Living in the deep palace

"Roar...roar..."

Kui began to struggle frantically, its massive body crashing wildly through the void like a runaway star, trying to shake off Su Chen.

But Su Chen's hand was as if it had taken root, clinging tightly to its body, and no matter how it struggled, it could not break free even a little.

"Who exactly are you...?"

"what!"

Kui let out a shrill roar.

Obviously...

He has already avoided the aura of the twenty Heavenly Venerables, so he should be invincible. Could it be that an eleventh Heavenly Venerable has been born in this sea of ​​stars?
hum!
soon.

Terror appeared in his eyes.

He remembered.

There is another Celestial Venerable!
Do not!
It should be said that their titles surpass even those of the Twenty Venerables.

"You are—Time Celestial Venerable!!!"

"No!"

"Spare me, I'm willing to surrender! Ahh..."

The piercing screams never stopped.

Su Chen turned a deaf ear.

However, the devouring and plundering became increasingly ferocious.

Within Su Chen's body, the Taiyi Golden Immortal Dao Fruit was spinning wildly!
The primordial power from Kui, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, continuously poured into his body. It was analyzed and purified by the illusory wheel behind him, and finally transformed into the purest nutrients to nourish his Dao fruit.

His aura began to rise at an alarming rate!
The barrier that had blocked him for 1,500 years on his path to the late stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm shattered at this moment!

The entire Shattered Star Abyss, and even half of the Returning Ruins Starfield, felt this astonishing surge of advancement!

Countless cultivators who were fighting and fleeing stopped in their tracks and stared in horror at the source of the disturbance.

"This is... someone breaking through?!"

"What a terrifying aura! This is definitely the fluctuation of the fourth realm! Who is it? Could it be that a Celestial Venerable or Ancient Venerable has descended?"

At the very heart of this storm, Su Chen kept his eyes closed, his entire being immersed in this unprecedented "plundering feast."

His prey, Kui, after letting out a final, unwilling, and desperate cry, began to wither and petrify rapidly, like a fruit shell drained of all its essence.

Finally, after Su Chen completely stabilized his late-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, this forbidden ancient life form, which had only been revived for less than an hour, completely transformed into a cold, lifeless cosmic stone sculpture, silently floating in the dark void, becoming the only witness to the trembling of this starry sea.

……

……

"It's done!"

"He's reached the late stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm."

Su Chen slowly opened his eyes, and a piercing light that seemed to penetrate eternity flashed in them.

He could clearly feel that the Taiyi Golden Immortal Dao Fruit within his body had undergone a tremendous transformation.

It is no longer merely a condensation of energy and laws, but more like a nascent, self-contained miniature universe of celestial laws.

His own cosmic way.

Within the Dao Fruit, chaos and data intertwine, giving rise to countless Great Daos. Each cycle brings immense power far surpassing anything before.

The benefits of devouring a fourth-realm primordial ancient life form far exceeded his imagination.

This was not merely a breakthrough in cultivation, but a leap in the level of life itself. He felt his connection with this universe becoming faint, as if he could transcend it at any moment and no longer be bound by the laws of this place.

However, it was precisely this breakthrough that caused such a stir.

The burst of higher-level Daoist energy that occurred in that instant, though lasting only a moment, was like a ray of light in the night, instantly piercing through the chaos and darkness of the Guixu Starfield and spreading to every corner of the fourteen star seas.

"We must leave immediately."

Su Chen felt no pride whatsoever; instead, he felt a strong sense of unease.

He knew that this fluctuation would inevitably alarm the twenty beings at the very top of this star sea. They might not be able to understand the nature of this fluctuation, but they could definitely judge its terrifying energy level.

Without any hesitation, Su Chen took a step forward, his figure about to merge into the void.

But before leaving, he glanced at the statue that had turned into a stone sculpture and flicked his finger.

A wisp of chaotic flame landed on the stone sculpture, and the massive remains of this forbidden ancient life form silently transformed into the purest cosmic dust, completely dissipating without leaving any trace.

After doing all this, he completely disappeared into the ravaged Abyss of Shattered Stars, like a drop of water entering the sea, leaving no trace.

……

……

Less than an incense stick's time had passed since Su Chen left.

Boom——! ! !
The starry sky to the east of the Shattered Star Abyss was suddenly torn apart by an unparalleled imperial dragon might!

