Covering the Heavens: Starting from the First Great Emperor

Chapter 148 The Path to Immortal Emperor
"haven't seen you for a long time."

The youth, formed from the illusory sword light, waved his hand.

“You are just an incarnation. I have already seen you before, so how can you say it has been a long time?” Xu Yuanming said calmly.

"Tsk, if that's the case, then apart from that time in the Immortal Ancient Era, it seems we haven't met in our true forms." Shi Hao laughed. "However, for a cultivator of my level, what difference does it make whether it's an avatar or not?"

Xu Yuanming said, "That's right. For a master of the Sacrifice Dao, the difference between their avatar and their true self is almost negligible."

Shi Hao said helplessly, "You can't say that. After all, it's already very rare that I can spare a wisp of my consciousness to discuss things with you. I wouldn't agree to this with anyone else."

At this moment, Shi Hao suddenly realized the meaning of the two words Xu Yuanming had mentioned: "Sacrifice to the Dao." How did the other party know about this realm?
Logically speaking, the other party should know that Lu Jin Sheng Hua and Xu Yuanming had been in contact with Di Gu Ge.

But even Emperor Bone Brother didn't know about this realm, so how did Xu Yuanming find out?
"How do you even know the words 'ritual sacrifice'? Where did you get them from? From your own world?"

Xu Yuanming was not surprised. Even an Immortal Emperor would not know about the field of sacrificial rituals, let alone a cultivator at the Quasi-Immortal Emperor level.

Even before Emperor Bone had reached the pinnacle of his cultivation, he already knew that Xu Yuanming did not come from this world.

He simply suspected that there were other worlds above Heaven, or in the heavens.

But Shi Hao is different. As a powerful expert in the Dao of Sacrifice, he already knows the truth of the world and can confirm that Xu Yuanming did not come from this world, but he has no way of knowing where he came from.

Xu Yuanming nodded: "Previously, the Emperor Bone... the Heavenly Emperor told me that it would be difficult for him to become an Immortal Emperor in the future because of this. I wonder if you have any solutions?"

Shi Hao chuckled: "It's simple, just let me slash you with my sword."

Xu Yuanming's face darkened, and he said seriously.

“I’m not joking. Since becoming a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, I have used Destiny to trace back all of time and space. I have never encountered such a situation before. I have reached the limit, but as far as I look, all I see is a vast expanse.”

Shi Hao shrugged: "I'm not joking with you. No matter where you come from, just take one of my swords. I'll take you down, even if you're not a Celestial Emperor, I'll take you down."

What's the principle behind this? Taking a sword strike from Shi Hao can turn you into a sacrificial disciple.

No, if he could withstand that sword strike, why would he need to become an Immortal Emperor?

Even the progenitor of the sacrificial path couldn't withstand the sword that could shatter eternity, and was on the verge of exploding and dying, let alone a mere quasi-immortal emperor like himself.

Seeing Xu Yuanming's disdainful look, Shi Hao explained.

"Although you are not from this world, I have a way to make you one of this world."

"What?" Xu Yuanming asked.

"Let me cut you with my sword," Shi Hao said, returning to the original topic.

"Hehe, just how much do you want to cut me with your sword!" Xu Yuan glanced at Shi Hao, then chuckled as he saw the Desolate Sword already in the other's hand.

That eager look on his face definitely meant he really wanted to stab him.

Shi Hao gripped the Desolate Sword, and his aura instantly transformed.

"It is true that I want to cut you with my sword, but I am not lying to you either. If this sword cuts you, you will disappear from all time and space, all dimensions, past, present and future. But you will also be reborn. No one but me can do this. At that time, I will arrange for you to cultivate again in a new world. When you are about to break through to the Immortal Emperor, you will remember everything."

If Shi Hao agreed, Xu Yuanming would not be surprised at all; the next moment, he would directly use his strongest sword to strike him.

"How long will it take?"

Shi Hao held up three fingers.

Xu Yuanming muttered to himself, "Three million years?"

It had indeed been a long time for him to cultivate to the point of being about to transform into an Immortal Emperor.

Shi Hao shook his head and said, "It took three eras, and he proved his Dao at the very last moment of the third era, and then it took him two more eras to get to where he is today."

Xu Yuanming was shocked. Nearly six eras was an incredibly long period of time. He had almost always traveled through other eras. If calculated according to the time system, he only had one million years left.

An era is an unknown number of years; these are indeed very long periods of time.

Shi Hao saw through Xu Yuanming's thoughts.

