"Jiang Chen, when did you break through to the Origin Realm?" Suddenly, Dan Chi asked a completely unrelated question.
Jiang Chen was momentarily stunned. "It's been a few days now. I've been consolidating my realm these past few days."
This was Jiang Chen's somewhat reserved answer.
In reality, he had broken through today. And after the breakthrough, the celestial anomalies that followed were all connected to him.
However, the matter was far too shocking, so Jiang Chen instinctively chose to keep it hidden.
Dan Chi sighed softly upon hearing this, seemingly not getting the answer he wanted, but not discouraged either. "Did you see those extraordinary celestial anomalies today?"
Jiang Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded. "I saw them from the Baoxia Treasure Tree Garden as well. It was precisely because of those anomalies that I stopped cultivating and prepared to emerge from seclusion."
Jiang Chen's answer was airtight.
It wasn't that Jiang Chen was being hypocritical, nor that he was deliberately trying to deceive anyone.
He simply knew that a mere Origin Realm breakthrough that triggered such terrifying phenomena — if word got out, it would cause an earth-shattering uproar.
If he revealed the truth, it would inevitably make him the center of everyone's attention.
For Jiang Chen, that was anything but a wise choice. Before his strength was sufficient to roam freely across the Divine Abyss Continent, the more of a focal point he became, the more dangerous it would be for him.
Setting everything else aside, a simple Origin Realm breakthrough that could stir up such massive heavenly phenomena would certainly attract the attention of many old monsters. If any of them grew curious enough to capture him for study, that would spell serious trouble.
So on this matter, Jiang Chen decided to weave a well-intentioned lie.
Dan Chi's gaze suddenly grew incredibly deep.
"Everyone, the current situation in the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance is merely the tip of the iceberg. Based on my calculations, the Myriad Phenomena Territory will face even more chaos in the future. Perhaps the entire Divine Abyss Continent will be engulfed in turmoil. It may be the arrival of a grand era, or it may be the coming of a great catastrophe."
"You may think I'm being an alarmist, but the truth is, within ten years, the Myriad Phenomena Territory will inevitably fall into chaos. The entire Divine Abyss Continent may very well follow."
Dan Chi's tone suddenly became extremely solemn.
Ye Chonglou's heart stirred upon hearing this. He felt a deep sense of kinship — a hero recognizing a like mind.
He had said something similar back at the Treasure Tree Sect, mentioning that the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance's territory was a sealed demonic land.
"Sage Dan Chi, is the chaos you speak of also connected to the ancient demon clans?" Ye Chonglou ventured to ask.
Dan Chi sighed. "It's far more than just the demon clans. The Divine Abyss Continent is home to countless races and thousands of factions. How the future world will change — from my vantage point, I simply cannot see the whole picture."
Even a powerhouse at the Earth Sage level like Dan Chi saying such things only made the others even more alarmed.
"Jiang Chen, for the past twenty years, I have been calculating the trajectory of the Myriad Phenomena Territory every single day. No factor falls outside the scope of my analysis. But you — you are an anomaly. You exist beyond my calculations. In all my previous projections, your emergence never appeared. This shows that within you lies a destiny that even I cannot foresee. If the great upheaval truly comes, you may be the only one in the Myriad Phenomena Territory capable of breaking the deadlock."
"What?" Dan Chi's words startled Vice Sect Master Xuan Zhen, who stood beside him. "Palace Master, even you cannot break the deadlock?"
Dan Chi chuckled softly. "Me? Xuan Zhen, I, Dan Chi, may be somewhat self-assured, but in the end, I am merely the master of a Fourth-Rank Sect. When this great chaos arrives, even a First-Rank Sect may not be able to remain untouched, let alone insignificant Dan Chi."
A crushing weight settled over everyone's hearts, suffocating them.
Patriarch Qianye couldn't help but ask, "Sage, how powerful exactly is a First-Rank Sect?"
"How powerful?" Dan Chi's voice was filled with reverence and longing. "I can't begin to describe it, but ten of my Danqian Palaces — perhaps even a hundred — might still not be enough to stand against a single First-Rank Sect. The powerhouses of a First-Rank Sect are all at the level of Titled Emperors."
"Titled Emperors?" Patriarch Qianye and Ye Chonglou exchanged a glance. They knew of this realm of cultivation but understood little about its specifics.
"Above the Sage Path lies the Imperial Path. Only at the peak of the Imperial Path does one have the chance to aspire to the title of Titled Emperor. To become a Titled Emperor, one must engage in combat with two other Titled Emperors and remain undefeated. That is how one earns the title. Alternatively, having four or more Titled Emperors jointly vouch for you can also grant you the title."
Every single Titled Emperor was a supremely arrogant existence. The idea of a joint vouching was something that almost never happened.