The endless sea of ​​stars seemed to have been cleaved in two by an invisible hand, forming a magnificent avenue paved with golden lightning and chaotic dragon energy.

A majestic figure, wearing an imperial crown and a robe adorned with ten thousand dragons, whose eyes seemed to reflect the birth and death of the universe, slowly walked out from the depths of time and space, treading on this great road.

With each step He took, the laws of the entire Guixu Starfield trembled and submitted.

It is none other than the leader of the Ten Ancient Sovereigns, the Dragon Emperor of the East Sea!
At almost the same time, a completely different scene unfolded in the western star field of the abyss.

The stars in the sky suddenly stopped moving.

Immediately afterwards, all the starlight converged, coalescing into an extremely dazzling galaxy that descended from the sky.

A man dressed in a starlight-infused feather robe, with a blurred face and a body seemingly composed of billions of stars, descended silently, bathed in the light of the Milky Way.

Where he stood, time seemed to slow down, and everything fell into an absolute order and harmony.

Among the newly promoted Ten Celestial Venerables, the Star River Celestial Venerable possesses unfathomable strength!
Two supreme rulers of the universe, belonging to opposing camps and usually keeping to themselves, were simultaneously drawn to this chaotic, lawless land by that astonishing fluctuation.

"Star River, this place is a disputed territory between my East Sea and your Myriad Laws Immortal Alliance. Why are you here instead of studying the universe in your Star Palace?"

The Dragon Emperor of the East Sea spoke first, his voice majestic and deep, filled with an unquestionable imperial aura.

The starlight surrounding the Celestial Venerable of the Milky Way swirled slightly, emitting an ethereal yet indifferent voice:
"The Dragon Emperor is joking."

"The Ruins of Return Starfield is a land without an owner, where the capable reside." "I sensed an astonishing burst of Dao energy erupting from this place, so I came to investigate. But you, Dragon Emperor, why don't you enjoy your honor in your Dragon Palace instead of coming to this filthy place?"

The gazes of the two supreme beings collided in the void, and the invisible power of the laws clashed with each other, causing the surrounding meteorite belt to turn into dust in large swaths.

However, this tense standoff lasted only a few breaths before being broken by the fact that both of them simultaneously noticed something amiss.

Their gazes were simultaneously drawn to the empty void—the very place where Su Chen had devoured Kui and completed his breakthrough.

"This aura..." The majestic dragon eyes of the East Sea Dragon Emperor suddenly narrowed, and for the first time, an extremely solemn expression appeared on his face.

"A Daoist aura that transcends the ordinary fourth realm... No, this is not a matter of power, but rather a kind of... essential transcendence." The voice of the Star River Celestial Venerable also carried a hint of surprise and doubt.

They are all at the peak of the fourth realm, and their understanding of the Great Dao has reached its zenith.

But at this moment, from the faint trace of aura remaining in that void, they all sensed something that made their hearts pound and even felt unfamiliar... "Rank".

It was an aura that transcended all the great principles they understood—an aura that was more ancient, more primal, and more…free!

The Dragon Emperor of the East Sea slowly closed his eyes, pushing his vast and boundless divine sense to its limit, attempting to reverse time and peek into everything that had happened here.

However, all he saw was a chaotic mess disturbed by a higher level of power, and all traces of Su Chen seemed to be shrouded in an impenetrable fog.

"Cause and effect... have been severed." The Dragon Emperor opened his eyes, his voice filled with disbelief and shock.

The Celestial Venerable of the Milky Way was also using his methods. The billions of stars around him began to rotate rapidly, as if constructing an enormous divination array.

However, no matter how he calculated, all the secrets of heaven pointed to an absolute "nothingness".

Just then, the Dragon Emperor of the East Sea swept his divine sense across the edge of the battlefield, where the Flood Dragon King, who was slumped in the void, his aura extremely weak and almost dead, was located.

He took a step forward and instantly appeared in front of the Heavenly King of the Flood Sea, a dragon claw pressing down on his crown.

"Soul search!"

A massive torrent of memories surged into the Dragon Emperor's sea of ​​consciousness.

He witnessed the battle, saw the figure in the green robe, saw him effortlessly obliterate the Remnant Star Heavenly King with his words, and even saw him cripple the Flood Dragon Sea Heavenly King with a single punch...

boom! ! !
The mighty body of the Dragon Emperor of the East Sea trembled violently, and boundless waves of terror erupted from his majestic dragon eyes!
"It's him!"

