Chapter 116 (Main Chapter) [Super Long Chapter]

Gu Heng looked at Ao Lie.

Ao Lie's back broke out in a sweat, and his skin felt cold.

His mind raced like lightning.

Escape? The spatial array patterns were just crushed underfoot by the opponent. Fight? The opponent was meticulous, able to see through his secret mission at a glance, yet their strength remained unreadable. Bring up his Dragon Clan identity? The surrounding clansmen were treating this person like an ancestor; if he exposed himself, he would only die faster.

The Ancestor was in the Dragon God Domain, and he couldn't expose himself, so he couldn't be saved.

He had to find a backer, one heavy enough, yet one that wouldn't be immediately exposed as a lie.

A name flashed through Ao Lie's mind—the Human Race Imperial Preceptor, Jiang Wanyin.

Suppressing the fear in his heart, he squeezed out a smile and cupped his hands, saying, "Senior has a Wisdom Eye like a torch. Junior is indeed carrying an important task by going to the Original Realm. To be honest, Junior is following the orders of the Human Race Imperial Preceptor to handle an errand in the Original Realm."

As he said this, his heart beat rapidly, but he maintained a respectful posture on the surface.

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow and didn't speak, just quietly watching him.

Seeing that the other party didn't immediately expose him, Ao Lie relaxed slightly and continued, "Senior also knows that Divine Venerable Lietian has fallen, shaking the Dragon Domain. Her Majesty the Empress sent Divine Marshal Pojun to descend, so the Human Race Imperial Preceptor naturally has her own arrangements. Junior is but an inconspicuous errand boy under the Human Race Imperial Preceptor, sent ahead this time to scout the way for her. Her Ladyship is occupied with a myriad of affairs and cannot personally attend to such trifles, so she entrusted them to Junior."

As he spoke more smoothly, he felt this lie was woven without loopholes.

The Human Race Imperial Preceptor's Divine Sense indeed had something happen in the Original Realm; this intelligence had come from the Divine Court, so it wasn't entirely false. He only said he was "acting on orders," leaving the specifics for the other party to guess. Such vague wording was not easily seen through.

After Gu Heng finished listening, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if interested in this explanation.

"So you are one of the Human Race Imperial Preceptor's people." Gu Heng patted his shoulder again. "Then did the Human Race Imperial Preceptor say what specifically you are to do in the Original Realm?"

Ao Lie's heart tightened.

How would he know what the Human Race Imperial Preceptor wanted to do? He was just making up a story. But he couldn't show weakness now. After thinking for a moment, he braced himself and said, "The Human Race Imperial Preceptor feels that the Original Realm is, after all, an ancient battlefield. Although it's nearing collapse, there are still some 'unclean' things inside. It would be bad if some blind forces took the opportunity to cause trouble and ruined Her Ladyship's layout. Junior's trip is to investigate in advance; if anything is amiss, I will report to the Human Race Imperial Preceptor immediately."

After Ao Lie finished speaking, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although these words were hollow, they were effective for intimidation.

No matter how strong this person was, they would have to weigh the Human Race Imperial Preceptor's prestige. Unless he didn't care about her at all—but in the Three Thousand Great Worlds, who would dare not give the Human Race Imperial Preceptor Face?

He looked up, wanting to see Gu Heng's reaction.

Gu Heng nodded without further questioning or doubt. He turned around and looked at the Lietian Grass in the center of the altar, seemingly losing interest in Ao Lie's story.

Ao Lie's heart settled a bit. He spoke tentatively, "Well, Senior, if there's nothing else, may Junior take his leave? I dare not delay the errand entrusted by the Human Race Imperial Preceptor."

Gu Heng didn't turn around but waved his hand.

"Go ahead."

Ao Lie turned around, intending to tear through space and step out of the Longyuan Hall's barrier in the next second.

"Hold on."

The voice sounded from behind again.

Ao Lie froze in place, maintaining his walking posture as cold sweat broke out on his back once more.

He turned around, his smile looking like he was about to cry.

"Se... Senior, are there any other instructions?"

Gu Heng walked up to him and sized him up twice.

"You said just now that you're an errand boy for the Human Race Imperial Preceptor?"

Ao Lie's heart thumped, and he nodded. "Yes, yes, yes, Junior is just an inconspicuous errand boy, delivering messages and handling chores for the Human Race Imperial Preceptor."

Gu Heng nodded, his tone flat. "Mm. Then how has the Human Race Imperial Preceptor been lately?"

Ao Lie was stunned.

How would he know if she was doing well? As a Dragon Clan God Lord, he had seen the Human Race Imperial Preceptor once in his life, and he hadn't even seen her Face clearly.

But since the lie was already out, he could only brace himself and keep spinning it. "Good, very good. Her Ladyship's cultivation is heaven-reaching; she is naturally doing well."

"Oh."

Gu Heng responded, seemingly uninterested in the answer, and waved his hand. "Never mind then, go ahead."

Ao Lie turned to leave again.

"Wait a moment."

Ao Lie's feet were nailed to the ground again.

He felt like his heart was about to be shattered by this back-and-forth torment, yet he didn't dare to lash out. He could only turn around and say tremulously,

"Senior... what else is there?"

Gu Heng pointed at the Storage Pouch at his waist. "That token at your waist, it's an imperial teachers token, isn't it? The style looks a bit unfamiliar to me; let me have a look."

Ao Lie looked down and saw a token hanging at his waist, but that was a Dragon Clan internal transmission token; it had absolutely nothing to do with an imperial teachers token.

He covered the token, his mind spinning as he forced a smile. "Senior must have mistaken it. This is just an ordinary Magical Artifact, not worth much, just a worthless thing. Junior is just an errand boy and doesn't have the qualifications to hold an imperial teachers token."

Gu Heng stared at him for a few breaths, making Ao Lie's scalp tingle.

Then Gu Heng chuckled and withdrew his gaze. "Fair enough. Go ahead."

This time, Ao Lie didn't dare turn his back to leave.

He faced Gu Heng and backed away step by step. After retreating five or six steps and confirming the other party had no intention of speaking, he gritted his teeth and turned to walk.

"Wait."

Ao Lie's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

He stiffly turned his neck back, the smile on his Face completely collapsing.

"Se... Senior, can you... finish what you have to say all at once?"

Gu Heng stood in place.

Looking at Ao Lie's Face that was on the verge of tears, he didn't answer immediately.

He leisurely raised his hand and pointed behind Ao Lie.

Ao Lie followed his finger and looked back.

The Black Dragon Immortal Emperor, Green Dragon Immortal Emperor, and Golden Dragon Immortal Emperor had surrounded him at some point.

