The Great Ruler: Starting from the Dark Ages

Chapter 135 The Tragic Prodigy of the Immortal Realm

The gates to the Immortal Realm were opened once more, and a large number of Immortal Realm cultivators emerged from them.

This group of people were reluctant, but they still headed to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths in an orderly fashion. The reason was that they had an emperor-level escort by their side.

It was ostensibly an escort mission, but in reality, it was a surveillance operation.

They dared not even entertain the thought of fleeing.

After all, they had already witnessed the opponent's strength. As fellow supreme beings, the supreme beings of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths could instantly kill the supreme beings of the Immortal Realm.

This period of time almost shattered their resolve to follow the Dao.

Only after they were delivered to the realm of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths did the escorting emperor depart, closing the gates of the Immortal Realm once more.

Everyone wore gloomy and dissatisfied expressions, which they only vented after the escort left.

"Damn it, why are we being sent down to the mortal realm to mine?" A prodigy from the Immortal Realm named Wei Yang said with dissatisfaction.

He came from a prestigious family, and his pride made it impossible for him to look directly at the work of mining.

"Sigh, what can we do? They outnumber us and have the upper hand, so we can only bow our heads for now," the female cultivator beside her comforted her.

"However, I heard that the destination this time is the Primordial Ancient Mine."

As soon as he finished speaking, many geniuses from the surrounding immortal realms looked over.

Previously, they only knew that they had been sent to mine, but they did not know the exact location.

"The Primordial Ancient Mine? Hmm... that name sounds familiar." A prodigy from the Immortal Realm looked puzzled, and after a long while, he exclaimed in shock, "The Primordial Ancient Mine that produces Primordial Life Stones?"

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

Someone excitedly exclaimed, "Is this the place where the Immortal King used as a coordinate during the Immortal Ancient Era?"

Primordial Life Stones are extremely rare, even for Great Emperors. In the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, they are mostly used by Great Emperors to prolong their lives. Although Immortal Realm cultivators do not have concerns about lifespan, it is rumored that comprehending the Primordial Life Stone can also lead to a major breakthrough.

This is something even the supreme beings of the Immortal Realm would want, let alone them.
Someone swallowed hard.

"I've also heard a rumor... that some supreme beings once mined in this primordial ancient mine!"

This legend is so ancient, yet it is still etched in the ancient history of the Immortal Realm, and that person was also from the lower realm.

"Could it be that we are going to replicate that person's miracle?" a young genius from the Immortal Realm asked excitedly.

Suddenly, a scream rang out from nowhere:
"Ah! My lifespan!" the immortal genius cried out in terror, "Why, why do I only have six thousand years left to live?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the group of geniuses from the Immortal Realm realized that their lifespans were in danger.

Just now, they only felt tightness in their chest and shortness of breath, and thought it was because the emperor's pressure was too strong, which made it difficult for them to breathe. It wasn't until the emperor left that some people realized something was wrong.

"Is it because the laws of the lower realm are incomplete? Or is it because there is no immortal matter?" Wei Yang also sensed the problem with lifespan.

In the past, they had no worries about lifespan in the Immortal Realm, but now that they have come to the mortal realm, their lifespan has been reduced to its original state.

Before this, they had lived for over a thousand years in the Immortal Realm, and their lifespan had truly passed away.

"Is there really spiritual energy in the lower realm? Is this really not an era of spiritual depletion?" Some geniuses from the Immortal Realm felt despair growing in their hearts as they sensed the sparse spiritual energy in the lower realm.

Could it be that the man who stormed into the Immortal Realm and was called the Heavenly Emperor rose to power in a place like this?

In an instant, this idea was born in everyone's mind.

It is an open secret that the army all comes from the lower realms, and both the geniuses and supreme beings of the upper realms know this fact.

However, when they truly experienced the despair of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, their spirits plummeted to the lowest point.

If they were born in the lower realm, with such meager spiritual energy, what level could they cultivate to?

At this moment, more and more cultivators gathered.

On one hand, the Supreme Being who follows the Heavenly Emperor has just descended to this place and left a group of people behind. On the other hand, news has already spread throughout this world that the Primordial Ancient Mine has Primordial Life Stones that can be mined independently.

Finally, among the gathered cultivators, one of them uttered a sigh:
"Why is the spiritual energy of heaven and earth so abundant? Has the spiritual energy revived?"

The words of the cultivators from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths caused a great stir.

The geniuses of the Immortal Realm all looked in this direction, their faces filled with fear.

What does it mean that we are experiencing a spiritual revival now?
With such scarce spiritual energy, how can it be called a spiritual energy revival?

If this can be called a spiritual revival, then wouldn't my strength have been built up over a long period of time in the Immortal Realm?

"I don't believe it! That person has already become an immortal, which must be tens of thousands of years old! And for an immortal to be born in a place like the lower realm, it must consume a huge amount of spiritual energy!" Wei Yang had made it very clear.

