Eternal God Emperor: Only I Am Emperor One

Chapter 148 Eight Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings by Fellow Cultivators
The monk Wufa and the Buddhist master Xinshu fought for a day and a night, but in the end they could not determine a winner.

In the end, it was the Buddhist master who chose to retreat and escape into the Fallen God Mountain Range.

The two monks fought for a day and a night, and Emperor Yi watched from the city wall for a day and a night, gaining a lot of new understanding of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm and physical sainthood.

High in the heavens, the battle of magic between the colorless Buddha and the Zen Master Liaoyuan had ended sometime ago.

Di Yi looked up at the sky. Red clouds rose on the eastern horizon, and under the morning light, seven figures were stretched long by the sunlight as they walked towards him.

The distance between the north and south of Shentai City is not far, and Di Yi knew about what happened at the World Banquet immediately.

Zi Qian becoming the World Child was unexpected, and he didn't have many thoughts about it.

Becoming a World Child is an immense blessing for Zi Qian, and it will be of great help to her as she goes further on the path of martial arts in the future.

After learning the outcome of the battle in the Central Imperial City from the talented woman of the Sacred Book, Emperor Yi realized there was no need for the conflict between him and the court to escalate into a fight to the death.

As long as it remains within the Kunlun Realm, it will ultimately be the First Central Empire, and Empress Chi Yao will have the final say.

This is not only because of her own strength, but also because of the support of powerful figures like Emperor Wen from eight hundred years ago, as well as the awakened ones who survived from the medieval era.

"Son!"

"Little Lord!"

"Owner!"

"Master!"

Seven figures bowed to Emperor Yi. Although they had become kings and world princes, they did not become arrogant.

Di Yi smiled and nodded, saying, "I already know about what happened at the World Child Banquet. The Great Sage Heavenly Tea and the Divine Spring are rare treasures that are hard to find in the world. It is your good fortune that you were able to obtain them. I will stay in the Fallen God Mountain Range to participate in the Sword Debate Conference soon. During this period, you will enter the World Stabilizing Banner to cultivate and digest the power of the Great Sage Heavenly Tea and the Divine Spring."

"Yes!"

Upon returning to the Black Market First-Class Hall's headquarters in the Fallen God Mountains from Shentai City, Emperor Yi immediately chose to go into seclusion to prepare for the upcoming Sword Pavilion Sword Tournament.

The Sword Tournament, held once every hundred years, is a rare opportunity for sword cultivators in the Kunlun Realm to enter the Sword Pavilion and comprehend the wordless sword manual.

Although only saints can reach the seventh level of the Sword Pavilion and comprehend the true wordless sword manual, any sword cultivator who has reached the level of a half-saint has the opportunity to enter the first six levels of the Sword Pavilion and peruse the insights gained from the wordless sword manuals left by the sages of Kunlun Realm throughout the ages.

Emperor Yi has now mastered Sword Four to perfection, and the next step is to cultivate Sword Five, which is based on the Wordless Sword Manual. After witnessing the battle between Xue Qinghong and Sword Saint Hong Jiu, he developed a strong interest in the Supreme Sword Dao of the Sword Emperor.

Inside the Sword Pavilion, there are sword insights from many Kunlun Realm sword cultivators, such as the Sword Emperor and Empress Chi Yao. Although they are just insights, one might be able to glean some clues related to the Supreme Sword Dao from them.

Even if it doesn't work out, being able to read the insights of sages throughout history is still an extremely valuable thing.

The life-or-death duel between the Nine Nether Sword Saint and the Burial Moon Sword Saint is a major event that cannot be missed. If the Nine Nether Sword Saint wins, it will naturally be a good thing.

If the Nine Nether Sword Saint dies under the sword of the Burial Moon Sword Saint, Di Yi must go and see him off on his final journey, as a way of repaying the kindness of his guidance.

Entering the inner space of the World-Stabilizing Banner with the others, Di Yi arrived at the corpse of the Dragon God and collected a large amount of dragon blood.

