The Emperor's Lineage Never Ends

A wisp of energy spread throughout the Thirty-Three Heavens.

In an instant, all the Venerable in the God Court felt something and were all shocked.

On the imperial court, one Venerable after another appeared.

--In the Imperial Court, there were far more than just a few Dao Venerable Jing and his group; on the contrary, most of the Venerable were in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Emperor Realm.

At this moment, the aura of an Emperor-level being appeared, causing a great upheaval. Even those Venerable who had been in seclusion for tens or hundreds of thousands of years were awakened and rushed to this place!

Dao Venerable Jing and the others were even more shocked, feeling an inexplicable and unparalleled fear deep in their bones.

Like ants, they suddenly sensed an unparalleled true dragon, and could only prostrate themselves, trembling with fear.

All the Venerable could see was an old man walking out from the magnificent Imperial Path paved with countless Great Daos.

His steps were not fast, and he even coughed occasionally, just like an ordinary, frail old man.

However, his aura... utterly shocked Dao Venerable Jing and the others.

"No... this... this is..."

Incredulity filled the eyes of Dao Venerable Jing as he said:

"... The Emperor!"

He immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud!

All the Venerable knelt down.

The old man slowly arrived and stepped into the imperial court.

Upon seeing the imperial court, a trace of emotion appeared in his aged and cloudy eyes.

"The imperial court remains as before..."

He murmured, "But those beings who once created the Yang Realm have all passed away... Things have changed, and how many people still remember the kindness of the World Honored One?"

He felt a pang of melancholy, a deep sense of loneliness as he faced the imperial court where he had once sat.

He is the oldest person in the Yang Realm, who witnessed that era of suffering and guarded the flame until the end of time.

In his later years, he sought a successor, wanting to pass on the responsibility of protecting the flame.

But searching the whole world, no one could shoulder this responsibility.

Even some of the god-emperors he once coveted attempted to seize the fire seed in his later years, revealing their blatant greed.

Because the spark is the key to ascending to the divine path!

How many people can resist this temptation?

Aside from those who witnessed those difficult times, who else can hold onto their original aspirations?

He grew old in solitude. When his life came to an end, he could only depart, sealing himself away, leaving only his last breath, waiting for a great calamity to strike before returning to fight and quell the chaos!

Now, he has returned.

He waved his hand, and in an instant, an ancient yellow bell flew in from who-knows-where.

The ancient yellow bell, weathered and worn, seemed to have endured countless years. It lay across the sky, as if it could crush the entire Imperial Court and Divine Realm. But now it was rapidly shrinking, turning into the size of a palm, and falling into the old man's palm.

Upon witnessing this scene, Dao Venerable Jing and the others were even more horrified!

That Emperor Bell... was left behind by the First Generation Divine Emperor!

Could this old man... be the oldest one in the Imperial Court...?

The Divine Emperor Yang Chu?!

The old man looked at the Yellow Bell in his hand, his old eyes filled with countless sighs.

"In this vast world, only you remain by my side."

The Yellow Bell brought the old man a rare moment of warmth.

His thoughts aligned with the Emperor Bell, and he instantly understood everything that had happened in the Yang Realm during the millions of years he had been asleep!

"One emperor after another left the Yang Realm and entered the desolate land of reincarnation..."

He remained silent for a while.

Although it was already known that the God Emperors of the world would never willingly grow old and die at the God Emperor Realm, truly witnessing the fate of one emperor after another over the past millennia...

He still felt... heartbroken.

"Greed in people's hearts is the real root of all evil..."

In the end, all he could do was sigh.

Then, he looked at Dao Venerable Jing and the others.

Dao Venerable Jing and the others were all filled with unease, kneeling on the ground, prostrating themselves in utmost respect.

"Greetings, Divine Emperor Yang Chu!"

Dao Venerable Jing exclaimed!

The other Venerable echoed the same cry!

The old man glanced at them.

All the Venerable trembled.

They all had a feeling that all their thoughts and ideas had been completely seen through!

"Reincarnation is about to begin..."

The old man was somewhat surprised; he knew about reincarnation.

He fell into deep thought.

Silence fell over the Imperial Court; all the Venerable were somewhat panicked.

"Your Majesty, we... we have always obeyed your commands. Since the emperors entered the ruined and lost land, we have never thought of them. Their return has nothing to do with us!"

Dao Venerable Jing spoke with trembling hands:

"We suspect it's the thought of Venerable from the Demon Realm or the Dead Land!"

He was drenched in cold sweat; this might be their only chance to survive!

For the sake of their own status, they made a Venerable oath, vowing never to think of or desire those emperors, lest the emperors who entered the ruined and lost lands return.

Although it was out of personal motives... it just so happened to be in line with the Emperor's Edict of the First Generation Divine Emperor.

The First Generation Divine Emperor also forbade those emperors from going to the ruined and lost land and then returning.

"Thoughts?"

The old man simply said:

"Even if you think about it from birth to death, it will be of no use."

Upon hearing this, Dao Venerable Jing and the others were all taken aback.

Are their hopes futile?

A hint of coldness flashed in the old man's eyes.

--It is true that one cannot even dream of becoming an emperor. In the Yang Realm, an emperor has long been in harmony with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and he is aware of all thoughts and desires.

But the ruined and lost land...

The thoughts of Venerable One are utterly useless!

This is a secret, perhaps known only to him in the world.

