Chapter 271: Transcendence (Part 27)
Su Chen returned to his original universe, the foundation of his path.
Two million years had passed since he left. It was an unbearably long span of time, during which countless old friends had passed away.
"Emperor Venerable… Emperor Venerable! It's really you! You've returned!"
Of his original followers, only a handful remained. One of them was a phoenix who had once become a Great Emperor, then severed her cultivation to undergo nirvana twice. She had become one of the greatest terrors in the world. Yet now, this supreme expert who struck fear into all living beings wept tears of overwhelming joy.
"Emperor Venerable has returned!"
Across the universe, terrifying existences emerged. Each one was a peerless powerhouse, yet they all knelt before a single figure. The current Great Emperors trembled in awe.
"Could it be… that the legend was true?"
Two million years had turned Su Chen into a myth. The being said to have transcended now stood before them once more.
With a single thought, Su Chen took complete control of the entire universe. He casually reached out and retrieved a hidden Undying Divine Medicine, then sealed Qin Wujie away. With the divine medicine, Qin Wujie might still have a chance to live out a third life.
Su Chen searched the entire original universe but found no trace of Di Chan or Chi Yao. Using the Wheel of Time , he traced their past movements.
"They also transcended?"
Su Chen fell silent.
Though their traces had vanished, both women possessed nine-star talent. Even as newly advanced Two Tribulations Rulers, together they could likely hold their own against an ordinary Three Tribulations Ruler.
Su Chen began refining Wang Potian's Universe Heart. As a Five Tribulations Ruler, Wang Potian's essence was incredibly powerful.
Time flew by like a white colt passing through a gap. Seasons cycled endlessly. Talented geniuses rose one after another, most blooming briefly like ephemerals before withering away. A few, seeking the truth, ventured into one forbidden land after another.
The Emperor Court gradually declined with the passage of time, while the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect steadily produced new powerhouses.
Until one day, an unparalleled Great Emperor named Qing Yuan appeared. Having overcome seven layers of the Emperor Tribulation, he surpassed every Great Emperor recorded in the past four million years. With overwhelming might, he suppressed forbidden zones across the universe. He stood invincible.
Watching his loved ones pass away one by one, Qing Yuan began exploring the greatest secrets of heaven and earth in search of transcendence. He set foot in the ruins of the ancient Emperor Court.
Excitement surged through Qing Yuan. "This Emperor wants to see just what kind of person this legendary Emperor Venerable truly was. If he could transcend, then so can I!"
Confident that he was inferior to no one, Qing Yuan smashed through the ancient Emperor Court's barriers and stepped inside. The once-glorious halls now lay in ruins, yet faint traces of their former splendor remained.
As Su Chen refined Wang Potian's Universe Heart, the ancient Emperor Court slowly faded from existence. Future Great Emperors would covet the secret of transcendence, but the Emperor Court's foundations gradually eroded with time until they vanished completely. Its destruction had always been inevitable.
All intelligent beings were ultimately driven by greed.
Qing Yuan searched tirelessly for transcendence opportunities. The ancient Emperor Court was vast, yet it held no signs of life.
"What is this?"
Qing Yuan suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation. He arrived at a sealed area where layer upon layer of restrictions protected a massive glowing orb at the center. The aura it emitted made his blood boil with excitement.
"This is undoubtedly a divine treasure. Perhaps it holds the secret behind Emperor Venerable's transcendence!"
As Qing Yuan tried to break the seals and seize the "divine treasure," the glowing orb moved.
....
Qin Wujie had no idea how much time had passed. He vaguely remembered advancing his cultivation, shattering the barrier, and successfully transcending. Afterward, he began searching for Su Chen. Through persistent effort, he finally picked up traces of him—only to encounter a formidable enemy. Bursting with confidence, he challenged the opponent. His final memory froze at that moment.
"Was it Di Chen who saved me?"
Bitterness filled Qin Wujie's heart. He possessed the Chaos Body, touted as the greatest physique of all time—an undefeated supreme constitution that had allowed him to break through the barrier and achieve transcendence.
