The Exalted One’s immortal artifact — the green copper cauldron — had appeared, crashing into the chaos cave!

No one had anticipated such a staggering scene. Though the ancient Heavenly Court had collapsed, its remnant clan still existed. And this organization was incomparably powerful — bold enough to slay the Longevity Heavenly Venerable!

On this day, a succession of events unfolded — each an earth-shattering transformation that stunned all into wide-eyed silence.

The Cave of Immortal Ascension was torn asunder and shattered completely. The immortal path was truly severed, for the immortal artifact — the green copper cauldron — had disintegrated, burning and exploding apart in this very place.

This was an astounding turn of events. No one had expected it. Someone had dared to slay even an ancient supreme being — it surpassed all worldly understanding, too overwhelming to comprehend.

Throughout all history, who had ever dared do such a thing? Only an ancient great emperor resurrected at the peak of his power would have possessed such audacity — the courage to assail a life’s forbidden zone.

Clearly, the Heavenly Court lineage had seized this moment with exquisite precision. The Longevity Heavenly Venerable was at his most weakened, on the verge of annihilation, and positioned within the most terrifying chaos cave. To have an immortal artifact disintegrate — the force unleashed was unimaginable. Nothing in this place survived; everything was ground to powder.

Several ancient supreme beings had also departed from where they stood, for this era was about to conclude. The road to immortality held no further meaning. First, eleven supreme beings had made their move. Then the Wushi Great Emperor had cast the Undying Daoist into the Cave of Soaring Immortals to fill it. Then the Buddhist order’s Mount Sumeru — ancient beyond reckoning — had exploded and gone silent. This path was already destined for destruction.

Now, it could bear no more and shattered to powder, ceasing to exist. All manner of immortal radiance swirled and danced. The rain of light was like an endless, boundless expanse of stars, flying outward in every direction.

More than half of those beyond this realm had already fled. Having reached such a level of cultivation, they could cross the universe at will — none of them were ordinary figures. All had sensed something was wrong, and whether sect patriarchs of one domain or ancient sages of ages past, most had vanished without a trace.

Only those whose lifespans were nearly exhausted — those already at death’s door — remained. They truly could not resign themselves. Even if they left now, they would only wither on the road.

The green copper cauldron had disintegrated. Since it was already composed of fragments, it now separated once more and exploded outward in every direction with tremendous force. Had it not been for the several supreme beings standing here, it would not merely have been the Big Dipper — even the surrounding star regions would have been pulverized.

Even so, radiance of all kinds swirled and flew in every direction. Some fragments fell into the hands of ancient supreme beings. Others vanished directly into the dark depths of the cosmos.

Piece by piece, the old copper scattered.

“The Heavenly Court has collapsed. This artifact can never again be made whole. Keeping it serves no purpose — better to let it send you on your way!” In the frozen cosmos, a voice rang out filled with bone-piercing cold — a hatred carved into the very marrow.

To kill the former lord of the underworld, to eliminate the Longevity Heavenly Venerable, they had not hesitated even to shatter the green copper cauldron. Their hatred was truly deeper than any ocean.

Boom!

A massive shockwave surged upward — terrifying beyond measure. The Longevity Heavenly Venerable was drenched in blood, battered to ruin, barely retaining human form. He had nearly been destroyed in both body and spirit.

And yet this was an ancient supreme being — to suffer such devastation was simply inconceivable.

Yet he still had not died. He had endured with tenacious determination, shocking all who witnessed it. Truly worthy of the heavenly venerable who had pioneered the “Ongoing” secret technique — it was not without reason that he had survived across such vast stretches of time.

His blood and vital energy were no longer vigorous, yet they still burned, repairing his body, healing the wounds upon his Dao.

Hum!

A faint trembling resonated. The sun star went dark. Streams of primordial vital energy surged toward him and entered the Longevity Heavenly Venerable’s body, healing his wounds.

Those who remained beyond this realm were shaken. From this day forward, the Big Dipper would know no daylight.

The green copper cauldron was known as an immortal-ascending artifact. Though only a third of it remained, it was still terrifying to the utmost extreme. The force of its complete detonation was beyond imagination — even ten thousand quasi-emperors gathered together would all certainly perish, enough to fill a pit of ten thousand deaths.

