The cosmic chamber gradually returned to silence.
Neither Lin Shuan nor Han Qing Li knew that a conversation capable of shaking countless ancient worlds had just occurred beyond their perception.
Protector Yi stood quietly beneath the endless starlight.
Her crimson eyes rested upon Lin Shuan.
Calm.
Silent.
Thoughtful.
Lin Shuan slowly lowered the hand covering his forehead.
The pain caused by recalling the Emperor's memory had lessened somewhat.
Yet the uneasiness remained.
The memory of that battlefield.
The memory of that sword.
The memory of that towering existence.
Those images still lingered within his mind.
Like shadows refusing to fade.
Han Qing Li looked at him with concern.
"Shuan Hao..."
Lin Shuan glanced toward her.
"I'm fine."
His voice was steady.
But neither of them truly believed it.
At that moment—
Protector Yi suddenly spoke.
"What happened afterward?"
Lin Shuan turned toward her.
The mysterious protector's expression remained unreadable.
"What do you mean?"
Protector Yi's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"After you saw the Emperor."
"What happened next?"
Silence fell.
Lin Shuan frowned.
Fragments of broken memories began surfacing from the depths of his consciousness.
Ancient voices.
Endless darkness.
Stars collapsing.
Worlds burning.
Then—
something flashed through his mind.
His pupils contracted.
"There..."
His voice became distant.
"There was something else."
Protector Yi's expression immediately sharpened.
"What was it?"
Lin Shuan closed his eyes.
Trying to grasp that fading memory.
"After the battlefield disappeared..."
"I found myself standing somewhere."
"A place where nothing existed."
"No stars."
"No worlds."
"No light."
Han Qing Li listened quietly.
The more she listened—
the more unreal everything sounded.
Inside her heart she could not help thinking:
Shuan Hao...
You are so mysterious that with a single story you've already dragged me into a secret I cannot even begin to understand...
Lin Shuan continued.
"And in front of me..."
His breathing slowed.
"...that sword was there."
Protector Yi's eyes instantly became sharp.
"That sword...!"
Lin Shuan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"And..."
"Its aura extended infinitely in every direction."
The atmosphere changed subtly.
Even the stars seemed to become quiet.
Protector Yi remained motionless.
Yet her gaze became more serious than ever before.
"What kind of sword was it?"
Lin Shuan thought for several moments.
Then answered.
"It felt divine."
"As though it could devour even the darkness of the Void itself."
A chill ran down Han Qing Li's spine.
Merely imagining such a weapon was enough to make her uncomfortable.
Lin Shuan continued.
"There were symbols engraved upon it."
"Very ancient symbols."
"I couldn't understand them."
"But for some reason..."
He suddenly paused.
"They felt familiar."
Protector Yi's fingers tightened slightly.
"What happened afterward?"
Lin Shuan shook his head.
"I don't know."
"The moment I tried to look closer..."
"My consciousness shattered."
"And then I woke up."
Silence.
A long silence.
Protector Yi lowered her gaze.
Thinking deeply.
Very carefully.
Inside the Dragon Pendant—
Tian Wuchen had become serious as well.
A divine sword.
Ancient symbols.
A battlefield beyond universes.
The Emperor.
Any one of these things appearing inside a Treasure Realm was already absurd.
Yet Lin Shuan had witnessed all of them.
Which meant only one possibility.
Something...
Or someone...
Had intentionally shown him those visions.
The thought alone made even the ancient Dragon Emperor uneasy.
Then—
Protector Yi suddenly raised her head.
Her crimson eyes shone with a strange light.
"The sword you saw..."
Her voice echoed throughout the cosmic chamber.
"...was the Emperor Sword."
BOOM!
The words struck everyone like thunder.
Han Qing Li froze.
Lin Shuan froze.
Even Tian Wuchen nearly forgot to breathe.
"What?!"
Han Qing Li's shocked voice echoed through the chamber.
Her mind had already been overwhelmed by everything she had heard today.
But this time—
she had actually heard a name she recognized.
"Emperor Sword...?"
Inside the Dragon Pendant—
Tian Wuchen's eyes widened.
"The Emperor Sword...!"
His voice trembled slightly.
"Then that Emperor..."
"Sword Emperor?!"
A storm erupted inside his heart.
Lin Shuan immediately frowned.
"Master."
"Who is Sword Emperor?"
Tian Wuchen remained silent for several seconds.
Then he slowly exhaled.
"Lin Shuan..."
His voice had become unusually solemn.
"You truly are surrounded by ancient monsters."
"The Sword Emperor existed countless millions of years ago."
"He vanished from the Wan Xing Shen Universe for reasons nobody understands."
"Yet somehow..."
Tian Wuchen's golden eyes narrowed.
"...he chose to reveal himself to you."
A chill spread through Lin Shuan's body.
Tian Wuchen continued.
"If certain people discover this..."
"It could trigger a disaster."
Lin Shuan immediately caught the important detail.
"Certain people?"
"What people?"
Tian Wuchen's expression darkened.
"The same clan."
