bookbashuk Chapter 11 The Great Emperor of China
Chapter 11 The Great Emperor of China
Huntian Ridge, deep within the ruins of the Heavenly Court.
The divine peach tree, stolen from the ruins of the divine realm, now took root among the rubble before the crumbling palace. Its roots burrowed deep into the cracked stone slabs beneath its feet, and its branches unfurled in the thin black mist, each leaf as translucent as jade, radiating a soft glow. Several fruits swayed gently on the tree, emitting a pale pink halo that illuminated the surrounding ruins in a dreamlike manner. The rich life essence manifested as visible specks of light, dancing like fireflies among the leaves, imbuing this once desolate wasteland with a touch of sacred vitality.
Yu Dao sat cross-legged under the peach tree, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state.
His divine sense sank into the interior of this immortal herb, using his Supreme Heavenly Eye to analyze its most fundamental Dao and principles. The immortal herb is one of the most mysterious existences in the world of Shrouding the Heavens, each one carrying different Dao traces and fragments of laws.
One by one, the paths slowly unfolded within his divine sense.
A rich life force flows through the branches and leaves of the peach tree, and the patterns in its trunk resemble ancient, untraceable runes, each line a complete path of life. The fragrance of its fruit contains a near-immortal substance, enough to allow even the greatest emperors to live another life!
The origin of this peach tree flashed through Yu Dao's mind.
Panwang!
The name resurfaced from the depths of memory, carrying the dust and blood of the chaotic ancient era.
That was an unparalleled Immortal King from the Immortal Realm, who took form from the Peach Tree. In the Chaotic Ancient Era, Pan Wang was the elder of the Desolate Heavenly Emperor and had countless connections with the Heavenly Court.
Yu Dao, as the guardian general of the Heavenly Court's Scripture Hall, had never directly interacted with him, but had seen him a few times from afar. A gentle-natured immortal king, yet incredibly powerful, he was considered to be in the first tier below the giants, but ultimately perished in the most terrifying dark turmoil in ancient history.
"Although the Immortal King has fallen, his Dao traces are imprinted between heaven and earth, awaiting his future revival."
The Dao traces of the divine peach elixir intertwined at Yu Dao's fingertips, the pale golden threads of light gathering and dispersing as if telling a story spanning an era. He felt the warm touch from his fingertips and was deeply moved.
Panwang's true form is an immortal elixir. After taking human form, he became a celestial king. After his fall, his Dao traces condensed back into an immortal elixir. This is a complete cycle of life emerging from decay.
In his current state, his foundation is shattered and his vital energy is depleted. Even with the few immortal substances found in the ruins of the Heavenly Court, he can only prolong his life by two or three thousand years at most.
He aims to rebuild his foundation amidst the ruins, nurture new life from decay, and integrate the various sources of the Immortal Realm, the secret realm techniques, and the dark matter into one, thus reshaping his own Dao and principles. Pan Wang's cycle of reincarnation—from the Elixir of Immortality to the Immortal King, and then back to the Elixir of Immortality—resonates subtly with his current path of cultivation.
In the history of Shrouding the Heavens, almost every emperor was accompanied by an elixir of immortality.
Those who are the most outstanding and eventually embark on the path to immortality in the mortal world, the opportunity to live out a certain lifetime is very likely inspired by the immortal elixir that accompanies them.
The reason why the elixir of immortality is called "immortal" is not only because its fruit can give one another life, but also because the elixir itself contains the supreme mystery of the cycle of life and the ability to live from death. For ordinary cultivators, this mystery is just a fruit that prolongs life, but for those who have truly touched that threshold, it is a key to unlocking the next life.
Yu Dao opened his eyes and looked up at the peach tree. The branches and leaves swayed gently in the thin black mist, and several pale pink fruits emitted a soft light, as if silently responding to his thoughts.
He stretched out his hand.
The ancient peach tree moved swiftly without wind, a branch slowly bending down to place the plumpest fruit into his palm. The fruit felt warm and smooth to the touch, its skin as delicate as a baby's skin, a pale pink halo swirling in his palm, and a unique fragrance wafting through the air.
With just a single breath, a warm life essence surged into his limbs and bones, his parched meridians feeling as if parched land had received a gentle rain, greedily absorbing it. Although this replenishment was insignificant to an ultimate being, this quality of life essence was a divine object unparalleled in this world.
"This is the elixir of immortality."
Yu Dao examined the fruit in his palm, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes. The peach appeared even more translucent against the backdrop of the black mist, with countless fine threads of light interwoven and flowing inside, a form that appeared when the laws of life were condensed to their extreme.
