The Ancient Saint Emperor of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 115 The Chaotic Body and the Celestial Venerable's Follow-up Move

Infinite Heavenly Lord!

A mysterious and ancient enlightened master.

He attained enlightenment in the age of myth, and he also passed away in the age of myth.

He is also deeply entangled with a Chaos Being; the two are inextricably linked.

Now, Wang Hongwu and Duan De actually saw the statue of the Boundless Heavenly Venerable in this chaotic divine land outside the heavens. Doesn't this prove that this place was left by that ancient Heavenly Venerable?
He left no offspring, nor did his lineage spread throughout the star field. Only in the ancient star field where he was born did temples be built to worship him, and countless beings recited and worshipped him day and night.

However, his fall has always been shrouded in mystery, which has led many self-proclaimed successors of the Daoist sect to investigate and explore it, but without any clues.

Even the true reason for his demise is rarely known; most people believe that this ancient venerable one passed away naturally.

“It’s him, the cunning fellow.” Duan De’s expression was inscrutable, as if he had a special feeling towards this ancient celestial being. Wang Hongwu’s focus was not on this, but on the Chaos Body. “It’s quite intriguing. The Chaos Body transformed into the Big Dipper, and the divine land of the Boundless Heavenly Venerable was above its Immortal Platform, and it appeared right after we entered and exited the Immortal Transformation Pool. I don’t think this is a coincidence.”

In the mythological era, the Chaos Body is the most transcendent bloodline. It is said that once it appears, it will eventually be invincible, and even the Supreme Beings will be wary of it. Various divine attacks are almost ineffective against it. It can devour the eight wastelands and contain all the laws of the universe!

During that period, a chaotic entity appeared, existing alongside the Heavenly Venerable. Even before attaining enlightenment, it stirred up boundless waves and caused earth-shattering events.

This bloodline is considered the most terrifying because even the Celestial Venerables and Dao Venerables who lived in the same era as the Chaos Body would find it very troublesome and helpless, having suffered and witnessed bloodshed.

Legend has it that it is only a matter of time before someone with this physique achieves enlightenment. They will succeed sooner or later, and there is no need to worry that someone else will have already achieved enlightenment in that era!
Later, Wang Hongwu speculated that perhaps it was because of this that Wang Bo attracted the attention of the Boundless Heavenly Venerable during his ascension, and thus took action. As a result, he failed to grow and was killed by the Heavenly Venerable during his ascension, while the ancient Venerable himself was also severely injured and eventually passed away prematurely.

With such talent and such achievements, how could it not be astonishing?

"The Immortal Transformation Pool is the location of the Chaos Body Immortal Platform. After the Boundless Heavenly Venerable refined it, he left five altars in the center of the earth and built a Taoist temple to suppress it. He then returned to the Boundless Starfield where he was born and disappeared without a trace. Not long after, he emitted a wave of energy as if he had passed away, and his body disintegrated and transformed into Tao.

At that time, many people believed that this Celestial Venerable had foreseen his impending death and returned to his homeland to leave behind his legacy. However, judging from today's perspective, this is not the case. No complete lineage of that Celestial Venerable has ever appeared in the Boundless Starfield; people merely follow his vows and worship him day and night. He certainly tricked many people back then, and they are restless both in life and death. Humph!

Duan De pondered for a moment, then revealed a secret from the mythical era: he seemed to have suffered at the hands of this Celestial Venerable, and more than once, but he was unwilling to mention it.

Upon further examination, the situation becomes somewhat peculiar and ingenious. After the Chaos Body died, its body was refined into an unparalleled array, becoming the vessel for the Supreme Being to inscribe Dao patterns. It was placed in the Big Dipper to pave the path to immortality. However, the passing of the Boundless Heavenly Venerable was merely the transmission of the fluctuations of his physical body transforming into the Dao. As for his Dao weapons, relics, and even remains, ashes, and fragments of his primordial spirit, none of these were found.

Unfortunately, no one continued to pursue the truth during that period, and the truth naturally remained sealed in history.

However, the various rumors reveal the extreme strength of this physique and also demonstrate the extraordinary nature of that Celestial Venerable.

And now, they have seen the remains of that Celestial Venerable, which is none other than the Boundless Celestial Venerable!

Wang Hongwu knew very little about the ancient venerable that Duan De often mentioned. However, judging from the fact that the Underworld Emperor talked about him every day and the unscrupulous Taoist's expression just now, the two of them had probably met before, and there might even have been some kind of change.

