The Ancient Saint Emperor of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 163 Array Diagram, Divine Pool, Dao Palace Scripture, Myth Ends at the Imperial Pass (6K)

With four swords wielded separately and the battle formation receding into the distance, the great battle among the young supreme beings completely altered the landscape of this world.

The vast divine realm fell into a deathly silence, while a hurricane roared in the hearts of the saints.

"These four will likely be the final contenders for the ultimate imperial pass."

"They're too powerful! Everyone got a killing sword, especially that Saint Venerable, who was the first to subdue it and even caught up with the array diagram. He'll likely take it into his possession as well!"

"I suspect he is the strongest of the four. Perhaps only that mysterious Taoist priest can fight him to the death."

People were amazed, stunned, and found it hard to believe that so many things could happen in such a short time; it was too fast and too bizarre.

Today, the most ancient sacred mountain has turned to dust, and all the power of faith accumulated over countless years has been exhausted.

In this battle, almost everyone in the divine realm perished, the other shore vanished completely, leaving only emptiness, wounds and blood, burying the life of an entire realm.

"What a losing proposition! In the end, we got nothing at all!"

"Where is the supreme artifact of the Kunlun clan? Where is the divine pot of the Light Clan? Both Great Saints are dead, where are their weapons now?"

"What a waste of time! It's infuriating!"

The saints were furious. In the end, this was the result. They had gained nothing and were filled with resentment. Their faces were ashen, and they felt frustrated and depressed.

Deep within the shattered divine realm, many still exist, pursuing the spirit treasure array diagram.

"Look! That's the Supreme Divine Diagram!" "Chase it! I see the figure of the Great Sage of the Primordial Demon!"

The journey was filled with commotion, and all the creatures in the vicinity were stunned by the divine image appearing out of nowhere, and then chased after it with unparalleled fervor.

Wang Hongwu showed no mercy. With a tremor of his killing sword, thousands upon thousands of chaotic sword beams slashed down, engulfing the area in a sea of ​​blood light, slaying all those who stood in his way, leaving not a single one alive.

The killing sword has been subdued?! The Great Sage Yuanmo, who had narrowly escaped, was horrified. He then realized that it was that Holy Venerable who had chased after him. His expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to say something, Wang Hongwu had already unleashed the killing sword.

puff!
The sword light roared in, cleaving through the nine heavens. This was a fatal blow, one that even the greatest hero could not withstand. The Great Sage of the Primordial Demon, who had once clamored to avenge his race, was shattered to pieces before he could utter a single word.

From then on, no one pursued the divine map anymore; only Wang Hongwu followed it as it descended, eventually arriving at the edge of a deep pool.

Within this pool, a silvery liquid, like mercury, flowed, followed by alternating flows of golden liquid, shimmering brilliantly, before finally transforming into a transparent liquid, constantly rotating.

"The Divine Soul Pool?" Having personally witnessed the Reincarnation Lake, Wang Hongwu naturally recognized this legendary secret land, which was said to be composed of the primordial spirits of imperial experts and possessed unpredictable and mysterious effects.

The divine image floats here, constantly rotating, as if trying to drive away this divine pool.

Wang Hongwu's expression shifted. The Reincarnation Lake was left by the Underworld Lord; the Flying Immortal Waterfall and the Divine Soul Pool were both left by the Undying Heavenly Emperor. But strangely, the Heavenly Emperor was the one who created the Primordial Era at the end of the mythology. Why would his Divine Soul Pool be in the Dao Palace of the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Lord?
This can only mean that the Emperor visited Lingbao Tianzun's Dao Palace and carried out a huge plan there, which led to the creation of something like the Divine Soul Pool. To exaggerate a bit, it might even be related to Lingbao's failed transformation.

Whoosh! Under the impact of the array diagram, the Divine Soul Pool gradually rippled, spreading out waves, but only reflecting the image of Wang Hongwu.

Their faces were all the same, but their temperaments were similar yet different.

