The Ancient Saint Emperor of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 282 Refining Ancient Artifacts, Tribulation of the Immortal Realm System
As ancient artifacts evolved, the fangs of creatures from the other side of the boundary sea emerged from the darkness, and the cage that had restricted all living beings from progressing further fell from history once again.

Destroying the king and becoming emperor is not permitted.

In the past, the Dao Ancestor of the Immortal Realm emerged, leaving footprints on the dike, and crossed the Boundary Sea, intending to quell the chaos of darkness; however, in the end, the Emperor fell and history was interrupted; since then, the four Dao Ancestors on the other side have forged the Dark Cage and the Ancient Artifact of Origin to restrict beings with potential and the hope of breaking through to the level of King and Emperor.

"Back then, my ancestors, the old kings who founded the Immortal Realm system, died because of this." The butcher sighed, his face filled with hatred when he saw the imperial crown. The collapse of the Heavenly Court and the fall of the kings in the Immortal Realm back then was a tragic period in history.

Now, the shepherd has the hope of breaking the king's rule and meeting the emperor. He has created his own system and expanded his path, swallowing up the boundary sea, which has also brought disaster upon him and he is about to be destroyed!

"Thankfully, the two ancient artifacts from the Burial Domain didn't appear at the same time." The chicken farmer breathed a sigh of relief. With only one artifact, there was still hope of fighting back. If two artifacts had appeared at the same time, no one except a true emperor could possibly contend with them.

At this moment, Wang Hongwu's expression shifted, because he realized that another ancient artifact from another realm was also raging!
The bone staff inside wanted to manifest and merge with the bone crown to become a true living being. Once successful, it would be a product that could briefly unleash the power of a quasi-immortal emperor, possessing the power to destroy the world. Fortunately, he sealed it inside the sacrificial bowl, so no matter how violent it became, it could not affect the outside world.

The ancient artifact of the Burial Domain spun in the air. It clearly sensed the aura of the other half, but did not respond and had to give up. Then the box opened, and the snow-white bone crown inside flew out. It was shaped like a crown, with an ancient aura and an unparalleled majesty, like an emperor descending to earth.

With a thud, the fallen immortal kings around them all retreated, unable to withstand the shock, spitting blood from their mouths and noses. Only the butcher and the chicken farmer remained standing, their expressions solemn.

With a hum, the bone crown fell and locked onto Wang Hongwu's head, as if it wanted to parasitize his body and take over his body.

With a cold snort, more than 130 kings appeared behind him, all blessing him. The supreme giants such as Kundi, Qu Zhong, Dao Wang, and the multi-headed monster, as well as the Emperor Light that the alien master had manifested, also appeared and erupted together, unleashing the Myriad Dao Fist.

This was a fist of light truly formed from the condensed power of the Heavenly Kings, carrying countless world laws from half of the Boundary Sea, containing more than a hundred different kingly laws, and the power of two imperial lights merged into a huge millstone with golden runes flashing on it. It not only stopped the falling bone crown, but also blasted it backward!

The butcher and the chicken farmer stepped forward to help, but then the ancient artifact of the Burial Domain trembled, and more and more ancient halls of guidance appeared, from which many fallen creatures rushed out to block them!
The blasted bone crown shook, and nine-colored flames ignited in its empty eye sockets, as if a will was resurrecting, filled with rage, shattering everything. The spreading flames were enough to pollute an entire realm, but Wang Hongwu remained unmoved. The Dark Self had already merged with himself, absorbing this substance. The Dark Mother Gold was also exerting its power, continuously assimilating it. Although its strength had increased to its limit, it could still generate more quantity through this.

As the confrontation intensified, countless Dark Mother Golds emerged, piling up to a terrifying degree. Even the Boundary Sea within Wang Hongwu's body was imbued with it, enveloped in a metallic luster. He then turned his gaze to the Ten Fiends surrounding his body and immediately infused them with Dark Mother Golds, causing the True Forms of the Ten Fiends to sublimate and merge entirely into the Dark Mother Golds. Furthermore, a layer of armor forged from the Mother Golds of All Things covered the bodies of the twenty True Forms, causing their strength to surge.

"Plundering darkness is an even greater crime!" The will of the Bone Crown roared, spewing out boiling nine-colored flames from its mouth. However, Wang Hongwu was even more excited. He could feel the elation and desire of the Dark Evolution Path, which was insatiably demanding more. It even grabbed the Bone Crown with both hands, digging its fingers into its eye sockets, and began to fiercely absorb the energy. The Ten Fiend Totems attached themselves to it and feasted on it.