Yet he couldn't help wondering whether the Chaos Body was truly the greatest in history, or merely the "greatest" in a different sense. Why had he not won a single victory since his birth?
A strange aura suddenly pulled at him. Something was trying to seize him.
Qin Wujie flew into a rage and slapped out with his palm.
"How is this possible… No—"
In an instant, blood stained the Emperor Court.
Qin Wujie stepped out of the seal. It seemed he had just slapped something to death. Whatever. It didn't matter.
He looked around at the ruined Emperor Palace. A long time must have passed.
...
In the universe, a sudden wave of mourning swept through all living beings.
"A Great Emperor has fallen!"
The powerhouses of the myriad races were shocked. Only one Great Emperor existed in the current era—Qing Yuan. His strength had suppressed all others, preventing any new Great Emperors from rising. Everyone believed he would follow in the footsteps of the legendary Emperor Venerable and become the second being to achieve transcendence.
But it never happened.
Qing Yuan had fallen without warning. No one knew what had occurred.
...
Within a mysterious space, Su Chen slowly opened his eyes. His aura had grown even more terrifying. A single breath from him could reverse the flow of time across an entire universe.
After refining Wang Potian's Universe Heart, Su Chen had reached the peak of the Four Tribulations Ruler realm.
Just as he prepared to exit seclusion, he sensed an opportunity stirring within his body. He continued his closed-door cultivation and successfully broke through to the Five Tribulations Ruler realm.
Su Chen left the space and returned to the original universe. The once-mighty Emperor Court had fallen into ruin with the passage of time. His expression remained indifferent. The rise and fall of a single faction held no significance to him now.
Qin Wujie had also successfully revived for another life.
When the old rivals met again, Qin Wujie felt deeply puzzled. Su Chen's strength had become even more horrifying—far more terrifying than the powerful enemy who had once defeated him. Perhaps he would never be able to catch up to Su Chen again.
Chapter 272: Transcendence (Part 28)
Qin Wujie left. He decided to venture out into the world in search of new opportunities.
Su Chen did not stop him. He too needed to step beyond this universe if he wished to grow stronger. To become more powerful, one had to learn how to plunder.
Su Chen forged a clone using the Wheel of Time and left it behind to guard the universe. He did not want to return one day like Ten Absolute Martial Emperor, only to find his home destroyed. If any true geniuses emerged in the future, the clone could also guide them beyond the universe.
Su Chen's strength was not only tied to refining universes but also closely linked to the power of the living beings within them. This concerned the future of his own path.
With that, Su Chen departed the universe to explore farther regions.
...
Ever since they had transcended, Di Chan and Chi Yao had discovered a foreign universe. Relying on their powerful strength, they broke into it.
There, they encountered a powerhouse who claimed to belong to the Main God Hall. The man spoke at length, but the two women barely understood his ramblings. Still, they learned the secret of the Universe Heart from him.
Di Chan slapped the self-proclaimed Main God Hall expert to death. Although they could not refine the Universe Heart themselves, such a minor issue was nothing in her eyes.
"The power of the Universe Heart comes from the countless living beings within the universe," Di Chan said to Chi Yao. "I will kill them all and turn them into nourishment. Once that is done, you can refine the remaining Universe Heart."
For the sake of finding her master, she was willing to pay any price—even if it meant falling into demonhood.
Chi Yao found the method cruel, yet as an Immortal Spirit, she was born with indifference toward all things. The only person she truly cared about was her brother—Su Chen. In the end, she agreed to Di Chan's plan.
Their strength advanced by leaps and bounds. However, their actions also invited new crises.
The Main God Hall, one of the greatest forces in the myriad immortal domains, had countless teams. Under the Hall's arrangements, these teams reincarnated into the Flying Immortal Land. When Di Chan and Chi Yao killed one of their members, the Main God Hall issued a mission to eliminate them regardless of who they were.
After refining the universe, the two women continued their search for Su Chen. This time, however, they encountered a powerful enemy from the Main God Hall.
