Era, roughly only about one-tenth of its original size.
An era of divine warfare shattered the Chaotic Void Sea into fragments. What we call home now is just one of those shattered remnants."
The old man spoke slowly.
"What?!
This Chaotic Void Sea we are in is only a remnant fragment from the Ancient Era? And its size is just one-tenth of the original?
Senior, was that divine war truly so terrifying? To shatter the entire Chaotic Void Sea into pieces?
Can a war among Deities truly annihilate an entire void sea?"
Ye Yunfei, upon hearing the old man's words, was utterly stunned and shaken. After a moment of silence, he couldn't help but voice his questions.
"Ordinary Deities certainly find it difficult to destroy an entire void sea. But even Deities have ranks among them—those at the pinnacle of power indeed possess such ability.
Legend has it that a Sovereign God can break through time and space, obliterating voids with ease.
Moreover, there exists a rank of Deity even more formidable than the Sovereign God—the Chaos Deity. It is said that with a mere gesture, a Chaos Deity can give birth to or annihilate an entire void. They are the very creators of void realms.
Thus, those peak-level Deities are indeed capable of destroying a void."
The old man continued.
"A Sovereign God can break time and space, annihilate voids!
And the Chaos Deity, who stands above Sovereign Gods, is the creator of void realms!"
Ye Yunfei listened, his shock reaching its peak.
These tales concerning Deities were things he had never heard before. Though he always knew Deities were immensely powerful, seeing Demigods as mere ants, the idea of peak-level Deities creating entire void realms—such divine prowess was beyond imagination.
"I cannot recount all there is about Deities.
Let me instead continue discussing our Chaotic Void Sea.
In truth, during the Ancient Era, our Chaotic Void Sea boasted formidable overall strength, hosting many Deities, and did not undergo alternating cycles of Deity-less and Deity-rich eras.
Then, an event occurred.
Within the Chaotic Void Sea, there existed a super-sect, with profound heritage, deeply entrenched lineage, and Deities falling like rain.
The Patriarch of this super-sect ranked among the foremost of powerful Deities in the Chaotic Void Sea.
This Patriarch later took on a True Disciple, an entity of monstrous talent who, backed by the immense resources of that super-sect, rose rapidly, becoming a Deity at a young age. Divination masters prophesied that his achievements would eventually surpass those of his Patriarch-master, making him the strongest being in the Chaotic Void Sea, reigning supreme over an entire epoch. His fame soared to unprecedented heights.
Yet sadly, an event transpired that completely altered the fate of that True Disciple, the fate of that super-sect, and indeed, the fate of the entire Chaotic Void Sea.
For it was that True Disciple who ignited a dreadful divine war, shattering the Chaotic Void Sea into pieces, utterly collapsing it."
The old man heaved a sigh here.
"Such a thing actually happened!"
Ye Yunfei remained caught in stunned amazement.
These were tales of the Chaotic Void Sea's origins, secrets he believed few in the entire sea knew.
"Senior, how exactly did that divine war erupt?"
Having heard thus far, Ye Yunfei could no longer restrain his burning curiosity, desperate to know how that disciple triggered the conflict that shattered the sea.
"Do not be impatient, youngster. Hear me out slowly."
The old man said.
"It happened this way.
After achieving mastery in his cultivation, that True Disciple embarked on journeys across the Chaotic Void Sea, traveling to temper his heart and pursue higher realms.
During these wanderings, he encountered a woman similar in age and temperament. They developed deep affection and eventually became an envious divine couple, beloved by all.
That woman's origins were extraordinary too—she was the princess of another major power within the Chaotic Void Sea. Their status matched, a union fitting perfectly in lineage.
Once their respective major powers learned of their relationship, they heartily approved and swiftly arranged the wedding.
A marriage alliance between two great powers, strengthening each other, naturally caused a sensation throughout the Chaotic Void Sea, celebrated as a beautiful tale.
