Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 799

Chapter 793, Cataclysm

Atop the tallest tower in the Storm Kingdom, Gu Hang sat on his Thunder Throne, his eyes gleaming, his head slightly raised as he watched the violent explosion unfold in the distance.

If the Warp could be described as an ocean, then this ocean was constantly surging.

There were both clear waves and subtle yet terrifying undercurrents.

The surging, violent force was terrifying, but since it had become the norm in the Warp, Gu Hang, who had often observed it, had naturally grown accustomed to it.

A sudden explosion somewhere in the Warp, a violent energy surge, was truly normal within the Warp’s turmoil.

In other words, when the Warp calmed, that was a special event, worthy of special attention.

However, the explosion Gu Hang witnessed was truly tremendous.

It was more intense than anything he had ever witnessed since he began observing the Warp.

It was like witnessing a storm in the ocean, with surging waves and surging undercurrents. But this time, it was as if a supervolcano had erupted on the seabed, causing a series of terrifying tsunamis!

This is extremely rare in the entire sea of subspace.

After all, even in the sea of subspace, supervolcanoes do not erupt all the time.

The color of the flames cannot be described by the spectrum of reality. It is like a rainbow of chaos that was forcibly blended by crushing ten thousand contradictory colors. What surged at the core of the explosion was not ordinary energy, but the embodiment of cosmic madness.

In that instant, Gu Hang saw countless distorted faces multiplying in the tide of psychic energy. The newly born cries were covered by new screams before they took shape. The layers of sound waves condensed into a purple-black crystal rainstorm.

Gu Hang heard the echoes of blasphemy and saw the cosmic cantilever twisted into a distorted shape, stars transforming into flowing liquid gold within the spiral lines.

A farmer on an agricultural planet billions of light-years away gazed up at the sky, his pupils reflecting his own ruptured future.

As the shockwave of the explosion swept across the borders of the Storm Kingdom at a breakneck speed, the veil of reality was like wet silk being torn by an invisible giant hand.

In this tug of time and space, Gu Hang glimpsed a hint of the future: within the Alliance, multiple western star regions were simultaneously observing distorted starlight. Asphalt-like substances oozed from the interiors of countless artificial structures in orbit around planets, and infrasonic vibrations, like a baby’s cry, emanated from planetary cores.

The most devastating rift appeared outside the Lingze galaxy, the most prosperous for commercial navigation. A 0.25-light-year-long gap in reality, Warp turbulence was rapidly encroaching on the real universe, and would soon devour Lingze.

And all this was merely the aftermath of the Warp tremor.

What truly terrified Gu Hang was when, as he peered toward the epicenter of the explosion, he saw the rift between reality and illusion literally rupture!

Gu Hang seemed to see the corresponding portion of the real universe there, torn apart, twisted and fused together. It was like a funnel leading to the depths of the Warp, a wound festering within the material universe. All nearby celestial bodies were undergoing a transformation from matter into a strange, distorted state.

Rock and steel transformed into flesh, the planet-wide corruption and revitalization symbolizing the terrifying power of the Warp. And if those celestial bodies were habitable, harboring life, even humans, what would have happened? Gu Hang didn’t want to think about it.

Sitting upright on the throne, the lightning in Gu Hang’s eyes gradually subsided and dissipated.

He had heard enough of the four most powerful evil gods of the Warp’s malevolent laughter amidst the waves. The sun, shimmering with golden light, remained still, and naturally, there was nothing for him, his “storm,” to do—he couldn’t control it.

Even when the golden sun rose, he could still serve as a useful assistant, waving his flag and cheering along. Now, with no one moving, if Gu Hang showed up, he would be crushed by the four evil gods, who had temporarily collaborated.

Gu Hang was certainly very powerful now, but he was still far behind those four gods.

Forget about them, Gu Hang could probably crush their ordinary great demons, just as they had crushed Gu Hang. However, when it came to the divine great demons, a level even stronger, Gu Hang had yet to encounter them, but he expected that he would not be able to easily defeat them. Perhaps he could still win, but it would likely come at a heavy price.

Among those divine great demons, there were also quite renowned beings. For example, the Fateweaver, the most renowned of the Tzeentch demons, bore two eagle heads, one speaking of the past, the other of the future. Together, the past and the future wove the destiny of all creation.

If Gu Hang were to encounter such a thing, he wouldn’t be sure he could defeat it.

However, no matter what kind of demon it was, it would be easily crushed by those four great beings.

This meant that if Gu Hang fell into their presence, his fate would be no better.

Gu Hang couldn’t make it out on his own.

As for why the sun didn’t prevent such a terrifying explosion… Gu Hang had a guess.

These four great gods of the Warp were the most powerful beings in the Warp. The sun could probably hold its own against any one of them. However, if they united, the sun would have to retreat, hiding in the clouds.

However, the four great gods wouldn’t unite easily.

The conflict between them was no less than that between them and the ascended God-Emperor. In fact ,

it was even greater.

From eons ago until today, the four evil gods have been waging an eternal war. Each of them holds a deep hatred for the other three.

Among them, the Tyrant and Slaanesh, Honor and Corruption, are absolute and mortal enemies, their hatred utterly raging. Tzeentch represents infinite change, while the Father represents immutability, also a mortal rival.

They have never truly united; never in the past, never now, and never in the future.

This temporary alliance is fragile, unbalanced, and will soon crumble and end.

The maniacal smiles of those four men reveal a deep venomous hatred for each other, poised to turn hostile and stab each other.

Until then, we must not act rashly. Otherwise, attracting the attention of those four would be even more disastrous.

Even this explosion in the Warp will have horrific repercussions for the real universe.