In an instant, the ten fierce totems protecting his body reached the level of ten giants, and under the nourishment of the ancient artifact of origin, they continued to improve. The seed that had been integrated with the mother gold also achieved nirvana, combining immortal gold and immortal seed into one, which helped the totem reach an unparalleled level. With ten unparalleled giants protecting his body, Wang Hongwu's strength increased once again.

It can be said that the baptism of dark matter on him is merely a means of nourishment; this method alone cannot suppress him, but will only make him stronger! Perhaps in the end, it will evolve into ten Emperor Light Immortal Kings protecting him.

Seeing this, the bone crown no longer wasted its efforts. With a shake, it broke free, concealing all its brilliance and transforming into a terrifying Dao trace. It pressed down fiercely, intending to suppress Wang Hongwu with the power of a magic weapon. The terrifying pressure was enough to shatter swathes of kings, causing Wang Hongwu's body to sway and his inner world to surge, suppressed by an inexplicable force.

Any other king would have collapsed here, but he withstood it because he contained half of the Boundary Sea, as well as the Dark Mother Gold and the Mother Gold of All Things. There was no king in the world with a stronger physical body than him. In the next moment, the bone crown twisted and underwent a change like an ancient artifact from another realm. Nine black shadows spread out in succession, and then merged into one, becoming a vessel.

As the bone crown took root in the dark figure, becoming the tenth layer of power, it actually transformed into a complete human form, like a living being descending to earth. The aura it exuded was incredibly terrifying, capable of annihilating all kings.

Even the butcher and the chicken farmer turned serious, sensing the threat. That thing could break through their imperial light and kill all living beings in this area!
This is just a single ancient artifact, not the complete version.

"Why bother? Why bother? We're all going to die anyway. Becoming an emperor is not allowed, yet you insist on coming here to seek your own death." The skeletal creature spoke, as if it were sitting at the end of the long river of time, issuing a decree to all living beings, high above, cold and ruthless.

"Are you here to obstruct the path?" Wang Hongwu looked at him and sensed the determination of the other side of the Boundary Sea, which was to kill all those who broke through to the King level and became Emperors. The old King of the Immortal Realm back then was like this, but he was still far from that level. It was not so easy to achieve. Yet this thing manifested itself, wanting to nip the threat in the bud.

"Even the slightest possibility is not allowed to exist." The being formed from the bone crown spoke softly. The immortal emperor of the past was an accident, and the same mistake cannot be allowed to happen twice.

At this moment, the kings of the Boundary Sea also understood that the founders of the Immortal Realm system, the old kings, had once established the Heavenly Court, but all the major races were destroyed and shrouded in misfortune and disaster. They were destroyed by the bone staff and bone crown. Individually, they all had the ability to kill the kings. When they were combined, they could temporarily unleash the battle power of an emperor, which was truly heaven-defying.

"Hand over the other ancient artifact of origin!" the bone-crowned creature coldly rebuked, trying to take back the bone staff. That thing was sealed inside the sacrificial bowl by Wang Hongwu, preventing it from unleashing its full power. Although it could still kill kings, it was ultimately flawed, not possessing the power of that domain. Otherwise, it would have already killed everyone present with a single thought.

"What a joke!" Wang Hongwu snorted coldly, instantly activating his battle body and entering its peak state. Not only did the alien realm carrying 130 kings merge into his body, but even the alien realm's true ancestor became one with him. All things operated in accordance with his will, and the totems on his body surface came to life, covering his body surface.

The Ten Fierce Immortal Gold Fiends and the Ten Fierce Fallen Fiends appeared together, with twenty consecutive layers of characteristics emerging and manifesting. Accompanied by the formation of armor by the Mother Gold of All Things and the Mother Gold of Darkness, this battle body became even more terrifying.

With a roar, the Primordial Immortal Realm, the Dark Alien Realm, and the Vast Boundary Sea manifested behind Wang Hongwu, attacking together and severely striking the Bone Crown Being. An epic battle erupted between the two.

This is the strongest battle in the history of the Kingly Realm, capable of killing Immortal Kings from all realms. Even those protected by Emperor Light will be slain. It is terrifying beyond measure and can be said to be infinitely close to the Emperor Realm, and has even possessed some of the mysteries.

