421: Chapter 421 Resurrection (39)

Cloud Palace, in the innermost quiet room.

Imperial Might like water permeated every corner, yet was as gentle as jade, without the slightest pressure.

Wang Yun sat cross-legged, dao rhyme flowing around him, ten giant dao lotus phantoms slowly rotating behind him, as if each carried a newborn Universe, mysterious and unfathomable.

Another thousand-plus years passed.

A thousand years of time, to a being like him, was but a flick of a finger.

The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were orderly under his will, as an unprecedented golden age slowly began.

But Wang Yun's heart did not feel true peace because of this.

That sense of being locked onto from an unknown dimension had not dissipated over these thousand years; instead, it became increasingly clear.

Wang Yun opened his eyes, his gaze deep.

He knew that simply evading was just waiting for death.

The Reckoning could descend at any time.

He had to take the initiative to break the deadlock.

He remembered.

After retrieving the eighth layer of the tower's body from the Burial Soil, that small tower fell into complete silence, without a sound.

But before that, it had sent out one last weak guidance, pointing to the deepest part of the Boundary Sea.

There lay its final and most crucial ninth layer.

A bold idea rose in Wang Yun's heart.

The Boundary Sea.

That Forbidden Land where even Great Emperors could perish.

The small tower's final guidance.

And that "Eerie Reckoning" that made even him feel powerless.

There must be some unknown connection between the three.

Go to the Boundary Sea.

To find the final tower body there might be the only way to live, and the only key to breaking the deadlock.

Once this thought took shape, it could no longer be suppressed.

Wang Yun slowly stood up.

Before leaving, he needed to make some final arrangements.

...

Cloud Palace, secret chamber.

This place was Wang Yun's place of quiet cultivation; normally, no one but himself could enter.

Today, he summoned both Chen Yang and Gu Zhan here at the same time.

In the secret chamber, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

Chen Yang and Gu Zhan stood before Wang Yun, their hearts filled with doubt and unease.

They knew very well that unless something major enough to shake the Foundation of the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths happened, Emperor Yun would never summon them both in such a solemn manner.

Wang Yun looked at these two lifelong friends who had followed him the longest and were the most trustworthy, his expression calm as he slowly spoke.

"I seem to have been targeted by an incomprehensible and irresistible great terror."

His voice was not loud, but it was like a thunderclap exploding in their minds.

Chen Yang and Gu Zhan's first reaction was shock and confusion.

"Big Brother Yun?"

Chen Yang spoke subconsciously, his voice full of disbelief.

"You have already attained the Dao and become an Emperor, suppressing all ages, the strongest in ancient history. In these Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, what could possibly be called a 'great terror'?"

In his heart, Wang Yun was already synonymous with invincibility, the invincible ultimate existence in this Universe.

He could not imagine what power could threaten him.

Gu Zhan also frowned; he was sharper than Chen Yang.

From Wang Yun's tone, which was calm to the point of indifference, he sensed an unprecedented gravity.

He remembered the greatest mystery that had been passed down in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths since ancient times.

Every Great Emperor, no matter how brilliant, mysteriously disappeared at their Peak.

This mystery was like a sword hanging over their heads.

Tentatively, in a voice almost inaudible, he asked the question that made all Cultivators wary.

"Could it be... related to the mystery of the Great Emperors' disappearance at their Peak?"

Wang Yun did not answer directly.

He just looked at them quietly; that calm and composed expression, those tranquil eyes, were the best answer.

Chen Yang and Gu Zhan's hearts grew extremely heavy.

They understood.

Even Emperor Yun, who went Heaven-Defying and personally tore apart the Mandate of Heaven, could not be spared.

That power was not directed at any one Great Emperor, but at all existences standing at the apex of the era.

"This great terror is not something any living being in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths can resist."

Wang Yun's voice rang out again, carrying an unquestionable tone.

He turned his gaze to Chen Yang.

"After I leave, the Cloud Palace will be under your control."

"Stabilize the overall situation to prevent any accidents."

This was not a discussion, but an entrustment.

Chen Yang forcibly suppressed the grief and shock in his heart; he knew this was Wang Yun's greatest trust in him and a responsibility he had to shoulder.

He looked at Wang Yun, his eyes slightly red, and nodded heavily.

"Yes, Big Brother."

Chen Yang took the order without asking another question.

He knew it was useless to ask more.

The only thing he could do was guard this Legacy for his brother and wait for his return.

With an incredibly heavy heart, Chen Yang bowed deeply to Wang Yun, then turned and left the secret chamber.

He was going to arrange everything to clear all worries for Wang Yun's departure.

...

After Chen Yang left, the secret chamber fell into a brief silence.

Only Wang Yun and Gu Zhan remained.

Gu Zhan did not move.

He just stood there quietly, gazing at Wang Yun.

His eyes were incredibly complex, filled with struggle, doubt, and longing.

Finally, as if he had made a certain decision, he asked the question that had troubled him for countless eras and had been suppressed deep in his heart since their reunion.

"Emperor Yun..."

He took a deep breath, his voice carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling.

"Those sword moves of yours... were they accidentally obtained from the Cloud Saint Legacy of my withered Gu Family in the Small World, or..."

He didn't finish, but the meaning was already self-evident.

As the question was posed, countless details flashed back in his mind.

He thought of those three sword moves.

Sever Self, Returning to One, Punish Heaven.

Those were the secret techniques created by their brilliant Cloud Saint Old Ancestor of the Gu Family.

However, these three moves had appeared on Wang Yun in a complete, even more perfect, and more profound form.

Once could be called a coincidence.

But to know all of them was impossible.

He then thought of the events in the Grandmist Secret Realm.

Wang Yun walked through it as if returning home, knowing everything intimately.

Rumor had it he was seen as the one destined by Grandmist, and even the hongmeng sword, which was so proud that even a Saint could not wield it, had taken the initiative to help him clear the way.

Most importantly, Wang Yun had undergone reverse life from the Supreme Body era, surviving through several eras without perishing.

This incredible 'reverse life' method was enough to reverse life and death and overturn common sense.

If...

If, back in that withered Small World, the Gu Yun whom everyone thought had completely perished had also undergone reverse life?

And... and...

One clue after another frantically connected in Gu Zhan's mind, piecing together an answer that shook his soul yet made him long for it.

Facing Gu Zhan's eyes full of expectation and trepidation, Wang Yun understood.

He knew that the Gu Zhan before him, like Chen Yang, was a friend to whom he could completely entrust his life.

He did not speak.

He did not admit it.

Nor did he deny it.

He just looked at Gu Zhan, this dear friend who had accompanied him through two lives, from their childhood in the Gu Family of the Central State all the way to the Peak of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths today.

He revealed a smile.

This smile.

This attitude.

To Gu Zhan, it was an earth-shattering answer.

His mind shook.

First, there was uncontrollable shock in his eyes, which then turned into endless ecstasy, and finally, all emotions settled into deep awe and relief.

The mystery that had troubled him his whole life.

The obsession buried deep in his heart for several eras.

At this moment, it was finally answered.

When he looked up again, tears shimmered in his eyes, and his gaze was entirely different from before.

...

Gu Zhan withdrew.

Wang Yun stood alone at the top of the Cloud Palace.

With his hands behind his back, he looked toward the distant direction of the Chaos-surging Boundary Sea, his gaze deep.

A new journey was about to begin.

PS: Should I keep bringing Chen Yang and Gu Zhan along for the ride?