Living in the deep palace

I don’t know how much time has passed.

It could be a fleeting moment, or it could be billions of epochs.

When Su Chen's consciousness slowly awoke from that endless darkness and chaos.

He discovered that he was in an incredibly strange place.

This is a boundless bronze space.

All around, as far as the eye could see, were those cold, lifeless bronze walls, imbued with an immortal Daoist aura.

On the wall were engraved countless mysterious runes that he could not understand, but which he could sense as possessing supreme power.

These runes, as if alive, were slowly flowing, emanating terrifying refining power that continuously washed over his "Taiyi True Spirit".

He was suppressed.

They were suppressed inside that giant bronze gate...!

"woke up?"

A cold voice slowly echoed in the empty bronze space.

Su Chen struggled to lift his head.

Not far in front of him, the illusory figure that called himself the "Lord of the Stars and Seas" was quietly floating there.

At this moment, He seemed much more solid than before.

Clearly, after suppressing Su Chen, He also gained some... benefits.

"No need to waste your efforts."

Seemingly sensing Su Chen's intention to struggle, the figure spoke calmly.

"This is the 'Hall of Return to Origin,' a supreme treasure that I crafted in the past. Its essence is the transformation of the 'original core' of this universe."

"Entering this hall is like entering the 'stomach' of the universe. Here, all laws and all great principles will return to 'nothingness,' ultimately being decomposed and transformed into the purest 'origin,' nourishing the universe in return."

"Don't even mention a mere 'Golden Immortal' in the third realm like you. Even a true fourth realm cultivator, or even a peak-level being who has reached the pinnacle of an era, would only be...refined once they are suppressed here."

His voice was filled with absolute confidence and control.

Su Chen's heart sank little by little.

He could tell that the other person wasn't lying.

Within this bronze space, he could not sense any external laws. His "Taiyi Dao" was suppressed to an unprecedented freezing point.

He was like a hacker whose internet connection had been cut off, possessing extraordinary skills but having nowhere to use them.

However, the refining power emanating from the runes on the wall was constantly eroding his origin and disintegrating his Dao heart.

If this continues, it probably won't be long before his consciousness is completely obliterated, turning him into... nourishment for this "Hall of Origin".

"What...exactly do you want to do?"

Su Chen's voice was somewhat hoarse.

He knew that since the other party hadn't killed him immediately upon suppressing him, but instead trapped him here, they must have a bigger... scheme.

"doing what?"

The figure let out a soft chuckle.

"Didn't I say before? You are a huge 'surprise'."

"I have been asleep for far too long. So long that I have almost forgotten that I was once the 'creator' of this universe."

"My origins, during the 'Battle of the Collapsed Heavens,' while I was in slumber, were already devoured by that damned Nether Lotus and that group of 'Gluttons' from outside the gate... riddled with holes."

"I am left with only this wisp of will that has merged with the 'Hall of Origin'...

"I need a new 'body,' a new 'vessel,' to carry my remaining will, so that I can... return to the world!"

His gaze suddenly became incredibly intense, fixed intently on Su Chen.

"For this purpose, I have orchestrated countless eras. I have secretly guided countless exceptionally talented beings, including even the one who created the first era, 'Zuo Qingcang'."

"of course."

"Zuo Qingcang is quite troublesome, after all, he also has a fifth-realm expert standing behind him..."

“I hope they can grow up and eventually come before me to become the sacrifices for my ‘resurrection’.”

"But unfortunately, they all...failed."

"Among them, the strongest, Zuo Qingcang, has only reached the peak of the fourth realm, unable to even touch the threshold of the fifth realm. Their 'Dao' is too weak, too singular, and simply cannot bear the weight of my former status as the 'Creator'!"

His voice carried a deep sense of disappointment and disdain.

"Until you came along."

His tone suddenly shifted, filled with unprecedented excitement and greed!

"A Taiyi Golden Immortal! Reaching the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dao! And... even comes from that 'forbidden land' that even the Nether Lotus fears!"

