Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 479 Son of Charon, Three Thousand Years Ago

"Is this what happened three thousand years ago, when the heavens were in turmoil, the cauldrons were in flux, and the myriad realms were uncertain?"

In the vast material world of Lipunos, in a secluded spot deep in the mountains, a miasma-shrouded area thrives, making it difficult to spot any living creatures. Yet, deep within the miasma, the faint, distant whispers of voices can be heard.

Da da da

Faint footsteps could be heard coming from the depths of the miasma. A gust of wind swept by, stirring the heavy miasma and tearing away fragments of the scene within.

An ancient building complex, resembling ruins, slowly emerged from the depths of this miasma. The bells and tripods used for sacrifices had long since decayed, and the incense and smoke from the temples were now scattered among the ghostly figures of deities.

Occasionally, the rusty clock in the ruined building swings and chimes softly, further highlighting the decay and decline of the area.

But this seemingly clear building is separated by an infinitely distant space and time, making it untouchable and unapproachable. It is separated from the present world of Lipnos by an infinitely distant illusory passage, as if the river of time flows endlessly.

Several blurry figures emerged from the dilapidated ruins and stepped into this never-ending passage, as if crossing a river to enter this present world from another dimension.

It's unclear how much time passed—perhaps just a moment, or perhaps several days—but the figures gradually became clearer, revealing several individuals of varying ages, from young to old.

The intersection of the two timelines gradually solidified, no longer appearing as illusory as before, as if the two timelines existed simultaneously.

"Fortunately, we were protected by this incomplete innate cosmic light seed, and with the help of the remnants of the ancient ruins, we were able to activate the innate cosmic light divine power and safely overcome these many dangers,"

One person remarked, "Honestly, if you hadn't made me so greedy, I really wouldn't want to do something like this again."

"The true mysteries of spacetime are something that only Dao Lords and Golden Immortals can fully comprehend. With our abilities, we almost died halfway through."

Among the figures, a young man dressed in a magnificent robe and wearing a golden crown stood tall and laughed heartily, replying, "Believe me, you will definitely thank me for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come here."

"I hope so,"

An old man, resembling a farmer with white hair and temples, held a pipe in his hand, took two deep drags from his rotten, yellow teeth, and exhaled a large cloud of smoke.

These clouds and mists transformed into various golden-armored gods, heavenly generals, and demonic soldiers, trying to break out of the passage.

However, the gradually solidifying intersection, though seemingly thin, is extremely sturdy, and remains unshaken no matter how much these golden-armored gods, heavenly generals, and demonic soldiers hack and slash.

"Hey,"

The old man chuckled, "The past cannot be changed, and the future cannot be determined. Even the most powerful gods and Buddhas cannot interfere with the past or the future."

"Only the divine power of this innate cosmic light seed can allow us to come to this time when the myriad worlds were not yet changed, before the cauldrons were floating and sinking, a time when the past, future, and present coexist."

None of these people were fools or weaklings, so they naturally understood what the old man meant.

With this old man's strength, although he cannot compare to many powerful Buddhas and Arhats in the heavens, it is hard to say whether ordinary Arhats can reliably defeat him.

The old man's probing methods failed, and the others in the group gave up on the idea. After all, although the old man's supernatural powers and magic were not known for their strength, his magic was still very sophisticated and had many advantages.

Among the figures, a handsome young man with a face like jade and an extraordinary demeanor walked forward, his head adorned with half a lotus-like seed of cosmic light.

The turmoil that arose in the space-time tunnel could easily overturn gods and Buddhas below the level of a Great Luo Dao Lord, but it was easily absorbed by this half-lotus petal full of holes.

The turbulent waves of time and space, the destructive storm, also transformed into wisps of water-like threads that seeped into the orifices of the cosmic light seed, making it not too strenuous for the young man.

"Be careful, don't waste your energy, old pipe."

The handsome young man glanced at the old man, then turned his gaze to the outside world he was about to step out into.

This is such a lush forest. From the boy's perspective, there are countless ancient trees that have been growing for hundreds or thousands of years, and even trees that are tens of thousands of years old are not uncommon.

These enormous ancient trees, with their towering canopies standing side by side, almost completely block out the sky, with only gaps between the canopies allowing sunlight to filter through.

Among the dense forest and ancient trees, figures tens or hundreds of meters tall could be faintly seen, inspiring awe in mortal beings who dared not look at them for long.

