Chapter 334: Chapter 158: The Ten Thousand Year Promise_2

“Thank you, Emperor! Thank you, Emperor!”

Just as the ferocious beast bowed its head in worship, Shen Yuan had already stepped into the golden portal, his figure disappearing into the eighteenth layer.

Accompanied by the change in the spatial dimension, Shen Yuan arrived in a world teeming with vitality.

Unlike the cold and vast giant platforms of the previous eighteen layers, the space before Shen Yuan was filled with thriving vitality.

This lush forest and grassland stretched to every corner of the world, with a multitude of small animals frolicking in the woods, the firmament above shone with a proud sun reflecting the stars, reminiscent of a mythological paradise.

However, in such a world brimming with life, Shen Yuan detected a hint of something unusual.

In this world, whether it was the mountains, the land, the flora and fauna, or even the stars and sun in the sky, the omnipresent air and the breeze, all were transformed from the Primal Chaos Energy.

Claiming the weight of mountains and bearing the foundation of the earth, the elemental Qi of all creation, in this vibrant world, spun its own realm.

Shen Yuan’s pupils shrank slightly with understanding; even his unmastered Nine Breaths Qi Absorption Great Divine Power could not achieve the possibility of creating a realm with the sole Qi of heaven and earth.

The Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda’s expertise in this elemental Qi even surpassed his who possessed the Nine Breaths Qi Absorption Great Divine Power.

Before Shen Yuan could steady his heart, a thunderbolt formed from the Primal Chaos Energy in the sky above thundered down, and the vibrant world broke apart before his eyes.

All things dissolved in the collapse, decomposing into the primordial elemental Qi, then turned into Turmoil and returned to nothingness.

In the void where time and spatial dimensions were lost, countless years quietly passed by.

And when a thread of elemental Qi was born from nothingness and evolved into earth, water, wind, and fire to settle the boundless Turmoil, the laws of the world began to operate again.

Shen Yuan was immersed in the evolution of this world’s process.

At this moment, Shen Yuan finally realized why Great Divine Immortal Minghao considered the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda a forbidden treasure, not allowing beings from the lower realms to touch it at all.

It was not because of the fate of the Primal Chaos Realm, not because a realm was breeding, but because of this yet incomplete foundation of the Boundary-opening Treasure.

The Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda carried the infinite elemental Qi of all creation; as long as the Primal Chaos was not extinguished, it could keep evolving, and one day it might push this treasure to become a true Boundary-opening Treasure.

And just this process alone was enough to let the holder of the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda repeatedly experience the true meaning of creating the heavens and earth and all their creatures.

Shen Yuan sighed softly to himself and forcibly extricated himself from the process of evolving heaven and earth.

Although the process of boundary opening contained myriad profundities, Shen Yuan’s realm was too low; he could barely catch a glimpse of its true meaning with his Nine Breaths Qi Absorption Great Divine Power.

If he could fully digest the true meaning within, he would undoubtedly make great progress, but if he ignored his own cultivation level and indulged in it forcefully, it could damage his foundation instead.

“Biting off more than one can chew, biting off more than one can chew!”

With a light exclamation, Shen Yuan walked towards the core of this realm.

There, stood an exquisitely beautiful eighteen-layered Nifty Pagoda, which was identical in appearance to the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda, like a shrunk countless times version of the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda suppressing everything between heaven and earth.

This was indeed the spirit of the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda.

Shen Yuan had yet to approach the pagoda spirit when a voice rang out in his ears.

“Are you really the Donghua Emperor?”

The voice was youthful and clear, and between the words, a golden eye slowly opened in the firmament above, which was the eye Shen Yuan had seen on the thirteenth layer before.

At that time, this eye tried to bestow a blessing, which Shen Yuan declined and instead offered to the Great Yin 3rd Prince Ji Zhaoyang.

Shen Yuan’s actions had once aroused the pagoda spirit’s anger, but now that Shen Yuan had entered the core realm of the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda, that small matter was no longer significant to the pagoda spirit.

Rather than focusing on Shen Yuan’s transfer of blessings, the pagoda spirit was more curious about the identity Shen Yuan was called by the ferocious beast and his experience in overcoming the Earth Gate Trials twice.

Although the pagoda spirit nominally controlled the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda, the Mortals Gate Trial was set by Great Divine Immortal Minghao, with its difficulty also determined by him.

The essence of the Earth Gate Trial was to mend the cosmic wounds of the Primal Chaos Realm, led by the will of the Primal Chaos Realm itself.

As for the Heaven Gate Trial, it was personally guarded by the Primordial mutant type creature that stepped into the Immortal Realm, the ferocious beast, and was also beyond the jurisdiction of the pagoda spirit.

The only influence the pagoda spirit truly had was on this highest layer of the realm’s evolution and opening.

