Chương 243: The Undying Nether Emperor (Part 24)

An existence like the God Emperor had hidden through countless eras and even personally orchestrated the destruction of an entire epoch—all for the sake of a chance at transcendence. Now that Su Chen had seized that opportunity, how could he possibly share it with anyone else? The God Emperor was unwilling to accept it. He had comprehended a second fragment of the Book of Death and survived millions of years on the brink of death.

He had been just one step away from the final threshold, only to have it stolen at the last moment.

"I refuse to accept this… The ancient era was destroyed, countless powerhouses died, and I laid plans for tens of millions of years. This chance at transcendence should have been mine!" The God Emperor's words revealed a heaven-shaking secret. The grand scheme of the ancient era had been nothing but a deception. All the powerful beings who died in that war had merely been sacrificial pieces in his layout. Even the Demon Lord had been a blade in the God Emperor's hand.

"You destroyed those powerful existences just to lure beings from beyond this realm and extract the secret of transcendence from them?" Su Chen asked, his suspicion now confirmed. Zhao Wuhen, filled with despair, let out a bitter laugh.

"The Main God Hall screwed me over completely!" This was supposed to be nothing more than an ordinary-rated universe, yet it hid two supreme Emperors, each more terrifying than the last. It was even more horrifying than many top-tier universes. Time flew by. Su Chen suppressed Zhao Wuhen but did not deal with him immediately. Instead, he spent countless years slowly grinding away the God Emperor's Dao.

In Su Chen's eyes, Zhao Wuhen was merely a seven-layered Great Emperor and far less dangerous than an old monster like the God Emperor. A single mistake could lead to disaster. He would not give the God Emperor any chance to turn the tables. Finally, the God Emperor died—completely and thoroughly. Even his traces were erased by Su Chen. Two fragments of the Book of Death fell into Su Chen's hands. Of the Nine Innate Supreme Treasures, he now possessed three fragments of the Book of Death.

Only one piece remained before he could reconstruct it. Watching a supreme Emperor die so cleanly before his eyes, Zhao Wuhen felt a deep chill. Such an existence would be extremely rare even in his own faction, yet here he had been casually erased. The terrifying being finally turned his attention to him.

"Main God Hall…? Is that a force from outside this universe?" Su Chen had not forgotten Zhao Wuhen's earlier mention of being坑 by the Main God Hall. Long-buried memories began to resurface. Su Chen murmured, "Don't tell me you also have a Main God Space?" Zhao Wuhen's despair turned into pure horror. The Main God Hall did indeed have a Main God Space, and he had come from it. He had joined a plan to create an immortal. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author.

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"You…" Zhao Wuhen nearly blurted something out but stopped himself in time. Su Chen observed his reaction and said expressionlessly, "If you mention the Main God Space, you'll die?" Zhao Wuhen hesitated, then nodded. The shock in his eyes grew even stronger. Just who was this mysterious existence? He even knew about the rules of the Main God Space. This was the first time Zhao Wuhen had encountered such a situation.

"Could it be… that you are also not from this world?" Zhao Wuhen suddenly felt a little more at ease. Su Chen did not answer him. He was still stunned by Zhao Wuhen's confirmation. Beyond this universe, there was actually a Main God Hall. And the Main God Hall had a Main God Space. Hiss! Su Chen suddenly grew very curious.

"Do you want to live? I can give you a chance." Zhao Wuhen nodded frantically. Who would choose death if they could live?

"As long as you answer some of my questions, I won't kill you," Su Chen said. In his heart, he added silently, As if. Zhao Wuhen believed him. He had no choice but to believe. He had seen a glimmer of hope for survival.

"What lies outside this universe?" Zhao Wuhen replied, "The world outside this universe… is vast. Only the topmost existences truly know what lies beyond. All I know is that this place is part of the Void Cosmic Sea. Countless universes exist here, and it serves as the dao field of an ancient being." Su Chen fell silent. He had long suspected that beyond this universe lay an even broader heaven and earth. The countless universes Zhao Wuhen mentioned were probably like grains of sand in a desert.

Just how immense was that realm? Su Chen asked again, "What was your purpose in coming to this world?" Zhao Wuhen hesitated for a moment before answering, "A True Immortal fell in the Void Cosmic Sea of Universes, leaving an empty True Immortal position. Countless powerhouses and prodigies have come here to compete for it. They will fight until the strongest emerges and becomes the True Immortal of the Void Cosmic Sea of Universes." Su Chen asked, "True Immortal? Is that the realm after the Great Emperor?"

Zhao Wuhen nodded, then continued, "Great Emperor, Ancient Supreme—these are titles used by those who have never contacted the outside world. In reality, they are all Ruler realm. Rulers control a universe and wield its power to achieve a supreme body. Below three tribulations, they are ordinary Rulers; every universe births countless numbers of them. From four to six tribulations, they become Transcendent Rulers with powerful combat strength, often standing at the peak of a universe.

As for those who pass seven to nine tribulations, they are called Supreme Rulers. Even in some great universes, across countless epochs, not a single one may appear…" Zhao Wuhen felt deep regret in his heart. This damned place was worse than hell itself. What he did not know was that, besides Su Chen and the God Emperor, there had once been a third Supreme Emperor—Primordial Demon Lord. Unfortunately, he was already dead. For a single universe to birth three Supreme Emperors was simply too terrifying.

Su Chen roughly understood why Zhao Wuhen had been so arrogant and dismissive of everything. It was not that Zhao Wuhen was too weak. It was that Su Chen himself was too strong. That settled it. Su Chen saw hope for transcendence. The countless Emperors and Supremes throughout history had pursued nothing more than that slim chance of survival. Now, that chance seemed within his reach. He asked the question he cared about most.

"How exactly can one transcend this realm?" Zhao Wuhen looked at the supreme figure, who seemed slightly impatient, and sighed.

"With your talent, even outside this realm, you would be stunningly brilliant and qualified to compete for immortality. Unfortunately… a great being has issued a decree stating that no native… original residents are allowed to compete for the immortal position. No matter how great one's talent is, they cannot defy the decree and transcend this realm."

"Unless… one signs a contract with an outsider. Only then can one leave this realm… but doing so means losing the qualification to compete for the True Immortal position." Zhao Wuhen sneaked a glance at Su Chen and found that the terrifying existence remained expressionless. Su Chen did not seem bothered by this revelation. He continued asking.

"How does one grow stronger in the Great Emperor… or rather, the Ruler realm you mentioned? Is it only by competing for that so-called position?"