The Ancient Saint Emperor of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 279 Shepherding the Heavens, Shepherd of the Boundary Sea
At the edge of the sea, just like the starting point, there is a causeway surrounded by islands.

At this moment, palaces appeared layer upon layer from the void on the dam and descended down, each connected by a divine rainbow, like a road.

"The Ancient Hall of Reception has appeared once again!"

"It's not that someone landed on the island, but that someone wanted to come out from there?"

Some legendary kings, who had left their mark in ancient books, sat cross-legged on the isolated island, suddenly opened their eyes, and noticed the change.

In particular, a figure wearing chains stepped out from the palace, his body bursting forth with dazzling light that affected the entire sea area, startling many kings who were vying to cross the boundary sea.

"What era is he a master from? Why does he exude such a chilling and oppressive aura?" On an island, a creature stared at the scene, filled with astonishment and uncertainty.

"It feels so familiar, it's even more ancient than the butcher, the chicken farmer, and the fake medicine seller."

"It's him? The ancestor of that other realm, the being who created the cultivation system of that world, he's a truly ancient figure. You could say he's from the same era as those old kings of the Immortal Realm who created their own systems. I never expected him to still be alive?"

"Back then, the king who was the ancestor of the butcher fought a great battle with this person, and then destroyed the Ancient Temple of Guidance and left. Unexpectedly, after countless ages, he sat on the dam and for some reason the butcher came to fight him again. He never left that place again."

On the island, there were some ancient and terrifyingly powerful beings who had been sitting there for countless epochs. They were all awakened one after another, staring in shock at the person in front of them, and realizing the origin of that person.

The progenitor of another realm! The first living being illuminated by the ancient artifact of origin, the first evolver, a figure like the burial master, was among the earliest beings after the appearance of the line of footprints on the dam and the break in history.

"When I first landed, it was an eternal dream. What year is it now?" The alien master was like a corpse, utterly withered. Only one voice existed in his mind, telling him to reclaim the ancient artifact of origin, kill the new evolved being, restore peace to the other side of the boundary sea, and rebuild the alien realm.

There should be no living being in this world who embarks on the path to becoming an emperor!

So he moved, following the guidance of the unseen forces, and charged towards the other side of the Boundary Sea.

"Is he... dead? Or was he dead? Is he a puppet or a living person now?" Even more terrifying, some people saw the chains on the alien master's body that ran from the top of his head to his lower body. They were definitely not chains he had concocted himself. It was as if someone had casually thrown them out, like swatting away mosquitoes, and nailed them through him.

This discovery sent chills down the spines of the local rulers. Could it be that the alien lord of yesteryear had wandered to the other side, only to be wounded by an unknown being and impaled on the dam, becoming a gatekeeper?
Could the one who made this move be... the Emperor?!
In an instant, towering waves surged in the depths of the boundary sea.

On the other side of the border sea lies our ancestral land, a foreign land.

Inside the Golden Temple, Wang Hongwu also sensed something. The ancient artifact trembled and displayed some images, belonging to a past being who had been bathed in light, and finally rose up, ventured into the Boundary Sea, and crossed to the other shore.

But the moment he stepped ashore, it was as if someone blew a breath from the sky, which turned into chains and fell down, plunging everything into darkness and ending in nothingness.

"Is that the alien progenitor that the Immortal King mentioned?" Wang Hongwu understood. This being did indeed emerge during the era of the Emperor's Fall and crossed the Boundary Sea. Strictly speaking, the timeline is that the Immortal Realm Footprint Emperor went to quell the darkness, and then the beings from the other shore created a historical gap, leaving behind the Origin Ancient Artifact for balance. The Burial Master, the Alien Master, and even the Butcher's ancestors were all born during this period.

But the outcomes were all different.

The ancient artifacts suddenly reflecting this scene were a kind of omen, so Wang Hongwu naturally became vigilant. A thousand years later, the dark mother gold that he had painstakingly nurtured with sacred substances was successfully cultivated and manifested before him.

It was a constantly writhing mass of black metallic fluid, with black blood that corroded time and space seeping from its patterns; when it solidified, it was a mass of metal with a black exterior and a purplish-red center, surrounded by chains-like raised patterns.

