The Ji Family’s ancient hall, built by the hands of the Void Emperor himself, shimmered with endless stars — an eternal void that seemed to exist outside the bounds of this world.
A single glance sent ten thousand ages flowing past. Star domains shifted, the cosmos stirred in its primordial turning, all of it cloaked in an ineffable mystery. This was an ancient hall veiled in primordial mist, and those who stood within it lost all sense of time.
None but honored guests of the Ji clan could enter. Years might pass without an outsider setting foot inside even once. Here lay the secret of the path to proving one’s Dao in the void, and a trace of the Great Emperor’s Pressure Aura drifted perpetually through the air.
It was said that after returning from the earth-shaking battle at the Undying Mountain, the Void Emperor spent his final years in this ancient hall before passing away in seated meditation.
“A Great Emperor of the human race… what manner of battle did he face, that he would enter seclusion the moment he returned? What did he encounter?”
“Did he fall in battle, or had his lifespan simply run its course?”
These were the questions that arose in every person who entered the Void Ancient Hall — questions accompanied by boundless reverence. Had the Void Emperor not charged alone into the depths of the Undying Mountain with the resolve to die, no one could say how many of the human race upon this earth would have survived.
Within the Void Ancient Hall, endless stars flickered, as though one faced the star-filled sky of ten thousand ages. It was here that the Great Emperor of the Ji clan had buried himself in the boundless and unknown void, vanishing from the world of mortals forever.
To find the Void Emperor’s ancient tomb, one had to enter through this place — only then was there even the faintest hope of uncovering a clue. Otherwise, there would never be another chance.
“Is the Void Emperor truly dead?” Wang Teng asked. He had been fortunate enough to enter the Void Ancient Hall, invited as an honored guest along with his great-grandfather and father, to take tea within.
“Ancient emperors from the primordial age, supreme Great Emperors of the human race — no matter how brilliant their talent, no matter how their power defied the heavens, in the end they could not withstand the passage of time. The day of their sitting in final meditation always came.” One of the Ji clan’s living fossils sighed.
Suddenly, a small scarlet bird flew in — like the Vermilion Bird of legend, it gazed down upon everyone present with contemptuous eyes, utterly unafraid of any of the Saint Lord-level figures in the room.
A divine thought shot forth from the mark between its brows, streaming into the heart of one of the Ji clan’s living fossils, causing his expression to shift. He remained silent for a long while.
The members of the Wang Family clearly sensed that something was wrong. Wang Teng’s father asked, “What has happened?”
“Something has occurred in the Northern Domain,” the Ji clan’s living fossil said.
It was not long before, outside the Void Ancient Hall, a jade disc flew in. It projected a scene before them — everything that had transpired in the Divine City manifested truthfully before their eyes.
Crack!
Wang Teng crushed the tea bowl in his hand and shot to his feet. Fury blazed through him, and he could endure it no longer. The stone memorial had been uprooted entirely by the Holy Body, shaking the Eastern Desolation — it was a great humiliation to the Wang Family.
“I will slay the Holy Body and offer his head as a sacrifice to the heroic spirits of my Wang Family!”
The Northern Emperor swore an oath. He was currently a guest of the Ji clan, and Ye Fan’s act was a grave provocation. Added to the hatred that had long been building between them, a fight to the death had become unavoidable.
“Wang Teng, I await you in the Northern Domain. Wash your neck clean — I will come to take your head!”
That same day, Ye Fan issued those very words in the Divine City. The entire city trembled. The declaration spread swiftly, and the whole of the Eastern Desolation erupted into a frenzy.
One was said to be the reincarnation of an ancient emperor, no less formidable than a Great Emperor in his youth; the other was a Holy Body, one who upon reaching full maturity could contend with a Great Emperor as an equal. Was this a preview of what was to come?
The battle between these two would inevitably draw the gaze of the entire Eastern Desolation — even the eyes of the Five Great Domains would converge upon it. This was a battle that would determine the future.
Everyone waited in anticipation. Ye Fan had already issued his challenge from the Divine City, waiting for the Northern Emperor to come and fight. Knowing the Northern Emperor’s temperament, he would certainly cross the void to answer.
In the Ji Family’s Void Ancient Hall, the space above was incomprehensibly vast, star after star flickering as though they stretched all the way into the depths of the cosmos. Then, without warning, a soft sound rang out, and a palm-sized meteor fragment came tumbling down.
“What is this?!”
Everyone surged to their feet. Even the composed living fossils knocked over tables and chairs, unable to contain themselves as they rushed forward — for they had sensed a trace of imperial majesty.
“Is this a secret treasure left behind by our ancestor?”
