The Ancient Saint Emperor of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 207 The Underworld Lord, the Bright Lord, the Emperor Lord
There is a divine city on Phoenix Mountain, and immortal eggs are offered on the parasol tree.

A legendary phoenix passed away, leaving behind offspring who unexpectedly encountered Wang Hongwu. This altered her birth and reversed her life trajectory, gradually connecting two vastly different historical periods.

At this moment, feeling the tender aura within the fairy egg, Wang Hongwu was somewhat speechless. It seemed to resemble the Heavenly Emperor's daughter. Combining this with what he had seen and heard, he roughly understood that he had encountered the Immortal Heavenly Emperor!

However, the current emperor is still in its infancy, and he himself is located within the corresponding fragment of the immortal realm.

Unexpectedly, while later emperors and venerables sought the immortal realm and the land of eternal life, he stepped into it so easily. Originally, his later laws conflicted with this world, but his old laws operated perfectly and merged with this world.

The Yin-Yang Dao Seed, the Five Elements Dao Seed, the Primordial Universe Dao Seed, and the Nine Dragon Coffin Seed all flew out, absorbing immortal energy and longevity substances here to transform and ascend towards becoming immortal seeds.

Of course, although there are longevity substances here, they are not so easy to collect. Wang Hongwu held the Six Paths Reincarnation Disc for a long time and only managed to collect a portion from the cracked land.

But that's enough. For experts of the Imperial Path, these are all supreme treasures that can prolong life. However, since it's only one dose, its effect is still not as good as the Immortal Elixir. It can only be reused.

He cultivated diligently here, improving his old cultivation methods and even using the Eight-Nine Heavens Technique to draw in the true phoenix essence blood surrounding the immortal egg. The egg had already taken shape, so its function was barely worthwhile. Wang Hongwu then took it to help him transform.

The sacrificial bowl at his waist shone brightly, and the supreme essence he had collected earlier suddenly ignited and boiled violently, causing the essence blood to sublimate. He traced the remnants within to uncover the mysteries and inheritance of the True Phoenix.

Boom! In an instant, flames soared into the sky, burning the heavens and earth. The intense heat distorted the very fabric of the world. This flame could even harm a supreme being. It completely enveloped Wang Hongwu, as if he were to undergo a nirvana and transform into a powerful being.

The legend of the phoenix rising from the ashes is widely known, and the blood of this race is arguably the most precious in the world.

Suddenly, the wind howled and thunder roared, accompanied by lightning and thunder.

The phoenix's cry was high-pitched. On Wang Hongwu's body, the True Phoenix Blood Veins were densely covered like a net. Fragments of the Bloodline Laws moved and traveled through his flesh. That power was extremely domineering and moved at great speed, causing various parts to expand and transform into one after another protruding dragons and snakes. Gradually, his flesh was melting and disintegrating, but at the same time it was also reorganizing and being reborn, producing tremendous changes.

The concept of rebirth from the ashes is vividly portrayed at this moment, with a surge of boundless life force and the aura of the Great Dao being nurtured, churning and spreading.

A century has passed in the blink of an eye.

That year, Wang Hongwu was already four hundred years old. After completing his transformation, the surging flames on this land immediately subsided. Only a phoenix cry shook the heavens. One could see that on his body, which was bathed in the flames, a true phoenix was flying around him and dancing with him.

Immediately, a surge of chaotic energy erupted from his body, and this flame transformed into a chaotic divine fire, unprecedentedly intense, threatening to incinerate the heavens and annihilate everything in the world. Such a Daoist aura was terrifying, capable of evolving into a royal killing technique.

"Is the True Phoenix's inheritance because its essence and blood are perfectly preserved, giving it an extra quality compared to other inheritances?"

In Wang Hongwu's mind, however, he was comprehending the mysteries of this lineage. Those patterns were extremely complex, like the stars in the sky, ever-changing and indescribably wonderful.

