We agreed to go to Taishan Sect and you will pull the coffin for me.

Chapter 355 Over 20,000 Years Later, Xuanwu Departs

The second incarnation of the Nine Nether Emperor has begun.

Gai Jiuyou made a decision to seal his own Great Dao, to make time for his future as an emperor. He had already thoroughly understood the Heavenly Heart Seal, so it was of no use to him.

The Heavenly Emperors gathered once again to jointly study the sealing method. In the end, they used three celestial artifacts to suppress the top of the head and the two shoulders respectively. There is a saying that once the three yang fires in a person's body are extinguished, they are like a dead person and easily targeted by ghosts.

Although it is a folk tale, it makes some sense, allowing the Nine Netherworlds to become dead, thus deceiving the Heavenly Heart Mark.

Rumble!
Gai Jiuyou stood tall and imposing, his black hair flying, his skin radiant, and he was as young as could be. Above his head hung a Heavenly Altar, and on his shoulders, a green cauldron and a desolate pagoda floated.

An immense force pressed down, preventing his Great Dao from spreading further and severing his connection with the Heavenly Heart Mark.

A mournful wail echoed throughout the universe, causing countless wails to resound. The Heavenly Heart Mark conveyed a sorrowful and desolate emotion, and various strange phenomena manifested, causing all things in heaven and earth to grieve together.

"What happened? A great emperor has fallen, and it's the current emperor?!"

"Didn't the Nine Nether Emperor just experience a rebirth? Why did he perish?"

The people were horrified and utterly shocked.

Soon, news spread from the Heavenly Court that the Nine Nether Emperor was still alive, but had sealed himself away, relinquishing his imperial throne. After ten thousand years, when the traces of the Emperor's Dao dissipate, he will be able to become an emperor again.

Upon hearing this, all living beings in the universe were greatly surprised and filled with awe for the Ziwei Heavenly Court, for such methods and supernatural powers were unimaginable.

Gai Jiuyou felt that he was in good condition. He was suppressed by the three immortal artifacts and hidden in the depths of the Heavenly Court's supreme terrain, which greatly slowed down the passage of his life. He was sure he would live a long life in this life.

"Finally free from the throne, let whoever wants to be the emperor of this era be it!"

He sighed inwardly at his own hardships, recalling the past ten thousand years and the repeated attacks he had suffered. He wondered which emperor in history had ever suffered like this. Fortunately, he was the first to become emperor and had pacified the Undying Mountain, so he was not entirely unknown.

It's not that he's not strong, but rather that his predecessors and successors are too extraordinary.

"Time is short in this world, so I must comprehend the method of immortality."

Gai Jiuyou observed the Divine Phoenix Elixir of Immortality and, in the darkness, comprehended the Dao Fruit of a majestic Immortal King, from its peak to its demise and then to its rebirth, endlessly reincarnating.

Not long after, the three emperors, Taiyin, Taiyang, and Taihuang, also reached their limits. They each took the Nine-Turn Immortal Pill, extending their lives by thousands of years, and continued to comprehend the method of immortality.

As for Lingbao Tianzun, his lifespan was still very long. He looked suspiciously into the depths of the universe. Ten thousand years had passed, and Duan De really had not appeared again.

He didn't know if the other party's life had ended. He had a premonition that even if the Underworld Lord had achieved enlightenment through an unconventional means and his lifespan exceeded that of a normal Great Emperor, Duan De hadn't gone through reincarnation yet.

Lingbao Tianzun smiled faintly: "Hehe, you can hide from the monk but not the temple. I'll drag you down into the pit after you reincarnate."
-
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, ten thousand years have passed.

Emperor Lu Hengcheng has lived for over 20,000 years, and several Heavenly Emperors have also lived for 20,000 years, yet they remain in good condition. Not to mention the Azure Emperor and Amitabha, the reincarnation of the Immortal King, the transformation of the Immortal Medicine, and the third life lived through his own efforts, a lifespan of 30,000 to 40,000 years is perfectly fine.

The Empress and Lingbao Tianzun had reached their fourth or fifth incarnation, and their lifespans were now the most worry-free.

Ye Fan, Ye Xiaju, the ruthless elder brother, and the Chaos Jade Emperor are the youngest. Due to their different physiques and cultivation levels, their lifespans are different, all at least 26,000 years. However, at 20,000 years, they have begun to decline in their lifespan.

As for the Sun, Moon, and Emperor Taihuang, they consumed the Longevity Elixir five thousand years ago, exhausting all the life-extending opportunities of the Immortal Elixir, the Nine-Turn Elixir, and the Longevity Elixir, but they still had some lifespan left.

Only the Ancient Emperor Xuanwu was getting closer and closer to the end of his lifespan.

