Chapter 4249: Grand Finale (Part 3)
"What do you mean?"
The crowd was visibly shaken, some in shock, others in anger.
Lin Ke said, "War Galaxy... This is the ancient name for your universe recorded in the secret ancient scrolls of the Assembly of All Living Beings. But this name has long been forgotten. Now, all beings in the entire Virgo Supercluster only know of the cosmic forbidden zone, the Scutum Void, and are unaware of the War Galaxy."
"Sealing off the War Galaxy with nothingness and leaving it to fend for itself was a resolution passed by the Ancestral Council with a high vote count."
"The War Galaxy was too powerful. It was very strong in the previous epoch, and in this epoch..."
Lin Ke's gaze swept across Zhang Ruochen, Ji Fanxin, Hao Tian, Yan Wushen, Heavenly Mother, and Lady Shiji, one by one. "This epoch is even stronger!"
"It is precisely because the War Galaxy is too powerful that it receives such unique treatment in the universe."
Void Heaven said, "Wait a minute... No rush. First, explain to us what the Virgo Supercluster is. Also, what is the Assembly of All Living Beings, and what is the Ancestral Council? What does it all mean?"
Lin Ke said, "Your Heavenly Court universe, Hell Realm, Earth Desolate, and Heaven Desolate—all of them combined—are roughly the size of one galaxy in the outside world... a larger galaxy, perhaps."
"There are over two thousand such galaxies, large and small, in the Virgo Supercluster."
"The Ancestral Council, full name 'Ancestor and Great Emperor Council,' along with the Assembly of All Living Beings, are the two supreme governing bodies of the Virgo Supercluster. They rule and decide all major affairs of the entire supercluster."
"In the Ancestral Council, every galaxy that has produced an Ancestor has one seat. Galaxies that have not produced an Ancestor have no voting rights."
"In the Assembly of All Living Beings, each galaxy has two fixed seats, recommended by the galaxy itself."
"So, the truly important matters are actually decided by the Ancestral Council. The Assembly of All Living Beings is more like the executor of the Ancestral Council's resolutions."
"The true overlords of the universe are actually... them..."
Lin Ke pointed at the star map in the void.
On the star map, eight super-giant galaxies rapidly zoomed in, gradually enlarging in the void.
Only then did the crowd discover that these eight galaxies were exceptionally massive, with countless stars. More importantly, the nebulae of these galaxies converged into eight divine thrones, majestic and imposing, as if carrying some symbolic meaning.
It was a domineering aura of ruling the world and being supreme and alone.
Even just viewing the star map was enough to shake one's soul.
Lin Ke said, "The eight Primordials of the Ancestral Council are the true rulers of the universe. Any being, even an Ancestor, must bow their heads when seeing them."
Zhang Ruochen was completely unaffected by the Primordial Thrones and asked, "Can these eight thrones be seen in the real galaxy sea?"
"Naturally," Lin Ke said.
Zhang Ruochen's divine thoughts were no longer wandering. Flames appeared in his pupils, and something seemed to be ignited within him. "Then that's a bit arrogant!"
Anyone could see the eagerness to take action emanating from him.
Lin Ke wanted exactly this effect—to put pressure on Zhang Ruochen, to increase the intensity, and to force him to continue his campaign instead of lying flat in the divinity of the Heavenly Dao.
Lin Ke laughed. "It's more than that! As long as one is ranked among the Primordials, they can legitimately plunder resources from the entire universe and create a supreme plane in their mother galaxy. For example, Ancestor Primordial created Ancestor Continent, and Immortal Primordial created the Immortal Realm."
"Interesting!"
Ji Fanxin's eyes blazed with Nether light, and the patterns of her Dao exploded like a cosmic Big Bang, as if she felt some kind of provocation.
Lin Ke said, "Ancestor Nether, are you interested in the position of Primordial?"
Ji Fanxin said, "I am more interested in the resources of the eight supreme planes you mentioned! I suspect that the reason I have been unable to glimpse the realm beyond Heavenly Beginning Self-Ending is that the resources of the War Galaxy are insufficient to support the birth of a powerhouse of that level."
Lin Ke neither confirmed nor denied this, continuing to provoke Zhang Ruochen. "As far as I know, most of the eight Primordials are at the realm of Heavenly Beginning Without End. Beings at this realm can live forever even without triggering a Minor Calamity. They are truly immortal and indestructible. Some of them have even lived for several epochs, over ten billion years."
