The Seven-Colored Judgment Divine Light descended from the heavens, bathing the scarred and ruined land.
There was no deafening roar, no devastating shock wave, yet this seemingly calm and boundless divine radiance was even more despair-inducing than the Chaos mists that blanketed the sky.
The instant the light touched the ground, an invisible supreme law pinned every inch of Earth, every wisp of lingering spiritual energy, and every living being still left alive in place.
The ordinary people who had survived, the superpowered individuals hiding across the world, and the remaining martial cultivators all froze where they stood. A pain like a knife twisting in their bones struck the depths of their souls. It was the judgment of the Heavens' highest laws, identifying and reckoning with every "rebellious being" in this universe.
The Sacrificial Brands accumulated over billions of years were all activated at once.
The Contract Marks that had lain dormant in the depths of every soul, silently devouring their fortune and essence, surfaced completely under the pull of the Heavens' divine light. They became countless fine, blood-red lines that crawled across the surface of everyone's soul.
"It hurts... It feels like my soul is being ripped right out of me!"
"Something's draining my life, draining everything from this world!"
Muffled cries of pain rose across the land. Countless people trembled, yet could not even move a finger. The laws of judgment had locked their bodies and souls in place, forcing them to watch helplessly as their life force was steadily stripped away. Wisps of white vapor rose from them and followed the descending Seven-Colored Divine Light, streaming in reverse toward the depths of the Heavens beyond the Outer Realm's dimensions.
This was the Supreme of the Heavens' reckoning.
There was no need to send an army or act in person.
With nothing but the laws of the highest universe, they could follow the Eternal Sacrifice Contract and reap every resource this universe had accumulated over billions of years—uprooting it all and leaving nothing behind.
High above, Frieza's pale Emperor Energy roiled violently around him. Layer upon layer of energy barriers held back the descending Judgment Divine Light. His crimson eyes were fixed on the rift in the sky, and for the first time, extreme fury surged beneath his usually indifferent gaze.
He was the Galactic Overlord, conqueror of countless starfields, destroyer of innumerable civilizations, and master of the lives and fates of countless beings. His pride had never allowed him to submit to anyone. Yet today, the strength that had carried him to the top, the fruits of a lifetime of conquest, and the fortune of the entire galaxy under his control had all become meat on the Heavens' chopping block, there for the taking.
"What a despicable trick."
Frieza's icy whisper slipped between his teeth. His Emperor Energy erupted at full force, tearing countless black fissures into the void. He struggled to shatter the blood-red Contract Marks appearing across his body, but as soon as he destroyed one layer, ten or a hundred more instantly sprang up, clinging to the very core of his soul.
The Contract had been carved into the foundations of the universe. It had long since merged with the souls of every being in this realm.
To defy Heaven and strike down Heaven—how difficult it was.
Kallen stood beneath the clouds, his Purple Saiyan Battle Qi blazing around him, golden Battle Patterns covering his neck and cheeks. The boiling blood of a pure-blooded Saiyan let him remain upright even under the crushing judgment, without bending or bowing in the slightest.
He watched the life drain rapidly from the land below, the mountains and plants wither, and the rivers slowly dry up. In just a few short breaths, Earth—ruined, yet still alive—lost most of its vitality, becoming a desolate wasteland at the end of the world.
"The Heavens treat all living beings like grass and dogs, and universes like granaries. They've been devouring us for billions of years. Now that we've finally rebelled, they mean to wipe us all out."
Kallen's voice was low and hoarse, his eyes cold. "The world our ancient ancestors defended with their lives cannot be allowed to perish here."
Nearby, the Golden Full-Power Super Saiyan hovered silently in the void. His mind had been tempered by the passage of countless ages, and nothing could easily stir him. But now, as he watched the Judgment Divine Light descend from the sky and saw the despair of all living beings, a towering wave finally stirred in his composed eyes.
He had lived longer than anyone. He had witnessed the countless glories and declines of this universe. He had seen ancient sages of peerless talent break through the limits of combat power, flourishing civilizations roam the stars, and countless prodigies attempt to transcend the constraints of their dimensions.
For a long time, he had never understood why this universe produced one genius after another and possessed potential unmatched across the Heavens, yet remained forever trapped in a low dimension, unable to take even one step toward transcendence.
