Volume One, Chapter 14: The Entire Universe Withdraws Within Itself

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It was still more comfortable to lie down.
Uncle Fu stood bowed, filled with admiration.
The young master’s action was like killing three birds with one stone.
First, by despising that thing as filthy and unworthy of his gaze, he casually discarded it, displaying the supreme elegance of the progenitor.
Second, by feeding it to the ornamental koi in the pond, he not only cleared the garbage but also bestowed grace and domestication upon them.
Third, he used this to admonish the newly arrived maids, making them understand what truly qualifies as “trash” in this courtyard.
Profound.
Truly profound.
Every seemingly casual move from the young master carried such deep significance.
To serve by his side was indeed a blessing spanning three lifetimes.

The courtyard was deathly silent.
The crisp belch still seemed to echo in the air.
Ye Qingsian and Ji Ruxue knelt there, minds blank, lacking even the strength to stand.
What had they just witnessed?
A grotesque entity fished from the pond, its aura enough to pollute the heavens, was swallowed whole by a mere ornamental koi.
Swallowed.
As easily as devouring a single ordinary fish pellet.
Ji Ruxue’s pride and understanding as the former Empress of the Jade Pool shattered completely in that moment, leaving not a trace behind.
She had thought the Great Emperor was the pinnacle of the world.
But now, she realized that even the dietary habits of a fish in this small courtyard exceeded the Great Emperor’s comprehension.
How insignificant she was.

Gu Changsheng lay back in his chair, adjusting to a comfortable posture, utterly uninterested in the recent events.
“A fish that can eat like that, how much food must it cost to raise you all?”
He complained casually, closed his eyes, and prepared to resume his unfinished afternoon nap.

Uncle Fu stood nearby, straightening his back.
The young master was admonishing them again.
Feeding the remnants of an ancient overlord to fish, then using the fish’s appetite to enlighten these new maids.
Warning them to recognize their place and not squander this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The young master’s thoughts were indeed as deep as the abyss and as vast as the sea, each movement weighted with meaning.

...

At the same time.

Across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, in the great forbidden zones of life.

The Eternal Demon Abyss.

A demon lord, wrapped in pitch-black demonic energy, stared intently at a “Mirror of Ascension” before him, its surface cracked and fragmented.
The final image on the mirror was frozen on a small golden fish’s mouth and the dark purple, terrifying remnants it swallowed whole.

“Pfft—”
The demon lord spat out a mouthful of black blood, his aura instantly withering.
He wasn’t suffering backlash; he was scared out of his wits.

“A fish... just a fish...”
His voice trembled as if he had seen something more horrifying than ultimate oblivion.

“That was... the remnants of a ‘World-Devouring Entity’! A creature slumbering at the bottom of the Chaos Sea! Even its remains could drive a Dao Ancestor insane!”
“Swallowed...?”
“Treated as food and fed to a fish?”
“Hahaha... hahahahaha!”
The demon lord laughed maniacally, tears streaming down his face.
He understood now.
He understood everything.

That pond in the Mortal Realm was no place of fortune; it was a warning.
An unimaginable, incomprehensible, unfathomable supreme being was sending a message to all living things across the universe, in a manner they could barely grasp.

—“Even the ‘World-Devouring Entity’ in my pond is only fit as fish food. So, what do you all amount to?”

“Transmit my decree!”
The demon lord roared with all his might, a chilling cry.
“From this day forth, the Eternal Demon Abyss shall self-seal! Never to emerge again!”
“All demons shall slumber in place! Whoever dares to peer in that direction will have their soul shattered, never to reincarnate!”

The Ancient Tomb of Heavenly Demons.

A golden ancient demon, asleep for nine epochs, suddenly sat up in its coffin, crushing the “Demon Emperor’s Eye” used to observe the Chaos Sea beside it.
“Sever! Sever all causality! We saw nothing!”
“Seal the mountain! Immediately activate the ultimate protective formation! Even if the sky falls, do not intervene!”

The Sea of Reincarnation.

Above the water, countless faces composed of souls screamed in terror.
“That’s not a fish! Absolutely not a fish! That is... the embodiment of order! The personification of rules!”
“Hurry! Sink to the bottom! For a hundred million years, the Sea of Reincarnation will no longer receive any living beings!”

On this day.

Across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, all the lofty forbidden zones, death defiles, and ancient orthodoxies—who usually looked down upon all beings as ants—seemed to come to the same decision as if by unspoken agreement.

Self-seal.

And the most thorough, most resolute self-seal in history at that.

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Countless prodigies of the forbidden zones, barely born and ready to stir the world, hadn’t even had the chance to show off before being slapped unconscious by their ancestors and thrown back into the divine source, their seal duration padded with several extra zeros.

In the entire universe, the top-tier powers collectively withdrew into silence within the span of a single incense stick’s time.

They were terrified.

That pond, that fish, had become a Damocles sword of “the unknown” hanging over the heads of all ambitious beings.

And the mastermind behind it all, Gu Changsheng, was on the verge of falling asleep.

Just as his consciousness was about to drift into dreams, a virtual panel visible only to him slowly appeared before his eyes.

[Detected host’s “pond cleaning” action has caused indescribable deterrence across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, successfully repelling all potential spies.]
[Host’s “casual trash disposal” philosophy has been perfectly interpreted through the “koi”.]
[Reward: 100,000 Relaxation Points.]
[New building unlocked: Chaos Fishery.]
[Chaos Fishery: The host’s exclusive fishery, connected to the origin of the Chaos Sea. No need for the host to fish personally; the fishery automatically attracts various “fish” from the Chaos Sea to self-capture and performs preliminary purification, ready for use at any time.]

Gu Changsheng squinted slightly, scanning the information on the panel.
A hundred thousand points? Not bad.
Chaos Fishery?
Automatic attraction? No need to lift a finger?
He perked up a bit.
This function sounded like it wasn’t too troublesome.
But to draw on it anytime? That still felt a bit inconvenient.

“Not bad, I guess.”
He muttered, rolled over, and dismissed the panel from his mind.
Even the greatest matters weren’t as important as catching up on sleep.

Warm sunlight poured over him, and a gentle breeze brushed his face.
Gu Changsheng finally fell asleep, fully satisfied.

Ye Qingsian and Ji Ruxue remained kneeling, their bodies stiff as exquisite jade sculptures.
Their eyes were hollow, as if their souls had been extracted, endlessly replaying the incomprehensible scene: a golden ornamental fish swallowing an ancient evil god whose very aura could pollute the heavens.

This shattering cognitive blow was more destructive than any divine power or magic. It struck at the very foundation of a cultivator’s “Dao heart” and “worldview.”

Once the Empress of the Jade Pool, ruler of a sacred domain who once looked down on the rise and fall of all beings, Ji Ruxue now felt only endless bitterness and self-mockery.

The power she once pursued and revered was as insignificant as a speck of dust in this courtyard.
The majesty of the Great Emperor, eternal and unyielding, was probably less important in the young master’s eyes than the appetite of a koi in the pond.

She even entertained a ridiculous illusion—that the pinnacle she had spent her life climbing might only be a stepping stone before this courtyard’s gate.

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