Shrouding the Heavens: The Ultimate Daoist Venerable

Chapter 451 Reconciliation
As they entered the depths of the Netherworld, Emperor Xuanwu couldn't help but say, "To be able to organize such a complex situation in the Netherworld so well, Fellow Daoist Netherworld Emperor, your merits are immeasurable."

The Underworld Emperor said, "I am only relying on the legacy of my predecessor, the Underworld Lord."

Upon hearing this name, Emperor Xuanwu was quite curious and couldn't help but ask, "I've heard that the Underworld Lord was your former Lord of the Underworld, and that he once joined forces with several Heavenly Venerables, including the Limitless Heavenly Venerable and my master, the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Venerable, to eradicate the forbidden zones of life at the end of the mythological era. Now that you've become the Lord of the Underworld, could it be that you've already become an immortal?"

The Underworld Emperor said, "The Underworld Lord has not yet become an immortal, but he has indeed embarked on his own path to immortality."

The Underworld Emperor knew that the Black Tortoise Emperor was curious about the past. As a future fellow immortal, the Underworld Emperor did not intend to hide anything from him, but rather to be frank and open with him, to achieve complete cooperation, and thus further reconcile with the lineage of the Celestial Venerable Lingbao.

After they entered the Underworld Emperor's Palace together, the Underworld Emperor said, "Fellow Daoist Xuanwu, you should know about the Corpse Calamity of the Mythological Era, right?"

Emperor Xuanwu was taken aback upon hearing this, after all, it was his master, Lingbao Tianzun, who had personally quelled this great calamity caused by the underworld. He had already avoided the topic, but he did not expect Emperor Ming to bring it up himself.

Upon entering the underworld, Emperor Xuanwu was absolutely certain that the underworld had reformed and that all traces of the past had long since disappeared with the changing times.

Therefore, in Emperor Xuanwu's eyes, these old stories were nothing more than fleeting clouds, gone with the wind.

Emperor Xuanwu said, "I have heard about it."

The Underworld Emperor then created the Underworld through the Underworld Lord, who later fell into a deep sleep due to problems during his transformation. In the unattended Underworld, other supreme beings conducted various experiments in the universe, which caused the Corpse Calamity. The story was later told in detail by the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao.

Of course, this also includes his later joining the Underworld and siding with the Supreme Heavenly Venerable Wuji, which led to the cleansing of the Underworld and other forbidden zones.

Knowing all this, Emperor Xuanwu remained unmoved, as these blood debts had long since been settled. However, the fact that the Underworld Emperor had once severed his own hand to enter the forbidden zone of the Underworld stirred something within Emperor Xuanwu.

After all, such a being is basically impossible to exist in this era when the Immortal Gate was opened.

Emperor Xuanwu asked, "So that's how it is. But this is a long-forgotten part of ancient history, so why does Fellow Daoist Minghuang bring it up?"

The Underworld Emperor sighed, “You are the disciple of the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao, and I am the successor of the Underworld Venerable. Although these matters are not of great concern to the two of us, they still require careful consideration from both of our lineages.”

Emperor Xuanwu said, "Since my master has not mentioned this matter, and has even sent me here to exchange ideas on the methods of Earth Immortals with you, Fellow Daoist Minghuang, I suppose these things are already in the past in his heart. We should look to the future."

As he spoke, Emperor Xuanwu felt a surge of energy in his mind, and a special secret technique emerged from the coordinates left to him by the Celestial Venerable Lingbao.

After understanding the details, Emperor Xuanwu said, "It seems that it is time for our two lineages to work together and support each other."

The Underworld Emperor couldn't help but look puzzled.

Emperor Xuanwu laughed and said, "The method my master used during his transformation in the Netherworld was derived from the Scripture of Salvation. When he was reborn, he directly disintegrated the Reincarnation Seal to complete his rebirth."

"Now he has passed this technique on to me, asking me to exchange it for the method of becoming an Earth Immortal."