From that dark mother gold, murmurs could be heard, like living beings, or like heavenly sounds: Forge your cultivation into shackles, lock yourself in, and lock in the cycle of reincarnation. When a cultivator embraces darkness to fight against misfortune, he himself becomes the source of misfortune!

"To fight against misfortune, one must embrace misfortune; indeed, that is why I created you."

Wang Hongwu whispered, then absorbed the dark mother metal into his body and began to fuse and nurture it.

The next moment, this dark mother gold displayed an extraordinary power of reproduction and assimilation. If the mother gold of all things can devour immortal gold upon contact, then this mother gold can assimilate dark matter into mother gold, constantly strengthening itself. As soon as it entered his body, it occupied one-third of his body surface.

“It’s time for you to step up again. Come on, let me see your limits!” Then, Wang Hongwu looked at the ancient artifact of origin, his face showing a kind expression. He pressed one hand on it and began to vigorously absorb the sacred matter.

The entire ancient artifact swayed, as if in resistance or protest. I've never seen such exploitation before; they treat it like a vegetable garden! They come and harvest it, and it never ends.

However, Wang Hongwu saw this level of resistance as seduction, as playing hard to get and coaxing!
He snorted coldly, clenched his five fingers tightly, and drew out the dark mother gold within his body with even greater force, gradually reaching the same weight as the mother gold of all things. It was also surging into his body, covering that layer of alien world, and transforming it into the mother gold world.

Ten thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye. The ancient artifacts have withered, as if they have been drained dry, floating there powerlessly, covered with marks and patterns. Wang Hongwu straightened his clothes, slowly stood up, and his imperial aura became even stronger. He walked out of the temple indifferently and ruthlessly.

With a creak, the door closed, and the ancient artifact was sealed once again.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, the sixty-one immortal kings of the alien realm have returned to their positions. Even Kundi has completed his enlightenment and is now standing alongside Wushang and Pumo Wang, leading a group of immortal kings to form a great formation and open up the boundary wall.

Upon seeing Wang Hongwu emerge from the pass, they all appeared devout, bowed, and shouted, "We will serve the Heavenly Father to the death! Loyal and sincere!"

"Very well, let heroes capture heroes, let good men catch good men, this is how I, the king, will fight darkness with darkness, graze the foreign lands, and reap the rewards of the boundary sea, starting today!"

Wang Hongwu laughed loudly, his body suddenly enlarging as he sat cross-legged above the alien realm. The land he grazed then blossomed with dazzling array patterns, opening up a boundary light curtain jointly evolved by sixty-one immortal kings, floating in front of him like a lamb, while his own system condensed into a long whip resembling a medicinal whisker.

With a whoosh, he suddenly cracked his whip, leading the lambs to graze in the foreign land, heading towards the boundary of the dike.

A deafening roar shook all realms. Countless beings stared in horror, bewildered by what had happened, until someone looked toward the otherworld and cried out in horror, "The otherworld has vanished!"

"No, they didn't disappear, but were... were herded towards the Boundary Sea like sheep!"

"It's that Heavenly King! After unifying the alien realm, he directly took over the Great World. Such methods are terrifying."

In an instant, the Burial Domain, the Immortal Domain, and even the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were shaken. They had never seen such a scene before; it was too astonishing.

Let's graze in this realm!

They surged toward the border sea like cattle and sheep being herded.

In particular, the outer realm was shrouded by a barrier of light formed by a great array of sixty-one immortal kings. This thing was incredibly hard and powerful. Even a supreme giant would die if he collided with it head-on. Even a peak Immortal King would be shattered to pieces if struck by it.

If it were to erupt in full force, it would be no different from sixty-one kings attacking simultaneously. Only beings who have broken through to the level of kings and become emperors would have a chance to resist.

Releasing such a powerful weapon into the Boundary Sea is bound to cause a huge upheaval.

"Heavenly Father, we are lost sheep, we are devout children, we are your followers, guided by the shepherd, on our way home, towards the sanctuary."

From that vast expanse of pasture, a continuous stream of sacred hymns resounded, encircling the figure wielding the whip.