The three Dragon Emperors spread out in a fan shape, sealing off Ao Lie's path of retreat. Their gazes swept over Ao Lie as if they were examining a newly unearthed relic.

"A human?"

The Black Dragon Immortal Emperor frowned. "Why would a human in the Immortal King Realm appear on the Longyuan Hall square in the core realm of my Dragon Domain?"

The Green Dragon Immortal Emperor stroked his dragon beard and circled Ao Lie, clicking his tongue in wonder. "Strange, truly strange. Although our Dragon Domain's Ancestral Dragon Array was torn open by a world-breaking shuttle, not just any random cat or dog should be able to slip in."

Fellow Daoist, how did you sneak in?"

The Golden Dragon Immortal Emperor didn't speak, just stood directly behind Ao Lie with his arms crossed, his golden pupils narrowing slightly as his dragon prestige pressed down faintly.

Locked by three Immortal Emperor-level gazes simultaneously, Ao Lie swallowed hard and cupped his hands. "I... I came with a merchant caravan. Yes, a merchant caravan. The Dragon Domain trades with the outside world, and occasionally human Cultivators accompany them."

"Merchant caravan?" The Black Dragon Immortal Emperor sneered. "Our Dragon Domain has just suffered a great tribulation and the entire domain is under martial Law. Which merchant caravan would still dare to run to the core realm? Give us a name, and this Emperor will send someone to check right now."

Ao Lie opened his mouth, his mind racing.

How would he know which merchant caravans had entered the Dragon Domain recently? He didn't even know how many merchant caravans the Dragon Domain had.

Gu Heng watched idly from the side and interjected at the right time, "This Fellow Daoist said just now that he is here on orders from the Human Race Imperial Preceptor."

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the three Dragon Emperors changed simultaneously.

The Black Dragon Immortal Emperor's gaze shifted from scrutiny to suspicion.

The Green Dragon Immortal Emperor's hand stroking his beard stopped in mid-air. The Golden Dragon Immortal Emperor lowered his arms and took a step forward.

"The Human Race Imperial Preceptor's person?" The Black Dragon Immortal Emperor re-examined Ao Lie. "The Human Race Imperial Preceptor sent a human in the Immortal King Realm to our Dragon Domain to handle business? What business?"

Ao Lie's forehead broke out in sweat. "Just some errands and messages, not worth mentioning."

"Delivering messages?" The Green Dragon Immortal Emperor narrowed his eyes. "Divine Venerable Lietian just fell in the Dragon Domain, and the Divine Court sent a messenger over? Is this to see the Dragon Clan's jokes, or to probe our strength?"

Ao Lie waved his hands repeatedly. "I wouldn't dare! Junior has no such intention! The Human Race Imperial Preceptor only asked Junior to investigate the Original Realm; it's not targeted at the Dragon Clan!"

"Original Realm?" The Golden Dragon Immortal Emperor finally spoke. "That collapsing Lower Realm? Why would the Human Race Imperial Preceptor send someone there?"

Ao Lie wished he could slap himself twice.

How did it get more confusing the more he explained?

He could only brace himself and continue to lie, "The Human Race Imperial Preceptor felt there were some unclean things there and feared someone would take the chance to cause trouble, so she let Junior go take a look."

The three Dragon Emperors looked at each other, the suspicion in their eyes growing heavier.

"Unclean things..."

"What are they?"

Hearing this,

Ao Lie's heart almost jumped out of his throat.

If he let these three Dragon Emperors keep questioning him, his identity would eventually be exposed.

Just as Ao Lie was about to collapse, Gu Heng walked to his side and patted his shoulder.

"That's enough."

Gu Heng waved his hand casually, his gaze sweeping over the three Dragon Emperors. "Disperse. This fellow clansman of mine has come from afar and is thin-skinned; with such a large group surrounding him, one would think you were going to do something to him."

The three Dragon Emperors looked at each other. Although full of suspicion, they didn't dare to talk back in front of Gu Heng and bowed in unison.

"Yes, Senior."

Before leaving,

The Black Dragon Immortal Emperor glared fiercely at Ao Lie. "Human kid, keep your mouth shut. Don't say what shouldn't be said, or this Emperor will make sure you come in standing and leave lying down."

Hearing this, Ao Lie's eyelids twitched. Although a stiff smile hung on his Face, he was cursing in his heart—I am a Dragon Clan God Lord, and you, a mere Immortal Emperor, dare to threaten me?

But he didn't dare to expose himself and could only nod repeatedly, acting submissive.

After the three Dragon Emperors retreated, the surrounding Dragon Clan elites were also dispersed, and the edge of the altar was soon cleared.

Gu Heng stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Ao Lie's tearful Face, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"Fellow Daoist, there are too many people and eyes here; it's not convenient to talk. How about... we change places to chat?"

Alarm bells rang in Ao Lie's heart.

Change places?

What kind of place?

He instinctively wanted to refuse, but when the words reached his lips, he met Gu Heng's eyes that seemed to be smiling yet not smiling, and he swallowed them back.

"Wh... what place does Senior want to go to?"

Gu Heng didn't answer.

He just raised his right hand, palm up.

A flash of golden light.

A palm-sized, exquisitely crafted tower with ten thousand levels appeared in his palm.

The tower body flowed with Chaotic Primordial Qi, and countless runes surged. Every flicker pulled at the Law flows of the surrounding space.

The moment Ao Lie saw this small tower, his pupils shrank violently.

The heaven-reaching tower!

A supreme treasure of the Divine Court, a possession of the Empress!

Although he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, the records in the Dragon Clan's ancient books were extremely detailed—it was a supreme Divine Artifact that suppressed the heavens and was the core Magic Treasure used by the Empress to balance the Luck of the myriad worlds.

But,

how could this tower be in the hands of this Youth in White?

Before Ao Lie's mind could process it, Gu Heng had already taken a step toward him, holding the heaven-reaching tower.

"Buzz—"

Chaotic Primordial Qi surged from the tower, instantly enveloping Ao Lie.

Ao Lie felt it was irresistible, and his vision went black.

When he opened his eyes again, the surrounding scenery had completely changed.

Starry rivers and Chaos flowed slowly around him. Beneath his feet was void, and above his head was also void.

In the air, there was an aura so ancient it made one's Soul tremble.

This was the internal space of the heaven-reaching tower.

Ao Lie's heart sank to the bottom.

He turned his head sharply, trying to find an exit, but found that the surrounding space had no flaws at all.

"Senior... where is this?"

Gu Heng didn't answer him.

With just a thought, the space inside the tower rippled like water, and thousands of Small Worlds appeared.

Two figures emerged from the Chaos.

The figure on the left stepped on the air barefoot, a red string on her ankle swaying lightly, her black hair like a waterfall.