"In the Land of Time, even that mysterious Fifth Realm expert looks at you with new respect and places high hopes on you!"

"Su Chen, Su Chen, you are simply... the most perfect gift the world has sent to me!"

"Your 'Taiyi Dao' is all-encompassing, self-contained, and possesses unlimited potential for growth!"

"Your 'Heavenly Dao' status allows you to perfectly reconnect with this universe! And your mysterious origin from the 'Forbidden Land'... will enable me, after my resurrection, to surpass the past and truly step into... a higher realm!"

"So, do you understand?"

His illusory figure, now somewhat solidified, slowly drifted towards Su Chen, with an elegance and cruelty akin to a cat toying with a mouse.

"I will not kill you. That would be too wasteful."

"I will use this 'Hall of Return to Origin' to grind your 'Taiyi True Spirit' little by little into the purest soul particles."

"Then, I will devour your memories, your understanding of the Great Dao, and everything about you, as the most delicious 'dessert'!"

"Finally, my will will take over your perfect 'Taiyi Dao Body,' and you will be reborn as 'Su Chen'!"

"At that time, I will be you. And you will become the first cornerstone for me to return to the peak."

"This is your...destiny!"

The cold, cruel, and unquestionable verdict echoed in every corner of the bronze cage, like merciless hammer blows striking Su Chen's heart.

Su Chen was silent.

He didn't roar or struggle; he simply sat there quietly, letting the all-pervasive refining power wash over his body and soul.

He knew that any verbal resistance was meaningless in the face of an absolute disparity in strength.

The other party is the "creator" of this universe, the rule-maker. And he, at this moment, is just a prisoner locked in a cage...

The power of refining is becoming increasingly terrifying.

Su Chen felt his "Primordial" Dao Origin being forcibly stripped away bit by bit. It felt as if his flesh and blood were being sliced ​​off piece by piece by an invisible, blunt knife.

Next came his memories.

Scenes flashed uncontrollably through his mind.

The peaceful days of the library... The spotlight on the top spot on the Dragon List...

The carefree life of a true immortal...

The exhilarating spirit of building the Taiyi Dao Palace...

Even more so, the unparalleled glory of achieving Taiyi, wielding the power of Heaven, enlightening the Three Immortals, and shaking the starry sea...

These most precious experiences of his life were becoming blurred and dimmed under that terrifying refining power, as if they were about to be completely... erased!
"Do not……"

"I can't... end it like this..."

The pain was excruciating, but bearable.

The stripping away of the Great Way is bearable.

But the loss of his memory was something Su Chen absolutely could not tolerate!

That is the very essence of what makes a person "themselves"!

Once his memories are erased, Su Chen will no longer be Su Chen!
“Aa ...

Su Chen let out a roar that came from the depths of his soul!

He forcefully activated the "Taiyi True Spirit" that had been suppressed to the extreme, attempting to resist the terrifying power that would wipe out everything!
His true spirit emitted faint wisps of chaotic light, like a candle flame that could be extinguished at any moment in a storm, yet it still... stubbornly burned!

"Oh? You still have the strength to resist?"

The remaining will of the "Creator" let out a soft, intrigued exclamation.

"The willpower is commendable. Unfortunately... it's all meaningless."

“In my ‘Hall of Origin’, your ‘will’ is the cheapest and most useless thing.”

He seemed to find the game a bit boring, and a thought struck him.

boom--! ! ! ! !
On the bronze wall, the light of the countless mysterious runes suddenly intensified a hundredfold!
The power of refining instantly transformed into a raging torrent, ruthlessly shattering Su Chen's crumbling willpower!

"puff!"

Su Chen's "Taiyi True Spirit" trembled violently under this terrifying impact, and visible cracks appeared on its surface!
His consciousness was instantly swept away and scattered.

More memories began to surface uncontrollably, and then... were erased!
The voices and smiles of my parents from a past life...

The laughter, anger, and scolding of friends in this lifetime...

The ferocious face of the enemy before me...

