Living in the deep palace

a thousand years.

In the blink of an eye.

For the vast cosmos, these ten thousand years have been a time of rebirth, hope, and a golden age.

But for Su Chen, who was in seclusion, these ten thousand years were the longest and most dangerous journey he had ever undertaken in his cultivation.

Inside the Hall of Longevity, in that quiet room that had long been completely submerged by the endless Taiyi runes and the power of the stars in the heavens.

Su Chen's physical body had long since become one with that "Heavenly Dao Axis" crystal.

He sat cross-legged, his appearance solemn and dignified, like an ancient and immortal god.

But his will, his immortal soul, had long since broken free from the constraints of his physical body and entered a more expansive and fundamental dimension.

That is the dimension of "the Way of Heaven".

It is the collection of all laws and information in this universe.

He transformed into light, traveling upstream in the river of time, and saw the first ray of "Tao" light at the beginning of the universe's birth, the light that separated heaven and earth.

He transformed into dust, drifting along the core of space, and came to understand the essence of dimensions and reality.

He transformed into a spirit, traversing the web of fate, gaining insight into the seemingly accidental, yet in fact predetermined, rise and fall and cycle of countless beings and civilizations.

He was like the most greedy student, frantically absorbing all the knowledge accumulated in this universe over billions of years.

His "Great Way of Taiyi" was also constantly being verified, improved, and enriched in this process.

He felt that he was only a thin layer of paper away from the true realm of "Golden Immortal".

It was as if he could break through it at any time if he wanted, allowing his "Dao" to completely transcend this universe and become a true third-realm existence, no different from Xuan Yuan Golden Immortal, Di Xuan, and others.

But, he didn't.

Because he knew that wasn't enough.

The path he is taking is not simply the path to becoming a "Golden Immortal".

What he wants to do is to completely replace the Heavenly Dao of this universe with his own "Great Dao of Taiyi Golden Immortal" and become the only "Dao Lord" and the hegemon!
This is a road that no one has ever traveled before, a road that is both incredibly difficult and incredibly glorious.

However, just as his will was about to completely merge with the axis of the Heavenly Dao and take that final step.

An unexpected change has occurred!
……

……

A cold, malevolent, and chaotic will, not belonging to this universe, crossed the endless void without warning and silently descended into Su Chen's sea of ​​consciousness, following the connection between Su Chen and the axis of the Heavenly Dao!
"Got you……"

A whisper, seemingly composed of the howls of countless desperate souls and filled with endless allure, slowly echoed in his mind.

"A struggling...little thing..."

In an instant, Su Chen felt a blur before his eyes!
He was no longer in that vast sea of ​​laws, but had returned to a place that was both incredibly familiar and incredibly distant.

Skyscrapers stand tall, cars stream by, neon lights flash...

It's Earth!
He saw his parents from his previous life, their faces bearing kind smiles as they slowly waved to him.

"Xiao Chen, come home. Stop dreaming."

He saw his former friends, arm in arm, drinking heartily at a barbecue stand.

"Dude, what are you thinking about? Come on, let's drink! If you don't come soon, your kidneys will get cold!"

He saw her; the girl he had once loved deeply but ultimately missed out on, was wearing a pure white wedding dress and looking at him with tears in her eyes.

"Why...why didn't you come to find me..."

real!

Everything seemed so real!
It was so real that even Su Chen's already rock-solid Dao heart couldn't help but waver slightly!
This is the attack of the "Devourer"!

It didn't use any power; it simply magnified and distorted the deepest, softest, and most untouchable "memories" and "regrets" in Su Chen's heart, turning them into the sharpest daggers that pierced his Dao heart!

It is telling him:
Look, how illusory is everything you've protected, everything you've fought for?

Look, how real are all the things you've abandoned, all the things you can't get back?
give up.

Give up your ridiculous resistance.

Abandon your lowly existence.

Embrace me, embrace this eternal "nothingness".

Here, there is no pain, no regret, no separation of life and death.

Only... eternal peace.

That seductive voice, like the whispers of the devil, kept echoing in his mind.

Su Chen's eyes began to look confused and unfocused.

He reached out his hand, as if trying to grasp those familiar yet unattainable figures before him.