His meaning was nothing more than that Xu He's ascension to immortality had exhausted the spiritual energy of this world, which was why the world was so devoid of spiritual energy.

"Yes, that's it! I can't think of any other reason!" A group of geniuses from the Immortal Realm echoed.

In their hearts, this is the most likely belief, even if the possibility of such a conjecture is extremely small.

However, these words provoked the local cultivators, who cursed at the group of immortal cultivators:

"Nonsense! The world was even more depleted back then than it is now. Moreover, the Heavenly Emperor rose to power during the most perilous time for humanity, fighting the Four Supreme Beings alone before even attaining enlightenment!"

The local cultivators were filled with righteous indignation.

His expression was so excited that it was impossible to tell that he was faking it.

Although they hadn't heard any names, they guessed from the words "becoming an immortal" that they were talking about the Heavenly Emperor.

Although there were three other immortals in the mortal world, in their hearts, there was only the Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly Emperor had reigned for more than 200,000 years, and his image had long been deeply ingrained in their hearts.

Xu He has not yet reached the realm of Immortal King; otherwise, these followers would have already been chanting his true name and attaining immortality in the cycle of reincarnation.

Ultimately, the local cultivators, unable to tolerate anyone defiling the name of the Heavenly Emperor, clashed with this group of geniuses from the Immortal Realm.

Some people perished in this battle, but most of them were geniuses from the Immortal Realm.

Of course, several prodigies from the Immortal Realm also stood out in this battle, their skills astonishing the entire audience.
However, the cultivators in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths are even more numerous and stronger.

This battle was finally spread far and wide, reaching all corners of the world.

Talented individuals from all three realms, drawn by the news, gathered together to compete.

When the news reached Xu He's ears, he was somewhat surprised and murmured after a long while, "The Heavenly Pride Tournament? And it's self-organized?"

Xu He was somewhat helpless. He hadn't originally planned to develop in this direction, since the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths already had the Ancient Star Road.

But unexpectedly, after the passage between the three realms was opened, the geniuses of the three realms, eager to prove themselves, were so impatient.

"Alright, let's set up a grand competition for prodigies, held every three years, with the top three receiving rewards from the Heavenly Court." Xu He had essentially promised some rewards.

After all, to hone a prodigy, suppression alone is not enough; encouragement is also necessary.

Xu He didn't mind bestowing opportunities and favors, since they were all on his side. He was extremely concerned about cultivating strong individuals, consolidating his own front, and fighting against the darkness.

"Furthermore, spread the news of the Ancient Starry Sky Road, let the geniuses of the Immortal Realm and the Strange Spaces compete with the heroes of my Nine Heavens and Ten Earths." Xu He looked down at the lower realm, watching their conflict, and said:

"Only those who rise from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood have the chance to reach the summit and have a chance to survive."

"The path of cultivation is about fighting against the heavens, the earth, and people; it's about going against the will of heaven. Don't blame me."

What he spoke of were the prodigies of these three realms. It may be cruel, but the Dark Clan's plundering of all realms would be far more cruel.

……

Human life is like spring and autumn, a thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Nine heavens and ten earths.

The ancient starry road here has once again become known to the geniuses of the universe.

The friction and collision between these geniuses became the most dazzling brilliance of this era, shaking the entire universe.

During this period, many outstanding talents emerged from all three realms.

Over the course of a thousand years of war, during which the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths dominated the vast majority of the time, the arrogance and contempt in the Three Realms were gradually swept away.

The Heavenly Court was also very generous, bestowing down abundant rewards.

Among them, there is even an elixir of immortality.

The prodigy who obtained the Peaches of Immortality and the Elixir of Immortality was arguably the most monstrous talent in the Three Realms in the last thousand years.

From the moment I embarked on the ancient path through the starry sky, I roamed freely, defeating all opponents in the Three Realms, battling against holy lands and powerful families, and vying for my life with heroes.

He almost single-handedly swept away the most outstanding talents of his generation, becoming invincible and domineering.

Five hundred years later, he successfully attained enlightenment and reached the pinnacle.

This new emperor is incredibly strong, to a terrifying degree. He is almost the strongest emperor in the last 50,000 years, if not the strongest. More importantly, he is not an ancient figure, but a contemporary prodigy who has risen to power step by step.

Ultimately, this human emperor successfully lived for 18,000 years in his first life, and at the last moment, he took the elixir of immortality from the peaches of immortality, thus successfully living out his second life.

Of course, with the current revival of spiritual energy and the changing environment, it is common knowledge that cultivators of the same realm have a lifespan that has increased by 10% or 20% compared to the past.

But this still demonstrates the new emperor's strength.

Since this new emperor came to power, young cultivators in the Immortal Realm and the Strange Space have all felt an unnamed pressure.

The new emperor reigns supreme in the lower realm, while those who consider themselves superior in the upper realm send more and more young cultivators down to the lower realm to save face.

