"Anyway," Shijian continued, "this castle is our way of sending a message back to the Prime Galaxy about the Seventh Seat.
With the little power I managed to draw from the Ancestor, we ran predictions. Unfortunately, there were only seven people with even the slightest chance of succeeding in carrying that message back."
Before I could think more on it, another voice spoke up.
"None of them had more than thirty percent chance. The Seventh always interfered. But... a human was never among those seven."
The hall fell into silence after those words. I could feel all of their eyes on me. My chest tightened. I realized I was some sort of anomaly in their predictions, something outside their carefully traced lines. Still, that wasn’t what caught my attention.
I cleared my throat. "So how strong is the Seventh Seat that even with a Demi-God’s power, nothing could be done?"
The woman who had spoken earlier answered, her voice calm yet heavy.
"Only 0.01% of her power. That was all we could touch. Any more and we would risk disturbing her."
I blinked at that, my mind freezing for a moment. "Disturb her? Wait... I thought she was dead."
Shijian turned his gaze back to me. His words carried both weight and frustration.
"No. You thought wrong. If she were dead, how do you think our universe would still be standing? Do you not realize the Eternals would have already consumed us? It is because of the Demi-God powerhouses of the Prime Galaxy, standing at the front lines, that we still exist."
I had no answer. The idea that beings of that level were still out there fighting, unseen and unheard, left me shaken.
He went on. "She isn’t someone who could be killed that easily, especially when she carries a law as absolute as Time itself. But as with everything, the Eternals outnumber us. They have their own Demi-Gods of Time, more than one. She is doing all she can to prevent them from twisting the natural flow of our timeline."
I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself. The scale of what they were saying felt unreal, yet the conviction in their voices made it impossible to deny.
"That is also why we left this relic behind," Shijian continued, almost regretfully.
"I was supposed to follow in her footsteps, to step into the next rank and aid her. But now..." His voice darkened. "Now there is only a traitor left behind. One who will surely help the Eternals and stand against her. So we hope that someone from the coming generation will rise, someone who can fill the void we could not."
The feminine voice spoke again, calm yet heavy with meaning.
"This whole war, child, is a race. A race against time. Can we raise more powerhouses than the Eternals? Can we endure everything they throw at us? Can the next generation rise when it matters? And... can we stop our own people from betraying us?"
Her words echoed inside my mind, each question cutting deeper than the last.
Shijian continued, his tone steady.
"We don’t demand much from you. If you ever reach the Prime Galaxy, or meet someone strong from there, all we ask is that you tell them about the Seventh Seat.
Our ancestor must be warned, otherwise, she could be backstabbed without ever realizing who the true traitor is. The Seventh Seat works with the Demi Gods of the Eternals, so she won’t be able to track him. That’s all we ask."
I gave a small nod.
"I won’t tell his name," Shijian added firmly. "That would only drag us down with him. Just remember it in the back of your mind. Don’t speak carelessly. Don’t seek him out.
Let the truth reach you when the time is right. Once you leave this place, three runes about Laws Of Time will be etched into your mind. They hold all of our insights. Of course, you’ll have to meditate on them to truly understand.
One rune is the path from Mortal to Grandmaster. Another, the road from Transcendent to Saint. And the last, the way toward Godhood. Think of it as your compensation, for troubling you with the words of the dead. And maybe, if a day comes when you stand tall, you will repay this debt."
My eyes widened in surprise. I hadn’t expected them to leave anything for me. I thought they only wanted to pass along warnings.
Suddenly, a man who had remained silent until now spoke from the second row.
"Saint Shijian, do you think I should—"
But Shijian cut him off before he could finish.
"No. No interference. Not now."
The man bowed his head. "Understood."
Shijian’s eyes then turned to me again.
"Your arrival here is an anomaly. Many things about you don’t follow the normal flow. But I will not interfere. Otherwise, the ripples could be seen by eyes we’d rather avoid."
He paused, then said in a quieter voice, "But since I can see that you will one day reach the Prime Galaxy, let me give you some warnings. Humans are not among the top races. Don’t expect to be treated well.
What you must be most careful of are traitors. Do not trust easily. Guard your heart. Be rational, always. We paid the price for trusting too much. So did many others."
I stayed silent, listening closely as he went on.
"The Prime Galaxy is enormous, greater than anything you can imagine. It is the beating heart of our universe. The Eternals are using abominations like insects, devouring everything else, weakening us, until they can surround the Prime Galaxy and crush it once and for all."
Shijian’s voice softened, and for the first time, I felt warmth beneath his words.
"But still... we believe that our Universe will overcome this calamity. We are no more. This path is yours to walk. Forge it with your own hands. Carry hope forward, even when the weight feels unbearable. Remember, child, the future isn’t only a burden, it can also be light."