Above the Ultimate Void, time left no trace, and all realms returned to emptiness.
Lin Chen stood silently at the core of the origin of freedom, his white robes untouched by dust or smoke. Not a trace of pressure escaped him, yet he was already the ultimate origin of everything that existed and did not exist. Since he had fused with the Origin of Ultimate Freedom, countless Great Worlds of Freedom had evolved naturally. The order of spacetime arose and settled of its own accord, entering eternal perfection without the slightest guidance from him.
Beneath his feet, layer upon layer of illusory worlds flowed-the cooking smoke of mortal realms, the Spirit Veins of cultivation realms, the celestial palaces of divine realms, the majesty of emperor realms, ancient lands of chaos, forbidden lands of the void, primordial creation, and even newborn Great Worlds of Freedom. All cycled through birth and destruction within his gaze, harmonious and without strife.
He no longer needed to move forward, comprehend the Dao, or seek further confirmation.
Throughout the ages, he had already traversed every realm no one could reach, every Dao no one could touch, and every summit no one could attain. Invincibility was no longer a state, but his very being.
Yet at that moment, Lin Chen raised his eyes slightly and looked toward a stretch of absolute stillness deeper within the Ultimate Void.
Not even "nothingness" could describe that place. Not even origins could touch it, nor could spacetime extend into it. It was the Realm Beyond the Dao, transcending even the ultimate.
Only after fusing with the Origin of Ultimate Freedom had even Lin Chen begun to faintly sense its existence.
"Beyond the Dao, another Dao remains. Above each realm, another realm awaits."
Lin Chen murmured softly. His voice was calm, yet countless Great Worlds of Freedom around him resonated with the sound of the Dao at once.
The Void Dao Lord, who had been waiting quietly at the edge of the Ultimate Void, trembled inwardly. He bowed and lowered his head, not daring to cause the slightest disturbance.
Nourished by Lin Chen's Dao resonance, he had long since broken through to the Void Sovereign realm and commanded all spacetime throughout the Primordial Myriad Realms. Even so, he still could not perceive the existence of that Realm Beyond the Dao, much less understand what level it represented.
Before Lin Chen, he would forever be only a follower, forever unable to glimpse the end of the Supreme One's Dao Path.
Lin Chen lightly raised his foot. Without using any power or tearing through any space, he naturally stepped out of the Ultimate Void and entered that Realm Beyond the Dao, where not even "emptiness" existed.
With that single step, heaven and earth changed abruptly.
There was no light, no darkness, no presence, and no rules.
There was no up or down, left or right, past or future, strength or weakness, height or depth, existence or destruction.
Every concept lost its meaning here, every principle dissolved of its own accord, and every power became formless.
This was the Realm of Dao Extinction, a forbidden land that even the ultimate origin dared not touch, the absolute annihilation beyond the end of all Daos.
Legends said that anyone who entered this place, even an Eternal Supreme, would have every trace of their existence erased and become utter nothingness, leaving behind neither reincarnation, nor an imprint, nor even a thought.
Yet Lin Chen's expression remained calm as he stepped inside.
His body did not dissolve, his Dao heart did not collapse, and his will was not erased.
Within this Realm of Dao Extinction, he was still himself, still Lin Chen, who had signed in for a hundred thousand years and emerged invincible.
"So that was it."
Lin Chen spoke slowly, his voice still clearly audible in this place without spacetime.
He finally understood that everything along his journey-signing in, emerging into the world, treading the heavens, proving his Dao, invincibility, the ultimate, freedom-had never been the endpoint.
The true supreme Dao was not to control all Daos, surpass all Daos, or become all Daos, but to disregard all Daos.
The true supreme realm was not invincibility, eternity, or freedom, but to exist in oneself, needing no Dao to bear witness.
When the Dao existed, he existed.
When the Dao perished, he remained.
No realm could confine him, no Dao could limit him, no end could halt him, and no beginning needed to be sought.
This was the true meaning of the Realm Beyond the Dao-relying on nothing, depending on nothing, severing oneself from all Daos, with only the true self remaining.
Lin Chen slowly closed his eyes. He no longer observed worlds, spacetime, origins, or the ultimate.
He observed only himself.
He observed his original heart through a hundred thousand years of signing in amid the mortal world, the sharpness with which he had swept across the heavens upon emerging, his calm as he crushed the Primordial Emperor Exalt, his freedom when creating the Great World of Freedom, and his perfection upon fusing with the ultimate origin.
Within a single thought, countless epochs flowed past.