The former Great King, now the Heavenly Father, the Lord of another land, the true shepherd!
·
The border sea is vast and boundless, shrouded in a gray mist that seems to stretch to the horizon.

The waves surge and crash, each wave a fragment of a broken world, carrying the aura of eternity. This place is so mysterious, built from the ruins of the world, and imbued with the power of time. It looks like the sea, but it is actually very eerie.

Wang Hongwu, who was herding livestock in a foreign land, sat cross-legged on the sea and crossed the dike to reach this area.

Even as we approached this place, powerful auras rushed towards us. There were creatures floating and standing in the sea. Some people were confronting each other in the sea, while others were meditating on a black ancient ship in the sea. None of them were in a hurry to go ashore.

Of course, they were incredibly far apart, a distance that would be astronomical for ordinary cultivators, a distance they could never reach in their lifetime. But at this moment, they stopped their standoff and looked at the approaching alien realm, momentarily stunned.

They recognized it as a foreign land.

But they did not recognize the foreign lands where they were grazing.

Who is this?
"Boundary Sea, when did a shepherd arrive?" a Celestial King murmured, his expression solemn, for the whip-wielding shepherd from another realm was adorned with a wisp of dazzling imperial light!

This is a being who has embarked on the path to becoming an emperor!

Retreat! Retreat quickly! In an instant, all the creatures in this sea area and the neighboring sea areas retreated in unison, not daring to provoke them, and made way for the foreign land.

Wang Hongwu looked relaxed as he herded his herds across the foreign lands, traversing countless heavens and walking on countless broken worlds that had existed since countless eras.

What stirred up such a monstrous wave, carrying with it the turbulent waves of countless worlds, the reefs that stood for countless ages, the corpses of immortal kings, etc., were all shattered upon impact, leaving only a smooth road in the alien realm.

In this Boundary Sea, countless powerful beings have long since lost their way, left only with the instinct to kill. They are no longer who they once were, but they also have the instinct to bully the weak. When they see the alien world crashing in, they all flee in terror.

In the distant sea, creatures collided with each other, resulting in a fierce battle. Soon, there were scenes of creatures falling, and figures were also coming along the sea, heading back to the Immortal Realm.

"I, who have been a powerful figure in the Immortal Realm for countless ages and could rival Qi Yu, now have to challenge the brilliance of a young upstart. Who would believe that?"

Seeing this scene, Lu Gu was moved by the sight and couldn't help but sigh. He thought about how he was born in an incredibly ancient era and had been cultivating for a long time, yet he couldn't compare to a mere junior. That person had already traveled all over foreign lands and swept through the kings, while he had only just managed to return from the Boundary Sea.

It's true that people's fates are completely different.

"Let me calculate the fortune and misfortune. I hope that guy has really left the foreign land and entered the Boundary Sea, so I won't run into him."

As Lu Gu's expression turned solemn, he was about to use the King's Law to deduce the truth when suddenly everything went black before his eyes, above his head, and behind him. It was as if something enormous and boundless was crushing him down. An indescribable viscous feeling enveloped him. This was because everything around him was forced to be squeezed into nothingness by the force of the approaching thing. The terrifying force field affected him, and he could not break free.

Then, with a loud bang, his consciousness blurred.

His entire body shattered under the crushing shadow, leaving only a bewildered primordial spirit that was sent flying, only to be crushed by the shadow once more. With a series of cracking sounds, accompanied by the light of the shattered primordial spirit, the shadow finally revealed its true form: a vast, boundless realm, enveloped by a divine light array created by the combined efforts of sixty-one immortal kings. It simply crushed through all obstacles, traversing the sea of ​​realms as if walking on flat ground.

The vastness of that realm was unimaginable. There were countless universe clusters within it, numbering in the tens of thousands, much larger than many islands within the Boundary Sea. It simply rampaged through, ignoring the many dangers within the Boundary Sea, and even the waves could not harm it, keeping it firmly isolated from the outside.

Of course, if you actually bump into something, it's hard to feel anything.

"I...hate!"

These were Lu Gu's last words, and then they vanished into thin air.

Who would have thought that he would suffer a calamity because he didn't check the celestial numbers before going out and was hit by someone while flying in the Boundary Sea!
Not only was he hit, but this guy didn't even see him and ran over him, crushing his very soul.

