The main hall soared a hundred zhang high, with dragon-carved pillars rising up to the sky, supporting the vast chamber. The stone dragons on those pillars were so lifelike, it seemed they might take flight at any moment.
At the far end of the hall stood a divine statue, dozens of zhang tall.
At that moment—
The divine statue suddenly opened its eyes. Those eyes were deep and pitch-black, like cosmic black holes. Ian Song only glanced at them and instantly felt as if he might be sucked in.
Frightened, he quickly averted his gaze. He knew that this statue housed the soul or remnant soul of an extremely powerful figure.
"Child, kneel and bow your head!"
The statue suddenly spoke.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ian Song knelt and kowtowed, knocking his head to the floor nine times before rising to his feet.
"Child, what is your name?" the statue asked again.
"Ian Song."
"Excellent!" The statue nodded with satisfaction. "You are the first in the history of Chaos Sun Sect to finish the Divine Soul Heaven Staircase. Your Divine Soul has surpassed everyone in the sect, and only someone with such a soul qualifies to receive the Creation Heaven Diagram."
"What is the Creation Heaven Diagram?"
Ian Song asked.
The statue replied, "The Creation Heaven Diagram is exactly that. If you fully comprehend what’s within, you can become a Creator. This is the eternal pursuit of our Chaos Sun Sect. Unfortunately, the ancestor who left the Diagram decreed that only those who pass the Divine Soul Heaven Staircase are truly qualified to understand it in full. We believed this, but were unwilling to give up. For thousands of generations, sect masters tried to study the Diagram, but none succeeded. Even so, each sect master still became one of this universe's strongest beings thanks to the Diagram. Alas—let’s not dwell on the past. Now, I shall give you the Creation Heaven Diagram!"
As soon as the statue finished speaking, a palm-sized stone slate appeared in front of Ian Song, etched with strange patterns. Yet he couldn’t understand them at all, and the slate looked so ordinary it seemed like nothing special.
"Is this really the Creation Heaven Diagram?"
Ian Song asked, a bit puzzled.
"That's right. This is the Creation Heaven Diagram!"
The statue said, "Before this universe's Heavenly Dao was broken, many tried to seize the Creation Heaven Diagram. Yet although they all saw it, none recognized its true nature."
Then, a faint, subtle voice sounded in Ian Song’s ear, quietly teaching him how to unlock the Creation Heaven Diagram.
"Child, may I ask a favor of you?"
"Please speak!"
"You must come from another universe. My Chaos Sun Sect has vanished from this one, but some disciples escaped to other universes. If you ever meet them, I hope you'll look after them."
"Of course! I promise!"
"And take this Sacred Mountain with you as well!"
"How am I supposed to do that? The Sacred Mountain is so huge, I can't possibly move it!"
"Heh! Don't worry. As long as you refine the mountain heart, you can take the entire Sacred Mountain with you. The mountain heart is inside this statue!" As soon as the words fell, the statue split open, revealing a palm-sized black stone.
With a wave, the black stone appeared before him. Ian Song reached out and grabbed it, instantly feeling as if he could control the entire Sacred Mountain.
With a thought, he began channeling law power to refine the mountain heart. The process was slow, so he added a burst of chaos divine power—and sure enough, the refining sped up dramatically.
After a day, Ian Song had fully refined the mountain heart. With a single thought, the entire Sacred Mountain's situation was reflected in his mind.
He saw Redmoon God-King, anxiously waiting halfway up the mountain. She looked pale and unwell.
A thought flashed through his mind.
He appeared instantly at her side, halfway up the mountain.
"Little brother!"
The moment she saw Ian Song, Redmoon rushed over and embraced him tightly.
"Don't worry, sis! Not only am I fine, I've gained a great fortune!" Ian Song said hurriedly. The fragrance from her body drifted to him, and he felt the deep concern Redmoon God-King held for him. Nearby, Mira Skylar watched, feeling a twinge of jealousy for reasons she couldn't explain.
"I'm just glad you're safe!"
Redmoon God-King released Ian Song from her embrace.
"Sis, are you hurt?" Ian Song asked.
"It's nothing! Just some wounds to my Divine Soul. I'll recover with a bit of rest."
"Your sister attacked the formation when she saw you seized by the giant hand. The array struck back, nearly killing her!" Silverwing God-King interjected.
"Sis, how could you be so reckless!"
Ian Song was stunned, then deeply moved. He immediately took out his last ten thousand drops of gray origin liquid. "Sis, take this soul liquid!"
Redmoon God-King did not refuse.
After consuming the soul liquid, her Divine Soul visibly began to heal, but it still wasn’t fully restored.
Ian Song had an idea. "Sis, open your mouth—I have another divine medicine for you!"
Redmoon God-King shot him a look, then gently parted her lips. Ian Song flicked his finger, and a drop of Origin Source Power flew into her mouth.
"What is this...?"
Redmoon God-King was shocked. "Little brother, this is so precious—how could you use it just to heal me?" She looked at Ian Song with a hint of reproach.
"Your health matters more!"