Lingbao Tianzun created the Sutra of Salvation, so did this Wuliang Tianzun also create the lineage of incense and vows?

At least within Wang Hongwu's knowledge, all Taoist practitioners, regardless of race, would chant "Infinite Heavenly Venerable".

If Amitabha Buddha created the immortal path of Buddhism through his vows, and his faith resides in the hearts of believers, continuing into the post-apocalyptic path of immortality, this is enough to prove the heaven-defying nature of this path; then it is not impossible for the Boundless Heavenly Venerable, who is even more ancient, has studied this path more deeply, and even created the Nine Secrets, to do something similar.

"Old Duan, after some deduction, I think there are two possibilities; one is that Wuliang Tianzun really perished. Unexpectedly, the power of the Chaos Body was too heaven-defying, and his lifespan came prematurely; the other possibility is that Wuliang Tianzun was indeed doomed due to accumulated problems and was about to perish under the influence of the Chaos Body, but he also took advantage of the situation and left some backup plans in order to resurrect himself by borrowing the body of the Chaos Body."

With a flicker in his eyes, Wang Hongwu revealed his thoughts. It was true that the Chaos Body had dragged down a Celestial Venerable to death, but it was also true that Wang Bo's primordial spirit had survived. So it was also possible that the Celestial Venerable had left behind some kind of contingency plan, such as incense offerings or vows. However, it was hard to say whether that contingent was still his own.

“In the mythological era, those who attained enlightenment were all addressed with honorifics, such as Dao Venerable or Heavenly Venerable. However, the nine Venerables who created the Nine Secrets were collectively referred to as the Nine Great Heavenly Venerables. The Boundless Heavenly Venerable was one of them. Later, he devoted himself to the study of the power of vows, hoping to achieve immortality on this path. He did indeed make some discoveries, and the so-called divine thoughts were also closely related to him.”

Duan De pondered for a moment, then revealed some information based on what he knew. The rest was not something he intentionally concealed, but rather because he had not yet recovered to his peak condition, and his memories were naturally incomplete, only remembering parts of the information.

It can be said that the path of vow power was initiated and promoted by the Boundless Heavenly Venerable in the mythological era and beyond. The two completely opposite manifestations of vow power, the 'faith body' and the 'divine thought', which are derived from vow power, are also closely related to him. He developed and experimented with them. This person is very unfathomable.

In Duan De's view, although the Nine Heavenly Venerables are strong, it does not mean that "all" of them are "famous for their outstanding combat power". This is because the Nine Secrets represent the ultimate exploration in nine fields, not the ultimate combat power. What truly makes them outstanding is the heaven-defying power of the Nine Secrets combined, as well as their deductions in their respective paths, which are all unprecedented and unparalleled.

Wang Hongwu's expression shifted slightly. He had initially suspected that Wuliang Tianzun might be related to the Qianzi Secret, but then he thought, how could the creator of this secret, which specializes in the primordial spirit, have allowed the chaotic primordial spirit to escape without being noticed? This was clearly inappropriate. Furthermore, considering the method of refining the five-colored altar, it was actually "slightly similar" to the Bingzi Secret, since this secret also had no effect on the chaotic body. However, only by examining its lineage could he know the truth.

Boom! Just as they were pondering, a violent fluctuation erupted a hundred miles ahead, as if someone was fighting over some object.

The two opened their Heavenly Eyes and saw a black tiger that was three thousand feet tall. Its entire body was as black as ink, eerily black, like a towering, dark mountain.

This is a Saint King at the peak of his power, who is very likely to take a crucial step and transform into a true Great Saint. Beneath him, he firmly guards a Taoist temple, inside which there is a scripture inscribed with a legendary sacred material such as the Nine Heavens White Jade Wall, which is quite extraordinary.

Opposite him was a gigantic golden divine python, its body covered with fine, dragon-scale-like fragments, with wings on its back. It was also a Saint King, its eyes greedily fixed on the legendary sacred material. Even a Great Saint would be tempted by such a rare item, let alone them.

"The Golden Serpent lineage are descendants of the ancient god Teng Serpent. When their ancestral bloodline reaches its ultimate restoration, it can stand alongside the dragon lineage. Of course, you are definitely no match for the Little Dragon Man, and you cannot compare to a true dragon. You can only be compared to other dragon clans." Duan De clicked his tongue in amazement. He did not expect these guys to come all this way to join in the fun. They really had a lot of courage.

They did not linger and continued forward. Soon they came upon another strange sight: there were living beings here, and they were all extraordinary. Their bodies were filled with the five elements, and some of the powerful ones were even breathing in chaotic energy, as if they had extraordinary bloodlines.

