The Ancient Saint Emperor of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 109 Immortal Fire Nourishes the Holy Emperor, Cultivating Character and Exploring the Divine Lake (6K)

Boom!

Outside the Ancient Emperor Mountain in the Northern Region, a massive lightning tribulation raged. The forbidden zone disciple who had emerged from the Divine Ruins fled, attracting a terrifying divine punishment.

Behind him, a vast, dark mass of people—the Eight Divine Descendants were chasing him.

Purple clouds drifted, gray mist swirled, and white vapors joined together, amidst shimmering scales and flowing colorful feathers—all were Ancestral Kings, including a Saint King roaring and unleashing the Eight Demon Tablets, an ultimate weapon that shook the heavens and the earth.

"What happened? Has Gu Huangshan gone mad and brought out such a powerful weapon?" A patriarch king from the Northern Region was alarmed and couldn't help but turn his head. It was the first time he had ever seen these guys so crazy.

However, Thor didn't care about any of this. Instead, he looked excited, as if he was thinking about something. His expression kept changing, and he murmured, "The divine flames are like a tide, and the light is like a burning fire. This is very much like the egg of the immortal phoenix. It is exactly the same as the legend. I didn't expect that the immortal emperor would leave such a backup plan."

No one would have guessed that when he ventured into the Ancient Emperor Mountain and discovered the truth behind why these guys hadn't taken action against the Underworld, it was because they were performing a ritual and worshipping a stone embryo, hoping to make it manifest and be born ahead of time.

Inside the stone core lies an egg, mysterious and unpredictable. Strange phenomena emerge from the wall, leaving a clear imprint of its shape in the void, flowing with countless auspicious rays.

The egg was as big as a large bowl, perfectly round and naturally formed, sparkling and radiant, exuding a mysterious aura. Various Dao patterns appeared from time to time, always flashing and disappearing. The Thunder God would not be mistaken; there was an aura unique to the blood of an ancient emperor within it. Naturally, it could not be an ancient emperor who had undergone nirvana and been reborn; it could only be an ancient emperor's offspring.

Upon discovering this scene, he was overcome with emotion, and the Great Sage present noticed his weakness, forcing him to trigger a heavenly tribulation to retreat, which led to his current predicament of being chased.

"Chase me? Aren't you afraid of trespassing into the forbidden zone and bringing disaster upon yourself!" Thor snorted coldly and charged towards the Divine Ruins. Over the years, no one has dared to challenge the authority of the forbidden zone.

Unless the immortal emperor is alive, these descendants of the eight gods cannot act recklessly.

"Calamity? Back then, the Undying Divine Dynasty was so powerful that even the Forbidden Zone had to give them some face. Did they really think we had no backers to survive? Let me tell you, thanks to the upheaval caused by the Underworld, one of the supreme beings of my Divine Dynasty was awakened." The oldest group of Ancestral Kings among the Eight Divine Descendants spoke coldly. He was furious beyond measure. The birth of the Son of God was almost interrupted, causing such an upheaval. How could he accept it?

This further exposed their grand plan to the myriad races of the Big Dipper, deepening the enmity between them.

Back then, the Beidou region was engulfed in a continuous series of extreme battles, and even the thoughts of gods descended, causing the underworld to revive. This naturally awakened some sleeping and dormant beings, drawing their attention to this place.

Only after that did they realize that the power of the Undying Dynasty lay not only in the Big Dipper, but also in the depths of the universe.

Meanwhile, deep within the Ancient Emperor Mountain, the enormous stone embryo was about to be born ahead of schedule due to the stimulation of the lightning tribulation. In this short instant, it had already transformed into various colors, radiating endless auspiciousness, and constantly absorbing and exhaling innate essence, which was astonishing.

Above it, the phantom of a five-colored divine blade appeared, and the stone core below gradually became transparent, revealing a tall and ethereal figure with purple hair reaching her waist and five-colored divine halos encircling her.
"Is the Undying Heavenly Blade still in the mortal realm?" The Great Sage stationed here had a change of expression, thinking of many things, wondering where the Undying Heavenly Blade that opened up the ancient times was now.
The next moment, the stone body cracked slightly, and a mysterious aura emanated from Ancient Emperor Mountain. The light that pierced the sky could be seen from all directions, forming a huge phantom of a five-colored divine phoenix.

