The Path to Immortality opened in this era.
The Big Dipper underwent earth-shaking changes.
The sky suddenly split open with a terrifying, massive fissure. Auspicious Qi surged, suffusing with primordial chaos and isolating itself from the world.
From within came peals of celestial music, and exquisite, gorgeous lights gushed forth, diffusing immortal breath that fluttered in all directions, just like a passageway leading to the Immortal Domain.
The heaven-shaking great change arrived. All the sages were shocked by the Immortal Path, and even the ancient supreme beings were awakened. Their gazes reflected, deep and unfathomable. The living beings throughout the Eastern Wasteland were terrified, kneeling down involuntarily.
That kind of gaze made hearts palpitate, as if facing a deity of world creation. Sages did not even dare to look directly at it; merely passively feeling it made even souls tremble.
The restricted zone supreme beings woke up at the first instance, using all sorts of methods to investigate and frowning at the Immortal Path.
They could not clearly see its truth from falsehood, yet they leaned toward believing it was real, because there were few people in this world who could deceive them.
It was not the correct time, yet it manifested in the world. Could it be another path?
Under their doubts, the supreme beings joined forces to deduce it, wanting to pursue an answer. If it truly were the Immortal Path, then certain people would issue forth on the spot and march toward the Immortal Domain.
The result was unexpected. Several supreme beings united, yet they were unable to deduce whether this route could lead to immortality.
They tried deducing it using the Immortal Path itself, and the result had no difference from past deductions. From ancient times to the present, the time when that path capable of connecting to the Immortal Domain opened was always in later ages.
That is to say, this path of the current era is actually fake? Charging through it still will not lead to immortality?
Not necessarily. The Immortal Path naturally obscures the heavenly secrets; perhaps it can succeed, or perhaps it cannot.
However, even if it leads to the Immortal Domain, it is not something our kind can fight our way across. Only Great Emperors of the current era, when their blood and Qi are abundant, have a chance to break it open.
No matter what, this route was not the Immortal Path they were waiting for. Even if it could lead to the Immortal Domain, given their foundations, forcing their way in would only result in falling halfway.
At the same time, Zhang Huan also looked toward the sky in doubt, feeling it was fishy.
According to his impression, wasn't that Immortal Path an event that would only appear in later ages? How could it descend in this era?
When abnormal things happen, there must be demons; it was mostly a trap.
He did not act rashly. Even though the Immortal Path was close at hand, he was not in a rush to go and pry into the truth of it.
Executing a forbidden technique to look into the Immortal Path, he stared unblinkingly, trying his utmost to discern the Dao marks within it.
Inside was another universe, bearing clear rule imprints.
The sights were projected onto this realm, changing from time to time to transform into the beautiful scenery of the Immortal Domain, graceful mulberry-picking maidens, and immortal dao great medicines.
They were all illusory sights, like a mirage. Although they were magnificent and picturesque, they were impractical.
All the imagery seemed deliberately designed to stimulate people's desires, enticing people to enter within.
Seeing through these illusions, Zhang Huan conducted an in-depth exploration of the rules and symbols within them.
He sensed a trace of a familiar aura, subtle and ethereal, hidden so deeply that almost all traces had dissipated.
If he had not seen this aura before and deliberately tried to match it specifically, even a Great Emperor of the current era arriving in person would not have perceived the anomaly.
He found some residual aura, which he had once seen on that drop of blood sacrificed by the Undying Heavenly Blade.
Comparing the symbols within the blood, the two overlapped—they originated from the same person.
"No wonder. So it was that old thing Undying. Looking at it, he has taken a fancy to my essence blood, his thieving heart not yet dead."
Zhang Huan cursed under his breath, a clear idea forming in his mind.
So that was how it was.
This Immortal Path had appeared targeting him, coming right for him.
The Undying Heavenly Emperor orchestrated a scheme, finding a genuine-or-fake Immortal Path from somewhere unknown, connecting its entrance space so that it linked up with the sky above the Big Dipper.
In the past, he had used this trick to lure Great Emperors of the current era, and now he wanted to repeat the old trick, once again bathing in essence blood to advance further on the mortal world immortal path.
The Immortal Path could not be faked, and no one could manufacture a replica, but whether it could lead to the Immortal Domain was hard to say—some of them were broken paths.
