The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order - Chapter 1589

Chapter 1589: Breaking the chrysalis
Cain propelled himself toward the black cocoon, his body streaking through the air with immense speed. The momentum behind his charge caused the Shooting Star Dragon Halberd to glow like a miniature sun, star power raging at its tip.

He was a mere two hundred meters from smashing into the cocoon when it suddenly began spinning with incredible force. This whirlwind of energy twisted space-time around it, creating a violent gravitational force.

Cain gritted his teeth in frustration. “That cunning monster,” he thought. Nevertheless, he refused to abandon his attack and brought the halberd down in a sweeping slash.

“BOOOOOMMMM!”

A jarring explosion erupted upon contact, but Cain’s strike lacked the full impact he had hoped for. The spinning vortex acted like a colossal centrifuge, flinging him back before he could follow through.

He managed to regain control almost instantly, but it was obvious the spinning cocoon had thwarted him. Anger and frustration flared in his heart, though these emotions quickly faded. In their place came a cold, rational calm. It dulled his feelings and allowed him to focus on analyzing the situation with pure logic.

Although the cocoon had no visible eyes, the being within—Reverend Madness—continued to observe Cain’s actions. A solemn unease gripped him as he recognized the emptiness in Cain’s gaze. Many warriors would lose their composure, perhaps even descend into despair, after nearly tasting victory only to have it stolen away. Yet, the young man archived a state of pure peace and serenity.

Cain inhaled deeply, harnessing the Power of Order to purge himself of any distractions. He cycled his energy carefully, letting his mind race. After five seconds of silent deliberation, his resolve blazed anew. The Shooting Star Dragon Halberd ignited with a fresh surge of energy.

“Shooting Star Speed!”

Torrents of energy rushed through his veins, and in the next instant, Cain exploded forward like a meteor, crossing the battlefield at a velocity equal to a fraction of the speed of light. The cocoon appeared to brace itself for his attack—but to Reverend Madness’s surprise, Cain zoomed right past the spinning shell, making no effort to strike.

“He’s running away?” Reverend Madness wondered, baffled.

But that question answered itself almost immediately as a tortured scream echoed in the distance. Reverend Madness extended his psychic senses, only to discover that Cain had landed atop the pulverized corpse of a Divine Transcendence Master. That cultivator had evidently still been alive—though perhaps close to succumbing to the rebellious Gu Insect inside him, which was trying to devour its host.

For those of the Night Prince’s faction who had reached Divine Transcendence, it was not an instant death the moment the Gu Insect rebelled.

Their Gu Insects were so fully interwoven into their bodies and souls that the process of devouring could not be stopped, but it would take much longer than with Divine Transformation and Divine Ascension Masters. They were effectively doomed, and their Gu Insect would feed the cocoon unless someone destroyed their bodies first, preventing the Gu Insect from escaping as a beam of dark light and merging with Reverend Madness’s cocoon.

From Reverend Madness’s vantage point inside the cocoon, he watched with mounting anger as Cain crushed the Divine Transcendence Master, yanking free the Gu Insect and sealing it in a dimension beyond his reach.

Cain focused on the Star Sealign Runic Formation and saw the Gu Insect struggle and attempt to break free, but it did not last long as a small, winged demonic snake appeared. It opened its jaws and devoured the captured insect, growing stronger in the process.

“Good,” Cain murmured to himself, his eyes narrowing.

He then unleashed his Ego Wave, saturating the Dream Forest and its surroundings with his psychic presence. Like a radar sweep, it pinpointed every remaining Divine Transcendence Master of the Night Prince’s faction who had not yet fallen. One by one, Cain erupted into motion at blinding speed, racing to intercept them before their Gu Insects could kill them and melt into the cocoon.

Pain-filled cries and clashing energies echoed across the scorched land. Meanwhile, Reverend Madness seethed. Through his mental link with the Gu Insects, he felt how the hosts were destroyed, the insects sealed and eventually vanished.

Confusion mingled with his fury. “No one in this world can destroy a Gu Insect except by having another Gu Insect devour it. But I sense no such creature on him…” The Archdeity’s ancient knowledge offered no explanation for how Cain accomplished such a feat. “Just who is this man?”

Before long, every last Divine Transcendence Master from the Night Prince’s faction lay dead beneath Cain’s halberd. Their Gu Insects were systematically ensnared and then devoured by Cain’s A.I. Gu Insect, cutting off vital resources and potential power for Reverend Madness’s cocoon.

Eventually, Cain floated above the remains of the battlefield, turning his attention back to the black cocoon still spinning in midair. Its fierce rotation continued to distort the surrounding space, acting as an impenetrable barrier. A profound silence fell upon the land—there were no more living cultivators to be heard. Even the blazing fires had dimmed to embers.

Cain’s expression grew taut. Clearly, it would be futile to attack the cocoon while it spun at such speeds. Then, as if reaching a decision, he exhaled softly, letting a nimbus of light envelop him. The next second, he accelerated into the distance, increasing his speed until he vanished from Reverend Madness’s perception.

From inside the cocoon, Reverend Madness observed Cain’s departure and whispered a single word, “Smart,” in a grudging tone of respect.

Less than five minutes later, the black cocoon gradually ceased spinning. The swirling air around it stilled, and then a cacophony of cracking noises broke the silence. Dark fractures zigzagged across the cocoon’s surface, splintering the chitinous shell. A moment after that, a massive burst of black starlight shot skyward like an unholy beacon.

The energy was impossibly dense, setting the air aflame and scorching the ground beneath it. Through the storm of lethal aura, a figure emerged from the wreckage of the cocoon, cloaked in blazing darkness. Its silhouette radiated malice and raw cosmic power, as though the entirety of a starless void had condensed into a single being.