"The bloodline of the gods? These patterns, these inherited marks, are really the same as those recorded in ancient history!" A royal ancestor of the Northern Region soared into the sky, staring blankly at this strange phenomenon, feeling that it was very similar to a certain record in ancient mythology.

"The Immortal Emperor truly existed. This is his only descendant, the Heir of the Emperor. Has His Highness the God returned?" a King asked in a trembling voice.

"It's exactly the same as the legendary inheritance mark! The offspring of a god is probably even more powerful than other ancient princes." Another titled ancestral king exclaimed in shock.

Logically speaking, they are all sons of ancient emperors, of equal status, and can sit on equal footing, holding an extremely high position among the ancient beings.

However, the Immortal Emperor is a special and supreme being, whose status in the hearts of all races surpasses that of gods, and his only bloodline can be considered a divine child.

Inside the Myriad Dragon Nest in the Northern Region, the Dragon Maiden raised her head, gazing at the enormous phantom of a divine phoenix with an inscrutable expression.

The Heavenly Dragon King, who was transformed from Wang Hongwu's body, stood to one side, and upon seeing this scene, his expression changed slightly.

The Undying Emperor was the supreme god to all the ancient races, far surpassing the scope of the ancient emperors. His status was unmatched by other Dao-proving beings, and he ushered in the ancient era.

In the eyes of the divine organization, he was also the biggest traitor, attacking the Emperor. But the newly born heir of the Heavenly Emperor gave him a different feeling, as if the trajectory had shifted and was heading in a completely new direction.

Within the Eastern Wilderness, few people had yet witnessed this scene. Most were still discussing the divine thoughts. The existence from myths and legends had actually appeared and had annihilated the Western Desert Underworld. This was a huge shock to the living beings of this world.

The thoughts of gods are something to be feared and dreaded. They are the embodiment of the evil thoughts of those who have attained enlightenment, possessing terrifying power that no one wants to provoke.

Fortunately, a royal sage spoke up, saying that he had unleashed too much power and could not exist for long. He only had one chance to recall his past life's Dao fruit, and he would disappear after using it. This calmed many people down.

As the news spread, in the southern region of the Eastern Wilderness, outside the Sunset Ridge, Wang Hongwu, Duan De, and the Holy Emperor God Nian suddenly stopped. Above their heads, a void passage suddenly opened, and a terrifying aura unique to the Netherworld flowed out.

A chilling laugh echoed from there, as an unknown and terrifying being unleashed a deadly technique, severing both the real and the unreal, obliterating everything, and carving out a path that seemed to sever the barrier between the ancient and the present, even encompassing the heavens. With a deafening boom, the outer realm shattered, revealing a massive black hole. This attack was delivered through the node of the underworld.

"What a terrifying aura! Who is making this move?" "It feels like the underworld; the fluctuations are so intense!"

"This...this is an attack from across the boundless starry sky! It's an attack from countless star fields away. Even a Great Sage couldn't do that!"

The Southern Region was shaken. Everyone noticed the terrifying fluctuations that were enough to shatter the starry sky, which were undoubtedly aimed at the Sun King and the deity Nian.

Moreover, this killing force was not just one force; another descended from the sky, heading straight for the Ziwei Sect and engulfing the entire sect. In order to retaliate and test the sect, the Underworld sacrificed two world nodes, attempting to destroy them in two ways.

"Is this an attempt to test the state of the divine consciousness? Heh, too bad you're going to miscalculate." Wang Hongwu chuckled. The immortal fire within Falling Sun Ridge might not be of much significance to other divine consciousnesses, but it was of extraordinary effect to the Holy Emperor who was cultivating the Sun Mother Scripture. At this moment, his immortal platform flashed, and the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, restored to its supreme artifact state, fell into the Holy Emperor's hands.

The deity's eyes suddenly turned many times colder, shooting out two terrifying beams of light. This startled many people in the distant sky and beyond the realm, causing them to retreat, their faces turning ashen. Many even coughed up blood as if struck by lightning.

What immense power this must be? It was merely a glance, yet it was like two heavenly hammers, piercing through the heavens and earth, and hurtling towards the other end of the void.

At the same time, the Ancient Sun Tower appeared above his head, and he held the Immortal-Slaying Gourd in his other hand. He simultaneously launched an attack on the two killing techniques that erupted from different places. The two attacks collided violently, canceling each other out and turning the killing calamity into nothingness.

