The Origin Will of the Eternal Night Domain retreated. Although the core region remained shrouded in darkness, it was no longer dangerous.
At the very apex of the Dark Upper Realm within the core region, the two figures pierced through the darkness and soared towards the firmament, soon arriving at a place where they heard the roaring sound of a mighty river—the sound of the River of Time, its waves surging endlessly.
Breaking through all obstacles, they beheld the vast and mighty River of Time, stretching across the Eternal Night Domain, causing Ye Chen to marvel.
Even Eternal Monarchs found it difficult to enter the true River of Time. Usually, only a tributary or a projection would appear. Who would have thought that one could travel directly to the River of Time from the core of the Eternal Night Domain? It was truly miraculous.
The Chaos Sea was vast, and nothing was impossible.
Donghuang said, "It's not that the Eternal Night Domain is miraculous, but rather that when it first appeared in the Chaos Sea, it accidentally swallowed an Island of Ages from the River of Time. Legend has it this treasure island might have been left behind by that Eternal One. It can perfectly integrate with the River of Time, unaffected by the rules of karma. That's why, by using this island, one can reach the true River of Time."
As one of the most ancient Immortal Dao existences of the Primordial Immortal World, Donghuang had even followed the Immortal Ancestor in battle during his early years and naturally knew many ancient secrets.
They entered the River of Time and appeared on a treasure island.
The island was not large, spanning only a few miles in radius, yet it remained completely unaffected by the erosion of the River of Time—a truly wondrous sight. This reminded Ye Chen of a similar place he had once seen on a projection of the River of Time, where the alien race's Great Emperors and Supremes had attempted to use such an island to cross time and space to reach this era and attack the Pangu Universe.
However, this treasure island was even more extraordinary. It emanated an aura of Eternal Power, completely fused with the River of Time as one, allowing it to traverse any location within the river.
Cultivating on this Island of Ages could even allow one to comprehend the myriad events of past and present, greatly aiding the nurturing of spiritual intelligence and offering heaven-defying effects for comprehending the Dao.
Therefore, even the Origin Will of the Eternal Night Domain was unwilling to relinquish it, going so far as to wage war.
Donghuang continued, "In the past, the Heavenly Emperor was trapped in a certain location within the River of Time. Not only did that place house the most terrifying group of existences from throughout the ages, but it was also extremely difficult to escape from. Back then, if the Heavenly Emperor had left, it would have been tantamount to opening that prison. Those most fearsome Great Horrors would have descended along the River of Time, causing immense destruction to the Chaos Sea."
Speaking of that event, Donghuang's voice held a slight tremor—a mix of apprehension towards those existences and reverence for the Heavenly Emperor.
The Heavenly Emperor faced not mere Supremes, but Monarchs, Primordial Monarchs, and even the gaze of numerous Half-Step Overlords—a staggering number.
Donghuang did not know how the Primordial One had managed to summon so many Great Terrors to deal with the Heavenly Emperor.
He only knew that only an Invincible Overlord like the Heavenly Emperor could face them alone!
At this stage, how could Ye Chen not understand? Someone as powerful as the Heavenly Emperor would not be bound by the River of Time without reason. There must have been other causes.
The fundamental reason was that the Heavenly Emperor was the sole barrier in that tributary of the River of Time. The most terrifying Great Horrors, seduced by the Primordial One, would have surged down from that severed, hidden tributary. Had the Heavenly Emperor left, these most fearsome Great Horrors would have emerged, descending upon the Chaos Sea of this era.
They would have specifically targeted the Pangu Universe, potentially even shattering it and causing its complete annihilation.
Therefore, the Heavenly Emperor never left, standing alone against the Great Terrors of the world.
Back then, the Battle Saint Ancestor and others entered this treasure island. Utilizing the island's power and the might of the Time-Space Great Emperor, they enabled the Heavenly Emperor to successfully break free and leave the River of Time.
As for the Great Horrors in that tributary of the River of Time, they were sealed there—a feat accomplished through the Heavenly Emperor's power as an Invincible Overlord and the Time-Space Great Emperor's ability to harness the River of Time's power for the seal, preventing their escape.
While this sounds simple, accomplishing it was anything but easy.
Merely sealing that group of peerless Great Horrors was a monumental task, especially considering it included prehistoric Half-Step Overlord-level Great Terrors. Otherwise, an Invincible Overlord like the Heavenly Emperor would not have been trapped for an entire epoch.
It was only the Time-Space Great Emperor—the highest achiever in the Dao of Time and Space throughout history—combined with this special Island of Ages within the River of Time, who could harness the River's power. Together with the Heavenly Emperor's might, they managed to seal that severed stretch of the River of Time.
Moreover, the Island of Ages was crucial. Without it, the Battle Saint Ancestor, the Heaven-Defying War Lord, Tai Sheng Huang, and the Flame Emperor would have found it difficult to locate the Heavenly Emperor. The true River of Time was too vast, containing information from countless ages throughout history. Even a Half-Step Overlord would struggle to search it.
Remember, that tributary had been severed and hidden away.
The Time-Space Great Emperor was the key. His departure back then was to enter the River of Time and find the location of the tributary where the Heavenly Emperor was trapped.
Only he, the highest achiever in the Dao of Time and Space, could safely traverse the River of Time and locate the spot.
Even so, the Time-Space Great Emperor spent tens of thousands of years finding it, then guided the Battle Saint Ancestor, the Heaven-Defying War Lord, Tai Sheng Huang, the Flame Emperor, and others to the location.
Throughout this process, they feared alerting the Alien Ancient Universe and being obstructed by them, so everything was carried out in utmost secrecy. Aside from the highest-level figures like the Battle Saint Ancestor, almost no one knew.
To avoid tipping off the enemy, the Battle Saint Ancestor and Tai Sheng Huang even concealed their true cultivation, only displaying the level of Primordial Monarchs to the outside world. Otherwise, the deepest-sleeping Half-Step Overlords of the Alien Ancient Universe would likely have emerged long ago, fearing their attempt to rescue the Heavenly Emperor and taking action.
In fact, they succeeded.
After plotting for nearly an entire epoch and evading the searches of the Alien Ancient Universe, they successfully rescued the Heavenly Emperor!
Otherwise, the Heavenly Emperor's return would have been far more difficult than imagined.
Even so, despite knowing he was an existence from the Origin Land, Ye Chen still held deep respect for the great Heavenly Emperor who had led the Pangu Universe.
"Once I cultivate the Immortal Arts to the Emperor level, it will be time to return to the Pangu Universe," Ye Chen murmured to himself. His Immortal Arts had stagnated at the Heavenly King level. If not for the matter of summoning Donghuang's Immortal Soul, he wouldn't have lingered in the Eternal Heaven Realm for so many days. He would likely have obtained the strongest Immortal King Scriptures from other great realms and cultivated to the Emperor level.
Of course, the workings of the world's karma involved both gain and loss, all according to fate.
Wasn't this a case of 'a blessing in disguise'?
This journey had yielded immense gains: he learned that the 'Ultimate Supreme' Immortal Fate was Pangu's Heart, discovered the origins of the Chaos Sea, understood the backgrounds of the five Invincible Overlords, cultivated Eternal Power, and learned how to perfect the true Chaos Great Dao.
Donghuang said, "This Island of Ages is extraordinary. By mastering it, one can essentially traverse any location throughout the ages."
Hearing this, Ye Chen's eyes lit up. "Can it also reach the Blood-Stained Future?"