“To be more precise — it is a place for nurturing corpses. You are not them. Truly, you are only Shennong, the Yellow Emperor, Li Er, and Shakyamuni!”
Deep within the eyes of the Lord of Samsara lay terrifying coldness, as his gaze moved without pause across the four of them. His expression grew complex — no one could say what he was thinking — and he fell into silence for a remarkably long time.
“Esteemed visitor, please take your leave,” Shakyamuni spoke first.
“Monk — do you believe you can stop me with just the few of you?” The Lord of Samsara roared, his expression cold to the uttermost extreme.
Were this to be made known to the world, it would shake the universe. Shakyamuni — what manner of figure was he? Even more than two thousand years ago he had already been a quasi-emperor, his achievements touching the very workings of creation. Yet the Lord of Samsara did not place him in his eyes at all.
In this world, only ancient Supreme Beings would dare to do such a thing — regard a figure of Shakyamuni’s caliber as nothing — and it was precisely because they were too powerful.
“Then come and try to attack,” someone said plainly.
“Do you believe that having several Emperor Formation patterns and one Emperor Weapon means you can hold this ancient star? I command Samsara — in and of myself I am an emperor. How could a mere array of formations possibly obstruct my physical form? Dao patterns of this level, I have personally drawn before.”
As the Lord of Samsara spoke those cold, merciless words, he stepped forward. In that instant, the vault of heaven shook violently. Strands upon strands of great Dao aura spread outward, pressing toward Hangu Pass — seeking to shatter this place completely.
“Unfortunately, you are no longer a true emperor and sovereign.” From atop the city gatehouse, the several silhouettes showed no fear — transcending the mortal world — channeling the Emperor Weapon together and unleashing a scorching beam of light, while at the same time all the Emperor Formation patterns awakened completely, rolling through billions of miles and sweeping out their killing radiance.
“Boom!”
The universe trembled. Immortal light surged like a boundless ocean and crashed against the Lord of Samsara. In that place, a terrifying resonance of the Dao rang out — a deep, rolling thunder.
At last, when all the radiance had subsided, the expression of the Lord of Samsara had grown cold to an extreme, while his eyes became ever more hollow — as if they could swallow all living beings in the universe.
His strike had not broken through. After all, there were several Emperor Formations here, each one extraordinary — there was the supreme heavenly formation woven from the Zhe Character Secret, and the immortal formation laid down personally by the Dao Venerable. Breaking through was easier said than done.
Ultimately, he was not a true emperor and sovereign. Unless he surged to his peak in an instant, restoring himself to the pinnacle of ten-thousand-year-old ages past — but the cost of that would be such that even if he survived a single battle afterward, he would barely be able to go on living. It would not be worth it.
The Lord of Samsara moved around Hangu Pass, attempting to break the formations — but this was not a domain in which he excelled. His mastery of formation arts was no more than what any cultivator at the Great Emperor level would have attained, and he was by no means a great master within the study of Dao patterns.
In truth, upon reaching the Great Emperor level, one needed only to extend a single finger to shatter the heavens — what need was there for any method of unraveling a formation? It was simply that his state was not at his absolute zenith, and faced with these several great formations, he could not break through in a short time.
“There is no time. To stop my aging, I need hundreds of billions — even a trillion — living beings. Spending myself here breaking formations is not worth the cost.” The Lord of Samsara said inwardly to himself.
Of course, he was still deeply unwilling. At the very least, those four alone were unparalleled tonics. Having ranged across the mortal world, how often did one encounter quasi-emperors? But if he truly wanted to break through and enter, the price he would have to pay was far too great.
“This star is a place for nurturing spirits. It has ninety-nine Dragon Mountains from the mythological era — no wonder it can gestate an immortal cauldron. Likewise, it can nurture corpses. Those buried here can develop a samsara seal within the shortest span of time, far ahead of schedule.”
The Lord of Samsara spoke in a low murmur, his eyes flickering between dim and bright as he gazed at this ancient star. His expression was cold beyond measure.
This was absolutely a piece of world-shaking news. Even if only a fragment of it were to leak out, it would be enough to shake the great universe — to set ten thousand realms trembling. Far too astonishing.