But the deity showed no sign of stopping. Intricate Dao patterns appeared on his fingertips, like dragons swimming. Then, with a powerful tremor of his hand, the entire universe collapsed. Terrifying Dao power surged across the void, striking the other side of nothingness.

With a loud thud, the underworld was thrown into turmoil, and roars echoed out. They had tested the waters and found the answer, but they had paid a price.

"This is not opening a domain gate, but killing enemies across the boundless void. It's unimaginable." Outside the domain, the Great Sage who saw this scene immediately put away his inappropriate thoughts. Every move of such a being would affect the endless living beings in the world, possessing unfathomable supreme power.

However, upon seeing this scene, Wang Hongwu suddenly thought of the other divine thoughts. "I wonder if the divine thoughts within the Immortal Palace still exist. The divine thoughts of the Taiyin Human Emperor may be in the universe, but his body is on the path to immortality. As for the rest, there should be no divine thoughts left behind, but we can't say for sure. At least those ancient celestial beings were well-versed in the art of immortality, so it's hard to say whether they left any backup plans."

Especially the one who is closely associated with BeiDou.

A moment later, they entered the deepest part of Sunset Ridge again, where they saw the fire tree and the phoenix again. The desolate tower was still there. When it saw them, the tower bent slightly, as if it had glanced back, and then turned back without paying any attention.

"Immortal Flame? But it's much more stable than it was back then, and also much weaker." The Holy Emperor God's expression shifted upon seeing this, as if he had seen this flame before, but it was different from back then.

Without Wang Hongwu needing to say more, he already understood the intention. He raised his hand and drew a golden sun pattern on the successor's forehead before saying, "Child, you have done enough. Leave the rest to me."

This is a protective power; even if the Great Sage were to kill him in a critical situation, it could save his life and prevent accidents from happening during his recovery time.

After speaking, the Holy Emperor God took a step forward and arrived in front of the Immortal Fire. He did not try to devour it, but instead activated his Mother Scripture, resonating with it with the primordial power of the universe and the sun. This resonated with the fire, transforming into wisps of golden ripples that spread out and washed over the fire tree. The phoenix seemed to sense this and also spat out a beam of fire that fell down, enveloping the God's body.

Clearly, this is a kind of complementarity. The Immortal Fire is also imitating the trajectory of the Sun Mother Scripture, breathing in and out like a cultivator. This spreading power is absorbed by the Holy Emperor's divine thought, and then transformed into the Sun's primordial power and injected into the Immortal Fire, forming a cycle between the two.

Upon seeing this, the desolate tower trembled slightly and actually inserted itself into it, spreading out bursts of immortal light. The three merged with each other, each taking what it needed, creating a peaceful scene.

"Now I can leave with peace of mind." Wang Hongwu breathed a sigh of relief, his face showing excitement. In this way, the divine will will endure, which is enough to serve as the foundation of the Ziwei Sect. They can even open a route to Ziwei Star through the Five-Colored Altar, and gather the power of the two great human emperors, the Sun and the Moon, in one fell swoop.

Duan De stood to the side, gazing expectantly at Wang Hongwu, his face full of anticipation; he was practically begging to grab Wang's arm and shake it.

"Don't worry, I certainly won't forget what I promised you." Wang Hongwu laughed heartily, then immediately summoned the Sun Emperor Tower, which hovered beside the Immortal Fire, enveloping Duan De in it with a snap, and tossing him into the Fire Tree to undergo the tempering of the supreme Yang Immortal Power.

oooooooo!
Screams like pigs being slaughtered echoed from within, accompanied by the smell of roasting meat. A deathly aura, reminiscent of a decaying burial ground, rose from the air, appearing particularly pronounced under the celestial light. "Old Duan, come find me in Zhongzhou when you're better." With that, Wang Hongwu prepared to leave. He had experienced too much recently and was ready to relax, cultivate his mind, and calm his nerves.

Upon hearing this, Duan De, who was in the firelight, scratched his head, rolled his eyes, and laughed, "Hehe, once I've completed my transformation, I'll go to Zhongzhou for a stroll. It'll be a good time to prepare some materials to search for that lake."

One month later, in Zhongzhou, outside the Immortal Abode, at the gate of the Ziwei Sect.