Within a single thought, countless worlds arose and perished.
Within a single thought, countless Dao laws collapsed and were reborn.
Within the Realm of Dao Extinction, his Dao heart was continually purified, refined, and returned to truth. From "ultimate unfettered," it ascended once more, entering an entirely new level that even he had never imagined-the true self boundless realm.
Boundlessness was all realms, no Dao was all Daos, and no self was the true self.
When Lin Chen opened his eyes again, an almost imperceptible ripple suddenly stirred across the entire Realm of Dao Extinction.
This ripple was neither power, Dao resonance, nor principle, but existence itself.
Wherever it passed, the Realm of Dao Extinction was no longer annihilation, emptiness, or taboo.
Countless unprecedented Dao laws were born of their own accord, countless unprecedented spacetimes extended of their own accord, countless unprecedented worlds emerged of their own accord, and countless unprecedented living beings awakened of their own accord.
Lin Chen neither created, intervened, nor ruled.
Simply because he "existed" here, this Realm of Dao Extinction transformed of its own accord into the True Self Great World.
Without master, restraint, bonds, strife, destruction, or birth.
Everything was natural, everything was free, and everything was the true self.
This was an entirely new dimension that surpassed the Great World of Freedom, the Ultimate Void, and the Realm of Dao Extinction.
It was a world of the true self belonging to Lin Chen alone.
At the same time, the Primordial Myriad Realms and the Great Worlds of Freedom trembled together.
All Daos rang out in unison, and heavenly sounds surged. Every living being, every powerhouse, every origin, and every will sensed at the same moment the presence of an existence beyond the ultimate, above all realms, impossible to describe or even look up to.
Throughout the mortal realms of the heavens, ordinary people set down their work and knelt of their own accord, peace filling their hearts.
In the cultivation realms, cultivators attained sudden enlightenment, shattered every bottleneck, and reached the pinnacle.
In the celestial palaces of the God Realm, the gods shed their divine radiance and returned to the ordinary, their states of mind clear and lucid.
Across the territories of the emperor realms, great emperors relinquished their authority and roamed freely between heaven and earth, with no more strife.
Deep within chaos, the Chaos Heavenly Venerable led all living beings in prostration, calling out reverently with tears filling his eyes.
In the Heaven Beyond Heaven Domain, the Eastern Domain Venerable and the lords of the various realms kowtowed together, their hearts filled with the utmost reverence.
In the Hongmeng Holy Land, the entire Creation Clan knelt beneath the Creation Divine Tree, paying homage with their highest rites.
Within the void, the Eternal Continent shone with light ten thousand zhang high. The Void Dao Lord bowed as low as he could, his mighty voice piercing all spacetime:
"This subordinate, the Void Dao Lord, congratulates the Supreme One on proving the Dao of the true self and ascending to boundlessness!"
"The Supreme One's Dao shall never end! The Supreme One's heart shall forever remain the true self!"
His voice spread through all worlds and resounded across all realms. Every living being responded at once, calling out reverently:
"Congratulations, Supreme One! The True Self Boundless Realm, and all Daos return to the heart!"
"After signing in for a hundred thousand years, I emerged invincible!"
"The True Self Boundless Realm knows no bounds, the sole Supreme throughout the ages!"
The sounds of the Dao layered upon one another, breaking through every dimension, every spacetime, and every realm, reaching straight into the Realm of Dao Extinction and the True Self Great World, where they fell upon Lin Chen's ears.
Lin Chen's white robes stirred gently as he glanced back.
With a single look, he saw all worlds at peace, all realms harmonious, all beings free, and all Daos returning to the heart.
The mortal realms had the warmth of everyday life, cultivation had the sounds of the Dao, the God Realm had peace, emperor realms had order, chaos had harmony, the void had stillness, the primordial had vitality, freedom had perfection, and the true self had eternity.
All of this existed because of him, found peace because of him, and attained completeness because of him.
The Realm Beyond the Dao, the True Self Great World.
Lin Chen walked slowly forward. A bluestone path formed beneath his feet of its own accord, clear streams and green trees appeared beside him, a clear sky and warm sun appeared overhead, and the bustle of mortal life arose all around him.
There was no supreme majesty, no homage from all Daos, no gathering of powerhouses around him, and no authority held in his hands.
There was only a small bamboo cottage, a small stone table, and a small bamboo chair.
Just like the little courtyard amid the Mortal Realm when he had arrived a hundred thousand years ago.
Only by remembering one's original heart could one see things through from beginning to end.