However, something utterly unforeseen occurred.
On the wedding night, the bride was brutally violated and murdered, while the bridegroom vanished. What should have been a celebrated union turned into a horrific bloodbath.
After the incident, both powers launched frantic investigations. Yet they found no answers; the bridegroom’s whereabouts remained unknown.
When news broke, it shook the entire Chaotic Void Sea.
But with the passage of time, the bloody affair gradually faded from public memory.
Millennia later, the vanished bridegroom suddenly returned, leading a terrifying force to besiege his former super-sect. He loudly declared he intended to kill his master and destroy the sect.
Upon hearing this news, the entire sea exploded with uproar.
No one knew where the groom had gone all these years or why he had returned to annihilate the very force that nurtured him and the master who taught him.
It wasn't long before rumors spread, revealing that the groom had colluded with Outer Void Beings and returned with a powerful army, aiming to conquer and enslave our Chaotic Void Sea.
At first, few truly believed.
But gradually, it became evident that the beings accompanying the groom indeed hailed from the Outer Void, practicing completely different energy laws, cultivation techniques, martial arts, and radiating distinct bloodline auras unlike those native to our Chaotic Void Sea.
None knew why the groom had allied with Outer Void Beings to invade. Some speculated that, grief-stricken over his bride's brutal death and driven to insanity, he had grown to despise the entire void sea.
With foreign invaders at the gates, all factions and beings within the Chaotic Void Sea rapidly united, waging a terrible war against those Outer Void Beings.
This is the divine war I spoke of.
Its horrors escalated until not only did the mightiest Deities of our Chaotic Void Sea engage, but the Outer Void Beings summoned their own peerless experts. In their clashes, the titans unleashed such fury that the entire Chaotic Void Sea shattered into fragments.
And the Chaotic Void Sea we inhabit today is just one of those fragments."
The old man finished solemnly.
"To think the Chaotic Void Sea harbors such shocking secrets—utterly astonishing!"
After hearing the elder's words, Ye Yunfei remained in a state of overwhelming awe. Similarly, Hun Lao, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, Hu Miao, and Huang Chang exclaimed in astonished shouts.
The old man swept a meaningful glance over Ye Yunfei’s body, an expression seeming as if he detected Hun Lao's presence, making Ye Yunfei's heart tighten. He quickly whispered inwardly, urging everyone to suppress their auras and keep a low profile.
This elder's power was dreadfully profound; his perception abilities were likely unimaginable—perhaps he had long sensed Hun Lao and the others.
"By the way, Senior, what exactly are the origins of those Watchers?
You mentioned earlier that this Chaotic Void Sea of ours is considered a prison, its inhabitants seen as sinners. Who views us in such a light?"
After thinking for a moment, Ye Yunfei inquired curiously.
Although the elder had recounted those startling secrets of the Ancient Era, he had not yet touched upon matters related to the Watchers.
"I shall continue."
The old man nodded.
"After the original Chaotic Void Sea shattered, our remaining fragment retained about one-tenth of its former domain. Many Deities survived here, gradually developing anew, creating a fresh void sea and eventually giving rise to new Deities.
But peace did not last.
Suddenly, a group of beings emerged from an unknown origin, calling themselves Watchers and claiming they had been sent to manage this void sea.
According to these Watchers, our void sea had been designated a prison, as all beings within it were considered sinners or descendants of sinners, destined to be imprisoned and serve eternal sentences, barred from ever ascending to Deityhood.
Once these Watchers appeared, they relentlessly hunted and exterminated Deities in our void sea. Eventually, after nearly wiping out every Deity, they vanished without a trace.
Thus began our Chaotic Void Sea's Deity-less era.
Gradually, gifted beings re-emerged, seeking again to ascend to Deityhood, for this void sea had once nurtured Deities and still possessed the temporal and spatial conditions.
Deities again arose, ushering our sea into a new era of deities.
