Under these circumstances, I can't traverse into the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds — it's too risky.
At this moment, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm had already stopped its spatial travel, lying hidden deep within space, completely motionless.
The space ahead was saturated with terrifying divine energy, completely sealing the void. It was impossible to force a passage through.
'The Deities are truly powerful,' Hu Miao couldn't help but exclaim. 'Faced with a Deity, I really do feel like a weak, insignificant insect.'
Indeed, the might of a Deity was truly terrifying. Although the Source Fire Sect Ancestor had only just become a Deity, the fearsome attack he executed seemed as if it could annihilate the entire Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. Only a Deity could unleash such a horrifying, world-encompassing assault so effortlessly.
Watching that colossal axe-shadow from afar and seeing the countless spatial fissures continuously appearing before it, Ye Yunfei was deeply worried.
I wonder if the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds can withstand this. We simply can't muster any resistance.
Inside the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, the high-ranking members of the Alliance Army were both furious and helpless. Everyone wanted to charge forward and fend off the Source Fire Sect Ancestor's attack, but trapped under that overwhelming tide of terrifying divine energy, none could move a muscle. All they could do was stand there, watching helplessly as that enormous axe-shadow continued hacking into the void of their world cluster.
'The only hope now is for the mighty ones within the Colorless Abyss to make a move,' Hun Lao said with a sigh.
Just at this critical moment...
Boom...!
A gargantuan hand, unimaginably vast, suddenly emerged from the void of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. It slowly stretched outward and then, with a simple motion, grabbed that overwhelmingly oppressive axe-shadow.
The axe-shadow shattered like a bubble, directly punctured, and then vanished without a trace.
'Not good!' cried the Source Fire Sect Ancestor outside the worlds. Moments earlier, he had worn a chilling smirk of bloodlust, but now his expression turned panicked as he retreated several steps.
The Deities from the Dark Faction and the Heavenly God Hall were also intensely grim-faced at the sight of the colossal hand that had suddenly appeared within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
Boom...!
The massive hand within the world cluster continued its leisurely, unstoppable advance outward, now aimed directly at the Source Fire Sect Ancestor.
Watching that immense palm reaching for him, his face darkened with fluctuating emotions — both rage and apprehension.
'Fine! Today, I'll test just how strong these cowards hiding in the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds really are,' he bit his lip and declared coldly.
In front of so many eyes, facing just a hand, cowardice and evasion would make him, a Deity, a laughingstock if word got out.
The Ancestor raised his enormous axe and hacked forward with all his might. Endless divine fire surged from the weapon, setting the surrounding space ablaze until it transformed entirely into a sea of flames.
With a mighty roar, he poured even more torrents of divine energy into the great axe.
The axe erupted with dazzling, glorious divine radiance. Wherever it moved, space crumbled inch by inch, as if to obliterate everything in its path, unstoppable.
From within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, the gigantic hand extended calmly, unhurriedly, toward the Source Fire Sect Ancestor.
Soon, that blazing axe struck the giant palm directly.
Everyone heard a thunderous 'Clang!'
The terrifying sonic shockwave released by that impact seemed about to overturn millions of miles of the surrounding void.
'How is this possible?!' The Source Fire Sect Ancestor's eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.
He watched as his own massive axe was not only sent flying backward, but cracked cleanly into two pieces, utterly ruined.
His precious deity-grade artifact was destroyed in a single exchange.
A look of sheer terror crossed his face as he stumbled backward, but what frightened him even more was that the giant hand, after crushing his treasure, continued its inexorable advance toward him.
By now, the Ancestor understood he was likely no match for this palm. Panicking, he retreated hastily, desperate to escape. Yet, at that moment, the immense palm suddenly accelerated, erupting with a pressure of divine energy so terrifyingly potent it threatened to crush him outright.
