168: Chapter 168 Return to Position

"Not a question, but a confirmation."

"You cup your hands in salute, not giving your name, only saying: "I have come late, and I have kept you all waiting.""

"The phantom went silent for a moment, then let out a soft laugh: "Not late. As long as you can come, it is not late.""

"The other phantoms also slowly relaxed, their aura of vigilance dissipating, and the once oppressive gazes became much softer."

"Only a few remained silent, simply watching you without saying a word, but you could feel that what was hidden within those gazes was the same thing."

"You looked toward the phantom closest to you: "Senior, who are you...""

""Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor." He spoke in a calm tone, as if introducing a title that had become very distant. "No need for formalities. I have not been here for ten thousand years; the title is just a designation.""

"Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor."

"Your heart stirred. You had seen this name in the battlefield remnants of the fourth-layer seal—that figure in golden flames, with a phoenix shielding the sky behind it, standing in confrontation against the enemy in the black mist."

"But that was your father, Xuan Xiao. You suppressed the thought, noting it down in your heart without asking aloud."

"The phantom of the Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor moved slowly through the air, and the other phantoms automatically parted to both sides, forming a semicircle and enclosing you in the center."

""You came here to learn the truth," he said. "Then let us start from the beginning.""

"He raised his hand, and the surrounding air twisted violently. Ancient light and shadows emerged from the void, and scenes from memories of ten thousand years ago spilled out, slowly unfolding before you."

""Ten thousand years ago, the source of chaos was discovered.""

"In the scene, deep within a vast expanse of sea."

"A perfectly round black mass of energy floated in the void, pitch-black and glossy, like a solidified fragment of the universe, continuously overflowing with an indescribable, corrosive aura."

"Wherever it passed, the seawater would degrade, the fish spirits would die out, and even the void would slowly rot."

""The source of chaos was originally one of the origins of all things. It had no inherent good or evil; it could nurture life and contain spirit," Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor continued. "But someone injected something into it. Dark things, corrosive things.""

""The corrupted source of chaos began to backlash against everything around it.""

"In the scene, the black mass of energy continued to expand, devouring the immortals who touched it one by one. Those people struggled, corrupted, and finally sank into the blackness, becoming a part of it."

"You stared at that patch of black, your heart beating somewhat heavily."

""We could not allow it to spread." Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor's voice had no fluctuation, as if he were calmly stating something that had passed long ago. "The nine Immortal Emperors joined forces to discuss, ultimately deciding to seal this place with the Ten Thousand Immortals God-Sealing Array.""

""The array required eighty-one cultivators of the True Immortal level or above to voluntarily enter the tree as array eyes, and it required at least one Immortal Emperor-level existence to serve as the main array eye to suppress the core pulse of the source of chaos.""

""We knew what this meant." He paused. "No one stepped back.""

"In the scene, eighty-one beams of light flew one by one into the golden fruits, disappearing into the radiance. Then, a brighter light flew to the top of the tree and submerged into the golden crystal."

"Ten Thousand Immortals God-Sealing Array, activated."

"Your gaze fell upon the golden crystal at the top of the tree and did not move away."

""The main array eye," you spoke, your voice steadier than you expected, "was it my mother, Yan Qingwei, who voluntarily took it on?""

"Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor nodded: "Yes.""

""Why her?""

"Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor was silent for a moment, then said: "Because only her origin matches the source of chaos best. For ten thousand years, the core pulse of the source of chaos has been extremely violent; only Yan Qingwei's origin could suppress it for a long term without being backlashed.""

""Others could not last more than three hundred years.""

"You did not speak."

"Could not last more than three hundred years. So it had to be her, so it must be her, so it lasted ten thousand years."

"You suppressed these words in your heart, not thinking too deeply, because once you thought too deeply, you would not be able to finish what needed to be done next."

""How much of her origin has been consumed?" You were not asking a question."

"Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor did not answer directly, only saying: "When she entered the tree, she was at the peak of the Immortal Emperor realm. Ten thousand years have passed..." He paused. "There is not much left.""

""Can she last until we find a permanent solution?""

""This question," he said in a low voice, "only she herself can answer.""

"You were silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked a question that had been buried in your heart for a long time:"

""Did she have another title before?""

""Venerable of the Forbidden Zone, perhaps." Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor did not hesitate and said it directly. "During the war of the Upper Realm ten thousand years ago, she single-handedly held back several Great Emperors of the Nine Heavens Domain, buying time for the seal. After that battle, she was called the Venerable of the Forbidden Zone.""

""The Forbidden Zone is the Return to Ruins," you continued."

""Yes." He nodded. "Before she entered the tree, she was the guardian of that Forbidden Zone. After entering the tree, she still is. It's just that she went from guarding the outside to guarding the inside.""

""Then before... did she ever appear outside the Return to Ruins?" you asked, choosing your words carefully."

"You recalled seeing her in the simulation before, but you could not say that."

"You changed the way you asked, making it sound like you were confirming a rumor."

"Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor looked at you: "A projected avatar. Her origin is in the main array eye, but her will can be projected out for a short time. For ten thousand years, she has rarely done so, because every projection accelerates the consumption of her origin.""

""But she still does it," you said."

""Because it is you." Heavenly Sword Immortal Emperor's voice was very low. "When your bloodline first appeared near the Return to Ruins, she sensed it. That is something she has waited ten thousand years for.""

"You did not ask any further."

"You cast your gaze back to the figure inside the golden crystal at the top of the tree, and something in your heart felt scorched."

"At this moment, Guan Qingqing raised her hand and covered her chest, her face somewhat pale, but her voice was still steady: "Master, Array Spirit Senior... it is going back.""

"You looked at her, then turned toward the trunk of the giant tree. There was a slightly recessed circular area with dense array patterns, the temperature significantly higher than the surroundings, like a newly vacated nest waiting for its owner to return."

"The Tree Heart!"

""What needs to be done?" you asked Guan Qingqing."

"Guan Qingqing closed her eyes for a moment, as if receiving information, and opened them a moment later: "Array Spirit Senior says... just let it come; you don't need to do anything. However, the return will cause energy fluctuations. It might disturb the source of chaos deep within the seal.""

""How great is the risk?""

"The mist drifted closer, and the voice was very low: "The source of chaos is extremely sensitive to the aura of the Array Spirits. The return of the head of the Nine Great Array Spirits... it will definitely sense it." She paused. "But the energy fluctuation is unavoidable; delaying will only stall for time.""