With every step she took, the Law ripples spreading under her feet made the Chaotic Primordial Qi inside the tower retreat.

The figure on the right was tall and burly, his dark red demon armor glinting coldly in the light of Chaos, his blood-colored demon eyes narrowing slightly. Even inside this Divine Court treasure, his surrounding Laws of destruction made the space creak.

Human Race Imperial Preceptor, Jiang Wanyin.

Demon God Emperor, Di Shitian.

The moment Ao Lie saw these two figures, his pupils suddenly shrank to a point.

"This... this is impossible..."

His divine body trembled.

The Human Race Imperial Preceptor's Divine Soul Incarnation? The Demon God Emperor's Divine Soul Incarnation?

How could these two beings, who stood at the absolute Peak of the Three Thousand Great Worlds, appear here at the same time? How could they both emerge from this Youth in White's Magic Treasure?

What made Ao Lie's Soul tremble even more was the way they walked out.

Not side by side, not one in front of the other.

They were half a step behind Gu Heng.

That was the distance a servant would maintain from their master.

"Impossible... absolutely impossible..."

Ao Lie shook his head frantically, remembering the words of the Ancestor in the Chaos Main Hall of the Dragon God Domain—"In the Three Thousand Great Worlds, how could a God Emperor run to a godforsaken place like the Lower Realm?"

The Ancestor was wrong.

Utterly wrong.

Just as Ao Lie's worldview collapsed, the currents of Chaos surged again.

Seventeen figures emerged from the depths of Chaos.

Leading them was the Star Immortal Emperor, his old eyes containing restrained brilliance.

Following closely was the White Bone Demon Emperor, the ghostly green Soul fire in his eye sockets flickering.

Further back were the Thunder Emperor, Red-Eyed Demon Emperor, Li Tiantu...

Seventeen Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors lined up.

Although the aura they emitted was not as world-destroying as that of Jiang Wanyin and Di Shitian, the combined pressure of seventeen Immortal Emperors was enough to shake the heavens and earth.

And now,

these seventeen beings who stood at the Peak of the Three Thousand Great Worlds all bowed deeply toward that Youth in White.

"Master."

The voice echoed inside the tower, incredibly respectful.

Seeing this scene,

Ao Lie's vision blurred for a moment, and his brain completely stalled.

Seventeen Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors.

Two God Emperor Incarnations.

All of them calling this person... Master?

"You... you are..."

Ao Lie's eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets.

He finally remembered.

The vague intelligence sent back by the Myriad Races Geniuses—a White-robed God Emperor, with Immortal and Demon Emperors kneeling in submission, and the Dragon Clan's Chosen Son as a servant.

At the time, the Ancestor had said it was a false rumor, an exaggeration by the Juniors of the Lower Realm who hadn't seen the world.

He had also been convinced of that.

But now,

that "false rumor" White-robed God Emperor was standing right in front of him.

Gu Heng looked at Ao Lie, who was slumped on the ground with a Face full of despair, and didn't continue to apply pressure.

He walked up to Ao Lie, crouched down, and met his eyes.

"Alright, now we can have a proper talk."

Gu Heng's tone was flat, like he was catching up with an old friend. "You said just now that you were going to the Original Realm on the orders of the Human Race Imperial Preceptor?"

Ao Lie opened his mouth, wanting to continue lying.

But meeting Gu Heng's eyes, which seemed able to see through everything, he swallowed the lie back.

In this heaven-reaching tower, in front of this person for whom even God Emperors—even if only their Divine Sense—had to bow, any lie was a joke.

"No... no."

Ao Lie closed his eyes, his voice full of despair. "Junior is not one of the Human Race Imperial Preceptor's people. Junior is a Dragon Clan God Lord, sent by the Ancestor to the Original Realm to refine its Origin and bring it back to the Dragon God Domain."

"Refine the Original Realm?"

Gu Heng's eyebrows rose slightly. "That Lower Realm is about to collapse; besides some living beings, what Origin is left to refine?"

Ao Lie hesitated for a moment.

But under Gu Heng's calm gaze, he still spoke truthfully. "Although the Original Realm is broken, it was once an ancient battlefield where the Demon God Emperor fought. The remaining Law fragments there might be helpful for the Ancestor to break through to the God Emperor Realm. Moreover..."

He paused.

"The Ancestor needs a spatial Magic Treasure that can contain all things. Ordinary storage rings cannot withstand the pressure of the rules within the Divine Treasury, and refining a Realm to use as a container is the best choice."

After Gu Heng finished listening,

he was silent for a moment.

He didn't immediately state his position.

He just stood up, with his hands behind his back, and paced a few steps inside the tower.

Then,

as if remembering something,

he stopped and turned to look at Ao Lie.

"Then your Dragon Clan's Chosen Son, that is, that old loach who ascended from the Lower Realm. How has he been since returning to the Dragon God Domain?"

Ao Lie's whole body stiffened.

He hadn't expected Gu Heng to suddenly ask about this.

The Chosen Son...

That trash who was regarded as an abandoned pawn by the Ancestor and treated as a sacrificial offering by the Dragon Clan's high-level members.

How should he say it?

Say The Chosen Son was doing well?

That was obviously a lie, and the other party wouldn't believe it.

Say The Chosen Son was locked in the dungeon of the Chaos Main Hall, waiting to be sacrificed when the Divine Treasury opens in a year?

If he said that, the consequences would be unimaginable.

This Youth in White before me, since he could act for the sake of a single 'Lietian Grass' in the Dragon Domain, it shows he is not entirely heartless toward the Dragon Clan.

If he were to find out that the Dragon Clan's upper management plans to use his servant as a sacrificial offering...

Ao Lie did not dare to think further.

His lips trembled, "The Chosen Son... The Chosen Son, he..."

"Hmm?"

Gu Heng's brows twitched slightly, his gaze becoming subtle.

"He's not doing very well?"

He didn't say "badly," but used the phrase "not very well," a term that left some room for interpretation.

But it was precisely this open-ended way of asking that made Ao Lie's heart race even more with fear.

He recalled the scene he saw on the square of Longyuan Hall—everyone in the Dragon Clan, from the Domain Lord to the Five Great Dragon Emperors, from the Immortal Emperor Elders to the newly hatched dragon hatchlings, were all kowtowing and worshipping that 'Lietian Grass.'

Why?

Because in their eyes, that Youth in White was a benefactor, an existence that protected the Dragon Clan.

If he let him know that the Dragon God Domain side planned to sacrifice his former servant...

Cold sweat rolled down Ao Lie's forehead as he spoke with difficulty, "The Chosen Son... he is currently in seclusion. Yes, seclusion. The Ancestor personally arranged a place of seclusion for him to let him Cultivate in peace and recover to his Peak as soon as possible."

