Encountering the final soul imprint of the Origin Burial Lord, Ye Chen learned of various unknown secrets concerning the Heavenly Emperor, Shidai, the Immortal Ancestor, and others—secrets that even Half-Step Overlords were unaware of.
Without a doubt, the impact on Ye Chen was immense.
Who could have imagined that the three Overlords who had dominated the Chaos Sea throughout history, unrivaled in their time, were actually sinners exiled from the Origin Land, bearing the sins of Ten Thousand Ancient Times.
However, Ye Chen desperately wanted to know: what crime had they committed to be labeled as bearers of such ancient sin?
Moreover, if the three Overlords were sinners bearing the sins of Ten Thousand Ancient Times, then why did the Origin Saint Race also enter this flawed Primordial Realm that was the Chaos Sea?
He knew the Chaos Sea was flawed, but why was it called the Primordial Realm?
Even at Ye Chen's current level, his heart still surged with towering waves of shock.
Because this involved the highest-level secrets of the entire Chaos Sea; had the Origin Burial Lord not personally told him, he would have remained ignorant.
As he contemplated the ultimate coordinates to the Origin Land left to him by the Origin Burial Lord, Ye Chen fell silent for a long time.
The two Origin Ancient Paths opened throughout history were actually both created to find the original collapsed passageway. By sheer coincidence, they ended up releasing the Dark Ancient Universe that imprisoned the Origin Burial Lord.
To reach the Origin Land, one needed to gather all the Origin Sacred Artifacts from the myriad heavens to truly open the Origin Ancient Path.
Back then, at the end of the Origin Ancient Path, because only half the Origin Sacred Artifacts were gathered, they had merely accidentally opened the dark cosmic prison holding the Origin Burial Lord.
"So, I need to gather all the Origin Sacred Artifacts to open it properly?" Ye Chen murmured softly.
The scene of the Origin Burial Lord's headless corpse colliding with Ye Chen was also witnessed by various powers across the Chaos Sea. After countless eons, the Overlord-level remains of the Origin Burial Lord had reappeared in the world. After his ten heads were severed back then, this Overlord-level corpse had vanished.
In truth, over all these tens of thousands of years, did anyone truly think no one coveted these Overlord-level remains?
Impossible. The remains of a peerless Overlord were priceless treasures that would make even Half-Step Overlords' eyes turn red with desire.
However, during that final battle on the Origin Ancient Path back then, after the Origin Burial Lord's ten heads were cut off, too many unforeseen events occurred, and it ultimately disappeared.
But now, why had the Origin Burial Lord's head reappeared?
No one knew. But watching Ye Chen collect the Origin Burial Lord's headless corpse, many revealed expressions of regret and pity.
Yet no one dared to contest Ye Chen for it. What wouldn't this madman, who dared to forcefully breach both the Alien Ancient Universe and the Origin Saint Race, dare to do?
Returning to the Pangu Universe, Ye Chen immediately went to the Heavenly Emperor, who resided near the universe's origin. He looked up at this figure whom the Origin Burial Lord had called a sinner exiled from the Origin Land. Yet, no matter how he tried, he couldn't reconcile the wise Heavenly Emperor before him with the sinner bearing the sins of Ten Thousand Ancient Times from the Origin Land.
Ultimately, the Heavenly Emperor's contributions to the Pangu Universe were immense; indeed, without the Heavenly Emperor, the Pangu Universe might not even exist.
The Heavenly Emperor looked at Ye Chen calmly and said, "He must have told you everything."
Ye Chen replied, "Senior Heavenly Emperor, you are the foremost savior of the Pangu Universe, Ruoxi's father, and Junlin's master. I believe in your character. I just wish to know why you are called a sinner exiled from the Origin Land, said to bear the sins of Ten Thousand Ancient Times. But I, your junior, believe in your character."
The so-called 'bearing the sins of Ten Thousand Ancient Times' was not directed at the Pangu Universe, but at the Origin Land.
The Origin Land remained a vague, elusive place to the Chaos Sea. Ye Chen's impression of it was neutral, so he couldn't view the Heavenly Emperor as the sinner the Origin Burial Lord described.
The Heavenly Emperor said, "In truth, I, Shidai, and the Immortal Ancestor are indeed sinners of the Origin Land. We committed grave mistakes and were exiled here. And this place, as you should know, is the flawed Primordial Realm. You must wonder why the Chaos Sea is called the flawed Primordial Realm, why we were exiled here, and why the Origin Saint Race also entered this flawed Primordial Realm."
Ye Chen said, "I am all ears."
"You likely do not know the origins of the Chaos Sea," the Heavenly Emperor continued. "In truth, before the Chaos Sea existed, even before Pangu performed Heaven and Earth Creation, this was a flawless land, which could be called the Primordial Realm, the Source Realm, or the Eternal Sacred Realm. That is to say, this place contains the opportunity to attain Eternity."
"One could even say that the origin of the Origin Land itself was actually born from this Chaos Sea."
Ye Chen was shocked. The Origin Land wasn't the true origin of everything? This Chaos Sea, called the flawed Primordial Realm, was the true origin?
This was utterly staggering!
The Heavenly Emperor explained, "Another meaning of 'Primordial Realm' is 'Source Realm'—the true origin of everything. In the infinite eons before Pangu's Heaven and Earth Creation in the Chaos Sea, the Primordial Realm gave birth to the Origin Land. That was a vast realm born from gathering all the origin power of the Primordial Realm. It seized the endless creation of the Primordial Realm and contained boundless possibilities. The first Eternity in heaven and earth was born from the Origin Land."
"Because the Origin Land gave birth to Eternity, and it was achieved by seizing the endless creation of the Primordial Realm, that Eternal existence named it the 'Origin Land,' meaning the origin of all things, replacing the Primordial Realm as the holy land in the minds of all beings."
"In fact, the Origin Land does possess infinite creation. You may only know of Pangu as the sole Eternal in the Chaos Sea, but in the Origin Land, there are far more than one. Throughout history, a total of thirty-three have been born."
"Thirty-three Eternals?" Ye Chen was astounded. Eternity was the ultimate goal of countless beings throughout the Chaos Sea's history. Apart from Pangu, who opened the Chaos Sea, not a single other had been born.
Yet the Origin Land possessed a full thirty-three—more than the number of peerless Overlords, even Half-Step Overlords, in the Chaos Sea.
"Does it seem like a lot to you?" The Heavenly Emperor smiled faintly. "The Origin Land is a place of endless creation. Just as the Myriad Domains are to the Eight Lower Realms, the Origin Land is the Upper Realm to the Chaos Sea. Of course, the thirty-three Eternals are the accumulation of countless eons in the Origin Land. From its birth until now, the Origin Land has existed for countless epochs, far longer than the Chaos Sea has existed since its Heaven and Earth Creation. Moreover, the Origin Land is a flawless realm; the Dao of Eternity there is complete. With the accumulation of endless epochs, multiple Eternals naturally emerged."
"Additionally, in the Origin Land, Eternal existences have another title—'Heaven.'"
"'Heaven'?" Ye Chen questioned, surprised.
"Yes, precisely 'Heaven,'" the Heavenly Emperor confirmed. "In the Origin Land, only Eternal existences can be called 'Heaven,' or alternatively, 'Heavenly Venerate.' The concept of the Thirty-Three Heavenly Venerates of the Eternal Heavenly Realm actually evolved from the Thirty-Three Heavens of the Origin Land. All this is recorded on the Eternal Ancient Stele, interpreted by later generations, hence giving rise to the Thirty-Three Heavenly Venerates of the Eternal Heavenly Realm."