Nexus Grandmaster

Eternal Purgatory World

The Great Cosmological Void was a dimensionless void of nothingness with no light, matter or energy. Observing it from an omnipresent perspective, it was akin to an infinite vacuum.

On closer inspection however, the Great Cosmological Void was not entirely empty; it had numerous infinitesimal 'anti-vacuum zones' irregularly scattered throughout it. These zones were actually independent universes each, comprising the matrix playground of all reality– the infinite planes and realms housing sentient lifeforms.

Every universe existing within the Great Cosmological Void possessed an intrinsic radiance that protected them from erosion of the infinite vacuum, albeit temporarily. Eventually, everything was bound to return to nothingness over the long span of a universe's lifespan, the only exception being if one could cultivate to step out of the restrictions of the universal rules and attain true eternity.

This constituted a universal principle; the Great Cosmological Void was invincible below the realm of the ultimate. Even the Dao Fruits of the strongest Grand Primordium Immortals were still subject to the erosion of the infinite vacuum as they were far lacking compared to the legendary Tier-Zero Realm experts befitting of the ultimate title.

Right now, in the vast nothingness of the Great Cosmological Void, a luminous ray abruptly appeared, radiating a peculiar aura that was both illusionary and real.

Like a comet, it streaked through at rapid speed towards a distant anti-vacuum zone.

The ray of light was infact a Dao Fruit, and its radiance waned visibly by the second as it travelled through the infinite vastness of the ever-eroding Great Cosmological Void. Fortunately, it was able to reach its destination right before its radiance was fully extinguished and successfully entered a safe universe.

At this point, the Dao Fruit was only the size of a small crystal as it pierced through the sky membrane of the main life planet in that universe, a behemoth celestial body with five moons and three suns.

Boom!

Countless residents of the Eternal Purgatory World–mortals, demon beasts and divine practitioners alike– suddenly strained their heads upwards involuntarily to gaze at the descending flaming meteor that suddenly appeared in the sky. Simultaneously, the same thought appeared in their minds.

"Another heavenly anomaly!"

Surprisingly, even mortals on the planet with no cultivation base at all did not find the occurence strange. For as long as they could remember, 'meteor shower incidents' like this took place every couple of decades.

The cultivators were better informed however and knew that the 'meteor showers' were actually treasures, ranging from powerful artifacts and cultivation inheritances to the occasional corpses of supreme beings. This freebie resource dump was not surprising given the peculiar nature of the Eternal Purgatory World they lived in.

The planet was the center of the Azure Cosmic Universe and had near-infinite void channels to other universes belonging to ancient eras, most of which were presently destroyed and former dregs of their original states. Thus, the Eternal Purgatory World was akin to a final destination warehouse unit into which 'waste' flowed in from these destroyed universes which existed as illusionary planes adjacent to the planet itself.

In this case, this godshard-bearing meteor was easily distinguishable by its crimson hue manifestation upon entering the planet's atmosphere. Some observers quickly anlayzed that the meteor was a fragmented remnant of some Dao Fruit practitioner, a rare incident in itself but not altogether new. As a matter of fact, the planet had experienced four of such godshard descents in the past.

In mere moments, countless powerhouses were alerted and quickly exited seclusion to chase after the blazing meteor as it fell, clearly aiming to claim it for themselves. A Dao Fruit fragment, no matter how little, was the greatest temptation to anyone on the dao path, especially for the deep dao principles contained within it.

This godshard....they had to get it.

*******

In a small forest located on the outskirts of one of the thirteen vassal human territories of Lingzhou Prefecture.

Three men–two middle-aged men and one teenager–had solemn expressions on their faces as they stared alertly at each other. Judging from their gear and almost non-existent cultivation base, they were a team of mortal hunters on an hunting expedition. The key point was that the atmosphere between them was very tense at the moment

and almost on the verge of a scuffle.

The reason was simple enough. Only a couple of metres away from the group, there was a half-buried, transparent crystal flickering dimly amid the verdant greenery of the lush leaves littering the earth.

It was the godshard from the sky! It had actually ended up landing here less than a minute ago.

"Tell you what, brothers, how about we get rid of the brat first, then decide among ourselves who gets to take the treasure?" The older-looking member of the team suddenly suggested.

The brat he was referring to was none other than the fifteen-year-old Fang Yu, the lanky teenager among them with strong features and an unusually mature disposition. Like his companions, he wore a robe made from animal hide.

"And then what, Uncle Zhang? Starting off so strongly, it's clear you won't settle for anything else other than claiming the treasure for yourself only and leaving no witnesses!" Fang Yu replied with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. He intentionally emphasized his last sentence for the benefit of the other two in the group, aiming to sow discord and buy himself time.

At the same time, Fang Yu mused resignedly to himself about the complexity of human nature. Two minutes ago, all four of them were on good terms. Now....

Uncle Zhang, or Zhang Rouchen which was his full name, frowned coldly at Fang Yu's words and suddenly unsheathed his blade, a basic sword forged from inferior divine iron. In seconds, he trotted towards Fang Yu with his hands raised.

'He means to kill me,' Fang Yu's heart turned colder when he glimpsed the schadenfreude expressions on the faces of the other two members of the team. Decisively, he quickly reached into the Taotie Sack hanging by his waist.

Taotie Sacks were treasures crafted from the hides of Giant Taotie Beasts and contained several cubic meters of storage space. It had cost Fang Yu almost all of his accumulated fortune to purchase this inferior-quality Taotie Sack that required no magic power to activate.

'I had no plans on ever using this, but now that it has come down to it.....' Fang Yu's eyes were calm as he retrieved an object from the storage pouch.

His ultimate trump card.

A water gun, no less.

Zhang Rouchen barely had time to process what the weird-looking contraption was before he saw the stream of some pitch-black fluid flying in his direction.

"Shit!"

Instinctively, he strained his entire body to dodge the fluid projectile. But it was too late; the corrosive drops sizzled loudly as they landed on the right side of his upper body.

The two other hunters on the team– Wu Lei and Cao Xin–made the mistake of remaining rooted on the spot in shock, giving Fang Yu enough time to turn around and aim the nozzle of his contraption at them too.

"NO–"

Their loud shouts were cut short as the drops landed on their Adam apples, corroding the area rapidly. In an abrupt turn of events, their necks snapped and their heads tumbled right off.

Fang Yu took in the sight expressionlessly, then flung the blade in his other hand through the air to land a perfect stab right into Zhang Rouchen's chest, snuffing the last bit of life he had left.

That done, Fang Yu engaged the safety mechanism of his contraption and returned it to his Taotie Sack, promptly making to take his leave right after. From the beginning, he didn't spare as much as a glance at the Godshard which was only a few metres from him.

"You're quite an interesting lad!" A powerful voice suddenly boomed behind Fang Yu, stopping him right in his tracks.

'Shit, I was too slow to leave the scene at the end!' Fang Yu's face immediately contorted into a grimace. At the same time, he felt his body get controlled against his will by a telekinetic power and found himself face to face with a kind-faced old man whose eyes twinkled with mischief.