However, the Great Emperors of later ages did not know this; lacking information, they would only realize the truth after walking it. The Undying Heavenly Emperor had accurately targeted this point to set up his schemes, having succeeded several times and launched sneak attacks against more than one Great Emperor.
As Great Emperors, suppressing the universe, they could yet only live for twenty thousand years. Who could feel resigned? When their lifespans were running low, they would ultimately fail to hold back, and even knowing there might be unforeseen perils, they would still go inside to check the reality of it.
The sacred factors from the other side rushed over their faces, causing people to suspect that it truly was an Immortal Path.
If one grew interested or intended to enter it, one would fall into Undying's trap, meeting with a great tribulation.
Inside, the greatest dark old-six in history was waiting for a rabbit by a tree, launching unprincipled sneak attacks against an old man whose blood and Qi were no longer at their peak.
Amidst the Immortal Path, all noises were blocked out and heavenly secrets were obliterated, making it the Undying Heavenly Emperor's best hunting ground.
Zhang Huan withdrew his hidden gaze, sitting quietly within the small mountain.
The Immortal Path was wreathed in immortal light, and that old-six Undying was definitely hiding inside.
He would not go in; this path could not lead to immortality, and instead harbored great disaster.
Since Undying dared to target him, his state was mostly quite good. Fighting in his home turf meant the outcome was unpredictable.
If he didn't act as reckless as Taihuang and instead turned a blind eye to the Immortal Path, Undying would sooner or later fail to sit still, and this tribulation would dissipate on its own.
Undying only dared to affect the current world in this indirect manner because he was also afraid of exposing himself.
Not self-slaughtering did not mean one was invincible, let alone that the mortal world immortal path would occasionally run into problems, causing one's strength to plummet drastically.
Figures like Undying and the Ruthless Emperor were like this; they traversed the mortal world life after life, their states sometimes fluctuating high and low, making it difficult for even themselves to control.
If the restricted zone supreme beings were to learn of their situation, they might become quite interested in them.
With double-digit supreme beings surrounding and hunting them simultaneously, no matter how strong Undying was, he would still meet a grievous end—after all, human strength had its limits.
He understood this very well, which was why he had been skulking for these past millions of years, knowing his own problems and stealthily taking potshots.
Until he was dragged into the exotic world by Wushi, the supreme beings of the restricted zones still did not know that the Undying Heavenly Emperor existed in the human world, having survived without self-slaughtering.
Perhaps they had also harbored suspicions, but Undying had never exposed any evidence that could prove he was still alive.
Zhang Huan could not help a sudden flash of inspiration—right now actually made for a good opportunity.
He could spill all of Undying's secrets, letting the restricted zones and Undying bite each other while he sat securely on the fishing platform to reap the profits.
If I mess with Undying a bit right now and let the restricted zones know of his existence, can Undying continue to hide and develop?
The restricted zones were no pushovers; if it helped their longevity, they would do anything.
At that time, they might just be itching to drain the Heavenly Emperor's blood and forcefully seize a lifetime's fortuitous encounter.
With the Undying Heavenly Emperor delivering himself right to their doorstep, while fishing he was also being fished in return.
Used well, this could set the restricted zones and Undying in opposition, leaving neither of them in peace.
He had to think of a method to make things hard for Undying, letting him know what human malice was all about!
Above the Big Dipper, the Immortal Path opened wide, attracting thousands of cultivators. Inside, it looked as though there truly was another world, and some people who drew close even saw living beings from the other realm waving at them.
The other party looked over here with a kindly smile, looking carefree and living a wonderful life in the other realm.
Some people could not hold back and ventured inside, their bodies wreathed in immortal Qi as if about to transform into immortals and ascend, and from then on they never came out again.
Had they attained immortality? It was unknown whether it was true or false.
Yet many cultivators could not resist the temptation, entering the so-called Immortal Domain.
The Immortal Path floated and sank in the firmament of the Big Dipper, light rain dancing and scattering boundless divine splendor. Crystal-clear droplets fell upon the vegetation, brimming with vitality.
Some aged cultivators took the initiative to absorb the immortal Qi, immediately becoming full of vigor. Their skin grew tight once more, as if returning to their youth, and their faces even transformed into the appearance of their younger years.