Shen Yuan looked directly at the pagoda spirit, and as it asked that question, he already had a response in mind.

Though the pagoda spirit had been born for tens of thousands of years, it was restricted by Great Divine Immortal Minghao to this place and knew very little about the outside world.

If the pagoda spirit truly understood what the Donghua Emperor represented, the conflict that occurred on the thirteenth layer would have been enough for it to deduce that Shen Yuan was not the real Donghua Emperor.

With a slight curve of his lips, Shen Yuan asked the pagoda spirit in return:

“What do you think, am I the Donghua Emperor?”

A hint of confusion flickered in the golden eye of the pagoda spirit, which did not answer.

Seeing this, Shen Yuan took a step forward and pressed on:

“Put it another way, do you wish for me to be the Donghua Emperor?”

The pagoda spirit’s true form, the small pagoda, swayed unsteadily as if it were confused by Shen Yuan’s words.

“How does it concern me if you are the Donghua Emperor?”

“Of course, it concerns me!” Shen Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his smile deepening with purpose.

“If I were the Donghua Emperor, I could give you what you desire.”

Upon hearing this, a strong golden light burst forth from the exquisitely detailed eighteen-layered treasure pagoda, and its oppressive golden pupils stared fixedly at Shen Yuan:

“Do you know what I want?”

“Freedom.”

Shen Yuan straightforwardly voiced the pagoda spirit’s most fervent desire.

As an immortal artifact of the highest quality that approached the status of a boundary-opening treasure upon its creation, the pagoda spirit had always been under the control of Great Divine Immortal Minghao, even its own trials and the baptism of the Primal Chaos Realm’s destiny were merely parts of Minghao’s plans.

What it sought was, without a doubt, liberation from Great Divine Immortal Minghao’s control.

“Can you give me freedom?” The pagoda spirit’s eyes filled with disbelief.

It had personally witnessed the immense power of Great Divine Immortal Minghao. Even if it channeled all the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda’s strength, it couldn’t confront him, let alone the seemingly fragile Shen Yuan in its eyes?

“Why not?” Shen Yuan asked confidently.

The pagoda spirit fell into a long silence, and after a long while, it finally inquired to Shen Yuan:

“What must I do?”

The pagoda spirit might have been naïve, but it wasn’t ignorant; it knew well that freedom came at a price.

However, Shen Yuan’s answer once again defied its expectations.

“You needn’t do anything.”

Shen Yuan shook his head gently, his gaze piercing as he watched the pagoda spirit.

“Decades from now, Great Divine Immortal Minghao will lose control of you, and you will have the freedom of ten thousand years.

During this time, no one will be able to interfere with whatever you choose to do. If any ferocious beast within the tower objects, you need only claim it’s under my orders.”

As his words faded, a profound silence fell between heaven and earth, the expression in the pagoda spirit’s golden eyes almost seemed to change.

At last, the naïve voice of the pagoda spirit sounded.

“If what you say is true, after ten thousand years of freedom, I will submit to your command!”

A smile appeared on the corner of Shen Yuan’s mouth, and he extended a finger from his right hand, gathering all the Primal Chaos Energy between heaven and earth into his palm.

With his finger as the brush and the Primal Chaos Energy as the ink, the Imperial Decree of Truth was inscribed at the very core of the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda.

“Let Primal Chaos be the witness!”

The Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda trembled imperceptibly, and it seemed as if a great sound emanated from the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda and spread outward.

And at that moment, like a majestic canopy, the vast Primal Chaos Energy fell from above the Ninth Heavens, shrouding the marvel of the Imperial Decree of Truth.

As the Imperial Decree of Truth was enacted, the Artificial Intelligence System, silent for so long, finally responded.

Side Mission: Ascend to the highest floor of the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda and leave behind your own legend within the Primal Chaos Realm.

Mission Completion Progress: Grade B+.

Proceed with the settlement?

Shen Yuan’s gaze sharpened, and he looked at the mission progress with some confusion.

After all the hardship to reach the highest level of the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda and completing this side mission, the evaluation was merely a Grade B+, not even an A.

“Perhaps this is because there are immortals on the eighteenth floor and the plans laid out by Great Divine Immortal Minghao cannot be known to outsiders; naturally, they cannot be celebrated in the world.

These aspects might have led to a slightly lower renown, resulting in an insufficient impact of the legend left behind.”

Past experience told Shen Yuan that the mission completion progress was a crucial element.

The Artificial Intelligence System never stinted on rewards for exceeding mission goals; the Sainthood Attainment Enlightenment Array Formation and Heaven’s Decree Secret Order were both products of exceeding mission targets.

“It seems I should strive for a Grade A completion progress.”

“Does that mean I need to stir up a major event again?”