Han Xuanji did not respond.
The Heavenly Emperor continued,
"I asked where the door was, and he said, if you are fated, you will find it yourself."
Han Xuanji's fingertips rubbed the rim of his cup, and the fragrance of the Enlightenment Tea wafted out.
He could naturally sense the slight hesitation in the Heavenly Emperor's words, but he did not press further—the existences of the Limitless Primordial Realm each had their own secrets, and the Anchor of the Other Shore left by the Dao Ancestor was not something that could be easily spoken of.
Moreover, the clues the Dao Ancestor might have left for such a secret would be very well-hidden; the Heavenly Emperor might truly not be clear on them.
Perhaps someone at the level of the Taishang Dao Venerable would know more clearly.
Han Xuanji already had some conjectures in his heart. The Heavenly Emperor's strength was not yet enough to support guarding this secret, and knowing too much was not necessarily a good thing.
The Demon Ancestor's schemes in the Immortal Realm were not just for the Immortal Realm's Origin, but likely more for this secret of Transcendence.
As for the Taishang Dao Venerable and others not leaving Chaos, on one hand, it was to accumulate strength, and on the other, it was to silently guard the Immortal Realm, preventing certain top existences in Chaos from tearing off their masks and taking action.
Han Xuanji did not continue to ask more; at the very least, he would only think about the matter of Transcendence when he reached the limit of the Limitless Primordial Realm.
Furthermore, he did not need the Heavenly Emperor to say it explicitly; he could find the traces himself.
This was likely something that both the Heavenly Emperor and the Dao Ancestor would find difficult to imagine, right?
He was still quite far from the Perfection of the Limitless Primordial Realm, yet he had already achieved what the Dao Ancestor could only do at the Perfection of the Limitless Primordial Realm.
The hall fell silent for a moment before the Heavenly Emperor broke the silence. His expression lost its previous peacefulness and gained a hint of solemnity.
"Fellow Daoist Han, regarding the secret of Transcendence we just discussed, there is one thing I must inform you of—this matter concerns your safety and even the survival of the entire Immortal Realm."
As expected, one does not visit the Three Treasures Hall without a reason. The Heavenly Emperor revealing so many secrets meant he also had a request.
Han Xuanji was not surprised. His gaze fell on the Heavenly Emperor's face, and he nodded slowly.
"Please speak, Fellow Daoist."
"The Demon Ancestor has not been staying quiet."
The Heavenly Emperor lowered his voice even further, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible gravity.
"Since you suppressed the Lord of Ten Thousand Voids, the Demon Ancestor has not reined in his schemes. Instead, he has been secretly traveling through the various worlds of Chaos, inciting all parties. His target is pointed directly at you, and directly at the Immortal Realm."
Han Xuanji's expression did not change, though his brow arched slightly.
He had already expected that the Demon Ancestor would not let things go, but he hadn't expected the other party to so blatantly incite all factions.
After all, existences in the Limitless Primordial Realm were mostly arrogant and often solitary; unless there was sufficient temptation, they would never be easily driven by the Demon Ancestor.
"What is he using as bait?"
"The secret of Transcendence."
The Heavenly Emperor spoke each word deliberately, his tone carrying a bit of helplessness and wariness.
"The Demon Ancestor is proclaiming to the outside world that a ultimate method to transcend Chaos is hidden within the Immortal Realm, and that you, Han Xuanji, are the'successor' chosen by the Dao Ancestor, carrying the Transcendence techniques left behind. There are even rumors that the supreme treasures in your hands are keys to opening the Door of Transcendence."
At this point, the Heavenly Emperor paused slightly and added,
"He also deliberately exaggerated your strength and ambition, claiming you wish to monopolize the Immortal Realm's Origin and refine the Great Daos of the heavens. Once you Breakthrough beyond the Limitless Primordial Realm, you will turn all Chaos living beings into resources for your Dao attainment.
Even more ridiculous is that he falsely claimed you might be the Reincarnation of the Immortal Ancestor, and that in this life, you intend to slaughter all Chaos Demon Gods..."
"Of course, I naturally know that you have no connection to the Immortal Ancestor, nor do you know the Dao Ancestor's secret of Transcendence..."
The Heavenly Emperor felt somewhat apologetic; this was truly an unmerited disaster for Han Xuanji.
The other party had repeatedly taken action to defend the Immortal Realm, and now he was being implicated instead.
Upon hearing this, the corner of Han Xuanji's mouth curled into an arc. There was no trace of anger in his eyes, only understanding.
"It certainly fits the Demon Ancestor's style: using the secret of Transcendence to lure and rumors to incite. He wants to use the hands of various factions to eliminate me, a variable, while also reaping the benefits from the sidelines, exhausting the strength of the Immortal Realm and the various powerhouses of Chaos, before finally stepping in to harvest everything."
