Living in the deep palace

The voice of the Ancient Venerable Tianyi remained indifferent and devoid of any emotion, as if he had already anticipated Su Chen's arrival.

"You knew I would come?" A strange light flashed in Su Chen's eyes.

“I don’t know when you will come, but I know that once you truly understand the ‘truth’ of this world, you will definitely come to find me,” Tianyi Ancient Venerable said slowly.

"It seems you know far more than they do," Su Chen said with absolute certainty.

"As the first among the Ten Venerables."

"I am very strong, and I have survived longer than you can imagine."

"If you live long enough, you'll see things that others can't." For the first time, Tianyi Ancient Venerable's voice carried a faint sigh. "For example, a sandcastle that is slowly collapsing..."

Su Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

"It seems we can save ourselves a lot of unnecessary explanations."

“Not bad.” Tianyi Ancient Venerable nodded slowly. “Then, state your purpose, Mr. ‘Gravedigger’.”

The words "gravedigger" made Su Chen's heart sink.

He knew that the being before him possessed wisdom and insight that had reached an unbelievable level! He had even guessed his... purpose!
Su Chen no longer tried to hide it.

He told Tianyi Ancient Venerable everything without reservation: his encounter in the Sea of ​​Silence, the final warning from the [Spirit], the shocking conspiracy of the Skeleton Venerable, the "Sealed Gate," and the existence of the "Skeleton Apostle."

As Su Chen narrated, for the first time, the flow of pure and turbid energies in this eternally unchanging "Primordial Ruins" became... disordered!
When the ancient venerable heard that Su Chen had personally unlocked the six "locks," his figure, interwoven with light and shadow, trembled violently!
When he heard about the arrival of the "Skeleton Apostle" and the great battle he fought with Su Chen, his usually calm and collected aura revealed a trace of shock for the first time!

After hearing Su Chen's heaven-defying plan to "reforge the seal," he...

He fell completely silent.

A long time, a long time.

This entire world seemed to have fallen into absolute silence.

In the end, it was Tianyi Ancient Venerable who slowly broke the silence.

His voice, which was devoid of any emotion, took on an unprecedented... solemnity at this moment.

"Your plan..."

"That's crazy."

"but……"

"It is also our only... way out."

Without the slightest doubt, he directly approved Su Chen's seemingly fantastical plan!
"You...believe me?" This time, it was Su Chen's turn to be surprised.

“I don’t believe you.” Tianyi Ancient Venerable shook his head. “I only believe in the ‘future’.”

"Of the countless 'futures' I have observed, there is a 99% chance that this world will completely collapse, and we will all be reduced to nothingness."

"And the only one, less than one in ten, has the possibility of seeing 'tomorrow'..."

His figure, interwoven with light and shadow, slowly "looked" at Su Chen.

"All of its 'variables' point to...you."

"Therefore, I had no other choice."

"So, what's your decision?" Su Chen pressed.

“Summon them.” Tianyi Ancient Venerable’s voice returned to its former indifference, but beneath that indifference lay an undeniable resolve. “It’s time to wake up these guys who are still dreaming of becoming rulers.”

“I will personally convene a Supreme Council for you, which will include all the ‘Venerable Ones’.”

"And you, then, need to personally reveal to them this cruel truth that is enough to completely shatter their worldview."

"Are you ready to face those nineteen gazes, gazes that might drive them mad with fear and despair?"

Su Chen looked at the oldest sage before him, who had already made his decision, and slowly smiled.

"I was ready a long time ago."

……

Three days later.

A "Primordial Decree" personally issued by the Ancient Venerable Tianyi, which could not be refused, instantly spread to every corner of the fourteen star seas.

The content of the decree is only one thing—

All "Venerable Ones" shall immediately proceed to the Central Divine Court, the Hall of Origin, to participate in the "Supreme Council"!
Those who disobey this order will be considered enemies of all "venerable ones"!

In an instant, the entire universe trembled!
Whether it was the lofty and ancient Ten Venerables or the ambitious Ten Heavenly Venerables, upon receiving this decree, they all felt an unprecedented sense of solemnity and unease.