In response, the long-vanished Watchers resurfaced and began once more to hunt down these newborn Deities, slaughtering them until extinction.
Thus began the alternation of eras—the Deity era and the Deity-less era cycling repeatedly.
I, too, do not understand how our void sea deteriorated to this state.
In the Ancient Era, Deities thrived in multitudes, with the overall strength of the Chaotic Void Sea immensely powerful.
Later, some supreme divination masters who knew of those Ancient secrets prophesied that the root cause for our current state lay with that True Disciple of the super-sect Patriarch—the vanished bridegroom.
Outraged over his bride's violation and murder, the groom swore vengeance, vowing to destroy the entire Chaotic Void Sea as a burial offering."
Here, the old man sighed wearily.
"Everything traces back to that groom!"
Ye Yunfei's heartbeat quickened with each revelation.
"Senior, who violated and murdered the bride?
Did the truth ever come to light later?"
Ye Yunfei asked curiously.
"Legends say that during the final moments of the Ancient divine war, just as the Chaotic Void Sea fractured, the groom went into a wild, hysterical laughter and publicly declared that the culprit who had violated his bride was none other than his own master, the Patriarch of the super-sect.
However, after the groom made this revelation, nobody in our Chaotic Void Sea believed him—not his master, not members of his sect, not any other being. All condemned him as a treacherous defiler, fabricating stories to justify his alliance with the Outer Void Beings while betraying his homeland.
For his part, that sect's Patriarch publicly revealed the results of his investigation, claiming the groom himself had violated and murdered the bride. Apparently, on their wedding day, the bride chanced upon evidence exposing the groom's long-standing collusion with Outer Void Beings—the groom's true identity was that of a spy sent by Outer Void Beings to infiltrate our realm.
Worried his treacherous plot would be exposed, the groom violated and murdered the bride to silence her, staged the bloodshed, then hid away quietly until the moment was ripe to lead the Outer Void invaders.
In reality, both groom and Patriarch held firmly to their claims—what truly occurred, no one could say.
Nevertheless, one unshakable fact remained: the groom colluded with Outer Void Beings to shatter our void sea.
Therefore, our realm's beings universally pointed fingers and condemned him angrily.
Ultimately, the groom refrained from further rebuttal and instead laughed maniacally, declaring that all within our void sea were guilty, and thus must forever atone, imprisoned through countless generations as lowly criminals.
Thus, I believe those so-called Watchers were indeed dispatched by that groom."
The old man delivered these revelations in his slow, calm tone.
"So that's how it is."
Having listened to the elder, Ye Yunfei finally grasped the likely origin of the Watchers; they were probably indeed sent by the groom.
"Senior, from what you’ve said, does that mean the groom is still alive, sending enforcers into every fragmented void remnant—including ours—to surveil and control the inhabitants, denying them divinity?
Is this correct?"
Ye Yunfei inquired.
"That appears to be the case."
The old man sighed and nodded.
"By the way, Senior, have you heard of the Sword Realm?
Within that Sword Realm is a master swordsman, Jian Shenzi. Have you heard of him?"
Ye Yunfei thought suddenly of Jian Shenzi and the Sword Realm. Since this elder knew so much about the Ancient Chaotic Void Sea and Watchers, perhaps he had knowledge of the Sword Realm and Jian Shenzi as well.
"Sword Realm... Jian Shenzi...
I cannot say with certainty.
The Ancient Chaotic Void Sea held numerous world clusters or worlds famed purely for their sword cultivation, possessing advanced sword civilizations.
Yet I possess little familiarity with these sword realms.
Perhaps the Sword Realm you mention was indeed a sword cultivation realm within the Ancient Chaotic Void Sea; conversely, it might belong to a void realm beyond.
Remember, space is infinite, time eternal. Beyond our Chaotic Void Sea, there exist other void realms.
As for Jian Shenzi, he leaves no particular impression."
The old man concluded.