The scope of this Chaotic Current Vortex was immense—so vast that Gu Qingfeng had no idea how long he had been drifting outside it. All he knew was that while he was Going with the Flow, he had seen at least seven or eight Void Beasts get swept in, and that was just the Void Beasts. The number of Realms of Forgetting dragged into the vortex was countless, beyond reckoning.
These Realms of Forgetting tumbled and spun within the currents like houses swallowed by a tsunami in the mortal world. Many were riddled with holes by the chaotic flows, gradually disintegrating, while others, unable to withstand the collisions of the myriad currents, were instantly crushed into nothingness.
Suddenly, in a flash.
Gu Qingfeng, who had been Going with the Flow, sensed something was wrong. The myriad currents seemed to be plunging over a cliff, swirling and churning with overwhelming force. Gu Qingfeng realized he had finally been dragged into the very center of the Chaotic Current Vortex.
The currents spun wildly, layer upon layer, wave after wave, intersecting and intertwining in chaos, forming an immensely powerful force. This force was terrifying, as if it could destroy Heaven and Earth.
Battered back and forth by the currents at the vortex's heart, Gu Qingfeng could no longer maintain his Going with the Flow. He was instantly swallowed by the torrent, but fortunately, he broke through the waves and surged out almost immediately. Swallowed again, he burst out once more. Over and over, he was consumed by the currents, only to fight his way out each time.
Though it was arduous, Gu Qingfeng stubbornly endured, using his Physical Body to withstand the impacts of the myriad currents as he continued to Go with the Flow. He was like a small boat adrift in a violent storm, seemingly on the verge of being swallowed by the giant waves at any moment.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Continuous explosions rang out at the vortex's center. One Realm of Forgetting after another was swept into the vortex's heart, unable to bear the power of the currents and disintegrating one after another. The scene was like the end of the world—no!
It was more like the end of Heaven and Earth, with world after world exploding in succession.
Gu Qingfeng had originally thought these Realms of Forgetting would contain no living beings, and even if they did, none would be alive.
The reason these spaces were called Realms of Forgetting was precisely because they had broken free from the order of Heaven and Earth and fallen into the Endless Sea Beyond the Outer Heaven. Once separated from that order, they lost the nourishment of spiritual energy. Without spiritual energy, no living being could survive—whether immortal, Buddha, Human, spirit, demon, ghost, or monster. All living things, from the masses of people to the grass and trees, were the same.
Some powerful cultivators with profound cultivation might endure for a very, very long time without spiritual energy. However, if a Realm of Forgetting could not return to the Great Desolate, it would drift forever in the Endless Sea. No matter how profound one's cultivation, it could not withstand eternity.
Yet.
To Gu Qingfeng's surprise, when one Realm of Forgetting exploded and disintegrated, living creatures actually rushed out from within. What these creatures were, Gu Qingfeng did not know—he hadn't even had time to see clearly before every single one that emerged was crushed into nothingness by the chaotic currents.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As Realms of Forgetting exploded one after another, soon, another one burst apart, and this time, far more living creatures rushed out. What shocked Gu Qingfeng was that these creatures included not only immortals and Buddhas but also demons and monsters—tens of thousands of them.
Unfortunately.
Like the creatures that had emerged earlier, the moment these immortals, Buddhas, demons, and monsters rushed out after the Realm of Forgetting exploded, most were crushed to ashes by the currents. Others were swept into the torrents, vanishing without a trace.
What was that Realm of Forgetting that had just exploded?
How could it contain so many immortals, Buddhas, demons, and monsters?
If it were just a few living beings, they might have been swept into the Realm of Forgetting after falling into the Endless Sea. But for tens of thousands of beings to be inside a single Realm of Forgetting, they absolutely could not have been swept in later—at least, not within the Endless Sea.
In Gu Qingfeng's estimation, they must have fallen into the Endless Sea together with the Realm of Forgetting. In other words, they were already inside it when the Realm of Forgetting was still in the Great Desolate. Perhaps the Realm of Forgetting encountered some storm, broke free from the order of Heaven and Earth, and these people had no time to escape, thus falling into the Endless Sea along with it.
Although such occurrences were not common in the Great Desolate, they were not unheard of either. Since ancient times, countless worlds had fallen into the Endless Sea due to various storms. Another possibility was that some ancient ruins had manifested, and these people had entered seeking treasures, only for the ruins—having just returned to the order of Heaven and Earth and being unstable—to fall back into the Endless Sea.
Once, in his youth, Gu Qingfeng had entered some ruins looking for fine wine, only for the ruins, having just returned to the Great Desolate and being highly unstable, to fall back into the Endless Sea.
Watching tens of thousands of people being crushed to ashes in the blink of an eye by the currents, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He sighed at the fragility of life, the unfairness of fate, and the ruthlessness of the Great Dao.
Some cultivated for longevity, some to pursue the Great Dao, and some to change their fate.
But since ancient times, how many cultivators had truly achieved immortality?
How many had grasped the true essence of the Great Dao?
How many had changed their own destinies?
Just as he was sighing.
Gu Qingfeng suddenly saw a golden radiance spinning along with the Chaotic Current Vortex. As the distance closed, he clearly saw that this radiance was actually a massive Buddha Pagoda. The pagoda's body glowed with a sacred, vast Buddha light. As it swept past Gu Qingfeng, he saw clearly that inside the pagoda were many Buddhas.
These Buddhas, hiding within the pagoda, all stared at Gu Qingfeng, who was Going with the Flow, with looks as if they were gazing upon a monster. Their eyes were filled with disbelief and astonishment.
"Esteemed Sir, are you the Nine Nethers Emperor, Lay Practitioner Gu?"
An old monk draped in kasaya within the pagoda cried out in shock.
Gu Qingfeng was equally astonished. "Who are you?"
"This humble monk is Hui Xin, a Chan Sect Elder. Lay Practitioner Gu, have you seen our Chan Sect disciple, Da Xing?"
Before Gu Qingfeng could respond, the Buddha Pagoda was swept deep into the currents by the torrent.
Gu Qingfeng did not give chase. Here in the heart of the Chaotic Current Vortex, barely managing to Go with the Flow, he dared not act recklessly. A single misstep could plunge him into eternal damnation. He continued to Go with the Flow cautiously, his mind racing. He didn't recognize this Hui Xin and had no impression of him, but the words 'Chan Sect' plunged him into deep thought.
That Buddha Pagoda that had just drifted past... were they people from the Chan Sect?
Earlier, Da Xing the Mad Monk had said their Chan Sect Elders had been guarding the Little Zen Hidden Realm. By the time Gu Qingfeng and the others arrived, the Chan Sect Elders had already vanished, and the Little Zen Hidden Realm was in utter chaos. So why were these Chan Sect Elders now swept in as well?
What in the hell was going on?