Chapter 1977: The Guidance of the Great Dao

Xu Yang only now understood that the old dragon soul accompanying him was the only being from the ancient true dragon clan who had ever reached the Dragon Emperor level.

As the old dragon soul burned its soul essence, it simultaneously imprinted all its past experiences and memories into Xu Yang's soul world, sharing everything it had once been.

Only then did Xu Yang realize that the old dragon had witnessed the previous destruction of the main continent's civilization, an event that occurred a million years ago. The old dragon soul was the sole survivor of that catastrophe, the last warrior standing. Though he lost his physical body as a Dragon Emperor, his soul endured.

He remained there until a new era, when he met the Human Emperor of Kunlun and found the most suitable dwelling place for himself in that auspicious location.

Understanding all of this, Xu Yang finally comprehended why the old dragon soul could help him open a portal to the Everlasting Bell to hear the timeless wisdom.

"If you do this, will it mean your soul will be completely extinguished?"

The dragon soul laughed heartily.

"I don't need to answer that question for now. You will understand once you have listened to the timeless wisdom and felt the guidance it imparts during the process."

Xu Yang gazed deeply at the old dragon soul. He had never imagined that in this final battle to save the continent's civilization, he would receive the greatest assistance from the dragon servant beside him—a being who, despite appearing as a mere servant, had once been one of the world's most supreme powerhouses.

The dazzling golden light of the dragon soul manifested into nine starry sky dragons that encircled Xu Yang, making him appear like a supreme sovereign. They slowly brought him to the halo surface of the supreme artifact, the Everlasting Bell, surrounded by golden radiance.

One dragon soul after another continuously struck the same spot in front of Xu Yang, finally carving out a path for him into the halo's inner region.

A ray of dawn finally knocked on the door of Xu Yang's soul world at a certain moment. It was more like a soul resonance at the same frequency with the supreme artifact within the endless golden halo region before him.

As the old dragon soul had described, this immense, ancient supreme artifact did not manifest a physical soul form. Instead, it contained an endless flow of information on the laws of the Dao. Every imprint of these celestial Dao laws could be perceived within the golden halo.

Upon seeing the Everlasting Bell, Xu Yang truly understood the insignificance of humanity before the myriad Daos of the heavens. What was referred to as the ability to control the power of the myriad Daos was merely controlling the imprints of those Dao powers. The true Great Dao of Heaven and Earth could obliterate all life in the world in an instant.

As Xu Yang's soul world entered this region, he felt an incredibly clear guidance, and new voices began to emerge in his mind—the powerful guidance from the Everlasting Bell itself.

"You have finally appeared, prodigy of humanity, and the sole terminator of this age of destruction. The entire continental civilization experiences a true catastrophe every million years. Each era gives birth to a different savior.

For instance, the savior of the previous generation was the dragon soul that has been by your side. He once had the opportunity to stand at the true pinnacle of the main continent's civilization, but sadly, he fell short by just a single step.

He failed, and thus his physical body was completely erased, leaving only his soul to serve as the inheritor of my eternal faith, to help me find and guard the next being who might reach the supreme realm of humanity.

You should count yourself fortunate, because at least for now, you are the best candidate. However, whether you can overcome this unprecedented challenge and ascend to the supreme realm of a Human Emperor depends on your own efforts and destiny.

You need not bear any psychological burden, for the very fact that you entered this halo region and can hear my guidance proves that your soul has begun to merge with the true Grand Dao of the Heavens.

Your soul is, surprisingly, protected by the myriad Daos of the continent and the heavens. Of course, this is also undoubtedly a culmination of all the faith power you have accumulated.

All the contributions you previously made to the beings of the main continent, and the faith power gathered from various eras and living beings, will be compensated within this golden halo, becoming a ladder to further strengthen your soul power and ultimately achieve eternity."

The guiding voice of the Grand Dao from the Everlasting Bell suddenly ceased. Then, Xu Yang clearly saw a massive temporal pendulum slowly emerge in the center of this supreme artifact. On the pendulum, at intervals, were special ancient characters that Xu Yang couldn't even decipher—a unique method of measuring time in years.

"From this moment, there are precisely three hundred years until the true catastrophe arrives. You will have one hundred years to replenish your soul power within the halo of the Grand Dao of the Heavens.

Once the hundred years are up, your soul strength will be finalized. Whether you can achieve true eternity ahead of time depends on your own destiny and effort, making these hundred years crucial for you. If successful, this will be the foundational condition for your future ascent to the Human Emperor's supreme realm."

Xu Yang nodded gravely.

"Thank you for the Dao's guidance. I know what I must do."

"Furthermore, there is a more crucial point: once the hundred-year period concludes, it signifies the imminent final countdown to the main continent's world-ending tribulation. The sky will turn blood-red.

During the subsequent two hundred years, you must develop your own most powerful cultivation techniques and refine yourself to peak condition in all aspects and fields.

At the same time, you will need to gather sufficiently strong faith power and rally all your companions who once followed you, uniting them through your charisma to help you collectively resist the coming world-ending tribulation.

For once the disaster descends, every region of the main continent will be eroded by the most powerful dark force. You alone cannot save all the beings of the continent.

Naturally, the ultimate supreme power of the catastrophe can only be defeated by you alone. The success or failure of the final battle will not merely determine your fate.

Should you ultimately fail, you will become the sole survivor under this era's civilization of the main continent; everyone else will face eternal annihilation.

However, if you achieve the ultimate breakthrough to the Human Emperor's supreme realm, attaining true eternal immortality, and defeat the strongest adversary of the continental catastrophe, then you will become the true master of the Everlasting Bell and the Grand Dao of the Heavens."

Xu Yang understood the true meaning of the Grand Dao's words: as long as he could achieve victory in the final battle, his companions and all the beings born in this era on the main continent would be able to continue living.