The bodies of Shennong, the Yellow Emperor, and Li Er held origins of the highest order — it was solely because they had been buried here that they had formed the samsara seal, and their corpses had given birth again to consciousness.
Long before this, Ye Fan had speculated on the origin of Laozi. It was said that he had been carried out during a mountain flood and had been born with white hair and white beard — the ancient corpse of a being who had gained a new “spirit.”
Great Emperor Hengyu was the same — he had died and been buried on Earth, and within his remains, a “new spirit” had been nurtured. Though that was no longer truly himself.
The case of the Great Emperor of the Void was more complex. He had been buried in the universe, his coffin had fallen to Earth, and he too had nurtured a new spirit within the coffin — leaving behind the name “Yellow Emperor” — and had later departed when the coffin was opened.
He remained enclosed within the coffin for long periods of time, for his physical body had sustained tremendous damage. Though a new consciousness had been born within him — a completely new individual — his body remained as it was, the hidden ailments left behind from his bloody battles across the eight wastelands still present, requiring the divine ancient coffin to suppress and nourish him, and even requiring the essence blood of old enemies to cleanse and purify his physical body.
After all — he still possessed an emperor’s physique.
In sum, they were no longer the Great Emperors and Celestial Venerables of former days. Their ties to the mythological era and the ages of antiquity had long since been severed — they were entirely new individual lives.
In a sense, the Great Emperor of the Void and the Celestial Venerables of the mythological era could no longer truly appear. Only their physical forms remained — not the true persons they had once been. As the ages passed, the original divine souls had perished. The “minds” that had been born anew were entirely different — only their outward forms remained.
Although these individuals had obtained sutras, personal notes, and inscriptions from the ancient coffins and relics of their former lives, they could not possibly awaken what one might call a “past life” — there was simply no possibility of a “previous existence” returning. There was no such thing.
“You — in the end, are no longer you. Everything has been scattered by the wind. Time truly is without mercy.” The Lord of Samsara cast them one final cold glance, then turned and departed without forcing his way through.
In truth, had he truly chosen to clash head-on, he would most likely have suffered bitterly here.
The Lord of Samsara departed with a towering aura, causing the stars to tremble. With one step, he plunged into the depths of the universe. The next moment, following ancient memories, he arrived at a source of life and bathed an entire ancient star in blood — blood that drowned the heavens.
The Dark Upheaval continued. Nothing could stop it — unless a true Great Emperor came back to life. Without that, it was hopeless.
Shennong, the Yellow Emperor, and Li Er had indeed reached the absolute pinnacle of the quasi-emperor realm. In theory they had the power to fight — yet if they truly went out to block the ancient Supreme Beings from feeding, they could only come to grief.
On Earth, with several Emperor Formations, they were sufficient in defense yet lacked in offense. This was a helpless reality.
The Dark Era had begun, and it would continue. No one could stop it. Even if Great Emperors were resurrected, if there were only one or two, they would be powerless to turn the tide.
In another part of the universe, on the ancestral star of the Heaven-Dominator Body, a world-shaking great battle had erupted that no one would have expected. The Dao-Abandoning Supreme Being had encountered an adversary.
He had bathed that star in blood, seeking to harvest enough powerful life force — and the people here were all formidable, no shortage of saints among them. Yet the moment the slaughter began, the people here all roared together, calling upon their ancient ancestor, praying for the legendary peak Heaven-Dominator Body to return and save them from this crisis.
This was the ancestral star of the Dominator Body — but that did not mean every being upon the star was a Dominator Body. Only a great many descendants lived here; true, pure-blooded Dominator Bodies, like the Holy Bodies, appeared only once in many years.
Yet this star revered the Dominator Body above all else. Within a mysterious ancestral cave, a matchless oppressive might erupted — a massive piece of immortal source flew out, then exploded, halting the rivers of blood flowing across the land.
A peak Heaven-Dominator Body was alive — having sealed itself within the source — and had never attained the Dao. Naturally, he had not needed to sever himself with one slash. He was no less worthy a rival to the Holy Body, and he was fully capable of challenging a Supreme Being.
What followed was a battle of life and death — bloody beyond measure. Both combatants fought to a frenzy, careening into the outer void, destroying who knew how many star clusters along the way.
