Chapter 461: Principle-based Beings, the Councilors Take Action (I)

Beneath the cold, dark depths of the ocean, the waters were murky, and the towering peaks were crumbling.

A colossal black and red beast, standing 198 meters tall, rose to its feet. Its body was engulfed in blazing golden flames, while thunderbolts danced between its dorsal fins, exuding an aura of terrifying power.

Two kilometers away on the seabed lay the corpse of a level 9 colossal beast, over 150 meters long, with a fatal wound—a 5-meter-wide charred hole piercing through its skull.

This beast was the last level 9 colossal beast in the Arctic Ocean, a very cautious one at that. Sensing the strangeness in the sea recently, it had been hiding its aura and staying out of sight. It took the Thunder Fiery Dragon Emperor nearly two days to finally locate it.

While the beast tried to escape, the Dragon Emperor caught up and unleashed a breath attack empowered by nine thunder rings, piercing through the deep sea and annihilating the colossal beast.

Zhulong, over three hundred meters long, emerged from the pitch-black waters behind the Dragon Emperor, who had been motionless for a while, and let out a low growl.

Roar... King, what... is... wrong... with you?

The Dragon Emperor’s golden vertical pupils flickered slightly. It came back to its senses and growled softly.

Roar! Nothing, I was just reflecting on life.

Reflecting on life?

A string of question marks slowly emerged in the red beast’s mind.

While its main body was carrying the primordial principle, Chen Chu's consciousness had fallen into a deep slumber. The Thunder Emperor, being one with Chen Chu's soul essence, was also affected.

This time, bearing the principle-based power was not as simple as integrating the world origin into his soul—it was actually transforming Chen Chu's very soul.

A supreme powerhouse above the heavenly kings treaded the path of their own rules, controlling principles. Further along this path, the mythical emperors evolved into principle-based beings. The essence of both entities differed fundamentally.

Of course, whether it was laws or principles, they stemmed from the power within the transcendent beasts and cultivators themselves. It was the advancement of their own path, where their great strength would return to their own being. It wasn’t about controlling a particular law of the Blue Planet or the mythical world.

However, some people did take a path of becoming one with the world; they would integrate their laws with the laws of the mythical world, becoming a god that controlled a part of the world.

In the Alliance of Gods of the mythical world, some neutral kings proclaimed themselves gods, binding their laws to the world’s laws to establish their own divine nations.

In these nations, those kings would grow even stronger and be able to wield the power of their realm with every gesture. The laws of their nation would also suppress their opponents.

However, this path had significant drawbacks. Once outside their divine nation, their strength would plummet.

Such matters were still distant for Chen Chu. Under the principle-based power left behind by the Emperor Heng, the blank primordial principle had transformed into a primordial universe, slowly reshaping his soul.

This transformation, however, was only to allow Chen Chu’s soul to be tainted with the aura of principle. It wasn’t intended to transform his soul into a principle-based being; not even an emperor could directly perform such a feat.

Roar! Zhulong, I’m going to sleep for a few days. Don’t disturb me.

With a flick of its tail, the Dragon Emperor swam toward a nearby undersea mountain. The level 9 colossal beast’s flesh could wait until after it woke up.

Staring at the black and red beast coiled on the distant mountain, sound asleep, the red beast took a while to react. Its fierce mouth opened slightly.

Roar... Oh.

Two days later, at the edge of the spatial rift, Xie Chen sat cross-legged, quietly cultivating.

Suddenly, the space in the distance distorted and folded as Heavenly King Youming appeared out of thin air. His voice was gentle as he asked, "Old Xie, has there been any abnormal activity inside?"

Xie Chen opened his eyes and shook his head. "No, nothing out of the ordinary."

The absence of abnormalities indicated that everything was proceeding smoothly. Satisfied, Heavenly King Youming nodded. "That’s good. But the situation on the frontlines is unstable, so I can’t stay long.

"Once the young one emerges, discuss with him the next steps for his cultivation.

"My original plan was for him to continue cultivating on the Blue Planet, with us providing enough resources until he breaks through to the king level. Then he could head to the mythical world.

