The reason why Emperor Gou Chen's remnant spirit could exist for so long was because of the uniqueness of the Samsara Small Universe and the protection of Houtu's will. If he left the Samsara Small Universe, he would dissipate in an extremely short period of time.
Therefore, Gou Chen had been waiting for a suitable opportunity. And so, he waited for 3,000 years.
In the past 3,000 years, Gou Chen had gradually discovered something. He realized that there was a problem with the Netherworld. The Netherworld seemed to be shaking the fundamental foundation of the Huaxia Divine Race.
Back then, one of the main reasons why Houtu used her body to transform into the Six Paths of Reincarnation was that the Huaxia Divine Race would not be destroyed for all eternity.
Therefore, Gou Chen became even more wary of the Netherworld. However, it was really boring. He did not have any other power, so he used his remaining rule power to create a Heavenly River Chessboard.
