Chapter 976: Awakening

Dongbo Xueying was utterly astonished. Previously, he couldn’t see or sense anything, but as he drew closer, the token suddenly manifested, and he could perceive it clearly.

“Jiexin Token?” Dongbo Xueying reached out and picked it up. At first, the token felt cool to the touch, but gradually it warmed in his palm. A look of confusion crossed his face. Given his current status, he was privy to countless secrets and rare treasures, yet he had never heard of the ‘Jiexin Token.’ Still, he could tell at a glance that this token was extraordinary.

“A token with inscriptions—perhaps crafted by some enigmatic master?” Dongbo Xueying mused silently. In the vast Chaos Void, there were indeed mysterious artifacts of unknown origin, and this Jiexin Token seemed to be one of them. Without hesitation, he extended a wisp of his consciousness into the token to examine it closely.

*Buzz.*

The moment his consciousness touched the Jiexin Token in his palm, *whoosh*—the token instantly melted, following the fluctuations of his consciousness and burrowing straight into the depths of Dongbo Xueying’s soul.

“Not good!” Dongbo Xueying was startled. The soul was the core of a cultivator’s life force. For an external object to invade it was unthinkable!

*Hum.*

The Jiexin Token transformed into a crimson energy that merged into his soul, settling deep within. Simultaneously, a flood of information poured into Dongbo Xueying’s mind.

Gradually, his expression shifted to one of astonishment.

The Jiexin Token was forged by an immensely mysterious being who called himself ‘Meta.’ It was one of the tools designed to aid later generations of cultivators in their journey.

By activating the energy of the Jiexin Token, under its protection, a sliver of one’s true spirit could undergo reincarnation and be reborn into another vast world—no less grand than the Chaos Void—known as the Jiexin Continent! The Jiexin Continent existed on the same level as the Chaos Void but possessed an even deeper foundation. Moreover, it had experienced two different Supreme Rule Source Worlds, making it an invaluable aid in ascending to the rank of Cosmic Deity.

Those trapped at the bottleneck of the Chaos Realm could choose to activate the Jiexin Token, reincarnate into the Jiexin Continent, and undergo tempering in two Source Worlds. This would greatly increase their chances of becoming a Cosmic Deity, especially given the Jiexin Continent’s profound heritage.

However.

Once reincarnated, one could only reactivate the Jiexin Token and return to the Chaos Void after achieving the rank of Cosmic Deity.

A round trip would completely deplete the Jiexin Token’s energy.

“Reincarnation?” Dongbo Xueying found it hard to believe. “Could this be some kind of scheme?”

Within the universe, reincarnation was not unheard of.

His wife, Yu Jingqiu, had once reincarnated into a Material World, her true spirit undergoing rebirth to avoid rejection by that world. Only upon becoming a deity did she regain her memories.

According to the Jiexin Token, due to its protection, memories would remain intact upon reincarnation into the Jiexin Continent, unclouded and preserved.

But could Dongbo Xueying trust this?

“Abandon everything—my current body and soul? Isn’t that suicide?” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “And how can I be sure the information from the Jiexin Token is true? That this ‘Meta’ forged it with good intentions? It might well be a trap.”

While it was possible that this mysterious figure, Meta, had benevolent motives—offering cultivators another path to power—there was also the chance…

That Meta harbored sinister designs. For instance, if he abandoned his body and soul, allowing a sliver of his true spirit to enter the Jiexin Token, it might seize the opportunity to possess him!

“Only those trapped at the pinnacle of the Chaos Realm, desperate after countless years, would stake everything on this path,” Dongbo Xueying thought to himself. Regardless, he, Dongbo Xueying, was a prodigy. His cultivation journey had been brief, yet he had already mastered two supreme ninth-tier techniques. He had every confidence in ascending to Cosmic Deity.

Naturally, he had no intention of gambling on activating the Jiexin Token.

“Expel it!”

Dongbo Xueying immediately attempted to purge the crimson energy entrenched in his soul. After all, an alien force rooted in the core of his soul was far from reassuring.

*Buzz… buzz… buzz…*

No matter how he tried, the energy of the Jiexin Token remained stubbornly lodged in his soul, utterly unshakable.

“Damn it.” Dongbo Xueying’s expression darkened.

The moment he probed it, it invaded his soul. Now, he couldn’t even expel it.

“For a mere token to force its way into my soul and resist expulsion—this level of power is truly formidable,” Dongbo Xueying mused silently. “Just who is this ‘Meta’? I’ve never even heard of him. With such incredible means, perhaps the information from the Jiexin Token is genuine.”

It could be true.

Or it could be false.

But Dongbo Xueying, with his boundless potential and bright future, had no intention of discarding his body and soul.

“If I can’t expel it, I’ll have to set it aside for now,” Dongbo Xueying conceded with some frustration. “But this Jiexin Continent mentioned in the information… a world on par with the Chaos Void, governed by different Supreme Rules, and with an even deeper foundation?”

Dongbo Xueying fell into deep thought.

Ever since he gained the ability to perform ultra-long-distance teleportation and glimpsed higher existences through the apertures of the Black Mist Sphere, he had suspected that the Chaos Void might not be unique.

Now, according to the Jiexin Token, the ‘Jiexin Continent’ was a world of the same tier as the Chaos Void—and its heritage ran even deeper.

—

Unable to rid himself of the Jiexin Token and unwilling to abandon his body and soul for reincarnation, Dongbo Xueying had no choice but to set the matter aside for the time being.

—

Elsewhere in the Chaos Void…

An endless sea of flames stretched across the void, its center dominated by an incomparably massive fiery star. Its might was boundless—even Cosmic Deities would pale in its presence, and drawing too close would reduce their bodies to ashes.

This star of fire was none other than the primordial ‘Solar Star’ from the era of the Ancient Sacred World.

Back then…

The Ancient Sacred World had been orbited by a single, colossal Solar Star and a single Lunar Star. When the Ancient Sacred World shattered, this primordial Solar Star naturally drifted away—after all, the surviving Sacred World was far too small to withstand the gravitational forces of the original Solar and Lunar Stars.

Now, it drifted here, its oppressive aura radiating in all directions.

It was a partial manifestation of the Supreme Rules, embodying extreme heat and volatility—a lethal threat even to Cosmic Deities.

*Groan…*

Within the primordial Solar Star, explosions erupted ceaselessly, and flames twisted like colossal dragons. At this moment, an enormous black figure slowly emerged from the star’s surface, its presence covering nearly a third of the star’s expanse. Its emergence instantly subdued the surrounding explosions, as if the flames themselves had quieted in reverence.

“Sleeping so soundly, only to be rudely awakened,” the gargantuan black figure rumbled as it slowly opened its eyes—two immense, dark-yellow orbs whose gaze seemed to pierce through time and space.

Its body was dominated by a massive shell, while its underbelly was armored with dense, rock-like scales. Its thick neck supported a fearsome, savage head.

Then, in an instant, the figure transformed.

The colossal being, which had occupied a third of the Solar Star’s surface, shrank into a frail, hunched old man—so emaciated he seemed little more than skin and bones. Even the famously gaunt ‘Ancestor of Realms’ would appear robust in comparison. This withered elder looked as though a gust of wind could topple him.

Leaning on a cane, the old man coughed twice. “Who dares to stir my aura and rouse me from slumber?”