This is no ordinary scripture. It contains some immortal script, but more than 90% of it consists of Dao patterns, which interpret the most essential rules and the power of the Great Dao. It is constantly changing and elucidates the original mysteries of the True Phoenix.

Phoenix Soars Through the Nine Heavens! Suddenly, he spread his arms, and a layer of five-colored flames danced and adhered to his body, as brilliant as phoenix feathers, evolving into a divine power. A fiery red true phoenix spread its wings and soared into the sky, sweeping across the three thousand realms and severing the nine heavens. It was one of the scattered hand variations of the Divine Phoenix Treasure Technique.

The next moment, Wang Hongwu swiftly reached out, and with a single grab of his five fingers, the sky shattered, and the flames that burst forth shot out into the heavens, leaving behind a claw mark that stretched across the starry sky. This was the Flying Phoenix Claw, also known as a freehand technique.

When he activated the last power, the legendary power of the Heavenly Phoenix flowed through his entire body, and two silver beams shot out from his pupils, transforming into two metal phoenixes soaring with towering white flames. This was the True Phoenix Burning Heaven Technique!
With two great free-style techniques and a deadly strike, he achieved extraordinary results.

Furthermore, the Divine Forbidden Domain also broke through again under this Nirvana, overturning the ceiling and reaching the sixteenth level!
"The characteristics of the True Phoenix have enabled my old method to reach the late stage of the Supreme Realm, and my new method has also been sublimated, touching the Eighth Heaven. I can undergo tribulation at any time."

With a thought, Wang Hongwu's ultimate ancestral body reappeared. In addition to the Kunpeng Wings and Golden Crow Wings, a pair of True Phoenix Wings grew on his back. The flapping of the three pairs of immortal wings made him incredibly fast, far surpassing the Supreme Being. Furthermore, the Heavenly Phoenix Fire swirled around his body, forming auspicious patterns like ribbons of light. These were all manifestations of the True Phoenix's characteristics, further enhancing his battle physique.

Most importantly, he achieved a breakthrough in his realm, advancing from the old method to the late stage of the Supreme Realm, and his new method also leaped to the eighth level, bringing down a vast calamity.

Here, no one would hinder his tribulation or prevent him from breaking through. The tribulation proceeded smoothly, and after three days of continuous bombardment, it dissipated, leaving only Wang Hongwu, whose strength had greatly increased, standing in the same spot.

Now, he can kill even the most powerful beings who have severed themselves. Even if a supreme being were to fight him after reaching the pinnacle of their power, they could still fight to the death.

"I really want to catch a Supreme Being right now and practice my skills, kill one." He felt his strength growing and was very satisfied. Even in the fragments of the Immortal Realm, this level of strength would be enough to protect him.

After he completed his transformation into a divine phoenix, the aura within the divine egg became more intimate with him, as if recognizing him as an important person.

"Come, call me Father." He touched the fairy egg, trying to instill some knowledge in it, but a childlike consciousness came from the fairy egg: "Mother and Father have both passed away. Aren't you my brother?"

Brother? Wang Hongwu's expression was strange, and he didn't know what else to say. He also had the True Phoenix Law and characteristics within his body, and with the help of pushing it to be born, this title was not unreasonable.

Out of gratitude, he transformed the True Phoenix Scattered Hand technique he had comprehended into a brand and implanted it into the immortal egg for cultivation. It was unknown how long it would take for the egg to be born. The remaining phoenix blood after its sublimation was also injected into the egg, which could at least help the egg's bloodline return to its ancestral form and advance further.

After doing all this, Wang Hongwu left and explored the fragment. After an unknown amount of time, the cracks in the outside world grew larger and larger, and gradually stabilized.

“On the other side of this crevice, there is the aura of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.” Wang Hongwu pondered. With the Six Paths Reincarnation Disc protecting him, he could protect himself enough to pass through it. After all, even the young Undying Emperor had passed through unharmed, so it was even less likely that he, with his imperial battle power, would be in danger. He immediately stepped into it.