"The clan that destroyed your ancient Lin Clan."
"And afterward..."
His voice became cold.
"...nearly seventy percent of the universe."
Lin Shuan's heart shook violently.
Seventy percent...
Of the universe?
What kind of existence could possibly accomplish such a thing?
What kind of clan could possess such terrifying power?
For a moment—
even breathing felt difficult.
Meanwhile—
Han Qing Li was equally shocked.
"Emperor Sword?"
"Do you mean the Emperor Sword ranked fifth among the Emperor Treasures?"
Protector Yi slowly shook her head.
"It can be called that."
Han Qing Li blinked.
"Can be called that?"
Protector Yi nodded.
"Yes."
"Because long ago..."
"The Emperor Sword was counted among the Great Emperor Treasures."
The moment those words appeared—
Han Qing Li's pupils contracted.
Great Emperor Treasures.
Even the phrase itself felt unreal.
Throughout Tian Yuan Continent's history—
nobody had ever truly seen a treasure of that rank.
Even ordinary Emperor Treasures were legendary objects.
Existences found only in myths.
It was said that such treasures might exist on other continents.
Or perhaps beyond Xing Luo Planet itself.
But Great Emperor Treasures...
Those belonged to a completely different level.
Han Qing Li unconsciously took a deep breath.
Even Lin Shuan was stunned.
Yet—
despite all the answers she had obtained—
Protector Yi still felt something unusual.
Something incomplete.
Something hidden.
Her instincts continued warning her.
There was still another secret concealed within Lin Shuan.
A secret connected to that strange feeling she had sensed from the beginning.
Slowly—
she began walking toward him.
Her crimson robes fluttered behind her.
One step.
Then another.
Then a third.
Each step carried an indescribable pressure.
Han Qing Li unconsciously moved aside.
Not because she was afraid.
But because she could feel it.
Something extremely important was about to happen.
Protector Yi stopped directly in front of Lin Shuan.
Their eyes met.
Lin Shuan frowned slightly.
"Protector Yi?"
The mysterious girl slowly raised her hand.
Then—
she placed a single finger directly against the mark at the center of his forehead.
Han Qing Li's eyes widened.
She instinctively wanted to stop her.
But before she could move—
the mark suddenly glowed.
Then—
it was as though an invisible force had pushed it deeper into Lin Shuan's forehead.
The strange symbol vanished beneath his skin.
Han Qing Li froze.
Lin Shuan froze as well.
A cool sensation spread throughout his entire body.
The next moment—
countless crimson runes appeared around them.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The entire cosmic chamber erupted with light.
The galaxies rotating within the crystal platform exploded into dazzling brilliance.
Lin Shuan's vision blurred.
For a moment—
he felt as though his soul had been dragged from his body.
Then—
everything became clear once more.
And at that exact moment—
Protector Yi's expression changed.
For the first time since entering this chamber—
genuine shock appeared in her eyes.
Not curiosity.
Not surprise.
Shock.
True shock.
Lin Shuan immediately noticed it.
"What happened?"
Protector Yi did not answer.
Her crimson eyes remained fixed upon him.
As though she had just witnessed something impossible.
Inside the Dragon Pendant—
Tian Wuchen's heart skipped a beat.
A being like Protector Yi would never reveal such an expression without reason.
Which meant—
she had discovered something.
Something enormous.
"What did you see...?"
Tian Wuchen muttered inwardly.
Protector Yi slowly lowered her hand.
Several moments passed.
No one spoke.
The stars revolved silently around them.
Finally—
Protector Yi looked directly into Lin Shuan's eyes.
For the first time—
even her usual calmness seemed unstable.
As though she herself could hardly believe what she had found.
Then—
she spoke.
Softly.
"...Nothing."
Lin Shuan stared at her.
Han Qing Li stared at her.
Neither believed that answer.
Protector Yi's gaze drifted toward the endless galaxies.
Her voice became distant.
Almost as though she were speaking to herself.
"Not everyone can reverse time."
"Not everyone can see the future."
"Not everyone can alter the present."
Her crimson eyes slowly returned to Lin Shuan.
Then—
for the first time—
a trace of warning appeared within them.
"But there is one thing."
Her voice became unusually serious.
"A mistake."
"A regret."
"A tragedy."
Her gaze deepened.
"You must never allow the past to repeat itself."
The words entered Lin Shuan's heart like a bell ringing across eternity.
He stared at Protector Yi.
Unable to understand.
Yet unable to ignore them either.
Because for a brief moment—
it felt as though those words were not directed toward the present Lin Shuan.
But toward someone else.
Someone standing far away within the endless flow of time.
The cosmic chamber became quiet once more.
Protector Yi said nothing further.
Han Qing Li remained confused.
Tian Wuchen remained thoughtful.
And Lin Shuan...
Simply stood there.
Looking at the mysterious crimson-robed girl before him.
For the first time—
he realized that the secrets surrounding him were far greater than he had ever imagined.
And somewhere within those endless mysteries—
a truth existed.
A truth that even Protector Yi seemed unwilling to reveal.