The path ahead had been severed, yet Ye Chen continued to stride forward.
In an instant, everything changed. Whether it was his five senses or his six perceptions, all he could sense was an endless expanse of darkness, vast and boundless, without a single glimmer of light.
Apart from the pitch black, there was nothing else.
Ye Chen felt as if he were about to fall eternally into this endless darkness, unable to leave, unable to transcend, utterly trapped within it.
With a soft shout, the divine energy of the Great Dao surged through his limbs and bones, his saintly blood boiling. The Primordial Spirit child at his brow glowed, transforming into a sun, seeking to illuminate all darkness and return to the light.
But it was futile. The surroundings remained pitch black; even the Primordial Spirit sun could not illuminate, could not light up even an inch of the void.
There was only endless darkness; all light had vanished.
Ye Chen's mind and spirit sank into it, unable to transcend, incapable of surpassing it, falling forever within.
What was going on?
Was he to be eternally trapped in darkness, never to break free for all eternity?
For the first time in both his past and present life, a sense of helplessness welled up within his heart.
Perhaps the choice of path had been wrong. Ahead, there was no road, only endless darkness; he could not advance further.
But turning back was no longer an option; all directions were endless darkness. Was there anything else?
Ye Chen refused to believe this. He strode forward along the dark path, even though he could see nothing, relying solely on intuition to take great steps.
His five senses and six perceptions were stripped away; he could perceive nothing, not even any sound—only emptiness, only silence.
Without sufficiently firm willpower, one would likely go mad.
Yet Ye Chen simply continued forward, walking step by step, not knowing how far he had traveled, nor how much time had passed.
Perhaps a day, perhaps a month, perhaps a year, perhaps a hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years had passed.
He forgot the passage of time, unaware of the years adding to his being.
He simply kept walking, advancing solely by the will of his mind and spirit.
It seemed as if a very, very long time had passed.
A hundred years? A thousand years?
He did not know, for time was immeasurable. He only knew that at a certain moment, when Ye Chen had grown numb and his mind had fallen silent, his body moving forward autonomously, a point of light suddenly appeared before him.
Yes, it was light. Though this point of light was faint, like candlelight, in the endless darkness, it was so conspicuous, so dazzling, illuminating everything, like a lighthouse in a dark sea, guiding the way forward and startling Ye Chen out of his numbness.
"Is that the end of the darkness ahead..."
Ye Chen's voice was hoarse; he did not know how many years it had been since he last spoke. But his physical strength remained, and his speed increased, allowing him to traverse tens of thousands of li in an instant.
However, that point of light, though seemingly close, was in fact as distant as the horizon, separated by an infinite distance—visible from afar but impossible to approach.
Yet Ye Chen felt no discouragement. He remained resolute, swiftly traversing the void day after day.
The point of light also grew brighter, clearly drawing nearer.
Finally, on a certain day, Ye Chen truly arrived before the light. Only then did he discover that the point of light was actually an ancient gate, an ancient gate that had been opened.
The light that illuminated and guided in the darkness was shining in from the other side of the gate, appearing so conspicuous relative to the endless darkness.
With almost no hesitation, Ye Chen passed through the gate and entered the other side. What suddenly appeared was an endlessly vast, ancient great world, boundless and infinite.
It was even larger than the myriad realms. The myriad Daos of the heavens were complete, and the Heavenly Dao was without flaw, causing Ye Chen's Tenth Heaven to boil and manifest autonomously, blazing with unparalleled intensity.
There were vast and magnificent suns, moons, mountains, and rivers; there were precious races and living beings; there were True Dragons and Undying Phoenixes.
He knew—this was the Mythical Epoch.
Within the Tongxuan Realm, he had returned to the Mythical Epoch.
This was the most peak and prosperous great era in history, an unprecedented level of prosperity and power, surpassing all ages past and present. He also saw many primordial exotic species, witnessed Sovereigns traveling, and observed the palaces of Great Emperors floating at the highest points of the heavens. Everything seemed so powerful.
Ye Chen frowned. Had he, from within the Tongxuan Realm, traversed endless darkness, pierced through past and present, and returned to the previous epoch?
He couldn't help but suspect this. Walking further along the path behind him, continuing onward, would he ultimately cross the River of Time and return to that most prosperous and glorious Mythical Epoch?
Ye Chen traversed the great mountains and rivers, racing between heaven and earth. Everything seemed so real; he could even absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the Mythical Epoch—so abundant, so pure—and his perception of the myriad Daos of the heavens was clear.
It could be said that this was a Great Era suitable for cultivation, unprecedented.
But Ye Chen frowned. Although it seemed he had traveled back to this era, all the living beings he encountered along the way seemed unable to see him. Moreover, when he actively charged toward them, he pierced right through their bodies without any direct collision.
What did this mean? Had he directly arrived in the Mythical Epoch, or was he, for some reason, merely an observer in this era?
In the end, he watched coldly from the sidelines and sensed an aura of impending doom approaching. He understood that the Great Destruction of the Mythical Era would likely begin soon.
Indeed, not long after, the Great Destruction descended.
Heaven and earth shook; the cosmic barriers were torn apart. One after another, scale-covered giant claws that blotted out the sky appeared. The heavens collapsed and the earth crumbled; the stars of the myriad realms shook and fell, transforming into meteors.
The ten suns in the sky fell one after another, several of them shattered outright, losing their light. The primordial earth plunged into utter darkness.
The Mythical Epoch fell into the Great Destruction.
Moreover, at the highest points of the heavens, supreme and matchless imperial might erupted—the mythical Emperors and Sovereigns were awakening, engaging in the most intense imperial battles with the alien race, affecting a vast area.
The World Tree, towering into the starry sky, swayed, attempting to stabilize the great world's heaven and earth. But in the end, it was cut in half, severed, and withered away.
Ye Chen did not exist in this era; none of these events could truly affect his existence.
He saw, in the distant starry sky, the Heavenly Emperors and Sovereigns of the myriad realms appearing together, charging into the Chaos Sea to engage in decisive battles with the Emperors and Sovereigns of the alien race.
Among them was the infinitely tall Heaven-Burying Stele, as well as majestic and peerless, golden-bodied, immortal Supreme Ones...
In a final, vague moment, he saw the deepest part of the alien race's universe. There, unexpectedly, floated a mysterious ancient temple at the center of the cosmos, releasing an eternal, immortal radiance.
Within the ancient temple, faintly visible, sat an unfathomable Supreme One who did not move. His eyes could pierce through past and present, observing everything within the Sealed Realm, coldly watching the Great Destruction of the Mythical Era all along.
Vaguely, it seemed he could hear the myriad beings of the alien race—whether Sovereigns or the lowliest creatures—kowtowing and worshiping in the direction of the ancient temple, constantly calling out a particular name—
Shidai!