They battled onward into the depths of the universe. That Heaven-Dominator Body was of unrivaled valor — drenched in blood from head to foot, yet still managing to wound the Dao-Abandoning Supreme Being in return.
No one had expected that an ancient Supreme Being would meet an adversary in the present age. It shook the universe and gave people the sense that hope still existed.
In another domain, a peak Holy Body was locked in a decisive battle with the Immortal Celestial Venerable of Longevity — a fight to the death — as holy blood and imperial blood splattered across the cosmos. And now in this domain, a peak Heaven-Dominator Body had emerged as well. This was a truly unexpected surprise, and it lifted the spirits of many.
“You are forcing me to restore myself to my peak — and if I do, you will have no path left to survive!” The Dao-Abandoning Supreme Being roared, swiping his hand through the void — an entire galaxy shattered. Countless stars turned to dust, and an endless expanse of the universe fell dark.
His methods were terrifying — he could annihilate a world with the utmost of ease.
“If you do that, you will certainly die in the aftermath of the battle!” The peak Heaven-Dominator Body was utterly fearless.
The great battle did not cease — it continued on.
“At this rate, I will still not be able to protect your ancestral star. Even if I do not descend upon it myself, other Supreme Beings will go there and bathe the heavens in blood!” The Dao-Abandoning Supreme Being said coldly.
The peak Heaven-Dominator Body fell silent — but his attacks did not stop.
“Your life force is running dry as well. If you wish to go on living, I am your predecessor — the path I once walked is your tomorrow!” The Dao-Abandoning Supreme Being said.
The old Dominator King launched attacks with even greater ferocity, battering the Dao-Abandoning Supreme Being until he was coughing up mouthfuls of blood. Though he himself nearly been cleaved apart more than once, he fought on with greater and greater fury.
Throughout the universe, some powerful saints who had discerned the situation could not help but pray — hoping that both the peak Holy Body and the Heaven-Dominator Body might survive, defeat their opponents, and in doing so bring hope that the Dark Upheaval might one day end.
Yet after a fierce and brutal clash, everything changed.
In the end, the Heaven-Dominator Body and the Dao-Abandoning Supreme Being stood side by side — and resolved their conflict. No longer locked in a struggle to the death.
The Dao-Abandoning Supreme Being did not return to the ancestral star of the Dominator Body, and instead set off again — continuing to bathe other Ancient Life Lands in blood, harvesting the life essence needed to prevent his own decay.
And the Heaven-Dominator Body also made his move — bathing ancient stars in blood, waging war across the universe. He had become yet another source of the Dark Upheaval.
This was equivalent to adding one more person to the tally. The count of ancient Supreme Beings had grown by one — and this change was suffocating, utterly despairing.
He did not slaughter his own ancestral land, yet he launched unbridled campaigns of conquest throughout his ancient domain, harvesting what he needed to delay his aging and prepare for the second great dormancy of his life.
The calamity was growing more terrible by the moment — becoming ever more despairing, without the faintest glimmer of light.
“Quasi-Emperor Mingde has fallen — killed in battle beyond the realm, his life force seized by an ancient Supreme Being!”
Catastrophic news descended from all directions. Not a single ray of hope was to be found. Before one’s eyes and in one’s ears, there was only darkness — blood washing across the universe, the Supreme Beings encountering no worthy opponents.
The Supreme Being of Light and Darkness descended upon the Ziwei Star Domain. With a single raise of his hand, several billion living beings died violently — he opened his mouth and inhaled, seizing the thread of life essence each of them contained.
As all living beings wept helplessly in their misery, they called out the name of the Solar Sacred Emperor again and again — for it was on this very star that he had attained the Dao, and afterward ruled supreme over the universe.
And then — it truly worked.
The eye of the Northern Sea shattered. A coffin flew outward. A stone pagoda shook, radiating ten-thousand-feet of brilliance!
The divine consciousness of former days had long since been worn away — it no longer existed. Yet when the ancient coffin burst open, within it was a human skin bearing the bloodstains of the Solar Sacred Emperor — and then it swelled and expanded, as though coming back to life.
It took on a human form — as though revived, awakened by the will of all living beings. Grasping a stone pagoda, it descended upon the world, launching itself against the Supreme Being of Light and Darkness.