Chapter 697

Ding Huan had already stood beside Emperor Hou Hen, who felt profound emotion—he knew Ding Huan stood here only because he feared nothing from him.

Otherwise, given Ding Huan's usual caution, he would never have stood so close.

After all, it had taken Ding Huan years to reach this spot and stand beside him.

Far away, Seeing Ji Luo's Lei Jie arcs still fell continuously, yet neither Ding Huan nor Emperor Hou Hen paid them any attention.

Ding Huan's divine sense had already seen it: Emperor Hou Hen spoke truly—the sealing runes binding his body were indeed connected to the Starry Divine Vein.

In fact, these sealing runes were themselves the divine energy provided by the Starry Divine Vein.

Even without divine energy, these powerful heavenly sealing runes could lock down Emperor Hou Hen.

Now, with the Starry Divine Vein supplying divine energy, unless someone from outside intervened, Emperor Hou Hen would never escape in this lifetime.

"Younger Brother Ding, with your abilities, I estimate you'll need no more than a hundred years to unravel these runes of mine."

Emperor Hou Hen had witnessed Ding Huan's array techniques.

Yet even so, to unravel these runes within a hundred years was pure fantasy.

Once Ding Huan began unraveling the runes, he would be trapped.

These runes have a backlash effect—abandoning the process midway is tantamount to suicide.

The best outcome would be to end up like me, utterly sealed by the runes, trapped for countless eons.

Thus, in Emperor Hou Hen's view, once Ding Huan acted, there would be no retreat.

Ding Huan said nothing; his divine sense remained fixed on these runes.

These runes passed not only through Emperor Hou Hen's meridians and dantian, but also through his consciousness, blood essence, and even his soul.

"Emperor Hou Hen, are these runes of yours naturally formed, or were they placed by someone?"

Ding Huan treated Emperor Hou Hen's words as if he hadn't heard them.

Spend a hundred years unraveling these runes for Emperor Hou Hen?

You'd have better luck turning your face white.

He'd rather abandon the Starry Divine Vein than waste a hundred years here.

Emperor Hou Hen glanced at Ding Huan: "Do you think I'd sit here waiting for runes to form naturally and lock me up—just because I'm bored?"

"So someone locked you here?" Ding Huan paid no mind to Emperor Hou Hen's irritation.

Anyone sealed here for countless eons would be filled with resentment.

"Correct."

"Who is this person?"

In truth, this was the question Ding Huan truly wanted to ask.

The runes binding Emperor Hou Hen were a feat of cosmic creation—Ding Huan estimated that even if his array rank advanced another level, he still couldn't create them.

Even now, to break them, he'd need to rely on the Great Cosmic Art.

Without the Great Cosmic Art, he couldn't break them at all.

"His name is Luo. If he weren't flesh and blood, I'd suspect he was a sword himself—this man's power is terrifying, and his aura of sword Dao is utterly fearsome."

"Luo?"

Ding Huan frowned; he had never heard this name before.

"Why did Luo lock you here?"

"Because he wanted the supreme Starry Divine Vein and a Seven Realms Flower. When he first ordered me to guard this place, the Starry Divine Vein here was only an upper-grade divine vein."

"But this is the Void Abyss, spanning the void—this upper-grade Starry Divine Vein can absorb energy from countless voids to ascend."

Ding Huan was even more puzzled: "Old Hou, I can understand how an upper-grade Starry Divine Vein might ascend to supreme grade over time—but what about this Seven Realms Flower?"

He asked this because he himself possessed a Seven Realms Flower, which he was currently cultivating in his Cosmic Cauldron.

He had just ascended to Divine King, and though he now possessed a consciousness-world Great Cosmic Universe, he hadn't yet transplanted the Seven Realms Flower into it.

Emperor Hou Hen glanced at Ding Huan and said calmly: "My title is Emperor Hou Hen—I don't actually bear the surname Hou. My true name is Shi Hen."

After speaking his name, Emperor Hou Hen grew distant.

How long had it been since he'd spoken his own name?

Everyone who met him knew him only as Emperor Hou Hen—one of the Twelve Divine Emperors.

Very few knew he had another name: Shi Hen.

After a long pause, Emperor Hou Hen continued: "The Seven Realms Flower is extremely difficult to cultivate—it grows three feet tall, bears only seven stars, and appears only in realms with the lowest cosmic rules."

"To cultivate it, you must use Yin Vein, Yang Vein, Dark Vein, Light Vein, Starry Vein, Dao Vein, and one rumored vein above Dao Vein—the Chaotic Vein."

Ding Huan's heart stirred; his divine sense settled upon his own Seven Realms Flower.

His Seven Realms Flower had only been cultivated with Yin Vein so far—it remained vigorous, but had made little progress.

He hadn't realized his cultivation of the Seven Realms Flower had been inadequate.

"When Luo brought the Seven Realms Flower here, it already had four solidified stars. Cultivated with the Starry Vein, it would surely reach five solidified stars—clearly, Luo invested tremendous effort."

"Is the Seven Realms Flower behind you, deep within the divine vein?"

