Chapter 548: Destiny’s End, Regret of a Lifetime

Ling Tian shouted sharply, forcing his immortal power to rise as he watched Zhou Chen warily.

But when he saw Zhou Chen's face clearly, he was stunned.

"Lin… no, Heavenly Emperor Zhou?!"

Old Man Ku Mu stood up directly from his seat, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

Although he knew Zhou Chen was strong, he never expected that he was the savior who had slain the Eternal Night Demon Emperor with a single sword and ultimately saved the entire Spirit Realm!

"No need for formalities."

Zhou Chen waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

He could feel that after seeing him, besides shock, these people felt mostly awe and fear.

Once upon a time, he had to carefully disguise himself in front of these people.

Now, he stood at a height that these people, and even the entire world, needed to look up to.

"I have come for only two things."

Zhou Chen spoke indifferently.

"First, to settle Karma."

He flicked his finger, and a beam of light containing majestic life essence merged into Old Man Ku Mu's body.

Old Man Ku Mu only felt a warm current spread through his body. His Origin, which had been burned in the previous battle, was actually recovering at an incredible speed.

In just a few breaths, all his injuries were healed, and his cultivation even showed signs of improvement.

"This…"

Old Man Ku Mu felt the changes in his body, too shocked to speak.

"Back then, you protected my path; today, I return your Karma."

Zhou Chen said calmly.

If Old Man Ku Mu hadn't turned a blind eye back then, it would have been impossible for him to grow so smoothly within the Xuantian Sect.

"Thank you… thank you, Heavenly Emperor!"

Old Man Ku Mu snapped out of it and hurriedly performed a full prostration to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen accepted it calmly and intended to turn and leave.

"Heavenly Emperor, please stay!"

Old Man Ku Mu hurriedly called out.

"What is it?"

"I wonder… how will the Heavenly Emperor deal with my Xuantian Sect?"

Old Man Ku Mu asked cautiously.

This was also the question that all the high-level members of the Xuantian Sect were most concerned about.

After all, Zhou Chen had come out of the Xuantian Sect, but his relationship with the Xuantian Sect was not particularly good.

After all, the Xuantian Sect hadn't provided much help to Zhou Chen.

Now that he ruled the world, if he wanted to settle accounts, the Xuantian Sect wouldn't even have the chance to resist.

Zhou Chen paused and looked back at them.

"Rest assured."

"For the sake of the blood you have shed for the Human Race, the Xuantian Sect shall enjoy eternal peace."

Leaving behind these words, his figure completely disappeared from the hall.

Inside the hall, Ling Tian and the Elders felt as if they had been granted a grand amnesty, collapsing to the ground together and gasping for breath.

Just talking to Zhou Chen for a moment felt more exhausting than fighting a battle against an Immortal Emperor.

Zhou Chen returned to the Immortal Cave he once occupied on Qingyun Peak.

It remained exactly as it was when he left, spotless.

Having done all this, Zhou Chen sat cross-legged, his mind sinking into his consciousness.

"System."

He called out in his heart.

[Ding! I am here.]

The System's voice was still as cold and devoid of emotion as ever.

"What exactly are you?"

Zhou Chen asked the question that had been puzzling him all along.

The System was silent for a moment.

[This System was born from the Origin of the Dao of Severance.]

[The purpose of its existence is to assist the Host in intercepting the myriad paths of the heavens and ultimately transcending the Heavenly Dao.]

"Transcending the Heavenly Dao?"

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow: "Like what I just did?"

[Yes.]

"Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

[Host's authority was insufficient.]

Zhou Chen was somewhat speechless.

"Is my authority sufficient now?"

[It is.]

"So, you can tell me everything now?"

[Yes.]

[This System is the last spark condensed from the entire Origin of a Supreme Dao Ancestor named 'Tongtian' from the previous era, just before he was about to be assimilated by the Dao of Fate.]

[Its purpose is to find a suitable successor to inherit his Dao and ultimately slay the Dao of Fate, avenging all living beings of the previous era.]

Zhou Chen's heart jolted.

It turned out that before Ye Chen, there was another wielder of the Dao of Fate.

And the System was the last hope of the rebels from the previous era.

"Then was the world-destroying giant hand I saw in the System's deduction Ye Chen's, or from the previous era?"

[It was Ye Chen's.]

[The Dao of Fate performs a world-destroying harvest every era.]

[Ye Chen is merely the wielder of this era.]

Zhou Chen fell silent.

He had thought that by killing Ye Chen, everything would be over.

He hadn't expected that behind this lay the Reincarnation of eras.

"So, now that Ye Chen is dead, will another 'Ye Chen' appear?"

[Yes.]

"Then what should I do to completely end this Reincarnation?"

[Sever the Origin of the Dao of Fate.]

"Where is the Origin?"

[Above the heavens, at the beginning of the myriad paths, in a place called 'Guixu'.]

Zhou Chen firmly etched the word "Guixu" into his heart.

"One last question."

Zhou Chen took a deep breath. "Now that I have attained the Dao, what… use do you still have?"

The System fell silent again.

After a long time, it slowly spoke.

[My mission is complete.]

[Next is the final gift.]

As the voice fell, Zhou Chen felt the System interface in his mind, which had accompanied him for countless years, begin to slowly dissolve.

All functions and all information turned into the purest power of the Origin, merging into his Divine Soul.

Zhou Chen's Dao of Severance began its final transformation at this moment—it should be said that it became completely whole.

He felt as if he had become the Incarnation of the Dao of Severance itself, and could even clearly see the invisible threads connecting every living being in the myriad worlds to the Dao of Fate.

As long as he wished, he could sever any thread at any time.

"So this… is your final gift?"

Zhou Chen murmured to himself.

The System was essentially a part of the Dao of Severance, and finally, it had completely handed over its last and most core ability to him.

From now on, he no longer needed the System.

Because he himself was an existence that surpassed the System.

[Goodbye, Host.]

The System's voice rang in Zhou Chen's mind for the last time, carrying a hint of relief and liberation.

Subsequently, it completely disappeared.

Zhou Chen sat quietly for a long time, finally giving a slight bow toward the Void Realm.

"Thank you."

With everything resolved, Zhou Chen's state of mind was more peaceful than ever before.

He thought of the promise he had left a hundred years ago in the Lower Realm's Tianxuan Continent.

Now, the hundred-year period had arrived.

With a thought, Zhou Chen's Divine Sense instantly pierced through the barrier between the Spirit Realm and the Lower Realm, enveloping the entire Tianxuan Continent.