"But during the emergency meeting with the three councilors yesterday, the First Councilor rejected that proposal."

Xie Chen was slightly taken aback. "Why?"

Chen Chu had already walked the paths of kings and heavenly kings, receiving the inheritance of an emperor. His foundation was now solid enough to break through to the king level.

What he needed to do next was to focus on breaking through and cultivating until he reached the king level before venturing out again. Otherwise, any unforeseen mishap could result in a tremendous loss.

Although Heavenly King Youming had already sealed off the information and altered everyone's memories, it didn’t mean Chen Chu was without danger.

During the mission where he and Yan Ruoyi worked together to lure and kill the demon king, his displayed power and talent was too extraordinary. This had already placed him on the assassination list of both the demon cults and the Purgatory Clan.

Once he entered the mythical world, if his whereabouts were discovered, it was almost certain that the Purgatory Clan would send demon kings to hunt him down.

This was also why Heavenly King Youming didn’t go overboard with modifying the information—he preserved Chen Chu's record as having the potential of a king.

In truth, during the mission to lure out and kill the Blood God and the Demon King, Chen Chu had merely been a supporting player. The real bait had been Li Daoyi, an Innate Awakener.

Along with Yan Ruoyi, their presence had been sufficient to draw out Demon King Kaotoros.

However, no one could have expected that Chen Chu's breakthrough speed would be so staggering. In just one month, he had advanced from the beginning stage of the Sixth Heavenly Realm to the late stage, and his combat prowess was simply unrivaled.

This rapid progression perfectly executed the plan, causing the Purgatory Demon Clan to lose more than three demon kings and destroying the law-embodiment of the Blood God.

Heavenly King Youming spoke slowly. "The First Councilor’s reasoning is that the path of kings is forged through blood and fire. Which of the dozens of king-level powerhouses of the human race didn’t fight their way through?

"This child has risen with unstoppable momentum, shattering all chains in his way. If we forcibly intervene, we might disrupt his rise. However, this doesn’t mean we will leave him unprotected. Two councilors will refine two trump cards for him.

"Moreover, if he decides to head to the mythical world later, it is recommended he join the Expansion Division, where he can explore the vast, mysterious mythical world and hone himself.

"As for the frontline battlefield, he should at least break through to the Ninth Heavenly Realm before heading there. By then, even if a demon king ambushes him, he won’t be caught off guard.

"Once he comes out, discuss these matters with him, especially regarding the dangers of the mythical world. We must not be careless."

"I understand."

***

In the darkness, a grayish light mass, thousands of meters in diameter and resembling a primordial universe, rotated gently. A massive shadow could faintly be seen within it.

Wrapped in primordial power, Chen Chu felt a peace he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Since traveling to Kyrola, he had rarely slept. He spent his days fighting and his nights cultivating, while part of his consciousness transformed into a colossal beast, battling and evolving in the deep sea.

Even during the week he had returned to Wujiang, his nights had been almost entirely spent cultivating.

Thus, this time he slept soundly, so deeply that he didn’t even notice when the primordial principle faded from his body.

In the darkness, Chen Chu slowly opened his eyes, still carrying the confusion of someone who had just woken up from a long slumber. After a long pause, he sighed softly.

"It’s been so long since I’ve felt this relaxed."

After his brief reflection, Chen Chu focused his attention inward, observing the Soul-Suppressing Seal held by the soul-formed phantom of the emperor within him.

Within the Soul-Suppressing Seal, a miniature gray universe slowly rotated, emitting an invisible ripple.

Each time a ripple passed through Chen Chu’s soul, the speed of the Taixu Nether Light Scripture, which had automatically activated after he broke through to the second stage, would increase slightly.

His soul was also slowly transforming under the influence of the primordial principle's ripple.

During his deep sleep, Chen Chu's subconscious had chosen the Soul-Suppressing Seal, which was fused with his soul, as the vessel to bear the primordial principle.

This not only reduced the pressure on his soul, but also allowed the primordial law to temper the soul treasure, enhancing its quality and power.

However, the Soul-Suppressing Seal could probably be renamed to the Soul-Suppressing Imperial Seal now—it sounded much more imposing that way.