"In the Immortal Realm, the Peaches of Immortality could grant immortality to those who ascended to heaven instantly, enjoying eternal life. Even though they have been slain by the will of Heaven, they can still allow the Great Emperor and Ancient Sovereign to live another life and reign supreme in the world for 20,000 years."
In the Chaotic Ancient Era, the Immortal Peach of Immortality in the Immortal Realm was a true divine object of the Immortal Path. A single fruit could allow a cultivator to step into the realm of Immortality. At that time, he had ample lifespan and had never consumed the elixir of immortality. After all, although the Immortal Peach of Immortality could allow one to directly step into the realm of Immortality, it was only considered the threshold of True Immortality. Some people belittled it as "Human Immortal," and it might even be subject to rebellion by the Supreme Being of the Extreme Path. As one of the important seeds of the Heavenly Court, he naturally would not take this path.
"I didn't take it back then, but now it's allowing me to live a second life!"
He murmured to himself, a glint of light flickering in his eyes.
When the Supreme Beings of the Divine Ruins saw him take the Peach Tree from the Divine Ruins, in their eyes, a person who had lived for so long and whose blood and energy had depleted to such an extent was very likely to have taken the Elixir of Immortality long ago. Even if he obtained the Peach Tree again, he could only barely prolong his life. A single elixir cannot allow the same person to live a second life; this is the basic rule of this world.
This reflects the difference in perception across different eras.
He put away the peaches and did not eat them immediately.
"A new life will be born within this broken body, its foundation will be rebuilt, and then, after taking the divine medicine, it will descend upon the world in its most powerful form..." Yu Dao said softly.
Destruction precedes construction; death gives way to life.
Once this path is successfully traversed, it will be more than just a second life. It will be a sublimation of the entire Dao, the first step for him to truly ascend from the realm of the ultimate Dao to a higher level.
The black mist gathered again, enveloping the peach tree and his figure. Only a faint light shone through the mist between the broken walls and ruins, like a solitary lamp in the vast night.
He began to continue his meditation.
His consciousness sank into the Sea of Wheels, where the golden sea of bitterness still surged within his dantian. The Wheel of Life slowly turned, causing the tides of the entire sea of bitterness to flow, sending the divine liquid gushing from the Spring of Life to his limbs and bones. Within the Dao Palace, five dilapidated temples stood silently, awaiting reconstruction. He needed to fuse the scriptures of this era's Great Emperors—the Dao Scripture, the Void Scripture, the Ancient Scripture of Ascension—with the methods of the Immortal Realm, the mysteries of the Secret Realm, and his insights into dark matter, into a single fusion, creating a truly unique Five Great Secret Realm Ancient Scripture that belonged only to him. This was a path never before trodden.
Several days later.
A phantom appeared at the foot of Huntianling Mountain.
The arrival caused no disturbance to heaven and earth, no unusual phenomena, and even the perpetual black mist at the foot of the mountain remained undisturbed. His arrival seemed to merge with heaven and earth themselves, and all things in the world were unaware of him, as if this phantom had been standing there from the very beginning. Only the black mist of Huntian Ridge rippled slightly before him, as if silently observing him.
At the mountaintop, Yu Dao opened his eyes.
He raised his hand and gently swept it in front of him, and the black mist shrouding the mountain peak silently cracked open a crack. The crack was extremely narrow, yet it was a straight passage from the foot of the mountain to the summit.
The illusory figure paused slightly before stepping onto the Hun Tian Ridge. His steps were neither fast nor slow, landing silently. Passing through the passage of black mist from which he had come, his form gradually solidified from a faint projection of will into a real flesh and blood body.
The newcomer was a middle-aged man, tall and straight as a pine tree, with a heroic and resolute face. His eyebrows slanted upwards towards his temples, and his gaze was deep but not sharp. He wore a simple, dark-colored robe with ancient patterns embroidered on the cuffs. Standing there, he was like a divine sword hidden in its sheath, without any sharp edge, yet possessing an aura of unapproachable dignity.
It was the same human supreme being from the Primordial Ancient Mine just a few days ago!
The valiant man looked around at the ruins, marveling at the sense of immortality they exuded. Then, he walked to the peach tree and faced Yu Dao directly.
He bowed to Yu Dao with great solemnity and politeness.
"I am from Shenzhou. May I ask your name, brother?"
Shenzhou.
Shenzhou? The founder of the Shenzhou Dynasty, one of the four great dynasties of Zhongzhou, and the Great Emperor of Shenzhou?
Yu Dao smiled slightly and spoke calmly.
"The Heavenly Court, the Way of Yu."