Suddenly, colorful starlight arose throughout the Forgotten Palace. A chaotic starscape appeared with Su Yi at its center, enveloping the entire hall. Countless stars revolved within it, flickering in and out of view.

A mysterious star map was within it. It resembled a nine-palaces diagram, with one of the Laws of the Nine Luminaries in each square. Each manifested a different strange phenomenon of the Grand Dao.

As the star diagram revolved, the Nine Palaces Formation shifted, gradually outlining the mysteries of the Supreme Ultimate.

The cycle of the five elements formed a circle reminiscent of a Yin-Yang. The difference was that one half was red, representing sin, while the other was gray, representing calamity.

The two powers resonated with each other, divided like yin and yang, revolving within the cycle of the five elements.

Before long, the mysterious star diagram transformed once more. The “Yin-Yang” of the Supreme Ultimate dispersed, and everything returned to its most primordial, chaotic state.

The starscape vanished, and the stars faded into obscurity. All that remained was a swath of chaos and the nine most dazzling, resplendent stars.

These were the most ancient, primordial Laws of the Nine Luminaries. The nine stars linked them together in an endless, self-perpetuating cycle, and they manifested endless transformations amidst the chaos.

In the end, even the chaos faded away.

The Forgotten Palace returned to its initial state. All strange phenomena died down and faded away.

The only difference was that now, a mysterious Edict floated over Su Yi’s palm. Starlight flickered, and chaos hovered like mist, as inscrutable as the void.

This was the Nine Luminaries Edict!

Just like the Divine Hunt Edict, it was one of the Nine Edicts of Heaven’s Will, one of the supreme Laws connected directly to Destiny!

The Nine Luminaries punished the sinful, directed slaughter, and guided calamities!

They could read the stars and divine the mysteries of destiny. They could predict fortune and disaster and glean insight into the secrets of fate.

To the vast majority of cultivators, mastering such high-level Laws of the Grand Dao was like mastering the heavens themselves!

That was why the power of the Nine Luminaries was counted among the nine supreme Laws of Heaven’s Will.

On the Path of Eternity, mastering one of the Edicts of Heaven’s Will was like mastering a supreme Grand Dao that led directly to the pinnacle of Eternity!

When Su Yi gazed down at the Edict, a vision he’d seen once before arose in his mind—the nine steles standing at the source of the River of Destiny’s boundless current.

Each of the stone steles was the manifestation of one of the Edicts of Heaven’s Will!

This scene traversed the Primordial Era, the Devastation, and the New Beginning. It had remained the same throughout the River of Destiny’s history.

At the same time, Su Yi sensed two starkly different phenomena appearing on the Epoch Tree, his foundations in the Eternal Dao.

Faint, flickering, colorful starlight appeared on its branches, like a swaying galaxy reflected in the chaos.

This was a manifestation of the Laws of the Nine Luminaries.

Upon closer inspection, numerous mysterious powers of the Grand Dao surged beneath the roots of the Epoch Tree, formless and chaotic. Only a few powers, like Reincarnation and Profound Ruin, were at all discernible.

These were Su Yi’s foundations in the Grand Dao, the fertile soil of the Epoch Tree!

Had anyone else seen this, they’d have been left tongue-tied, unable to believe their eyes.

Because every Eternal’s foundations in Eternity had one Grand Dao as their source, no matter who they were.

But Su Yi was completely different. The existence of the Epoch Tree meant he could use any Grand Dao as his foundation in Eternity!

A long time passed before Su Yi awakened from his meditation and said softly, “If circumstances permitted it, I’d love nothing more than to spend another eight hundred years in seclusion here.”

Breaking into the Divine Wandering Realm had excavated an enormous amount of his latent potential, exhausting far too much strength in the process. He needed time to replenish his energy and stabilize his foundations.

Alas, this was the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone. There was no way he could go into seclusion here for long. But he was already quite satisfied. To him, everything he did was a form of cultivation. There wasn’t necessarily any need for him to separate himself from the world.

There were still numerous treasures strewn across the ground. All of them had belonged to the Malevolent Sword Venerate.

But then, if you really traced their history, all of them were first acquired by Jiang Wuchen.

Su Yi had fused with Jiang Wuchen’s Dao Imprint. When he thought back to all of the treasures and good fortune Jiang Wuchen had acquired over the years, he was first stunned, then completely speechless. He really did bump into good fortune no matter where he went or what he did. He’d take a nap, only to discover that he was resting his head on a rare Dao Contemplation Pillow. He’d take a drink, only to realize that he’d found a rare and precious spirit spring...

When Jiang Wuchen was cultivating, no one would dare compare their good fortune to his. All those so-called ‘blessed sons of fortune’ weren’t even worthy of carrying his shoes!

It’s no wonder Jiang Wuchen spent his life trying to do good. He had too much good fortune and too many treasures. Keeping them would do him no good. On the contrary, they’d hold him back in his pursuit of the Grand Dao. Far better to distribute them.

After gathering the treasures left in the hall, Su Yi left the Forgotten Palace.

“Congratulations on your success, Master. I’m sure you’ll one day master the Nine Luminaries and suppress all foes beneath the heavens, just as Heavenly Sovereign Zhenyue once did!” Innocence said with an obsequious smile.

But in Su Yi’s eyes, her smile was too rigid and clearly fake. It was unpleasant to look at, and her flattery was grating to the ears.

Cen Xinghe averted his gaze, not daring to say anything.

“Did you teach her to do this?” Su Yi looked at him.

