Too many people are dying in this chaotic world? Then I'll activate the control panel!

On the arena,

The winds of time howled and swirled, the clock of the era hung high in the sky, its body swirling with ancient and mysterious golden patterns, the invisible ticking countdown silently pressing on the minds of every living being present.

Qingyan lay quietly on the hard, black jade ground of the arena, his body motionless.

He did not die; his Dao still flowed within him. However, his mind and will were completely shut down, and he was no longer willing to fight for Qingfa. In this way, he declared his betrayal.

To Qingfa, this scene was nothing short of a blatant betrayal and a heart-wrenching mockery.

Qingfa was surrounded by turbulent cosmic primordial energy, and his long hair stood on end.

He suddenly turned his head, his blood-red eyes fixed on Wang Sheng, who was standing on the other side of the arena. His voice boomed like thunder, echoing throughout the chaotic void.

"Sage! You dare to accept such a traitorous deserter?! Aren't you afraid that one day he will use the same methods he used on me to betray you in the same way?!"

Qingfa's roar was filled with boundless rage, and his words were seductive, trying to undermine the fragile trust that had just been established between Wang Sheng and Qing Yan.

In his mind, a person who betrays his master is hard to change; if he can abandon the master who raised him today, he will naturally turn against his new master in the future.

Faced with Qingfa's hysterical questioning, Wang Sheng remained calm and composed throughout. His robes fluttered slightly in the howling wind of the arena, showing neither anger nor panic.

The vast Daoist charm is quiet and restrained, without showing any aggressive edge, yet it possesses a profound spirit that remains unmoved no matter how the storms come.

He looked calmly at the enraged Qingfa, his voice not loud, but clearly echoing in everyone's ears.

"In the vast chaos, in the endless universe, there are countless heroes and overlords. The fickleness of human nature is the norm in this world."

"If one day in the future I am not as skilled as others and not strong enough to keep Qingyan in check, and he succeeds in betraying me, then it is my own fault for being incompetent and I have brought this upon myself. I cannot blame anyone else."

Wang Sheng spoke frankly, without trying to defend Qing Yan's character or prove anything to Qing Fa.

When one cultivates to their level, all alliances and submissions are always based on strength, not empty morality.

These words, instead of calming his anger, were like boiling oil poured on a raging fire, causing his rage to surge even more fiercely.

He could not accept that Qingyan, whom he had raised as his own son, would defect to the enemy.

They could not accept Wang Sheng's nonchalant and self-assured attitude.

Qingfa abruptly turned his head away, ignoring Wang Sheng, and poured all his emotions onto Qingyan, who was lying on the ground.

He took a step forward, his enormous figure enveloping Qingyan, and the overwhelming pressure of the Lord of the Universe pressed down from his body, causing cracks to spread throughout the chaotic void.

"I've nurtured you for countless millennia! Countless millennia!!"

Qingfa's eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse, filled with resentment and heartache, mixed with the madness that followed betrayal.

"I raised you from humble beginnings, treating you like my own son! I bestowed upon you the supreme imperial surname Qing, granted you the highest privileges of the imperial family, and poured endless riches and cultivation resources upon you! I gave you everything! And yet you betray me like this!"

"The traitor!!"

"You ungrateful, unfilial son!!"

His roars echoed across the land. Qingfa was almost insane. The composure and majesty of the former ruler of the universe had vanished, leaving only the madness of impending defeat.

He bent down, his huge hand almost touching Qingyan's cheek, and roared commands with all his might.

"Qingyan! Stand up! Pick up your weapon and fight!!"

"Qingyan, get up! Get up now!!"

Like a gambler who has lost everything, he clung desperately to the last glimmer of hope, frantically urging Qingyan to change his mind, take up his sword again, and finish this duel witnessed by the Clock of the Era.

If Qingyan gets up and fights again, the outcome will still be uncertain.

However, no matter how much Qingfa roared or exerted pressure, Qingyan on the ground remained completely still.

His eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling slightly, proving that he was still alive. But his limbs were still, and his eyelids were not raised. It was as if the overwhelming curses and threats from the outside world had nothing to do with him. He lay quietly on the cold, dark stone of the arena, silently fighting against his former master.

The Epoch Clock, hanging high in the sky, with its golden runes fading, continues its invisible countdown, second by second.

Time is running out.

With each passing minute, Qingfa draws ever closer to losing the bet, being stripped of his cosmic origins, and plunging into the abyss of destruction.

"Aaaaaahh ...

Despair, fueled by rage, completely overwhelmed Qingfa's reason. He looked up at the vast sky and roared, his fierce and frenzied howl causing visible ripples to spread through the void, making countless stars tremble in the distance.