He sighed, comprehending the Xuanwu Immortal Elixir and the Xuanwu Immortal Spirit. Although he had thoroughly studied the true meaning of Xuanwu, he had no idea how to nurture the immortal embryo within his body. Although the three great immortal spirits, including Xuanwu, possessed extraordinary physiques, they could not often emerge. They would be sealed away again after a short period of activity, along with the Divine Silkworm, Divine Child, Wang Bo, and the offspring of the Taiyin and Taiyang, the offspring of the Twin Sacred Apes, and other descendants, serving as reserves for the Heavenly Court. They would be released to undergo trials during a suitable golden age.

"That's true. If resurrection were so easy, all the emperors and sovereigns throughout history wouldn't have committed suicide. Even the Emperor Venerable played a role."

In the end, the Xuanwu Ancient Emperor gave up, bid farewell to the Heavenly Emperors, and requested that they work together to open a passage to the strange world.

Lu Heng's figure reappeared. During this long period of time, he not only secluded himself in the Heavenly Court, but also occasionally walked into the mortal world to search for the Dao patterns left behind by the Emperor. These were the Emperor's backup plans for refining the Two Realms Cauldron.

Now he's figuring out how to make it his own, turning it into a method for achieving immortality.

"Pity."

Lu Heng sized up the Xuanwu Ancient Emperor, shook his head and sighed. The other party had lived for more than 15,000 years with just one Longevity Elixir. Even if he lived for 20,000 years before and after, it wouldn't be enough. If he added the 25,000 years of his two lifetimes, the total would be close to 50,000 years. It can only be said that his talent was truly lacking.

“It’s alright.” Gai Jiuyou appeared and said to Xuanwu Ancient Emperor, “Fellow Daoist’s lifespan being extended in the strange world does not mean that the path to immortality in the mortal world is cut off.”

Upon hearing this, the Xuanwu Ancient Emperor remained silent, his gaze resolute as he said, "I will not give up."

Indeed, in the original timeline, there are examples of beings from the strange world who transformed into immortals in the mortal realm, such as the immortals from another world, the Great Emperor Wushi, and the Undying Emperor.

However, in the strange world, there exists immortal essence. Knowing that this thing exists, it is hard not to think about consuming immortal essence to prolong life when one's lifespan is about to end. Without pushing oneself into a life-or-death situation, one will hesitate.

For example, the Undying Emperor took millions of years to transform from a mortal to an immortal, while Empress Ye Fan achieved the same in just a few hundred thousand years. It is certain that the other party has consumed immortal essence to extend their lifespan.

Rumble!
For the first time in twenty thousand years, the emperors of Heaven joined forces, their terrifying power piercing through the nine heavens and ten earths, shaking the mortal world, and creating a magnificent and dazzling passage.

"Is this... the Celestial Realm? Is the Ziwei Heavenly Court finally going to send the entire world of immortals to ascend to heaven?"

Some cosmic cultivators noticed this and were greatly surprised. They all headed to the Heavenly Court to ask for a ride.

Xuanwu Ancient Emperor stepped into the Heavenly Avenue, where a shower of light fell from the sky, and immortals transformed like flower petals, their figures disappearing into a strange world.

The Nine Nether Emperor watched this scene in silence. His second life was coming to an end, and he was about to take the Longevity Elixir. He was indeed not confident, as the path to immortality in the mortal world was more difficult than he had imagined.

Ten thousand years from now, he might be the next one.

Buzz!
It is unknown whether the power of the emperors opened up the strange world, but as if it were a signal, the Nine Nether Emperor, who had been separated from the Heavenly Heart Mark for ten thousand years, saw his Great Dao suppression suddenly dissipate at this moment.

Even the most powerful beings felt that the oppressive force of countless paths had disappeared, and the Heavenly Heart Mark had reopened.

Unfortunately, perhaps because the Heavenly Court was too glorious, 20,000 years have passed. Not only has the golden age come to an end, but the spiritual energy in the human world has also declined towards the end of the Dharma era. After so many years, only one or two quasi-emperors have been born, and they are only at the first or second level of the Heavenly Water realm. They can't even touch the Supreme level, let alone become emperors.

However, the geniuses of the mortal realm are no match for them; the Heavenly Court has sealed away many other extraordinary beings who have attained supreme enlightenment.

The emperors awakened a group of young prodigies, and they fought each other fairly, with the winner ultimately becoming emperor.

Yang Xi, Xiao Song, Jiang Ming (Sun Body), Jiang Tingting (Lunar Body), Human Demon, Jiang Taixu, Shennong, Yellow Emperor, Laozi, Emperor, Ji Zi, Southern Demon, Holy Prince, Chuan Ying, and other golden-age prodigies have been reborn, dazzling and radiant throughout the ages.

They competed against each other for the title of Emperor in this lifetime.

(End of this chapter)