Gu Heng looked at Ao Lie.

He did not speak.

He just watched him quietly.

Inside the tower, the Chaotic currents surged silently; the seventeen Immortal Emperors held their breath, while Jiang Wanyin and Di Shitian remained expressionless.

Time seemed to have come to a standstill.

Ao Lie felt as if he were being roasted over a fire; every second was an ordeal.

After a long while,

Gu Heng withdrew his gaze and said softly, "Seclusion... then that is a good thing."

Ao Lie felt a wave of relief, thinking he had managed to muddle through.

"However—"

Gu Heng's tone shifted, suddenly turning cold, "Would your Dragon Clan specifically arrange a place of seclusion for an old loach in the True Immortal Realm? And under the circumstances where the Ancestor personally intervened?"

Ao Lie's heart suddenly constricted.

"I've seen through the nature of your Dragon Clan during these few days in the Dragon Domain. Bloodline is supreme, and the strong prey on the weak. A 'Chosen Son' who was exiled to the Lower Realm for countless eons and whose cultivation has fallen to the True Immortal Realm—returning to a place like the Dragon God Domain, he'd be lucky not to be skinned and cramped. Seclusion? Personally arranged by the Ancestor?"

Gu Heng shook his head, as if mocking Ao Lie's lie for being too clumsy.

"Although I don't know what your Dragon God Domain is actually plotting, I can be certain of one thing—after that old loach returned, he definitely hasn't had a good life."

He paused,

his gaze becoming deep,

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have hesitated for so long just now."

Ao Lie opened his mouth to defend himself, but found his throat felt as if it were blocked.

This person before him was far too sharp.

He had only hesitated for half a breath, yet his flaw had been seen through.

"Forget it."

Gu Heng waved his hand, as if giving up on the questioning, "If you won't say it, I won't force you."

Ao Lie's heart relaxed once more.

"However—"

Gu Heng's tone shifted again.

Ao Lie's heart leaped into his throat once more.

Gu Heng looked at him, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

The smile was gentle, appearing almost kind.

But the moment Ao Lie saw that smile, he only felt a chill surge into his heart.

"Since you refuse to tell the truth, then don't blame me for... not being a gentleman."

As the words fell,

Gu Heng raised his right hand.

Inside the heaven-reaching tower, the Chaotic Primordial Qi surged like boiling water, and dark gold chains suppressed down from the Void Realm.

Ao Lie's pupils constricted, and he instinctively wanted to resist.

He was at the Peak of the God Lord Realm, only one step away from the Divine Venerable Realm.

Even inside the heaven-reaching tower, he would not just sit and wait for death.

"Roar—"

Ao Lie let out a long howl toward the sky, and the Law of destruction within his body, which had been suppressed to the limit, instantly erupted.

A dark gold dragon-shaped phantom appeared behind him, and the pressure of a God Lord Realm Peak poured out like a mountain flood.

He wanted to tear through this blockade of Chaotic Primordial Qi; even if it were just a tiny crack, he had to send the news back to the Dragon God Domain.

Ancestor! There really is a forbidden existence here!!

However,

just as his Law rushed out of his body, it was crushed by the power of the heaven-reaching tower.

That was Gu Heng's Origin Law of the Divine Venerable Realm.

Ao Lie discovered with horror that the pressure erupting from this Youth in White was even more terrifying than those two God Emperor Incarnations from before.

It wasn't because his Realm was higher, but because—

this was a complete Origin power that belonged to him!

Jiang Wanyin and Di Shitian were only Divine Soul Incarnations, possessing only a thousandth of their true bodies' power.

But Gu Heng,

was a genuine Divine Venerable!

"You... you are actually a Divine Venerable..."

Ao Lie muttered to himself, his eyes filled with despair.

While he was still in shock, the dark gold chains had already pierced through his divine body.

Within him, the Divine Venerable martial will from the Dragon Clan's Radical Faction erupted at this moment.

A vast dragon roar sounded from the depths of Ao Lie's Divine Soul, and a phantom of a Divine Venerable's will appeared behind him.

"Human Race, how dare you enslave..."

Before the words could finish,

however,

Gu Heng simply raised his right hand casually and pressed down with a single finger.

*Crack—*

That Divine Venerable will phantom, along with Ao Lie's resistance, was instantly pierced through by the dark gold chains.

It was like crushing an ant.

It didn't stir up any waves at all.

Gu Heng withdrew his hand and gave a faint, light snort.

"Too much talk."

At this moment, Ao Lie collapsed on the ground, his strength completely drained.

He felt something seeping into the depths of his Divine Soul along those dark gold chains.

It was the power of a contract.

It was more overbearing and absolute than any enslavement Spell of the Dragon Clan.

He could retain his own will and his own memories, but he no longer had his Bloodline loyalty to the Ancestor.

Under the suppression of the contract power, he was unable to feel any hostility toward the Youth in White before him.

In fact,

when his gaze fell upon Gu Heng, a surge of... awe involuntarily welled up from the bottom of his heart.

It was a submission carved into his Soul.

The System's notification sound rang out in Gu Heng's Sea of Consciousness.

[Servant Contract forced binding successful.]

[Congratulations Host, you have successfully subdued a God Lord Realm Peak servant.]

Gu Heng nodded casually and turned to look behind him.

The seventeen Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors all had their eyes wide and mouths slightly agape at this moment.

What did they just see?

The Master just... took another servant?

And it was effortless; he hardly even moved a finger to enslave a Dragon Clan powerhouse at the God Lord Realm Peak?

Star Immortal Emperor swallowed hard and sent a Divine Sense transmission to the White Bone Demon Emperor beside him, "Old Bones, did you see clearly how the Master made his move just now?"

The eerie green Soul fire in White Bone Demon Emperor's eye sockets flickered a few times, and he sent back dryly, "No... didn't see it clearly. It seemed like he just casually raised a finger, and then that God Lord knelt."

"Casually raised a finger?"

Thunder Emperor chimed in from the side, his voice a bit shaky, "A God Lord Realm Peak! A whole major Realm higher than me! In front of the Master, he didn't even make a splash!"

"Master... he's grown stronger again."

Li Tiantu spoke in a low voice, his dark red demon eyes filled with awe.

The Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors looked at each other and all lowered their heads, not daring to look further.

"Master's talent is beyond our reach."

Star Immortal Emperor sighed, his tone full of emotion.

The other Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors nodded one after another, deeply agreeing.

At this moment,

Ao Lie, who was slumped on the ground, saw the despair in his eyes gradually fade, replaced by a strange calmness.

The contract was established.

He could not resist.

Since that was the case, he might as well accept it calmly.