Only today, with the revelation of the ancient secret, did every mystery become clear.
It was not that living beings were too weak, nor that Heaven's laws were flawed. Their fate had been decided from the very beginning.
Every struggle, every breakthrough, every moment of glory had merely cultivated nourishment for the Heavens beyond the Outer Realm. The stronger they grew, the closer they came to the peak, the richer the essence that would be harvested from them.
How absurd. How tragic.
"Submission means a slow death. Rebellion means instant annihilation." The Golden Super Saiyan sighed softly, his voice heavy. "The Heavens and Chaos laid down an unsolvable dead end long ago, trapping this universe for countless ages."
Deep within the rift in the void, the boundless shadow of the Chaos King slowly unfurled.
The Chaos aura, once oppressive and dormant, surged wildly like a flood unleashed to destroy the world. The Chaos essence, suppressed for billions of years by the Eternal Contract, had finally broken free of the laws' shackles. Its terrifying power, enough to devour galaxies and destroy dimensions, sent the entire void crumbling and trembling without end.
The Chaos Legion that had appeared earlier was nothing more than low-level lackeys of the Chaos Clan. The true Chaos Supreme Power had always been bound by the Contract, unable to fully emerge.
Now, the Contract had loosened, the laws had shattered, and the shackles were about to give way.
"Foolish Fate Defiers."
The Chaos King's hollow eyes looked down upon the land. His icy voice echoed through heaven and earth, tinged with contempt and an indifference that saw through everything. "Do you think overturning the sacrificial game will bring you a new beginning? You don't realize that the moment you broke free of your cage, two calamities began."
"Having lost a source of nourishment that fed them for billions of years, the Heavens will pour all their strength into crushing this universe and slaughtering every rebel."
"Freed from the shackles of the Heavens Contract, my Chaos Clan is bound by nothing. We will roam the multiverse and devour countless realms."
"Caught between two supreme calamities, this tiny universe has nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. The supreme powers of both sides will crush it into nothingness."
Every word was a cold sentence of fate.
There had never been a way out of the ancient game.
Submit, and become nourishment for eternity, slowly withering away.
Defy fate, and ignite a war between the Heavens and Chaos, then vanish in an instant.
Lin Chen stood at the center of the formation's core, his ancient golden hair stirring without wind. The light of the ancient bloodline flowing around him flickered as he endured the most terrifying double suppression in heaven and earth.
Above him, the laws of the Heavens' Judgment Divine Light bore down. Beneath him, the world-destroying aura of Chaos, newly unsealed, seeped into the earth. These two supreme powers, spanning the multiverse, had locked onto him. His body and soul trembled violently, as if they might be torn apart at any moment.
Yet his back remained straight as a pine tree. There was not a trace of despair in his eyes, only absolute composure and resolve.
He had uncovered the ancient secret and awakened memories of an ancient taboo. From the moment he learned the truth of his fate, he had already anticipated the worst.
So what if it was a dead end?
For billions of years, not a single being in this universe had known the truth. They had merely bred and survived in ignorance, willingly becoming nourishment. They were the first in all those ages to see through the game—and to dare defy their fate.
Even if the road ahead led into an abyss, even if there was no way out, it was still better than remaining ignorant and letting others butcher them at will.
"If the game is unsolvable, then I'll restart it with my own hands."
Lin Chen slowly raised his eyes. His gaze pierced the layers of Chaos mist and the descending divine light of the Heavens, fixing on the seven supreme figures hidden beyond the dimensions.
The power of his ancient golden bloodline boiled completely. The ancient formation rooted in the heart of the land lit up once more with a dim golden glow. The shattered fragments of the Four-Force Heaven-Suppressing Seal trembled faintly in the void. The four supreme essences resonated across the divide once more, giving rise to a faint yet unyielding force that defied fate.
Just then, a distant, ancient heartbeat echoed from deep beneath the earth, silent for billions of years.
Thump—
Thump—
Thump—
The sound was not loud, yet it pierced the judgment shackles of the Heavens' divine light, overcame the world-ending pressure of the Chaos flood, and rang out clearly across the entire world.
The trembling, collapsing Earth fell abruptly still.
