"Do you want to get beaten?"
It was the Goddess who spoke, her voice like heavenly music, yet forceful and domineering.
"You—"
The Sun King had just started to retort, but everyone in Ye Chen's direction instantly turned their gazes toward him, even the little golden divine dragon and Yiyi, who were feasting heartily, looked at him.
Each one exuded divine might, their eyes cold and filled with killing intent.
If the Sun King truly dared to make a move at this moment, they would undoubtedly swarm him immediately.
Seeing this, even the Sun King could only snort coldly, as that group was simply too formidable to provoke, unless Di Wushuang and the other two stood by his side.
This also allowed the other powerhouses on the Ancient Emperor Continent to breathe a sigh of relief, and they felt a certain goodwill toward Ye Chen, this uncrowned Sovereign.
"Alright, everyone, I invited you here to discuss major matters such as the Heaven and Earth Chessboard, not to quarrel and fight. Please settle down."
Di Wushuang stepped forward to mediate, his words calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.
Then he looked at the assembled powerhouses, pausing slightly before saying, "Since some Fellow Daoists are not very familiar with it, I shall explain."
"The Heaven and Earth Chessboard is, in fact, an eternal chessboard set up by the Great Power-level overlords of the Divine Spirit Era!"
With this opening statement, Di Wushuang dropped an astonishing bombshell, sending shockwaves through the crowd!
This secret had long been buried in history. Even ancient empires like the thirty-six empires were not very clear about it, and historical relics from the Divine Spirit Era were rarely revealed.
Those who lived in that era were basically extinct; who could know?
Almost everyone's expressions changed drastically, but the Sun King, the Eternal Night Dark King, and the Profound Heaven Saintess remained composed, as the three mysterious Sacred Lands naturally had some understanding.
"Please elaborate, Imperial Son," an old Heavenly King, whose divine sense had taken over the Sovereign of his empire, spoke with gravity. This secret was of immense significance.
Why did the Great Power overlords of the Divine Spirit Era set up such a Heaven and Earth Chessboard, laying out a plan spanning eternity? What were they scheming?
They did not know. Even Ye Chen, who had traveled across the entire Ancient Emperor Continent over the years, visited the thirty-six empires, ventured into demon race and beast race strongholds, and even explored dangerous secret realms and ancient starry lands to gather information, only had some conjectures.
He was not particularly surprised by Di Wushuang's words, as he had already learned a thing or two. But why the layout? What was the real reason? What was the main cause of the Divine Spirit Era's demise? Even he did not fully understand.
Now, with Imperial Son Wushuang taking the initiative to speak, it was the best way to find out.
Di Wushuang did not conceal anything, saying, "Everyone knows that on the Ancient Emperor Continent, there was once a period of unimaginable glory and prosperity, known as the Divine Spirit Era, reputed to have coexisting Divine Spirits, powerful beyond imagination."
"That era reached an extreme level of strength. So-called Divine Spirits—Heavenly Kings—were born one after another, and even Great Power-level overlords appeared, not just one or two."
"Such an era, such a Great Era, could be called the pinnacle of glory. Not to mention the Ancient Emperor Realm, even the vast cosmos of the myriad realms would find it difficult to give birth to so many ancient Great Sages in the same era."
"Naturally, after reaching its peak and then declining, the Divine Spirit Era perished. The Divine Spirits fell, and those peerless overlords who once dominated the rise and fall of the Divine Spirit prosperity almost all perished, leaving behind a withered Ancient Emperor Continent and scars that lasted for millennia."
Everyone present was aware of that era, but Ye Chen, while understanding, was the most puzzled.
Although the Ancient Emperor Realm was a great world opened by an ancient Great Emperor, it should not have been able to give birth to so many Heavenly Kings, nor could it have produced several Great Power-level overlords.
Everyone knew that the myriad realms were vaster than the Ancient Emperor Realm and contained more abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth, yet even they found it difficult to give birth to so many powerhouses in the same era.
One must know that the world seeks balance; where there is loss, there must be gain.
Whether Heavenly Kings or ancient Great Sages, they were born by devouring vast amounts of the world's energy and fortune, which also prevented others from being born.
Generally, only after those individuals perished and their Dao dissipated into the world could other supreme figures possibly emerge.
Yet the Ancient Emperor Realm, no matter how one looked at it, did not seem capable of giving birth to so many invincible powerhouses.
This point had always puzzled Ye Chen. Although he had traveled the world, subdued various races, consulted many ancient historical records, and even sought understanding from powerhouses sealed from the Divine Spirit Era, he still could not find an answer.
He felt there must be a significant reason behind it.
However, Di Wushuang did not elaborate on that. Instead, he explained other mysteries of the Divine Spirit Era: "The destruction of the Divine Spirit Era, in the minds of the world and in your understanding, must surely be puzzling. How was it caused? Why did it perish so suddenly?"
"Wasn't it because the Divine Spirits fought for supremacy, to dominate the rise and fall of the Ancient Emperor Continent and compete for the position of the number one supreme powerhouse?" a Heavenly King from an empire spoke up. This was one of the most widely circulated reasons in the world, gaining broad acceptance.
That era saw the emergence of countless Heaven's Pride, the rise of Divine Spirits, with prosperity and glory lasting tens of thousands of years, reaching an extreme level of strength, peerless throughout the ages.
But the lofty overlords refused to submit to one another, each vying to be the foremost, to see who was stronger, leading to a peak battle that left the Ancient Emperor Continent in ruins.
Of course, there had been other conjectures: perhaps someone obtained a forbidden object, triggering a struggle among the powerhouses.
Perhaps a treasure for attaining the Dao appeared, sparking a great calamity.
Or perhaps due to certain factors, peerless overlords took action, ultimately pulling one thread that moved the whole body, igniting a war of Divine Spirits across the entire Ancient Emperor Continent.
There were many similar speculations, but no one knew the true reason. Those sealed from the Divine Spirit Era could not know either, as they missed the Great Destruction battle and were unaware.
And those individuals were, in a way, fortunate, because ninety-nine percent of those sealed during that era were affected by the war, caught in the crossfire, perishing, their Dao extinguished while in slumber.
"You are all mistaken. The Divine Spirit Era was not about competing for the position of the number one person, nor about dominating the world and controlling the rise and fall of the Great Era," Di Wushuang shook his head. "That era was too prosperous, too powerful. Great Power-level figures appeared, not just one or two. Various factions existed, each dominating a part of the world's rise and fall. No one could overcome another, and there were checks and balances. Who would dare rashly start a war?"
"In that case, what is the real reason?" Ye Chen also spoke up, his eyes flickering as he inquired with puzzlement.
Di Wushuang said, "Because of a plan."
"A plan?"
Everyone was shocked and suspicious. What plan?
Di Wushuang enunciated each word clearly: "To bury an era, and to open a door!"