If I become a saint, a celestial official will summon me to raise horses.

Chapter 644 Zhao Rushen, The Struggle for the Great Dao Emperor
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting golden phosphorescence on the river's surface.

Emperor Tianhong remained kneeling by the river, his beard reaching the ground, his knees deeply embedded in the mud. His eyes were closed, his black hair flowing freely, as if he had merged with the forest, his aura serene and natural.

Ten thousand years have passed since Xiao Lan left, and Emperor Tianhong has knelt for over twenty-one thousand years once again.

Footsteps came from behind, and a man in black walked over. He had a handsome face, his black hair was tied up under a crown, and he wore a sword and a gourd at his waist. He was like a sword about to be drawn, his sharpness irrepressible.

"The legendary number one genius in the world, Emperor Tianhong, the Great Dao Emperor whom the Dao Court wanted to cultivate, is kneeling here for a long time. It seems that the Sword Venerable of Supporting the Dao doesn't think much of you. Do you regret it?"

The man in black stopped and stared at Emperor Tianhong's retreating figure, speaking coldly.

Emperor Tianhong did not open his eyes, and asked softly, "Who are you?"

His voice was a little hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time.

“Zhao Rushen, I am also known as the number one genius in the world,” the man in black replied coldly.

Emperor Tianhong remained silent.

Zhao Rushen continued, “You may not know me, but I have seen you. At that time, I had just entered the Dao Court and my talent was not outstanding. I saw you return from slaying demons, and all the disciples in the city shouted your name. You are me, and you are the person that all the disciples want to become.”

Emperor Tianhong remained silent despite his words.

"Your departure from the Dao Court made me who I am today. I received the full support of the Dao Court and became the new number one prodigy. I swept away all geniuses of the same realm. I spent a thousand years fighting all over the world without rest. But many people compare you to me and say that I have never defeated you and cannot be considered the number one in the world."

When Zhao Rushen finished speaking, he paused, and his eyes became sharp.

"So you've come to challenge me?" Emperor Tianhong didn't get up, completely unconcerned about Zhao Rushen's sneak attack.

"Actually, in my heart, I also feel that I am not as good as you."

Zhao Rushen said calmly. He stepped forward and continued, "Now I have also embarked on the path of pursuing the Great Dao Emperor. This is the legacy left by the Court Master before he left. He said that you and I are both qualified to become Great Dao Emperors and lead the Dao Court to an unprecedented peak. Come back. Since Wushi looks down on you, why suffer humiliation here? Do you know that your deeds have spread throughout the world? Everyone knows that the peerless genius cultivated by the Dao Court knelt before Wushi's gate. Do you know how much criticism the Court has suffered because of this?"

Emperor Tianhong slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still full of spirit, completely unaffected by the passage of time.

"I am no longer a disciple of the Dao Court, you may return," Emperor Tianhong replied in a low voice.

He looked up at the other side of the river, his gaze shifting left and right, as if searching for something.

Zhao Rushen frowned, his right hand resting on the scabbard at his waist.

"Junior, this is not a place for you to act recklessly."

A clear, cold voice came from ahead, startling Zhao Rushen. He looked up and saw two figures walking out from the depths of the woods across the river.

It was An Xin and Chen Chuan.

Upon seeing An Xin, Emperor Tianhong's gaze became somewhat complicated.

He can't forget that crushing defeat; he still thinks about it to this day. What kind of eyes were those?
Chen Chuan followed beside An Xin, his eyes sizing up Zhao Rushen with curiosity.

He sensed a sword aura emanating from Zhao Rushen, a sword aura that made him uneasy.

Zhao Rushen looked at An Xin, equally startled. An Xin gave him a sense of unfathomable depth, especially when he met An Xin's gaze. He couldn't help but tremble with fear. He had never felt this way before, not even when facing beings above the Free Immortal Realm.

Not to be provoked!

This is how Zhao Rushen feels right now.

"May I ask your name, senior?" Zhao Rushen raised his hand in a gesture of respect and asked politely.

Anxin calmly said, "Wuxin, Anxin, please go back."

Zhao Rushen raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, startling him.