Han Xuanji said calmly, "Perhaps this time, I will get to see the Demon Ancestor's true body."
"What you say is exactly right."
The Heavenly Emperor nodded, his expression becoming increasingly grave.
"By now, many factions have been incited by him. In Chaos, many Limitless Primordial existences are already itching for action."
"There is also the Envy Demon God who wields the Dao of Envy, and the Blood Slaughter Demon God who controls the Dao of Slaughter. They have all expressed their intentions to lead armies to the Immortal Realm to crusade against you and seize the secret of Transcendence."
Every Limitless Primordial Realm existence presided over a major faction and controlled many heavens and earths within Chaos; some even controlled more than one Limitless World.
This time, Han Xuanji—or rather, the Immortal Realm—might truly have to become enemies with the countless powerhouses of Chaos.
The secret of Transcendence was enough to incite madness.
"Oh?"
A glimmer flashed in Han Xuanji's eyes as he asked,
"Who is the strongest among these people?"
"They are all just opportunists taking advantage of the situation..."
The Heavenly Emperor's tone carried a hint of disdain, yet also a sense of helplessness.
After all, the Immortal Realm's current strength was far from what it used to be. If not for the Grand Supreme and Primordial Dao Venerables secretly guarding it, it would have likely been swallowed up until not even dregs remained.
"It is said that the one from the Myriad Realms Merchant Alliance will also take action..."
A look of apprehension appeared in the Heavenly Emperor's eyes as he said,
"Since the opening of Chaos, countless eons have passed, and that Juntian Merchant Venerable is undoubtedly an ancient existence from the same era as the Immortal Ancestor. He is even more powerful than the Lord of Ten Thousand Voids and has controlled the largest trading alliance in Chaos for countless years. He has even nurtured more than one Hunyuan Wuji existence. He himself is considered by many to be among the strongest in Chaos."
As these words were spoken, the fragrance of the Enlightenment Tea in the hall seemed to stagnate for a moment.
Han Xuanji's eyes narrowed slightly; he was not entirely unfamiliar with this name.
In Lin Feng's simulations, the Myriad Realms Merchant Alliance had appeared, and later he had specifically looked into intelligence regarding this faction.
One could only say it was much more powerful than he had initially imagined.
They even had several Hunyuan Wuji existences, the weakest of whom were powerhouses comparable to the Lord of Greed, while the Juntian Merchant Venerable was undoubtedly a terrifying existence stronger than the Lord of Ten Thousand Voids in his prime.
"Such a powerhouse..."
Han Xuanji's brow furrowed slightly as he said, "He would also be lured by the secret of Transcendence? With his foundation, could it be that he still cannot find a method for Transcendence?"
"It is precisely because his foundation is so deep that he becomes even more obsessed with Transcendence and will pursue any method of Transcendence. He would rather kill wrongly than let a chance slip by."
The Heavenly Emperor sighed bitterly and said, "In Chaos, the more ancient an existence is, the more they fear the arrival of the Chaos End, and the more they suffer from their current Realm being unable to progress further.
The Juntian Merchant Venerable controls the Myriad Realms Merchant Alliance and has seen countless supreme treasures and Dao fruits, yet he has never dared to rashly take that step. Now, hearing that there is a secret of Transcendence from the Dao Ancestor, he naturally will not let it go."
He knew in his heart that the Demon Ancestor's move was a masterstroke of 'drawing the firewood from under the cauldron'.
Inciting the various powerhouses of Chaos to lay siege—if it were an ordinary Limitless Primordial Realm existence, they would have likely panicked by now.
However, Han Xuanji did not seem to show much panic, which made the Heavenly Emperor feel a bit more at ease.
"Since you are informing me of this, I assume you already have a counter-strategy?"
Han Xuanji looked toward the Heavenly Emperor, his tone peaceful yet carrying a sense of composed self-assurance.
The Heavenly Emperor gave a bitter smile.
"Although I control the Heavenly Court and have several Celestial Golden Immortal Realm existences under my command, as well as several seniors assisting... it is difficult to contend with the various powerhouses of Chaos.
I came here today, firstly to inform you of the Demon Ancestor's conspiracy, and secondly, to discuss a counter-strategy with you."
Han Xuanji was silent for a moment. He understood; they probably had no moves left.
It seemed the pressure from the powerhouses of Chaos was indeed quite high, to the point that even the Taishang Dao Venerable and the others might find it difficult to withstand this torrent.
However, what the Demon Ancestor said was not entirely false; he truly did have the secret of Transcendence left by the Dao Ancestor.
The other party had actually guessed correctly by pure chance. Probably even the Heavenly Emperor hadn't thought of this point...