Several Ji clan elders trembled. They sensed an aura closely resembling that of the Void Ancient Mirror — a terrifying divine power flowing within it, deeply unsettling, enough to bring them nearly to their knees.
Clang!
A metallic vibration rang out as the blue star fragment fell into Wang Teng’s hand. It pulsed with an uncanny radiance, carrying within it an indescribable resonance of the Dao.
In that instant, every member of the Ji clan changed color. Why? How had the Ji Family’s inheritance chosen to fall into an outsider’s hand — this was no good omen.
And yet they were not worried. Within this Void Ancient Hall, no one could act rashly. Even Wang Teng, said to be the reincarnation of an ancient emperor, could not — he would simply have to hand it over.
“A streak of blood… this is…”
Everyone was greatly startled. Upon the palm-sized blue star fragment was a trail of blood, as though it had just been shed — unbearably vivid, unbearably desolate.
“How can there be blood on it — it looks as though it was just splattered there!”
Several of the supreme figures were shaken. This blood felt far too familiar — its aura was identical to that of the Void Ancient Mirror.
And moreover, a divine power was flowing within it — an irresistible urge to kneel and prostrate oneself welled up in everyone. It was emanating directly from that vivid blood.
Thud!
Behind them, a powerful cultivator extended a divine thought to examine it, and was instantly suppressed — he toppled face-first to the ground, unable to withstand that unfathomable pressure, vast and deep as an ocean abyss.
“Can this be a trace of blood from our clan’s ancestor?!” The members of the Ji Family trembled. Even the living fossils could not help but shake, overwhelmed with indescribable excitement.
They did not understand what had happened, nor how this blue star fragment could have fallen from the boundless void, nor how it came to bear a trace of the Void Emperor’s blood.
“Our ancestor buried himself in the endless void, and no one knows where his ancient tomb lies. How can it be that a star fragment stained with his blood has appeared now?”
One of the Ji clan’s living fossils stretched out his hand, attempting to take it back from the Northern Emperor — only to find that it could not be moved. He was sent flying dozens of meters back, smashing through several jade tables and chairs.
“How dare you act so recklessly here within my Ji Family!” An elder’s face darkened, and he moved to take action against Wang Teng.
“Please calm your anger, esteemed elders. My son is not being insolent — look, it is the power of the blue star fragment itself. My son is in a state beyond conscious control.” Wang Teng’s father quickly stepped forward.
At the same time, a great ancestor of the Wang Family also stepped out and said, “With Teng’er’s own power, he could indeed look down upon the world — but it is absolutely impossible for him to send a living fossil flying like this.”
“This is…”
Everyone in the Void Ancient Hall was astonished. Wang Teng stood motionless as the blue star fragment emitted rune after rune, manifesting before his very eyes.
An endless starry sky, shooting stars streaking across the heavens, flickering and dying within his gaze — various characters shimmered and pulsed, profoundly strange, as traces of the Dao rose and fell.
“Hmph!”
The Ji clan members let out a cold snort. This star fragment bearing the Void Emperor’s blood rightfully belonged to them — and yet it had fallen into an outsider’s hands.
“Esteemed elders, please restrain your anger. This is something that belongs to the Ji Family. We would naturally never take it away.” Cold sweat ran down the back of a Wang Family cultivator.
But Wang Teng’s father laughed and said, “This is sufficient proof that my son shares a profound bond with the Ji clan — even the Void Emperor has manifested his blessing. I see this marriage as destined by heaven itself.”
“In a moment, have Teng’er recite every last word of the inheritance he has received,” the great-grandfather of the Wang Family spoke up.
The expressions of the Ji clan members shifted continuously, especially those of the several elders, all deep in thought. The Void Emperor’s secret treasure had reappeared — what manner of inheritance could it be?
“Just how great is Wang Teng’s fortune? A sacred object descended upon the Void Ancient Hall and landed in his hands.” The Ji Family’s elders could not help but take it seriously. They began to think that the Northern Emperor might truly be unstoppable — that his rise had become inevitable.
That very day, word reached the outside world: Wang Teng had received the Void Emperor’s inheritance and had gained the recognition of a portion of the Ji Family. It was very likely that a marriage alliance with the Ji Family was imminent.
“What?! Before the Void Emperor passed in seated meditation, he left behind another inheritance?!”
“And he chose Wang Teng — Wang Teng received it? Is this truly real?”
Throughout the Eastern Desolation, news reached the many great powers, and all were struck with shock and awe. This was an event of enormous consequence — the enlightenment a Great Emperor reached before death must be of immeasurable importance.
