After traversing the Eastern Wasteland, Ying Hao still failed to find any trace of the Bronze Immortal Palace. Obtaining this Immortal Artifact truly required a stroke of fortune.
This Immortal Artifact traveled beneath the earth. Locking onto it was by no means easy.
Of course, if he was willing to spend a great deal of time and set up numerous methods, he still had a good chance of finding the Bronze Immortal Palace.
But there was no need for that at all!
As far as he knew, only five Immortal Artifacts remained in the world: the Bronze Immortal Palace, the Desolate Pagoda, the Immortal Bell, the Heaven-Piercing Underworld Treasure, and the Immortal Ascension Cauldron.
The Immortal Bell was said to be an Immortal Artifact nurtured naturally, but he was more inclined to believe that it was an Immortal Artifact left over from the Immortal Ancient Era, and that it was very likely related to Immortal King Wuzhong.
The Bronze Immortal Palace was an Immortal Artifact refined by a True Immortal, while the Desolate Pagoda originated from the Desolate Heaven Emperor.
Relatively speaking, the Heaven-Piercing Underworld Treasure and the Immortal Ascension Cauldron were somewhat inferior, having been created by the Tribulation Crossing Heavenly Venerate and the Emperor respectively.
A Great Emperor naturally lacked the ability to refine an Immortal Artifact, but a Heavenly Emperor possessed that ability.
Heavenly Emperor was not a realm, but a title—a venerable title born from overwhelming strength.
The Emperor's strength had naturally reached the level of a Heavenly Emperor. He had also used the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains to nurture the Immortal Ascension Cauldron, finally refining it into an Immortal Artifact.
But no matter how powerful a Heavenly Emperor was, he could never surpass a true immortal, much less the Desolate Heaven Emperor.
Observing Immortal Artifacts and comprehending immortality would be of tremendous benefit to the transformation path of a Mortal World Immortal.
The Desolate Pagoda had been created by the Desolate Heaven Emperor. It was undoubtedly the best choice!
When he thought of the Desolate Pagoda, he could not help remembering the Azure Emperor of later generations. That Great Emperor had been astonishingly talented and should have had a chance to become an immortal.
Unfortunately, although the Azure Emperor clearly had a chance to become an immortal, he missed it time and time again, ultimately only managing to spill blood across the Immortal Ascension Path.
Suddenly, Ying Hao's expression shifted, as if he had sensed something. With one step, he arrived in a desolate wilderness.
It was called a desolate wilderness, but with careful observation, it was not difficult to discover that an extraordinary terrain was hidden there.
At the core of the extraordinary terrain, a fat Daoist stood with a ruddy face, sizing up his surroundings.
"Long years have passed. Hundreds of thousands of years have vanished in the blink of an eye. The era belonging to this poor Daoist has arrived once more!"
Suddenly, the fat Daoist's expression stiffened. At some point, another person had appeared before him.
The more he looked, the more alarmed he became. Who exactly was this person before him? He could not see through him at all.
He could not help wailing inwardly. I've only just awakened—how did I run into such a big shot?
Ying Hao silently watched the fat Daoist before him. Was this the person he had in mind?
Brilliant light shone from his eyes. Within the fat Daoist's body, he saw two pure-white marks.
It was merely a fleeting glimpse, yet it made him feel that they contained boundless mysteries. Countless insights instantly arose in his heart.
He immediately understood. This fat Daoist was indeed the person he had been thinking of!
He was both the former Tribulation Crossing Heavenly Venerate, Cao Yusheng, and the Emperor's master—the founder of the Underworld, the Nether Venerate!
By his calculations, this was already Cao Yusheng's third lifetime, and also the most important one.
For a Great Emperor, living out a second lifetime was actually not difficult. A single Immortal Medicine could extend one peak lifetime.
What was difficult was living out a second lifetime through one's own ability, though some astonishingly talented people could indeed defy the heavens and live out another lifetime.
But the third lifetime was different. In his view, this was the starting point of the transformation path to becoming a Mortal World Immortal, and a crucial step.
After breaking through this obstacle, one would have found one's own path. No matter how treacherous the road ahead became, one would only need to proceed step by step.
Cao Yusheng's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly retreated, avoiding the gaze of the person before him.
Even that brief moment was enough to confirm that this person was certainly an unimaginably powerful expert.