A once-powerful figure has died and vanished without a trace.

He was killed in the accident.

Even when the images were transmitted back to the Immortal Realm, the kings were completely baffled. When did the Boundary Sea suffer a new disaster?
I've heard of people being blown away by the wind, but I never imagined someone could be hit by a car. It's truly amazing.

Only the three kings, having lost their backer, changed color and looked at each other in silence.

"There are speed bumps in the Boundary Sea?"

In the foreign sky, Wang Hongwu, who was herding sheep with a whip, was surprised. It seemed that there had been a slight jolt just now.
Surely it wasn't something from another realm that was pressing down on it, because it should have made a sound. It didn't even squeak, so it must be an inanimate object.

He leisurely wielded his whip, herding his herds forward across the foreign land. In the vast expanse of the boundary sea, there lay a cluster of islands, scattered like stars, standing out prominently in the sea. There, clusters of firelight shone brightly, dazzling beyond compare.

There were powerful figures sitting cross-legged, their primordial spirit fire illuminating the heavens and earth. They were all Immortal Kings, and there were also many giants among them.

At this moment, they all fell silent. A giant of the sea had actually been killed by a mere domain?
Is there a shepherd wielding a whip up there?
What exactly is the background of this?
It can be said that the kings on the island were all intimidated. There were sixty-one layers of kingly power fluctuations in the grazing area. In addition, there were herders of unknown strength. Who would dare to provoke them? When did such a behemoth come to this world sea!

"The shepherd will be a dangerous figure, on par with the butcher, the chicken farmer, and the fake medicine seller."

Someone spoke up, relaying the message and alerting the creatures deep within the Boundary Sea, warning them not to provoke them.

Gradually, the creatures of many seas learned that a great figure had come to the Boundary Sea, known as the Shepherd!
He herded animals in foreign lands and roamed the boundary seas; he was a being who had embarked on the path to becoming a king and then an emperor.

"I never expected that even an existence like this would venture deep into the Boundary Sea to seek the secrets of becoming an Emperor?"

Some lament that at the end of the Boundary Sea lies a dark land, and beyond it lies the ultimate secret. Therefore, countless beings have bravely ventured to cross the sea.

That was the king's hope of meeting the emperor!
Even those from other realms were no exception, and were even more tempted, because all signs indicated that their power and their civilization originated from darkness. As a result, they became even more eager to cross the sea to worship the dark holy land and to break through the kingship to become emperor.

Within this vast ocean, the encounters and struggles between different civilizations and races naturally lead to grudges and clashes. When these grudges accumulate to a certain degree, turmoil ensues. Furthermore, various unforeseen events frequently occur at the edge of the boundary sea. For instance, when storms arise, they sweep across the sea, capable of shredding even immortal kings. In the event of such a disaster, the creatures crossing the sea will certainly retreat and flee back along their original routes, thus leading to a purge and upheaval that sweeps across the heavens.

This is the cause of the chaos, and also the source of the danger in the Boundary Sea.

"Everyone says the Boundary Sea is dangerous, but why does it feel so peaceful to me?"

After sailing leisurely for ten thousand years, Wang Hongwu sighed, "Peaceful, too peaceful!"

This world should be a turbulent sea, a place where kings fight and kill each other. How come we either haven't seen him or everyone runs away as soon as they see him?
Similarly, in this very sea area, a huge island stands tall, and some people who have seen it from afar show a strange expression on their faces.

"What is that? Another island that has been refined by someone?"

This is an immortal king who came from the depths of the Boundary Sea. He set sail three eras ago, and some news has not yet reached him. Therefore, he is very curious about this and flies upwards to go and explore.

"Don't be reckless!"

"The shepherd is coming! Get out of the way!"

A loud roar came from behind, sounding very anxious. The kings who originally lived on the island were all terrified and retreated to the back of the island, hiding from something.

The shepherd's name has spread far and wide across many seas, and he has been heard of almost everywhere except in the depths of the border sea.

Upon seeing that vast shadow, others knew he had arrived and naturally did not want to provoke him.