"You really think Quasi-Immortal Emperors are as common as cabbages. Normally, it's good to become a True Immortal within one era, an Immortal King within three eras, and a Quasi-Immortal Emperor within dozens of eras. But to reach the pinnacle of Quasi-Immortal Emperor and undergo the transformation to Immortal Emperor, countless people are blocked. After more than five eras, you will combine with this body and break into the supreme realm to become an Immortal Emperor."

"So, you are a Celestial Emperor who has attained the Dao in six epochs. Who wouldn't want such a good thing if it were given to others, to those Dao Ancestors in the outside world? They have been stuck at this step for countless epochs. Let alone six epochs, they would be willing to wait for sixty epochs or even six hundred epochs."

That's true. According to the normal cultivation speed, what Shi Hao said makes sense, but he can't wait that long.

Xu Yuanming asked, "Besides this, is there any other way?"

Shi Hao said, "What do you think? Your situation is too special. Apart from that, I can't think of any other way to attack without using my full strength in one sword strike."

Xu Yuanming's heart sank. Shi Hao was now an invincible powerhouse in the field of sacrificial rites. He reflected the heavens and revealed everything from the past. He had confronted the three progenitors for countless epochs and had hidden all his former friends in the foundation world.

If it were today,

But this was the only way he could do it.

This sword strike will completely change the landscape, and no one can afford to take the risk of using this unknown as a basis for their decision.

Xu Yuanming said softly, "Let's think about it again. Maybe there's another way?"

Shi Hao smiled bitterly, “I am a sacrificial Daoist. The power of this realm is beyond your imagination. Even if thousands of Immortal Emperors were to die like scraps of paper before my avatar, they would perish with a single wave of my hand. Yet, I cannot find this path.”

“If there were a way, I would have done it long ago. After I became an Immortal Emperor, I started thinking about this matter. From the end of the Chaotic Ancient Era, I changed your trajectory and continued to deepen it, creating the you you are today. Just like how you influenced me before, no one can tell who came first, even though I have already sacrificed myself.”

"Through countless ages, we still cannot find a way out!"

Xu Yuanming remained silent for a long time, then strengthened his resolve and said, "I've come this far not because I saw a way out. Who knows what will happen until I reach that point? How could I have known from the very beginning that I would end up like this?"

Shi Hao smiled and said, "I hope so."

……

……

The sky was overcast, an ominous aura permeated the air, and for countless ages, the frigid permafrost had been shrouded in a strange power, creating a dull and oppressive atmosphere.

In the edge area, rotting creatures occasionally wandered by, and sometimes a few eerie creatures could be seen glancing back, but all was silent, without a sound. This was the Bridge of Death, a dead end from which there was no way out.

This place is said to be difficult to leave even if one reaches the end of the road and ascends to sublime status; it is considered a forbidden place even by the heavens.

Even places like the underworld are just a corner of this place, extremely ancient, and beings who have reached the end of their path will feel despair when they come here.

Finding this place was not easy; it was Xu Yuanming who was brought here by Shi Hao.

Throughout history, apart from the beings in the realm of ritual, only one person has emerged from it.

The ruthless emperor!

He wanted to set foot here in his quasi-Immortal Emperor form, hoping to find an opportunity in this place.

Just as Xu Yuanming was about to enter, muffled footsteps sounded in the distance.

Xu Yuanming looked over and saw that an endless fog had risen from the desolate place before him.

At the end of the Bridge of Death, a pair of legs appeared out of thin air, covered in blood. They were just mutilated remains, seemingly severed from the waist and abdomen, with the upper body completely gone. The dark red scales shimmered with an aura of death.

Xu Yuanming did not act immediately; he did not want to alert certain beings on the dead road.

Even the high priests who have reached the pinnacle of their spiritual journey are wary of this place, suggesting that a Celestial Emperor may reside here, and that this place is far from ordinary.

There's something wrong with these legs. They're said to be at the Dao Ancestor level, but their aura is already on the verge of breaking away. However, if they were at the Immortal Emperor level, they would always fall short.

But in any case, it shows that this dead end is extraordinary.

boom!
At this moment, those two legs took a step forward, the world turned upside down, and the Milky Way collapsed, as if they had come from the end of deep space to leave this desolate place.

Xu Yuanming conjured the Great Dao Sword in his hand as he looked at the strange creature approaching him.

He did not draw his sword.

Now that Xu Yuanming has reached this point, he is not afraid of any being below the level of Immortal Emperor. He has not yet reached a dead end, and he can smash through everything around him with his bare hands.

