Chapter 588: The Final Chapter

Chapter 588: The Final Chapter

February 20, 2025

Su Chen did not venture too far forward.

This dried-up skeleton might very well be the remains of Jingbo Immortal.

Having gained numerous benefits from the immortal, he did not wish to offend him.

Su Chen looked around and prepared to first examine if there was anything that could prove the identity of the owner.

Outside, he did not find any mechanisms, but inside, Su Chen discovered some mechanism settings.

After disarming the mechanism, the originally sealed hidden cavern revealed a passage.

With the light, Su Chen began to gradually venture deeper.

After reaching this position, there were no additional defensive measures within the passage.

As he went deeper, the surroundings also seemed to get colder.

Even the walls above his head had frozen into blocks.

As Su Chen walked in the passage, he also needed to be mindful of the torch in his hand.

He avoided the torch from being extinguished by the melting ice droplets.

At the end of the passage, there was another spacious secret chamber.

And in this chamber, Su Chen witnessed a spectacular scene.

On the ground, hundreds of damaged Yuan Shi Seals were piled up.

The divine object that could bring people to the Trinity Return Realm, the divine object that could make people willingly become its slaves.

In this place before him, there were hundreds of them.

However, compared to the seal platform cherished by the Seal Slave predecessors, the Yuan Shi Seals in front of him were all destroyed, leaving only broken fragments piled together.

In fact, these fragments would still be valuable if taken outside.

Many people would want to sense the mysteries of martial arts cultivation from these fragments.

With the achievements of the Seal Slave as a precedent, the temptation was definitely there.

Su Chen did not feel regretful about this.

He did not want to submit to the Yuan Shi Seal, even if it could bring him some improvement, he had no interest.

But seeing so many damaged Yuan Shi Seals here was still somewhat shocking.

Putting aside his thoughts, Su Chen began to carefully examine the surroundings.

In this spacious chamber, there were numerous mechanism settings all around.

Su Chen walked forward and found some mechanism settings on the four sides.

As he approached, a powerful pressure landed on Su Chen's body.

His legs, which were originally standing, even struggled to stand firm.

The next moment, a shriveled meditation cushion was pushed out by the mechanism.

It seemed to be meant for Su Chen to sit on.

Due to the passage of time, the meditation cushion had already dried up, leaving only an empty shell.

Su Chen felt the good intentions of the predecessors and endured the pressure, sitting on the cushion.

After sitting cross-legged for a while, the pressure became even greater and more intense.

He struggled to breathe, and a sense of suffocation enveloped him.

At that moment, a comfortable breath also flowed in simultaneously.

For a moment, pain and comfort seemed to intersect on his body.

Su Chen experienced this comfortable breath for the first time, but he could sense that it was not meant to make him submit, but to push him forward to gain more benefits.

The benefits granted by the Yuan Shi Seal were meant to make you submit to it.

The power obtained from it felt more like borrowed strength, no matter how powerful it was, it did not truly belong to oneself.

But what Su Chen felt at this moment, the benefits he obtained, were more like a predecessor passing on their knowledge and gains to him.

Su Chen resisted with his entire being, and his strength gradually improved.

The sound of the torch burning gradually diminished, and after the sound completely disappeared, the torch went out.

In the darkness, Su Chen gradually lost track of time.

Without the distractions of sight and sound, the world before him seemed to have changed.

Su Chen's sense of touch was rapidly enhancing in a peculiar way.

At the same time, the pressure on his shoulders was gradually lessening.

Before, even standing up was difficult, and he felt his body was extremely heavy, but now, he felt light, as if those pressures had disappeared.

The meditation cushion beneath him had already crumbled into pieces.

But Su Chen still sat on the remains of the cushion, waiting.

The comfortable breath had completely dissipated.

And the pressure that had landed on him was, in fact, still there.

Before, this pressure made it difficult for him to even stand.

But now, it was so light that he could completely ignore it.

Su Chen didn't even care if it existed, as it had reached a level where it could be ignored.

His strength seemed to transcend at this moment.

His original Hua Jing strength had directly reached the pinnacle of the Return to Unity Realm.

The Return to Unity Realm is the pinnacle of mortal martial artists, the threshold of martial arts cultivation.

The Way of Ten Thousand Laws, all realms, return to unity at this moment.

