Chapter 1331: Chapter 507: Ancient Secrets

Broken Instrument Valley, the deepest part, the Time Well.

Ye Hanjun felt as though he had plummeted into the celestial abyss, his heart numb and his soul restless.

A method to overthrow the rule of the Heavenly Dao... had just appeared?

To break the balance of the Heavenly Dao, one must abolish the position of Heavenly Venerate.

However, the succeeding Heavenly Venerate alone was far from enough.

Goddess Ba is the best example; she launched an assault all by herself, and while she succeeded, she ended up sealed, unable to escape the grip of the Heavenly Venerate.

If the Time Drum’s words are to be heeded, with three prepared Divine Venerates assaulting the barriers simultaneously, at most the Heavenly Dao could send down the true forms of four Heavenly Venerates. Facing three against four, even if not advantageous in number, with unity in hearts and strategies, there ultimately lies a chance of victory.

At that moment, by slaying a divine being once and seizing one-ninth of the Heavenly Dao’s privileges, they could secure their footing.

This battle, deemed eternally unwinnable in later generations—now possessed the chance of a turnaround?

"Three... not too many, not too few."

"Ancient Soldier God, since you’ve come to this conclusion, one assumes you hope to challenge an equivalent realm yourself?"

After reflecting for a moment, Ye Chengfeng, with an unwavering gaze, directly posed the question.

The Time Drum gently swayed, its skin reflecting a mysterious gleam, and replied slowly:

"This old one has tricked the Heavenly Dao with a feigned death, evading the surveillance of the Heavenly Venerate, lying dormant until now, ready to leap forward at any time."

"Unfortunately, by relying solely on this old instrument, I have the mind but lack the strength, and can only wait for a true opportunity."

"Today, in you, my kind who have also escaped the Heavenly Dao’s surveillance, I see a glimmer of hope."

"To gather the remaining two slots, such a heavy task, I entrust to your hands, so that my lifelong wish may hopefully come true."

"Hmm..."

Ye Chengfeng looked up, deeply pondering:

"I am also only a paper-thin distance away from reaching that realm."

"However, as my cultivation is bound to the paths of relationships and fate, only when Lord Han certifies his Crown Rank will my promotion follow logically..."

"Counting me in, there’s still one slot left... quite troublesome indeed."

"Sword Thunder Child is highly likely to absorb the Heavenly Punishment Sovereign in order to possibly take over the stature of a Heavenly Venerate."

"The Cataclysmic Crow Master sleeps daily; it’s unclear what state He’s currently in. Theoretically, His accumulation should be abundant enough, but if Ye Hanjun is under the premise of a Saint, can He ascend to the realm of a Double Seal God in one breath?"

"Cataclysmic Crow Master? The Ancient Strongest Calamity God?"

The voice from the Time Drum paused for a moment, slightly weighty as it spoke:

"No wonder... around you lingers not only the power of lightning and desolation, but also a subtle sign of impending disaster."

"Thus it appears, the Ancient Three Evil Gods have all survived..."

"Those three fellows were once powerful Competitors of the Heavenly Venerate, especially Evil God Sarus, who, it is said, endured to the very end. Clearly the victor, due to issues with cosmic Laws, was jointly suppressed and slain by the Nine Heavenly Venerates, ending up with an empty joy after all..."

"Senior, could you tell more of the tales from the Ancients?"

Ye Hanjun yearned for that era.

He had inquired about it with the Wine Cup Pattern, but as a defeated being who had perished early, what more secrets could therein be known.

Now, this Time Drum, heralded as the "Ancient Strongest Soldier God", master of the Law of Time, would be the ideal choice to enlighten him.

"In the Ancient Era, the Cosmic Era gathered all splendor for all beings, limitless and bright.

"In that age, worlds akin to Broken Instrument Valley, numbered in the hundreds."

"Back then, Holy Beasts roamed the lands freely, and there was no limit to the number of Divine Beasts; as long as one reached the necessary realm, even if a Seal System had ten gods arising simultaneously, that was deemed appropriate."

"Including the Calamity Gods, Evil Gods, and Desolate Gods, in that era, though numerous, they weren’t considered absolute evils but rather the embodiment of the dark will."

"A world that has only good is an illusion; yin and yang complement each other, light and dark beget one another, this accords with the operation and cycle of All Heavens."

"Then... in the last years of the Ancient Era, the Ancient Nether Rulers gradually faded out of sight, as they pursued elusive truths, no longer tied by worldly desires, and achieved complete transcendence."

"Their departure meant the barriers of the world underwent changes."

"On one hand, an overabundance of Divine beings and an overly brilliant civilization meant that the world’s foundations weren’t solid enough. Continuing on, there was a possibility of the entire major plane, the grand space itself, being torn apart. Choices had to be made, changes had to occur."

"On the other hand, Single Seal Gods inevitably had limits to their strength, and no matter how many Divine Mysteries and Upper Divine Skills they mastered, they stood no chance against Double Seal Gods."

"The exit of the Ancient Nether Rulers was akin to releasing a portion of the pressure of heaven and earth, thus allowing space for those who came after to ascend."

"Under the influence of these preliminaries, an assembly of All Gods was convened."

"The True Gods of the Ancients decided to embark on an ’Ultimate Ascension.’

"Only those who could survive to the end, becoming the ultimate winners, would ascend to the throne of Heavenly Venerate, governing a portion of the world’s cosmic laws."

"Conversely, the vanquished must perish; they gathered the energy of heaven and earth, ascended with aid from the Heavenly Dao, and in their downfall gave back to all beings, adhering to a cycle of fate, of cause and effect."

"In the wake of this great battle, the splendid Divine Clan perished one after another, and those who truly survived were the scarce Holy Clan living in hidden margins."

"After that, everything is as you see."

"The world’s cosmic laws were redefined; for the stability and long-term development of the world, each system could at most have three gods coexist."

"However, the Nine Heavenly Venerates remain unshakeable, since becoming the winners of the Ancients, none has perished to this day, seemingly eternally overseeing the heavens and earth... of course, since they have become the new rulers, they too must bear various constraints as a price, which is an indisputable matter."