The entire hall fell into silence.
Even Giant Yang Immortal Venerable and Star Constellation Immortal Venerable, upon seeing Limitless Demon Venerable's completely unscathed arms and hands, were plunged into extreme shock.
After Gu Immortals ascended to immortality, they would face Earth Calamities, Heavenly Tribulations, Great Tribulations, and Calamities. Once one reached the Ninth Transformation, the power of these disasters grew even more terrifying.
Immortal Venerables endured one Great Tribulation every ten years, one Calamity every fifty years, and one Chaos Tribulation every hundred years!
The Chaos Tribulation was the chaos beyond the world's embryonic wall.
Every time it arrived, it could threaten an Immortal Venerable's very life. They had to go all out just to carve out a sliver of survival.
Ordinary Gu Immortals didn't fully understand, but every generation of Immortal Venerables had endured the test of the Chaos Tribulation and knew just how terrifying it was.
Now, Limitless Demon Venerable had tested it with his own body, using not a single defensive measure, and had directly withstood the chaos — completely unharmed!!!
This spectacle delivered an incomparable shock to every Immortal Venerable present.
As for Fang Yuan and others who knew the full picture, since they hadn't experienced it firsthand, their feelings weren't nearly as deep as those of the Immortal Venerables.
"You did it." After a long pause, Star Constellation Immortal Venerable let out a deep sigh.
Giant Yang Immortal Venerable remained silent.
"No, he hasn't. This is not true immortality!" Le Tu suddenly spoke up, his expression and tone utterly certain.
The gathered Immortals turned to look at him.
"That's right. Not yet. This doesn't count as immortality." A moment later, Limitless Demon Venerable echoed those words, a trace of desolation flickering across his face.
Then, he made a move that stunned everyone.
Facing the breach in the world's embryonic wall, he opened his mouth wide and sucked in with tremendous force.
Vast quantities of chaos were drawn into Limitless Demon Venerable's stomach!
Giant Yang Immortal Venerable and Star Constellation Immortal Venerable watched with contracted pupils, involuntarily drawing sharp breaths.
If an Immortal Venerable was like an infant, then chaos was like flame. Earlier, when Limitless Demon Venerable had extended his arms into the chaos, that was like roasting flesh over fire. But now he was far more reckless — he was swallowing fire itself!
After absorbing enormous amounts of chaos, Limitless Demon Venerable sat down cross-legged on the spot.
At the same time, chaos continued pouring from the breach, rushing like a torrent, ceaselessly scouring his head, shoulders, and body.
Limitless Demon Venerable activated his killing move for the first time. An overwhelming aura erupted outward, sending waves through the spirits of every Immortal present.
Everyone watched in silence, understanding that Limitless Demon Venerable was making one final attempt.
This was a charge!
He wanted to charge toward true, complete immortality!!
Since childhood, he had maintained a burning curiosity.
He was like a wide-eyed child, filled with a desire to explore the unknown.
He wanted to understand everything. He wanted to know the truth.
Fame and profit had never been what he sought. The status of Immortal Venerable had never given him even a sliver of pride.
He had once reached the pinnacle of the world, the very edge of heaven and earth.
And he had wanted to keep going!
But there was no more road.
So he had painstakingly schemed to cooperate with Star Constellation, dragging the entire world of Gu cultivation along, risking extinction to construct the Mad Demon Grand Formation. A million years of accumulation, all for this single moment.
All for the sake of discovering the truth!
The road had long since vanished.
He spread his legs and poured every ounce of strength into stepping forward into the infinite, profound darkness.
He wanted to force open a new path!
This was his final charge.
Limitless had given everything he had!
Time passed for what seemed like ages, or perhaps only a few breaths.
Whoosh.
Black fire suddenly erupted from Limitless Demon Venerable's nose and ears.
Every Immortal's heart lurched violently.
Then, Limitless Demon Venerable slowly opened his eyes, looked upon the assembled Immortals, and spoke calmly: "I have failed."
"No! There's still me!" Extinction Demonic Immortal cried out, striking once more, pouring every last ounce of power into activating Implementation Gu.
A beam of mysterious light shot from Extinction Demonic Immortal onto Limitless Demon Venerable.
The black fire consuming Limitless Demon Venerable's body rapidly extinguished!
Limitless Demon Venerable seized the reprieve, let out a hearty laugh, then gave a slight shake of his head: "Extinction, stop."
"If I don't give everything, how will I know the result?" Extinction Demonic Immortal shot back furiously. "To give up like this — can you really accept that? True immortality... I want it too! I want to see it with my own eyes!"
Limitless Demon Venerable sighed. In that moment, his expression was infinitely complex: "A million years of accumulation, and still I failed. Don't you understand yet? Immortality... has never existed."
A moment later.
Crack.
Limitless Demon Venerable shattered, dissolving back into countless fragments of floating fact-ice.
"No!!" The Secret Plotter and Bu Shi Immortal screamed in unison, as though mourning their own parents.
Limitless Demon Venerable had failed!
Extinction Demonic Immortal, too deeply entangled with him, was immediately found by the chaos. In moments, a wave of scouring energy swept through him, and he dissipated into nothing!
A Semi-Immortal Venerable — he hadn't even lasted three breaths.
The terror of the Chaos Tribulation was plain for all to see!
The Immortals present were still dazed.
A contest of the Mad Demon Abyss, spanning a million years and involving the schemes and machinations of nearly every Immortal Venerable — and it ended like this?
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable had been reborn. Giant Yang Immortal Venerable had been resurrected. Le Tu had converted to the Heavenly Path. Phantom Soul Demon Venerable had lost his sanity. In the end, Limitless Demon Venerable had suppressed all the others, his power staggering — and yet he still had not succeeded.
He had died, died on the path of exploration.
Immortality?
A fantasy.
Nothing.
It did not exist!!
"How could he fail? How could he be allowed to fail!" Bu Shi Immortal cried out.
The Secret Plotter clutched his head, his soul seemingly torn from his body: "No immortality... heh, no immortality... heh." He was practically insane!
"Is there truly no immortality in this world? Immortal Venerables are already the limit — ahead... there is no road?" Star Constellation Immortal Venerable murmured.
Her words echoed the greatest doubt in every Immortal's heart at that moment!
None among them could provide an answer.