'Hurry, both of you, aid me!' the Ancestor urgently threw out a fist strike while yelling for help.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Over a dozen flaming dragon-like serpents, each emitting fearsome heat, surged from the Source Fire Sect Ancestor's body, lunging forward to intercept the colossal hand.
Each of these serpents was formed from incredibly pure divine energy, making them extremely powerful.
'We should intervene as well,' the Deity from the Dark Faction exchanged a glance with the Deity from the Heavenly God Hall.
Both stepped forward simultaneously and unleashed their own artifacts.
A black divine sword and a golden, tower-shaped treasure shot into the air together, smashing toward the giant hand.
Two thunderous 'clangs' followed! Both the black sword and the golden tower were sent flying back. What's more, cracks had already appeared on both divine-grade artifacts, likely rendering them nearly useless.
Now the three Deities were utterly stunned. Daring to confront the hand further was out of the question; they all swiftly activated movement techniques to retreat at full speed.
'The three of us must join forces to block the Deity of the Dark Faction!' Seeing the hand still reaching toward them, the Dark Faction Deity gritted his teeth and shouted.
All three Deities struck together, releasing three surges of terrifying divine-grade energy that transformed into three dazzling pillars of light streaking across the void to crash against the massive hand.
Yet, the moment these three energy pillars touched the hand, they were all shattered.
'It's too strong!' The three Deities paled with fright. Vast streams of divine energy erupted from their bodies, condensing into three mighty shields arrayed before them.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The giant hand swept forward and crushed all three shields with a single strike. The shockwaves sent the three Deities tumbling backward through space.
But just at that moment, the massive hand paused. It then slowly began to retract back.
The three Deities had been blasted a considerable distance away from the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. After withdrawing, the giant hand soon vanished completely.
Standing in the void, the three Deities stared warily at the distant world cluster, gasping for breath, their expressions grim.
'The Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds truly live up to their reputation. No wonder it bred a freak like Ye Yunfei,' the Heavenly God Hall Deity couldn't help but sigh a moment later.
'Gentlemen, don't worry. We shall attack together and slaughter our way in.'
Just as the three Deities were considering withdrawing and turning away, three more figures, their bodies radiating brilliant divine radiance, appeared beside them.
Yet three more Deities!
'They are Deities of the Guardian Faction!' Watching the newcomers from afar, Ye Yunfei's gaze narrowed.
These three Deities, Ye Yunfei had recently seen them within the ranks of the Restorationists — all were from the Guardian Faction.
'You've finally arrived!' The Source Fire Sect Ancestor broke into a joyful grin upon seeing these three Guardian Faction Deities.
It seemed he had received a message transmission earlier informing him the Guardian Faction would also dispatch Deities to deal with the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
'Fellow Deities, these three artifacts are for you.'
One of the Guardian Faction Deities took out three items and handed them respectively to the three Deities from the Heavenly God Hall, Dark Faction, and Source Fire Sect.
'Our thanks!' The three Deities, overjoyed, quickly accepted the treasures.
In truth, the divine-grade artifacts they had possessed earlier were also provided by the Guardian Faction.
'The quality of these three artifacts is excellent. They will enhance your combat power.
Now, let us attack together.
Today, we wipe out this world cluster, and then, we shall all enter the Colorless Abyss together to explore this most mysterious secret realm left over from ancient times.'
The leading Guardian Faction Deity cast his gaze deep into the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, finally settling on the location of the Colorless Abyss, his voice cold.
'Excellent! Let us join forces and slay our way in, eradicating the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds,' the Source Fire Sect Ancestor immediately nodded.
He was still embarrassed and humiliated after the thrashing delivered by that giant hand from within the worlds. He was desperate to charge inside, find the master of that hand, and settle the score in decisive battle.
The Heavenly God Hall Deity and the Dark Faction Deity, however, were far more cautious, revealing obvious hesitation.
The pressure exuded by that colossal hand was still fresh in their minds.
'There is no need for concern. With the six of us united, there is nothing to fear from this world cluster.' One of the Guardian Faction Deities seemed to have sensed their apprehension and spoke blandly.