The sun and moon revolve around him, and chaotic energy rises from him. A hexagonal wheel hangs behind his head. Although he has not attained enlightenment, he can still be called a venerable one.

Wang Hongwu's expression shifted. Was that the Mingzun reflected in the image?

"I can know that the Venerable One is me, but there are two possibilities. One is that my initial time travel was actually to the mythical era, and I went through changes and reincarnations to become what I am now. The other is that the present is a construction of the past and future because I went back in time through the Six Paths of Reincarnation, which created a new history."

With a slight thought, he approached the Divine Soul Pool, wanting to observe it more closely.

As a result, something strange happened. The pool of water seemed to sense something and began to vibrate violently. It shrank continuously and turned into a drop of water that entered Wang Hongwu's body.

Whoosh! The Chaos Green Lotus swayed slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with the divine pool taking up its place. The four Six Paths Reincarnation Discs glowed faintly, guiding it to float quietly above.

As the Lake of Reincarnation disappeared, the Spirit Treasure Array Diagram also calmed down, resonating with the Killing Sword and floating there.

"None of these Heavenly Venerables and Ancient Emperors are honest," Wang Hongwu sighed. He then activated the Salvation Scripture, aligning it with the array diagram, and attempted to collect it.

The process went unexpectedly smoothly. It seemed that with the Killing Sword and the Ancient God Stele in hand, and having comprehended the secret of word formation, the array diagram had already recognized him and could be driven to operate.

As soon as Wang Hongwu had a thought, the atmosphere here completely changed. It was completely different. The killing intent was bone-chilling, the tragic aura was overwhelming, and the world was covered in blood red, with a pungent smell of blood.

There, a formation diagram slowly rotated, the chaotic energy was hazy, the laws of the Great Dao spread, and a killing sword hung on it, revealing a terrifying aura. It could kill a Great Sage, suppress a Supreme Artifact, and was even stronger than other Extreme Dao Divine Weapons.

The reason why the array diagram is stronger than other royal artifacts is that Lingbao Tianzun's array formation skills are unparalleled. He incorporated the secret inscription of characters into the killing array diagram. This diagram is an alternative Nine Secrets Forbidden Domain, which is equivalent to royal artifact plus royal array. In addition, there are four killing swords that are said to have drunk immortal blood. Therefore, it is unparalleled and is considered to be the strongest "set" of Dao weapons under the Three Immortal Artifacts.

It is said that as long as the sword formation is complete and presided over by the Emperor, it can definitely kill even the most powerful Emperors and Venerables.

"Although I only have one killing sword, I still have the Sun Emperor Tower, the Stone Token, and the Eastern Emperor Bell, which can fill the remaining three array gates. Moreover, I can borrow the Heavenly Empress to replace the Eastern Emperor Bell with another sword, which will surely unleash the terrifying power of this array." Wang Hongwu is not expecting to affect the Imperial Way now, but he is thinking about something else.

If I were to reach the peak of the Great Sage realm, and combine the Divine Restriction with the All-Word Secret, along with the Four Swords and the Array Diagram, and summon the Sun Emperor Tower to form a killing array with the other three holders of the Imperial Weapons, would I be able to "shake" a being who has just entered the Quasi-Emperor realm?
This is a difficult question to answer, since this field has never been challenged throughout history.

As he pondered, the array diagram shifted, taking the killing sword into it and embedding it between Wang Hongwu's eyebrows, merging with the sun pattern to become even more profound and mysterious, like a mythical universe spinning there, enough to absorb the soul of a holy king.

After collecting the array diagrams, he did not rush to leave, but returned to the location of the Dao Palace.

At this point, the divine planets were no longer there; only a boiling sea of ​​essence remained, where the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth) danced together, creating a scene reminiscent of the creation of the world.

"You've already subdued the array diagram?" The Heavenly Empress was still waiting here. Upon seeing him, she quickly stepped forward, her eyes fixed intently on him. Wang Hongwu nodded and said, "Of course. There might be times in the future when I'll need your help."