Swish! Swish! Swish!!

Three beams of light tore through space, and tens of thousands of figures were forcibly captured by Qing Fa in an instant, dragged to the front of the arena, and lined up neatly in rows.

Those were Qingyan's parents, brothers and sisters, his wife and children, as well as many of his relatives, friends, disciples and old acquaintances. All of these people were Qingyan's closest blood relatives within the imperial clan under Qingfa's command, and were deeply bound to him. Tens of thousands of people trembled in fear, imprisoned by the power of the Lord of the Universe, unable to even move or escape.

Qing Fa's face was ferocious and terrifying, his eyes flashing with a fierce and cold light. He pointed at Qing Yan on the ground, his voice as if it were laced with deadly poison.

"Qingyan! If you don't stand up and fight for me, I will slaughter them all right before your eyes, leaving not a single one alive!!"

Tens of thousands of lives were instantly turned into bargaining chips to coerce Qingyan.

The imprisoned clansmen were instantly gripped by immense fear. They knelt down one by one, kowtowing repeatedly to Qingfa, weeping and begging for mercy.

"Master, spare us! Great master, please spare our lives!!"

"Qingyan! Kneel down and admit your mistake! Quickly beg your master for mercy and save our whole family!!"

Cries and pleas rose and fell, tens of thousands of voices merging together, their mournful echoes reverberating around the arena. The despair of separation and death gripped the hearts of these people, and they placed all their hopes for survival on Qingyan's choice.

On the ground, Qingyan, who had been keeping his eyes closed and motionless, slowly opened his eyes as his long eyelashes trembled.

He turned his head and looked at the rows of relatives and clansmen in front of him who were crying and begging for mercy.

The aged faces of his parents, the terrified eyes of his wife and children, and the despairing expressions of his brothers and sisters all came into his view.

Memories of past battles in the cosmos flooded his mind like a tidal wave. In his youth, his family sheltered him as he grew up, surrounded by loved ones and living among his clan. Those warm memories were real, not fabricated.

But immediately afterward, within the boundless universe, that unforgettable humiliation was still vivid in his mind, imprinted deep within his soul at every moment.

Qingfa nurtured him as the sharpest weapon, valuing not his kinship, but his unparalleled fighting talent.

Once they lose their usefulness, they can be discarded without mercy and used as chips in gambling, tossed aside at will.

On one side is blood ties and family affection, and on the other side is the deep-seated humiliation and cold reality.

Qingyan watched his clansmen quietly, remaining silent for a long time without speaking or getting up.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh, not loud, but loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

"Things have come to this."

"I have no way back."

That simple sentence shattered Qingfa's last illusions.

The ferocious, threatening expression on Qingfa's face suddenly froze on the spot, his pupils contracted sharply, and a bone-chilling panic surged into his heart.

"No...no, there's still a chance! There's still a chance!"

He hurriedly suppressed his murderous intent, his tone rushed, even carrying a hint of coaxing, as he urgently shouted at Qingyan.

"Qingyan! As long as you rise up and fight the First Saint, this battle will end, and I am willing to share the power to conquer the universe with you! We will divide the world's territory equally, and half of the power within the universe will belong to you!"

"You are still young, and the road ahead is bright. Do not jeopardize your own future!!"

With supreme authority and control over half the universe, Qingfa was willing to throw out the heaviest bargaining chip, hoping that Qingyan would return to the battlefield.

That's enough.

Qingyan gently shook his head, his eyes calm, his will as firm as a rock, without the slightest wavering.

"Qingfa, there's no need to waste any more words."

From the moment he chose to lie down on the ground and refuse to draw his sword for Qingfa, there was no turning back.

He saw things very clearly.

If we compromise and stand up today, even if we manage to defeat Wang Sheng by chance, Qing Fa is inherently mean and suspicious. After experiencing this betrayal, the seeds of distrust will surely be sown in his heart.

When the gambling battle ends, power will still be in Qingfa's hands. What awaits him and his entire family is endless torment and a fate worse than death.

Rather than lingering in the shadow of suspicion and revenge, it's better to go all the way down this path.

Seeing that all attempts at enticement and coercion had failed, Qingfa's rationality completely collapsed.

"You deserve to die! You deserve to die! You all deserve to die!!"

Qing Fa's face was contorted with rage, his muscles trembling with fury, an overwhelming hatred overwhelming everything. Without further hesitation, he slammed his large hand down!

A deafening roar!

Without giving those clansmen another chance to beg for mercy, tens of thousands of relatives and friends who were deeply connected with Qingyan were instantly reduced to ashes by the power of the Lord of the Universe. Their flesh, blood, and souls were completely annihilated, leaving not even a trace behind.