Young cultivators in the Three Realms were all vying for power, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was becoming thinner. Fortunately, Xu He stepped in in time and produced immortal matter to reverse the situation.

Another thousand years have passed. Whether it was the ancient emperors of the past or the newly born emperors, they all had to admit that in the twenty thousand years since the Heavenly Emperor opened the passage between the Three Realms, the quality of cultivators in the Three Realms had been significantly improved.

It was during this long period of time that the Dharma based on the Lunhai Dao Palace began to be promoted in the Immortal Realm.

Initially, the cultivators of the Immortal Realm held an arrogant attitude and did not have many thoughts, but when they learned that this path could exempt them from the Immortal Seed, they were immediately tempted.

After the Immortal Realm was shattered, Immortal Seeds became extremely difficult to find, which is one of the reasons why the quality of cultivators in the Immortal Realm declined sharply.

Subsequently, this method, created by the Desolate Heavenly Emperor, finally abolished the Immortal Ancient Method.

As a result, cultivators in the Immortal Realm finally ushered in a leap forward.

Ten thousand years have passed, and a total of thirteen great emperors have appeared in the Three Realms.

This is unprecedented in history. Even the once glorious Immortal Realm might not have been able to produce thirteen Supreme Beings in ten thousand years.

The current emperor is even more powerful than the supreme ruler of the past.

Of course, our predecessors have already taken a much bigger step forward.

For example, Wang Bo and other emperors who had lived through several lifetimes no longer had the problem of lifespan after arriving in the Immortal Realm. Some chose to become true immortals in the Immortal Realm, while others tried to return to the mortal world and seek a chance to become immortals in the mortal world.

If searching in vain, the Immortal Realm becomes a way out.

Neither path is inherently noble or not; it's simply a matter of personal choice.

Those with a proud and arrogant nature naturally choose to struggle in the mortal world.

The Azure Emperor and the Celestial Venerable Lingbao were the first to live another life, and now they can sense that the opportunity to become immortals is right before their eyes.

Thirty thousand years later, Lingbao Tianzun, who truly had no way to become an immortal in the mortal world, chose to return to the Immortal Realm.

His figure appeared somewhat forlorn; it had been 300,000 years since the Heavenly Emperor ascended the throne, and he was now in his sixth incarnation.

Even now, he still cannot fathom the mystery of time's passage, his lifespan gradually dwindling, and he remains unable to take that step.

Similarly, there were Qingdi and Wang Bo.

None of them were not proud and arrogant. Facing former cultivators of the same realm, or even younger generations who had surpassed them on their cultivation path, they naturally felt a sense of resentment.

However, the pressing issue of lifespan remained unresolved.

In the end, Wang Bo sighed in disappointment and chose to return to the Immortal Realm. He pondered in his heart that he wanted to replenish himself in the Immortal Realm before returning to the lower realm to continue to comprehend the immortal techniques of the mortal world.

Faced with the retreat of his two fellow Daoists, the Azure Emperor simply chose to bid them farewell.

"In the darkness, I can sense a will to become an immortal from the mortal world. This is not because I am arrogant or unrepentant, but because I feel that this is how I should be." After pondering for a long time, the Azure Emperor finally bid farewell to his two fellow Daoists.

Although he is still some distance from becoming a mortal immortal, he is very close to becoming a true immortal.

In his countless dreams, where he contemplates the mortal world, he can still see glimpses of it.

A towering, imposing figure cast a drop of his own blood at him.

He suspected that this was not a dream, but a real past life.

There have long been rumors throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths that every immortal herb is the work of a fallen immortal, a fact that has already been confirmed by Xu He. In fact, the immortal herbs can even reach the realm of Immortal King.

Xu He, who lived deep within the Bronze Palace but looked down upon the human world, already had a clear understanding of the situation.

Connect it to everything.

Perhaps, when the Azure Emperor single-mindedly wanted to evolve the Immortal Realm within the Desolate Tower, it wasn't a hasty or careless act, but rather a genuine belief that he had a mission.

He felt that following the rules to become an immortal was unworthy of him, or rather, the former immortal king felt that he was unworthy of him.

Thus, a farce was born.

"He really hasn't forgotten everything." Xu He sighed.

In his heart, he agreed with the Azure Emperor's approach, because only in this way could one be worthy of the title "A Lotus in the Eternal Azure Sky".

……

Lingbao Tianzun and Wang Bo did not feel much disappointment or jealousy upon hearing this; they simply offered their sincere blessings before returning to the Immortal Realm.

Finally, Lingbao Tianzun successfully took that step 30,000 years later and became a true immortal.

An overwhelming pressure enveloped the Immortal Realm, causing all the cultivators to kneel and tremble as they gazed at the True Immortal atop the dome.

Excluding the four who have already become immortals, among the three realms, only those from the lower realms have surpassed the immortal cultivators one after another, which can only prove one fact.

The east wind prevails over the west wind.

A brand new era has arrived.

(End of this chapter)