However, he was unaware that after he left, the gaze within the immortal egg remained fixed on the rift in the immortal realm, silently leaving behind a thought.

On the other side, inside the crack passage, a kaleidoscope of colors flashed by, with scenes from various eras appearing in a chaotic and bizarre manner. The past and future were intertwined and coexisted, making it impossible to tell where one was.

"The difference in the flow of time is really that great? By the time I reach the other side, a thousand years will probably have passed in the Immortal Realm fragments."

Wang Hongwu had a thought: as he traveled, he also witnessed scenes from the mythological era.

There was a Heavenly Venerable who transcended tribulations, who passed down the true method of reincarnation and established the Underworld; there was a Heavenly Venerable of Morality who spread the essence of Taoism and taught all living beings with the Taoist scriptures... When he arrived at a magnificent and turbulent point, he paused slightly because he saw a familiar face, the Heavenly Venerable of Lingbao!

"Open the heavens and ask the immortals, forge my path to immortality!" Lingbao Tianzun used the array diagram and the four great killing swords to attack the heavens and try to enter the path to immortality, but he encountered a terrifying creature with a broken immortal corpse and a spirit. Strictly speaking, this was a corpse calamity, a remnant of the ancient catastrophe and the disaster of the underworld.

He fought fiercely with it, and finally killed the spirit-possessed immortal corpse at the cost of serious injury. Of course, this was also because the opponent was already severely damaged; otherwise, a true spirit-possessed immortal corpse would be extremely terrifying. After this battle, Lingbao Tianzun's foundation was damaged, and the Longevity Method was also affected. He had to start the Sleeping Nirvana prematurely in order to live out his next life.

After roughly understanding what had happened back then, Wang Hongwu stepped forward again and met one Celestial Venerable after another, including Xiaoyao, Changsheng, and Wuliang Tianzun.

"Alas, I wonder how you are now." He sighed softly. Before leaving, Wuliang's fate was unknown. His remaining body merged with the fragments of the Chaos Body and fell into the Ancient Star Domain of Spirit Treasure.

Perhaps in the end he will reappear with Lingbao Tianzun.

After passing through several more nodes, Wang Hongwu saw a light blue planet. In the center of the planet was an infant, and a vast aura was spreading out. This infant was growing rapidly and transformed into a man, extremely majestic, looking down on all living beings. He seemed to be accepting the kowtows of all living beings and the worship of all emperors.

It appeared with such immense power that it seemed to drain the universe dry, causing everything to wither. The Great Dao grew ever higher, its essence dwindled, and all the primordial energy surged wildly towards it, striving to forge an immortal golden body there. "Is this when the Emperor is reborn in his second life?" Wang Hongwu exclaimed in surprise. This was quite a coincidence.

Earth is the homeland of the Emperor, so it makes sense that he underwent a transformation there. He was the most terrifying person in the world, the last Celestial Venerable of the mythological era. Later, he abandoned all divine arts, laws, and even cultivation, and disappeared.

When he reappeared in the world, he was an infant, born and raised by the earth. As soon as he came into the world, he absorbed the essence of all things in the universe, becoming supremely honored and incomparable. Such a feat had never been seen before in all of history. Later, he was known as the Emperor, ending the rule of the supreme mythological era of the Heavenly Venerable, suppressing other imperial paths, and becoming the most honored person in all of history.

Wang Hongwu, who should have already passed through the passage, lingered here for a long time, observing the past events of the Emperor. As a result, the flow of time changed, and the route became different from the original one.

He vaguely saw a flash of light pass by, and it exited the passage before him.

Here, he watched as the Emperor created brilliance, established the Heavenly Court, and looked down upon all directions. Then he began to study the possibility of going further, seeking immortal artifacts and pursuing the immortal realm.

