353: Chapter 353 The Return of the Source! The Fulfillment of the Ten Thousand Year Promise

Lin Chen stood in the courtyard of the central palace of the Tenth Dimension, watching the direction where Su Qingyu had disappeared, and remained silent for a long time.

Ten thousand years, thirty-three reunions, thirty-three partings.

Every time they parted, he told himself that the next time they met, he must keep her for a few more days. But every time, she had things to attend to, and he had things to do.

This time, it was different.

He had already decided to return to the Ninth Dimension.

Back to that small house, back to that rocking chair, back to the side of the woman who had waited for him for ten thousand years.

He turned, preparing to step into the teleportation array.

At that very instant, the deep blue mark on his forehead suddenly grew burning hot.

It burned like fire, stung like a needle, as if something inside was struggling desperately.

Lin Chen stopped in his tracks and raised his hand to touch his forehead.

The moment his fingertips touched the mark, the entire Tenth Dimension shook.

It wasn't an earthquake, but a trembling at the conceptual level—time, space, matter, energy, all the fundamental elements constituting the universe, resonated simultaneously. The intensity of that resonance was a hundred times stronger than the most violent moment of the Zeroing Storm.

Three thousand revived civilizations emitted fluctuations of terror at the same time.

Those lights flickered, like candle flames in a gale, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

Lin Chen looked up.

The sky was splitting open.

It wasn't a crack; it was melting.

The firmament was like a block of ice baked by high heat, slowly dissolving from the center to reveal the darkness behind it that Lin Chen had seen ten thousand years ago. That darkness was deeper than nothingness, emptier than Oblivion, and quieter than death.

In the darkness, a pair of eyes slowly opened.

Those eyes were larger than stars, their pupils reflecting the rise and fall of countless universes. They stared at Lin Chen as if looking at an old friend long gone.

“Lin Chen.”

The voice came from all directions, deep, ancient, and carrying endless vicissitudes.

“It has been ten thousand years.”

Lin Chen looked at those eyes and was silent for a second.

Then he smiled.

That smile was exactly the same as it was ten thousand years ago—calm, composed, as if everything was under control.

“Origin. You are quite punctual.”

Origin's eyes blinked.

“A ten-thousand-year agreement is a ten-thousand-year agreement.”

It slowly emerged from the darkness.

This time, Lin Chen saw its full appearance clearly.

It was not a human form, but a constantly shifting existence. Sometimes it was like a vortex composed of countless stars, sometimes like a web woven from countless rules, and sometimes it transformed into an aged face—a face that bore a slight resemblance to Lin Chen.

Origin looked at Lin Chen, its gaze complex.

“In ten thousand years, you have changed a lot.”

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.

“What has changed?”

Origin pointed to his forehead.

“That mark has already fused into one with you.”

Lin Chen touched his forehead.

Indeed, over those ten thousand years, the mark had long since lost its initial searing heat, as if it had become a part of his body.

Origin continued:

“When I gave you the mark, I wanted to remind you that you still owed me an answer.”

“But now it seems you have already given your answer.”

Lin Chen was stunned for a moment.

“I gave it?”

Origin nodded.

“You stayed here for ten thousand years, guarding three thousand revived civilizations. You didn't run away, you didn't evade, and you didn't try to erase the mark. You simply—waited.”

“That is the best answer.”

Lin Chen fell silent.

Three seconds later, he asked:

“So, you haven't come this time to force me to inherit?”

Origin smiled.

In that laughter, there was relief as well as admiration.

“Force? Can I force you?”

It looked at Lin Chen, and for the first time, a strange light appeared in its eyes—was that... appreciation?

“I have lived for untold billions of years and seen countless beings. There are those who beg for my blessing, those who fear my punishment, those who want to use me, and those who try to challenge me. But never has there been anyone like you—who rejected me and made me wait for a full ten thousand years.”

Lin Chen shrugged.

“You'll get used to it.”

Origin was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily.

The laughter shook the entire Tenth Dimension, and the lights of the three thousand civilizations flickered wildly.

“Lin Chen, you are indeed interesting.”

It withdrew its smile and said seriously:

“But I didn't just come here to see you this time.”

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.

“Is there something else?”

Origin nodded.

It raised its hand—if that mass of chaos could be called a hand—and pointed toward the void outside the Tenth Dimension.

