Finally, after passing through a thick bank of gray mist, he arrived at a vast central area.
Ahead stood a magnificent palace, more than half of it collapsed.
Though only broken walls and ruins remained, the surviving jade steps and ruined pillars towering a hundred zhang high still exuded a sacred majesty that made one want to prostrate oneself in worship.
In the open space directly before this main hall.
Tang Chen stopped.
His gaze was firmly drawn to an enormous stone stele on the ground.
The stele was dozens of meters tall, its entire surface a deep, dark gold.
Though it had broken in two at the middle, with half buried in the earth, its surface remained spotless, bearing not the slightest trace of time.
Tang Chen slowly approached.
The writing on the stele was ancient, its characters strangely shaped.
He had initially thought he would be unable to read it.
But when his gaze fell upon those characters.
A strange spiritual fluctuation traveled directly through the Sky Screen, translating their meaning into a profound mental impression and transmitting it into the minds of Tang Chen and every viewer on the Douluo Continent.
Tang Chen read softly aloud.
"Ancient Heavenly Palace."
"Gathering the myriad cultivation techniques of the Great Thousand World within a single pavilion, ruling Tianluo, receiving the homage of countless nations."
"His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor shook the universe with One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones."
"The Hall Masters serving beneath him all possessed powers that reached through heaven and earth."
At this point, Tang Chen and the people of the Douluo Continent had all conjured a magnificent picture in their minds: countless nations paying homage, mighty experts as numerous as clouds.
Just how prosperous and powerful had this Ancient Heavenly Palace, founded by the man called the Heavenly Emperor, once been?
Yet as Tang Chen continued reading, the contents on the lower half of the stele sent his heart plummeting into an abyss.
"However..."
"The Outer Realm Evil Clan invaded. The Devil Emperor led tens of millions of demonic soldiers, tearing through the plane barrier."
"The heavens wept blood, and all things mourned."
"To protect the countless living beings of the Great Thousand World, His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor led every expert of the Heavenly Palace to confront the Nine Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor here."
"In that battle, the rivers of stars reversed their course, and the sun and moon lost their light."
"The Hall Masters of the Five Halls all fell in battle. The blood of a million Heavenly Palace cultivators stained the skies."
"In the end, His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor sacrificed his divine soul and used the supreme divine art, One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones, to forcibly seal the Nine Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor beneath the Heavenly Palace."
"They perished together."
When those final words settled upon everyone's hearts.
The entire Douluo Continent once again fell into a prolonged silence.
Within the Sky Screen, the dark-gold stele stood quietly amid the ruins.
Tang Chen stood before it, unable to collect himself for a long time.
A million cultivators had stained the skies with their blood, and all the Hall Masters had fallen in battle.
That astonishingly gifted Heavenly Emperor had chosen the most devastating sacrifice to protect the countless lives behind him.
Such a heroic deed stirred a trace of reverence even in Tang Chen's heart, long corroded by slaughter and evil energy.
He drew a deep breath, steadied his surging emotions, and, gripping his blood-colored warhammer, circled the broken stele and continued toward the deepest reaches of the Heavenly Palace.
The farther he went, the more distorted the surrounding space became.
Pitch-black spatial rifts stretched across the air like scars upon this world that could never heal.
The cold, evil presence in the air also grew increasingly dense, as though something were watching him from the darkness.
Tang Chen walked slowly, every step exceptionally cautious.
After passing through a collapsed white-marble ceremonial archway, his view suddenly opened up.
It was an immense abyssal plaza.
At its center floated a ruined altar.
The moment Tang Chen looked toward that altar, his breathing stopped. His feet were rooted to the spot, unable to move another half step.
At the very center of the altar stood two motionless figures.
One wore a magnificent imperial robe.
Though no one knew how many ages had passed since his death, that body still radiated a sense of sacred majesty, making one want to prostrate oneself before that vast golden radiance.
Beneath this "Heavenly Emperor's" feet lay an enormous, hideous demonic figure.
That demonic figure was covered in bone spikes and radiated towering demonic energy.
Even as a mere corpse, a single glance at him left one dizzy, as though one's very soul were about to be sucked inside.
At that moment, the "Heavenly Emperor" held a completely transparent longsword in both hands, gleaming like crystal.
The longsword pierced straight down through the skull of the "Devil Emperor" beneath his feet, pinning him firmly to the altar.
Endless holy radiance flowed across the Crystal Long Sword, continuously suppressing the evil energy emanating from that demonic body.
This scene perfectly confirmed the account on the stele.
