217: The Emperor Realm is stable, and the Star Tower is undergoing changes.

Pill Tower Holy Domain, top floor of the star tower.

Xiao Chen sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed. His body no longer emitted earth-shattering energy fluctuations; instead, it exuded a profound sense of returning to simplicity. At the center of his brows, the Chaos Emperor Mark, like a restrained star, slowly rotated, emitting a gentle yet vast light. His consciousness had already sunk into the nascent Chaos Emperor Domain within his body.

Within the Emperor Domain, the scene was already vastly different from the Saint Realm during his Dou Saint stage! Although its scope was still only a thousand li, everything within the realm was no longer an illusory projection but truly possessed real matter and fundamental laws! Mountains rose, rivers surged, and in the sky, phantom sun and moon alternated. The light of the stars, though faint, was real! The four fundamental laws of earth, water, fire, and wind evolved on their own, maintaining the operation of this small world! Moreover, at the edge of the world, Chaos Qi was still constantly expanding, slowly broadening the territory!

“This is… the Emperor Realm…” Xiao Chen understood in his heart. Dou Saints borrowed and controlled power under existing world rules. Emperors, however, became the source of a realm’s rules! Every word and action could trigger the power of the world! They could even formulate unique laws belonging to their own Emperor Domain!

“Chaos… encompasses all things, evolving the universe. My Emperor Dao should not be limited to the superficialities of destruction and creation.” Xiao Chen was immersed in sorting out and consolidating his own Emperor Dao. He began to attempt to construct more complex law structures within the Emperor Domain. The flow of time, the folding of space, the germination of life, the cycle of death… various profound Dao rhythms flowed through his mind.

As he gained deeper control over the power of the Emperor Realm, a more majestic yet restrained Emperor’s might naturally emanated from him. This Emperor’s might was no longer a deliberate suppression but an embodiment of a supreme status, equal to heaven and earth! Throughout the entire Pill Tower Holy Domain, and even the more distant Central Region, all living beings, regardless of their strength, involuntarily felt a sense of awe and submission! It was as if they were welcoming the birth of a true master of heaven and earth!

And just as Xiao Chen was fully consolidating his cultivation—

“Buzz—!”

The star tower, which had been passed down for tens of thousands of years beneath him, suddenly trembled slightly! The ancient and profound star runes on the tower body actually lit up on their own! They emitted a faint light that subtly resonated with Xiao Chen’s Chaos Emperor Qi!

“Hmm?” Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of Chaos light passing through them! He clearly felt that this star tower was not a simple building! Within it, there seemed to be hidden some extremely ancient and powerful existence! A power fluctuation, originating from the same source as his Origin Qi, yet more ancient and pure, was being quietly awakened by his Emperor Realm aura!

“The star tower… indeed… has a secret!” Xiao Chen stood up, his sharp gaze sweeping over every inch of the tower walls, every rune. His Saint Realm Soul (now an Emperor Realm Soul) power, like mercury flowing across the ground, penetrated deep into the tower body!

“Boom—!”

As if a switch that had been dormant for eons was triggered! The star tower vibrated violently! The huge star stone at the top of the tower, which had always served as an energy source, erupted with an unprecedented brilliant starlight! Within the light, a blurry old man’s phantom slowly condensed!

The phantom, clad in a star robe, had an ancient face and eyes filled with endless vicissitudes and wisdom! The aura emanating from him, though faint, carried a supreme Dao rhythm that transcended this continent! It was even more profound and vast than Xiao Chen’s current Emperor’s might!

“Waiting… for tens of thousands of years… finally… waited… for an Emperor… bearing Origin Qi… to descend upon this tower…” The old man’s phantom spoke in a fragmented, ancient voice, his gaze falling upon Xiao Chen with an indescribable sense of relief and scrutiny.

“Who are you?” Xiao Chen’s heart was shaken, and he asked in a deep voice. He could feel that this phantom had no ill intent, but its origin must be earth-shattering!

“This old man… is the true… Tower Spirit… of this tower… and also… a wisp… of the remnant soul… of the ancient ‘Star Emperor’…” The old man’s phantom slowly said, his voice seemingly traversing endless time and space.

“Star Emperor? Ancient Dou Emperor?” Xiao Chen’s pupils constricted slightly. In ancient times, Dou Emperors emerged in great numbers, but records about them had long been lost in the river of history.

“Indeed…” The Tower Spirit phantom nodded, his gaze seemingly piercing through the tower walls and looking out into the endless void. “This world… is not… as simple… as you see it. In the late ancient era, a great calamity… swept across all heavens and myriad worlds… countless Emperors… perished… This world… was also… sealed… and isolated…”

“The Heavenly Secret Pavilion… and the ‘Master’ behind it… are the remnants… of that great calamity… They… intend to use the ‘burial emperor coffin’… to sacrifice this world with blood… to usher in… the true… source of disaster… to return!”

“What?!” A storm surged in Xiao Chen’s heart! Ancient great calamity? All heavens and myriad worlds? Source of disaster? This information was too shocking!

“You… bear Origin Qi… and are… the key… to breaking the situation…” The Tower Spirit phantom’s voice grew weaker, “The star tower… was left by the Star Emperor… it contains… a fragmented coordinate… leading to… the ‘Sea of Emperor's Origin’… and… a part… of the original essence… that suppresses the luck of this world…”

“Quickly… completely… control this tower… find… other… Origin Qi inheritors… stop… the burial emperor coffin… from becoming complete… otherwise… this world… will inevitably… return to… Chaos…”

As the words fell, the Tower Spirit phantom completely dissipated, turning into specks of starlight that merged into the star tower. The shaking of the tower body also gradually subsided. But Xiao Chen could clearly feel that a close, blood-connected bond had formed between him and this ancient pagoda!

He… seemed… to have already… become… the true… master… of the star tower!

However, the information left by the Tower Spirit weighed heavily on Xiao Chen’s heart. It turned out that Pavilion Master Tianji was merely a pawn! The true enemy came from beyond the realm! It was a catastrophe capable of destroying the entire world!

“Sea of Emperor's Origin… other Origin Qi inheritors…” Xiao Chen murmured, his eyes flashing with determined light. “It seems… my path… is still… very long… very long…”

He sat down cross-legged again, but this time, his goal was no longer merely to consolidate his Emperor Realm. Instead, it was to completely refine the star tower! To uncover the truth hidden behind the ancient mystery! To make full preparations for the impending final battle!

The sky above the continent seemed to have cleared temporarily due to the birth of the new Emperor. But only Xiao Chen knew that an even more terrifying storm was furiously brewing beneath that calm facade!