The Great Ruler: Starting from the Dark Ages

Chapter 176 Becoming an Immortal Emperor
The spirit within the rotten wooden box sighed deeply.

He woke up.

Xu He may be incredibly powerful now, but he is no match for a true Immortal Emperor. He may only perish with resentment.

Deep within the ancient land, beneath a dark light, a hazy figure gradually revealed itself as the black mist dissipated.

The humanoid being, enormous as a mountain, sat atop the imperial throne, overlooking the world and controlling its rise and fall as easily as controlling the tides.

Her body was utterly decayed, reduced to a skeleton, and her body emitted countless dark substances.

Half of his upper body was missing, as if it had been cut off by something.

At this moment, his remaining eye was silently watching Xu He.

"Escape while the immortal golden chains can still bind it!" the creature in the rotten wooden box spoke again.

As part of that Corpse Immortal Emperor, he knew its terror best.

All the darkness in the world today is created by his breathing.

The black mist that surged just now was a substance that carried the essence of darkness.

However, the dark matter contained his own Dao runes, which influenced the Four Emperors, the Old Man of Annihilation, causing them to fall into darkness.

The Dark Turmoil was instigated by the Elder of Annihilation and several Quasi-Immortal Emperors in order to obtain more Immortal Emperor Runes.

This is what the Azure Emperor meant by sacrifice.

Unfortunately, after sacrificing the Heavenly Court and everything else, it all came to nothing in the end.

“There’s no need for me to leave. I came here to quell the chaos.” Xu He shook his head, then continued, “How long can the chains of order that bind him last?”

As soon as the words were spoken, the divine consciousness within the rotten wooden box fell silent.

He was aware of all of this.

Although he felt that Xu He was somewhat arrogant, attempting to quell the rebellion by himself.

The divine thoughts within the rotten wooden box were truly helpless.

The countless beings of all realms were harvested and sacrificed time and again, and in the end, the blame fell on him.

Just as the divine sense within the rotten wooden box fell silent, the skeletal Immortal Emperor, seated upon his throne, finally spoke:

"You're going to die."

He had seen through everything that had just happened.

This arrogant junior refused to bow before the emperor and even dared to talk about quelling the rebellion in front of him.

"I will give you a chance: go to the other side of the sea and bring back enough bait. In return, I can bestow upon you a scripture for your practice."

The Corpse Immortal Emperor spoke coldly.

"You want me to instigate a dark upheaval?"

Xu He sneered: "I've spent my whole life quelling dark turmoil. As for becoming a lackey of darkness?"

"I'm not interested."

"You are not worthy, and the Dark and Mysterious Clan is even less worthy."

Xu He's voice could no longer be described as arrogant; it had already provoked the true anger of the Corpse Immortal Emperor.

At this moment, the chains of order on the Corpse Immortal Emperor made a crisp sound, as if they were about to break.

Under the struggle of the Corpse Immortal Emperor, the chains of order truly cracked and almost broke.

Xu He coldly observed all of this, only speaking softly:
"You who once protected all the heavens and all races, did you ever imagine that you would become the source of all this turmoil?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the divine consciousness within the rotten wooden box fell silent.

The Corpse Immortal Emperor also paused noticeably.

The past protection of all the heavens and myriad races is too distant, so distant it seems like a past life.

"I seem to have... forgotten something." At this moment, the Corpse Immortal Emperor's remaining eye gleamed, and his body was covered in surging black energy. Although his face could not be seen, it could be inferred that he was in great pain.

"It's no use. This body is beyond saving." The creature in the rotten wooden box sighed deeply.

His words seemed to confirm everything.

The Corpse Immortal Emperor was no longer in pain; he simply stared at the rotten wooden box in Xu He's hand.

"I never expected you to send me my physical body." The Corpse Immortal Emperor waved his remaining hand: "Present it here, and I will pardon you!"

Upon seeing this, Xu He merely sneered:

"Are you really still the same person? One is a Celestial Emperor who holds the world in his heart, and the other is nothing more than a living corpse corrupted by darkness."

"No difference?" The Corpse Immortal Emperor sneered, "What difference is there? He and I were originally one. Do you think he is pure enough? He has long been corrupted."

"Do you think he can escape my influence?"

The Corpse Immortal Emperor tugged at the chains of order, actually tearing one of them apart.

"If we recover our remains today, we can gain something extra."

As he spoke, the Corpse Immortal Emperor tore off another chain.

"Run! I can feel it, I can't stop the erosion any longer." The divine sense within the rotten wooden box was growing weaker and weaker, and it was truly being affected.

Perhaps soon he will truly fall into depravity.

"Is it true that if he can't have you, he'll never be able to return to his peak?" Xu He suddenly asked the rotten wooden box.