After realizing this, Gu Hang could only sigh.

Returning to the real universe, he summoned the Alliance’s top officials.

The many images he witnessed were both present and future.

Especially those that would occur within the Alliance’s periphery—those that haven’t yet occurred, but with the aftermath of the devastating explosion, they’re likely to soon reach us.

Gu Hang demanded that everyone in the Alliance make all necessary plans and preparations, reacting swiftly and working as one when disaster struck.

At the same time, Gu Hang sent letters and even personally contacted Zibodu, warning him of what he had witnessed.

Zibodu was skeptical.

Could this be a conspiracy by the Alliance?

But soon, his own psychic advisor also frantically warned him.

However, just as he was beginning to believe it, news of the destruction of the great fortress world of Cadia, far to the south of the Empire’s western border, arrived.

This truly devastating news sent shockwaves through the world!

Cadia was one of the most renowned fortress worlds in the entire Empire.

This was for two reasons.

First, it was on Cadia that the Cadian Shock Force, one of the Empire’s most renowned Astra Militarum, was born.

The Cadian Shock Force had become the model for the Imperial Astra Militarum, and a significant portion of the Empire’s Astra Militarum regiments were modeled after it.

And the Cadian Shock Force wasn’t just stationed on their home planet. Naturally, the Empire would not let such a formidable legion go unnoticed. Their troops were not only permanently stationed on Cadia but were frequently deployed to assist in other battles, sometimes serving as instructors, training other Astra Militarum regiments, while others were directly deployed as elite units.

This further enhanced their reputation.

The fact that Cadia could cultivate such exceptional Astra Militarum was closely related to the broader environment of their world.

The planet’s natural environment itself wasn’t particularly harsh, but the external environment, or the constant external threats they faced, was unimaginable elsewhere.

They were situated right next to the “Hell’s Gate”!

The so-called “Hell’s Gate” refers to a unique region on the southern edge of the Empire’s western border, known as the Hell’s Gate Sector. This sector was never under Imperial control, as even the most vulnerable of the estimated over a thousand worlds within it, like the Wrathful Owl, possessed exceptionally weak reality veils.

This meant that, under normal circumstances, the Warp could easily breach the reality veil and affect the planet’s interior. Creatures on the planet are easily seduced by strange whispers, unwittingly bewitched and corrupted. Even non-sapient creatures are more vulnerable to becoming carriers of Warp demons.

But there’s no need to dwell on this. Thousands of years ago, this entire star region was completely devoid of normal humans.

While there are many abnormal living beings, the number is questionable.

Those corrupted by the Warp, in essence and appearance, are likely to be no more than human.

They have established a chaotic demonic realm there, collaborating with true Warp demons at the thinnest point of reality.

From this perspective, the “Gate of Hell” lives up to its name: the point where the Warp, a region known as Hell, meets the real universe.

From there, countless demons and traitors have launched attacks on surrounding Imperial territories, wreaking havoc.

For this reason, the Imperium has launched numerous expeditions to the Gate of Hell.

There were more than four large-scale expeditions alone, all committed to exterminating all evil within the region, at a tremendous cost.

Smaller-scale expeditions were countless. Many Chapters condemned to the Penitential Crusades were required to make their final destination the Hell Gate.

This is the meaning of the “March to Hell.”

Yet, the Hell Gate remained open, and the demons continued to attack from all sides. One can only imagine the fate of those expeditions.

Failure was even the least of their worries. Those large-scale expeditions provided the traitors with many talented individuals.

Entering Hell was a truly arduous undertaking. Not only did they face formidable enemies, but they also faced the pervasive corruption within the Hell Gate environment. Even if the human expeditionary force was well prepared, the rituals, incense, and chanting of the Ecclesiarchy and the Mechanicus could only protect them temporarily. Over time, even they themselves would be corrupted.

The Space Marines who entered on the Penitential Crusades were even more vulnerable; they were simply sent to their deaths. Some, the honest ones, perished. Some, hoping to survive, changed their insignia and livery upon entering, transforming themselves from Chapters into Warbands, earning them immense popularity among the traitorous forces.

Despite their efforts, the Empire found no way to destroy Hell’s Gate. The constant attacks, looting, and harassment from these treacherous foes proved too much of a headache, forcing them to adopt a defensive stance.

Thus, the fortress world of Cadia was born.

Originally a key base and departure planet for the Third Hell’s Crusade, Cadia became a crucial hub and the heart of the Hell’s Gate defenses. It was against this backdrop that the Cadian Assault Force was established, formed by the surviving warriors of the Hell’s Crusade.

The Cadians controlled the crucial route outward from Hell’s Gate, with the most accessible astral tunnels passing through Cadia. They bore the harshest test for countless worlds outside.

Of course, sheer defense alone wasn’t enough. By always placing all the pressure on a single planet, the demons’ ferocious attacks would inevitably succeed. Meanwhile, the enemy could easily maneuver through other astral tunnels, bypassing Cadia and invading the outside world. Cadia

‘s High Lord, supreme commander of the Hell Gate defenses, always actively attacked the interior of the Hell Gate, creating some flexibility. These human-controlled worlds were also often able to control more astral tunnels, preventing the enemy from bypassing them.

This was an entire defense system, with Cadia as its hub. Flexible space existed within the Hell Gate, while a secondary line of defense existed outside. Cadia itself was situated at the center.

This defense system had functioned flawlessly for millennia. Despite numerous crises, they were ultimately resolved through the efforts of the Cadians and support from across the Empire.

But this time, according to the news from the front, no one could help the Cadians resolve the crisis.

Cadia had been completely destroyed.

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One more chapter before dawn to catch up with yesterday’s

(end of this chapter)