In that instant, everyone felt their hair stand on end, a chill running down their spines.
Nalan Yunxuan—the founding Ancient Ancestor of the Nine Domains Divine Kingdom—had actually left his mark here. He had not perished, but had instead become one of the nine ancient temple guardians, standing watch over the Abyss Chasm.
How utterly bizarre this was.
Just thinking about it was enough to send shivers down everyone's spine.
Many were familiar with the deeds of the Nine Domains Divine Kingdom, that supreme force which once dominated the Star Sky. In its time, it was incomparably powerful, for its founding Ancient Ancestor, Nalan Yunxuan, stood at the pinnacle of Great Power, nearly stepping into another supreme realm to become an Ancient Monarch, making it exceptionally mighty for an era.
Even today, the Nine Domains Divine Kingdom remains a hegemon-level power in the Star Sky, dominating several star domains with immense influence and strength.
However, the founding Ancient Ancestor Nalan Yunxuan had suddenly vanished back then. Rumors circulated that he had joined a group of peerless experts in some earth-shattering plan, seemingly related to an Emperor, but it was kept highly secret. This plan had been in the works since Nalan Yunxuan was very young, spanning a full hundred thousand years. Who would have thought it was actually the Heaven Burial Domain?
The stele contained some fragmented information. Though disjointed, one could infer and piece together the truth of that era.
Back then, Nalan Yunxuan had dominated the Star Sky for a hundred thousand years, standing alone at the peak. He led the entire Nine Domains Divine Kingdom onto a glorious path and solidified its hegemonic position across several star domains.
He was immensely powerful and lived an exceedingly long life—a full hundred thousand years, approaching the lifespan limit of an ancient Great Sage, on the verge of passing away.
Despite his strength, over those hundred thousand years, he had attempted to break into the Ancient Monarch realm several times, only to fail each time. Knowing it was nearly impossible for him to take that final step on his own, and unwilling to accept demise after ruling the Star Sky alone, he sought another method.
Moreover, the Nine Domains Divine Kingdom had stabilized, with another ancient Great Sage emerging who could protect the divine kingdom in his stead. Thus, he decided to leave the Nine Domains Divine Kingdom, to shatter the barrier of the Great Power realm, ascend to greater heights, strive for a more glorious future, extend his life further, and climb to the pinnacle of the Great Dao.
He also hoped to lead the Nine Domains Divine Kingdom to even greater glory and power, to truly dominate the entire ancient universe.
Therefore, he set his sights on the Emperor's Tomb within the Heaven Burial Domain, a plan he had secretly been devising for a hundred thousand years.
In the end, he consumed the most precious divine pill to temporarily restore himself to his peak. He then joined forces with eight other pinnacle Great Powers from the depths of the Star Sky to jointly open the hidden Emperor's Tomb within the Heaven Burial Domain. They had long since deduced that on the day of Yin-Yang Reversal, the Primordial Continent would tear through the Star Sky and appear. That would be the greatest opportunity to seize the Emperor's opportunity.
Back then, the nine supreme experts, including Nalan Yunxuan, descended upon the Primordial Continent. They fought through battles but successfully arrived before the Abyss Chasm. They understood that a Sovereign-level ancient beast perpetually slumbered within, guarding the passage, and that they must pass through it to enter the other realm.
A hundred thousand years of preparation had given Nalan Yunxuan and the other eight pinnacle experts ample readiness. They had also found in the Star Sky a Sovereign's primal world left behind after an Ancient Monarch's fall. Though immensely precious, they jointly refined it and pushed it into the Abyss Chasm. Even under the immense influence of the abyssal behemoth, the Sovereign's ancient world shrank considerably but remained quite stable, forming a small realm that connected the two worlds.
Furthermore, the nine pinnacle Great Powers used various divine materials to construct a heavenly ladder, allowing them to bypass the abyssal behemoth and enter the true Emperor World.
Originally, this stele existed specifically to record the nine pinnacle Great Powers' successful acquisition of the Emperor's Tomb, hence it described all the details of their plan from that era, intended for later generations to learn.
However, upon entering the Emperor World, they discovered other unexpected matters that deeply terrified and enraged them. The sudden emergence of certain events had clearly caught them off guard.
Thus came the later words of shock and fury: "Man proposes, Heaven disposes."
Now it was clear that this earth-shattering plan had ultimately failed. Nalan Yunxuan had become a puppet within one of the nine ancient temples, guarding the Emperor's Tomb.
But what exactly did "Man proposes, Heaven disposes" mean?
Everyone inexplicably felt a sense of dread, especially since the ancient stele also bore another line—"Man proposes, Heaven disposes. Can man truly conquer Heaven?"
All of this seemed to indicate that the emergence of the Primordial Continent was not merely the appearance of an Emperor's legacy. It was more likely a terrifying, grand conspiracy.
What kind of conspiracy was this?
Everyone wanted to return, but the light gate had long since vanished. Their faces paled one by one—they were actually locked within this desolate Emperor World, unable to return to the other side.
Boom—
At the same time, from within the central great chasm, boundless radiance erupted, accompanied by terrifying roars. That colossal behemoth roared incessantly, the nine Chaos Immortal Gold divine chains on its body clattering loudly, resonating through the heavens.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Within, a massive divine radiance passageway appeared. A Supreme Imperial Weapon hovered—it appeared to be a Dao Chart, as if encompassing the great universe of the heavens, evolving myriad great worlds, with ancient stars rotating within, releasing vast, boundless radiance. Imperial might permeated the air, overwhelmingly powerful.
Within, six intensely blazing light spheres also shone—they were the six Sovereign Immortal Weapons, all revived, constructing a brilliant passageway that thoroughly pierced through both sides of the Abyss Chasm. The Heavenly Mighty Figures entered one after another, charging into the desolate, ruined Emperor World.
"This is bad!"
Everyone's expressions suddenly changed. With the Heavenly Mighty Figures charging in, how were they supposed to return?
"Seniors!"
The various experts urgently called out, transmitting their voices to the Heavenly Mighty Figures, trying to stop them and keep the divine radiance passageway continuously open. They absolutely must not close it, for they all felt a terrifying sense of crisis rapidly enveloping them, as if some world-ending calamity was about to occur.
However, the Heavenly Mighty Figures charged into the ruined Emperor World one by one. Maintaining the divine radiance passageway required immense power expenditure. Once the Heavenly Mighty Figures entered, they had already released the Supreme Imperial Weapon and the six Sovereign Immortal Weapons, withdrawing them, causing the divine radiance passageway to collapse and scatter.
Boom—
The colossal behemoth in the abyss roared, its massive body completely filling the central great chasm. The nine Chaos Immortal Gold divine chains flowed and clattered, shattering the heavens, causing constant tremors, yet it did not attack the Heavenly Mighty Figures again.
This time, however, even Ye Chen's expression changed slightly. He sensed that immense trouble had arrived. With a whoosh, he appeared before the Heavenly Mighty Figures and spoke to the Nine Phoenix Great Power: "Senior, speak up and reopen the passageway, pierce through to the outside world. I suspect there is a heaven-shaking conspiracy here."