He then began refining the divine blood, tempering the 144 acupoints in his body, and attempting to sanctify the acupoints in order to achieve the first stage of the Heavenly Demon Nine Revolutions Diagram.

While refining the divine blood, he was also comprehending the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm, integrating the gains from the Mind Technique Buddhist Master's Subduing Dragon and Elephant Skill into his own palm technique.

The results were surprisingly good.

In just two months, Di Yi mastered the ninth technique of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm, "Growing Scales and Transforming into a Dragon," bringing it to its highest level and greatly increasing its power.

"Using similar techniques to learn martial arts skills has such unexpected results?"

Di Yi was somewhat surprised, and suddenly developed a strong interest in the Buddhist divine skill of Subduing Dragons and Elephants, but he had no way of obtaining it.

Setting aside the Subduing Dragon and Elephant Technique for the time being, Di Yi turned his attention to the other martial arts techniques he was specializing in.

The [Flowing Light and Flying Rainbow Escape Technique] originated from the [Heavenly Demon Flowing Light Diagram] and has been incorporated into his own demonic art system.

The only thing that can still be improved seems to be the [Hell King Claw].

Among the thirty-six stone carvings of the Heavenly Demon, one is titled "Hell of the Heavenly Demon," which is derived from the Yellow Springs Hell and is quite in line with the imagery of the claws of the Hell King.

"The Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm takes its meaning from the dragon and elephant. The meaning of the elephant is hard to find, but I can easily obtain any technique related to dragons." Di Yi pondered for a moment. In his hand, there was a fragment of the [Divine Dragon Secret Sect], one of the two supreme techniques of the legendary dragon race. However, this technique was too domineering. Even with his current level, if he comprehended it too deeply, it would affect his cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Stone Carving.

"There are also demonic arts related to dragons in the Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings, namely the [Heavenly Demon Ascending Dragon Diagram] and the [Heavenly Demon Mad Dragon Diagram]. If one cultivates one of them, it may also have the effect of understanding the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm."

Among the nine genuine Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings in the black market, one of them is the "Heavenly Demon Ascending Dragon Diagram." However, all nine genuine carvings were taken away by the Evil Emperor, who has not yet returned to the Universe Heaven, and the whereabouts of the nine genuine carvings are unknown.

"At my current level, whether or not I am comprehending the true essence of the Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings is not a major concern."

Di Yi carefully examined the connections between the sacred path, martial arts, and cultivation techniques he had cultivated.

Aside from the Flowing Light Flying Rainbow Escape Technique, the Hell Ghost King Claw, and the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm, the Sword Dao now mainly focuses on the Wordless Sword Manual and the White Emperor Heavenly Pivot Sword Technique. There are no stone carvings in the Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings that correspond to the Sword Dao, so we can only hope to rely on the insights of the predecessors in the Sword Pavilion.

The Five Elements Dao is the foundation of the Chaos God-Demon Body. As one's realm increases, it can naturally improve. However, Di Yi doesn't have that much energy to study the Five Elements Dao in detail.

What remains are the three ancient paths.

The Path of Darkness is based on the Dark Martial Soul, supplemented by the almost undisturbed Twin Lotus of Returning to the Void within the Profound Embryo. The improvement in the understanding of the Holy Path almost entirely originates from the Heavenly Demon Black Hole Diagram.

The Way of Truth and the Way of Origin both reside in the True Source Demon Eye; one is aided by the Divine Lotus, and the other is guided by the divine script of the character 'True'.

As his cultivation level increased, Emperor Yi's understanding of the True Word Divine Script deepened, and he comprehended more profound mysteries, realizing that it was not merely a combat method.

Although it is not as gradually guiding as the [Time and Space Secret Manual] in Zhang Ruochen's hands to cultivate the two paths of time and space, it is essentially an ancient cultivation method that progresses from shallow to deep.

"The origin of the True Character Divine Script is probably not simple. There is no record of it in the black market's books. Perhaps it is a lineage that does not belong to the Kunlun Realm?"

