Ye Chen stood upon it, silently watching, then took a step forward. Surprisingly, he began to walk against the current of the River of Time, moving upstream against the flow of time.
Along the way, he witnessed not only the various events that had occurred in the Sealed Boundary Universe, but also those that had transpired within the Chaos Sea. There were scenes from various ancient universes, mysteries of the Chaos Sea, and even battles at the level of Ancient Monarchs...
A chaotic light emanated from his body, but it was not merely chaotic light. Within that radiance, a special power spread—the power of time and space. It protected his safety, shielding him from the erosion of the River of Time, allowing him to travel upstream against its flow without harm.
Otherwise, even for Ye Chen, moving against the River of Time like this would result in erosion by the power of time, leading to his demise.
An unknown length of time passed. Ye Chen traversed countless ages, eventually arriving at the end of the River of Time.
Perhaps it could not be called an end, for the River of Time was severed, cut off.
At the point of severance stood an immense ancient stele, its height immeasurable in li, towering into the highest reaches, its peak unseen. Its width was also beyond sight, completely blocking the path ahead.
The heavenly stele was ancient and weathered, inscribed with archaic characters that contained the Dao and principles of all heavens. It released a boundless aura of vast, endless heaven, as if it were the Heavenly Dao itself, immense and limitless.
It also resembled a supreme Emperor or an unparalleled Immortal, before whom all living beings must bow.
However, the heavenly stele was stained with blood, still appearing fresh and crimson as if recently splattered. That blood caused Ye Chen to sense an infinite aura of the Great Dao and an Emperor's might capable of crushing all heavens.
That was Emperor Blood.
The ancient stele was the Heaven-Burying Stele!
In the past, an Alien Emperor from the Mythical Epoch had looked down, intending to travel downstream along the river to kill him, the key figure in the Sealed Boundary Universe. That Alien Emperor was repelled by a mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi, suspected to be a Supreme Emperor. That figure had used the Heaven-Burying Stele to sever the River of Time, cutting off this epoch from the Mythical Epoch.
Although an incident nearly occurred later on the River of Time atop the Tongxuan Ancient Gate, his future supreme self had taken action, re-establishing the severance, which remained to this day.
Ye Chen did not understand why he had seen the River of Time from within the ancient coffin.
Nor did he know why he could follow the River of Time, moving upstream against the current to arrive at the point severed by the Heaven-Burying Stele.
All of this seemed to conceal unknown secrets, as if someone was calling him, urging him to enter the coffin, travel against the River of Time, and return here.
What was the reason for all this?
Ye Chen did not know. He stood before the Heaven-Burying Stele, looking up at this boundless ancient heavenly stele that had once buried an Emperor. The blood on its surface was Emperor Blood, enduring through endless ages without fading or diminishing.
Drip!
Suddenly, a drop of Emperor Blood fell from the Heaven-Burying Stele, sinking into the River of Time.
The moment it fell, it was as if countless stars were plummeting. A single stone stirred up a thousand waves, causing the River of Time to tremble violently.
Visibly, a portion of the River of Time rapidly turned crimson, transforming into a sea of blood that submerged the vast area beneath Ye Chen.
Boom—
Suddenly, from within the crimson-stained region, a scene surged forth from the River of Time. It recorded the events of the late Mythical Epoch: the fierce battles of Emperors, the fall of all living beings in the Sealed Boundary Universe, the decline and extinction of myriad races, with less than one or two out of a thousand surviving, leaving behind a universe of the Dark Blood Era.
This scene completely enveloped Ye Chen, making him feel as if he were within it, once again witnessing the events of that time.
Even though he had returned to the Great Destruction of the Mythical Epoch several times, Ye Chen still felt rage and sorrow. For this was the Sealed Boundary Universe, the battle where prosperity peaked before decline, and he felt it deeply.
Yet he was also curious: why return to the Great Destruction of the Mythical Epoch again? The secrets he needed to understand had largely been uncovered in previous visits. Why return once more?
This time, however, his stay in the Mythical Epoch seemed unusually long. Ye Chen wanted to leave but found himself unable to succeed.
Boom—
Suddenly, from the highest point of the heavens, an immeasurable demonic shadow descended.
It was an Alien Emperor, descending from the sky. All heavenly stars appeared as tiny as dust before him. His Emperor's might shook and cracked all heavens and myriad domains, causing countless living beings in the Sealed Boundary Universe to turn to ash.
Yet, amidst this, the Alien Emperor, whose demonic might knew no bounds, clearly looked toward Ye Chen. His cold gaze seemed capable of seeing him, who had inexplicably entered this place.
Ye Chen immediately felt his hair stand on end. He clearly was not from the Mythical Epoch, so how could the Alien Emperor see him?
This was impossible; it must be a coincidence.
Ye Chen scanned his surroundings, but within a radius of ten thousand li, the area was almost completely empty, devoid of anything. All living beings had utterly perished, not even Ancient Monarchs spared.