...
Su Chen walked through the void. In the mysterious space, powerful experts frequently gathered allies to attack other universes and plunder their resources. Su Chen envied them, but the distances involved were far too great for someone at his current Five Tribulations Ruler realm.
The number of universes within the Flying Immortal Land was as countless as grains of sand in a desert. Yet after searching for so long, Su Chen had not found even one, nor had he encountered a single transcended expert. He began to wonder if his luck was simply too poor.
Finally, through persistent effort, Su Chen sensed the aura of living beings. A great battle seemed to be erupting there, along with two familiar presences.
Di Chan and Chi Yao.
Di Chan and Chi Yao found themselves surrounded and attacked by powerhouses from the Main God Hall.
"Two Immortal Spirits? What a surprise. Immortal Spirits are valuable treasures. If we kill them and bring the corpses back, we can exchange them for a hefty amount of points. You people are too wasteful. How can you bear to kill such rare Immortal Spirits directly?"
...
The Main God Hall was one of the most terrifying forces in the myriad immortal domains not because of overwhelming individual strength—its Rulers were not particularly powerful compared to those of the Transmigrator Alliance or the various Immortal Domain-level factions—but because of how difficult they were to deal with.
While the Transmigrator Alliance was fearsome, its members were extremely few in number. In contrast, the Main God Hall could produce endless powerhouses like mass-produced goods.
As long as the Main God Space willed it, it could create countless experts. These powerhouses drew their strength from the Main God Space and only needed to complete missions in return.
The team sent to surround and kill Di Chan and Chi Yao was an elite squad from the Main God Hall. All five members were Three Tribulations Rulers. Even though Di Chan and Chi Yao had reached the peak of the Two Tribulations Ruler realm, they gradually began to falter under the coordinated assault.
But at that moment, both women sensed a familiar aura.
"That's…"
Their faces lit up with surprise.
The five Main God Hall members also noticed Su Chen's arrival. His aura was completely unrestrained, shining like a candle flame in the darkness.
"Who are you?" a chubby white Main God Hall expert threatened. "This is the Main God Hall business. If you interfere, you should know the consequences."
"Main God Hall?" A faint smile curved Su Chen's lips. This was not his first time killing members of the Main God Hall. In this life, he had even dared to kill people from the Transmigrator Alliance. Why would he fear the Main God Hall?
Su Chen simply reached out with one hand and pinched the chubby expert into the air. With a slight squeeze, the man died without even uttering a scream. A Universe Heart condensed in Su Chen's palm.
The remaining four members felt a chill run through their bodies, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. A Three Tribulations Ruler had been effortlessly crushed to death.
"Damn it… This person is far beyond the level of this mission! He completely surpasses the difficulty of this task. We must escape… we have to run…"
The four had no intention of avenging their dead comrade. They knew this was not an opponent they could face.
Having finally encountered other transcended beings, Su Chen had no intention of letting them escape. He attacked directly. In an instant, three more Main God Hall members fell by his hand.
The last survivor, a being with one black and one white wing and upright golden hair, sensed a terrifying threat. He immediately activated his final trump card. A blue light screen appeared, and when Su Chen reached out to stop it, the terrifying force rebounded and forced his hand back.
He watched the golden-haired seraphim escape.
"Main God Hall…"
That power had completely exceeded his understanding. If he had tried to forcibly break the blue barrier earlier, only death would have awaited him. Still, the harvest was substantial. He had obtained four Three Tribulations Universe Hearts.
Di Chan and Chi Yao confirmed that the newcomer was indeed the person they had been searching for all this time.
"Master!"
"Brother!"
After millions of years apart, the longing in their hearts surged forth. A warm smile appeared on Su Chen's face.
He finally understood where the power that helped him break through to the Five Tribulations Ruler realm had come from—it was feedback from Di Chan and Chi Yao.
Before the three could catch up, Su Chen suddenly received a message from the mysterious space of the End Times Immortal Domain.
"Something major is happening? The Ruler Battlefield is about to open?"