"That's easy. We'll take the array diagram and settle accounts with Kunlun. Let those remnants wake up!" The Heavenly Empress immediately had an idea. Once the two of them became Great Saints, they could seek revenge on those remnants. However, they also had to be wary of those guys having sealed Quasi-Emperors. Even a Great Saint wielding an Extreme Dao Divine Weapon could not contend with such an existence.

"If we really want to attack the Kunlun tribe's territory, we need to plan this carefully." Wang Hongwu thought of the Serpent Supreme being sealed under the Flying Immortal Star. Although destroying the Kunlun remnants would definitely not affect it, as it was locked up tightly by the Emperor, it would be a blessing if it were not sacrificed, let alone be reborn. But there was no guarantee that something unexpected would happen, so it would be safer to bring the Holy Emperor along.

Then, he sat down cross-legged on the spot, collected the five elements of immortal energy into his body, and began to deduce his own Dao Palace scriptures.

"You really are putting on airs. We've been waiting for you for so long, and now that you're here, I have to protect you." The Empress complained, but her body remained obedient as she stood guard to the side.

Soon after, the Divine Blood Overlord also arrived. His name was Shen Chen, and he was taciturn. He looked straight to the heart, longing to go a step further from the Divine Blood and reach, or even surpass, the level of the gods of yesteryear. This heir of the ancient Heavenly Court could help him.

The fact that a young supreme being has become a follower is a world-renowned event on the ancient road.

When they saw that it was real, the saints from all walks of life couldn't help but gasp. This was a true supreme being. With a future quasi-emperor following him, they dared not imagine how glorious and powerful his lineage would become in the future.

Amidst the five colors and five energies, the Salvation Scripture practiced by Wang Hongwu and the secret realm of the Dao Palace produced a wondrous reaction, causing the five great divine treasures to resonate and vibrate.

According to the Lingbao Secret Arts, the most noble of the heavenly gods is Taiyi, whose assistant is the Five Emperors, who command the ghost soldiers and are also known as the Five Great Demon Emperors. They govern the gods of the five directions in the heavens (east, south, center, and northwest) and the ghosts and gods of the five famous mountains on earth. Moreover, they also govern the spirit of the five internal organs in the human body.

The way to strengthen the five internal organs is to completely transform the human body's organs into these five gods, turning them into true life forms, breaking away from the original framework of the human body, and creating a temple for the five internal organs, a divine realm.

As time passed in his cultivation, year after year, driven by this practice, Wang Hongwu's five internal organs had developed a temple dedicated to them, and even underwent a miraculous transformation:
The liver of wood transformed into the Azure Emperor, who wore a jade crown of cyan essence and a robe of nine-elemental cyan feathers. He rode a blue dragon, raised a quail banner, and was accompanied by the gods Jia and Yi, and commanded nine hundred thousand officials and generals. He guided the harmonious energy of the nine heavens above and drew the fragrance of the nine springs below, nourishing the two elements to ensure their longevity and protecting yin and yang to ensure their eternal prosperity.

The heart of fire manifested as a Crimson Emperor, wearing a crimson jade crown and a robe of three-element crimson feathers. He rode a crimson dragon, raised a vermilion banner, and was accompanied by the gods Bing and Ding, and commanded 300,000 officials. He guided the spiritual transformation of Taiqing Xuanyuan above and harmonized the three elements below, ensuring the eternal existence of all things and governing the southern summer with the essence of heaven.

The spleen of earth transforms into a statue of the Yellow Emperor, wearing a yellow jade crown and a five-colored flying robe, riding a yellow dragon, raising a yellow flag, followed by the gods Wu and Ji, and commanding 120,000 officials and generals; the highest harmony of nature, the lowest spirit of the five earths, heaven and earth guard it without deficiency, yin and yang are used without imbalance.

The metal lungs transformed into a white emperor, wearing a white jade crown and a white feathered robe, riding a white dragon, raising a white banner, accompanied by the gods Geng and Xin, and commanding 700,000 officials; guiding the vast essence to the heavens above and harmonizing all living beings below through the spirit canal.