The nine-nine layers, all merge here.

Vitality surged wildly, endlessly, unceasingly.

Su Chen felt his body transform like the heavens and earth.

At the pinnacle of the Return to Unity Realm, he had entered it in such a manner.

The benefits within this, perhaps no treasure in the world could match.

Standing up from the cushion, Su Chen once again examined the chamber with the dim light.

He had gained a lot here, but he was still unsure of the source of these benefits.

Su Chen guessed that these were left by Jingbo Immortal.

After all, the previous methods of obstruction were very much like Jingbo Immortal's style.

Those array formations were exactly like what he had learned.

But for now, it was just a guess, and he couldn't confirm that these were left by Jingbo Immortal.

With the dim light, Su Chen discovered some traces on the widest wall in front.

He repaired the slightly damaged wall surface.

The faded wall finally revealed clearer handwriting.

As expected, this place truly is the legacy of Jingbo Immortal.

Su Chen studied the words left behind by the immortal.

At the beginning, Jingbo Immortal even expressed his apologies.

The series of secret realms he left behind were all prepared for this place.

Furthermore, to prevent hostile forces from entering, he set up various defensive arrays to hinder them.

Driven by the situation, he had no choice but to implement extensive defensive measures.

The opportunities he left behind must never fall into the hands of the enemy.

Hence, the defensive arrays Jingbo Immortal deployed were lethal, designed to annihilate intruders.

In addition to the arrays, there were other formidable measures.

For instance, if his remains were to be destroyed, a powerful self-destruct array would be triggered.

A series of precautions were in place to prevent enemies from entering this location.

Su Chen carefully scrutinized the immortal's words.

Although he couldn't witness the circumstances back then, Su Chen could sense the immortal's worries through the text.

Of course, the immortal's greatest concern wasn't that this place would be breached by enemies.

He feared more that this place would never be discovered by anyone.

His legacy would be left unclaimed.

And potential threats would remain unresolved.

Su Chen continued reading, and the words left by Jingbo Immortal on the stone wall were indeed insightful.

The clues he left behind were indecipherable to many, and most couldn't learn from them.

Jingbo Immortal had left behind numerous secret realms during his lifetime, and many had already been discovered by others before Su Chen's arrival.

But none of these secret realms could be deciphered by anyone.

Moreover, many of these realms were no longer in this area.

One had to traverse the wilderness to reach another human settlement to find them.

This situation made it challenging for anyone other than Su Chen to easily travel to all the secret realms and seek opportunities.

Even Su Chen might not have gathered all the clues.

The location information was obtained from the predecessor Yin Nu.

He didn't dwell on the events that had already transpired.

From the letter carved on the stone wall by Jingbo Immortal, it was evident that he had faced formidable, even terrifying enemies in the past.

He and the other powerful cultivators of his time had exhausted all their resources to drive these enemies away.

These enemies didn't originate from this continent but had crossed over from a secret location.

To achieve their goal of ruling over this land, they had released hundreds of Yuan Shi Yin.

The purpose of these Yuan Shi Yin was twofold: to lure the powerful cultivators of that time into submission and to create division.

Even back then, the allure of using the power of the Yuan Shi Yin to rapidly enhance one's strength was significant.

Cultivation was arduous and exhausting, and there were many unknown dangers.

This method had caused division among many people during that time.

Many believed that Jingbo Immortal and the other powerful cultivators were hoarding the benefits for themselves.

They feared that these cultivators would enhance their strength and seize their advantages.

In reality, by relying on the Yuan Shi Yin, they could only borrow strength to barely reach the initial stage of the Return to Unity Realm.

Jingbo Immortal and his peers still had minimal influence.

What they worried about was that after submitting, this land would only be qualified to be enslaved in the future.

Facing the enemy's invasion, they still had some ability to hinder them.

But what would happen to this land after they exhausted their strength?

Therefore, Jingbo Immortal did his best to destroy the Yuan Shi Yin that had spread, preventing them from harming future generations.

Afterward, they exhausted all their resources to drive away and expel the enemies, sealing off the passage between the two sides.

"I dedicate my life force to establish the Twelve Heaven's Barriers at the Mountain's Eye.