Upon seeing the Sword of the Great Dao, the strange legs immediately turned around and returned to the original path in the dead end.

Xu Yuanming took a step forward.

"Is this the dead end, the bridge to certain death?"

He could hardly believe what he was seeing. It wasn't as eerie as the high priest had described. Instead, the runes of the Great Dao were surging, even more dazzling than the otherworldly realm.

While it wasn't exactly beautiful, it wasn't exactly despairing either. The main thing was that the Dao here gave Xu Yuanming a very close feeling, almost like returning to simplicity.

"Without a way forward, on such a dead end, the fog here can block everything. Reincarnation, the myriad paths, the universe... are just a corner of it. If you are not careful, you will fall into the abyss, perish, and die. Even if the supreme beings can save their lives, it is almost impossible for them to get out."

Xu Yuanming looked out and saw a huge landmass floating there, covered by an incomparably enchanting dark red glow that enveloped the floating island. The endless laws could crush all the heavens and myriad worlds.

This is very likely a characteristic of a Celestial Emperor.

That enormous floating island continent was much larger than all the heavens and myriad worlds, but it was only a small fragment of this dead end, insignificant. This place was vast and boundless, inspiring despair.

"A Dao Ancestor? So powerful, I have no recollection of him, is he a newcomer?"

On that floating island, a woman appeared.

Xu Yuanming was somewhat surprised. As expected of a place where even Immortal Emperors would get lost, it was truly remarkable. He had only been there a short time, and the first being he encountered was the Dao Ancestor.

"Just arrived and want to go further here."

"When you entered just now, I sensed the passage of time and the manifestation of destiny. It seems that your Great Dao is a manifestation of it," the woman said with a smile.

Xu Yuanming never made a move, and his current attacks are all returning to the original state, the so-called great way is to simplify. The commotion mentioned by the woman is very likely caused by those legs.

He shook his head and said, "There is someone else. When I came here, I also saw a strange creature whose origins are hard to fathom."

"This place is different from other places, fellow Daoist, please do not explore casually, sometimes..."

Suddenly, before he could finish speaking, a shadow appeared, and an invisible, mysterious substance attached itself to space and time, trying to engulf Xu Yuanming. Accompanied by an eerie and ominous light, it moved towards corroding his primordial spirit.

While Xu Yuanming was talking to the woman in palace attire, he was suddenly attacked by a terrifying Daoist master who wanted to kill him.

This person is extremely powerful, employing an ineffable Dao that, like a curse, directly affects the spirit.

Xu Yuanming snorted coldly. He had just crossed over into a new realm and was already being ambushed. He didn't take it seriously. Anyone who dared to attack him would only face certain death.

The sword of the Great Dao appeared out of thin air, annihilating all things, and the eerie curse was instantly shattered.

puff!
Behind Xu Yuanming, blood spurted out, and a man in armor coughed up a mouthful of blood, revealing a tiny sword wound on his chest.

He could hardly believe that such an extreme mental attack had failed.

Xu Yuanming's face revealed murderous intent. This place was indeed strange; the dead end was filled with murderous intent everywhere.

"A new Dao Ancestor, incredibly powerful. Give him ten eras, and he'll likely break through the Dao Ancestor barrier and become a being at the end of the road." The man in armor said solemnly to the woman in palace attire.

Xu Yuanming's face remained calm.

Sure enough, when the woman in palace attire realized that her scheme had been exposed, she no longer tried to hide it, smiled, and casually said...

"There are only a few beings at the Dao Ancestor level, even here. No matter which world you come from, except for the heavens, you should know that this place is far superior to any other great world. Once a new Dao Ancestor is born here, the supreme laws will reveal it. Whether you pretend or not, it will be the same."

Xu Yuanming's expression remained unchanged: "So, what are your plans?"

After those words were spoken, fate, time and space, cause and effect... all converged at one point, including the great path within this dead end, and began to merge together.

It wasn't that Xu Yuanming was trying to integrate with this place, but rather that this world was changing in accordance with Xu Yuanming's Dao.

"Fellow Daoists, look at our new friend. What a pleasant surprise! It's been a long time since we've seen such a powerful Dao Ancestor. With such abilities, I would believe he's not just a Dao Ancestor, but even someone who has reached the end of the road."

The woman in palace attire smiled and spoke. Her voice was not loud, but the Dao Ancestor's Great Dao Laws were enough to radiate to all places, transmitting her voice to countless worlds adrift in the abyss and pits.

(End of this chapter)