He looked up at Gu Heng and said in a raspy voice, "Whatever the Master wishes to ask, please ask. This subordinate will tell you everything he knows."

Gu Heng looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

"That old loach, how is he doing exactly?"

Ao Lie closed his eyes bitterly. I'm sorry... Lord Ancestor, there's no going back...

"The Chosen Son..."

Ao Lie spoke with difficulty, "After returning to the Dragon God Domain, he was judged by the Ancestor to have a thin Bloodline and low cultivation, unfit to inherit the position of The Chosen Son."

"Now, he is imprisoned in the dungeon of the Chaos Main Hall. Once the Divine Treasury opens in a year, he will be sacrificed, using his Origin Bloodline as a catalyst to help the Ancestor charge toward the God Emperor Realm."

As the words fell,

the tower fell into a dead silence.

The seventeen Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors looked at each other, shock flashing in their eyes.

Sacrifice?

To charge toward the God Emperor Realm, the Dragon Clan actually intended to use their own direct Bloodline as a sacrificial offering?

Although they had long known the Dragon Clan was cold-blooded, being cold-blooded to this extent still exceeded their imagination.

Gu Heng did not speak immediately after listening.

He just stood there, gazing at a certain part of the Void Realm within the heaven-reaching tower, seemingly deep in thought about something.

It was only after a long time that he spoke, his tone frighteningly calm.

"A sacrifice... no wonder you were so hesitant when I asked you just now."

He turned around and looked at Jiang Wanyin.

"Wanyin, that Divine Treasury in the Dragon God Domain, what is its Origin?"

Jiang Wanyin took a step forward and bowed slightly, "Reporting to Master, the Dragon God Domain's Divine Treasury is rumored to be a Secret Realm left from the beginning of creation. It contains the opportunity to break through to the God Emperor Realm and only opens once every countless eons."

"The Dragon Ancestor has been stuck at the half-step God Emperor level for too long. This time, he is determined to enter the Divine Treasury; it's success or death."

Gu Heng nodded, "And the sacrifice? Sacrificing a direct Bloodline can help him Breakthrough?"

"It's hard to say."

Jiang Wanyin shook her head, "The Ancestor himself is already standing on the threshold of the God Emperor Realm; what he needs is just an opportunity. The Origin of a direct Bloodline might help give him that final push."

"But it's only a 'might'."

Gu Heng was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

"Interesting."

He turned around and looked at Ao Lie, who was slumped on the ground, "Your Dragon Clan, for a 'might', is going to sacrifice a living dragon?"

Ao Lie lowered his head, not daring to speak.

"But then again, in the eyes of you old monsters, a loach in the True Immortal Realm is indeed not worth much."

Gu Heng shook his head, his tone tinged with a bit of mockery, "I just wonder if that Ancestor of yours has ever considered one question—"

He paused,

"That old loach is my person."

The temperature inside the tower plummeted.

Gu Heng was not angry, he did not roar, and he didn't even frown.

He just stood there, his white robes fluttering slightly in the air currents, as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

But it was this very calmness that made everyone present feel suffocated.

The seventeen Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors stood in the back, not daring to even breathe loudly.

They had followed Gu Heng for so long, yet they had never seen their Master like this.

In Star Immortal Emperor's impression, the Master was always that lazy-looking person—even when facing a God Emperor Incarnation, he was all smiles and nonchalant.

Thunder Emperor remembered when he had knelt in the hall, crying and begging to have the contract dissolved so he could go to his death, the Master had rolled his eyes and scolded him, saying his 'brain was filled with the dregs left over from a Lightning Tribulation.'

That was the first time the Master had gotten angry at him, but that kind of anger carried disdain and helplessness, like an Elder scolding an underachieving child.

It was not like this.

Currently, Gu Heng was not looking at anyone.

His gaze swept over the Chaotic currents inside the tower, as if cast toward some extremely distant place.

After a long while,

he suddenly chuckled.

"Good."

"To actually want to use my person as a sacrifice."

He turned around and looked at Ao Lie, who was slumped on the ground.

When Ao Lie was swept by that gaze, the hairs on his body stood on end.

He had already signed the Servant Contract, and in the depths of his Soul, he felt only awe toward Gu Heng, but this awe turned into an extreme fear at this moment—not fear of death, but fear of this person before him becoming enraged.

"That Ancestor of yours, back when he was in the Lower Realm, he declared in front of everyone—'When I awaken my true body and completely descend, I will naturally seek you out to settle this debt of enslaving my clan's Chosen Son'"

...

"Settle the debt, is it? I remember."

Gu Heng raised his hand, and a white jade wine cup condensed in the void, containing half a cup of clear tea.

He raised the cup,

and gave a distant toast to the void.

"It seems now that this cup of tea must be drunk."

After speaking, he drained the clear tea in the cup and casually dispersed the cup.

Ao Lie knelt on the ground, his whole body trembling.

He wanted to say something—to defend the Dragon Clan or to plead for the Ancestor. But all the words were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't make any sound.

Because he knew clearly in his heart that the Ancestor's words back then were not a joke.

The Ancestor really would come to settle the debt.

And this Youth in White before him was never one to just talk.

He even dared to enslave the Divine Senses of the Imperial Preceptor and the Demon God Emperor, and he even dared to crush Divine Venerable Lietian; would he be afraid of the Dragon Ancestor?

No.

He was just waiting.

Waiting for an appropriate time.

And now—

the Dragon Clan had proactively delivered this opportunity.

Gu Heng lowered his head and looked at Ao Lie, who was kneeling before him.

"Has that Ancestor of yours ever considered one question?"

His tone was calm, as if he were asking about an inconsequential trifle.

"He wants to use my servant as a sacrifice to help him Breakthrough to the God Emperor Realm."

"What if he fails the Breakthrough?"

"If the Breakthrough fails, I don't know if he'll die or not. But that old loach will certainly have been sacrificed by him, his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, without even the chance for Reincarnation."

"And what about me?"

"My person was killed by him. And he, pats his butt and continues his seclusion, waiting for the next eon to find another way?"

Gu Heng shook his head, "So, rather than letting him use my person to gamble on an illusory God Emperor Realm..."

"Why don't I—"

A cold smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"go to the Dragon God Domain personally and settle the debt with him."

The seventeen Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors felt their hearts constrict in unison upon hearing this.

Star Immortal Emperor's old Face turned pale, his lips trembling as he wanted to speak and dissuade him, but he didn't dare.

Thunder Emperor clenched his fists, his palms covered in sweat.

The eerie green Soul fire in White Bone Demon Emperor's eye sockets jumped wildly.

They had followed Gu Heng for so long and were too clear on the Master's style of doing things—he never proactively sought trouble, but whoever provoked him, he would pull them out by the roots.

