The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 1965: Ten Empyrean Suns Universe!

Amon and Bael could not hide their desire to march into the Sacred Sanctum, yet they were painfully aware of the consequences. If they were to force their way inside, the defensive mechanisms of the stronghold would activate instantly. Against such forces, there would be nothing left of them but dust. This was, after all, a place designed to repel even the assaults of Alpha–Omega Overgods. For entities at that exalted tier, Archdeities were nothing special—merely powerful cultivators.

"The portal will remain open for another year," Amon finally said, his tone sober as he spoke to Cain. "So we can take our time. However, when that year ends, we must leave. If we remain inside after that point, the dimension will forcefully expel us—and that will not be pleasant."

The words he spoke were not speculation. They were the last bits of knowledge they had managed to secure from the previous expedition into the Ouroboros Cult’s sacred dimension. Time had not carried much weight before; once their credits were spent, there had been little reason to linger. But now, standing in the Fifth Ring, with the Sacred Cultivation Grounds before them, time became extremely relevant.

Cain listened in silence and gave a firm nod to the duo. "Let us meet again one week before the time limit—or sooner, should we become unable to continue using these grounds. Until then, stay in contact, and above all, remain vigilant. We must not grow complacent. This place is not our home, nor our domain."

His sharp gaze swept over the brothers, making his point without the need for further words.

Amon and Bael’s own gazes hardened. They bowed toward Cain, showing both respect and resolve, before turning away. Each walked with unshakable determination toward the sacred cultivation zones that had drawn them from the start.

Cain watched them depart, nodding once before inhaling deeply. With measured steps, he turned and walked into the Sacred Sanctum.

What greeted him within was a sight that exceeded all expectations.

A massive cathedral stretched before him, a structure so immense and so majestic that words themselves faltered. It radiated a divine aura that seemed to lift both spirit and mind into a higher state of enlightenment. Every step he took toward it made his thoughts sharpen, as though clarity itself flowed from the stones of the building.

All around were podiums, vast in size and carved with flawless precision. From the walls rose massive staircases that ascended and crossed one another like pathways of eternity. Golden pillars lined the cathedral’s expanse, each impossibly tall, their surfaces alive with flowing engravings. The carvings shimmered faintly, evoking the feeling of hundreds of stories—tales most likely chronicling the deeds of the bloodline of the Ancestor of the Ouroboros Cult.

Cain paused before one of these pillars. There, engraved in eternal gold, he found a figure he recognized: Talmon, the Primordial from whom he had obtained the Eclipse Monolith Inheritance.

"I suppose it makes sense," Cain murmured, his eyes narrowing. "After all, he was the son of the Headmaster of the Cult."

The thought settled within him as his gaze lingered on the pillar. Yet soon, all distractions faded. The podiums, the atmosphere, even the golden engravings ceased to matter.

For his eyes had fallen upon the true heart of the Sacred Sanctum.

At the very center of the cathedral stood a small obsidian coffin, its surface flawless, its form exuding a gravity that eclipsed all else. It was filled with crystalline liquid, a substance that glimmered with a purity that words could not capture.

The coffin itself radiated a presence greater than even the throne of the Demon King of the Crimson World. Just its existence commanded reverence. And the liquid inside—merely gazing upon it—made Cain feel as though his soul and mind were being cleansed.

The pressure, the dread, the countless worries that weighed upon his spirit began to fade away. They melted like shadows before sunlight, replaced by a state of utter clarity and tranquility. It was as if the coffin invited him into a serenity untouched by mortal or divine concerns.

Cain’s eyes widened slightly. This was a state of mind he had not felt since he first set foot upon the Everstrife Empyrean World.

It took several long moments before his willpower pulled him back to reality. His chest rose sharply as he drew a deep breath, grounding himself. Awe lingered in his heart, tempered now with a solemn respect. His gaze sharpened as he stepped forward, each pace deliberate, carrying him closer to the coffin.

When he was but ten steps away, a voice resounded.

It was older than time, more powerful than any he had heard before in this place—so ancient it seemed to echo from beyond existence itself.

"Just as a serpent sheds its skin to be reborn, so too can we."

Cain stopped, his body still as his eyes lifted. Above the coffin, the face of an ancient man took form. His features marked him as a member of the Inferno Demon Race, a hybrid of the Hell and Abyssal Clans. His eyes glowed with the majesty of life and death, their light eternal.

Though Cain quickly realized this was only a projection, not the man himself, the aura it exuded compelled respect. A deep sense of awe settled in his heart.

"I discovered this coffin by chance," the ancient figure intoned. His voice reverberated like the tolling of a cosmic bell. "Drifting at the edge of the universe, after I had lost everything and despair had tainted my soul and mind, I found it, and it became the core of my destiny. Through it, I rose to the rank of Alpha–Omega Overgod. Through it, I built my cult into one of the greatest powers within the Ten Empyrean Suns Universe."

Cain’s eyes widened like lamps, disbelief flashing across his face. Shock coursed through his very existence.

The words had been spoken with no weight of pride, no dramatic flourish, as if they were nothing meaningful, yet their truth struck like thunder. In an instant, hundreds of fragments of knowledge Cain had gathered over the years aligned into place.

The super-world he had seen when connecting with the Rank 12 Depravity Astral Supremacy Star... it was not merely similar to the Empyrean Worlds of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe. It was one of them.

The realization hit with the weight of destiny itself.

In the First Era, there had not been nine Empyrean Worlds. There had been ten. The name of the universe was not originally the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe—it was the Ten Empyrean Suns Universe!

At some point, somehow, the Tenth Empyrean Sun Universe had separated from the others, hidden away. It had become the home of his enemies, the source of the Depravity menace that spread across the World Forge, and now reached into the Everstrife Empyrean World!