“How can Wang Teng possess such tremendous fortune? Could it be that he is truly destined to prove his Dao and become an emperor?!” Everyone was stunned. To have received the recognition of the Void Emperor — what boundless potential that would represent.
“It appears the Ji clan truly intends to forge a marriage alliance with the Wang Family. The Ji Family’s Little Moon will be wed into the Northern Plains!” People were astonished to discover that these two great powers might very well be on the verge of shattering an old taboo and binding themselves together.
There had long been rumors that within the Ji clan, a faction had always opposed this marriage, wishing to revisit the matter at a later time, while another faction had been firmly in support.
Now that such a great event had occurred, those in opposition would surely dwindle sharply. The marriage alliance would most likely face no further resistance — and from this, great waves would surge.
Within a matter of days, more news spread: several Ji clan elders had one after another agreed to this marriage. It was said that the inheritance Wang Teng had handed over was extraordinarily remarkable — a supreme ancient scripture of the highest order.
“I refuse to marry!” — these were Ji Ziyue’s protests. But the voice of the Ji Family’s Little Moon, alone as it was, seemed unable to change anything.
In just a few days, the Northern Emperor cultivated the scripture inscribed upon the blue star fragment and achieved terrifying progress. Above a secluded cave dwelling within the Ji clan’s territory, astonishing visions manifested one after another.
True dragons, divine phoenixes, and all manner of beings prostrated themselves beneath the feet of a central imperial figure — and that imperial shadow was none other than himself, his golden form magnificent and towering, various sacred chants rising all around him, with many divine beings bowing in worship.
Even the senior figures of the Ji Family were shaken. They had simultaneously cultivated this same scripture, yet none progressed as swiftly as the Northern Emperor, who had achieved enlightenment within mere days and reached an exalted level of mastery.
The Northern Emperor’s prestige surged greatly. The Ji clan elders who had previously harbored doubts all came to regard him in an entirely different light. His talent was such that virtually no one could hope to match him.
“He will certainly prove his Dao in the future!” Many were deeply moved in their hearts, their attitudes toward him transforming entirely — no longer did they waver and hesitate as they once had.
No one made any effort to conceal the news. When word reached the outside world, the entire Eastern Desolation fell into complete silence. This powerful figure from the Northern Plains was suffocating the entire younger generation.
Many of the senior cultivators sighed, worrying on behalf of their sons and grandsons: after they themselves were gone, who could stand against such a Northern Emperor? Even now, they themselves already felt their strength was not enough.
The Divine Ruins — a vast and ancient domain. In many places, not a single blade of grass grew, the red earth stained like blood. But there were also areas full of vibrant life, ancient medicinal herbs tens of thousands of years old growing there, their fragrance wafting through the air.
A large black dog carried a little girl carved of jade — a delicate, exquisitely beautiful child — skulking through this region like a thief, muttering constantly under its breath.
“Damn, there really is… a Southern Heavenly Gate here. Is there truly an Ancient Celestial Court in the deepest part?!” It gazed into the distance and saw a grand ancient gateway within the Divine Ruins, magnificent beyond measure, seeming to rival the heavens themselves in height.
“Doggy, when are we going to find Big Brother?” Little Xiao Nannan was like a porcelain doll, gentle and delicate, endearing to all who saw her.
“In a little while. I’ll tell you — he’s in serious trouble now. Even the Ji clan has most likely had a great disaster seeded within them. How could that blue star fragment possibly be the Void Emperor’s inheritance? It bears his imperial blood — just thinking about it makes my scalp crawl!” The big black dog muttered in a voice so faint it was barely audible.
“Doggy, what are you saying?” Little Xiao Nannan blinked her large eyes and patted it gently.
“I remember that the Wushi Emperor once said — the supreme being deep within the Undying Mountain wields weapons forged from Eternal Blue Gold gathered from the star-filled sky. Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. Most likely, it is a fragment of a weapon that was once driven into the Void Emperor’s body, which has since tumbled free. Though it bears his blood, it belongs to the inheritance of the Undying Mountain!”
In the Northern Domain, Ye Fan also received news of what Wang Teng had encountered over these past few days. He fell into a long silence — his opponent’s fortune had truly exceeded his imagination.
And yet he was without fear. He issued a battle cry of the utmost power, which many cultivators carried across the land of the Eastern Desolation.
“When the osmanthus blooms and the moon is full, atop Purple Mountain, we shall fight to the death!”
On the night of the full moon, the Holy Body would do battle with the Northern Emperor at the peak of the ancient emperor’s mountain. The announcement shook everyone — even the primordial beings of the ancient age came to know of it, for that peak was a sacred destination of pilgrimage from the primordial era.