The hall was ancient, its age unfathomable, steeped in a profound sense of the passage of time.

Inside, it was forged from an unknown black stone, its surface etched with twisting hieroglyphs that shifted and flickered.

In the center stood a massive round table, devoid of any obvious light source yet suffused with a cold, dim glow.

Surrounding the table were nine high-backed bronze seats, three of which held figures with obscured faces, silently participating in this interdimensional council.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

The elder with a blurred face lightly tapped the table and calmly stated:

"Everyone is here, shall we begin the meeting?"

Another blurred figure smiled, their voice deep and resonant, resembling that of a middle-aged man:

"Let's start... when will we scrape away the truth runes in this hall? The power they hold to shatter reason troubles me... it always does whenever I come here."

As he spoke, he pointed to the shifting, twisted hieroglyphs etched throughout the hall.

The last blurred figure, a woman, lifted her head:

"The truth runes are the final hurdle for new council members. Those who join must face these runes; only the strong may serve as members... bear with it."

The middle-aged man shook his head:

"*Prophet*, are you confused? How could there be new members? Six of the nine are dead, five of the council seals taken by the Outer God Cult, leaving only the Dusk seal, which is used as bait in the Great City..."

The woman, called *Prophet*, responded ethereally:

"What if someone is summoned by the sun?"

"The possibility is too low."The middle-aged man shook his head:"It might as well be impossible. *Primordial*, what do you think?"

The elder called *Primordial* was about to reply when he suddenly stopped, making a soft sound of surprise.

The three blurred figures turned their attention to the hall's entrance.

The door was made of unknown metal, vibrating gently as if responding to a call from deep space, accompanied by a haunting hum that made souls tremble—a resonance of ancient songs from the universe...

At that moment, the door had not opened, yet a figure materialized, footsteps echoing.

*Knock, knock, knock, knock...*

The heavy, measured footsteps approached, the figure shrouded in mysterious mist.

His face was unclear, supported by a staff that struck the ground, producing a crisp sound, yet oddly, the sound seemed to reverberate in layers.

The first strike made a single sound; the second struck twice, the third three times, the fourth four times...

From the door to the round table, it required ninety-nine steps.

As the figure in the mist reached the bronze seats and took the final step, the staff struck down for the last time.

The sound echoed ninety-nine times, layering in the vast hall, accompanied by splashes of temporal fragments erupting from where the staff hit the ground...

A mysterious person.

"New member..."the woman said solemnly:"Please take a seat."

Chen Xiang sat down on one of the high-backed bronze seats, silent and observant.

The three members scrutinized him and exchanged glances; the elder spoke first:

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"New member, welcome to the Old Council. You may call me *Primordial*."

"I am *Emperor*,"the middle-aged man smiled.

"I am *Prophet*,"the woman's voice was ethereal and solemn, softly asking:"New member, please share your name... no need for your real name, just a codename like us."

As she spoke, she gazed intently at the mysterious figure cloaked in mist; the mist was not thick but carried a sense of secrecy, obscuring vision.

One could vaguely see that the mysterious person appeared to wear a monocle...

A terrifying powerhouse... seemingly connected to time?

Chen Xiang, unaware of the Prophet's thoughts, cleared his throat and altered his voice, producing a slightly distorted, solemn tone:

"You may call me..."

He lifted his gaze, his right eye peering through the monocle, which was known as the *Mind Mentor*, probing the emotional fluctuations of the three council members.

Upon arriving here, the monocle's powers had intensified, and the staff revealed its peculiarities...

He smiled slightly:

"You may call me, Mentor."

The three council members exchanged looks again, their hearts stirring; this *Mentor* remained calm and unaffected by the truth runes, his reason unshaken.

Was he merely enduring, or was he powerful enough to ignore the truth runes?

*Primordial* pondered for a moment, then said:

"Mentor, though it may be presumptuous, I must ask—how did you become a council member?"

Chen Xiang replied in a deep tone:

"The sun; I saw the blazing sun, summoned by it."

Upon his arrival, he had been momentarily caught in a rift, hence arriving a bit late.