"The eight Primordials and all members of the Ancestral Council jointly uphold all resolutions of the Council. Anyone who tries to overturn a resolution or challenge its authority becomes an enemy of the entire Ancestral Council."
"Therefore, once you step out of the Scutum Void, you will inevitably face the merciless eradication by the Ancestral Council."
"As a friend of the War Galaxy, I advise you to stay put and not foolishly challenge the Ancestral Council, lest you invite death upon yourselves."
Chi Yao said, "I feel like you are deliberately provoking Brother Chen."
"Exactly, I am provoking him. If he can overcome this hurdle within himself, comprehend the character 'Self,' and completely crush the divinity of the Heavenly Dao, I believe he will immediately break through to the realm of Heavenly Beginning Self-Ending. Only then will he have the opportunity to lead the War Galaxy out of this enormous cage called the Scutum Void," Lin Ke said.
Zhang Ruochen somewhat understood why Lin Ke had said earlier that migrating to the outside world might be more terrifying than the Great Calamity.
If the Ancestral Council truly existed, what was the Human Ancestor compared to them?
After calming his mind, Zhang Ruochen asked, "I am very curious about one thing. Why did the Ancestral Council seal off the War Galaxy? And how long ago was this?"
Lin Ke said, "It has been too long. Even the Ancestors outside know very little about the War Galaxy of the past. I went back recently and made a special trip to the Assembly of All Living Beings to inquire about the situation from a Tai Shang."
"There are two relatively reliable legends."
"The first legend says that in the previous epoch, just before the War Galaxy was about to face the Great Calamity, it launched a war against another galaxy, attempting to seize their homeland. As a result, it was sanctioned by the Ancestral Council."
Void Heaven cursed, "So it was all the fault of those previous epoch immortals like Hongmeng Black Dragon and Bai Ze?"
"Fault? Should they have just sat and waited for death when the Great Calamity arrived?"
Ji Fanxin said coldly, "People like Hongmeng Black Dragon, Bai Ze, and Houtu only made one mistake. Since they were sanctioned, they should have been tougher than the sanctioners, dragging the mother galaxies of the eight Primordials down with them. Given their peak strength, even the Primordials would have had to be wary, right?"
Lin Ke said, "I think the Primordials considered this point, which is why they did not decide to seal off the War Galaxy during its peak period. Although a war did occur, they did not go to the extreme, not forcing a situation of mutual destruction."
"The time of the sealing was actually after the Great Calamity, at the beginning of this epoch."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What is the other legend?"
Lin Ke said, "It is said that the War Galaxy offended a certain Primordial."
"There is also a saying that a certain Primordial took a liking to this galaxy, which had just undergone the Great Calamity and was still in the primordial chaos state, wanting to harvest Hongmeng matter to nourish their supreme plane."
Ji Fanxin said, "In my opinion, someone thought that Hongmeng Black Dragon, Bai Ze, and Houtu must have been severely injured after the Great Calamity and wanted to take the opportunity to seize their Dao fruits. But they met with desperate resistance and ultimately returned in defeat. Unable to swallow their anger, they pushed for the sealing resolution in the Ancestral Council."
"The city pass of Biliuo Pass and the North Marsh Great Wall are the ruins of that war."
"Bai Ze should have died in that battle. He most likely self-destructed his Divine Source, leaving behind only an Eternal Divine Sea."
"It is even possible that your first legend is completely reversed. Someone's mother galaxy was about to face the Great Calamity, so they set their sights on the War Galaxy, which was still in its flourishing primordial state, wanting to invade it. But they did not expect that the powerhouses of the War Galaxy from the previous epoch had not died and were all hidden among the Primordial Beings."
"Those so-called Primordials were probably beaten black and blue by Bai Ze's desperate counterattack, losing all face, and might even have been severely injured!"
"Forget it, I can't be bothered to guess these messy old stories. They have no meaning."
Based on what Ji Fanxin had said earlier, Ancestor Nether had specifically investigated some matters before the Desolate Ancient Era, clearly knowing some clues.
So Zhang Ruochen quite agreed with her speculation.
A lonely city pass like Biliuo Pass, far from core star regions like the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm, was itself very strange.
