Dragon Soul was very anxious. After all, Johnnie wasn't a real ghost, and he couldn't stay in the Realm of the Dead for too long.

"Damn it! How could there be such a strange mountain in the world? Where is the Terra Lady?!" Dragon Soul finally said to himself in a low voice.

Time passed slowly. Dragon Soul became more and more restless, flying around Johnnie again and again.

Johnnie finally stopped walking and stood still, deep in thought.

When they first entered the Present Mountain, they could only move forward if they had a clear goal. So now, with the problem of not being able to reach the pavilion, there must be a way to solve it.

What could it be?

Johnnie kept repeating to himself."Present, Present... what is it for?"

"I've done everything since I was reborn, all for saving the world, protecting Earth, and keeping my friends safe."

"That's my Present goal. That's right!"

"As long as I keep trying and keep going, I'll definitely reach it!"

At that moment, Dragon Soul suddenly noticed that the thread on Johnnie's wrist had become very thin and transparent, as if it would disappear at any moment.

Dragon Soul quickly warned him."Johnnie, we don't have much time left!"

"Your safety is the most important. If we keep going like this, maybe we should leave the Realm of the Dead first. Wait for a better chance later..."

Johnnie didn't respond at all. He took a deep breath, then slowly closed his eyes.

The thread slowly faded, and the connection between Johnnie's body and soul was slowly disappearing.

At that moment, Johnnie suddenly opened his eyes, looking very confident. He said."We've arrived."

"Already there? What does that mean? Johnnie, we're still right where we started!" Dragon Soul was completely stunned. He was starting to worry that Johnnie was under too much pressure and was hallucinating.

But Johnnie just said."We're already inside the pavilion."

"Sit down. The Terra Lady is right in front of us."

Under Dragon Soul's surprised look, Johnnie slowly sat down.

But to Dragon Soul, there was nothing around Johnnie at all. Yet, it felt like Johnnie was really sitting on a stone bench inside the pavilion, his feet slowly lifting off the ground and floating in the air.

Dragon Soul flew closer and carefully checked. He found that Johnnie wasn't using any Soul Power at all!

"What's going on, Johnnie?" Dragon Soul was completely confused. He tried to copy Johnnie and slowly folded his wings, but he quickly fell to the ground.

Johnnie looked at Dragon Soul and said."Present means now. Dragon Soul, when you set a goal and take action, you've already found what you're looking for in a way."

"You're not on the way to it. You're already in it, working hard."

"Right, Terra Lady." Johnnie said, looking straight ahead.

The Present Mountain was completely different from anything Johnnie had faced before. It was very close to philosophy. It didn't test a person's fighting power or attack skills, but instead reached deep into the soul.

From Johnnie's point of view, he had really reached the pavilion, was sitting on a bench, and in front of him, just a little way away, was a woman whose face was hard to see.

No introduction was needed. Johnnie could feel that she was the Terra Lady he had been searching for.

Dragon Soul was still confused and couldn't understand what Johnnie had said.

Then the Terra Lady's voice slowly came out, saying."Not exactly."

"Nothing is absolute. It's just how it is for you. For someone else, it would be completely different."

"But you are the fastest one to find me."

Fastest?

Johnnie was a little surprised. He suddenly thought of something, and his eyes widened slightly as he said.

"Are you not trapped here by the Celestial Spirits?"

Terra Lady nodded, her face still unclear, but a strange expression appeared on it. She answered slowly.

"They want to come in, but they can't. I can go out, but I don't want to."

"Johnnie, I know why you're here. I'll break the seal on Skye's head."

"And I can also help you with the Saint Soul Transference."

"Go back."

Johnnie frowned. He had finally found Terra Lady, seen Skye's head, and learned that Crysic had become the Heaven's chosen and would soon undergo the Saint Soul Transference. Terra Lady had promised to help.

But instead of feeling happy, Johnnie felt nothing but confusion.

Why? What exactly happened?

Johnnie didn't leave. He just kept looking at Terra Lady and finally asked the questions in his heart.

"Ah, you said the answer without even realizing it." Terra Lady sighed.

Johnnie's mind raced. He asked tentatively."Was it that line—Nature has no compassion, the world has no virtue?"

"Yes. Do you know about the World-Ending Tribulation, the Great Disaster, or the World-Destroying Deluge?" Terra Lady suddenly asked.