They didn't know why this "First Ancient Venerable," who never easily interfered in worldly affairs and whose strength was unfathomable, would suddenly make such a fuss.

However, they dared not disobey.

Within a single day.

Nineteen terrifying figures, representing the most supreme power of this era, descended one after another on the Hall of Origin, which they had long used as their council venue.

Dragon Emperor of the East Sea, Celestial Venerable of the Star River, Celestial Venerable of the Great Evolution...

Each and every one of them is a cosmic ruler capable of making a star field tremble.

At this moment, they gathered together, each with a different expression, and a tense and oppressive atmosphere permeated the air between them.

And after everyone had arrived.

The figure of Tianyi Ancient Venerable, interwoven with light and shadow, slowly appeared on the main seat that once belonged to the mythical Heavenly Dao.

"Everyone."

His indifferent voice resounded throughout the entire venue.

"I have summoned you all here today for one matter."

"That is, for us, and for this world that is about to be destroyed..."

"Find a way... to survive."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly turned his body to the side.

Behind him, in the void, a figure in a green robe slowly emerged.

The moment that figure appeared before all the "Venerable Ones"!

The entire Palace of Origin instantly fell into a deathly silence!
Immediately afterwards, an unprecedented outburst of horror and hostility erupted!
"Time Celestial Venerable!!"

"It's you!!"

"Tianyi! What do you mean?! How dare you associate with this scoundrel?!"

Nineteen terrifying auras locked onto Su Chen in that instant!

Su Chen simply watched them quietly, observing these pitiful creatures who ruled this era yet knew nothing of the true "apocalypse."

A complex, compassionate smile appeared on his face.

"Everyone,"

He spoke slowly, his voice clear and resonant, reaching the ears of every "venerable one".

"I'm sorry to have disturbed your 'Dream of Domination'."

"Because what I'm about to tell you is enough to completely wake you up from your dream..."

“Story.” That word “story” was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in the deathly silent Hall of Origin.

The gazes of the nineteen cosmic rulers, like nineteen unsheathed peerless divine weapons, were fixed intently on Su Chen. Within them lay surprise, rage, vigilance, and a trace of fear—a fear they themselves were unaware of.

"story?"

The majestic voice of the Dragon Emperor of the East Sea was the first to break the suffocating silence. His golden dragon eyes were fixed on Su Chen, as if trying to see right through him, inside and out.

"Time Celestial Venerable, you are far too disrespectful to us! This place is the pinnacle of power in the Mythical Era! It is not a place for you to tell stories!"

“Not bad!” Star River Celestial Venerable also spoke coldly from the side, and the billions of stars around him began to stir restlessly. “You slaughtered forbidden ancient life forms and disturbed the origin of the universe, and now you appear before us in a blatant manner under the protection of Heavenly One Ancient Venerable! What exactly do you intend to do?!”

"Tianyi! You'd better give us an explanation!"

"By associating with this fiend, are you betraying the covenant of us ancient venerables?!"

The crowd was immediately agitated!
The terrifying pressure of the fourth realm, like a tangible tsunami, crashed down on Su Chen and Tianyi Ancient Venerable from all directions!

The entire Palace of Origin, constructed from Chaos Divine Stones, hummed under the impact of these nineteen wills, unable to bear the strain!

However, this terrifying pressure was enough to instantly restart a vast world.

The figure of Tianyi Ancient Venerable, interwoven with light and shadow, simply raised one hand slowly.

"quiet."

One word.

Calm and uneventful.

But, it was that one word, spoken the instant it was uttered.

The entire Palace of Origin, along with the vast starry sky outside, seemed to have been put on pause.

All the violent pressure, all the boiling killing intent, all the restless laws were forcibly...smoothed out in this instant by a more ancient, more supreme, and more unquestionable force.

The nineteen cosmic rulers felt as if their own Dao origins were being gently pressed down by an invisible hand, making it impossible for them to stir up even the slightest ripple.

Everyone's face showed horror!