With the broken peak as a wedge and the long river as a curtain, I forge a lock with the treasures of heaven and a barrier of thunder with the treasures of the earth. In the cycle of rotation, this barrier can, at most, trap them for six thousand years."

After driving away these enemies, Jingbo Immortal and his peers set up a barrier that could withstand the enemy's assault for up to six thousand years.

This should have been the limit of what they could achieve in their era, and it was indeed so.

Su Chen continued reading, searching for information about those enemies in the words left by Jingbo Immortal.

Jingbo Immortal had once ventured to the other side, another world, and returned with despair.

It was a world so powerful that it was terrifying.

The disciples who came to cause trouble here were merely a small force from that world.

In their world, they couldn't gain any benefits or seize enough resources.

That's why they were dedicated to finding other worlds to plunder.

The martial arts in that world were far more advanced than here.

Jingbo Immortal had felt hopeless back then. If it hadn't been for the arrival of such a minor force, would they have had a chance?

Su Chen was also shocked by this revelation.

From what he read, their strength far surpassed that of all current martial artists.

The opponents that gave them such headaches were merely a small force in that world.

Even so, Jingbo Immortal still had some confidence in the barrier he had set up.

"Borrowing the power of mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, I formed the Great Array of Heaven and Earth.

Although our strength is far inferior to that world, this barrier array is established by borrowing the power of the environment.

Unless the people from that world possess the ability to destroy heaven and earth, there's no question that this barrier array can withstand six thousand years."

Su Chen carefully continued reading.

After describing the situation of that time, Jingbo Immortal revealed the location of the Great Array of Heaven and Earth he had set up.

Su Chen initially thought that Jingbo Immortal wanted him to reinforce the array.

To prevent any flaws in the barrier array.

In fact, Jingbo Immortal's vision was far broader than Su Chen had imagined.

The immortal left this choice to Su Chen, a later cultivator.

In the immortal's words, future generations might have even greater wisdom.

Or their strength and cultivation realm might have already surpassed that of his time.

In that case, even if this barrier array were destroyed, it wouldn't matter.

Furthermore, it might be more beneficial for everyone if the array were dismantled, allowing them to go to that world and seek more profound cultivation methods.

Su Chen gazed at the words left by Jingbo Immortal on the stone wall, a hint of helplessness crept onto his face.

The Immortal's expectation of future generations was that they would surpass their predecessors, but reality proved otherwise.

Currently, the strongest martial artists were those of the third-tier Return to Unity Realm.

The potential enhancement from the Yuan Shi Seal was almost the same.

Not only had future generations failed to surpass their ancestors, but they had also fallen far behind.

【The choices are yours, do not follow in our footsteps, severing the cycle of life and death. Hope for the future generations, may they not shed blood and make decisions that shake the heavens and earth.】

As Su Chen finished reading, he felt a twinge of relief for Jingbo Immortal.

The cultivation techniques in this world were not profound enough to leave behind spiritual consciousness.

If there were truly such advanced and mysterious techniques, Jingbo Immortal might have been infuriated.

Typographical error, content redacted for clarity!

Witnessing the unfulfilled potential of future generations, one after another, the Immortal would likely have been enraged.

After reading the Immortal's words, Su Chen stepped out of the secluded chamber.

In front of the Immortal's remains, he bowed respectfully.

He then searched the area once more, hoping to find any other useful information left behind.

And indeed, he discovered something valuable.

Here, the records of the battles from those years were kept, likely documented by someone close to the Immortal.

It was also from here that Su Chen learned about the origin of the youwu.

The powerful youwu in this world were descendants of the pets left behind by mighty martial artists from another world.

During the battles of those years, many of these pets managed to survive by chance.

Mating with the local wild beasts, they gave birth to youshou.

After thousands of years of reproduction, youshou spread across the entire world, starting from a few dozen.

Initially, they occupied most of the land.

What Jingbo Immortal probably never expected was that future generations would be troubled by the descendants of these pets.

The areas where humans once thrived had fallen into wilderness.

Having gained so much from Jingbo Immortal, Su Chen now stumbled upon more benefits, and his strength directly soared to the pinnacle of the Return to Unity Realm.

Looking across the world, he might very well be the strongest person alive.

With these newfound advantages, it was only natural to address the task left by Jingbo Immortal.

The Immortal had clearly stated the location of the Great Array.