From the encirclement of the seventeen Immortal Emperors in the Devil Domain's Chiyan City to the descent of the two great God Emperor Incarnations.

Which time was it not the other party who acted first?

Which time was the Master not pushed to a desperate situation and then made a comeback from the brink?

He just wanted to live well, drink tea, watch the sunset, and occasionally take in a few free bodyguards as lackeys.

He had never thought about dominating the Three Thousand Great Worlds, nor had he ever thought about enslaving anyone.

But those people just wouldn't let him be in peace.

Immortal Emperors chased him, God Emperors blocked him, and the Dragon Ancestor spoke harsh words about settling a debt with him.

Now, even an old loach by his side was going to be taken for sacrifice.

"Master..."

Star Immortal Emperor finally couldn't help but speak in a trembling voice, "The Dragon God Domain is not like the Lower Realm; there is the Ancestor presiding there, as well as dozens of God Lords and several Divine Venerables."

"If you go alone..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off by a look from Gu Heng.

There was no anger in that look, only calmness.

But it was precisely this calmness that made Star Immortal Emperor swallow the rest of his words back into his stomach.

He suddenly remembered.

Back in the Lower Realm, the Master had also looked at the seventeen Immortal Emperors descending from the sky with this kind of calm gaze.

And then, all seventeen Immortal Emperors became his servants.

"This subordinate spoke too much."

Star Immortal Emperor lowered his head, not daring to say more.

Gu Heng withdrew his gaze and looked back at Ao Lie.

"You said just now that the Divine Treasury opens in a year?"

Ao Lie nodded with difficulty,

"Yes... one year. The Ancestor will soon enter a death seclusion to make final preparations for entering the Divine Treasury. The Dragon God Domain's defenses will be much weaker than usual."

Gu Heng nodded, lost in thought.

"A year... that's enough."

He did not explain what "enough" meant.

But everyone present heard the underlying meaning in those two words.

The Master... really intends to go to the Dragon God Domain in a year?

And he's going proactively?

Not to flee for his life, not to hide, but to proactively go to the door and seek the Ancestor to settle the debt?

Thunder Emperor took a deep breath, his heart beating like a drum.

He suddenly felt that his action of crying and begging to have the contract dissolved to go to his death was so laughable.

The Master didn't need him to go to his death.

The Master was going to take them to the Dragon God Domain together.

To do something big.

Gu Heng did not continue this topic.

He turned around and looked at Jiang Wanyin and Di Shitian.

"You two, is there any movement from your true bodies' side? Will it affect the plan for a year from now?"

Jiang Wanyin bowed slightly, her tone cold, "Reporting to Master, the true body's deduction is still continuing, but the Dragon Domain has the Ancestral Dragon Array obscuring the heavenly secrets, plus the Master's heaven-reaching tower shielding Karma, the true body won't find this place in a short time. Within a year, it should be safe."

Di Shitian crossed his arms and let out a cold snort. "It's the same on my end. Although His Majesty the Demon God Emperor has awakened, that old man has no interest in the affairs of the Lower Realm. As long as this strand of my Divine Sense doesn't take the initiative to expose itself, my main body won't notice."

Gu Heng nodded with satisfaction.

"That's good."

He stretched lazily.

"Alright, stop standing around here like clay and wood sculptures."

"We need to prepare properly. I plan to take you out for some fresh air and, while we're at it, feel out the Dragon Domain's bottom line. We can't just keep passively waiting for others to plot against us."

The air froze for a breath.

Star Immortal Emperor suddenly looked up, his old eyes bursting with light.

"Mas... Master..."

Star Immortal Emperor's voice trembled, and his beard shook. "Are you saying... you're taking us out of the tower?"

"What?"

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow, looking at Star Immortal Emperor's expression, which looked like he was about to faint. "You don't want to go out? You think breathing the Chaotic Qi in the tower is good for your health?"

"No! It's not that!"

Star Immortal Emperor fell to his knees in the Void Realm, his eyes turning red. "This subordinate... this subordinate is just happy! I have waited for this day, waited for far too long!"

Thud!

Thud!

One after another, the sounds of kneeling echoed within the Chaos.

White Bone Demon Emperor's skeleton shook incessantly, and the Soul fire in his eye sockets flared up.

The Thunder Emperor's body surged with lightning, and a whimpering sound came from his throat.

The group of Immortal Emperors knelt, their expressions filled with wild joy and relief.

Gu Heng was stunned.

Looking at the crowd of Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors kneeling before him, weeping uncontrollably, a question mark popped up in his mind.

Do these people have some kind of major illness?

"Stop, stop, stop."

Gu Heng raised a hand to rub his brow. "I say, you're all overlords of your respective regions. Thunder Emperor, if you wipe your snot on the Chaotic Primordial Qi one more time, I'll throw you straight out to be buried with that old loach. It's just leaving the tower, isn't it? I haven't mistreated you normally."

Thunder Emperor sniffled, looked up, and grinned.

Star Immortal Emperor wiped his Face with his sleeve and looked up to speak. "Master..."

"Don't forget, this supreme treasure of yours contains the Great Dao of Time. Although only a few days have passed in the outside world..."

"Inside this tower, hundreds of years have already flowed by."

"We were trapped here, and while we don't have to suffer the exhaustion of our Lifespan, we also cannot perceive the outside world. For these past hundred years, we could only sit in this tiny space, staring blankly at each other's old Faces..."

"That's right. Master, this subordinate has even counted exactly how many hairs are on the Thunder Emperor's head. He has 3,412 hairs on his left temple, and originally had 3,500 on the right, but he just pulled out over a hundred in his excitement."

Thunder Emperor glared at him. "Old bones, shut up! They fell out, I didn't pull them!"

Gu Heng ignored their bickering.

He stood there, falling into silence.

A hundred years in a closed space where only a bunch of old geezers and devil Cultivators stared at each other.

Gu Heng glanced at White Bone Demon Emperor, then at Thunder Emperor.

No wonder these people were more excited than the last whenever they came out to fight. It turns out they were going stir-crazy.

Gu Heng understood their loss of composure. He shook his head, a smile touching the corners of his mouth.

"So that's how it is."

Gu Heng sighed. "In that case, it really has been many years. It was my oversight; I forgot about the time dilation."

He looked at Ao Lie, who had just signed the contract.

Ao Lie stared blankly at this group of crying and laughing Immortal Emperors, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

He realized that he had almost faced the same despair of being locked up until the end of time.

If the Master hadn't suddenly decided to leave the tower, he, as a newcomer, would probably have been tortured by these old monsters in this Chaos for thousands of years.

"Alright, everyone get up."