However, they discovered that this immortal Qi was also limited to this; the Wheel of Life on their wheel sea remained vicissitudinous, and the carved marks upon it had not smoothed out.
It was merely superficial immortality; internally, there was not the slightest change, and moreover, it would further overdraft their vital energy, causing them to die all the faster.
Over several years, people began to fear the Immortal Path, no longer recklessly believing that entering it meant achieving immortality. They developed misgivings and watched and waited, particularly watching the holy lands and restricted zones.
If the thing in the sky truly was the Immortal Path, no matter what, the supreme beings of the restricted zones would not remain indifferent.
Meanwhile, the attitudes of the various holy lands were also subtle. Over the years, no one from any holy land had ever entered the Immortal Path, and not even scouts had been sent to investigate.
From then on, fewer and fewer people dared to enter the Immortal Domain, mostly consisting of elderly figures with dwindling lifespans who cast illusory hope upon it and threw themselves into the Immortal Path.
Another few years passed. A pressure suppressing all ages arrived; the Divine Ruins returned, descending upon the Big Dipper from the river of stars.
"An Immortal Path, since you do not enter, we will accept it without courtesy."
Zhang Huan hid within the Divine Ruins, the faint imperial might covering the heavens and shaking the universe.
He was going to force his way in, openly leading the supreme beings of the entire Divine Ruins to charge into the Immortal Path.
Immortal Qi drifted as the Divine Ruins vanished into the massive fissure, making people's nerves taut.
Before long, all sorts of world-shaking fluctuations spread from within, shattering the entire stretch of the Immortal Path.
The Divine Ruins rushed out, and the people inside roared in front of the Immortal Path.
"Undying Heavenly Emperor, you actually didn't die! You hid so deeply, ambushing our group inside."
The voice resounded through heaven and earth. Before people could recover their senses, with a boom like the shattering of the heavens and the splitting of the earth, the Immortal Path collapsed right after.
It burst apart at the vault of heaven, roiling immortal Qi and finally exploding into a brilliant spray of light rain that blanketed the sky. The dazzling light suppressed the sun, making even the river of stars lose its color.
After the brief gorgeous display came countless corpses, like dark clouds covering the sky—so many that they blocked out the sunlight. Falling from where the fissure vanished, they slammed toward the earth one after another.
Corpse after corpse piled together higher than mountains, consisting entirely of severed limbs and broken arms, without a single drop of blood spilling out.
People's hair stood on end as they discovered that the identities of these corpses were precisely those who had successively rushed into the Immortal Domain back then.
Even more terrifyingly, immortal mist boiled within the fissure, as though some behemoth was about to come out.
Some cultivators looked closely, the void trembling as a stretch of distorted flesh and skin tumbled out from the Immortal Path.
It carried imperial dao laws, shooting forth dazzling light, and bore signs of having been gnawed upon. The moment it appeared in the world, it immediately began to Dao-ize, forming millions of runes in the air, dense and numerous.
Ten thousand paths of auspicious light manifested the Dao of the flesh and skin's owner, perishing amidst the light rain and revealing his identity.
"A part of an ancient emperor! So it was him. He actually died on this path, murdered by someone in secret."
Someone in the Primordial Ancient Mine awoke, their words carrying a measure of disbelief.
An emperor of a generation had actually been devoured until only some flesh and skin remained, chilling people to the bone.
Some felt lingering fear; the Immortal Domain turned out to be a scam, deceiving countless outstanding people. Even Ancient Great Emperors had been buried within it, all of them dead.
Who could possess such heaven-reaching methods to carry out such a heaven-deceiving act?
Associating this with the stern denunciations of the Divine Ruins, everyone raised their heads in unison, understanding something as public anger flared.
Undying Heavenly Emperor, what a monstrous crime! A fake Immortal Path, trading on a false name—you have committed boundless sins and deserve heavenly condemnation!
Ancient Emperor Mountain urgently issued a denial, sitting on pins and needles for a time.
On the Fluctuating Ancient Star, within a blood sea palace, there came a regretful sigh.
He seemed to be holding back a breath, his body twisting uncomfortably.
He couldn't figure it out; he simply couldn't figure out why he had been discovered.
The Divine Ruins had discovered him the moment they entered the Immortal Path. He immediately made a move, wanting to trap the Divine Ruins, yet they fled very quickly, escaping the Immortal Path before a single strike could land.