And this location was where the Jin and Chu nations bordered each other.

A great river flowed through here, winding for tens of thousands of miles before emptying into the southern sea.

This river served as a natural boundary between the nations.

Following the river, it took Su Chen about four days to reach the place mentioned by the Immortal.

On both sides of the river stood three mountain peaks each.

Astonishingly, two mountain peaks also stood in the middle of the river.

The massive barrier array was indeed based on the mountains and rivers, forming this grand Great Array.

Marveling at the grandeur of this array, Su Chen understood the lifespan issue of this formation.

Although Jingbo Immortal had the means and foresight to anticipate potential troubles, the constant erosion of the river would eventually take its toll on the two mountain peaks in the center.

Inevitably, one day, the river's relentless flow would wash away these peaks.

This was what Jingbo Immortal referred to when he said that this array could only provide protection for a maximum of six thousand years.

Without other means of defense, it was likely that this array would collapse within a few hundred years.

Su Chen examined the Great Array before him.

To ensure its continuous operation, there was no need for an array engineer.

All that was required was to safeguard these mountain peaks and the river, and the array's obstruction would persist indefinitely.

Su Chen carefully inspected the surroundings once more and discovered an overlooked detail.

This was a hidden entrance leading to another realm.

Jingbo Immortal had not mentioned this secret entrance, but Su Chen had a good grasp of array knowledge.

He was also well-versed in the art of mechanical secrets.

Some locations that conformed to array principles stood out prominently to Su Chen.

Beyond this passage lay another world.

In that realm, with his extraordinary destiny, he was certain to achieve remarkable results.

Su Chen gazed at this hidden passage for a moment, then acted decisively, sealing the entrance shut.

That world might truly be fascinating, offering a chance to rapidly enhance his strength once more.

But Su Chen had no ambition to pursue greater strength.

The Immortal had already given him so much, and now he had reached the pinnacle of the Return to Unity Realm. What more could he ask for?

With these thoughts in mind, Su Chen sealed the hidden entrance with even greater resolve.

For a moment, Su Chen wavered, tempted to take a look.

His purpose was to find a solution to eradicate the youwu.

Currently, the youwu wreaked havoc, tormenting the people of various nations. Eliminating them would undoubtedly be a great deed.

However, after experiencing so much, Su Chen's perspective shifted.

Compared to conflicts between humans, the troubles caused by youwu were insignificant.

Over these thousands of years, the presence of youwu had largely maintained peace among the nations.

Even at the level of the common people, conflicts had significantly decreased due to the youwu.

If the youwu were eradicated, would those powerful nations still be so restrained, refraining from invading smaller countries?

Would Zhou Kingdom still enjoy such stability?

Without the existence of youwu, Jin and Chu, the two powerful nations, would swiftly encroach upon the interests of smaller countries.

And then, these two nations would engage in a new round of conflict with each other.

Numerous lives would be lost in this process, and countless commoners would suffer. Perhaps even more than the current situation.

The lives of the common people would likely be worse than they were now.

After considering all this, Su Chen no longer had the intention to eradicate the youwu.

He resealed the hidden entrance and then left.

Su Chen had not seen his mother and younger sister for a long time.

This time, Su Chen headed towards the capital of the Zhou Kingdom.

Everything was finally over.

The grudge between Su Chen and the Wuluan Mansion had been settled, leaving no more suspense.

Although the Wuluan Mansion was a major sect in the Jin Kingdom, they did not have any Stalwart Cultivators.

Furthermore, Su Chen was already on the verge of entering the rumored second-grade realm, having reached the pinnacle of the Unity Realm.

If not for his robust physique and mental state, the benefits bestowed by Jingbo Immortal might have brought him even greater gains.

The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Su Chen knocked on the courtyard gate.

This time, Su Chen did not conceal his identity.

He even encountered many acquaintances in the capital.

Some bold ones even dared to ask about his identity.

Facing these questions, Su Chen smiled and nodded calmly.

Upon seeing Su Chen's return and learning that he was no longer leaving, his mother and younger sister's joy was indescribable.

He removed their disguises, revealing their true appearances.

For so many years, they had lived in disguise to avoid exposure.

From this day forward, his mother and sister could show their real faces to outsiders.

Moreover, they could even share their names and backgrounds with others.