Just after this point, the passage came to an end, and through the blurry boundary, he saw a light blue star.

That's Earth.

·
The majestic Kunlun Mountains, vast and expansive, stretch across millennia and command the eight directions.

This is a primeval and wild fairyland, with no end in sight. Facing it is like facing a vast starry sky. Every mountain is terrifyingly tall, shrouded in clouds and mist, like a primordial chaos, filled with the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

If you were to soar to the heavens, you would discover that this is a sleeping dragon, with countless giant mountains forming its spine, lying horizontally and coiled, displaying a myriad of magnificent forms.

At that moment, the ground trembled slightly, and heavy footsteps came from afar. Several enormous creatures appeared, each over ten feet tall, and the ground shook with each step they took.

These creatures resemble giant apes, but they have a spiral horn between their eyebrows. They are blood red with thick fur, and their eyes shine like torches. They are gazing at an area in the distance, filled with fear, and dare not approach, from which the sound of chiseling can be heard continuously.

It's like someone is excavating some kind of ancient site.

Clang! There, a round figure wearing a Taoist robe was digging in the ground. The robe he wore was loose and woven from several kinds of immortal gold threads. It was a supreme treasure. The weapon he used to dig was a divine weapon. He carved out a ruin.

"Digging through eternity, sweeping away the ages, I have indeed discovered another good place. My good disciple, you will thank me. This is a remnant of the ancient underworld, suspected to be connected to some ancient place. It is bound to bring great fortune."

As he worked, the ruins did indeed change, especially as some boulders emerged from the ground, one after another, like tombstones, more magnificent than mountains.

These boulders are engraved with many ancient characters, so ancient that they are unrecognizable. After this area was created, the place suddenly turned gray and cracked open. A long river of time flowed through it, and chaotic mist churned, revealing a huge fissure.

The fat Taoist priest nodded as he looked at all this, and said proudly, "Hmm, I am indeed extraordinary, having unearthed a once-in-a-millennium rift in the Immortal Realm!"

From the crack, a figure began to emerge, like an unimaginable master, accompanied by a rich aura of immortality, whose realm and strength were unfathomable.

"How strange! Could it be that I, the venerable one, am blessed with good fortune and have actually encountered a celestial being who has crossed two realms and descended upon this world?" The fat Taoist was filled with doubt and looked at the situation carefully. The next moment, a gust of wind blew by, and the chaotic energy surged violently. From that passage, an ancient and vicissitude-like aura was revealed.

"Hmm?" At that moment, the figure in the passage looked over, stared at the fat Taoist priest, and let out a soft exclamation.

"Greetings, senior!" In the end, the fat Taoist was so overwhelmed by the power of the Immortal Realm fragment that he truly believed that terrifying beings had descended from that land. So he bowed and prepared to try to get closer to them.

This Taoist priest possessed a profound understanding of imperial laws and an unparalleled divine power, but his tone and demeanor did not resemble that of a highly accomplished person; rather, he seemed somewhat unruly and dissolute.

"Old Duan? Why are you calling me senior? You came along too?" Wang Hongwu was surprised as he walked out of the passage. He didn't expect to run into an acquaintance as soon as he came out of the rift. Could something have happened?
"Old Duan?" The Taoist priest was taken aback. He looked around before realizing he was being addressed. He then realized this wasn't some important figure from the Immortal Realm. He pursed his lips, glanced sideways, and said, "Nonsense! Where did this brat come from, daring to get close to me! I, Cao Tianzun, don't know anyone surnamed Duan!"

As he spoke, an unprecedentedly powerful imperial aura erupted from his body, sweeping across the heavens, revealing him to be an imperial figure himself.

But then the person opposite him chuckled, his aura rising as well, with wisps of imperial authority flowing through him. He nodded and said, "Indeed, from now on I should call you the Underworld Lord."

The Lord of the Underworld, Cao Yusheng!