He had clearly hidden himself so well; how had he suddenly been exposed? He had succeeded using this exact method in the past, too.
"Sigh."
It was a pity. Without the essence blood of a contemporary Great Emperor to absorb, and failing to even trap a supreme being, he would have to walk another tens of thousands of years away from his next lifetime.
This time, not only had he failed to retrieve that drop of blood, but he had even exposed himself. In short, he took a massive loss.
Above the Big Dipper, a strand of divine sense along with a drop of blood was sent to the Primordial Ancient Mine, where the supreme beings within were conferring.
The divine sense claimed that this was a token of allegiance from the Divine Ruins concerning the Undying Heavenly Emperor.
It stated the cause: having witnessed the Heavenly Emperor's strength and considering themselves unable to afford to provoke him, they had fled into the starlight.
Handing this drop of blood over to the Primordial Ancient Mine was because they felt the Primordial Ancient Mine possessed the ability to contend with Undying, and thus the Divine Ruins had voluntarily yielded it.
Undying had hidden deeply enough; as long as he did not die, he would be a sword hanging over the heads of the restricted zones. They hoped the ancient mine could shoulder this heavy responsibility and become the vanguard in dealing with Undying.
As the undisputed big brother among the restricted zones, the Primordial Ancient Mine was Zhang Huan's first choice; the other cat-and-dog restricted zones only had two or three members, and he didn't think much of them.
Only the number of supreme beings in the ancient mine could accomplish a major task, and perhaps even make the Undying Heavenly Emperor fearful.
Double-digit supreme beings waking up simultaneously—this was the very first time since world creation.
No matter what matters occurred in the past, some would always continue their slumber, never as grand as today with everyone waking up in unison.
This was entirely because the events of today were too explosive. Aside from blowing up the Immortal Path, the Undying Heavenly Emperor was actually not dead; if true, that would subvert everyone's understanding.
This drop of blood was the Undying Heavenly Emperor's essence blood. The blood contained terrifying power, evaporating auspicious rays and suffusing a massive amount of blood Qi.
The moment it appeared, it suppressed a realm of heaven and earth with a "unique and supreme" dominance, invisibly manifesting a dazzling array of wondrous phenomena: divine birds soaring toward the nine heavens, true dragons coiled in repose, and ten thousand kinds of celestial beasts wreathing around it.
It could recreate the myth of Undying; once activated, it was akin to Undying arriving in person, carrying his unique Heavenly Emperor Dao.
"This drop of blood was taken from Undying and conceals the deepest secrets of his bloodline."
A supreme being delivered the final verdict, determining that it came from the supreme Emperor who achieved the Dao first in the Primeval Era.
He had personally witnessed the divine traces manifested by Ancient Emperor Mountain, and the Dao patterns in his impression completely matched those within the essence blood.
In the Primordial Ancient Mine, the supreme beings of this place were almost all Dao Attainers from the Primeval Era, and in the course of their growth, they inevitably had intersections with Undying's lineage.
They all shared a common trait: any Dao Attainer born closer to the Undying Heavenly Emperor felt all the more awe toward him, deeply knowing Undying's terrifying nature.
If the Heavenly Emperor did not age, then the world would have long since been the Undying Heavenly Emperor's happy hunting ground.
Because no one could beat him; being the number one person of the Primeval Era wasn't something you could just talk about.
In fact, he had indeed done so: founding the Undying Divine Dynasty, revered by all races, establishing order, making the Primordial Ancient Mine a supreme holy land, arbitrating everything in the world, and forming the initial laws and principles.
Without exaggeration, the ancient emperors here had all been influenced by him back then.
"The Heavenly Emperor did not die; he is hiding behind the scenes, specializing in ambushing Great Emperors in their twilight years."
"No wonder that monkey threw a tantrum back then and smashed his dao field; it turns out there was this layer of reasons."
"Heng Yu also said back then that he was going to fish for the Heavenly Emperor. At the time, we only thought it was just rhetoric to attack our ancient mine; I didn't expect it to be true."
The supreme beings spoke one after another, startled by such a discovery and unable to calm down for a long time.
The order of the Primeval Era had been initiated and founded by Undying, which was also a large part of the reason why he was revered by all races.
Yet the conduct he had exposed at this moment was precisely the polar opposite.
Before you continue