At the cost of sacrificing his divine soul, the Heavenly Emperor had sealed and slain the Nine Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor here.
As Tang Chen gazed at the Crystal Long Sword radiating holy light, uncontrollable greed and fervor suddenly surged from the depths of his eyes.
"That sword..."
Tang Chen swallowed, his throat dry, his voice terrifyingly hoarse.
He could clearly sense that the pure power contained within that Crystal Long Sword was hundreds of millions of times greater than the little medicinal powder he had picked up in the side hall earlier.
If he could pull out this "Heavenly Emperor Sword" and carry it with him.
Not only could he completely purge the bat's resentment from his body, but he could even use the Heavenly Emperor Sword's supreme might to reconstruct his flesh and comprehend the highest laws of the Great Thousand World!
After all, this Devil Emperor had been pinned here for tens of thousands of years. He was long since thoroughly dead.
Leaving this peerless divine sword here was casting a bright pearl into darkness. Better to let it fulfill his ambitions instead!
The immense temptation completely drowned Tang Chen's reason.
He had no idea what kind of spine-chilling deception spanning the ages lay hidden behind this seemingly sacred and tragic scene.
The figure in imperial robes, radiating sacred golden light, was no Heavenly Emperor at all. He was the incomparably cunning Nine Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor from all those years ago!
And that hideous corpse beneath his feet, radiating terrifying demonic energy.
Was the true body of the Heavenly Emperor, who had exhausted his divine soul to seal the Evil Clan and had even been contaminated by the backlash of demonic energy!
This was a trap.
A vast, heaven-obscuring trap laid by the Devil Emperor with the last remnants of his strength.
He had disguised himself as the Heavenly Emperor and held the Heavenly Emperor Sword precisely to lure the greedy treasure seekers of later generations.
As long as someone was drawn by the Heavenly Emperor Sword's holy radiance and stepped forward to pull it free, they would be removing the seal suppressing the Devil Emperor's essence with their own hands!
Clearly, Tang Chen was just such a person.
His eyes bloodshot, he walked step by step toward the floating altar like a puppet controlled by desire.
Meanwhile, beyond the Sky Screen.
The Douluo Continent.
The Lake of Life, in the deepest reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ripples stirred gently across the lake, reflecting the awe-inspiring ancient battlefield within the Sky Screen.
Gu Yuena sat quietly upon her silver throne, her waterfall of long silver hair trailing beside her feet.
Her violet, slit-pupiled eyes stared fixedly at the two intertwined corpses in the image, her exquisite face covered in solemnity.
"What a terrible war..."
Gu Yuena murmured softly, her voice carrying deep weariness and desolation.
As the incarnation of one half of the former Dragon God, she had personally experienced the most devastating Dragon God War in the Douluo God Realm.
She had always believed that it had been a clash between the highest-level deities in the universe.
But today, upon seeing the ruins of this Ancient Heavenly Palace and the stele recording the deaths of a million cultivators, she suddenly realized how narrow her horizons had once been.
"My lord."
Beast God Di Tian stood below the throne, his massive body trembling slightly beyond his control.
He raised his head and looked at the hideous demonic figure being trampled underfoot in the image, his face likewise filled with fear.
"That member of the Outer Realm Evil Clan, that corpse of the Nine Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor."
"Even through the Sky Screen, even though he has been dead for tens of thousands of years, I can still sense that frenzied malice within him, seeking to devour every living being."
Di Tian swallowed, unease flickering in his golden eyes.
"If our Douluo Continent encountered such a monster, I fear we wouldn't last even a day before the entire world became a dead wasteland."
Gu Yuena nodded slightly, her delicate hand gently stroking the throne's armrest.
"Yes."
"This is a true catastrophe."
She raised her eyes toward the Heavenly Emperor holding the Crystal Long Sword in the image, and a complicated emotion flickered through them.
There was admiration, but also a barely perceptible trace of doubt.
"To protect his own world, that Heavenly Emperor did not hesitate to take all his followers with him to perish alongside the enemy."
"Such breadth of heart and courage truly befit the title of ruler of the Great Thousand World."
Gu Yuena recalled those God Kings of the Douluo God Realm.
The Asura God and the God of Destruction spouted righteousness and morality all day long, yet in truth, it was all to preserve their own pitiful authority. They were selfish to the extreme.
If those members of the God Realm Committee had been in the Ancient Heavenly Palace's position, facing the Devil Emperor's invasion, they would probably have abandoned the living beings of the Douluo Continent and fled for their own lives long ago.
"But..."
Nearby, the Emerald Swan Bi Ji knitted her brows slightly, worry showing on her gentle, beautiful face.