The divine consciousness within the rotten wooden box paused for a moment, but still spoke:

"Even so, he still possesses the combat power of an Immortal Emperor after breaking free of his shackles, which is far beyond what you can contend with."

Xu He nodded silently upon hearing this, then struck out with his palm, unleashing the River of Time and placing the rotten wooden box upon it, letting it silently watch the battlefield.

The Corpse Immortal Emperor could certainly touch it, but he needed Xu He's permission first.

"Doing this will only provoke him. Without the combat power of an Immortal Emperor, it's impossible to defeat him!" The divine sense within the rotten wooden box spoke with growing urgency.
"While he's still bound by his shackles, you can travel along the river of time to another point in time, perhaps even..."

“There’s absolutely no need for that,” Xu He interrupted.

"Why don't I just become an Immortal Emperor?"

After saying that, Xu He's body began to glow, and every drop of blood transformed into Dao runes, flashing in sync with the stars in the heavens.

"Is this an attempt to break through on the spot?"

At this moment, the divine sense within the rotten wooden box and the Corpse Immortal Emperor spoke simultaneously.

They never expected that Xu He would attempt to break through at this crucial juncture.

It should be noted that even someone as powerful as the Old Man Who Destroys the World had accumulated power over several eras, yet still ultimately failed.

Although the Corpse Immortal Emperor felt that Xu He would not break through so easily, he still accelerated the speed at which he broke free of his shackles, wanting to stop it all.

His remaining arm eventually broke free of all the chains.

The Corpse Immortal Emperor's remaining eyes grew even colder. He looked at Xu He before him and said in an icy voice:
"If you had undergone the tribulation earlier, perhaps you would have succeeded. Unfortunately, you insisted on breaking through in front of me, so you shall die!"

After saying this, the Corpse Immortal Emperor summoned a sword embryo and slashed at Xu He.

This sword cleaved through eternity, splitting the entire Boundary Sea in two, and even dividing the entire heavens in two.

At the same time, it also penetrated Xu He.

However, the smile on the face of the Corpse Immortal Emperor did not last long. He saw that Xu He, whom he had cleaved in two, did not feel any pain at all.

At the site of the broken wound, there was no blood, only an eternally burning immortal fire.

"The Immortal Phoenix Nirvana Technique?" The Corpse Immortal Emperor was filled with doubt and surprise.

Over the years, there have been instances of celestial phoenixes being sacrificed, and he recognized this method.

I just felt that Xu He's Phoenix Nirvana Technique was somewhat special, or rather, strange.

"wrong!"

The Corpse Immortal Emperor suddenly felt a pang of fear.

Even as a Celestial Emperor with boundless power, he still sensed a terrifying premonition at that moment.

At this moment, the sea of ​​realms and the heavens, cleaved by the Corpse Immortal Emperor, were ablaze at the point of fracture, as if, like Xu He, they were undergoing a Phoenix Nirvana Technique to repair themselves. "This world... is on fire?"

The Corpse Immortal Emperor murmured, his face grim, his eyes filled with nothing but killing intent.

He looked at Xu He and asked, "What exactly did you do?"

Xu He's eyes met the only remaining eye of the Corpse Immortal Emperor.

"I have merged with this world."

As he spoke, he smiled, a rare occurrence for him:

"In other words, the entire universe is my domain."

"You are the challenger."

Xu He's voice resounded through the eternal blue sky. In the darkness, countless voices actually came out, the sounds of battle and slaughter from every era.

"As the Emperor of Heaven, I shall kill all enemies in the world!"

"Now that you have seen the Heavenly Emperor, why don't you pay your respects!"

"..."

These powerful voices echoed throughout the heavens, rising and falling, never ceasing.

Even the primordial spirit of the Immortal Emperor, sealed in a rotten wooden box, was too shocked to speak at this moment.

Xu He had already given him enough surprises.

An independent system with exceptional strength.

Is he now about to transcend and become an Immortal Emperor?
"I am the Immortal Emperor!" the Corpse Immortal Emperor roared, charging towards Xu He.

The sword energy surged, attempting to destroy Xu He's dojo.

No matter how he slashed, he couldn't cut Xu He even a fraction of an inch.

"Has your body become one with this world?"

The Corpse Immortal Emperor finally realized that Xu He was merely a projection of himself.

"A single drop of blood can witness eternity," Xu He murmured.

In the next instant, the experiences of Wan Gu were presented to the Corpse Immortal Emperor and the divine sense of the Rotten Wooden Box.

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, Xu He was just as resolute as he is today, embarking on a seemingly hopeless path of no return.

But he ultimately won, as if to prove it all right.

Xu He's memories before leaving Earth, Xu He's experiences during the rise of Beidou, Xu He's memories of conquering the ancient starry sky, and his memories of dominating the universe after becoming emperor.

Everything was presented to the Corpse Immortal Emperor.