A purple aura pervades the area, and the mountains, resembling dragons, soar into the clouds. The great human religion now presents a magnificent spectacle, with the ancient city suspended in mid-air, resembling a divine realm.

After returning, Wang Hongwu met with the Great Sage of Taiyin and collected the essence of those sages. He then stayed there to cultivate himself and peaceful his own realm.

Far from the battlefield and temporarily away from the turbulent times, this ordinary life made him feel very comfortable. There were no secret techniques, no ancient treasures, and no battles between races; there was only simplicity and happiness.

It is only after experiencing tension, anxiety, and fear that one can truly feel relief and satisfaction, allowing both body and mind to relax.

make a sightseeing tour.

Farmers carrying water.

Enlightenment and spiritual practice.

He did the work of a monk, and he also did the work of a mortal.

With a mind free of distractions and a state of complete immersion in nature, he wandered and transcended, silently experiencing and gaining many new insights.

And so, time flowed by like water.

A year later, he faced a heavenly tribulation, a terrifying sight. Layers of lightning crashed down, and all the beings of the immortal realm emerged, their bodies subjected to countless tribulations, before descending upon the world.

The Qilin galloped across the eight wastelands, its stomp shattering the heavens; the True Dragon roared, its massive body coiling, turning mountains and seas to dust; the Vermilion Bird opened its mouth and spat out endless immortal fire, burning away the heavens; He clashed with it, the Sun Emperor Fist shattering the firmament, the Taiyin Divine Seal corrupting all things, and the yin and yang merging into a chaotic millstone that swept out, directly crushing the Heavenly Tribulation Cloud Sea.

Having reached the eighth level of the Dao-Slaying Realm, he once again ascended to a new heavenly realm, his progress being nothing short of astonishing, and he was only one step away from achieving mastery. This was largely thanks to the blessing of the Divine Forbidden Domain and the eleven-fold amplification of the Immortal Qi All-Word Secret, which increased his cultivation speed and enlightenment efficiency by dozens or even hundreds of times. Even the ancient royal heirs, who used all the rare and precious materials in the world, could not catch up with him and could not reach this level of cultivation speed.

After the tribulation lightning dissipated, Wang Hongwu returned to the mountain gate and began to instruct his followers in cultivation. He also took out some of the gains he had made during this period and distributed them, forging weapons for many disciples and teaching them magic and supernatural powers to others, encouraging them to cultivate.

The disciples, the Human King Body and the Guanghan Spirit Body, were not neglected either. Their aptitude was extraordinary, and with the baptism of the Nine Apertures Spirit-Connecting Divine Liquid, they had already reached the Four Extremes Secret Realm. They had both cultivated a unique technique, Human King Suppressing the Nine Provinces and Guanghan Moon Goddess Palace, and were making great progress with the Silent Annihilation Heavenly Art as their foundation.

After some consideration, Wang Hongwu still taught them some scriptures on the sun and moon, allowing them to cultivate in a complementary way. Although their constitutions were not the most compatible, they were still somewhat related and worked quite well together.

"Recently, quite a few people have taken a liking to your disciple. Even members of the royal family have brought their little ones to your door, hoping to get close to them." Xu Kun, now an elder, joked from the side. After all, if you can't win over the older ones, you can still train the younger ones.

Wang Hongwu was speechless. He hadn't expected this to happen. But then he thought about it and realized that the Ziwei Sect was now a newly established royal family with three Great Saints in charge. No wonder they were so eager.

"By the way, I'm planning to go to Nanling soon. My bloodline tells me there's a connection there. I'm also here to say goodbye to you." After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Xu Kun brought up his trip. The Kunpeng bloodline has a connection with Nanling, and he wanted to try his luck.

His expression was somewhat wistful. Back then, they were just young men vying for supremacy. In the blink of an eye, a few years had passed, and it was as if a generation had separated them. Their former rivals were now their seniors, whom they should regard as saints.

Reflecting on his own situation, he naturally felt a pang of regret, which further solidified his resolve to head south.

No one wants to fade into obscurity. Xu Kun also wanted to give it his all, even if it meant being reduced to ashes and only having a fleeting moment of glory, it was better than silently fading into obscurity.

"Be careful on the road." Wang Hongwu naturally wouldn't stop him. He even waved his hand generously and took out a sacred weapon from the spoils of the battlefield to protect him. He left a protective divine power within him so that if there was any danger, it could reflect a portion of his own power to help him.