They couldn't even defeat one of them, let alone with sixty-one immortal kings in tow? There are also many giants and a supreme being inside. Even chicken farmers would have to give them a wide berth!
The next moment, the sky collapsed and the earth cracked, with ghosts wailing and gods howling. This place seemed to have fallen into the apocalypse. A vast world crushed over, instantly shattering the immortal king. His primordial spirit vanished into thin air, while his physical body was captured and gradually turned into a seed.

This triggered a massive upheaval, with waves surging forth and threatening to shatter the entire island.

"Why would this person come here?"

The creatures hiding on the islands are suffering terribly. If it weren't for the islands' special nature, serving as a natural barrier, they would all have been affected.

"Finally found it." Wang Hongwu paid no attention to them, whipped his whip to stop the alien realm. After searching for so long in the Boundary Sea, he finally sensed the aura of the World Tree.

He landed with a whoosh, stepping onto the island. The imperial light surrounding his body shone brightly, making the entire island radiant.

"Hello, Brother Dao."

"Brother Dao, we have no intention of offending you."

On the island, several powerful figures stood up and, with great caution, greeted him.

In the boundary sea, it is impossible to set up a magic circle. Only special islands can have this kind of creation. Under normal circumstances, it will be wiped out.

A magic array can save a Celestial King hundreds of thousands of years of effort; otherwise, flying like that would take countless years to reach the deepest part of the Boundary Sea.

Wang Hongwu nodded without saying much. He raised his hand and grabbed a corrupted World Tree from the waves of the Boundary Sea. It was a relic left behind in a great realm that had been destroyed for countless epochs.

The original World Tree had become a ruin, but it was reborn under the nurturing of dark matter and transformed into the Dark World Tree. It was useless to other Immortal Kings and would only pollute their own Great Realms, but it was useful to Wang Hongwu.

This Dark World Tree was then transplanted into the alien realm within Wang Hongwu's body, thus completing the second layer of the boundary.

"Very good, very good. Next, it's time to strengthen the primordial ancient realm and alien realm within me. At the very least, it would be good to create a small world sea."

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Wang Hongwu clapped his hands and laughed. In addition to the imperial light, two more layers of light barriers, resembling boundary walls, appeared on his body. Even the storms raging from the boundary sea were shattered here, unable to shake him in the slightest.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, the sixty-one kings of the alien realm opened their eyes and looked into the distance.

With a resounding thud, like the ancient drumbeats of war, a broad road broke through the darkness and appeared ahead.

There, a gray dam appeared, stretching out in front of them. It was an illusion, not real, but it was still extremely frightening.

Within the illusory image, there was also an ancient temple of guidance floating in the water. This was the only thing that could travel freely in the Boundary Sea and descend upon the sea at will.

One figure was approaching from among them!

"Someone has arrived!"

"Who is that? Who can drive the Ancient Temple of Guidance?"

"Such formidable strength! He is also a being who has embarked on the path to becoming an emperor!"

The group of old-timers all stared in astonishment, their faces filled with shock, finding it all unbelievable.

The beings that emerged from the Ancient Hall of Guidance were extremely powerful, their bodies surrounded by terrifying immortal light, and countless brilliant symbols of the Great Dao protected them.

This person is stronger than the other invincible beings in the other realms. His body is surrounded by a radiance that surpasses the level of an Immortal King, ensuring his indestructibility for countless eons.

Unfortunately, they were ultimately just one step short and couldn't truly step into a stronger field.

"Something has changed in the depths of the Boundary Sea. It is said that an old monster from the ages of the fall of an emperor has returned. It may very well be him!"

"I've heard that he is the legendary progenitor of another realm, the first evolved being to be illuminated by the ancient artifact of origin, and probably the being closest to the Emperor."

"Wasn't there a rumor that he died there? How could he be alive again?"

On the island, the kings paled, recalling a legend that echoed deep within the border sea.

The fall of the emperor, the ancestor of a foreign land!
Now, this being has truly appeared, stepping through the ancient hall of guidance, looking down at the scene, staring at Wang Hongwu, and saying with an inscrutable expression, "It was you who took away my clan?"

Without answering, Wang Hongwu simply raised the whip in his hand and smiled faintly, "Have you seen my sheep?"

(End of this chapter)