Tens of thousands of lives were lost in an instant.

After slaughtering these hostages, Qingfa had no more attachments in his eyes, only a mad urge to destroy everything.

His entire cosmic origin surged violently, his body enveloped in a destructive force, and he changed direction, charging towards Wang Sheng like a madman.

He still clung to the last glimmer of hope.

The rules of the Epoch Clock are still in effect.

The rules stipulate that they can only infuse their own personnel with the essence of the universe, but cannot attack personnel sent by the other side.

However, there are no rules that prohibit him from attacking Wang Sheng himself!

Therefore, as long as he can personally kill Wang Sheng before the countdown on the arena completely ends, then this bet will still be won by Qingfa!

As long as Wang Sheng is killed, everything lost can be regained.

Sensing the violent aura emanating from Qingfa, a aura of reckless abandon and burning his very essence, Wang Sheng felt a sudden, strong sense of alarm, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

His gaze sharpened instantly, seeing through the other party's plan. "Not good! Qing Fa intends to self-destruct his own essence, risking his life to save me!"

Qingfa was prepared to burn his own foundation as a universe master, sacrificing himself in a suicidal attack. Once he detonated his origin, the entire arena, and even a vast expanse of the surrounding void, would be utterly torn apart by destructive force.

At this critical moment, just as Qingfa was about to completely ignite his own essence.

A calm voice suddenly came from the arena floor, resounding throughout the heavens and earth.

"I surrender."

The person who spoke was Qingyan, who had been lying on the ground in silence.

"No----!!!"

Qingfa, who was charging forward, suddenly stopped and let out a heart-wrenching roar filled with endless despair.

Immense grief, resentment, bitterness, madness, and regret, like a dark tsunami, instantly engulfed him completely.

He tried everything—coercion, bribery, slaughtering his people, even contemplating suicide—but all his plans vanished the moment those three words were uttered.

Qingyan originally had other plans in mind.

He had intended to wait quietly until the countdown of the Epoch Clock reached its end, so he could witness firsthand the tragic end of a once-mighty ruler of the universe, who had once dominated chaos.

However, Qingfa had already considered self-destruction and taking everyone down with him. Once he self-destructed, not only would Wang Sheng be in danger, but the entire space would also be severely damaged, and the situation would be completely out of control.

Left with no other choice, he had to speak up early, concede defeat, and end the bet.

As the words "I surrender" fell to the ground, the countdown on the Epoch Clock hanging high in the sky came to an abrupt halt.

hum! ! !

The Clock of the Era shone with dazzling golden light, and the rules of cause and effect of the duel instantly took effect.

A vast and incomparably profound cosmic origin, like a rushing golden river, cascaded down across the void, falling entirely into Wang Sheng's hands.

The foundation of Qingfa's cultivation as a master of the ten realms of the universe collapsed and disintegrated under the stripping away of the power of the rules.

"I hate it so much!!!"

Qingfa only had time to let out this last roar filled with eternal hatred before his body was firmly enveloped and swallowed by the surging chaotic void around him.

Flesh and blood, soul and Dao fruit, dissolved and disintegrated little by little. In just a few breaths, the ruler who once dominated the universe vanished into nothingness and disappeared into the depths of chaos. Qingfa was no more in the world.

Rumble! ...

The distant void trembled violently, and boundless chaotic energy surged and rolled.

That vast and immense universe, teeming with countless beings, contracted and compressed layer by layer, finally condensing into a dark and profound sphere of light, no bigger than a human head. It broke through numerous spatial barriers and flew to Wang Sheng's front.

Within the sphere of light, the entire territory, life, and accumulated resources of the Shafa universe are completely sealed away; it is all the wealth that Qingfa has built up over billions of years.

Wang Sheng raised his hand and gently caught the pitch-black cosmic orb. With a thought, he directly merged the Killing Universe into the Formless Universe under his control.

Rumble!!!

The boundaries of the formless universe are expanding wildly outward, with countless new star fields and galaxies springing up out of thin air, and the territory of the universe increasing exponentially.

The cosmic essence that had been accumulating within Wang Sheng's body suddenly multiplied several times over during this absorption, causing his strength to surge.

Now, this vast accumulation spanning countless ages has all been transformed into a wedding gown, falling perfectly into his own hands.

Wang Sheng rose from a novice to a master of the universe, becoming a seasoned master of the universe with immense power and resources.

"Even if we can't handle the Black Wind Calamity right now, when it comes, if we fight our way out of the cosmic sea and land in outer space, we'll have the ability to protect ourselves!"

Wang Sheng thought to himself.