Swallowing the Stars: The Supreme Being of All Heavens

The next day.

When the sun rises and brings light to the outside world, the city of Holy Mountain is utterly silent.

The square where the hundred-meter-tall statue of the emperor stands is now packed with people.

Beneath the radiant and majestic statue of the emperor, as if being watched by the emperor himself, everyone remained silent, and no one dared to make a sound.

A bald old man with a sculpted, hard face, dressed in a long golden robe, slowly walked to the foot of the Emperor's statue, accompanied by several men in silver robes.

Flying is prohibited in the square where the Emperor's statue is located; that's the rule.

The only one who can disobey is the Emperor.

"I am the current lord of Holy Mountain City, Seleman Gure," the golden-robed elder slowly spoke.

Regardless of whether there is an emperor in power in Holy Mountain City, there must be a city lord in charge of its management. According to unwritten tradition, the city lord is always a member of the Gu Lei family, a descendant of Emperor Gu Lei.

The Gu Lei family's ancestral rule is that descendants must not enter the Stone Gate!

Therefore, the Gulei family has not produced another emperor since Emperor Gulei.

Of course, the reason why the Gulei family has been able to continue for so many years is not only because there are bloodlines within Holy Mountain City, but also countless others outside.

This is the oldest family, and also very mysterious.

Even after repeated attempts to destroy the world, the Gulei family was always able to re-enter Holy Mountain City, rise from the ashes, and continue their lineage generation after generation.

A grand voice resounded from the old man in the golden robe.

"A cycle of 100,000 years has come, and the day the stone gate will open has arrived."

"You should all be clear about the rules, but I'll emphasize them again."

"First, the stone gate will remain open for a maximum of one year before closing, and you must exit within one year."

"Second, once inside, you are responsible for your own life and death; whatever happens inside is none of your business outside."

"three……"

The sound echoed continuously in the square, while the crowd remained silent.

After a while, everything was read aloud. The old man in the golden robe paused for a moment, then said, "Alright, those of you heading to the stone gate, follow me." He turned and walked ahead in one direction outside the plaza, followed by several men in silver robes, and then members of other factions, who silently followed.

Ten guards dressed in black armor stood in front of a cave entrance. When they saw the old man in golden robes leading his men over, they silently stepped aside.

The old man in the golden robe led the group inside, and then people filed in.

Following the seemingly bottomless passage, after an unknown amount of time, we finally saw the end. Emerging from the cave, a strange scene unfolded before us—

It was a massive abyss rift, with clouds and mist constantly churning at the bottom, and lightning snakes slithering around, emitting low whistling sounds. An endless, terrifying pressure emanated from below, making one feel as if an ant were walking on the edge of a volcano that could erupt at any moment, instantly turning to ashes.

Above the abyss rift floated a tall portal, a black stone gate with wisps of gold, a thousand meters high and several hundred meters wide, with what appeared to be some drawings on it, exuding a mysterious aura.

The old man in the golden robe said, "Only every 100,000 years will the Abyss Thunder Sea recede, allowing the stone gate to emerge. Do not underestimate these lightning bolts; they are different from those outside. The power of the Abyss Thunder is unbelievable. In history, a great emperor once risked touching it, only to be reduced to ashes in a mere instant... becoming the shortest-lived great emperor. You all know the story of that eternal great emperor. Those who do not wish to die must come out within a year."

"There's still half a day before the stone gate opens. You can wait here and study the pictures on the stone gate."

After the old man in the golden robe finished speaking, he glanced at the several silver-robed men beside him. The silver-robed men silently flew up and stopped in front of the stone gate. They then focused their attention on the stone gate, as if there were some treasures on it, watching intently.

A powerful stone figure, nearly four meters tall with muscles like rock, said, "Lord of Gulei City, your Gulei family has never gone inside, but instead has been constantly studying the drawings on this stone gate. Could it be that, as the legends say, this stone gate holds a secret that even the Great Emperor seeks?"

Another sea-folk female saint, dressed in thin armor that barely covered her vital parts, said softly, "I've also heard this story. It's said that Emperor Gulei was the first person to enter the gate, but he didn't go in directly. Instead, he received special guidance at the stone gate and entered. Inside, he gained unimaginable wealth before coming out. He was different from other emperors. There's even a legend that Emperor Gulei didn't actually die when his lifespan was up, but rather he voluntarily left our world and entered the vast starry sky. Is that true, Lord Gulei?"

The various factions standing on the edge of the cliff all wore strange expressions, clearly having heard about these things to varying degrees.

The old man in the golden robe remained expressionless and said calmly, "My Gu Lei clan has always protected Holy Mountain City in accordance with the will of our ancestors. Not a single member of our clan has entered the Stone Gate to compete with you for that opportunity. Ten thousand years after ten thousand years, watching those Great Emperors rise and fall, generation after generation. What do you think is the reason for this?"

He turned around and swept his gaze across the crowd. His voice was deep. "To be honest, in the oldest records of our Gulei family, Emperor Gulei did say that the Stone Gate contains the secret to becoming a transcendent emperor. I can guarantee that. But are you willing to try? Take a year to risk it and see if you can succeed? Or go inside and fight your way up. At least there's still a sliver of a chance to become an emperor."

The saints gathered here looked at each other, then at the silver-robed figure floating beside the stone gate. Many of them seemed thoughtful, some were tempted, but most were doubtful.

A beautiful snowwoman, white from head to toe, spoke, her voice icy, like a winter's wind: "Has anyone in your history ever succeeded?"

The old man in the golden robe shook his head and said regretfully, "No, not a single one. Except for Emperor Gu Lei, who might succeed, countless years have passed, and one emperor after another has emerged from the Stone Gate, but none of our clansmen have succeeded." He looked at the Stone Gate and sighed, "The main problem is that you have to comprehend them within a year, which is too difficult. If you miss the opportunity, you have to wait another 100,000 years. Even the emperors don't get another chance, let alone us."

The people present fell silent, and their gazes toward the stone gate became varied.

"Since we still have time, let's try to understand it first," a plump woman said with a smile, and flew over.

Then came the others. Since the stone gate hadn't been opened yet, they decided to take a look first, just in case they were lucky enough to have a chance.

The old man in the golden robe smiled as he watched this scene, but there was a hint of mockery in his eyes. Their Gu Lei clan had the teachings of the Gu Lei Emperor, preparing generation after generation. So many geniuses had failed for countless years, yet these guys could succeed so easily.

The words left behind by Emperor Gulei flashed through his mind: "The things inside the stone gate can indeed allow them to advance further, but that's all they can do. From now on, they will stop here. My descendants must never do that."

Meanwhile, Suk, who had been observing from the beginning to the end of the spaceship, became interested in the pictures on the stone door and ordered Liumila and the others present to go and take a look.

At the same time, he already sensed that something was wrong.

"Was this stone gate deliberately left behind by someone?"

Consider the ancient legends of this galaxy: an unprecedented catastrophe wiped out everything within a region spanning tens of thousands of light-years overnight—a whole region of tens of thousands of light-years! Forget destruction, even light would take tens of thousands of years to travel that distance! It's equivalent to destroying half of the Milky Way!

What power... could achieve this?