"My lord, don't you think there is something strange about this scene?"
"Though that Heavenly Emperor radiates golden light, as a healing-type soul beast, I am especially sensitive to auras."
"I keep feeling as though there is something deeply unpleasant hidden within that glittering golden figure."
At Bi Ji's words, Gu Yuena's gaze sharpened.
She examined the altar closely, the doubts in her heart growing heavier.
"There is indeed something wrong."
Gu Yuena rose and walked to the lakeshore.
"Look at Tang Chen. He has already been bewitched by that sword's power."
Di Tian snorted coldly, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Humans are greedy."
"Doesn't he stop to think? Is a divine treasure capable of suppressing a peerless Devil Emperor something trash like him, who hasn't even reached god level, can touch?"
"My lord, do you think he can pull out that sword?"
Watching the Sky Screen, Gu Yuena slowly shook her head.
"I don't know."
"But I have a very bad feeling."
Meanwhile.
Inside the towering divine temple of the God Realm Committee.
The atmosphere was so oppressive that it seemed water might drip from it.
The Five Great God Kings sat upon their lofty god thrones, each expression uglier than the last.
Throughout the divine temple, only their heavy breathing could be heard.
The purple-black lightning surrounding the God of Destruction had dimmed completely.
He stared fixedly at the Sky Screen, his voice as hoarse as something scraping against sandpaper.
"The Outer Realm Evil Clan, the Nine Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor..."
"To think such a terrifying race, devoted to devouring planes, actually exists in this universe."
The God of Destruction felt even his divine soul growing cold.
He had always considered himself the embodiment of destruction, wielding the Douluo Universe's law of destruction.
Yet only upon seeing that Devil Emperor's corpse today did he understand what true destruction was.
That malice, born purely for slaughter and devouring, chilled even him, the God of Destruction, to the core.
"That Heavenly Emperor's strength far surpassed ours."
The Goddess of Life was pale, her voice trembling slightly.
"Even he had to sacrifice his divine soul merely to seal that monster with difficulty. If Otherworldly Demons like this find the coordinates of our Douluo God Realm..."
The Goddess of Life did not finish, but every God King present understood her meaning.
If Otherworldly Demons truly invaded, the Douluo God Realm would be erased in an instant, unable to raise even a single splash.
Seated at the head, the Asura God's expression was darker still.
A rare trace of panic appeared in his cold, merciless eyes.
His gaze did not linger on the Heavenly Emperor or the Devil Emperor. Instead, it remained fixed on Tang Chen, who was approaching the altar step by step.
"Damn it!"
The Asura God slammed his hand against his armrest and let out a furious roar.
"What is that fool trying to do?!"
Beside him, the God of Evil frowned.
"Asura, do you know that human?"
The Asura God gritted his teeth, his chest heaving violently.
"He is the successor I chose on the Douluo Continent to inherit the position of Asura God! He is also the current administrator of Slaughter City!"
At these words, the other God Kings immediately understood.
No wonder that human carried such a thick aura of blood and slaughter.
"Has he gone mad?!"
The Asura God rose anxiously from his God Throne and paced back and forth uneasily on the God Platform.
"That Crystal Long Sword is the array core suppressing that Peerless Demon! That idiot actually wants to pull it out!"
As a God of Law Enforcement, the Asura God had an extremely deep understanding of formations and seals.
Although he had not seen through the Devil Emperor's Li Daitaojiang deception, he recognized the sword's importance at a glance.
"If he pulls out that sword and breaks the seal..."
"What if that Nine Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor still has a trace of his remnant soul left and seizes the chance to revive..."
The Asura God's words instantly sent the temperature throughout the Divine Temple plummeting to freezing point.
The God of Kindness sucked in a cold breath and covered his mouth as he said:
"You mean, if the seal is broken, that demon from the Great Thousand World might very well follow the Sky Screen's karmic threads and set his sights directly on our Douluo Plane?!"
The conjecture was enough to plunge anyone into despair.
Cold sweat dripped steadily from the God of Destruction's forehead.
"Asura! Just what sort of troublemaker did you choose?!"
"This Sky Screen has linked our two worlds together. If he releases that monster, our entire Divine Realm will be buried along with him!"
At that moment, the Asura God was like a mute forced to swallow bitter herbs, unable to voice his suffering.
How could he have known that the successor he had chosen was a desperado who would forget even his own life at the sight of money?
Don't act rashly! Whatever you do, don't pull out that sword!
The Asura God desperately shouted and prayed in his heart.
Before you continue