The world's rapidly draining life force stopped at once.
The blood-red Contract Marks that had been spreading unchecked froze in place.
The surging Chaos essence stalled for no apparent reason.
The Seven-Colored Judgment Divine Light descending from the heavens wavered, as if it had encountered something that utterly restrained and suppressed it.
Everyone's expression changed. They instinctively looked down at the ruined land beneath them, toward the deepest reaches of the world's very core.
"What is this power?" Kallen's pupils contracted, shock written across his face.
He had waged war among the stars for countless ages, seen the powerful of the Heavens, crossed Chaos Rifts, and encountered countless supreme essences. Yet he had never felt an aura so ancient, vast, and weighty.
It was not overbearing or violent, nor did it possess the terrifying might to crush all things. Yet it carried an innate authority, as if it ruled this world and commanded the passage of countless ages.
It was as though every law, every essence, and every cycle of time in this universe originated from this wisp of aura.
Frieza reined in the restless Emperor Energy around him. A grave expression appeared in his crimson eyes for the first time. "This low-dimensional universe actually has resources of this caliber hidden within it?"
The Golden Super Saiyan stared at the depths of the earth. The composure he had maintained for countless ages was utterly shaken, and he murmured, "After the ancient defeat, every supreme power in this universe withered away. Heaven's laws shattered, its essence drained away, and no supreme being should have remained... What exactly is this power?"
Only Lin Chen's heart and mind shook violently. The forbidden memories he had just unlocked surged through his mind, as fragments of ancient scenes joined and overlapped.
In the ancient battle that had nearly destroyed the world, the Heavens had invaded, Chaos had betrayed them, and this universe had been driven back at every turn. Its sages fought to the last, yet in the end, they could not turn the tide.
The universe's foundation was damaged, Heaven's laws shattered, and its people neared extinction.
To preserve the living beings for ages to come, their ancestors had signed the Sacrifice Contract with heavy hearts. They made their own universe a prison and its people nourishment, all to secure a tenuous chance for their race to survive.
Everyone knew that this universe had suffered a crushing defeat in the ancient war, and that every Supreme, sage, and War God had perished.
But hidden beneath layer upon layer of seals, in the deepest part of the ancient secret, lay the ultimate truth that no one had ever known. At that moment, it was finally revealed.
They had not all perished.
They had fallen into slumber, sealed away their essence, and lain dormant for countless ages.
Rumble—
The earth shook violently, a thousand mountains trembled, and enormous chasms split open across the ruined land for tens of thousands of miles.
An immeasurably vast, earthen essence surged from deep underground, carrying the ancient, boundless rhythm of the universe as it slowly rose toward the heavens.
A blurry, vast, boundless phantom slowly rose from the deepest reaches of the planet's core.
Its entire form was indistinct. No features could be made out, and it was impossible to tell whether its shape was male or female. It released no terrifying pressure, yet filled the entire sky.
It stood between the divine light of the Heavens and the black Chaos mists, like the eternal, unchanging core of this universe. Its eyes, which had lain dormant for billions of years, slowly opened.
In that instant, all ages fell silent.
All the judgment light stopped flowing. All the Chaos aura ceased its rampage.
Beyond the Outer Realm's dimensions, the seven supreme auras that had lain dormant for billions of years wavered with unmistakable wariness for the first time. The Judgment power that had been steadily pressing down abruptly drew back by a third.
The Chaos King's enormous shadow trembled violently. For the first time, the indifference vanished from his hollow, icy eyes, replaced by utter dread and alarm.
"Realm Overlord... You weren't completely annihilated!"
The Chaos King's hoarse, low shout tore through the sky, filled with disbelief and panic.
Billions of years of accepted wisdom, the conclusions of the ancient game—all collapsed completely in that instant.
The Supreme of the Heavens had believed this universe was already a dead land, a source of nourishment ripe for harvest, with no power left to resist.
The Chaos Clan had believed that the ancient Main God had died in battle and vanished from the world, utterly destroyed on the battlefield of ages past.
But no one had ever imagined that after the ancient defeat, a devastating battle that had shaken heaven and earth, the supreme ruler of this universe—the true Realm Overlord of this world—had not perished.
Instead, he had...
Before you continue