"Although all the myriad realms, whether it be the primordial energy of the East or the magical power of the West, ultimately originate from and are born from the fundamental laws of the Great Dao,"

The young man said calmly, "But the myriad realms have not yet changed, and there are many differences between the immortal universe and the magic universe."

"Even though the fundamental laws of this universe are all-encompassing, it still takes considerable effort for us to transform the power of the universe's origins and the power scattered throughout all things into our own magical power,"

"Moreover, although we are protected by the innate cosmic light seed, if the magic power we use disrupts the innate cosmic light seed's ability to interfere with spacetime, we risk losing control and being repatriated, or even being trapped in the depths of spacetime,"

"So it's best if we avoid taking action if possible."

The handsome young man suddenly frowned slightly. "Although the primordial energy in this world is abundant, if the universe is like this, this magical universe should be ranked among the lower nine heavens in the future, without much potential."

"In such a vast universe, three thousand years ago, before the Great Dao had been established, what kind of opportunities could have given us the courage to risk our lives?"

Nine is both a real number and an imaginary number.

When it is an imaginary number, it has the meaning of infinity and great size.

Just as many small material worlds can only sustain the sacred realm but cannot break through to the legendary realm, the total stock of the entire universe is also finite, and therefore the great universe also has the instinct to expand its own stock.

In the future era in which these people live, the hierarchy and status of the myriad realms are measured by the quantity and level of the universe.

The myriad realms are endless, but only the great universe that can support the birth of the Primordial Great Luo Dao Venerable and the God of Gods is qualified to be called the myriad realms.

The universes capable of supporting only one Grand Luo Dao Venerable or a God-Supreme being are called the Lower Nine Heavens. The nine most powerful universes within the Lower Nine Heavens represent the region, each occupying one day's worth of space!

As for the Nine Heavens, it is beyond the norm, capable of giving birth to unimaginable beings such as supreme gods and masters of the Great Dao.

“It is difficult to quantify the present by measuring the past three thousand years in the past,” a clear and melodious voice rang out. A beautiful woman, dressed in armor and a robe with both civil and military sleeves, stood out from the crowd, her heroic spirit surpassing that of any man.

"In later generations, there will also be a world of the Nine Heavens, which was originally just an ordinary great world of heavens,"

"But because of the rise and fall of the Great Dao, the unprecedented changes before the peak and the end of the Eternal Era caused the aftershocks of the immeasurable calamity-time storm to destroy many universes, and countless gods died,"

"Even the highest gods among them could only protect themselves and escape to other universes, watching their own universes be destroyed. The remaining essence and ashes of those countless destroyed universes fell into one of the ordinary heavenly worlds, instantly elevating that ordinary universe to a higher level."

"Ultimately, the Great Laws of the Immortal Universe, the Magic Universe, and the Buddhist Universe, among others, fused together, creating an unprecedented reserves that will allow them to stand tall in the Nine Heavens in future generations."

The spirited woman smiled faintly and said, "The world is still uncertain and the great principles are obscured, so it's not impossible to get some good things."

"Of course, who wouldn't want to put in less effort?"

Another burly man stepped out from the crowd, looked at the young man wearing the golden crown, and said with some displeasure, "Now that we've come this far, shouldn't you tell us what the greatest opportunity of this trip is?"

“I hate the way you righteous sects talk nonsense the most, Ao Lie. If it weren’t for our past friendship and your generosity, I would never have agreed to let you take this risk.”

Ao Lie's golden crown swayed slightly, accompanied by a faint smirk from the young man in his magnificent robes.

"You are all people who aspire to the Dao. Do you know what we, as a group of Taiyi rogue cultivators, value most? Especially us, who do not have any truly prestigious lineages!"

The burly man had a violent temper, and his demonic cultivation techniques were known for their brutality. He was most intolerant of the cryptic and cryptic practices of the righteous sects.

Therefore, he said impatiently, "Of course it is the resources for us to embark on a higher path. How can we Taiyi rogue cultivators be like the disciples of those famous sects and supreme religions, who can possess rare and precious materials and easily refine all kinds of protective treasures and divine pills?"

The words of the burly man resonated with most of the people present.

Leaving aside these rogue cultivators, even many ancient hidden masters of great supernatural powers forged magical treasures from countless stars, their attacks were as powerful as the sun and moon pressing down, their overwhelming aura unmatched.

But apart from a few stars of extremely high quality, the rest of them are all poor scholars in the immortal path. They have no rare and precious treasures to offer, so they can only pursue an aura and a size to suppress others with force.