In the following days after returning home, Su Chen spent the most relaxed time.

Without overthinking or worrying, he accompanied his mother and sister on outings every day.

In these years, they had not even ventured beyond two streets.

To make up for it, Su Chen took them around the surrounding areas in the past few days.

Compared to Su Chen's calmness, many other forces were already on edge.

Previously in the Zhou Kingdom, countless people had exhausted their efforts but could not find Su Chen's traces.

Now, Su Chen had directly exposed his location.

With this situation, various speculations emerged.

Many people guessed whether Su Chen had reconciled with the Wuluan Mansion.

Otherwise, how could he dare to do this?

About half a month later, there were still many who went to great lengths to send the news to the Wuluan Mansion.

Upon receiving the news, Fan Chengyan immediately set off for the capital of the Great Zhou Kingdom.

She did not know the relationship between Qiu Ruoshuang and Su Chen.

But that day, Qiu Ruoshuang's reaction clearly showed that she wanted to protect Su Chen.

Arriving in the capital as quickly as possible and resolving everything was the only way to avoid further complications.

Qiu Ruoshuang received the news four days later than the Wuluan Mansion.

Even if her strength was stronger than Fan Chengyan's, the four-day time difference made it impossible to catch up.

On the Wuluan Mansion's side, at Fan Chengyan's request, four Unity Realm Stalwarts went to the capital.

Some said she was making a mountain out of a molehill, but Fan Chengyan had personally fought with Su Chen.

In the northern border, Su Chen, a newly entered Unity Realm martial artist, was more formidable than many Unity Realm Stalwarts.

After reaching the capital, the four Wuluan Mansion elders each took a position, sealing off the entire capital like an iron bucket.

Some timid commoners had already left the city to hide.

But many chose to stay, and the reason was simple—to watch the spectacle.

This grand spectacle was something many would never encounter in their lifetime.

Even with the risk of accidental injury or death, they were willing to take the chance.

Many fled, but even more gathered upon hearing the news.

Forces from the Zhou and Jin Kingdoms, as well as some wandering martial artists, also arrived.

Sun Xue Rong, with her injured body, also came.

She wanted to witness Su Chen's death.

Even if she didn't take revenge personally, it would still be a consolation.

Su Chen directly declined the help offered by the Tian Gang City and Yunyang Sect, not letting them get involved.

Many couldn't understand why Su Chen made such a choice.

It wasn't until Fan Chengyan and the other three elders attacked Su Chen that they realized why.

Unity Realm Stalwarts already possessed the power to destroy cities.

But the moment they made their move, the reason why Su Chen had exposed his whereabouts became clear.

In front of Su Chen, Fan Chengyan had no ability to retaliate.

In the blink of an eye, a powerful pressure immobilized all four of them.

This time, Su Chen didn't use any weapons or treasures, relying solely on his own strength to render them immobile.

The next moment, the three elders' foundations were destroyed, and Unity Realm Stalwarts became weak and sickly mortals.

And in Su Chen's courtyard, Fan Chengyan perished with a single move.

This outcome shocked even those who had come merely to watch the spectacle.

The strength Su Chen displayed was at least that of the Unity Realm, perhaps even higher.

The entire capital of the Great Zhou Kingdom fell silent upon witnessing this result.

In the silence, some moved to hide.

Others racked their brains, thinking of ways to establish connections.

The alchemists from Zhu Ming Palace, who had come to watch the show, ended up laughing at themselves.

Sun Xue Rong's already injured body couldn't bear this blow, and upon realizing Su Chen's strength, she completely lost her mind.

After handling everything, Su Chen returned to his peaceful life.

The three elders still lived in that courtyard.

Two days later, at noon, Qiu Ruoshuang appeared at the courtyard gate.

The gate opened, and Su Chen smiled at her.

"Your mother has prepared an extra set of bowls and chopsticks, come in quickly~"

Qiu Ruoshuang, after a moment of surprise, finally smiled, and her worries were put to rest.

Entering the house, she bowed to her mother like a junior.

The younger sister looked at the empty seat at the square table and smiled.

Her smile seemed to carry a hint of surprise.

She had guessed wrong; she thought the person sitting in that position would be Liu Xingwan. (The End)



(End of Chapter)

Chapter end