Roar! Wang Hongwu saw a chaotic giant burst out of the mist and fight a saint from the underworld. The giant contained a trace of chaotic blood, yet it was able to control the vast chaotic energy, suppressing the underworld ghost saint and tearing it apart. At the critical moment, another underworld corpse saint king appeared, opened his mouth and spat out a small black bell, which rang slowly, finally knocking Wang Hongwu away.

The death knell was jet black, emanating a sinister aura, like a funerary artifact unearthed from a mass grave. The sound was terrifying, shaking people so much that their souls left their bodies, extinguishing their spiritual fire, and leaving their physical bodies rootless.

The Chaos Giant let out a low roar, glanced warily at the Holy King, and without lingering, hid within the chaotic mist. The two Holy Ones of the Underworld, particularly interested in the Chaos Blood, naturally wouldn't give up and gave chase. This pursuit erupted into numerous battles: a golden roc, its body enveloped in Geng Metal Qi, charged forward, its wings shattering the Netherworld's killing array; a golden cicada, spitting out the essence of fire, leaped out and swallowed a Yin General from the Underworld whole; a green giant ape, its body covered in Yi Wood essence, galloped forward, punching a Ghost Saint away; Kui Water ice crystals overflowed, and a dragon soared through the nine heavens, attacking the Underworld's forces; Xu Earth trembled, and a Qilin beast, surrounded by bright yellow light, charged at the Corpse Path Holy King.

Aside from the beings with chaotic blood, strange beasts with the five elements bloodlines also appeared one after another, and all of them were at the level of saints or saint kings. I did not see any beings below the saint realm barrier. It was as if they had always maintained this level of cultivation since birth and had never changed.

“There don’t seem to be any native creatures in this sacred land. They are all artificially cultivated products. They are either of the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, or contain chaotic blood. Could this be the experimental field of the Boundless Heavenly Venerable?” Duan De’s expression was inscrutable. He felt that he had discovered something extraordinary.

Wang Hongwu also noticed that these beings were indeed extraordinary and powerful, but it seemed that because they were artificially created, they could not continue to cultivate and become stronger. They would remain at the level of cultivation they were born with for their entire lives. Although they were all saints, they were forever trapped here. At most, they could only be saint kings. In fact, he had not seen any beings comparable to great saints for so long.

This is enough to prove something and make the two of them wary. After the Boundless Heavenly Venerable targeted the Chaos Body, it was not a period of inactivity, but rather a period of continuous collection of blood for evolution and experimentation, which led to the creation of these beings.

Without delay, they traversed this sacred land swiftly. The mountains and rivers along the way were magnificent, and the spiritual energy was so dense that it was impossible to breathe. They truly felt the preciousness of this place of cultivation. In addition to the ferocious birds and beasts that roamed the heavens and earth and the ancient medicines that were everywhere, there was also a lot of spiritual land.

The two encountered several sacred cultivation sites, brimming with auspicious energy, and some lakes, colorful and vibrant, which could be called spiritual lakes, overflowing with vital energy.

Wang Hongwu even witnessed the evolution of the source. In some places, the essence of heaven and earth was concentrated into liquid and crystallized, each crystal being clear and shiny.

Not far away, a Golden Crow Demon Saint from the Fire Mulberry Star was locked in a fierce battle with a Flood Dragon. The two were locked in a close fight, all for the sake of a rare fruit that could strengthen the bloodline of a great demon, causing blood to splatter across the sky.

"Little Fire Dragon, come quick! There's something good here!" Duan De suddenly exclaimed. He had discovered a spirit pool in a valley. It was only about ten feet long, but the spirit energy inside was rising and shimmering with light. Spiritual herbs and ancient medicines grew all around. The gushing liquid in the pool was extraordinary. It was the essence exhaled by the head of the earth vein dragon, a precious liquid nurtured by the earth, rare and precious.

"Is this dragon's saliva?" Wang Hongwu's expression changed. This stuff was very beneficial to the dragon descendants, so he immediately took it. Just then, a violent fluctuation suddenly erupted in the distant sky.

There, a dim figure emerged, manifesting in the sky. It could almost be said to be the embodiment of the Great Dao, suppressing the eternal blue sky. It was too blurry to be seen clearly.

With his appearance, the heavens and earth rumbled, and all the paths resonated, as if facing an immortal ancient god.

A living being? Or a trace of the Dao? Wang Hongwu's expression hardened. With its appearance, the sound of the Dao filled the heavens and earth. The blurry figure chanted the true scriptures, causing the universe to roar and explaining the unchanging principles of the star fields, which moved people and gradually made them intoxicated.