"But it doesn't matter. Let me see how strong you are now." Wang Hongwu laughed. He had never seen Duan Pangzi in his serious state before. He raised his hand and grabbed, his five fingers piercing through the void and covered with a dazzling five-colored immortal light. A true phoenix dharma form appeared, and its two claws grabbed over at the same time.

True Phoenix Sanshou·Flying Phoenix Claw!
"How come I don't remember ever seeing you? I have no memory of ever having any contact with you in my previous life." The Underworld Lord, now Cao Yusheng, or even the Source Emperor, is a man of extraordinary abilities and is not afraid of such things. His strength is truly formidable. He uttered a deep shout: "Transcending Tribulation Immortal Technique!"

In an instant, a myriad of paths roared, and the immeasurable heavenly tribulation was drawn in, evolving into a Dao diagram in his hand. It clashed with the Phoenix Claw, causing the universe to tremble violently. The roar was no less than the clash between two Dao Venerables.

"You? You're clearly only at the eighth level of Quasi-Emperor, how can you have such combat power?" Cao Yusheng was astonished. Could this really be a heaven-defying figure from the Immortal Realm? To have strength comparable to a Heavenly Venerable without even achieving Dao?
Just then, another person noticed the change in the area and turned to look.

"Master, you've broken through the ancient world again." A voice rang out, and a person appeared silently in the arena.

Cao Yusheng glanced at Wang Hongwu, then stopped and stood up, saying, "I've dug all over the world, that's how I attained enlightenment back then! I seriously suspect that one day when I dig open that ultimate ancient tomb, it will be like piercing through a layer of paper, and suddenly I will see a vast territory, colorful and vibrant, with immortal energy forming a sea, connecting this dilapidated place! Look, haven't I just dug out a great rift in the immortal realm like this?"

Nodding, the newcomer said nothing more. He was not his true form incarnate, but he possessed an unparalleled majesty that commanded respect from all directions.

He looked at Wang Hongwu with a strange light in his eyes, as if he had noticed something, and couldn't help but murmur, "To be able to cultivate the old methods to this level, could you be someone who came from the Primordial Ancient Mine or Burial Sky Island?"

"No, in a sense, I come from the Immortal Realm." Wang Hongwu shook his head and told the truth. He did indeed come from a fragment of the Immortal Realm. Duan De had also mentioned this to him, so it was impossible to hide it from him.

Hmm? Another one from the Immortal Realm!

Upon hearing this, the newcomer's expression immediately hardened, as if he had heard something extraordinary. He immediately rolled up his sleeves, sealing off all external influences, and said, "Then, fellow Daoist, would you be willing to enter the Heavenly Court for a discussion?"

"Who is this fellow Daoist?" Wang Hongwu's heart stirred, and he had a guess, but he couldn't reveal it directly. After all, he came from the Immortal Realm, so how could he know so much about the mortal world?
“He is an Emperor.” Cao Yusheng interjected, finally confirming Wang Hongwu’s guess that he had encountered the most powerful being of this era.

Heaven, earth, man, gods, and ghosts all worship him, the Lord of the Heavenly Court, the Emperor!

The Emperor's avatar nodded slightly, and then Cao Yusheng looked over again, asking in confusion, "And you? With such strength, you can't be an unknown person. You must have a name. Which Heavenly Venerable are you?"

I?
Upon hearing this, Wang Hongwu's aura suddenly deepened, as if he had become a different person. He was full of vigor and his eyes were sharp and piercing, like a celestial being reincarnated. He had a soaring spirit that could break through the nine heavens. Beneath his feet, boundless chaotic energy surged, and behind his head, a red sun and a white moon suddenly appeared. The sun was the sun and holy; the moon was the moon and divine. The sun and moon rose together, shining brightly in all directions, and were revered by all throughout history.

Yin and Yang are one, the sun and moon shine together, he said proudly, "You may call me, Venerable Ming."

(End of this chapter)