Yet the supreme being of the age of myth had endured even this!

Even within the Cave of Soaring Immortals, even already on the verge of collapse beforehand — he remained this terrifyingly powerful, showing all the world what it truly meant to be a supreme being without equal!

Boom!

The Longevity Heavenly Venerable repaired his injured body, reuniting the nearly severed parts of his frame. He stepped out of the chaos region in a single stride, his eyes cold enough to freeze the entire cosmos solid.

His gaze shot piercing cold light. Though his lifespan was running short, he remained overwhelmingly powerful. He was about to stride outward beyond this realm, to cut down the Heavenly Court’s “remnants.”

Rumble!

A surging tide of golden blood energy rose to obstruct the Longevity Heavenly Venerable. The perfected sacred body stepped forward and said coldly: “My life is nearly spent, and you have reached this point as well. To fight you now cannot be called taking advantage!”

Throughout the ten thousand ages, great battles between supreme beings had been extraordinarily rare — only in the dark ages — and those exposed to the eyes of the world were fewer still. Yet now, one was about to erupt.

Boom!

The white-robed woman struck. With a single palm, she shattered the chaos and utterly destroyed the road to immortality. She stood alone in that place as mist and haze drifted around her, appearing transcendently unworldly.

The next moment, several ancient supreme beings departed this location all at once, bursting out of that terrifying chaos storm. For everything here had come to an end.

The master of the ancient wastelands was no exception — her robes billowing gently, like a soaring immortal ascending, she rose to the heavens above the southern region.

Clang!

The Wushi Bell tolled. Its sound drifted long and far, resonating throughout the eight wildernesses of the universe. Moving contrary to all expectation, it actually suppressed itself downward, entering alone into the shattered great crevice of the broken immortal path, sealing itself within.

“What is it doing — permanently sealing itself upon the road to immortality?!” Beyond this realm, those who remained cried out in astonishment, bewildered and at a loss.

Even the few surviving supreme beings were taken aback. Then their eyes grew unfathomably deep, their bodies wreathed in drifting mist that shrouded their forms, concealing whatever expressions they wore.

“Northern Region!”

“The Purple Mountain!”

“The Wushi Scripture!”

Some among those beyond reacted swiftly, rushing directly toward the eastern wasteland, intending to head for the ancient imperial mountain in the northern region. Too many secrets lay there, and all coveted them.

Yet it was already too late. A burst of brilliant immortal radiance flared. An enormous scripture carved on stone tore through the universe, carrying with it a crystalline skull as it broke through the heavens and departed.

Beyond that, a resplendent immortal phoenix also spread its wings — its feathers vibrant and breathtakingly beautiful — soaring high alongside the scripture before vanishing, plunging into the edge of the universe!

A supreme being attempted to act. The Wushi Bell tolled, sending forth a tremendous wave that instantly blocked them — no success was achieved.

Other supreme beings’ eyes blazed, but alas, it was ultimately too late. The stone scripture bore the breath of primordial chaos, wreathed in drifting mist that could sever all connections — impossible to calculate or predict. It also carried a great emperor’s resonance. Together with the immortal phoenix, it had completely vanished.

“Heavens — the Wushi Scripture has simply flown away!”

Those beyond this realm exclaimed in wonder, filled with regret. Such a scripture, awe-inspiring throughout all history, had never once been opened for reading. The opportunity today had been rare, yet still no one had managed to seize it.

The Purple Mountain was torn apart. After standing for ten thousand ages, it had finally crumbled — the mountain fell and the earth split, leaving desolation in its wake.

“That immortal phoenix… it must be the undying medicine of the divine phoenix!”

“Indeed — that must certainly be the undying immortal medicine that once accompanied the Wushi Great Emperor. It has flown away with the stone scripture!”

This made the regret all the more acute. At the same time, people understood why certain ancient supreme beings had been moved by it. The potency of undying medicine diminishes sharply after being used once, and makes little difference thereafter. Yet it presumably still held some effect for those whose lives were nearly spent.