At this moment, he had no time to think about why Xu He's experiences were so dazzling, or why the world he lived in was so different.

Because at this moment, Xu He was already exuding the aura of an Immortal Emperor.

His blood energy became as vast as the ocean, so much so that it overwhelmed the Boundary Sea.

Suddenly, a drop of blood appeared.

He shares the same ancestry as Xu He.

The moment that drop of blood appeared, both the Corpse Immortal Emperor and the remains in the rotten wooden box were startled.

That originated from the essence and blood of the Supreme Immortal Emperor.

They are even more formidable than they were at their peak.

Although he was only a newly ascended Immortal Emperor, his strength was unparalleled. And this drop of blood was several times stronger than the two Dark Immortal Emperors who attacked him back then!
"This is...your blood?"

The divine sense within the rotten wooden box asked in surprise.

He never imagined that Xu He, who had traveled with him all the way, would possess such a drop of essence blood.

"So, you are a Celestial Emperor-level expert." The rotten wooden box spoke again.

At that moment, he suddenly recalled his previous conversation with Xu He.

He has always believed that Xu He's so-called pacification of the rebellion and change of everything is an extremely ridiculous joke.

But now it seems that he is the one who is ridiculous.

That drop of blood gradually merged with Xu He's.

Xu He gradually integrated into this world.

As the will of heaven and earth was gradually abolished, Xu He's Great Dao was transformed into laws one by one.

After a burst of dazzling light, Xu He gradually emerged from it. This time, however, the aura of an Immortal Emperor emanating from him surpassed that of the Corpse Immortal Emperor.

A single person stands atop the Boundary Sea, his vast blood energy capable of engulfing the Boundary Sea and overthrowing the Chaos Sea.

His appearance hasn't changed at all, yet he still exudes an extraordinary aura.

With every gesture, he seemed to have the power to decide the life and death of everything in the world.

He controls the rise and fall of this vast land.

His domineering aura as an Immortal Emperor was so intense that even the Corpse Immortal Emperor felt a sense of pressure from him.

He had only just broken through to the Immortal Emperor realm, so how could he be so powerful?
The Corpse Immortal Emperor remembered very clearly that when he broke through to the Immortal Emperor level, although he was just as arrogant, he was definitely not strong enough to be invincible against an Immortal Emperor who had been enlightened for many years.

"If my physical body and primordial spirit were perfected, how could you possibly be so presumptuous!" The Corpse Immortal Emperor spoke coldly, and sat down on his throne again.

Facing the arrogant Xu He, he felt he was not familiar with him and wanted to maintain his invincible demeanor.

Xu He merely sneered and said nothing, but the throne beneath the Corpse Immortal Emperor collapsed and crumbled in an instant, leaving only a small foundation stone.

Dust billowed across the heavens.

The Corpse Immortal Emperor's expression grew increasingly gloomy.

A junior colleague offended him with his every move.

With a cold snort, he stepped out of the dust, his eyes blazing with flames—proof of his power as the Dark Immortal Emperor.

At this moment, the Corpse Immortal Emperor stomped his foot slightly, and the aura of the Dark Immortal Emperor reverberated outwards.

The laws of the heavens collapsed, the Great Dao was obliterated, and another calamity befell all living beings.

This time, however, his divine power was no longer overwhelming.

Xu He merely brushed across the mortal realm, and the shattered world was restored once more, the laws of the heavens were reconnected, and the Great Dao was reborn.

The oppressive aura of the Dark Immortal Emperor that emanated from it was so strong that it couldn't even be transmitted through the Boundary Sea before being erased.

“I told you, this is my dojo.” Xu He looked at the Corpse Immortal Emperor: “You are the challenger.”

The Corpse Immortal Emperor snorted coldly, and suddenly swung his sword at Xu He, holding the Great Luo Sword Embryo.

The Celestial Emperor waved his arm, influencing the past, present, and future, enough to destroy all the heavens and bring about the annihilation of everything.

Xu He slightly raised his hand, imprisoning this vast attack and preventing it from affecting the outer reaches of the boundary.

Faced with the descending sword, Xu He simply gathered his strength.

At this moment, all the stars in the heavens shone in unison, and all the great laws and regulations of the past, present, and future were revealed.

They all added their blessings to Xu He's Emperor Fist.

He suddenly threw a punch at the Corpse Immortal Emperor.

This strike illuminated the heavens and covered the sky.

The arrogant fist light tore apart the boundary sea, as if it wanted to turn everything into dust and return the already broken universe to its origin.

The Corpse Immortal Emperor was unable to dodge the punch in time, and his body was pierced through.

The light of the Emperor's Fist pierced through his body, purifying countless streams of black blood, as if trying to obliterate their very essence.

The Emperor's Fist swept across, and even the Corpse Immortal Emperor could only be sent flying.

(End of this chapter)