However, just as his fingers were about to touch that "real" illusion...

Deep within his consciousness, the "World Tree," which had long since merged with him, suddenly swayed!
A cool, pure primordial power, filled with the will of "creation" and "protection," instantly spread throughout his immortal soul!
Su Chen's body jolted violently!
His confused eyes instantly cleared!
"Humph!"

"A mere illusion of inner demons dares to disturb my true nature?!"

A chilling killing intent erupted in Su Chen's eyes!
He clenched his fist suddenly!

boom--!
The "real world" before him, constructed from his deepest memories, shattered like a mirage!

His parents, his friends, the girl he loved...

Before him, they all transformed into countless points of light and vanished without a trace.

"No wonder he's an 'outsider'."

Su Chen stood solemnly amidst the shattered illusion.

"They were able to attack me directly at the 'soul' level."

"If I hadn't experienced the trial of shattered cause and effect in the City of Nothingness, my Dao heart would have been unbreakable. If it weren't for the power of the World Tree's origin protecting my true spirit..."

"For a moment just now, I was probably completely lost, and it completely erased me from the level of 'existence'!"

A sense of lingering fear rose in Su-Chen's heart.

But he was not afraid because of this.

Instead, an even more intense fighting spirit burned in his eyes!
"But this is fine."

"You've shown me your methods."

"Then, as a return gift..."

A cold smile curled at the corner of Su Chen's lips. "I'll show you my 'Dao' too!"

He slowly sat cross-legged amidst this spiritual ruin.

He no longer tried to dispel the devil's whispers, nor did he defend against the ever-present encroachment.

Instead, he completely let go of his mind and spirit!

He voluntarily revealed his "Great Dao of Taiyi," his "Earthly Memories," and his unique "reality" that did not belong to this universe to the strange will behind the "gate" without reservation!
Didn't you want to "devour" me?
Then give it a try!
Look at your evil will, filled with "chaos" and "nihilism," that can assimilate my "order" and "creation."

Or perhaps it is my tenacious spark, from another universe, filled with "humanity" and "hope," that can, in turn, ignite the first ray of inextinguishable...light of civilization in your eternal darkness!
The moment Su Chen's unique "Earth reality" clashed head-on with the "devouring will" from behind the "gate".

The entire sea of ​​consciousness seemed to fall into absolute stillness!

For the first time, that "devouring will" generated emotions similar to "confusion" and "hesitation".

It can't understand!
What exactly is it seeing?
It was a fragile being without immortal magic or supernatural powers, yet it could reach for the moon in the heavens and capture turtles in the deep sea with the power called "technology"!

It is a life that is neither eternal nor immortal, but short-lived, yet it can continue its will and spirit for generations through the inheritance called "civilization"!
The creatures there will fight their whole lives for a vague and illusory "ideal"!
The creatures there would sacrifice themselves for a complete stranger, a "fellow countryman"!
Their emotions were so complex, filled with love, hate, joy, sorrow, and separation.

Their society is so contradictory, full of light and darkness, kindness and evil.

However, it is precisely these complexities and contradictions that constitute an incomparably "solid," incomparably "real," and full of infinite possibilities and vitality... "reality"!
This "reality" forms the most distinct and fundamental conflict with the cold, pure, and monotonous concept of the "devourer," which consists only of "devouring" and "nothingness."
"What's this……"

“Disorderly…chaotic…fragile…yet…stubborn…”

For the first time, "Devouring Will" began to doubt its own invincible ability to "assimilate"!
It discovered that it could not "understand" Su Chen's "reality".

Therefore, it cannot "devour" it either!

And in that very moment of hesitation!

Su Chen seized the opportunity!

"It's now!"

"The Supreme Ultimate Heavenly Pole, the Dao and I are one!"

Su Chen's will erupted at this moment!

He was no longer passively displaying himself, but actively activating the "Heavenly Axis" that carried the origin of this universe...

Completely, they became one!
boom--!!!!!!!!!!!!

Su Chen felt as if his immortal soul had been completely shattered at this moment, and then instantly reassembled in a new and more advanced form!
He felt that he was no longer just Su Chen.

He is also the "Heavenly Way" of this universe.

He is also that immortal "World Tree".