Moreover, a bizarre scene unfolded. As he chanted scriptures, all the living beings within the Chaotic Divine Land prostrated themselves, worshipping devoutly as if they were paying homage to an supreme deity. At a glance, their numbers far exceeded a million, perhaps even hundreds of millions. And they were only on the outermost edge of the Divine Land; there were other interconnected worlds deep within.

At this moment, the power emanating from these beings' worship converged, forming the pure power of faith, which was then collected by the illusory figure in the sky and vanished.

Wang Hongwu's expression suddenly turned serious. The thought that this process might have lasted silently for hundreds of thousands of years in the heavens made his scalp tingle. What would the pure and terrifying will power accumulated over such a long time create?
For millions of years, hundreds of millions of living beings have worshipped day and night, spanning two eras. He wouldn't believe it if it didn't produce something.

“Boundless Heavenly Venerable.” Duan De sighed and uttered the name. He recognized the illusory figure as the former Boundless Heavenly Venerable.

I just don't know why they would do something like this.

It is safe to say that if what they saw and heard today were to spread, it would definitely shake the world, and might even prompt the beings within the forbidden zone of life to send out their people to investigate.

The fact that the Chaos Divine Land could so confidently allow them to enter and see these things without fear of them being spread suggests only one possibility.

Anyone who comes in will die.

Thinking of this possibility, Duan De became even more silent, simply deducing and moving forward, seemingly searching for something.

As they traversed mountains and valleys, they encountered many figures who had previously ventured into the divine land, and even some strangers who had clearly followed them in seeking opportunities. However, they were all wary of each other, and no one suggested traveling together.

Some even tried to attack them, but failed and were swallowed up by a giant Kun in the mist.

Three days later, they arrived at a magnificent, collapsed palace and saw a sealed array of patterns, which seemed to be concealing some kind of ferocious creature.

"Special array patterns from the mythological era? Heh, apart from Daoist Master, I'm afraid no one in this era can decipher them." Duan De exclaimed. Being an expert in this area, he took the lead and stepped forward to decipher them. In just a few breaths, streaks of blood-red light shot into the sky, transforming into human faces that seemed to be crying or struggling, filled with a mysterious and eerie feeling.

Opening his Heavenly Eye, Wang Hongwu instantly saw through the illusion and pulled out a golden evil sword from it. It was forged from the blood, bones, and soul fire of many powerful beings and creatures. It could be said to possess boundless malevolence and was a sword of calamity. Just facing it directly caused one's primordial spirit to ache.

"This thing is a reverse attempt at the power of will. If the power of faith, which is a prayer for progress, is the positive force, then the power of curses and resentment is the negative force. The underworld has studied this very deeply. The Boundless Heavenly Venerable did not choose this direction, but instead focused on the evolution of divine thoughts and faith bodies. Did he succeed in the end?"

Even Duan De can't be sure now. Those who can become Heavenly Venerables are naturally not easy people. Their various arrangements and backup plans are enough to span countless ages, not to mention that they also involve beings like the Chaos Body.

"This thing isn't a high-grade magic weapon, but a secret treasure specifically designed to counter the power of will?" Wang Hongwu was surprised. It was somewhat similar to the God-Slaying Whip of later generations, except that it was designed to counter the power of will, making it the most effective. He wondered why the Boundless Heavenly Venerable would leave this thing in his own temple.
Was it an unintentional act, or was it something they were guarding against?
The two exchanged a glance, a terrifying thought flashing through their minds: Could it be that they were saving it to deal with the divine thoughts of the Boundless Heavenly Venerable?!

Wang Hongwu picked up the sword and brandished it a couple of times. He immediately felt an endless killing intent, as if he were slaughtering one star field after another. The remaining specks of willpower around him were swept away, which instead made the sword's luster even more intense.

Just then, a sigh seemed to emanate from within the sword, and remnants of divine consciousness from long ago resounded forth:

"If the law is wrong, it can be cut down with a sword to prevent future troubles; but if the path is wrong, what can be done? The consequences will be endless!"

The voice sounded somewhat weary and helpless, which was puzzling.

Wang Hongwu looked at Duan De and saw him nod. Clearly, this was the voice of the Boundless Heavenly Venerable.

After creating this secret treasure targeting the power of will, he sighed, seemingly questioning what he had been exploring.

If the law is wrong, it can be understood, but if the path is wrong, how can that be explained?
(End of this chapter)