They knew that Tianyi Ancient Venerable was very strong, but they never imagined that he had become so powerful!
A single word can subdue... ten thousand paths!
"Today, there are no ancient venerables, nor celestial venerables."

The indifferent voice of the Heavenly One Ancient Venerable slowly rang out.

"Today, all of you here share only one identity."

"That is... something that will soon be buried along with this world..."

"Funerary items".

The moment the words left his mouth, everyone present was astonished!
"Tianyi! What do you mean by that?!" For the first time, an uncontrollable shock appeared on the face of the Dragon Emperor of the East Sea.

However, Tianyi Ancient Venerable did not offer any further explanation.

He simply turned his body slowly to the side, completely handing the stage over to Su Chen.

Facing the nineteen gazes that had shifted from "rage" to "astonishment," Su Chen slowly took a step forward.

"Gentlemen, you may not believe it."

"But the world beneath your feet, the era you rule, everything you know..."

"None of it is true."

His voice, though not loud, was clear and resonated deep within the soul of every being.

"It was just... a dream."

"A dying dream that is coming to an end, woven together by the undying obsession of the Fifth Realm Immortal Ancestor Chen Sheng after his fall and the remnants of his divine kingdom."

"what?!"

"What nonsense!"

"absurd!"

Su Chen's first words were like a bombshell, instantly igniting the entire scene!
"Quiet."

The voice of the Ancient Venerable Tianyi rang out again, forcefully suppressing all the commotion.

Su Chen ignored their doubts and continued to speak in that calm yet incredibly cruel tone.

"And the sole purpose of this dream is that it is a... cage."

“A gigantic cage used to suppress a terrifying being from the world outside the ‘dream’ named ‘Skeleton Lord’, a being of the fifth realm.”

"The ten 'locks' that make up this cage are what you call... the 'Ten Forbidden Ancient Life Forms'."

Upon hearing this, the pupils of all the "venerable ones" suddenly contracted!
They finally understood why the Celestial Venerable would hunt those forbidden ancient life forms!

“And I…” Su Chen’s face showed a self-deprecating smile, “an ‘outsider’ who does not belong to this dream, became the most perfect… ‘lock-picking tool’ under the conspiracy and scheming of the Skeleton Lord that spanned countless eras.”

"Just recently, I personally unlocked six of these ten locks."

At this point, his voice suddenly turned cold.

"And as a result, an unhealable crack appeared on the door of that cage."

“The Skeleton Lord’s ‘lackey’ has arrived.”

"And His true form is about to... break free!"

Su Chen's "story" is over.

The entire Hall of Origin fell into a deathly silence.

All the "venerable ones" looked at Su Chen with the same gaze they would give a madman.

This story is too unbelievable! Too... mind-blowing!
They simply cannot, and are unwilling to... believe it!
"Hahaha..." The Dragon Emperor of the East Sea suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter filled with boundless anger and mockery. "Brilliant! Truly a magnificent story!"

"Lord Shi, in order to make us submit to you, you have fabricated such an absurd lie!"

"Do you think you can shake our resolve with just a few words?!"

“That’s right! Unless you can produce evidence!” Star River Celestial Venerable echoed coldly.

"evidence?"

Looking at their eyes, which were full of doubt and resistance, Su Chen slowly shook his head.

"I have never bothered to prove anything to anyone."

"I will only let you..."

"See it with your own eyes!"

The moment the words fell!
Su Chen's eyes suddenly burst forth with an incomparably dazzling divine light!

A vast, boundless, yet incredibly pure primordial power belonging to the "spirit"—the collective consciousness of the universe—surged forth from his body!

This force is not an attack!

It's not a connection, but a kind of... "connection"!
"Soul Resonance!"

Buzz—! ! ! !

The nineteen universe rulers present felt their souls suddenly tremble! Immediately afterwards, they were forcibly "pulled" out of their bodies by an irresistible, gentle yet domineering force!

Their consciousness was pulled into an absolute... spiritual world dominated by Su Chen!
In this world, for the first time, they saw the truth from God's perspective! (End of Chapter)