The water element in the kidneys manifests as a Black Emperor, wearing a crown of mysterious jade and a robe of black feathers. He rides a black dragon, raises a black banner, and is accompanied by the gods Ren and Gui, and commanded by 500,000 officials. He guides the flow of the Five Emperors above, saves all living beings below, protects the two polarities from collapse, and ensures the eternal peace of all life.

At this moment, the Five Emperors and the masses surrounded him, shouting in unison, "Donghuang Taiyi".

In worship and reverence, a thread of faith is born.

These forces, combined with the previously collected Five Elements essence, caused Wang Hongwu's Dao Palace Secret Realm to continuously collapse, forming a colorless seed that floated there. Then, the Five Emperors led their followers into it, instantly filling it with five colors, generating the Five Elements, and creating a grotto-heaven world within.

At this moment, Wang Hongwu sat amidst clouds of blue, yellow, and white, serene and tranquil. Deities such as the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Wu Xuan, Lion, and White Crane were arrayed on his left and right sides, illuminated by the sun and moon, creating a magnificent spectacle. The seed that flew out immediately absorbed the remaining essence of the five elements, threatening to drain the five continents dry—a terrifying prospect. Even the land formed from the five internal organs of the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable trembled at this moment.

Visibly, the torrent of essence that destroyed the divine realm was absorbed and incorporated into the seed, causing it to expand and grow unprecedentedly, even surpassing the Yin-Yang Seed. Although it was still far from becoming an Immortal Seed, it expanded to the limit of the Dao Seed, achieving its goal in one step.

As can be seen, the internal world of the Five Elements has evolved completely, giving birth to a divine realm. The Five Emperors and all living beings thrive and multiply within it, continuously providing the power of faith. It is simply a smaller version of the divine realm.

Thus, Wang Hongwu's Dao Palace Scroll was also written. The scriptures represent his understanding of this secret realm. He regarded it as the Five Internal Organs Temple, cultivating the Five Emperors and Gods and Demons, and building it towards the Divine Realm. This is its 'framework'. As for its 'cultivation path and goal', it is to condense the Qi of the Five Elements, build the Five Internal Organs Temple, transform it into the Five Emperors and Gods and Demons, then create heaven and earth, condense the Divine Realm, and evolve this secret realm towards the 'Five Elements Immortal Seed'.

Those who cultivate along this path will also encounter the Five Emperors and Gods like him, gain the power of faith, and embark on the path of worshipping themselves as gods; this path is very different from traditional methods, it is a unique path.

Boom! In an instant, strange phenomena appeared in the sky, and the creation calamity was about to begin.

Beyond the realm, streaks of light, like fire, burned the dark sky, and many large stars plummeted down, melted, and exploded from the heat!

Then a thick fog rolled in, tinged with black, and chilled to the bone. In an instant, it seemed to freeze the universe and starry sea, and some large stars instantly turned into frozen soil, as if we had returned to the Ice Age, where deathly silence was forever shrouded.

In addition, there is a toxic fire that burns the universe, eroding many celestial bodies, causing them to gradually darken and reach their end.

Various strange phenomena roared and surged one after another, shaking the starry sky, vast and boundless.

After five years of deduction, he finally created the Dao Palace Scroll and condensed the Five Elements Dao Seeds!

"This is the Creation Tribulation?!" "It's the Holy Venerable! He created the scriptures of the Dao Palace Secret Realm!"

"A Holy King Scripture has been created just like that? Why do I feel that it would be of great benefit to my cultivation in the Dao Palace Secret Realm!"

The saints were stunned, witnessing this grand creation tribulation with their own eyes. They watched as the figure, surrounded by the five elements and with a vast divine domain within, broke through the armies of the Five Emperors and fought against the lightning tribulation. He didn't even need to lift a finger; a sweep of five-colored divine light dissipated the entire tribulation cloud.