Because the world's rarest treasures are inherently "destined" to supreme sects and renowned schools, their status is already predetermined. Even if their status is not yet determined, it simply means they have not yet been allocated among the various prestigious sects and schools.

But a demonic cultivator is a demonic cultivator, and his words were consistent with the demonic style. Although they resonated with many people, the righteous path's companions did not agree with the burly man's statement.

"Of course, it is the fundamental Dao that governs us, and it relates to our future path,"

The handsome young man frowned slightly and spoke slowly, his words drawing nods of agreement from the others.

Snap, snap, snap

Ao Lie clapped his hands and chuckled slightly, saying, "Of course, for us cultivators, the most fundamental thing is still the method of entering the Dao."

"The Dao is the most important of all, and the methods for protecting it are equally crucial."

As Ao Lie finished speaking, his gaze swept over everyone, his eyes narrowed slightly, and then he said solemnly, "In this universe, there is an immense opportunity, which is a supreme classic that integrates the Dao and the Dharma."

"What? A supreme classic? Ao Lie, you're not lying to us!"

Ao Lie's words drew everyone's attention; no one could resist such temptation, and the atmosphere instantly became intense.

Even the Taoist priest, who had been silently standing in the corner wielding the Innate Light Longsword, whose breathing was usually steady, began to quicken.

The burly man asked in a trembling voice, "Even if the man cultivates the demonic path, he possesses supreme scriptures, so changing sects is no big deal."

Seeing this, Ao Lie smiled smugly: "This is a secret of my sect, and only my lineage can know this secret. Even the Great Luo Dao Lord is not clear about the intricacies of it."

"According to the sect's secret teachings, during the once-in-a-millennium Yaotai Gathering in the South China Sea, the Fourth Prince of the South China Sea Dragon Clan and a holy son from a supreme sect, for some unknown reason, got into a verbal altercation with an outsider,"

"The Fourth Prince of the South Sea Dragon Clan and that Holy Son eventually escalated their conflict with the outsider, resulting in a fierce battle that revealed the outsider's true form: a monstrous dragon with nine heads, nine tails, and eighteen wings."

"Who knew that the strange dragon possessed astonishing supernatural powers and ferocious strength? Its physical body was so strong that even the primordial spirit magic treasures that the Fourth Prince and the Holy Son of the Great Sect had cultivated with their lives couldn't break through its scales."

Ao Lie's face twisted slightly, turning pale, as he said in a measured tone, "The Fourth Prince and the Holy Son were unable to subdue this strange dragon and were driven into the South China Sea by it."

"Fortunately, although this strange dragon is powerful in the water, it cannot fully exert its strength and is gradually overwhelmed by the Fourth Prince and the Holy Son."

"But when the Fourth Prince of the South Sea had the upper hand, he insulted the strange dragon, calling it a lowly bloodline without fathers or mothers. This enraged the dragon, which then unleashed its ferocity and used its divine power of transforming into a ten-thousand-foot-tall ferocious god, beating the Holy Son to death deep within the South Sea."

"The fourth prince of the South China Sea Dragon Clan also had his dragon horns pulled out and his dragon tendons pulled out by that fierce god."

"By the time the elders of the South China Sea Dragon Clan and the protectors of the supreme sect arrived, the ferocious god had already vanished."

Ao Lie looked at the crowd who were holding their breath and slowly said, "The supernatural powers possessed by that strange dragon come from this supreme classic."

"Second only to the complete version of the Nine Revolutions Yuan Gong in the Immortal Dao universe, the Eight-Nine Profound Techniques in the Buddhist Dao universe, and the Panwang Opening Heaven Scripture in the Divine Dao universe, these nine supreme and wondrous methods,"

"Ranked among the twelve most powerful fighting techniques in the universe, the Dragon Emperor Treasure Scripture is said to be able to transform into any of the ten directions of heavenly demons and allow true dragons to take on any form at will."

"This supreme classic not only has the method of achieving sainthood through physical means, but also allows for free control of the transformation of celestial demons. It can be considered one of the top tribulation-crossing methods in all the heavens and myriad realms. It can easily transform even the wondrous technique of the free celestial demon, and its power is boundless."

"If its creator hadn't mysteriously disappeared three thousand years later, failing to attain the status of a god above gods in this universe, it's hard to say that this supreme classic wouldn't be ranked alongside other top-tier classics,"

"Our target this time is this supreme scripture that encompasses all teachings and protects the Dharma,"

Ao Lie shook his golden crown slightly and uttered each word clearly, "Now, do you still think our trip was necessary?"

(End of this chapter)