The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 1555: Time to play

A burning sensation assaulted Cain’s newly-formed arm, surging with waves upon waves of energy as the system struggled to contain the golden force that had descended from the sky. The pain was so intense that, for a moment, he feared his arm might explode under the pressure. Fortunately, after nearly thirty agonizing seconds, the energy storm began to subside, leaving only a small, golden orb embedded within his forearm.

A cold, mechanical voice echoed in Cain’s mind.

[Parasitic life form has been contained.]

Cain let out a ragged breath, cold sweat covering his brow. The Absolute Life Form System had nearly exhausted his reserves of power and energy to isolate the intruding force. It had been a close call—just a bit more pressure, and the system might have failed. After a few moments of steady breathing, Cain regained control of himself and focused his attention on the golden orb in his arm.

His expression turned solemn. Although his Ego Wave was currently sealed, Cain still possessed a formidable mind and soul force. Even with diminished sensory abilities, it took him only a short while to identify the true nature of this orb.

“It feels like a piece of a World Will,” Cain muttered, recalling his interactions with Ao, the World Will of Aether. This new energy had a strikingly similar aura—ancient, boundless, and brimming with psychic power.

“So, the infamous Gu Insects from the Gu Contest are actually fragments of the World Will fused with the flesh and soul of cultivators?”

The Sky Sovereign’s voice reverberated in Cain’s mind. Although the Sky Sovereign had never been part of the Gu Sect, he was an ancient monster with vast knowledge of the Everstrife Empyrean World.

“Reverend Madness truly was a genius to have designed something like that,” the Sky Sovereign mused.

Cain nodded thoughtfully, understanding that if Reverend Madness had indeed orchestrated such a complex scheme, it was nothing short of ingenious.

“So that’s the secret of the Gu Contest.”

He paused, taking a moment to organize his thoughts. From the bits of intelligence he had gathered, he knew that during the Gu Contest, the World Will of this dimension splintered into countless shards, each merging with one of the hundreds of millions of contestants who entered the Gu World. These shards evolved into Gu Insects, formed by fusing a fragment of World Will with a cultivator’s life force.

Whenever a contestant died, their Gu Insect would consume everything that person possessed—vitality, soul force, cultivation base—and grow stronger. Then, the Gu Insect of the decease would transfer to the Gu Insect of the killer, allowing it to gain a tremendous power boost. Eventually, after countless deaths and power transfers, the last surviving Gu Insect would be unimaginably potent. The person who claimed that final Gu Insect would receive a massive pool of origin energy, maybe enough to break through from the Soul Realm to the Third Realm of cultivation—becoming a Prima Deity in the process.

Of course, forcing such a significant breakthrough was fraught with risks and potential side effects, especially if it involved stepping from the Soul Realm into the Third Realm unprepared. But even the weakest Prima Deity would still be, by definition, a Prima Deity—someone who had transcended mortal limitations.

As Cain mulled over these revelations, a deep frown creased his brow. Something still felt amiss about the Gu Insect’s nature, as though an additional puzzle piece remained hidden. He couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but his instinct warned him to be cautious.

“System,” Cain said aloud, “can you analyze and transform this parasitic life form into an entity that’s solely under my control?”

He recognized that this Gu Insect fragment could become a powerful asset—as long as he could neutralize any potential threat it posed.

The system’s response was quick and emotionless.

[Parasitic life form belongs to a Prima Deity-tier phenomenon. For the system to fully seize control and alter its composition, a further evolution of the A.I. Chip Module is required.]

A sharp gleam appeared in Cain’s eyes as he considered this. He was already close to the Middle Divine Transformation Rank in his Essence Evolution Path of Power, and if he could restore his Astral Rebirth Path to its peak, acquiring a Divine Transcendent-level Soul Force would not be out of reach.

“There’s still time before everyone arrives in the Gu World,” Cain reasoned, thinking about the logistics of the upcoming contest. “Supposedly, once the contest begins, no one can communicate with the outside, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It’s best if I remain hidden until the influx of cultivators is complete. Otherwise, if they figure out I’m already here, they might refrain from sending more people.”

A deep and solemn expression passed over his face as he arrived at that conclusion. Without further hesitation, he turned toward a distant river shimmering under the world’s vibrant sun. In a blink, he dived in, his body merging seamlessly with the flowing water.

For someone with mastery over the Law of Water at the Deep Law Embodiment level, merging into a water source was mere child’s play. Soon, not even the slightest ripple remained where Cain had entered, leaving behind nothing but the serene riverbank.

As the minutes stretched into hours, more and more people continued to arrive, tens of thousands at a time. Though these numbers were vast, the Gu World was a Primary World—an immense realm capable of accommodating trillions of inhabitants without issue. A mere hundred million or even a billion cultivators would scarcely make a dent in its capacity.

With every new arrival, a miniature Gu Insect—another shard of the World Will—fused with a host.

Far away from the rivers, mountains, and thriving lands where cultivators were arriving, there existed a unique dimension—a secret space where the true World Will of the Gu World resided. It was a place of pure psychic energy, an ocean of unfathomable consciousness that constantly ebbed and flowed, guiding the scattered fragments of its own essence.

Normally, this place should be devoid of life. But now, a mysterious black figure floated in this sea of intangible power, a humanoid silhouette with an unsettling aura.

When the final wave of contestants arrived through the teleportation formation—signaling the beginning of the Gu Contest—this black figure slowly opened its eyes. A twisted smile curled across its featureless face.

“Time to play.”

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