The vast Light Sea.
Looking toward this region from the outside, one sees only a blur of overlapping illusions where the past, present, and future converge.
In some illusions, the Light Sea remains crowded with world realms, a scene of vibrant life and universal growth. In others, the Light Sea has been hollowed out and left deathly still. In yet others, even the Light Sea itself no longer exists, leaving only a heart-stopping void and darkness.
Due to these overlapping moments in time, no one can peer into this place unless they possess a higher stature. Every gaze is blocked by layers of illusions, rendering the truth invisible.
[Time].
By now, the Primordial Saint is nearly at the end of his rope. Most of his methods have been laid bare, and truly little remains hidden.
Among what remains, this place is the most precious of all.
[Supreme Grandmaster].
At the end of the long river of time, the Primordial Saint's eyes blazed as he quietly observed a gold-and-white arc of light. Faint images of endless pavilions flickered within his sight.
Yet, he could not enter.
The restrictions of the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] did not grant him special treatment, and after he forged his Primordial Spirit, the gate to the [Supreme Grandmaster] was similarly closed to him.
However, the old saying held true: within the Light Sea, [Variables] are paramount, and nothing is ever truly unchangeable. Since he could hide the [Supreme Grandmaster] within the long river of time, it meant he had found a loophole. While he could not completely bypass the restrictions, exploiting a few gaps was no problem at all.
In the next second, he produced a fragment of the [Paramita].
With a tap of his finger, a profound aura descended, and the Ancestral Dragon's sea of consciousness within the fragment began to ripple once more. Before long, the shadow of the Ancestral Dragon's future self emerged.
"...Haha!".
As the demonic youth manifested, he let out a cold, chilling laugh. "The plan for Deity Transformation and ascension has failed, and you have fallen to this state. You truly look wretched, fellow Daoist".
The Primordial Saint shook his head.
This time, the one he had summoned was not the version of the Ancestral Dragon that loathed him with every fiber of his being, but the portion of his personality that had already been suppressed and enslaved.
Yet it was clear that even this enslaved portion did not hold a favorable view of him. One could only say that the hatred was deep-rooted. However, he did not take it to heart; too many people held grievances against him, and it mattered little what they thought as long as their actions were compliant.
"I need you to retrieve something".
The Primordial Saint went straight to the point. "The item is inside the [Supreme Grandmaster]. It is... a book. Bring it out and hand it to me".
"Do not do anything unnecessary".
The demonic youth sneered. "Hmph, do I need you to teach me? At this point, you still have to rely on me. It seems you are truly reaching your limit".
Despite the insults, the demonic youth followed the orders.
This was why the Primordial Saint had summoned him.
In the world today, only the Ancestral Dragon could openly enter the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] while having forged a Primordial Spirit without fear of being restricted.
Previously, the Primordial Saint had not understood why, assuming it was a privilege of an Innate Dao God. It was only after his conversation with the Terminus Tiger that he finally grasped the reason.
'Because the Ancestral Dragon has a connection with that person, [Jun]'.
'[Jun], who reached the high stage of Deity Transformation. The [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] must be what he left behind. The Ancestral Dragon was raised by him, which is why he was granted the privilege to enter'.
The Primordial Saint watched as the demonic youth vanished into the [Supreme Grandmaster].
In an instant, their connection was severed. However, as a summoned shadow of the future, the demonic youth would eventually fade away without his support.
Therefore, he was in no rush. Things move smoothly when handled with patience, and he had plenty of it.
A vast plain came into view.
The demonic youth landed silently, his golden dragon pupils coldly surveying the surroundings as a sense of shock spread through his mind.
Before his eyes stood countless tall towers.
The materials used to build these towers were, shockingly, innumerable skeletal remains. They had been packed tight with earth, making them look less like towers and more like tombstones.
At a glance, there were over a thousand such tombstones, standing like towering trees. Every bone possessed a divine quality—not only were they as translucent as jade, but some even retained traces of profound colors. It was clear these bones had not belonged to ordinary mortals, but to powerful cultivators.
"Qingyuan, Hongzhang, Tongfa...".
The demonic youth walked past these tombstones. Every time his gaze swept over a set of bones, a name would instinctively surface in his mind.
These were their names in life, and also their Dao foundations.
'The [School of Names]...'.
As the portion of the Ancestral Dragon enslaved and controlled by him, the demonic youth had been infused with the necessary knowledge by the Primordial Saint before entering the [Supreme Grandmaster].
Thus, he quickly came to a conclusion: 'In the pre-ancient era, the entire [School of Names] was buried here, arranged into a landscape of monuments. What a ruthless method. Was it done by that high-stage Deity Transformation being?'.
He continued forward.
As time passed, his thoughts began to shift: 'No, it wasn't done by that high-stage being. These bones... they likely chose their own end'.
These thousands of monuments were both the tombstones of the [School of Names] and its inheritance. The further the demonic youth walked toward the center of the plain and into the depths of the monuments, the clearer his perception became. Finally, he stopped, performed a quick calculation with his fingers, and enlightenment dawned in his eyes:
"This is a ritual".
"The [School of Names] and the [School of Forms], through a blood sacrifice and the use of a unique treasure, forcibly carved their own inheritance into the interior of the [Supreme Grandmaster].
Under normal circumstances, this would be an act of seeking death.
After all, this was a secret realm left behind by a Deity Transformation being; how could it allow outside interference?.
However, [Jun] was different.
"In all things, there is a silver lining. Because the two great schools had already perished on the physical plane, he left them a sliver of hope for their inheritance".
And so, the current [Supreme Grandmaster] came to be.
This was why the cultivators of the two schools chose to end their own lives collectively—at the cost of their own extinction, they secured a chance to leave their inheritance for future generations.
Beyond that—
The demonic youth pressed forward and eventually reached the heart of the plain. There, he saw monuments built by the cultivators of the [School of Forms].
They were rows upon rows of peaceful faces.
Quickly, the demonic youth calculated the number of cultivators buried here: 129,600, exactly matching the number of a single cosmic cycle.
At the core of the plain, surrounded by layers of monuments, he saw the item the Primordial Saint wanted him to bring out . it was a golden, iridescent light, as hazy as drifting willow catkins yet as clear as a mirror. Layer upon layer of it stacked together like flipping pages of a book, reflecting vivid scenes of light and shadow.
"This is it...".
The supreme treasure for which the [School of Names] and the [School of Forms] did not hesitate to sacrifice their entire lineages. In the knowledge given to him by the Primordial Saint, it was called:
[Heavenly Destiny Divine Record].
The most brilliant creation of the pre-ancient era, it was now completely broken. The final remaining chance to use it had already been spent by the Primordial Saint, and now it was utterly useless.
As for its effects, they were quite simple: 'To observe matters of Heaven and Earth yet to be decided, to see scenes of the world yet to be formed. It can mend regrets and fulfill wishes, turning a fleeting life into the distant past and allowing everything to begin anew...'.