Chapter 164: Fear

Within the Realm of Tianwu, countless chains suddenly appeared.

These were the chains of order that had manifested previously. In an instant, they burst into brilliant light, and golden runes seemed to flicker across their surfaces.

In the blink of an eye, they permeated every single corner of the world.

High above the Realm of Tianwu, a towering phantom suddenly materialized.

It was the shadow of a colossal tree, seemingly teeming with countless terrifying energies.

Standing majestically in the skies above the realm, whether one looked from the Western Sands, the Eastern Domain, or the Southern Barbarians—any place within the Realm of Tianwu could behold the silhouette of this tree suspended in the high heavens.

It symbolized the entirety of the Realm of Tianwu, and it was the pride of all its inhabitants.

At this moment.

The golden radiance of all the chains of order blazed with startling intensity!

That brilliant light did not remain confined within the Realm of Tianwu; instead, it slowly extended beyond the boundaries.

By now, all the white mists encompassing the outer perimeter of the Realm of Tianwu had completely vanished.

The boundary appeared before everyone's eyes like a layer of crystal glass, allowing every single person to clearly observe everything happening within.

Everyone in the Realm of Tianwu could witness the existence of the turbulent vortex swirling in the void outside their realm!

They stared at the scene before them in utter shock!

It was an unimaginably terrifying vortex, seemingly accompanied by howling hurricanes.

The vortex carried an aura of world-destroying devastation as it surged from the distant horizon straight toward the Realm of Tianwu.

Countless islands floating in the void were swept aside by these tempestuous winds in the blink of an eye, as if they were mere dust.

Some were even seen disintegrating completely into the fabric of space itself.

This was the embodiment of the end of the world!

Instantly, everyone was seized by panic!

What on earth was this thing?

"Oh my god, what is that? Why is it heading toward our Realm of Tianwu?"

"It wants to destroy our entire realm!"

"A storm within the void... With our current strength, we have absolutely no way to resist it. Let alone us, even those realms of the Earth tier could never hope to contend with it."

"No one can possibly survive this!"

"It's over! The heavens have forsaken us!"

Panic gripped everyone. Some even wept openly, at a complete loss for what to do.

Yet, right before the eyes of the multitudes, the arboreal phantom in the sky did not halt its movements.

Instead, it extended the golden chains from its body outward, reaching beyond the boundary.

Golden light blossomed along the lengths of the chains.

A profound shock gripped the hearts of all who watched.

Watching the golden chains of order stretch toward the vortex, every single resident of the Realm of Tianwu held their breath.

Everyone waited to see what would unfold next.

That turbulent vortex had traveled countless light-years.

Countless spaces had perished in its wake.

Compared to such a colossal vortex of chaos, these golden chains appeared terribly frail and insignificant.

Yet, those chains cared nothing for such comparisons.

They strove to extend their branches, encompassing the entire expanse of space within their domain.

By now, they had reached the very edge of the turbulent vortex.

Whipped by fierce gales, the vortex disdained these tiny trinkets entirely.

It certainly had no intention of pausing for even a moment because of such puny obstacles.

At this juncture, the turbulent vortex was merely a few thousand miles away from the Realm of Tianwu.

Its terrifying aura was already washing over the realm.

The boundary shattered into countless fragments in the blink of an eye.

Though the vortex had not yet arrived, the forces leaking through the void were already sufficient to annihilate every living creature in the Realm of Tianwu.

Even a single stray ripple, upon reaching the realm, would inflict unbearable destruction.

The golden tree phantom seemed to be gathering some immense power. The golden chains enveloping its body came to a halt just outside the Realm of Tianwu.

It did not recklessly push further into the black, churning vortex.

Hovering outside the realm, these golden chains seemed endowed with life and consciousness as they intertwined with one another.

Everything became suffused with a boundless, sacred majesty!

Right before the stunned gazes of the crowd, those golden chains condensed into a colossal net!

This gigantic net radiated a terrifying aura!

Spiritual energy surged across it!

Judging by its very composition, this net was clearly forged to bar the turbulent vortex from entering.

Facing such a crisis, the World Tree of the Realm of Tianwu had actually adopted a defensive posture!

At that very moment, the chaos of the void closed in upon them.

Only a few thousand kilometers remained.

Every single living being in the Realm of Tianwu—human and beast alike—began to tremble uncontrollably.

This trembling was not born of fear, but of the realization that their very lives and deaths hung by a thread.

The Realm of Tianwu fell into an absolute, deathly stillness.

The most powerful cultivators shook from head to toe, dropping to their knees as they gazed outward beyond the boundary.

An old man stepped into the coffin he had prepared for himself.

Young lovers stood tightly embraced together.

"Has the World Tree of our Realm of Tianwu truly become this formidable?"

A cultivator murmured in astonishment.

They had to remember that only a short while ago, the World Tree had been hunted relentlessly by unknown pursuers.

They had witnessed it with their own eyes!

"Forget it! Even if the World Tree has grown stronger, so what?"

"Don't forget, what's out there is a void turbulence vortex!"

"A mere fraction of it is enough to destroy the entire world! How could the people of our tiny Realm of Tianwu possibly hope to survive?"

Everyone closed their eyes simultaneously.

Despair had claimed them all.

No one could save the Realm of Tianwu now!

"Enough, we are completely helpless at this point."

"It is our fate!"

"For us, this marks the end of our journey through life."

Voices murmured in the crowd, accompanied by nothing save sorrowful sighs.

Within the courtyard, the golden tree phantom had abruptly manifested in the sky above, a fact known to all present—especially Master Kongling and the others.

They were utterly astounded!

They could distinctly feel that the World Tree was far more powerful than it had been before.

Previously, it had fled for its life from ten Mysterious Immortals, yet now it dared to bravely stand forth and challenge the overwhelming turbulence beyond the boundary!

However, even in its newfound strength, the World Tree remained powerless against the world-shattering devastation of the turbulence vortex!

Especially now that the boundary had been utterly shattered by the vortex's might!

What weapons did they have left to pit against the vortex?

Apart from awaiting death, they had no other options!

Despair blanketed the hearts of everyone.

They fought to suppress the terror gnawing within them.

They tried to force a smile, but found themselves utterly unable to do so!

At that moment, Zhu Xiaoyuan was earnestly tilting his head upward, studying the little sapling before him.