366: Tianyuan collapsed...

Upon hearing these words, Shen Nian fell silent, seemingly contemplating something.

"Little Friend, your natural talent is that of a Prodigy. Even though I have seen countless Heaven-Defying figures since my birth, not one can compare to your innate gifts. Even that Dao Venerable who founded the Demon Sealing Sect was far inferior to you at the age of twenty..." Candle Nine Nethers continued, a flash of eerie light passing through his gray eyes.

"If you have something to say, say it all at once." Shen Nian spoke indifferently. Within his Chaos divine eyes, the power of the Chaos Dao was always contained, and he did not relax his vigilance in the slightest.

However, Candle Nine Nethers simply smiled indifferently and added, "You know full well that I cannot do anything to you at present, and you also know that it will take another thousand years for me to return to my peak state. Why must you maintain such a tense posture, Little Friend..."

"As the Confucianists would say, those who wish to Cultivate their bodies must first rectify their hearts; those who wish to rectify their hearts must first be sincere in their intentions..."

"For hundreds of millions of years, very few have been qualified to converse with me."

"And Little Friend, you have that..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian's expression remained unchanged, but he was somewhat moved inwardly. Just what kind of ability did the Ancient Realm possess? How could he have seen through him!

He could also tell that Candle Nine Nethers' meaning was very clear. He had stopped pretending and laid his cards on the table, which was enough to demonstrate his sincerity.

"I meant to say that, in truth, you and I are of the same kind..." Candle Nine Nethers said softly, then looked toward the frozen vortex of the Heavenly Abyss in the vast starry sky and added, "Little Friend, you are still lost in the mist, unaware of the truth. All wars in this world arise because of differing Daos. This is true for Yao and humans, and it is true for Immortals and Immortals. As long as the Dao does not cease, the fighting will never stop..."

"Just as I once advised The First Dao in the past to let go of his obsession..."

Hearing this, Shen Nian frowned slightly, then continued to listen.

"However, I can also understand you, Little Friend. You are different from him. Your state of mind is still only twenty; you have yet to see through these shackles of the Mortal World. It is understandable that you fight now for some ants who are ultimately destined to suffer the pains of Reincarnation."

"But when you have experienced sufficiently long ages and witnessed the changes of eras, you will let all of this go. What seven emotions and six desires, what scenes of the Mortal World—they are all but a snap of the fingers. The Heavenly Dao is heartless, and existences like you and me, who are indestructible by nature, should also sever desires. You are conflicted now because you have not yet seen through it. After the baptism of time, everything will vanish like smoke and clouds, leaving only my Dao as eternal. By then, you will know that it is all merely a struggle of the Dao..."

As he spoke, Candle Nine Nethers shifted his gaze, looked at Shen Nian, and said softly, "I say these things only to let you understand, Little Friend, that we are not entirely enemies; it is also possible for us to become... Fellow Daoists~"

"That is your Demon Dao; I am not part of it." Shen Nian spoke coldly. How could he possibly be turned by these few words?

"Forget it..." Candle Nine Nethers let out a soft sigh and shook his head, then added, "So, what is your decision regarding my proposal, Little Friend?"

Since he could not be reasoned with, then so be it~

As long as Shen Nian did not join the Demon Sealing Sect, everything could be discussed.

Upon hearing this request for the second time, Shen Nian swept a calm glance at Candle Nine Nethers with his Chaos divine eyes, still not agreeing immediately.

Now, there were two paths before him.

First, he could agree to the other party's terms and first bring his Revered Master back. With the help of the System over a thousand years, even if Shen Nian did not participate in the Demon Sealing Sect assessment to obtain resources that the Human Race currently lacked, he had the confidence to fight Candle Nine Nethers at his peak.

If there were no divine items, he would have to rely entirely on accumulating time through simulations. Maxing out the thirty-six layer immortal palace or achieving Major Achievement in the Innate Chaos Body—reaching either one would be enough!