The image that flashed through Xuanwu Emperor's mind was precisely the method Lingbao Tianzun used to shatter the Reincarnation Seal and rediscover his true self. Clearly, Xuanwu Emperor didn't need such a secret technique; therefore, it was naturally meant to be used in exchange for the Underworld Emperor. Lingbao Tianzun had long forgotten about the Corpse Calamity back in the mythological era. He had even completed the first half of a transformation using the Underworld and witnessed its changes firsthand; therefore, the matter was long gone. Only the Underworld Emperor himself still harbored some unease.

If the Xuanwu Emperor were to transform into an Earth Immortal, then he and his disciple would likely be separated into two realms. In order for his disciple to go further and more smoothly, it was naturally necessary to be on good terms with the two Earth Immortal seniors, the Underworld Emperor and the Celestial Venerable of Longevity.

Therefore, Lingbao Tianzun directly entrusted the secret techniques developed from the Duren Jing to the Underworld Emperor through Xuanwu Emperor, so that he could be completely at ease and establish a deep cooperative relationship with Xuanwu Emperor, so that after he left, Xuanwu Emperor could still support each other and continue to move forward.

Moreover, this secret technique was actually prepared for the yet-to-be-born Corpse Emperor. After all, he was the most perfect ancient corpse spirit communion that appeared in the underworld since the Underworld Lord.

If he can achieve success in his cultivation, then the secret technique of Lingbao Tianzun will be of great benefit to him.

The Underworld Emperor was slightly startled upon hearing this, but at the same time, he felt relieved. This Scripture of Salvation was originally a supreme scripture created by the Celestial Venerable Lingbao to suppress the Corpse Calamity. Now that he had instructed his disciple to exchange this scripture with him, it was indeed a complete reconciliation.

Therefore, the Underworld Emperor said, "Since that's the case, what does Fellow Daoist Xuanwu wish to exchange with me? I will certainly do my best."

Thus, Emperor Xuanwu once again obtained the methods for becoming an Earth Immortal from Emperor Ming and various explorations on the path to becoming an Earth Immortal.

Compared to the Celestial Venerable of Longevity, the Underworld Emperor did not explore the methods of the Earth Immortals as much, and could only be considered moderate, not going too far beyond the framework of the Celestial Venerable of Longevity. However, the Xuanwu Emperor still benefited greatly.

After all, the Netherworld is one of the largest of all the wondrous places, and although Jade Flower Divine Island was not originally that large, it has now been transformed by the Celestial Venerable Lingbao to be far superior to what it used to be.

It would be very difficult for Emperor Xuanwu to maintain his own identity after merging with such a vast and wondrous place as Yuhua Divine Island and transform it into his own wondrous place.

In this respect, Hades' experience was also very useful to him.

Of course, Emperor Xuanwu also passed on Liang Yu's further deductions about the methods of Earth Immortals to Emperor Ming. Both the Celestial Venerable of Longevity and Emperor Ming were his predecessors, and their further development would allow Emperor Xuanwu to have more experience to learn from, thus making his path smoother.

As for the Underworld Emperor, the method of the Earth Immortal deduced by Liang Yu was indeed of great use to him, giving him a sudden enlightenment and a direction for further progress.

While Lingbao Tianzun himself couldn't use that secret technique, it was indeed possible for the ancient corpse spiritists born in the underworld to become stronger through it.

At this moment, the Underworld Emperor naturally thought of the Corpse Emperor, who was ready to be released at any time but whom he had sealed away. Perhaps he could benefit from this secret technique and become stronger.

After these exchanges are completed, the next step is the exchange of personal Taoist practices.

However, they didn't have much to talk about on this point, since their paths didn't align and they had nothing in common.

However, as emperors who are significantly stronger than ordinary cultivators, they can still engage in some clashes to further advance their cultivation.

After that, Emperor Xuanwu left the Underworld and embarked on his journey home.

(End of this chapter)