Even after Xu Kun left, many people still came to visit the mountain gate, hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary Slayer Beast King. After all, it was rare in ancient times for a great sage to be reduced to a guardian beast and a chariot-pulling servant.

This naturally angered the Beast King of Slaughtering Heaven, who let out several earth-shattering roars, scaring away the onlookers and creating a colorful vortex above the Ziwei Sect. It was left behind by the burning of shattered stars, which it roared down from the universe.

Another year passed, and someone visited again at the foot of the mountain gate, bringing some gifts.

"Old Duan, you've come all this way, why did you bring a gift?" Wang Hongwu descended from the sky, retrieved the ancient sun tower, and smiled at the visitor, who was none other than Duan De, who had been tempered in the immortal fire for two years.

He was now radiant and extremely excited, and his aura was so different and unfathomable that even the Great Sage Taiyin in the sect couldn't see through him and let out a soft exclamation.

"Since we're already here, we might as well grab some along the way. As the saying goes, heroes don't ask about origins, and treasures don't ask about where they come from. Just take it." The unscrupulous Taoist priest, as always, was unconventional and handed over the items directly. They were all things that the Ziwei Sect could use, so Wang Hongwu accepted them and said, "It seems your transformation has been very successful. What are your plans for the future?"

"Of course we'll go find the Lake of Reincarnation. If we brothers work together, it'll be a piece of cake." Duan De confidently patted his chest, ready to seek out something useful.

Upon hearing this, Wang Hongwu nodded. This guy had found a map in the remains of the Underworld, so searching for it shouldn't be too difficult.

Both of them were impulsive and quick-tempered, so they didn't delay and went straight to search according to the map. They searched for half a year, running from Zhongzhou to Beiyuan, and then from Beiyuan to Donghuang, and finally found the location in Zhongyu.

After making inquiries, it was discovered that the local creatures were deeply wary of that place, calling it 'Mountain of Untimely Death'.

No one dares to approach that place on ordinary days; it has always been avoided as if by ghosts or demons.

Many creatures warned the two that it was somewhat sinister and that strange deaths might occur if they went inside.

"What do you mean?" Wang Hongwu and Duan De were somewhat confused. They had already driven away the underworld, so what kind of death could they not understand?

The creature shrank its neck and said cautiously, "To be specific, once you go in, you won't even know how you died. It's very eerie and mysterious, leaving people completely baffled, which is why it's called the Mountain of Horizontal Death."

Hearing this, the two became even more interested and set foot on this so-called 'Mountain of Struggling Death'.

Gah!
As soon as we reached the foot of the mountain, several old crows, exuding an aura of death, flapped their wings on a withered old tree outside the black cliff, emitting eerie cries filled with sorrow.

The eerie atmosphere intensified, as if one had entered a graveyard, sending chills down one's spine.

The two exchanged a glance, chuckled, and continued deeper inside as if they hadn't seen anything.

A sudden, heart-wrenching wail followed, carrying for miles.

Wang Hongwu looked in that direction and discovered a bird's nest made of white bones.

Beside the nest made of human bones stood a strange, eerie bird with a body as black as a raven, a human face, and a bird's beak, black and curved like a knife.

It was over ten feet long, pitch black, and exuded an extremely heavy yin energy. It had a dead man's head and a pair of withered and wooden eyes staring at them.

"Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable, this place is truly damn eerie!" At this moment, even Duan De couldn't help but curse, and then said, "This is an ancient bird, almost never seen in ancient times. It specializes in eating the bones of the strong, and legend has it that anyone who has been wailed by it will not live long."

Hmph! Upon hearing this, Wang Hongwu snorted coldly. The Sun Emperor Tower appeared on the top of his head, and with the sweeping power of the supreme divine might, no evil sects existed.

The strange bird spread its wings and flew away, dropping a human skull that had just been half-eaten from its beak; it looked rather grotesque.

"I have a bad feeling about this start, a kind of ominous premonition," Duan De muttered to himself, but he didn't stop. The two continued deeper into the area and finally arrived at the place indicated on the map.

This is a very open valley, nestled among black mountains, with a lake in the middle, as smooth as a mirror, as if it could reflect past and present lives, making people lose themselves.

(End of this chapter)