However, Shen Nian was not very clear about exactly how much preaching value would be needed.

But looking at it now, this Candle Nine Nethers did not seem so afraid of his cultivation speed; he was more afraid of him obtaining the demon sealing Legacy. This was the point that made Shen Nian hesitate!

With his current strength, he could re-enter the Shen Family ancestral grounds and directly participate in the second stage of the demon sealing assessment. It was no exaggeration to say that passing all of them was a certainty.

If he wanted to be the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, he could be!

The second option was to reject Candle Nine Nethers. Although his Revered Master had the protection of the classic of mountains and seas, this was only according to Candle Nine Nethers, and its truth was hard to verify; it still needed to be confirmed. The consequence that followed might be an all-out war between the Human Race and the Heavenly Demon Realm...

He had to obtain enough preaching value in the shortest possible time, and then slaughter Candle Nine Nethers...

The demon sealing assessment was a shortcut!

A Sect that was once so powerful that a single decree could make great Yao of the Immortal Realm prostrate themselves on the ground—Shen Nian absolutely did not believe it was wiped out so cleanly, with nothing left behind.

Weighing the two, Shen Nian felt that the second option was more reliable and the fastest method. Most importantly, he felt a sense of repulsion at the thought of making a deal with Candle Nine Nethers.

At this moment, there seemed to be an invisible barrier around Candle Nine Nethers, wrapping him and Shen Nian inside. Everyone could see their figures, but they could not hear their conversation.

In the starry sky.

Shen Min frowned tightly, seemingly harboring the thought of making a move.

"I know what you are worried about. This old monster is skilled at bewitching people, but right now, there is no other way but to wait..." Old Man Tianji spoke via sound transmission, his voice somewhat helpless. Candle Nine Nethers' recovery speed far exceeded his imagination; even if they joined forces, it was fundamentally impossible for them to cause him any harm.

"Besides, can you have a little faith in our Human Emperor!"

Just at this moment.

"Rest assured, if Shen Nian shows any abnormality, I will be the first to strike!"

Listening to this woman's voice, Shen Min couldn't help but look toward Luo Xuanyin in the sky, a trace of gratitude in his eyes.

"Little Friend, there is no need to give an answer right now. You might as well discuss it with everyone; I will give you one day..."

Candle Nine Nethers seemed to see through Shen Nian's thoughts and laughed softly. Immediately, he glanced at the Heavenly Abyss in the starry sky and murmured softly, "It has been an eyesore for many years; I suppose I have finally freed up my hands..."

The next second.

His figure gradually disappeared, leaving only a lingering afterimage of a finger.

Just one finger!

Boom!

The Heavenly Abyss vortex completely collapsed!

In that instant, the entire Heavenly Abyss world shook. The Heavenly Abyss vortex was completely destroyed, and thousands of realms were burning within it!

This scene was truly too shocking!

One ancient star after another exploded, like fireworks covering hundreds of millions of miles. The waves of terrifying energy were chilling, and even time became chaotic..

The explosion of the heavens' stars—what a terrifying thing this was!

This scene happened too quickly!

After Candle Nine Nethers disappeared, this world returned to normal. Everyone could move again. The Human Race army, which had been slaughtering the Yao Race below, did not continue to act but instead looked up at the sky in unison.

"The Heavenly Abyss has collapsed..." Daoist Yuan looked at this scene in the sky in disbelief, forgetting to think.

Amidst the crowd.

"What happened!"

"How could the Heavenly Abyss disperse? The stars have all exploded!!" Xiao Qinger looked at the sky with an expression of unprecedented shock.

Even the Female Yan Emperor was stunned on the side, murmuring in disbelief, "How could this be... how could this be..."

The Heavenly Abyss had guarded the Human Race for countless tens of thousands of years; how could it have suddenly collapsed?

In the starry sky!

Rumble!

Terrifying Divine Abilities erupted, Sword Intent soared into the sky, and Laws of the Void Realm flowed.