“Do you know what lies beyond the All Heavens and Myriad Realms?”

Lin Chen narrowed his eyes.

“There's something else outside?”

Origin nodded.

“Yes.”

It opened an image.

In the image was a region more terrifying than nothingness. There was no light, no darkness, and no perceivable existence. There was only a pure 'emptiness'—even the concept of 'emptiness' did not exist there.

“That is the ‘Absolute Domain’,” Origin said. “Before the first epoch, it and I coexisted.”

Lin Chen stared at that region.

“What is it?”

Origin was silent for a second.

“It is my opposite. I am ‘existence’, it is ‘nothingness’. I am ‘creation’, it is ‘destruction’. I am ‘order’, it is ‘chaos’.”

“We coexisted for an unknown amount of time, then I created the universe, and it fell into a slumber.”

“But now, it has awakened.”

Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

“Awakened?”

Origin nodded.

“It sensed your existence. It sensed you using the Capital Law to resist nothingness, revive what was forgotten, and even reject me.”

“It finds you very interesting.”

“So, it wants to meet you.”

Lin Chen fell silent.

Three seconds later, he asked:

“Meet me? And after we meet?”

Origin looked at him, its gaze complex.

“After meeting, it will give you two choices.”

“One, join it, become its successor, and help it destroy all universes.”

“Two, reject it, and then be destroyed by it.”

Lin Chen smiled.

That smile was exactly the same as when he faced Oblivion—calm, composed, as if everything was under control.

“Is that all?”

Origin was stunned.

“Is that all? Do you know how strong it is?”

Lin Chen nodded.

“I know. But no matter how strong, one must still follow the rules.”

He opened the ninth level of the Capital Law—Causality Securitization.

A golden light surged from his palm, shooting toward the direction of the ‘Absolute Domain’.

Origin's expression changed slightly.

“What are you doing?”

Lin Chen looked at the golden light.

“I'm sending it an invitation.”

Origin was completely dumbfounded.

“An invitation?”

Lin Chen nodded.

“Yes. Inviting it to have a talk.”

“Talk about what?”

“Talk about cooperation.”

Origin fell silent.

For a very long time.

So long that the darkness behind it began to churn.

Then it asked:

“What makes you think you can talk about cooperation with it?”

Lin Chen pointed to the mark on his forehead.

“With this. And with these ten thousand years.”

“The fact that it wants to see me means it is interested in me. If it's interested, there's a possibility for a transaction.”

“If there's a possibility for a transaction, there's room for negotiation.”

Origin looked at him, speechless for a long time.

Then it smiled.

In that smile, there was relief as well as admiration.

“Lin Chen, you truly are the craziest person I have ever seen.”

Lin Chen shrugged.

“You'll get used to it.”

In the distance, the golden light disappeared into the void.

Three seconds later, a voice older, colder, and emptier than Origin's came from that direction:

“Interesting.”

“In ten thousand years, I will come in person.”

“At that time, I hope you can provide chips that satisfy me.”

The voice vanished.

The ‘Absolute Domain’ returned to a deathly silence.

Origin looked at Lin Chen, its gaze complex.

“You heard it. It really will come.”

Lin Chen nodded.

“I heard.”

“You're not afraid?”

Lin Chen smiled.

“Afraid of what? It said, in ten thousand years.”

“Ten thousand years is enough for me to prepare many things.”

Origin fell silent.

Then it said:

“Lin Chen, you are the most special existence I have ever seen.”

“Not because you are strong, but because you—are afraid of nothing.”

Lin Chen shook his head.

“I am afraid.”

Origin was taken aback.

“Afraid of what?”

Lin Chen pointed toward the Ninth Dimension.

“Afraid that she will wait too long.”

Origin looked at him, speechless for a long time.

Then it smiled.

“Go on then.”

“In ten thousand years, I will come again.”

“At that time, we will face it together.”

Lin Chen nodded.

“Alright.”

He turned and stepped into the teleportation array.

The light flared up.

He disappeared from the Tenth Dimension.

Origin stood in place, watching the direction where the light had vanished.

A long time later, it said softly:

“An interesting sample.”

“Let's see just how far he can go.”

Its figure slowly dissipated.

The Tenth Dimension returned to tranquility.

The lights of the three thousand civilizations stabilized once more.

They looked in the direction Lin Chen had left, silently offering their blessings.