Battle after battle, breakthrough after breakthrough, laughter after laughter, tears after tears...

Everything is heading towards...the end.

Do not!
No! ! ! !

Su Chen's consciousness was screaming wildly!

He cannot forget! He must never forget all of this!
He wants to live!
He must return to his own time to resist the impending "calamity"!
He also has to protect the Taiyi Dao Palace! Protect Jin Guang, Wu Xin, and the Ancient Insect!
He also wants to resurrect the people he has lost in the world!
He... hasn't lost yet!
Driven by this will to survive, Su Chen's consciousness began to shrink frantically. He wanted to protect his last and most essential memories!

However, all his efforts seemed so futile in the face of that devastating torrent of refining.

His memories, like sandcastles being washed away by a flood, are collapsing at an irreversible pace.

Memories of the immortal world... gone.

My memories from the beginning of my transmigration... are gone.

Soon, he will be completely erased, becoming a pure blank sheet of paper, left for others to paint on.

despair.

Endless despair, like a cold tide, overwhelmed Su Chen's last shred of consciousness.

Is it... really over?

at this time.

Just as Su Chen's consciousness was about to completely dissipate and all his memories were about to be erased, in the very last moment...

A scene, utterly "ordinary" and completely out of place in this world of immortals, slowly emerged from the deepest, most central corner of his memory.

It was a blue planet.

It was a jungle of reinforced concrete.

Those were the endless stream of vehicles, the hurried crowds, and the familiar scent of sunlight mingling with the smell of books in the library…

Earth!

It was his original...hometown!
The moment this memory surfaced, a sudden change occurred!
Buzz——!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That torrent of refinement, which should have been invincible and obliterated everything, suddenly paused the moment it touched these "Earth memories"!
It's like a high-speed, precision machine suddenly being stuffed with a piece of gibberish that it can't recognize, process, or even understand!
The originally smooth refining process, for the first time, encountered... a "lag"!
"Um!?"

Outside, the will of the "Creator" suddenly let out a surprised and uncertain voice!

He clearly sensed that the operation of the "Hall of Origin" had experienced an extremely slight... stagnation.

Although this slight hesitation lasted less than a fraction of a second, it was nothing short of a bolt from the blue for an existence of His level!
"what happened?"

His will descended upon Su Chen's "Taiyi True Spirit" in an instant, attempting to investigate the source of the anomaly.

Then, He "saw" it.

He saw the blue planet, those "mortals" who were completely different from the cultivators, and those strange creations called "technology".

For the first time, His will revealed a hint of... bewilderment.

what is this?
This is where?

Why does such a... absurd, lifeless world with laws so inferior it resembles a "wasteland" exist deep within Su Chen's soul?
"A hallucination?"

"No...it's not an illusion!"

His will sought to penetrate these memories and analyze their essence.

However, the moment His will touched that "azure" blue!

An unprecedented sense of "repulsion," originating from above one's status, suddenly surged forth!

It was as if He, the mighty "creator" of the universe, was... "illegal" in the face of this memory! He was not "allowed" to exist!

"This...this is impossible!"

The will of the "Creator" has stirred up a monstrous wave!

He doesn't believe in evil!

He is the creator of this universe! What "law" could He not understand or explain?!
"Break for me!"

He roared and mobilized even more refining power, transforming it into an invisible "spear of analysis," which fiercely pierced Su Chen's last "pure land of memories"!
He wanted to completely...delete this "garbled code" that made him uneasy!
However, this became the most fatal mistake He ever made in his life!
When that refining power, a hundred times stronger, surged into Su Chen's true spirit, attempting to forcibly erase those "Earth memories"...

Su Chen, who had fallen into a deathly silence and was about to lose consciousness, suddenly seemed to see a guiding light in the endless darkness!

His scattered consciousness, as if finding its backbone, frantically and instinctively converged towards that last "pure land of memories"!

The more frantically the refining power from the outside attacked that memory, the more tightly Su Chen's remaining consciousness merged with it! (End of Chapter)