Even some Great Sages were dumbfounded, because their Dao Palace Secret Realm was yearning for it!
That scripture would be of great benefit to their secret realm, but how is that possible?

They were great sages! Far surpassing even the Sage King, yet they were driven to lose their composure and yearn for a scripture created by the other party. This was truly unheard of and unseen.

"Following such a person is not shameful; in fact, it might even be an honor in the future." Shen Chen sighed inexplicably, clearly seeing the vast difference between the two.

"It's him? Amazing, he's actually taken this step and is ahead of me?" On the star path after leaving the Dao Palace, Ye Chunfeng looked back and happened to see this scene. He was stunned for a moment, and then sighed.

The Human Emperor Nian, standing to the side, nodded in approval, "Indeed, he possesses the potential to surpass even the Emperor. At least at this level, we are no match for him."

"It's somewhat similar to Lingbao's method, but the final path is different. I never expected to encounter such a person in this reincarnation. Once he attains enlightenment, he might be able to rival the Emperor." Wuliang Daoist also sensed this, and his expression gradually became solemn as he disappeared into the starry sky.

Meanwhile, the creation tribulation was finally blasted away, and a figure soared into the sky, stepping on the divine realm, surrounded by the Five Emperors and countless others, with the Yin-Yang Five Elements Seed hanging above his head, overlooking the world.

Taking advantage of the Creation Tribulation, he broke through again, leaping two levels to reach the fifth level of Saint King. With the peak combat power of the Divine Forbidden Realm, he was now equal to the Eighth Heavenly King and could directly face beings who had just entered the Great Saint Realm.

This is also the minimum standard for nomination in the Imperial Pass.

Only those who reach the level of a Great Sage are worthy to embark on that path to contend for supremacy and leap into the Nine Heavens!

"Go!" Before the Empress and Shenchen could observe the situation properly, they were swept away by a powerful force and left the place, embarking on a teleportation path.

With a flash of teleportation light, they traversed countless star fields and finally arrived at an ancient land.

"A head? Is that Lingbao Tianzun's?" After a long time of traversing the universe, they made a discovery. They seemed to have arrived at an ancient domain with living stars. A huge human head lay in front of them, or rather, a star, enormous and ancient, rotating there.

There are many legends about the Heavenly Soldiers Ancient Star. According to records, it was one of the training grounds of the Emperor. The entire ancient star was actually the head of a supreme being, and now it seems that this has indeed come true.

Although it was indeed a head, it couldn't have been cut off by someone, because he was Lingbao Tianzun, who would have the power to cut off his head?
"Wait! Something's happened?"

But a strange scene unfolded. Just as they were about to descend upon this ancient star, a stream of light shot out from the Heavenly Venerable Palace and descended first, enveloping the planet and causing it to shrink continuously until it disappeared.

This conveniently avoided them, and when they looked back, even Lingbao Tianzun's Dao Palace and Wheel Sea were no longer visible!

Could it be that Lingbao Tianzun is truly not dead?
Did they achieve their goal?
Seeing this, Shen Chen was stunned. Wang Hongwu and the Heavenly Empress exchanged a glance, their thoughts inexplicable. They already had the Boundless Heavenly Venerable, and now they were going to have the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Venerable?
That era was truly bustling.

"Let's go and set foot on the ultimate imperial pass and see for ourselves." In the end, Wang Hongwu was filled with heroic spirit and was determined to set foot on the imperial pass. Now, no one could stop him. He swept away the young supreme beings and personally destroyed this generation of ancient roads, which had already shaken all the ancient roads.

When they clashed on the ancient road, heroes stood side by side, and outstanding figures from multiple ancient domains came to attack. But now, once they leave those specific locations, it is difficult to see any vitality even after thousands of generations.

Along the way, Wang Hongwu continued his style of building cities, leaving behind Heavenly Gates, Trial Grounds, and Creation Grounds until he entered a completely new star field before stopping.