"How could it be him?!"

On the other side, the Celestial Venerable of the Milky Way also seemed to have captured some remaining fragments of information through the trajectory of starlight. For the first time, his ethereal voice fluctuated violently.
"This is... the aura of the Celestial Venerable Shi!"

Time God!
This name, which they considered the highest taboo and had disappeared for 1,500 years, resounded like a thunderclap in the hearts of the two supreme beings!
The surprise and solemnity on their faces instantly transformed into deep... apprehension and fear!

Back then, they only "saw" that incredible divine war through blurry fragments of time travel.

Today, they truly felt the terrifying, otherworldly Daoist aura left behind by this forbidden being!
"He...he actually broke through here?" Star River Celestial Venerable's voice was somewhat hoarse. "What exactly does he want to do? Wasn't he supposed to have disappeared?"

The Dragon Emperor of the East Sea's face was so dark it seemed to drip water. He didn't answer, but instead suddenly raised his head and let out a roar that shook the entire Guixu Starfield:

"Lord Shi! Now that you're here, why not show yourself? There is no enmity between us, and we can even acknowledge you as the common ruler of the new era!"

The sound rolled away, filled with probing and... a hint of apprehension that even he himself was unaware of.

However, the void was deathly silent, without any response.

The two supreme beings fell silent.

They knew that the other party wouldn't even bother to meet them.

After a long silence, the Celestial Venerable of the Milky Way finally spoke, breaking the suffocating silence: "Dragon Emperor, it seems that our peaceful days are coming to an end."

The Dragon Emperor of the East Sea nodded slowly, his voice bitter: "A monster who could 'talk' to death the Heavenly Dao... Now, he has become stronger. This Star Sea is probably about to change again."

They looked at each other in silence. The lofty ambition they had just built up as masters of the universe was completely shattered in the face of the name "Time Celestial Venerable".

They once again employed all sorts of extraordinary methods in an attempt to find Su Chen's whereabouts.

The Dragon Emperor even went so far as to expend his own essence to summon the legendary "Dragon Mirror of Destiny," while the Star River Celestial Venerable mobilized the celestial power of fourteen star seas to conduct a comprehensive deduction.

However, it was all in vain.

"The Path of Taiyi... truly lives up to its reputation."

"The Heavenly Venerable Shi, who slayed the Heavenly Dao, truly lives up to his reputation!"

"Ugh!"

The Celestial Venerable of the Milky Way finally gave up. He gazed at the unfathomable secrets of heaven and let out a long sigh.

"This path is not subject to cause and effect, nor to fate; it is a self-contained system. As long as he does not wish to be found, no one in this world can find him."

The Dragon Emperor of the East Sea also withdrew his supernatural powers, his face extremely grim.

A terrifying being that cannot be located or calculated, yet possesses overwhelming power, is like a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment.

This unknown fear is far more tormenting than any visible enemy.

In the end, the two supreme beings left quietly, filled with worry and unease.

But before they left, they all simultaneously issued a top-level secret order to all their respective forces—

"Search with all your might for any clues related to 'Time Celestial Venerable'. If you encounter anyone who resembles him, do not show any disrespect or conflict with him, and report it immediately!"

This taboo, which had disappeared for a thousand years, has once again become the heaviest shadow looming over the hearts of all the new gods.

……

……

at the same time.

In an absolutely void space that does not belong to any of the fourteen star seas.

There is no time, no space, no matter, no energy here, and even the concept of "nothingness" itself seems incredibly thin.

This is a true "ruin of the Dao," an eternal "scar" left behind after the annihilation of the previous chaotic era.

Su Chen was sitting quietly in the heart of this ruin.

He was completely unaware of the turmoil in the outside world and the fear of the gods, and he paid no attention to it whatsoever.

At this moment, all his thoughts were immersed in his newly attained realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal late stage.

Within his inner vision, the Dao Fruit, resembling a miniature universe, was slowly evolving. The original Dao of Kuina's "devouring" and "returning to nothingness" had been thoroughly analyzed and absorbed by him, transforming into two brand-new branches within his "Dao of the True Self."

Chen Sheng's vast and boundless memories were now like a treasure trove that had been completely unlocked, with countless long-lost supreme divine abilities and secret techniques belonging to the fifth realm clearly presented before him.

"The power is sufficient, but what's lacking is a true killing technique that can unleash this power to its fullest potential." (End of Chapter)