The other party's gaze was far too sharp, as if it could see through the secrets within him, making him extremely wary.
"Meeting one another means we are fated, Fellow Daoist. Why not travel with me?" Ying Hao's face was filled with an enigmatic smile.
Having unexpectedly encountered Cao Yusheng, he naturally did not want to miss such an unparalleled opportunity.
Cao Yusheng's situation was rather special. The transformation path to becoming a Mortal World Immortal was nearly impossible to replicate, but it held tremendous reference value.
If he could travel with Cao Yusheng, he would definitely gain unexpected insights from this close friend of the Desolate Heaven Emperor.
Cao Yusheng curled his lips. If he had a choice, he absolutely did not want to travel with this unfathomable person before him.
But when he saw the other party's sharp gaze, he could not help shivering and nodded in agreement.
Refuse?
He feared that the moment he opened his mouth to refuse, the other party would reduce him to ashes.
Whatever! I've only just awakened. I'll play along for now, then slowly think of a way out!
Ying Hao smiled faintly. A Golden Light Grand Dao formed beneath his feet, countless visions appearing as it carried the two of them toward the Central Continent.
Cao Yusheng's heart jolted. His intuition had indeed been right. This person before him was actually a Heavenly Venerate!
An invincible expert of the world—no wonder he had felt as if his secrets had been seen through earlier.
He lamented inwardly once more. Why am I so unlucky? I just awakened, and I've already encountered such a calamity star.
Ultimate Emperor Might spread across the Central Continent. Countless experts swarmed over, their thunderous cries resounding through the firmament like raging seas and landslides.
Ying Hao's gaze swept over the gathered experts. Almost all of them were experts from the Myriad Ancient Races, while there were very few Human Race experts.
The Primordial Era belonged to the Myriad Ancient Races. The Human Race held a very low status and had even been regarded as food by the Myriad Ancient Races for a time.
It was only after the two ancient emperors, Taiyin and Taiyang, attained the Dao one after another that the Human Race's status changed.
But that alone was still far from enough. The Primordial Era had already become a thing of the past.
He would change the title of emperor and become an emperor, ending the Primordial Era. A new era would be opened by his hand!
Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a figure. It was a golden monkey, carrying an aura of unrivaled supremacy.
"You are from the Battle Saint Ape clan?" Ying Hao asked.
As far as he knew, this clan had very few members, but every one of them was extraordinary.
The Battle Saint Sovereign had passed away, and only a handful of members of the Battle Saint Sovereign's clan remained.
"That's right! I am the Battle Saint Sovereign's younger brother, the Battle Saint King!"
Even when facing a Great Emperor, the Battle Saint King still possessed an unyielding and defiant air.
This clan truly seemed to have been born for battle!
"I have heard that in his later years, the Battle Saint Sovereign sought to transform into a Battle Immortal, but encountered an accident in the end!"
Ying Hao wore a contemplative expression. In his view, the path of transforming into a Battle Immortal was the least reliable one, with virtually no hope of success.
Even an astonishingly talented person who wished to transform into an immortal amid the mortal world's tribulations could only transform gradually, living out nine lifetimes against the heavens.
Transforming into a Battle Immortal was equivalent to abandoning the accumulation of nine lifetimes and soaring straight into the clouds in a single lifetime, becoming an immortal directly.
How could such a fierce method of becoming an immortal possibly succeed?
"What the Great Emperor said is not wrong. In his later years, the Battle Saint Sovereign nearly succeeded in transforming into a Battle Immortal."
The Battle Saint King did not conceal anything. He spoke of the past. In his view, the Battle Saint Sovereign's battle prowess had been heaven-shaking, and he had absolutely had a chance to transform into a Battle Immortal.
It was only because someone had obstructed him in secret that the Battle Saint Sovereign fell short at the final step!
All the clues pointed to the Undying Heavenly Emperor. For that reason, the Battle Saint Sovereign had taken action to overturn the Undying Heavenly Emperor's Daoist ground.
"The Undying Heavenly Emperor!" Ying Hao murmured.
His gaze pierced through the void and swept across the heavens and earth. Very soon, he found a hidden Immortal Mansion World.
Since he had come to the place where the Undying Heavenly Emperor transformed, he naturally had to take a look.
Before you continue