In this starry sky, there exists a staircase that defies common sense, paved with bluestone slabs, leading straight ahead. It appears very unusual and mysterious under the dazzling starry sky. As the three of them stepped onto the path, bursts of hymns and hymns resounded, deafening, like scriptures resounding, like ancient gods preaching, enlightening and awakening people.

Just ahead, a city stood tall, its starlight as clear and bright as water, accompanied by a hazy mist, as if one had arrived at a celestial city.

"So a city was built at the last level." Wang Hongwu realized that this was the outpost before entering the Imperial Pass and the last level of the ancient road of the human race. He connected it with the Big Dipper Star Road that he had created, making it exactly one hundred and eight levels.

"The Holy Venerable has arrived? Traveling alongside the Phoenix Lord!" "Has he become invincible throughout the ancient road?"

"What's going on? I have this strange feeling that I'm facing the Great Sage? He's clearly not even a Heavenly King yet!"

When they entered the city, it caused a sensation, and a crowd rushed into the streets to watch from a distance.

Everything that happened on the ancient mythical road was transmitted back, shaking the starry sky of this region.

The Holy Venerable's numerous deeds—almost annihilating all contenders, severing the ancient path, and shattering the dreams of heroes—became known, causing a great shock throughout the ancient starry road.

He was virtually invincible on this path, elusive and unpredictable!
"Even the Divine Blood Supreme has become his follower!" Many cultivators sighed after reading this, feeling a sense of heaviness. To have a young Supreme follow him, what kind of spirit and strength must that take?
It is a remarkable feat that will be recorded in history and may even spark a trend of recruiting masters.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

On this day, even all the high-ranking officials on the ancient road appeared, including the Great Sage. They all treated each other as equals and invited Wang Hongwu inside for a chat.

"The Holy One's construction of the Heavenly Gates is truly a blessing for all generations and a great achievement. We are ashamed and can only prepare some gifts to express our gratitude."

"From the Big Dipper to here, it is truly a grand undertaking. We hope that the Holy One can join us to jointly manage the ancient road and seek the well-being of future generations of our people."

Upon learning of their journey to build the ancient city and open the Heavenly Gate, the saints were filled with admiration and presented them with generous gifts in gratitude.

The news spread, shaking the major star regions. No one expected that the Holy Venerable would personally open up and create an ancient path; his merit was truly immeasurable.

From then on, the high-ranking officials of the Ancient Road revered him as one of the founders of the Ancient Road of the Human Race, and named the last city 'Ziwei City' in his honor. He became one of the leaders and high-ranking officials of the Ancient Road.

At the same time, news of the ancient mythical road spread to all sides, leading many to believe that the ancient celestial being was not dead. Perhaps this was the last bit of encouragement for people to pursue immortality.

In the end, Wang Hongwu left.

After his departure, subsequent visitors, one after another, were deeply moved. Whenever someone came to the last Ziwei City, they couldn't help but discuss the Holy Venerable, all of which were traces and glories of him.

A generation of outstanding individuals, whose prowess shook the ancient road, eventually reached their end, their glorious chapters came to a close, leaving behind endless legends.

Ten years on the road.

Having fought all enemies and observed the laws of the world, Wang Hongwu felt as if he had experienced a prosperous and glorious era. However, upon re-entering the Star Path, he found himself in a desolate and lonely state. This solitary journey, contrasting with the previous battles, gave him a profound understanding of both worldly involvement and detachment, leading to a silent sublimation.

Ten years later, the three of them had arrived at the ultimate place.

Here, a majestic pass stands tall, shrouded in primordial mist, bearing the marks of time and exuding grandeur.

The Imperial Pass is simple and unadorned, with no magnificent creations, but the figures and Dao traces of the great celestial beings and ancient emperors are engraved on the pillars in front of the gate, which surpasses all decorations.

Here, eternal silence reigns, with towering stone pillars rising into the nebula and standing before the majestic pass. Each pillar is a piece of history, etched with the veins of time.

(End of this chapter)