In an instant, space and time here seemed to collapse, destroying life and slaying all living beings. This battle went from the Boundary Sea into Chaos, then from Chaos into the Dike Boundary, and then back into the various realms. Royal blood and sacred matter splattered everywhere, making it an earth-shattering event.

Even the kings of the foreign lands were astonished, as it was the first time they had ever seen someone fight so fiercely against the shepherd. The ancient ancestors of the foreign lands had been annihilated, and supreme giants such as Qu Zhong and the Sword King were even killed by the aftershocks. His power was unparalleled in the royal path.

"Is he using the power of the bone crown to cultivate?" Moreover, the butcher discovered that Wang Hongwu was intentionally using the power of the bone crown to temper himself. The mother gold of all things and the mother gold of darkness were trembling, as if they were being melted down and showing signs of merging, in order to break the limit of the kingly way and forge the mother gold of origin.

This guy really did take everything from the ancient artifacts, leaving nothing behind.

In the end, they broke out of the Boundary Sea, affecting the Immortal Realm and the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, shaking the ages, causing all the heavens to tremble, and everyone to be terrified. This was an unprecedented event.

All the Celestial Kings witnessed this scene, and everyone was astonished: the shepherd was fighting with humans.

Who can have such ability?

When they realized that it was the legendary dark calamity that had led to the destruction of all the kings of the Immortal Realm, they fell silent, filled with terror.

On the other side, Wang Hongwu was fighting a great battle with the Bone Crown creatures, but gradually he arrived at the Three Thousand Provinces within the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

"You want to find that box? Useless." The bone-crowned creature sneered, thinking that he was going to use that rotten wooden box to fight against him.

"You're wrong." Wang Hongwu threw a punch, forcing it to plunge into a deep abyss. The light grew dimmer and dimmer until it was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and there wasn't a sound.

Such a place is terrifying, as if you have entered a desolate universe, where you cannot feel any trace of life.

Then, stimulated by their intrusion, the abyss glowed, the ground cracked open, and a mysterious force trembled, revealing a vast underground palace, ancient and desolate. Countless years have passed, yet broken runes still glow.

Within the ruins stood a grand altar, resembling a mountain, upon which lay some objects, emanating a chaotic aura.

"That thing?" The skeletal creature paused, then saw nine enormous skeletons on the grand, mountain-like platform. They glowed and emitted an aura of immortality, covered in runes, resembling true dragons. Behind them was a large bronze coffin, covered in mottled patina, bearing witness to the vicissitudes of countless ages.

The coffin was very large, and the lid was already partially open, from which chaotic energy was overflowing. Through the slid-open lid, one could see another small coffin inside, also made of bronze and equally ancient, from which chaotic energy was emanating outwards.

It was called a small coffin, but it was big enough to fit a person.

The creatures with bone crowns felt an instinctive sense of dread upon facing it, as if the thing contained immense karma.

This was the target that Wang Hongwu had found. He didn't have the Great Luo Sword Embryo or the broken wooden box, so he had to rely on the bronze coffin. It wasn't that he couldn't deal with the ancient artifact, but he didn't want to damage his Dao Fruit. Instead, he wanted to refine it, so he came here to use its power against him.

"Since you're already here, you're not leaving!" Then, he grabbed the skeletal creature and dragged it down with him, trying to plunge it into the coffin.

Coincidentally, there was already a person lying in the coffin, and it turned out to be Shi Hao!

"Senior?" "Don't worry, I'll just squeeze in, I won't go in too much." Hundreds of thousands of years have passed, and Shi Hao has already become an immortal in the mortal world. He has even created his own Dao Fruit, the Celestial Immortal, which gathers the wondrous methods of the heavens and the Great Dao of all realms to nourish him. With the blessing of these two fruit positions, his secret realm magic system has expanded, and he is also striving towards the pinnacle of immortality. He returned to the location of the Three-Life Coffin to relive the great battle at the end of the Immortal Ancient Era by using the historical fragments left behind, so as to advance further.

Wang Hongwu intervened to protect them, and at the same time, the mysterious flow of the Three Generations Copper Coffin dispelled the residual effects of the Bone Crown beings. The coffin remained completely still, and even if they unleashed their power again, they could not be damaged in the slightest.