With a slight thought from Gu Heng, the Laws of the heaven-reaching tower rippled out, lifting everyone who was kneeling on the ground.

"Since I promised to let you out, I won't go back on my word."

"Let's go."

...

Meanwhile.

Far away in the Dragon God Domain,

The Chaos Main Hall.

This hall, symbolizing the highest power of the Dragon Clan, was shrouded in a deathly silence.

On both sides of the hall,

Dozens of seats carved from divine jade were occupied by high-level members of various branches of the Dragon Clan.

They were discussing the specific details of the Divine Treasury's opening in a year's time, as well as how to guard against a potential sudden attack from the Divine Court after God-Venerable Lietian's death.

"The Ancestor is about to enter secluded meditation, and the key to the Divine Treasury still needs three strands of pure-blood Origin to be nurtured."

An Elder spoke up. "That useless Chosen Son brought back from the Lower Realm has a thin Bloodline, but he is at least pure-blooded. Using him as a sacrificial offering would be quite appropriate."

"Hmph, just making use of trash," another God Lord sneered. "If it weren't for the Divine Treasury, a loach of his Realm wouldn't even have the qualifications to step into the Chaos Main Hall."

Just as the dragons were discussing,

"Report—!"

A wail drifted in from outside the hall.

The hall doors were burst open.

The Deacon Elder responsible for guarding the Life Tablets in the ancestral hall rushed in.

He was shaking all over, holding a pile of jade fragments in his hands.

"Ancestor! Dragon Emperors! Something has happened!"

The Deacon Elder's knees slammed into the floor of the Chaos Main Hall, sliding until he stopped in the center, holding up the pile of blood-stained fragments.

"God Lord Ao Lie's Life Tablet... has shattered!"

Dead silence.

All conversation in the hall ceased.

Dozens of eyes fell upon the pile of shattered jade.

After a brief pause,

The hall erupted.

"Bullshit!"

"Ao Lie is at the Peak of the God Lord Realm! He's only one step away from the Divine Venerable Realm! He went to a place like the Original Realm, a lower-tier waste world where even Spiritual Qi is almost leaked dry. How could he possibly perish?!"

"Exactly! In a place like the Original Realm, even if he encountered a spatial collapse, it wouldn't even hurt a single dragon whisker!"

"You old dog, did you see it wrong? Did you bring someone else's broken tablet to report false military intelligence?!"

Emotions were running high.

The humiliation of God-Venerable Lietian being turned into grass was still lingering in their hearts, and now the number two figure of the Radical Faction, Ao Lie at the Peak of the God Lord Realm, had also fallen?

In such a short time, one dead and one turned to grass—did the Dragon Clan have no Face left?

"It's absolutely true!"

The Deacon Elder lay prostrate on the ground. "The Divine Soul aura of God Lord Ao Lie still remains on that Life Tablet; there is no mistake! It shattered right before my eyes just now, until not even a speck was left!"

Deep in the hall, Elder Tianji's Face was ashen.

He didn't participate in the argument, instead summoning a Heavenly Secret Compass from his sleeve.

"Shut up!"

Elder Tianji shouted, suppressing the noise in the hall. He drew out a drop of his natal essence blood and sprayed it onto the compass.

The star tracks on the compass were lit up by the blood-red color, and the runes began to rotate.

Inside the hall,

The Elders held their breath, staring at Elder Tianji's movements.

Elder Tianji's hands formed seals, and his eyes glowed with white light as he attempted to fish out the truth of Ao Lie's fall from the Karma of the Heavenly Dao.

Less than three breaths after the deduction began.

Crack, crack, crack...

The surface of the Heavenly Secret Compass cracked.

Pfft!

Elder Tianji spat out divine blood and staggered back, stopped only by a pillar.

"Elder Tianji!"

The dragons cried out in alarm.

Elder Tianji stared at the karmic lines on the compass, his pupils shrinking.

"No... that's not right!" Elder Tianji's voice trembled. "Ao Lie isn't dead!"

The hall went into an uproar.

"Not dead? If he's not dead, how could the Life Tablet shatter like that?" a white-haired Elder roared.

"The Life Tablet shattered because the Dragon Clan Bloodline imprint in his Divine Soul... was forcibly erased! It was overwritten by another, more overbearing and absolute rule!"

Elder Tianji pointed at the karmic lines on the compass.

"Not only is he alive, but his future Karma has not been severed; instead, it has become even thicker. However... one end of that karmic line is connected to him, while the other end..."

Elder Tianji swallowed hard and closed his eyes.

"The other end seems... to be wrapped around our entire Dragon God Domain!"

Dead silence descended.

All those present were old monsters; how could they not understand the meaning behind those words?

The Bloodline imprint was erased and overwritten, and the karmic line was not severed. This was not perishing.

Was it betrayal?

No, with the pride of a Peak God Lord, betrayal was absolutely impossible. That left only one possibility—enslavement.

Someone, right under the nose of the Heavenly Dao, had turned a pure-blooded Dragon Clan member at the Peak of the God Lord Realm into an obedient slave! That unknown master was now holding a butcher's knife to the neck of the Dragon God Domain through Ao Lie's karmic line!

"How is this possible..."

The white-haired Elder collapsed back into his chair, muttering to himself, "In the Three Thousand Great Worlds, even if a God Emperor acted, it would be impossible to silently enslave a Peak God Lord... Who could it be..."

Just as the dragons fell into panic and suspicion.

Boom—

In the Chaos Main Hall,

A muffled thunderclap echoed from the dome.

A pressure that transcended all God Lords descended, carrying with it a violent rage.

Inside the hall,

Every expert in the God Lord Realm felt their legs go weak, and they knelt on the ground.

Within the void,

Dark-gold dragon pupils opened, looking down upon the gathered dragons.

The Ancestor had been disturbed.

"A bunch of useless trash."

The Ancestor's voice exploded within the Sea of Consciousness of the Dragon Clan's high-ranking members.

"You can't even see through Ao Lie's Karma, and you need this seat to personally intervene?"

Elder Tianji knelt at the very front. "Ancestor, please appease your anger! It's not that this subordinate is incompetent, but rather the method used to conceal the heavenly secrets is too overbearing. When I tried to forcibly deduce it, I was almost crippled by the backlash!"

"Get out of the way."

A flash of contempt crossed the dark-gold eyes in the void.

A strand of half-step God Emperor Origin Law surged up from the Ancestor's place of secluded cultivation deep within the hall.

Following the residual karmic line on the Heavenly Secret Compass, the Ancestor crashed into the River of Fate.

He wanted to see exactly who in the Three Thousand Great Worlds had the audacity to enslave a general of his Dragon Clan's Radical Faction.

Inside the hall,

The dragons held their breath.

The Ancestor was personally performing the deduction.