Cen Xinghe said in a quavering voice, “Grandfather, I’m in no way qualified to tell the ruler of the Sin-Severing Dungeon how to talk. Every word she just said came straight from her heart.”

Su Yi rubbed his forehead, then waved him away. “Enough. Give me the spoils.”

Cen Xinghe walked up to him, the very picture of the perfect lackey, and proffered an old-fashioned silver bangle with both hands.

Su Yi examined its contents briefly. He couldn’t help but nod to himself.

The spoils in the jade bracer were divided by category. There were magic treasures, pills and medicines, Eternal Essence Gold, Destiny Jades, and Star Soul Stones, among others.

The quantities were highly variable. Eternal Essence Gold was the most numerous; the bracer contained close to ninety thousand pieces.

Star Soul Stones were the second most numerous. There were over three hundred of them.

The treasures and medicines sat in gleaming piles. Their combined value was simply inestimable.

But it was the Destiny Jades that really drew Su Yi’s attention.

These snow-white jade coins were the most precious of the currencies used in the Eternal Heavens Domain. They were carved out of natural jade essence born of the River of Destiny. Each piece of Destiny Jade was imbued with a hint of the aura of destiny. They were extraordinarily wondrous. A single piece was worth over one thousand pieces of Eternal Essence Gold!

There were thirty-six Destiny Jades in the jade bracer. All of them were glittering, resplendent, and as white as snow. They were a beautiful sight.

Su Yi picked one up and tapped it, producing an ethereal sound like the clear ringing of a bell. The sound lingered, soothing the ears.

This was Su Yi’s first time seeing Destiny Jade. He knew that although they were, in theory, each worth one thousand pieces of Eternal Essence Gold, no one would exchange them for Eternal Essence Gold unless they absolutely had to.

The reason was simple. Destiny Jades were a first-rate cultivation resource for Heavenly Monarchs. There was no replacing them!

That aside, there were several sealed Eternal Sources. All belonged to the slaughtered heavenly Monarchs.

However, most were severely damaged and of little use. They were, at best, useful as cultivation resources.

Su Yi couldn’t help but sigh. Were these complete Eternal Sources, they’d have been extraordinarily precious. But he knew that unless you had overwhelmingly superior strength, killing your opponent without damaging their Eternal Source was all but impossible.

Cen Xinghe grumbled, “Grandfather, most of the treasures in that bracer belonged to Old Yao Kun Peng, Bi Yunzi, Fu Yong, and a few others.

“The rest of the Heavenly Monarchs were dead broke. They either left nothing behind at all, or they left only a handful of ordinary, unremarkable treasures.”

Su Yi didn’t find this at all strange. Most of the dead Heavenly Monarchs had come here expecting never to return, so they’d naturally left their belongings with their friends and family before coming to the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone.

Su Yi put away the jade bracer, then flicked his finger. Heart Executioner floated into the air. “We ought to get going.”

Cen Xinghe knew what to do next. He blurred into a beam of light and vanished into the copper coin.

Innocence looked at Su Yi and said piteously, “Master, please don’t put me away. I promise to do what you say.”

“There’s a Heavenly Sovereign outside,” said Su Yi. “If you aren’t worried about being targeted, you’re welcome to stay by my side.”

The girl froze, gobsmacked. A Heavenly Sovereign!?

A moment later, she decisively shook her head. “In that case, forget it. See these thin, feeble arms and legs of mine?”

She paused, then added, “And a grudge between a Heavenly Sovereign and me would only create trouble for you, right?”

Su Yi sneered. Wimping out just like that? It seems this ‘master of all evils’ can only bully those beneath the Heavenly Sovereign level.

Suddenly, Innocence asked, “Master, what kind of relationship do you have with that Heavenly Sovereign?”

“We were good brothers in my past life,” said Su Yi.

The girl froze, stunned. Her eyes sparkled. “Then what’s there to worry about? We’re all on the same side. As your servant, I’ve got to pay my respects personally!”

Su Yi smiled faintly. “Ah, but my good brother’s Eternal Throne once belonged to Heavenly Sovereign Zhenyue. Are you sure you want to come?”

It was Heavenly Sovereign Zhenyue who’d imprisoned the little girl in the Sin-Severing Dungeon during the Devastation. Su Yi refused to believe she wasn’t afraid of him—and by extension, his Eternal Throne.

Innocence’s frail frame suddenly stiffened. She lowered her head and said bitterly, “Master, I suddenly feel a bit ill. Perhaps I was injured during my battle with the Sword-Bearer...”

Su Yi swung his sleeve. “Get in.”

“Okay!” The girl blurred into a beam of light and shot into his sleeves.

“It’s time I got going.” Su Yi gazed up into the dome of heaven, then shot into the firmament. He didn’t need to activate his Nine Luminaries Medallion; he could effortlessly penetrate the barrier between worlds on his own power.

This was an ability he’d gained upon mastering the complete Laws of the Nine Luminaries.

...

When the crowd gathered before Qingpu Mountain saw Su Yi appear, Yao Monarch Lian Luo shouted, “Master, His Excellency Su has returned!”

Bang!

Lu Hongpao kicked him aside. “Step back. Don’t be such an eyesore.”

Lian Luo’s eyes filled with resentment.

Lu Hongpao, meanwhile, straightened her fiery robes, smiled radiantly, and went up to welcome Su Yi. “Come on, my good brother! Give me a hug!”

She extended her arms to pull Su Yi into a bear hug.