"Senior, I'm here to help you!" Upon seeing this, Shi Hao immediately understood the situation and decisively made his move. Not only did he wield the Great Luo Sword Embryo and slash at it, but a ball of flame also flew out from his body, reflecting a strange phenomenon. Inside, there was a person sitting cross-legged. This ball of flame was only the size of a fist, and it was covered with dense symbols.

The appearance of this flame made Wang Hongwu's eyes light up, because it was left by a true emperor!
"It's you! You're not dead? You had a backup plan? Did those two who disrupted the ages help you?" The Bone Crown creature was shocked. A change had occurred. It seemed that the emperor of that time had not really died? Because this was the true primordial fire, and there was even a bone tower floating inside, suppressing it together.

An endless imperial might swept over it, attempting to refine it.

At the same time, the powerful Luo Sword Embryo roared and kept slashing at it. Wang Hongwu also erupted, throwing heavy punches. The three forces joined forces to suppress it, causing the Bone Crown creature to tremble. The body composed of nine layers of black shadows was quickly destroyed, leaving only the Bone Crown struggling there.

The clash of the four forces caused a massive tremor within the Three Lives Coffin, freezing time in that instant, as if everything had come to a standstill.

Then, petal by petal closed, and the fragments of the ancient artifact came together and reassembled to house the bone crown.

"Hmph! Trying to escape?" Wang Hongwu became fierce, pulling the bone crown back and throwing it into the Emperor Fire. He then swung the Great Luo Sword Embryo upwards, intending to refine this ancient artifact of origin.

It would indeed be difficult for him to do it on his own, but with the help of the Emperor Fire, the Three-Life Copper Coffin, and the Great Luo Sword Embryo, it would be different. Moreover, this thing is not in its complete state; the other half is always sealed and cannot display its true power.

Ten thousand years have passed. With the help of the Three-Life Copper Coffin and the Emperor's Fire, Wang Hongwu finally refined the Origin Ancient Artifact and made the bone crown his own. Shi Hao also gained a fortune in this fierce collision, broke through in one fell swoop, and stepped into the pinnacle of immortality, capable of fighting against immortal kings.

He didn't stop there; instead, he took out another ancient artifact sealed inside the sacrificial bowl, intending to refine it as well!
The combination of the two is indeed terrifying, but after the sacrificial bowl severed the connection and prevented them from becoming one, the threat was greatly reduced.

However, this process was obviously not easy. Even with the help of the sacrificial bowl, it took 100,000 years to refine the two items. But at the same time, they lost the divine power of the emperor after they were combined and became mere artifacts.

Two hundred thousand years have passed, and this place appears quiet and ancient, with the two boxes made of special materials having disappeared.

Then, a snow-white bone crown fell and was placed on Wang Hongwu's head. The nine-colored bone staff was also held in his hand and put to his use. Every move he made was full of unpredictable divine power.

The nine colors that bloomed were far more dazzling than the imperial light. It was the final form of its evolution, possessing the majesty of ruling over all the kings.

That is a power that transcends the Kingly Way. When the two are combined, they become a true Quasi-Immortal Emperor's Weapon! It can also be called a supreme weapon, the ultimate weapon.

More importantly, he turned misfortune into blessing, as he facilitated the initial fusion of the Mother Gold of All Things and the Mother Gold of Darkness, which is expected to create the true Mother Gold of Origin.

After recuperating for a while, Wang Hongwu returned to Jiehai, where he was immediately surprised to see the butcher and chicken farmer again.

"You actually subdued that thing?" The butcher was surprised. With the help of this weapon, even an Emperor Light Immortal King could be killed.

The chicken farmer didn't speak, but his eyes widened. The bone crest now looked so peaceful, and the bone staff looked so calm and ancient, yet it exuded a terrifying power capable of suppressing kings.

This is a true weapon of emperors; wielding it would be no problem to annihilate even the most powerful celestial kings.

"There are some uncertainties, but I will go into seclusion for a period of time to pursue the path of breaking through the King and becoming an Emperor, and then settle accounts with those dark forces."

Wang Hongwu nodded slightly, bidding them farewell, before heading back to the Land of Heaven and returning to the Ancient Era.

Before that, we naturally need to make some preparations.

He first went to the Immortal Realm, leaving power and passages in his own temple, and placed the Mother Gold of All Things and the Mother Gold of Darkness to absorb the incense and wishes, promote fusion, and evolve within himself. Naturally, it would take a long time, but since there was the convenience of reincarnation, he should use it when necessary and there was no reason to waste it.