"A mere Venerable, your mental power could never reach such a desolate place!"

"Knowing the location of the ruins and possessing such ability..."

The old man's eyes turned incredibly solemn. "Only the remnants of the Gray Mist!"

"Remnants of the Gray Mist, through the Venerable's words... are attempting to bring back those Emperors... and the return of those Emperors could, in turn, guide us on certain matters..."

At this moment, the old man seemed to see through everything!

He knew this devastated land all too well.

The power of a single Venerable being's thoughts cannot awaken those emperors who have already lost their way.

It is even less likely that we can provide the coordinates for their return.

Because the power of thought at the Venerable level is like a firefly in a torrential rainy night, almost nonexistent!

There's only one possibility!

It must be that a remnant of the Gray Mist from the Era of Calamity used a certain Venerable to manipulate that Venerable's consciousness, amplifying the power of that Venerable's thoughts through their memories.

That makes sense!

As the old man thought of this, a sharp and intense light flashed in his eyes. At that moment, he seemed to sense a huge enemy lurking in the distance, and in an instant, his imperial aura burst forth!

His gaze, rising from the Imperial Court, seemed to pierce through all realms, finally reaching the Ghost Realm and the Dead Land.

Before the God Emperor, the myriad worlds Star River were like a thin Scroll, which could be viewed in an instant!

Dao Venerable Jing and the others were all horrified.

They clearly sensed that the endless star field was controlled by some supreme Law Power, and there were no more secrets in the world.

Is this the power of an emperor?

The Star River is like a sheet of paper, the sky like a scroll.

"Hmm... no!"

Suddenly, the old man's gaze fell upon the ghost realm, but he abruptly withdrew it, no longer looking closely!

"That's... the true cycle of reincarnation has begun..."

The old man was stunned; a storm raged within him!

When he gazed upon the ghost realm, he clearly sensed that in that space-time, there existed the true power of reincarnation.

"Reincarnation is repeating itself... What does this mean?"

He whispered, then suddenly, as if he had thought of something.

"One of the Ten Spirits once said: 'When the yellow smoke rises, the flames of war cease; when reincarnation begins, the realm of ghosts empties... We will return with renewed vigor and fight across the heavens...' Could it be that the words of that being have come true?"

The old man recalled the ancient times when the calamity subsided and the Ten Spirits perished. The last of the Ten Spirits to die, a divine monkey of earth-shattering power, had used his Law Power to gaze downstream into the past before he passed away.

The monkey god's dying words were:

"Yellow smoke rises, beacon fires cease; reincarnation emerges, demon realms vanish... We will rise again, and fight across the heavens!"

The old man was filled with emotion. If the words left by the divine monkey had truly come true...

So, has a turning point arrived...?

"Reincarnation has appeared... this is of utmost importance!"

"No one will be allowed to touch it."

The old man suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the heavens.

All the scenes of the heavens appeared before his eyes.

Dao Venerable Jing and the others were all startled, because at this moment, they too saw layers of images.

That was the Western Heaven Brahma Court, the Three Thousand Brahma Lands, where countless monks chanted, their sacred voices shaking the heavens, and the compassionate and grand sound of bells echoing Other Shore, as if it were a pure land transcending everything.

"Within the Brahma Palace, emperors have never ceased to rise."

The old man put his hands behind his back and took a step forward.

In the next instant, he had already stepped from the Divine Realm Imperial Court into the Western Paradise.

This is the emperor; with a single step, there is no place in the world he cannot reach.

The vastness of the Sanskrit chants resonates in the land of Sanskrit.

In an instant, within the Three Thousand Brahma Lands, Brahma light condensed, seemingly forming a gigantic Buddha, within which the imperial Brahma chants resounded!

The old man waved indifferently.

In an instant, the image vanished, the Brahma Land dimmed instantly, countless monks fell silent, and millions of Brahma beings fell into stillness!

The old man's gaze was fixed on the secret land of the Brahma Temple— the Other Shore!

"I never imagined that the First Generation Divine Emperor had not yet been lost."

Suddenly, a figure slowly appeared on the Other Shore the secret land.

He sat regally on a twelve-tiered golden lotus platform, his robe radiating a holy light. On his head, the ushnisha (note 1), a symbol of wisdom, was piled up like a mountain. His figure was extremely tall, his expression solemn and infinitely compassionate.

"Brahma Ancestor."

The old man slowly opened his mouth and said:

"You did not go to the ruined land of the Other Shore, but instead hid here, spying on reincarnation."

"Truly cunning."

Brahma Ancestor clasped his hands together and said:

"Brahman and Atman are compassionate."

"I have severed my attachments to greed, anger, and delusion. Even in this desolate and broken land, I will not be tempted by any extraordinary fortuitous opportunity."

"My grandest vow in this life is to enter the cycle of reincarnation, to bring happiness to all living beings, to suffer on behalf of all souls, and to deliver all humanity from suffering!"

The old man's eyes were cold as he said:

"Reincarnation is not something you can interfere with."

Brahma Ancestor sighed and said:

"Is the God Emperor here to stop me?"

The old man said indifferently:

"Yes, but if you don't listen to me, then I'm here to kill you."

Brahma Ancestor remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:

"Divine Emperor Yang Chu, you've grown old."

"If you try to stop me, you'll die."

Note 1: The fleshy protuberance is a cluster of black bumps on the head, traditionally believed to be a symbol of wisdom.