Li Bufan raised his head, his gaze falling upon Cen's face, weathered as though polished by the years. An indescribably complicated emotion welled up within him.
He had once thought he had already glimpsed the end of the path of cultivation, but only now did he clearly realize that this world he inhabited, everything he knew, might be no more than a drop in the vast ocean before those two beings who had descended from beyond the heavens.
Cen continued, "After killing his opponent, the victor did not leave immediately."
"He stood above that shattered continent in silence for a long time, then spoke a single sentence: 'For this small world to produce someone capable of killing that demon's monstrous pet, it must possess some potential.'"
"'Since that is so, I shall leave behind a Heavenly Path for you, so that the people of your world may behold a broader world.'"
"Then, he sat quietly in meditation within that ruined heaven and earth for a hundred years."
"Over those hundred years, he turned the shattered continent into five independent continents. With his own will, he enlightened us—embodiments of will born from heaven and earth—granting us spiritual intelligence, allowing each of us to guard the order of one region. Gradually, we developed into what we are today."
After hearing this, the young Warriors fell into a long silence.
No one spoke. Although some had already learned certain things from their sect elders, hearing the Eastern Domain's embodiment recount it in person filled every pair of eyes—whether they had known or not—with boundless shock.
Cen's gaze slowly swept across everyone's faces, and his voice rang out again. "You now know the secret of this world. Therefore, I have a request to make of you as well."
His gaze lingered briefly on each