Chapter 538: Han Li’s Invitation, The Secret of the Dao Ancestor

But at this moment, in everyone's hearts, this man in green robes who had slain the Eternal Night Demon Emperor with a single sword strike was the savior of the Spirit Realm, the new Heavenly Emperor!

High in the sky, Zhou Chen withdrew his longsword, and the terrifying aura around him slowly receded.

He looked down at the cheering crowd below, a flicker of complexity crossing his eyes.

"Heavenly Emperor?"

Zhou Chen shook his head, a self-deprecating smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"I am no Heavenly Emperor."

"Heaven and Earth are heartless; they treat all things as straw dogs."

"Perhaps, I am also just a… chess piece."

Zhou Chen couldn't help but think of the world-destroying giant hand ten thousand years in the future, and the slight trace of pride that had just risen vanished without a trace.

Just as he was preparing to leave, a sharp female voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

"Wait!"

Zhou Chen frowned and looked toward the source of the sound.

In the crowd, he saw a woman in a long white dress with a clear and elegant appearance, staring intently at him, her eyes filled with questioning and anger.

"Zhou Chen!!! Since you are so strong, why didn't you come sooner?"

The woman's voice grew louder and louder, carrying a hint of hysterical madness.

"You clearly have this power, so why did you watch so many people die with your eyes wide open?"

"Do you know how many people just died? Millions! Millions of lives!"

"If you had acted sooner, they wouldn't have had to die at all!"

"You are just a selfish coward! You don't deserve to be called the Heavenly Emperor at all!"

As the woman's words fell, the surrounding area plunged into a dead silence.

Everyone looked at her as if she were a fool.

The Palace Master of the Grand Void Palace's expression changed, and he quickly shouted, "Shut up! What nonsense are you talking about!"

An Old Ancestor of the Gu Family was even more enraged: "Presumptuous! Emperor Zhou saved the entire Spirit Realm; how can you allow yourself to slander him like this!"

The woman ignored them completely, still staring fixedly at Zhou Chen, her eyes full of accusation.

"Am I wrong? If he had come sooner, those people wouldn't have had to die!"

"He did it on purpose! He intentionally waited until the last moment to act so that everyone would be grateful to him and worship him!"

"He's just a hypocrite!"

Zhou Chen listened quietly to the woman's accusations, his face devoid of any expression.

With a single glance, a flash of realization crossed Zhou Chen's eyes.

He remembered now; this woman was the Saintess of the Gu Family, Gu Qingyue, whose Inscription he had intercepted back in the Xuantian Sect Forbidden Land.

"So it's you."

A playful smile tugged at the corner of Zhou Chen's mouth.

"No wonder."

He raised his right hand and pointed lightly at Gu Qingyue.

"However, you got one thing wrong."

"I am not a hypocrite."

"From beginning to end, I never said I was a gentleman."

As his voice fell.

An invisible ripple shot out from Zhou Chen's fingertip, instantly sinking into the center of Gu Qingyue's forehead.

Gu Qingyue's body suddenly stiffened, the light in her eyes rapidly fading away.

In the next moment, her body exploded with a bang, turning into a mist of blood that filled the sky.

Even her Divine Soul failed to escape, being completely annihilated.

Zhou Chen withdrew his finger and spoke indifferently.

"Damned evil demon, to think you hadn't died completely yet."

His voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

Everyone was stunned.

An evil demon?

Gu Qingyue was an evil demon?

But she was clearly the Saintess of the Gu Family… The Old Ancestor of the Gu Family's expression changed, and he hurriedly stepped forward to examine the blood mist left behind by Gu Qingyue.

After a moment, his face turned ashen, and he bowed deeply to Zhou Chen.

"Thank you, Emperor Zhou, for purging this traitor from my Gu Family."

"This woman had long since undergone Possession by an evil demon, yet we were completely unaware, nearly causing a great disaster."

Zhou Chen waved his hand, signaling the other party to withdraw.

Seeing that Zhou Chen would not pursue the matter, the other party felt as if they had been granted a grand amnesty and tactfully departed.

Just as Zhou Chen was preparing to leave.

The sound of an ancient and melodious chant slowly echoed from the Void Realm.

"Time flows like water, years pass like a shuttle…"

"Through the eternal ages, who shall master the rise and fall…"

The singing was ethereal and vague, as if coming from the distant past, yet also as if coming from the far future.

Zhou Chen's figure paused, and he suddenly looked up.

He saw the Void Realm suddenly tear open, and a long river composed of countless points of light slowly flowed out from the crack.

That was… the River of Time!

Upon the long river, a small skiff slowly approached.

On the boat stood a figure.

The figure's back was to the crowd, his face obscured; one could only see a small emerald-green bottle held in his hand.

Zhou Chen's pupils suddenly constricted.

"This is… Han Li?!"

Hearing this, the figure slowly turned around.

An ordinary face that nonetheless carried a hint of otherworldly temperament entered Zhou Chen's vision.

It was indeed Han Li.

Han Li looked at Zhou Chen, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

"Long time no see, Brother Zhou Chen."

Zhou Chen stared at him fixedly, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

How could Han Li appear here?

Shouldn't the heaven-holding bottle in his hand be in the Possession of the Tai Chu Immortal Emperor?

And the River of Time beneath his feet… that was a power that legendary existences who had surpassed the Immortal Emperor and touched the Dao Ancestor Realm could control!

What Realm… was Han Li actually at?

Just as Zhou Chen's heart was filled with clouds of doubt.

Han Li spoke.

His voice was very soft, yet it clearly reached Zhou Chen's ears.

"Perhaps, we… should talk."

As Han Li's voice fell, before Zhou Chen could even speak, the scene before his eyes suddenly distorted.

The Chaos Battlefield vanished, the cheering Cultivators vanished, and even that River of Time vanished.

Zhou Chen found himself standing in a pure white void; beneath his feet was nothingness, above his head was nothingness, and there were no reference points in any direction.

Han Li stood just ten feet across from him, holding that small emerald bottle, a gentle smile on his face.

Zhou Chen frowned, his Divine Sense instantly spreading out, attempting to probe the reality of this space.

But as soon as his Divine Sense touched the edge of the space, it was bounced back by an invisible force.

"Don't waste your energy."

Han Li shook his head, his tone flat: "This is my Natal Small World. Unless you can break through the barrier of an Immortal Emperor, you cannot leave."

Zhou Chen withdrew his Divine Sense and stared at Han Li without speaking.

His thoughts raced as he secretly activated the System panel, wanting to check Han Li's information.

[Ding! Warning! The target's strength far exceeds the Host's, and part of their Origin has already fused with the Heavenly Dao. Forcibly probing will attract the attention of the Heavenly Dao!]

The System's cold notification sound rang in his mind.

Zhou Chen's heart sank.

Even the System couldn't easily probe him?

What Realm was this Han Li actually at?

"What are you thinking about?"

Han Li asked with a smile, his tone as if he were chatting with an old friend.

Zhou Chen took a deep breath, suppressed the doubts in his heart, and said, "Why did you bring me here? What do you want to say?"

Han Li did not answer immediately. Instead, he raised his head and looked at the pure white void, a flicker of complex emotion crossing his eyes.

"Do you know?" he spoke softly. "I have lived for a very, very long time."

"So long that even I can't remember exactly how many years have passed."

"A million years? Ten million years? Or even longer?"

Han Li's voice was very soft, yet it carried an indescribable sense of vicissitude.

"In these long years, I have seen countless prodigies rise, and I have seen countless powerful experts fall."