Yet while stuck in that rift, Chen Xiang overheard the previous conversation, gaining three crucial pieces of information:

Six of the nine council members were dead.

The Dusk seal was used as ‘bait' in the Great City.

The sun's summons could also allow one to become a ‘council member.'

Meanwhile, *Emperor* appeared somewhat astonished:

"Summoned by the sun? How is that possible?"

*Prophet* responded ethereally:

"The facts are laid bare; that is the only possibility."

*Primordial* lifted his gaze:

"I have been monitoring the whereabouts of the Chairman's relics, which have never fallen into the hands of gods; no one can open that wooden box... since it isn't the Dusk seal, it must be the sun's summons."

"No."

*Emperor* rejected:

"What if it's from those five council seals taken by the Outer God Cult?"

*Prophet* sighed:

"*Emperor*, don't forget that even if one joins with a council seal, they must endure the sun's gaze; those unworthy will be ignited to ashes."

Chen Xiang remained silent, gathering information. The three repeatedly mentioned the *sun*. What did it refer to? The blazing sun he saw while merging the token?

The council members debated for a moment, ultimately acknowledging that *Mentor* had been summoned by the sun. Chen Xiang seized the moment to ask:

"I want to know, how did the other members die?"

This was his primary concern.

The three exchanged glances again, and *Prophet* sighed softly:

"Slaughter, hunted by the *Outer Gods*. The Old Council seeks to overthrow them, and they naturally hunt us. That's why members do not reveal their true faces to each other."

Chen Xiang felt a tremor in his heart, feigning calm:

"How do the Outer Gods know who the council members are?"

This time, *Primordial* answered:

"Besides the Dusk Chairman, the other five members were caught in the web, exposed to the Outer Gods."

Pausing, he lightly tapped the table:

"Mentor, as a new member, I don't know how much you understand about the Old Council, but I will introduce four key points."

Chen Xiang nodded:

"I'm listening."

*Primordial* leaned back in his bronze seat:

"First, there are nine seats in the council: eight members and one chairman. The chairman's codename is fixed as ‘Dusk'; whoever is the chairman is Dusk."

"Second, members do not disclose their identities unless they face life-and-death crises, in which case they may reveal themselves to request help from others."

"Third, meetings are held on the eighth of every month, and any member may call for an emergency meeting."

"Fourth, as a member of the Old Council, you can mobilize its power, but to prevent the entanglement of all members if one is hunted, each member only knows partial information and files about the ‘Old Apostles' and ‘Old Messengers.'"

"That is all. Mentor, if you have questions, feel free to ask."

Chen Xiang meticulously organized the information he had received, then posed his greatest curiosity:

"I follow the Old Ones, but I want to know, where have the Old Rulers gone?"

The three members fell silent for a moment, and *Prophet* spoke ethereally:

"The despicable Outer Gods have exiled the seven Old Rulers and the Lord of the Old Ones; their specific locations are unknown, possibly in the legendary Outer Cosmos, or perhaps in subspace..."

"And the other two?"Chen Xiang asked solemnly.

*Prophet* closed her eyes:

"The Lord of Death, as you see, betrayed the Lord of the Old Ones, betrayed the greatest one!"

"As for the Lord of Dusk... weren't you summoned by the Lord of Dusk?"

Chen Xiang was taken aback:

"You mean... the sun?"

"Yes."

*Prophet* lowered her head:

"The *Sun* is the Lord of Dusk; He has long since passed away, His divine body collapsed, His soul diminished, and has become this dead, shattered sun beneath our feet."

"Passed... passed away?"

Chen Xiang felt dazed, an inexplicable deep sadness welled up in him.

He softly asked:

"Are we... standing upon His corpse?"

"Correct."

*Primordial's* voice also grew exceptionally somber:

"Everyone knows the heavens have two moons, one bright and one dark red, but few realize that the dark red moon is the fallen sun, the deceased Lord of Dusk..."

Chen Xiang's brow twitched violently; the dark red moon in the night sky was not a moon, but the fallen sun—the corpse of the Titan of Dusk, the Lord of Dusk?