Then, Wang Hongwu returned to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths to help Liu Shen recover. After that, he summoned the kings of the foreign lands, among whom the Peacock King took the lead and stood out.

With the blessing of the Heavenly Father, the support of the King's Law to restrain other consciousnesses, and the protection of the Emperor's Light for his true self and primordial spirit, the Peacock King still managed to survive, merge with the nineteen-headed monsters, dominate them, and become a supreme immortal king with twenty heads.

However, it disliked this strange appearance, so it transformed all those heads into tail feathers, one tail feather for one head, making its combat power truly worthy of the Heavenly Father's reputation.

At the same time, Wang Hongwu was also pondering an important matter.

So, all the kings I've enlightened have come to understand who I am, and have truly become a part of me. They can be united or separated to maintain their individuality. So, can they be placed in the sacrificial bowl and travel with me through the land of heaven?
Logically speaking, this is not wishful thinking. Going to the past would definitely not work, as it would cause a conflict in spacetime. But what if we go to the future?
Should we travel to the ancient era?
History evolves continuously. Since I have taken such action, it means that their history has come to an abrupt end. The next time they appear will be the ancient times. This is not contradictory. Of course, most importantly, they are all essentially Wang Hongwu. They understand who I am. In principle, it is still him who travels back and forth.

This made experimentation possible.

With so many kings brought back to the Ancient Era, they would likely have enough resources to protect the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, contend for supremacy among the heavens, and even seize the throne of the Heavenly Emperor.

Upon realizing this, he immediately took action, collecting all these items into the sacrificial bowl, and then returned to the Land of Heaven.

After he left, on the other side of the Boundary Sea, within the Dark Heavenly Court.

"The instrument is lost, and variables have emerged."

In the very center of the Heavenly Court, a voice rang out from the throne shrouded in shadow. Immediately, a gaze pierced through the past and present, seeing through everything, but it could not find what it was looking for.

The power of the sacrificial bowl obscured everything, allowing ancient history and the passage of time to find peace.

Ha. On the imperial throne, that being remained calm, even indifferent, because no matter what, the other side of the sea was under its control, and no being could be born from there to break through the ranks of kings and become emperors.

Even now, he has already made his move. A wisp of matter emerges, surges into the Boundary Sea, and covers the Immortal Realm. Even the remains of several old kings who founded the Immortal Realm system appear, howling and struggling within that matter.

That force began to erode along the system they created, completely corrupting this path of practice!
Gradually, even the Immortal Realm was affected, and beings who fell into depravity due to cultivation began to appear.

As time went on, even some true immortals were affected, their temperaments became extreme, and their actions gradually became reckless and arbitrary.

This move effectively extinguished any possibility of further advancement for the beings in this region. As long as they cultivate, they will eventually fall into darkness and become subjects of the other side. This is the method of the Dao Ancestor!
For other living beings, it's a complete dimensional reduction attack.

The great calamity of corruption was thus unleashed, sweeping across the Immortal Realm and the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. All cultivators of the ancient immortal methods were caught in its grip, triggering a storm that also revived many ancient immortal corpses, wreaking havoc on this world. This led to the emergence of the reclusive Xuanwu King and his disciple Cao Yusheng, who were tasked with quelling the chaos of the corpses.

Fortunately, the kings of the Immortal Realm had improved the original system and were not affected for the time being. Furthermore, they also discovered that there was a kind of dark mother metal in the temple left by Wang Hongwu that could absorb this corrupt substance!

As long as one practices within it, one can temporarily avoid the influence.

Thus, while the kings of the Immortal Realm were using Wang Hongwu's backup plan to alleviate the great calamity, they were also exploring the possibility of creating a new system. In the end, they set their sights on one person in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths: Shi Hao!
He pioneered a system based on self-preservation, becoming the one destined to face this great calamity, soaring to the heavens and creating his own legend.

After defeating the ancient corpses of the Immortal King, suppressing the Dark Immortal King, and quelling the Great Calamity of Fallen Gods, he set foot in a region called the Land of Heaven after becoming an Immortal King in the Desolate Path, seeking a way to break through the King-to-Emperor barrier and resolve the Great Calamity of Fallen Gods.

At the same time, he was also searching for another person. Since the Dark Mother Gold he left behind could alleviate the great calamity, then that alien Heavenly Father should also have a way to deal with it.

(End of this chapter)