Johnnie nodded. He had heard stories about the World-Ending Tribulation from different places on Earth. Different civilizations, different races, all had similar stories.

For example, in Western myths, God saw the evil on Earth and decided to destroy the world with a flood.

In Sumerian and Babylonian myths, there's the story of Utnapishtim from the Epic of Gilgamesh, who was told by the gods to build a big boat and survive the flood—very similar to the story of Noah's Ark.

As for Eastern myths, there's the story of Nova, who used five-colored stones to mend the sky, cut off a mythical turtle to hold up the four corners of the world, killed a black dragon to save the northern region, and used ash from reeds to stop the floodwaters. This also includes the theme of controlling a great flood.

Not to mention in Greek mythology, where Zeus, angry with humans, caused a flood. Prometheus' son, Deucalion, and his wife Pyrrha built a boat in advance, survived the disaster, and then created new humans by throwing stones behind them.

"Johnnie, our world has limits. The appearance of the Star Raiders wasn't a coincidence—it was inevitable."

"Back then, many Domains thought these powerful Star Raiders came because of the six Saints. They were half right."

"Primordial Way has been heading toward destruction since it first appeared. And this process can't be stopped." said Terra Lady, revealing a shocking secret.

Johnnie suddenly remembered what Dragon Soul had told him—thousands of years ago, that great disaster was caused by the Saints' own arrogance.

What exactly had the Saints done?

Johnnie took a deep breath. He knew that only Terra Lady, who was closest to the Saints in the form of the Six Realms, could answer his questions.

Terra Lady didn't speak. Instead, she raised her hand lightly.

In an instant, Johnnie felt a force he couldn't resist. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself transformed into a fish living in a pond.

Johnnie didn't panic. He quickly thought it over and realized this must be something Terra Lady wanted him to experience.

Sure enough, he soon noticed that all sorts of fish lived in this small pond.

Small fish ate shrimp and algae.

Big fish ate small ones. After they died, they were eaten by other fish or helped feed countless microbes. It was a cycle that never ended.

Then, one day, six fish woke up to consciousness. They formed a system, worked together, and started to manage the pond.

Soon, the number of fish in the pond grew too much to hold.

The six fish decided to expand the pond. They led other fish to push up the mud around the edges.

After a long time, under the leadership of the six main fish, the pond finally connected to a winding river.

But in the river, there were even more fierce and powerful predatory fish. As soon as they entered the pond, they started hunting the fish inside in a wild frenzy.

The six leading fish tried to fight back, but they all ended up dying. Just when all the fish in the pond were filled with despair, the river slowly began to shrink.

As the water level dropped, the boundary between the pond and the river appeared again.

Johnnie suddenly understood—this must have been what happened long ago. The six Saints had gone out to explore the outside world, but they didn't expect that they had attracted the Star Raiders.

Just when Johnnie thought he had figured everything out, he suddenly felt himself rising slowly from the pond and flying up into the sky.

What he saw next would stay with him forever. The sun burned high in the sky, the earth cracked open, the rivers evaporated, and even the endless ocean turned into dry land.

"Star Raiders aren't the real great disaster. In a way, they're also victims of the same fate as us." said the voice.

"Life begins the moment it starts heading toward death."

"Johnnie, the so-called heaven and earth,the Great Path, is huge—so huge that it feels cold, merciless."

"We are not the first to suffer, and we won't be the last. The past is gone, the future is uncertain. Only the present remains."

Terra Lady's voice grew colder, as if she had lost all emotion.

Johnnie suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the blurry face of Terra Lady. A bitter smile appeared on his lips as he slowly said.

"Can't we change it?"

Terra Lady shook her head. "The power of the Great Path is so great that even Saints and Divine Thearchs are just tiny insects."

"No, that's not right." Johnnie said, clenching his fists. "On Earth, even though there are stories of great floods, there are always people who survive and rebuild civilization."

Terra Lady sighed and crushed Johnnie's hope. "That was just a small disaster. When the real great disaster comes, no one can escape."

"Earth, the Universe Continent, the endless stars—everyone is in trouble."

"Go back. You can't change anything."

Johnnie took a deep breath. His eyes slowly became stronger as he said."I don't agree with what you said."