With the original heart unchanged, all realms returned to truth.
Lin Chen slowly sat down and waved a hand. A cup of clear tea appeared on the stone table of its own accord. Its fragrance was light, untouched by mortal dust or Dao resonance, carrying only the taste of the most ordinary tea in the mortal realms.
He took a light sip, and a calm, warm, relieved smile curved his lips.
Through a hundred thousand years of signing in, he had lived on plain tea and simple meals in the mortal realms, paying no heed to worldly affairs and quietly tempering himself.
Once he emerged, he swept across the heavens, overwhelmed all realms, and stood invincible throughout the ages.
He had traversed the heavens, chaos, the heavenly domains, the void, the primordial, the ultimate, and beyond the Dao.
He had experienced invincibility, eternity, freedom, and the true self.
In the end, he had still returned to how he had been at the beginning-an ordinary person sitting quietly with his tea, calm and free.
Power was already drifting clouds to him.
Cultivation realms were already empty titles to him.
All realms were already scenery to him.
Invincibility was already his ordinary state.
He no longer needed to contend, no longer needed to contend, no longer needed to venture forth, and no longer needed to stand guard.
For he himself was the Dao.
He himself was the realm.
He himself was invincibility.
He himself was eternity.
Outside the True Self Great World, the Void Dao Lord stood silently in vigil, not daring to draw even a fraction closer.
He knew that the Supreme One had entered the true self boundless realm and needed neither protection, homage, nor followers.
Yet he was still willing to wait here, day after day, year after year, epoch after epoch, until all ages ended and all realms fell into annihilation.
For this was his Dao, his heart, the unwavering fixation and glory of the hundred thousand years he had spent following the Supreme One.
Lin Chen sat before the bamboo cottage, lightly savoring his tea, his eyes half-closed as he observed the birth and destruction of all realms, the peace of all worlds, the freedom of all beings, and all Daos returning to the heart.
His figure gradually merged with the True Self Great World, with the Realm Beyond the Dao, and with all realms and all Daos.
He was present in every place, every moment, every realm, and every Dao.
He was in the cooking smoke of mortal realms, in the Dao sounds of cultivation, in the breezes of the God Realm, in the mountains and rivers of emperor realms, in the ancient beasts of chaos, in the stillness of the void, in the origins of the primordial, in the worlds of freedom, and in the Dao realm of the true self.
No one could see his form, hear his voice, or know his whereabouts.
Yet everyone could sense his existence, his peace, his warmth, and his invincibility.
The years flowed, and all realms changed.
Epoch after epoch passed, and generation after generation of living beings multiplied.
Lin Chen's legend had long since been engraved into the origins of all Daos and fused into the depths of every living being's soul, undying for eternity and passed down throughout the ages.
Someone asked, where was the Supreme One?
The answer came: in all realms, in all Daos, in the hearts of all beings, and within the true self.
Someone asked, what was the Supreme One's realm?
The answer came: the realm without realms, the Dao without Dao, the self without self, the eternal true self.
Someone asked, what did the Supreme One do?
The answer came: he observed the peace of all realms, safeguarded the freedom of all beings, comprehended the endless true self, and walked the great Dao of invincibility.
Yet all of this had begun with nothing more than that youth amid the Mortal Realm, quietly signing in for a hundred thousand years.
Once he emerged, he crushed the ages beneath him, swept aside all enemies, and stood invincible beneath heaven.
As he journeyed onward, he traversed all realms, proved the Dao of the true self, and became eternal throughout spacetime.
Before the bamboo cottage, the clear tea had cooled slightly.
Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and lucid, untouched by a speck of dust and unimpeded by anything.
He spoke softly. His voice was not loud, yet it spread throughout all realms and all Daos, falling into the hearts of every living being:
"A hundred thousand years of signing in, my original heart unforgotten."
"Invincible upon emerging, my true self unscathed."
"All realms are scenery, all Daos are chapters."
"I walk a road without end, my Dao boundless in itself."
As his words fell, the True Self Great World trembled gently. All realms resonated together, all Daos hummed together, and all beings found peace of heart together.
Above heaven and below earth, throughout the spacetime of all ages, within and beyond the Dao, amid all realms.
There was only one whose original heart remained unchanged, whose true self remained unaltered, whose invincibility remained undying, and whose eternity never passed.
After signing in for a hundred thousand years, I emerged invincible.
Beyond the Dao, another Dao remained; all realms returned to the heart.
The road ahead had no end, and the Dao Path had no limit.
And Lin Chen's legend still continued.