“The cultivation of the Path of Truth has the divine script of Truth, so there are traces to follow. However, although the Path of Origin has the Lotus of Divine Illumination and the True Origin Demon Eye, both of them can only assist in cultivation and cannot guide the advancement of the Holy Path.”

The three ancient paths are related to future cultivation. Once you fall behind in any one of them, it will not be so easy to pick it up again in the future.

Having gone through countless hardships to integrate the sacred rules of the Origin Path into his Martial Soul and become an Origin Cultivator, how could Di Yi easily give up cultivating the Origin Path?

"Perhaps we still have to find a solution from the Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings."

The Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings were created by the Primordial Heavenly Demon. With the Heavenly Demon's cultivation level, even if he had never focused on the Path of Origin, he must have comprehended all nine ancient paths.

The Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings are the essence of the Heavenly Demon's Daoist arts. Among them, there may be stone carvings containing ancient cultivation methods, like the Heavenly Demon Black Hole Diagram. Di Yi studied all the Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings that he had not yet cultivated, and then took out the images of the thirty-six Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings to observe them carefully.

Finally, they actually found a stone carving that might be related to the Dao of Origin: the [Heavenly Demon Primordial Diagram].

When he first entered Yipintang and had not yet embarked on the path of martial arts, the cultivation method that Di Yue chose for him was the Heavenly Demon Innate Diagram.

The key to cultivating this technique lies in the innate energy. The stronger a person's physique, the easier it will be for them to cultivate.

The Evil Emperor Xia Han, Xia Xiongtu, and Xia Shaoyang all possess powerful physiques and have also cultivated the Heavenly Demon Innate Diagram.

Emperor Yi was born with the Five Elements Sacred Body and a Fiery Demon Heart, making his innate energy even stronger than that of an ordinary sacred body. If he had cultivated the Heavenly Demon Innate Diagram back then, it would have been extremely suitable. However, he chose the most powerful Heavenly Demon Prison Suppression Diagram as his main cultivation technique.

The innate Qi, also known as the primordial Qi, has an inexplicable relationship with the primordial Dao.

"The Heavenly Demon Hell Diagram, the Heavenly Demon Rising Dragon Diagram, and the Heavenly Demon Primordial Diagram, plus the five Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings I have already cultivated, means that cultivating eight Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings simultaneously at the Half-Saint Realm should still be within my capacity."

Xia Han, the Evil Emperor of the Great Sage Realm, cultivated eight Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings together, while Blood Demon, the prodigy of the Undying Blood Clan eight hundred years ago, cultivated nine Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings together in the Sage Realm.

If Di Yi can cultivate eight Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings simultaneously while in the semi-saint realm, he will have a good chance to surpass Blood Demon and cultivate even more Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings after becoming a saint.

However, this is not absolute. The Blood Demon cultivated the nine Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings in the Holy Realm because his Holy Path foundation was composed of the Demonic Path.

Besides cultivating the Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings, Di Yi also cultivated the three ancient paths of swordsmanship, claws, and palms, and devoted a great deal of energy to his spiritual power.

Even if he only cultivates eight Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings at the same time, and fights against the Blood Demon at the same level, the Blood Demon would not be his match.

Moreover, even the Blood Demon who cultivated nine Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings at the Saint Realm did not continue to increase the number of Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings he cultivated after breaking through to the Saint King Realm.

The thirty-six Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings are ultimately the Dao of the Heavenly Demon, the legacy of a demonic ancestor. It will take at least until one reaches the pinnacle of the Great Sage realm to gradually comprehend the profound connections between the thirty-six Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings.

Before this, there was no absolute conclusion on how many Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings one should cultivate.

A martial artist who cultivates only one Heavenly Demon Stone Carving is not necessarily weaker than one who cultivates multiple Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings.

Ultimately, everything needs to align with one's own spiritual needs.