Moreover, it had existed for a long time. The "White Stone Pointing Diagram" left by Buddha Kasyapa on the Void Cauldron already depicted this city pass.
As for the ruins of the North Marsh Great Wall in the distant starry sky north of the Northern Universe, it seemed even more like a defense against external enemies.
The immortals of the previous epoch were all hidden among the twelve ancient clans, incarnated as Primordial Beings and Ancient Beings, which was also thought-provoking.
Lin Ke said, "The time when the Ancestral Council sealed off the War Galaxy and the Scutum Void, I calculated, corresponds to the end of the Primordial Era in your universe."
"After that, the rules of heaven and earth changed drastically. The twelve ancient clans found it difficult to reproduce, went extinct, and gradually disappeared. Only in the Abyss of Darkness could their races continue and barely survive."
"Then the Spirit Ape War broke out, and the nine Great Witch Ancestors emerged one after another. The era of Hongmeng Black Dragon, Empress Houtu, and the Primordial Beings completely passed, ushering in the infinite glory of the Desolate Ancient Witch Clan."
"The Human Ancestor transmitted the Dao to Hei Qi and Bai Yuan, cultivating two human Witch Ancestors, and the human race rose accordingly."
Void Heaven's eyes lit up. "You don't mean that the Primordial in question is the Human Ancestor, do you?"
Lin Ke directly denied his speculation. "Huaying Cangjie is not a member of the Ancestral Council. He was one of the twelve Tai Shang of the Assembly of All Living Beings back then, the 'Civilization Tai Shang,' who held the Civilization Ring and was responsible for the civilization and education of the entire Virgo Supercluster."
"At that time, he probably thought the War Galaxy was still in the Primordial Hongmeng era, so he came to spread civilization and educate the beings. But he never expected to be sealed inside."
"With Hongmeng Black Dragon and Empress Houtu around, he didn't dare to show himself and had to hide, otherwise he would have faced the wrath of the entire War Galaxy."
"It can be said that he was also a victim of the Ancestral Council's resolution!"
"Of course, the Civilization Tai Shang, who was not known for his combat power in the past, now possesses earth-shattering strength. I think his desperate launch of the Doomsday Sacrifice to break through to Heavenly Beginning Without End is precisely to step out of the Scutum Void, avenge the sealing, and seize the position of Primordial."
Hao Tian said, "The Human Ancestor was merely a Civilization Tai Shang not known for combat! The eight Primordials of the Ancestral Council and the twelve Tai Shang of the Assembly of All Living Beings—what extraordinary figures they must be!"
Ji Fanxin asked, "Zhang Ruochen, do you have the Civilization Ring?"
Zhang Ruochen frowned in thought for a moment. "I only remember that the Dark Lord self-destructed his Ancestor Divine Source. The Civilization Ring..."
"I suppose the Desolate Moon isn't with you either?" Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
Ji Fanxin snorted coldly. "I knew it. That old bastard Human Ancestor must have had a backup plan. How could he have so easily returned the Desolate Moon to Bai Yuan?"
In Ancestor Nether's view, the Dark Lord would always be Bai Yuan.
After all, the three of them had been fighting for who knows how many billions of years.
"What do you mean? The Human Ancestor isn't dead?" Yan Wushen's face changed instantly.
Ji Fanxin said with absolute certainty, "He must still be alive. Even Hongmeng Black Dragon, who died countless ages ago, could come back to life. Do you know what Heavenly Beginning Self-Ending means? As long as one doesn't want to die, they won't die. I said it felt wrong the more I thought about it. When I struck him down into the Great Calamity, it was already very problematic."
Instantly, the cultivators present felt a chill down their spines, seeing threats everywhere.
Even the Manjusaka flowers covering the mountain seemed like countless tentacles of the Human Ancestor, ready to pounce at any moment.
One had to admit, the Human Ancestor was truly too terrifying, casting a shadow even over Ancestors.
But Ji Fanxin now had no interest in the Human Ancestor whatsoever. She only wanted to immediately go to the Virgo Supercluster and asked, "Tell me, how did you manage to cross the Scutum Void, which is eighteen million light-years in diameter, and come and go freely?"
Even the Human Ancestor, at the peak of Heavenly Beginning Self-Ending, could not do this. She did not believe Lin Ke could.
That was the work of the Ancestral Council!