Clang…

The Wushi Bell pressed downward and came to rest upon the road to immortality. As those dark and immense crevices closed, accompanied by one final, long, lingering toll, it completely disappeared within them.

This meant that from this day forward, the Wushi Bell would never again be seen in this world.

In those final moments, all had witnessed it: the Wushi Bell had sealed the chaos cave, vanishing together with the road to immortality, never to emerge again.

“So it ends like this.” Every last person let out a sorrowful sigh.

“What does it mean to call this the Star of Burying Emperors? Now at last we have the most complete answer.”

Heavenly venerables of the age of myth, emperors of the primordial era, great emperors of the ancient wasteland age, sacred spirit divine fetuses — all were buried here. The seven great life’s forbidden zones were seven great tombs.

The Star of Burying Emperors truly lived up to its name. That things should end this way was entirely fitting.

Clang!

The perfected sacred body clashed against the Longevity Heavenly Venerable — however one looked at it, this was world-shaking. He used his peerless fists to clash against the Longevity Sword, and the radiance that erupted made the entire cosmos shudder.

“Why haven’t you left yet? Do you wish to become food for others?!” The perfected sacred body bellowed. The void beyond the heavens cracked apart from the force of it.

This was a warning. The people beyond the heavens shuddered with cold from head to toe, feeling catastrophe bearing down upon them. Without another word, they all fled for their lives.

The array platform blazed with light. The domain gates opened. Various formations awakened. The mightiest figures crossed the star regions, beginning their retreat.

In mere moments, barely anyone remained beyond this realm. Nearly all cultivators had fled. Only the elderly and infirm — and those whose life flames were nearly extinguished — were unwilling to leave, wishing to lay their bodies to rest in this place.

The perfected sacred body and the Longevity Heavenly Venerable faced off. A supreme-level great battle, astonishing throughout all history, was about to erupt. Within their eyes lay scenes of universes destroyed and reborn — terrible and astounding.

Where moments before heroes had gathered in throngs beyond this realm, in the blink of an eye it had become utterly desolate, with only weary old cultivators heavy with the twilight of age remaining.

The Stone Emperor was drenched in blood and clad in black armor. Tall and imposing, he stood like a great black mountain, a suffocating pressure emanating from him. He held the Heaven-Wilderness Halberd and said coldly to himself: “It is useless. What difference does early or late make? Even if they flee to the edge of the universe, it will avail them nothing.”

“This is a great feast. The ancient supreme beings have emerged into the world. Everything will be rewritten — what the world calls the dark era. And this time, it shall be the greatest in all history!”

“I am not yet ready to die. I will borrow your life essence, to slow the cracking and spreading upon my immortal platform.”

Aside from the Longevity Heavenly Venerable who was still confronting the perfected sacred body, the other five great supreme beings all wore expressions of cold indifference. Like walls of dark power, they loomed — their oppressive presence threatening to shatter the primordial universe.

These cold voices carried to the six directions and eight wastes, shaking all beyond this realm. Every person’s soul trembled. Cold penetrated from head to foot, chilling even the marrow of their bones.

It was too overwhelming. The remaining ancient supreme beings were about to unleash the most terrifying dark upheaval in all history.

The conclusion of the road to immortality was not the end of the storm — it was the beginning of the most terrifying true upheaval. The most horrifying great catastrophe in all history was just now about to begin its performance.

All now understood. The terrible premonition from before had not been without cause. The greatest upheaval was not the road to immortality at all — the dark upheaval was about to descend once more.

The mightiest figures had fled, but what good would that do? To a supreme being, a few steps could carry one to the edge of the universe. No matter where one fled — to the highest heaven or the deepest earth — there was no escaping this era. So long as you still lived in this world.

Boom!

A supreme being lifted his foot and took a step. This time, there was none of the restraint they had shown upon the road to immortality. Their supreme aura blanketed the sky and covered the earth, sweeping across all nine heavens and ten earths, causing every last star to tremble.

And the Big Dipper star region, in this very moment, was directly torn apart. The Star of Burying Emperors was shattered into four pieces in an instant.

And this was only the beginning!