Having made up his mind, Di Yi stepped out of the World-Stabilizing Banner and made a special trip to pay a visit to the Hall Master of the First-Rank Hall, from whom he obtained three Holy Dao Imprints carved from Heavenly Demon Stones.

The Saintly Imprint is a mark copied from the Heavenly Demon Stone Carving by a Saint. Although it has many limitations, it is not a big deal if you only study it briefly. After the Sword Tournament ends, you can go back to the First-Class Hall to study the rubbing again.

Having obtained the cultivation methods from the three stone carvings, Di Yi once again entered the World-Stabilizing Banner for secluded cultivation, awaiting the upcoming Sword Debate Tournament.

……

There is a small town tens of thousands of miles away from the Liangyi Sect.

In an inconspicuous courtyard in the south of the city, a faint fragrance wafts through the air.

The courtyard is not large, but it is decorated very exquisitely, showing the owner's care in every detail.

"Squeak!"

The courtyard gate was not locked, and Zhang Ruochen simply pushed it open and walked in.

Looking at the flickering candlelight in the room and the beautiful figure reflected on the window, Zhang Ruochen's feelings became uneasy and complicated.

The banquet for the World Lords had ended several days ago, and during that time he had been searching for Huang Yanchen's whereabouts. Tonight, he finally found her.

The fragrance in the air grew stronger, wafting out of the room, faintly carrying the scent of a woman's body.

Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and stepped up the stairs. He pushed open the door, but it closed by itself as soon as he stepped inside.

Inside, the room was decorated in bright red, creating a festive atmosphere. The windows and walls were adorned with the character "囍" (double happiness). In one corner of the room was an extremely spacious bed, where Huang Yanchen, dressed in a phoenix coronet and wedding robes, sat upright, her head covered with a bright red veil.

Two red candles flickered by the bedside, their flames dancing, making the person beside the bed appear incredibly beautiful and inspiring endless daydreams.

Huang Yanchen's voice trembled slightly: "I thought you wouldn't come looking for me."

"How could I possibly leave you alone?" Zhang Ruochen felt a pang of guilt.

Hearing this, Huang Yanchen, hidden under the red veil, revealed a sweet smile, then asked with trepidation, "Back in the Eastern Region Holy King's Mansion, before we could even get married, you were captured. Tonight, I am willing to be your bride... and you?"

Zhang Ruochen walked to her side, sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the ceremonial scales beside him, but stopped in mid-air.

"Are you really sure? Marrying me doesn't guarantee a future. Perhaps I'll be dead tomorrow."

“I understand. Now that I’ve become your wife, I will stay with you no matter what the outcome is. If you die, I will not live on alone,” Huang Yanchen said.

Without further hesitation, Zhang Ruochen lifted the red veil, revealing a delicate, elegant, and beautiful face.

With a beautiful woman by your side, it should be a wonderful day for your wedding night.

As the candlelight flickered, Zhang Ruochen's vision blurred, and the most painful memories from the depths of his heart kept surfacing. The yellow smoke in front of him also looked like Chi Yao from back then.

His complexion grew increasingly grim, and the yang energy surging within him due to his practice of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm gradually spiraled out of control.

"Chi Yao...why...Chi Yao...why did you kill me..."

His mind went blank, and he suddenly pounced on Huang Yanchen, releasing all the emotions he had accumulated over the years.

"Tear..."

The exquisite red robe was torn to shreds. Driven by his inner demons, Zhang Ruochen was left with only instinct, treating Huang Yanchen as a plaything to vent his frustrations.

Huang Yanchen had never experienced anything like this before, and she became extremely flustered. Her heart was filled with fear and shock. She simply couldn't imagine why Zhang Ruochen's inner demon would be Empress Chi Yao.

What kind of past does he have?

Two lines of tears streamed down her face. There was no joy of a wedding night, only an indescribable melancholy.

She understood that the bride in Zhang Ruochen's heart at this moment was probably not her; she was just being treated as someone else.

To Zhang Ruochen, she was not a wife at all, but a lover, or perhaps just a senior sister.

(End of this chapter)