"Yes. I only know a Seven Realms Flower lies behind me—I've never seen it. I've merely guarded it and the Starry Vein as they grew." He sighed deeply: "When Luo placed these things here, he never returned. He swore then that if I guarded them well, he'd spare me when he came back."

Ding Huan sneered: "Old Shi, do you believe that?"

Emperor Hou Hen remained silent—he didn't believe it at all.

"Old Shi, I've examined the runes binding you and these Starry Divine Veins—they contain death energy and trigger mechanisms for the runes."

"Meaning, while I unravel the runes, there's danger—if I slip up, I'll end up like you, becoming the guardian of the Seven Realms Flower and the divine vein…"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Hou Hen offered no rebuttal.

Ding Huan spoke truly: these runes could backlash and seal the one attempting to unravel them.

Ding Huan saw from Emperor Hou Hen's expression that he understood perfectly.

He continued, "I plan to spend a thousand years deciphering this sealing pattern on you, but I need you to agree to one condition."

Hearing that Ding Huan was willing to spend a thousand years to break the sealing pattern that bound him, Emperor Hou Hen immediately changed expression.

In one by one /p>

He did not doubt.

Because he told Ding Huan it would take a hundred years—that was a lie to deceive Ding Huan.

No matter how talented Ding Huan was, he could not unravel these sealing patterns within a hundred years.

Once Ding Huan started, he would be inextricably bound to him.

"Speak," Emperor Hou Hen said slowly. "As long as you help me escape, any condition is negotiable."

"Old Master, none of these Starlight Divine Spirit Veins belong to you—you're merely their guardian. So after I break these sealing patterns, I won't give you anything here."

Ding Huan felt no need to be polite to this old man.

He was certain Emperor Hou Hen's claim that he could unravel these sealing patterns in a hundred years was pure nonsense.

Without the Great Cosmic Art, without the vast Cosmic Dao fused with billions of fundamental principles, he wouldn't even be able to unravel them in a thousand years, let alone ten thousand—he might end up just like Emperor Hou Hen.

"Agreed." Emperor Hou Hen accepted at once.

Ding Huan had limitless potential; he felt no need to continue playing tricks on Ding Huan.

He was certain Ding Huan had already realized that if this sealing pattern couldn't be broken, Ding Huan himself would be dragged into it.

If Ding Huan succeeded in breaking it, and refused to give him the Starlight Divine Spirit Veins, there was nothing he could do.

Ding Huan glanced at Emperor Hou Hen, filled with contempt.

These old men rarely spoke a single true word.

In truth, Emperor Hou Hen's earlier words had held a measure of sincerity.

He hadn't placed all his hopes on Ding Huan.

In Emperor Hou Hen's mind, once Ding Huan began unraveling the sealing pattern on him, the pattern would inevitably loosen.

With Ding Huan's ability, he could certainly achieve this.

Once the sealing pattern loosened, he could break free.

Of course, Ding Huan wouldn't be trapped by the sealing pattern either—this was a win-win.

At that time, distribution of the treasures would follow their prior agreement.

Now, Ding Huan planned to spend a thousand years to unravel the sealing pattern, and Ding Huan knew the pattern would backlash; combined with his recognition of Ding Huan's potential, his thoughts had changed.

Ding Huan said nothing—he first surrounded himself with layers of protective arrays, then drew Emperor Hou Hen, the sealing patterns, and the Starlight Divine Spirit Veins all into his Great Cosmic Art's Zhou Tian.

As long as he was within his Zhou Tian, even if the sealing pattern backlash struck, he could escape instantly.

Ding Huan had no interest in being trapped here with Emperor Hou Hen for tens or hundreds of millions of years.

The moment Emperor Hou Hen first sensed the first Great Cosmic Art Zhou Tian, even though he had anticipated it, he was still stunned.

This was indeed a Dao art connected to the boundless cosmos.

Within this Dao art, he sensed endless transformations of principles—if he could cultivate it, his understanding of Heaven and Earth's Dao would be crystal clear.

But he could not cultivate it.

Ding Huan did not rush to break the sealing patterns—he was instead fusing and sensing the heavenly principles here.

One principle after another was absorbed by Ding Huan; the types and quantity of principles within his Great Cosmic Dao continued to grow.

Seeing Ji Luo had already completed his Tribulation Crossing; he dared not approach too closely, only watching Ding Huan from afar.

Though he was now a God King, he was deeply wary of Emperor Hou Hen.

Three months later, Ding Huan had fully fused all binding principles and the spatial principles here—he still had not begun breaking the sealing patterns, but continued sensing how they formed.

This not only enhanced his Array Art skill, but also prevented him from acting hastily and falling into danger.

One after another, entirely new sealing patterns were sensed by Ding Huan; his Array Art skill surged rapidly.

Another half year passed; Ding Huan had become an eighth-grade Array Master, able to effortlessly carve eighth-grade Divine Array patterns.

Only now did Ding Huan begin to break the first binding sealing pattern.

The first sealing pattern he broke was not the one binding Emperor Hou Hen, but the one binding the Starlight Divine Spirit Veins.

(End of Chapter)