The will of a half-step God Emperor was enough to penetrate any barrier in the Three Thousand Great Worlds and see through all falsehoods.

Everyone waited for the Ancestor to drag out the mastermind and crush them with his divine wrath.

In the River of Fate, the Ancestor's will raced along Ao Lie's karmic line.

Crossing Star Domains and penetrating the void, it headed straight for the end of the Karma.

Just as he was about to see the truth clearly.

Buzz—

At the end of his vision, there was only a patch of gray Chaos and a phantom figure that spanned across heaven and earth.

The Ancestor's will swept over that phantom figure.

Sizzle!

A counter-shock force from an extremely high status rolled back along his will.

Inside the Chaos Main Hall.

Those dark-gold giant pupils contracted.

Boom—

A muffled groan came from the secluded cultivation chamber deep within the hall.

The half-step God Emperor pressure shrouding the dragons' hearts fluctuated, nearly collapsing.

Void cracks appeared around the dark-gold pupils.

Elder Tianji noticed the fluctuation and looked up, his eyes full of horror.

The Ancestor...

Was injured?

Suffered a backlash?

As soon as this thought appeared, Elder Tianji snuffed it out in his mind.

Absolutely impossible! The Ancestor is invincible; how could he suffer a backlash!

"Good... what a move!"

The dark-gold eyes in the void stabilized once more, a hint of shock and anger in the voice.

"The path ahead is a patch of Chaos... There is a supreme treasure beyond comprehension obscuring the heavenly secrets. Even my will cannot see through it in the slightest."

As soon as these words were spoken, the dragons in the hall erupted once again.

Even the Ancestor couldn't see through it?

"Ancestor, then what should we do? Are we just going to let Ao Lie be enslaved by someone?"

The white-haired Elder asked.

"Stupid!"

The Ancestor let out a cold snort. "Since we can't deduce the end of the Karma, then we shall deduce his starting point! Ao Lie's only objective for this trip was the Original Realm!"

"He went to the Original Realm to refine the Origin. Now that something has happened, it must be related to that place!"

"Since I can't see that patch of Chaos clearly, I will personally go and see what exactly happened in the Original Realm!"

Before his voice had even faded,

The Ancestor withdrew his will from the River of Fate, turned around, and transformed into a divine light that pierced through the Three Thousand Great Worlds, descending toward the Original Realm.

...

Meanwhile.

At the edge of the Three Thousand Great Worlds,

In the lower-tier Realm,

The Original Realm.

This place was once an ancient battlefield where the Demon God Emperor fought. Not long ago, it experienced a clash at the God Emperor level, leaving the entire Realm riddled with holes.

The dark-red sky was covered in spatial cracks, and the land was shattered into pieces.

Fragments of land floated in the void.

Spiritual Qi mixed with Law storms raged among the ruins.

Rip—

The Divine Court commander,

Divine Marshal Pojun, stepped out from a spatial crack.

His expression was grim.

The feeling of frustration from being misunderstood by those old foxes in the Divine Court hall was still churning in his chest.

"Investigate the case and feel out the Dragon Domain's defenses?" Divine Marshal Pojun stood on a meteorite and spat fiercely. "That's total bullshit! I'm here to investigate that White-robed God Emperor!"

He took a deep breath of the Original Realm's murky air, suppressing the anger in his heart.

"God-Venerable Lietian's death was suspicious, and the Imperial Preceptor's Divine Sense has lost contact. That mysterious existence must have left behind some clues."

Pojun's gaze was firm as he prepared to release his Divine Sense to scour this wasteland on the brink of collapse.

"Whether you're a Loose Cultivator or some forbidden existence, as long as you've been in this Original Realm, I'll dig three feet into the ground to find your trail!"

Just as Divine Marshal Pojun's Divine Sense was about to leave his body.

A sudden change occurred.

The originally dark-red sky turned dark-gold.

The entire space of the Original Realm let out a groan.

A pressure from a half-step God Emperor tore through the realm barrier, descending from the distant Dragon God Domain.

Divine Marshal Pojun froze in mid-air.

He looked up at the dark-gold giant pupils in the sky, his Face full of confusion.

What's going on?

This aura... is it the Dragon Ancestor?

Why would his will descend across Realms to a lower-tier waste world? And what's with the killing intent in this pressure?

Before Pojun could react.

In the sky,

The Ancestor's will swept across the entire Original Realm.

There was no trace of Ao Lie, and no sign of any other experts.

Except for Divine Marshal Pojun, who stood on a meteorite, radiating the aura of a Peak Divine Venerable.

The Ancestor's gaze locked onto Pojun.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, finally forming a closed loop:

Ao Lie was ordered to the Original Realm on a secret mission; his Life Tablet shattered, and he was forcibly enslaved. And Divine Marshal Pojun of the Divine Court, a supreme commander of thousands of troops, ignored the front-line battles and appeared in the Original Realm at this exact time!

How could there be such a coincidence in this world? Not long ago, God-Venerable Lietian was slapped to death in the Lower Realm by this fellow.

Now, Ao Lie has met with misfortune, and this fellow is on the scene again!

This was no coincidence! This was a long-planned serial killing game by the Divine Court! This bastard Pojun was a executioner specifically lying in wait to hunt down the Dragon Clan's God Lords!

New and old grudges, combined with the humiliation of the backlash he suffered while deducing the Chaos just now.

The Ancestor was completely enraged.

"Divine Marshal Pojun—!!!"

A roar exploded within the Original Realm, shaking the space to the point of collapse.

"It's you again!!!"

Divine Marshal Pojun's blood surged from the shock of the roar.

His mouth fell open, and his eyes widened.

"I..."

Pojun had only managed to utter one word, preparing to explain that he had only just arrived.

Before his voice had even faded.

In the sky, those dark-gold giant pupils flickered for a moment.

The cross-Realm descent of a half-step God Emperor's will was an unbearable weight for the crumbling Original Realm. Furthermore, the Ancestor had forcibly pried into the heaven-reaching tower, and his Soul had suffered a hidden injury from the counter-shock of an extremely high status.

Anger attacked his heart, and he had roared with 120% of his power.

As a result—

Bang!

Those dark-gold eyes, along with the half-step God Emperor pressure, vanished on the spot right after he finished roaring "It's you again."

The dark-gold sky faded, and the Original Realm returned to its dark-red state.

Only a cold wind blew past Divine Marshal Pojun's cheeks.

Divine Marshal Pojun stood there in a daze.

The surroundings were silent, and at some point, snowflakes began to fall.

Ten breaths passed.

He looked at the sky, then at his own hands.

"Huh?"

Divine Marshal Pojun's voice rang out in surprise and doubt.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'it's me again'?!"