Jiang Chen smoothly reached advanced divine realm twenty years later. Intense phenomena of heaven and earth showered the world at his breakthrough, shocking the Divine Abyss Continent down to its most far-flung corners.

Those close to him also took great strides forward thanks to his help, their strength rising in spades. It was the dawn of a golden age; the entire human domain entered a positive feedback circle of rapid development.

Inside Veluriyam Palace, Jiang Chen opened his eyes. Breaking out of the seventh link, a scroll landed in front of him. He blinked. So this was the nature of the seventh treasure!

It seemed a scene straight out of his prior life. He slowly unfurled the scroll, revealing the painting drawn inside. Five words were inscribed in large characters: Four Symbols True Spirit Painting!

Four Symbols?

Didn’t that refer to the four sacred beasts? Jiang Chen found himself dumbfounded. Was the painting related to them?

A happy smile bloomed on his face as he studied it more carefully. As he surmised, this item had been custom-made for the four divine beasts.

Father… it seems you planned for everything down to the last detail, starting from my reincarnation into this world. This painting must be part of your plan as well. You must be the reason I’ve come across descendents of the sacred beasts on a run-of-the-mill plane like Divine Abyss, no?

For him, it was an epiphany.

The scroll was no ordinary treasure. It contained the quintessence of true spirits from the heavenly planes. If the beasts were to study it, they would surely attain a deeper understanding of their true nature. The scroll would evolve their bloodlines even further, paving their way to the highest strata of the universe.

Of course, it wasn’t the item’s only use. It’d also empower them to refine the profound mysteries of the five elements in order to form their own world.

“To become a celestial emperor, I need a creation token and a plane to call mine. Perhaps the ability of the four beasts to shape a heavenly plane into existence is an opportunity for me.”

Jiang Chen’s eyes were now set far beyond Divine Abyss. His goal was the boundless universe at large.

Of course, he was in no rush to leave on a grand adventure. For a start, he didn’t know yet how to return to the Taiyuan Plane, the world of his previous life.

But all things came to those who wait. He’d have his answer sooner or later.

Rather than obsessing over it, he spent his time with those dear to him on Divine Abyss. He fully enjoyed their company in this rare, hard-earned peace.

His cultivation hit the next landmark another century later, attaining eighth level divine realm.

As a result, the eighth link of his seal, the second to last one, also broke.

This time, the treasure turned out to be a majestic sword that had once adorned his father’s side. It was fit for a king.

“To think he waited until the eighth seal to give me a proper weapon! This is his personal sword and his token, named the Edge of Evermore. This item is an existence close to a creation token. In the heavenly planes, it ranks among the top five of all greatest treasures.”

Excitement welled up in his chest at the sight of the treasure. His intuition told him answers were close at hand.

Sure enough, the weapon sealed a trace of his father’s consciousness.

“Jiang Chen, mine son. To see this sword is to see thine father. Our world is broken, and disaster befallen the Taiyuan Plane. One million years of calculation, one million years of preparation, and one last million years for calamity to strike. If we weather these three million years, we shall meet again in a new era of prosperity as sovereigns of the three realms. If not, what is rightfully ours will be robbed by others, heralding the end of the road.

“There are a total of nine seals in thy consciousness. The last one will be undone when thou reaches the godking realm. That item will become a part of thine being. The supreme dao will scrutinize you. If thou art found adequate, a creation token will enthrone you as the next celestial emperor.

“If thou art found wanting, the token’s existence will be exposed and thou will be beset by enemies on all sides. Whether in the heavens or the deepest abyss of hell, thou will never know another day of peace. Always remember, commit this to memory. Make not the slightest move before cultivating to godking realm. This concerns not only thy life, but also whether father and son can meet again, and the fate of the Taiyuan Plane itself!

“A creation token is a transcendental treasure, its existence never to be disclosed. If the supreme dao is willing, thou will be the master of the Taiyuan Plane. Whether thou returnest to Taiyuan or refine thy own world, thou will forever be a celestial emperor. But to save thy father, thou will have to defeat evil. Always remember! Remember! Remember!”

The message was clearly a little jumbled. It was plain to see his father had recorded his thoughts under extreme stress. The calamity in question must have been considerable. On the flip side, his father sounded hale and hearty. At the very least, he was alive.

The new information greatly boosted Jiang Chen’s confidence.

However, he still didn’t know the way to the Taiyuan Plane. Many questions remained unanswered, but he’d already learned enough in one day. He could almost see the distance between him and his father shrink further.

……

That same day, in a secret realm somewhere on Divine Abyss, a stubborn-looking youngster was hauling rocks. A great hole had been carved in the mountain he was moving, but the mountain’s structure itself was more or less intact.

“Hehe, kid, it’s been several decades. You haven’t run away yet? I didn’t expect to find you still persevering when I woke up again. Not bad, not bad!”

A voice sounded forth in the secret realm. A yawning, middle-aged scholar slowly walked out as he straightened his attire. He seemed a little disoriented, but there was a fearsome energy glinting in his eyes.

The young man didn’t pay him any heed, patiently lifting the rocks and moving them instead, one by one.

The scholar had brought this youngster with him several decades ago, and told him in jest he’d teach the child peerless abilities if he could move this mountain elsewhere.

His would-be pupil had set about his task without a word, enduring for more than a century, much to the scholar’s embarrassment. It had started as a joke. The young fellow’s upright nature had simply been to his liking, so he’d let the kid tag along.

To think the kid would take his words to the letter! It was a little amusing, but also quite startling.