After hesitating for a moment, he chose to bow and leave.

Although he didn't know why An Xin was hostile towards him, he was also afraid of dying here.

Zhao Rushen's aura quickly disappeared, and An Xin and Chen Chuan arrived at the riverbank, facing Emperor Tianhong across the river.

Emperor Tianhong looked at Anxin without speaking, his eyes remaining calm.

Anxin said, "He wants to kill you."

"Really?" Emperor Tianhong asked in surprise. In his view, Zhao Rushen seemed more like he was trying to provoke him into returning. An Xin continued, "And he can do it."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Tianhong immediately frowned.

He could sense that Zhao Rushen had already reached the level of a Myriad Immortal, catching up with his cultivation realm. However, this was also because he had knelt for 20,000 years. Even at the same level, he did not believe that he would lose to the second person besides An Xin.

Chen Chuan was also somewhat surprised, not expecting Zhao Rushen to be so powerful.

Anxin looked at Chen Chuan and said, "You go first."

Chen Chuan nodded, then vanished into thin air.

Emperor Tianhong wasn't particularly curious about Chen Chuan, but he sensed that An Xin had something to say to him, which stirred something within him.

Anxin stared at Emperor Tianhong and said, "That person will be your nemesis. In the future, you will both become Great Dao Emperors and stir up an earth-shattering struggle in the mortal world."

"Didn't you just say that he could kill me? If I weren't here, wouldn't I already be dead at his hands? How did we become sworn enemies?" Emperor Tianhong asked curiously.

"You will die, but you will rise again in the cycle of reincarnation and fight against him life after life."

Anxin's tone was calm, as if she were talking about a trivial matter, which made Emperor Tianhong fall silent.

He couldn't help but ask, "Can you see my destiny?"

"not me."

The reassuring answer caused Emperor Tianhong's expression to change for the first time, and his usually calm heart began to waver.

Sword Master...

Anxin continued, "Keep kneeling. Your master can't accept you for now. As for the reason, I don't know either. Perhaps this is a period of cultivation. Over the years, you should be able to feel your cultivation increasing."

Emperor Tianhong smiled and said, "Indeed, although my cultivation level has not increased, my understanding of the Great Dao is growing rapidly. This must be the blessing of the Sword Venerable."

This is also why he has been kneeling for over 20,000 years without ever feeling tired.

He has already seen hope; even if he were to kneel for another 100,000 years, he wouldn't feel it was a hardship.

Anxin stopped talking, flashed to Emperor Tianhong's side, and continued walking forward.

Emperor Tianhong turned to look at her and couldn't help but ask, "Senior Sister, where are you going?"

"I have my own things to do."

Anxin casually replied, a slight smile playing on her lips, thinking that Emperor Tianhong was quite perceptive.

Emperor Tianhong pressed further, "Will Zhao Rushen bring good or bad results to the Dao Court?"

"Fate is constantly changing; knowing the future in advance can actually become an obstacle."

Before the words had even finished, Anxin had already disappeared into the depths of the woods.

Emperor Tianhong turned around, looked at the river, and seemed to be deep in thought.

The Great Dao Emperor?
He had heard Yuan Songzi mention before that the geniuses of the Three Thousand Great Worlds were all pursuing the Great Dao Emperor, but the Heavenly Spirit Great World did not have the opportunity to become a Great Dao Emperor for the time being. Yuan Songzi told him to prepare well.

According to An Xin's revelation of the future, the Great Dao Emperor seems to be the one who will dominate the struggle for power in the future. If that's the case, Yuan Songzi will succeed.

To become the Great Dao Emperor, one must open up a passage to the Great Dao in the Heavenly Spirit World!

Emperor Tianhong took a deep breath and cleared his mind of distractions.

He didn't know exactly how powerful the Great Dao Emperor was, but the Great Dao of Power that he was currently comprehending was truly strong.

Even though his cultivation level hadn't increased, he could feel his own magical power transforming, becoming several times stronger than before he knelt down.

only……

Even someone like him would be killed by Zhao Rushen?

Emperor Tianhong noted down Zhao Rushen's name, looking forward to his future duel with him.

(End of this chapter)