Yet the Alien Emperor's gaze remained fixed on Ye Chen. Even though he was not of this era, Ye Chen still felt immense pressure.
The Alien Emperor's cultivation was profound and miraculous. Across time and space, he had seen Ye Chen, who had trespassed here.
"Ant of the Sealed Realm, we have searched for you diligently. Finally, we have awaited your arrival."
A cold voice slowly issued from the Alien Emperor's mouth, directed at Ye Chen, causing the latter to instantly feel his hair stand on end.
The Alien Emperor had been waiting for his arrival!?
What was going on?
Boom—
Infinite power surged forth, instantly sealing all space around Ye Chen, rendering him immobile.
The Alien Emperor looked down upon Ye Chen, who appeared even smaller than an ant. He seemed in no hurry to kill him, instead speaking slowly to explain the reason: "In the past, the Emperors of our realm spared no effort to conduct an earth-shattering temporal divination across the ages, seeking those who might disrupt our grand plan in the future. The divination revealed nine key individuals. Pankong, Moluo, Chenluo, Loukong, and Antian traveled downstream along the River of Time and killed six of them."
"The seventh is you."
"Only by killing you can we proceed downstream to kill the eighth and ninth!"
"But who would have thought that a mere human ant like you, with heaven-defying luck, would force an Emperor to reveal himself, sparing no effort to save you and exposing his own existence, causing our realm's plan to fail. The second time, you even forced a mysterious Emperor from the future to appear, causing several Emperors of our realm to return empty-handed. Not only were they unable to kill you, but the River of Time was also severed."
"Yet, the more this happened—with Emperors sparing no effort to save you—the more it proved your value. It proved you are the key figure who could potentially reverse the future and very likely thwart our realm's grand plan. You cannot be allowed to remain."
"Did the Emperors of the Sealed Realm truly think we had no way to kill you, a key figure? In the past, for the sake of the grand plan, this Emperor divined the possibility of failure. Despite risking severe injury from the Heavenly Emperor, I stained the Heaven-Burying Stele with my blood, all for this moment."
"Someone from the future saved you multiple times, sending an ancient coffin and precious information. Our race also learned of this from future individuals."
"Since the future sent an ancient coffin along the River of Time, this Emperor also spared no effort to send a coffin made of Time-Space Divine Stone, casting Emperor-level techniques to connect with the River of Time, summoning you, making you travel upstream against the current, and return here. With a drop of Emperor Blood, piercing through past and present, indirectly sending you back here, ensuring you cannot leave."
"Whether from the past, present, or future, people have saved you, a key figure. But this Emperor spares no effort to imprison you in the Mythical Epoch. Let's see how you save yourself now?"
"Let's see how those people rescue you from this sea of suffering!"
Hearing this, Ye Chen felt an endless chill assault his body.
So the mysterious ancient coffin was fake, not from that future of universal silence, but the work of an Alien Emperor. It was all a design, a scheme spanning countless ages. Moreover, individuals from the future had delivered information, allowing the alien race to know, enabling the Alien Emperor to guide him into the coffin and onto the River of Time.
And in the past, risking severe injury from the Heavenly Emperor, he had left his Emperor Blood on the Heaven-Burying Stele. At the right time and place, a drop fell to serve as a guide, drawing him into the Mythical Epoch so he could be killed.
The alien race had devised a profound strategy to kill him, this key figure. Even an Alien Emperor had risked severe injury from the Heavenly Emperor to stain the Heaven-Burying Stele with his blood.
A bitter smile of genuine helplessness appeared on Ye Chen's face. This time, he might truly be finished, for this was no longer on the River of Time. His future supreme self likely could not intervene.
Facing a supreme Alien Emperor, even with infinite methods at his disposal, he was powerless.
Before absolute strength, everything was futile.
The Alien Emperor suddenly looked up toward the highest heavens. The Emperors of the Sealed Realm had also noticed this. The moment they saw Ye Chen, they immediately understood everything, recognized Ye Chen's true identity, and their expressions changed.
Boom—
All heavens were in great collapse and destruction. Emperors of the Sealed Realm wanted to intervene, reverse the situation, and rescue Ye Chen, this key figure.
Unfortunately, they were immediately blocked by Alien Emperors. One coldly stated, "Do not entertain such delusions. Otherwise, you will interfere with the operation of time and suffer immense backlash from causal forces. Gu Chu is only able to temporarily reverse time and space to act against your Sealed Realm's key figure by relying on Emperor Blood."
Emperor Gu Chu, the Alien Emperor whose Emperor Blood had stained the River of Time crimson, said, "Although I am somewhat curious whether anyone else can emerge here to save you, it is mostly impossible. The River of Time cannot descend here either. To avoid complications, I shall resolve you, making you, the seventh key figure, disappear completely."
Boom—
Emperor Gu Chu made his move. At this Emperor realm, he needed no Emperor techniques or divine abilities. A single Emperor's thought was enough to shatter all heavens. Supreme Emperor's power descended, rushing toward Ye Chen.