He then took the lead, stepping toward the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. The other two Guardian Faction Deities immediately followed.
Without a moment's hesitation, the Source Fire Sect Ancestor hurried after them.
The Heavenly God Hall and Dark Faction Deities only exchanged a brief, hesitant look before following as well.
Though both were Deities themselves, they dared not disobey the commands of the Guardian Faction. It was thanks to the Guardian Faction's aid that they had become Deities in the first place, and they were well aware of the faction's overwhelmingly terrifying collective strength — strength they could not afford to offend.
Six Deities now moved as one toward the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. The divine energy they released was like an endless, boundless ocean, layer upon layer, crashing down and wildly oppressing the world cluster.
The divine might emanating from six Deities together was truly terrifying. Void space spanning millions of miles trembled, with all realms trembling nonstop. But the brunt of this assault fell upon the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, and its effects were even more dreadful.
In that moment, every inch of space within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds was sealed and suppressed.
Deep within their souls, almost every single living creature throughout the entire world cluster felt a profound, primordial terror.
The lands of every world were filled with kneeling, paralyzed beings. Billions of souls, uncountable in number, cried out in terror, believing the world's end had arrived.
'No good! Cracks are already appearing in some of the worlds. At this rate, many worlds will simply explode into nothingness even before these six Deities make their move,' Hun Lao said worriedly as he assessed the situation inside the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
Ye Yunfei clenched his fists, fire blazing in his eyes.
Yet he knew that facing six Deities, charging forward would be utterly useless. He would likely be instantly pulverized, reduced to dust, vanished from existence.
A deep sense of powerlessness washed over Ye Yunfei, accompanied by an intense, burning desire to become a Deity.
Only by becoming a Deity can I possibly protect the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds and the life within it! Without reaching that realm, one will always remain an insect! His inner voice roared continuously.
By now, the six Deities were on the verge of entering the world cluster, and the pressure they exerted increased even further.
Inside, including even the high command of the Alliance Army, the vast majority of living beings had been forced to their knees by the oppressive might. Even moving a muscle was agonizing, let alone mounting any kind of resistance.
'Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, can you take me in?'
Ye Yunfei desperately wanted to charge into the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds to rescue those under his protection.
'I want to enter too, but under these circumstances, I truly find it difficult. There are six Deities there! And those three from the Guardian Faction are especially powerful.
The divine energy unleashed by these six has completely sealed the space within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
If I forcibly try to enter now, I'll be trapped and immobilized by the divine seal. I'll be stuck there, unable to advance or retreat, and that would be disastrous.'
The Golden-Horned Dragon Silharm assessed the divine pressure emanating from the six Deities and shook its head repeatedly.
'Indeed, before such power, we cannot possibly enter the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds to save anyone.
The moment we act, we'll likely be discovered immediately by those six Deities. By then, escape would be impossible.
The only hope left is that powerful beings within the Colorless Abyss can hold off these six Deities. As for us... we can only watch, powerless, unable to do anything.'
Hun Lao sighed heavily.
'I must become a Deity as fast as possible!' Ye Yunfei knew Hun Lao was right. With his current strength, facing six Deities meant absolute helplessness.
At that moment, the six Deities finally crossed the threshold into the world cluster. Every single inch of space within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds quaked violently under the weight of their combined divine might.
Already, many of the weaker inhabitants had been suppressed until blood flowed from their pores. Cracks appeared all over their bodies, threatening to tear them asunder, their existence hanging by a thread.
Just as Ye Yunfei was filled with frantic urgency...
'This realm's tranquility shall not be disturbed.' A calm voice spoke.
And then, Ye Yunfei saw a blurry, grayish silhouette materialize in the void of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
This shadowy figure appeared indistinct, hazy, constantly shifting and twisting, half-real and half-illusory, exuding an aura both vague and profoundly eerie.