He was also that tiny, yet indomitable soul from the blue planet!
Trinity!
The Tao becomes the only one!

At this moment, the final and most solid barrier separating him from the Third Ineffable Realm...

Shattered!

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, nor were there countless people coming to offer their congratulations.

There is only one kind of sublimation and transformation that originates from the essence of life!

Su Chen's consciousness instantly rose to an unprecedented height, transcending time and space, overlooking the ages!
He saw the true face of the "devouring will" that was whispering to him from behind the "door"!

It was not a specific living being, but a... boundless sea of ​​concepts composed of pure "malice" and "hunger"!
And what I had just fought against was nothing more than a tiny, insignificant wave splashing up in this ocean.

"So, this is the real enemy?"

A sense of enlightenment rose in Su Chen's heart, along with... an even stronger fighting spirit!

He slowly opened his eyes.

Those eyes no longer held any emotion, only an absolute "Tao" that encompassed all things and understood everything.

He simply looked calmly at the "sea of ​​concepts" that was still trying to erode his consciousness, and softly uttered two words.

"Go back."

What you say is what the law says!

The Way is the law of Heaven!
The "Sea of ​​Concepts," which had previously posed an immense challenge to him and nearly caused him to lose his Dao heart, let out a silent shriek filled with terror the moment it heard those two words, as if it had encountered a wild beast that was facing its natural enemy!
Then, without any resistance, like a tide, they retreated back into the endless void in a disheveled state!

The entire sea of ​​consciousness returned to clarity.

……

……

"It seems they don't want me to comprehend the 'Path to Taiyi Golden Immortal'. The more fear the enemy has, the more it proves that I'm on the right path."

"My path to the Three Realms is called the Taiyi Golden Immortal!"

Su Chen raised his hand and looked outside the hall.

It took him a full ten thousand years to comprehend the axis of the Heavenly Dao before he finally understood his path to the Three Realms.

It's like waking up from a dream.

He knew that ten thousand years had passed.

It's time to leave quarantine.

The moment Su Chen walked out of the Hall of Longevity.

The entire Taiyi Immortal City, the "Zhou Tian Xing Dou Gui Yuan Great Array," which was presided over by the Golden Light Ancient Immortal and drew upon the power of the Zhou Tian Stars and had been hidden for ten thousand years, suddenly began to operate on its own without any warning!
Countless glittering star-like phantoms appeared in the sky above the immortal city, joyfully circling the Hall of Longevity, spinning and leaping, scattering billions of soft starlight.

It was as if they were welcoming their sole master, the supreme Dao Lord, back to power!
"This...this is?!"

Jin Guang Gu Xian, who was handling palace affairs, suddenly raised his head. He felt that supreme Daoist charm that was both familiar and incredibly strange, as if it were integrated with the entire universe. His face revealed an uncontrollable joy!
He waited for ten thousand years!

Finally, the day has come!

"Welcome back, Dao Master, as you emerge from seclusion!"

The figure of the Golden Light Ancient Immortal instantly appeared in front of the Hall of Longevity. He looked at the figure dressed in white, whose aura was ten thousand times more restrained than it had been ten thousand years ago, and who seemed like an ordinary mortal. He respectfully performed a full prostration.

Behind him, hundreds of figures also appeared!

They are the new generation of powerful individuals who have grown up in the uniquely advantageous environment of Taiyi Palace over the past ten thousand years!
Among them, even the weakest cultivator is already at the high level of the Profound Immortal realm!

The aura emanating from the ten people standing at the very front was in no way weaker than that of the Golden Light Ancient Immortal of yesteryear; they were all already at the level of the Profound Jade Immortal Ranking!

"Welcome to the Taoist Master!"

Hundreds of powerful figures knelt on the ground, their voices filled with the most fervent worship from the depths of their souls!
They are a generation that grew up listening to the legends of Su Chen, comprehending the "Taiyi Dao Stele" he left behind, and bathing in the blessings of the holy land he created!
In their hearts, Su Chen was no longer just a simple strongman.

Rather, it is their faith, their god, the creator of this golden age... the Founding Ancestor!
"Everyone, get up."

Su Chen's gaze swept over the familiar yet unfamiliar faces before him, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes. (End of Chapter)