The old Sect Master continued, "However, our ancestors risked everything to preserve one item. It has been passed down from generation to generation without ever being lost. I have followed my master's dying wish and kept it safe and intact, never once opening it."

He led Su Chen into the forbidden ground of the Myriad Laws Sect.

Inside the forbidden ground stood nothing but a single rune.

The Innate Demonic Pattern.

After more than a hundred thousand years, it remained perfectly preserved. It had finally returned to Su Chen's hands.

In his previous life, Su Chen had never managed to comprehend the Innate Demonic Pattern. He knew, however, that it was connected to one of the legendary Nine Innate Supreme Treasures—the Book of Death.

Now that it was in his possession again, his foundation of ten thousand years of comprehension, combined with multiple Nirvanas, had elevated both his talent and insight to a terrifying level.

Su Chen left.

The old Sect Master stared at the now-empty cave in a daze. Why had he come here?

The old Sect Master read them aloud.

"Myriad Laws Emperor Scripture…"

He dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face. The Great Emperor had manifested and returned the lost inheritance to them. The efforts of their ancestors had not been in vain. One day, the Myriad Laws Sect would surely restore the former glory of the Emperor Court.

...

After retrieving the Innate Demonic Pattern, Su Chen returned to the Undying Divine Court and began comprehending it.

He fell into seclusion once more.

Less than ten thousand years had passed since he killed the previous Great Emperor when another new Emperor was born. This time, however, the new Emperor did not attack the Undying Divine Court. The blood of the last one had not even dried yet. Instead, he chose to wage war against the forbidden zones.

Emperor blood once again stained the starry sky. The new Emperor charged into the forbidden zones but fell into an ambush. Although he fought his way out, he was gravely wounded. Outside the zones, Supremes ambushed and killed him, dyeing the cosmos with his blood.

Just as several Supremes moved forward to drink the Emperor blood, a cold voice echoed through the void.

"What a waste."

The four Supremes' expressions twisted in horror. They abandoned the Emperor corpse and tried to flee back into the forbidden zones, but it was too late.

In a single instant, all four Supremes fell without even a chance to sublimate. One Great Emperor and four Supremes—enough to sustain his cultivation for some time.

Su Chen carried the Emperor corpse and Supreme corpses back to the Undying Divine Court.

The Supremes hiding in the shadows were filled with terror.

"He… is using the daos and laws of the Emperors and Supremes as nourishment…"

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"What a tragic era. The unrivaled powerhouses of an age have become food. We once fed on all living beings, yet now something feeds on us…"

"Heh…"

Many Supremes watched the departing figure with deep sorrow. Before they had severed themselves and fled into the forbidden zones, every one of them had been a supreme expert who had dominated an era, possessing their own glory and pride. Now they had become mere food.

...

Back in the Undying Divine Court, Su Chen's earlier remark had not been directed at the new Emperor for being killed outside the zones. Rather, he was disappointed that a dignified Great Emperor had only managed to lure out four Supremes.

Su Chen needed far more nourishment to perfect his own laws and prepare for his ninth Nirvana. The ninth Nirvana was crucial. He felt that once he succeeded, he would step into an entirely new realm—perhaps transcendence, or perhaps a level surpassing all Emperors and Supremes throughout history.

Su Chen continued to lie low.

Over the next hundred thousand years, new Emperors rose and fell. Some lasted ten thousand years, others only a few thousand.

Living beings gradually sensed that something was wrong.

In the following hundred thousand years, several more Great Emperors appeared. Most realized the abnormality and chose to sever themselves before fleeing into the forbidden zones in search of survival.

Over two hundred thousand years, countless Emperors and Supremes died. Even the Supremes grew increasingly scarce.

However, Su Chen discovered a critical problem. No new Great Emperor had appeared in five thousand years. He had grown far too powerful. Even though the world could accommodate two Great Emperors, his overwhelming strength unconsciously suppressed the rules of the heavens, preventing other beings from attaining the Dao. If this continued, he would never be able to complete his ninth Nirvana.

One day, the universe let out a mournful cry. The source of the disturbance came from the direction of the Undying Divine Court.

"Could it be… that existence has finally died?"

Some Supremes grew excited, while countless prodigies wept with joy. The Undying Nether Emperor had been far too powerful. His single Dao had suppressed all others. As long as he lived, no one could attain the Emperor realm. All Supremes lived in constant fear that he would simply outlast them all.

Living beings began to test the waters. They gradually launched attacks against the Undying Divine Court. New Great Emperors rose and started to settle scores with the court. They eventually razed it to the ground, yet the Undying Nether Emperor never appeared.

"The Undying Nether Emperor… he really is dead!"

The world celebrated. With a Great Emperor reigning in the sky, the shadow of the Undying Nether Emperor finally lifted.

Tens of thousands of years passed in a flash. The current Great Emperor arrived at the Ancient Tomb Forbidden Zone. Confident in his invincibility, he decided to explore its depths after hearing rumors of a heaven-defying secret hidden inside.

A peak Great Emperor charged straight into the forbidden zone in search of the truth. When he finally fought his way out, he was in a miserable state and died within a few months.

The Ancient Tomb Forbidden Zone was terrifyingly dangerous. It had mortally wounded a peak Great Emperor. Yet the dying Emperor's final words ignited a fire in countless forces.

"There is a heaven-defying opportunity within the Ancient Tomb Forbidden Zone!"

These were the last words of a Great Emperor. If something could be called heaven-defying by an invincible Great Emperor, it might very well involve the secret of transcendence.

Countless mighty orthodoxies marched into the forbidden zone, only to be completely annihilated.

Tens of thousands more years passed. Some Great Emperors died of old age, some fled into the forbidden zones, and others died while exploring the secrets of the universe.

After severing his own universe imprint, Su Chen had slipped into the Ancient Tomb Forbidden Zone. He hunted Emperors and Supremes of the past and present. Countless powerhouses had fallen at his hands. Even after self-severing, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary Great Emperors.

Over the years, he had fully comprehended the Innate Demonic Pattern and created the Undying Nether Scripture. He had lived life after life, and his shadow had loomed behind nearly a million years of history.

At this moment, Su Chen had finally pierced through the Bronze Immortal Palace after comprehending its secrets with nearly a million years of accumulated power.

Inside was a living being.

"Hahahaha! I have finally come out!" A disheveled figure inside the Bronze Immortal Palace threw his head back and laughed wildly.

"Who are you?" Su Chen's expression darkened.

The Bronze Immortal Palace—one of the legendary Nine Innate Supreme Treasures—actually contained a living being. His strength was terrifying. His laughter alone caused heaven-shaking changes throughout the Ancient Tomb Forbidden Zone.

"Who am I…"

The being inside the palace seemed lost in memory.

"Some call me the God Burier… Others call me the First Demon of the Primordial Era… I remember I also had another name, the Primordial Demon Lord!"