The next moment, more images appeared before him. They were clearer and grander than before.
"Billions of living beings as soldiers, millions of gods and devils as generals!"
"In my heart, there are no gods, no Buddhas, no devils! I am the god, the Buddha, and the devil!"
"Defeat the outstanding heroes of every race, and laugh proudly at the Six Paths of Gods and Devils!"
Though he had seen it once already, watching the Human Emperors fight to the death again still set his blood ablaze.
"Pass the torch from generation to generation, and may the Human Dao flourish forever! I will protect the Human Race of this world!" Zi Shou declared firmly.
As his voice rang out, countless statues slowly faded away. Only one remained before him.
When his hands touched the statue, a voice rang out in his mind.
"I am the Heavenly Emperor. I shall suppress every enemy beneath the heavens!"
As the voice rang out, a flood of information poured into his mind—the Heavenly Emperor's legacy.
The Heavenly Emperor was not a realm, but a title. It represented unrivaled power and a legendary life!
On the Second Layer of the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors, he had gained the legacy of a Human Emperor: Emperor Ye's legacy.
However, he had already Proved Dao and Become Emperor. The legacy from before one became a Great Emperor was of no use to him anymore.
The legacy he had gained was of a higher level, beyond the peak of the Human Dao Domain.
After living nine lives in the mortal world, one would ultimately become untouched by time and attain eternal life. This was the Red Dust Immortal realm!
On the Second Layer of the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors, he had gained Emperor Ye's legacy of living nine lives in reversal and becoming a Red Dust Immortal.
However, the legacy he had gained did not mean he had to live nine lives in reversal to become a Red Dust Immortal.
There were only about twenty years until the Investiture of the Gods. He simply didn't have enough time to live nine lives in reversal.
Besides, this method of cultivation wasn't really suited to the Investiture of the Gods World he inhabited.
The laws of heaven and earth in the Investiture of the Gods World were entirely different. There was no such thing as being unable to become an immortal.
Rather than living nine lives in reversal to become an immortal, Emperor Ye's method of inheritance was more like nine stages of transformation.
After transforming nine times, each one like living another life, he would grow stronger and stronger until he reached his limit and became untouched by time.
According to Grand Tutor Wen, ever since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, no matter how the Human Sovereigns cultivated, they were limited to a hundred years of life.
Even Jie of Xia, a former Human Sovereign who had nearly reached the Golden Immortal realm, had ultimately died and vanished from the world.
If he transformed nine times and reached the Red Dust Immortal realm, could he break this restriction?
In his view, there probably wasn't much hope. But just because it was impossible now didn't mean it would always be impossible.
If a Golden Immortal couldn't do it, that didn't mean a Great Luo Golden Immortal couldn't! And if a Great Luo Golden Immortal couldn't do it, that didn't mean a Chaotic Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal couldn't!
"I still have one chance to draw a Myriad Heavens Treasure. I wonder what I'll get!"
He hadn't drawn a Myriad Heavens Treasure right away because he wanted to wait until he reached the Second Layer of the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors.
The Second Layer of the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors looked exactly like the first, but the Myriad Heavens Treasures he could draw were different.
With a thought, a beam of light flashed before his eyes. The next moment, a drop of blood appeared before him.
A drop of blood? What kind of Myriad Heavens Treasure was this?
It was neither a rare treasure of heaven and earth like Undying Immortal Herbs, nor an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon like Wushi Bell.
What could a mere drop of blood do?
All his questions were answered when he touched it.
"The reincarnation of a drop of blood! It pierces the river of time and lets me experience different lives!" Zi Shou murmured.
It was a drop of blood from an unparalleled powerhouse. It could pierce the river of time and send him through the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, giving him the chance to experience different lives.
An instant could last an eternity. He could experience a long life through reincarnation, while only a moment passed in the outside world.
This drop of blood was far more precious than any rare treasure of heaven and earth or Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon. Its value was simply beyond measure.
"The power of a single drop of blood is limited in the end. I wonder how many times it can let me reincarnate!" Zi Shou thought to himself.
The drop of blood could indeed let him reincarnate, but how many times depended on the circumstances.
Some reincarnations were brief and consumed little energy, while others lasted longer and naturally consumed more.
If he combined it with Emperor Ye's method of inheritance, he could reach the Red Dust Immortal realm in a short time.
"I never expected that opening the Second Layer of the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors would give me another chance to receive an inheritance!"
The pleasant surprise wasn't just gaining Emperor Ye's legacy, nor was it merely obtaining that drop of blood.
On the Second Layer of the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors, he had also gained another chance to receive an inheritance.
He could use this opportunity himself or pass it on to anyone he deemed worthy.
If he gave someone he trusted the chance to receive a Human Emperor's legacy, it wouldn't reveal the existence of the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors.
Others would simply think he was teaching them a cultivation technique. That was quite common in the Investiture of the Gods World.
He already had Emperor Ye's legacy. Even if he received another Human Emperor's legacy, it wouldn't be of much use to him.
But using this opportunity to cultivate other members of the Human Race would be a great chance.
A hero needed companions. He couldn't fight alone in the Investiture of the Gods.
This calamity engulfing the entire Human Race was one that no human could escape.
Fortunately, there were people like Grand Tutor Wen and Bi Gan, who continued to persevere even in the face of adversity.
He already had some ideas about who should receive the chance to inherit a Human Emperor's legacy, but he needed to think it over carefully.
After a moment's thought, he didn't use the drop of blood right away. Instead, he put it away.
He had only recently broken through, and his realm had only just stabilized. He couldn't rush things now.
"Judging by the time, Grand Tutor Wen and Bi Gan should be here soon!" Zi Shou thought to himself.
Sure enough, before long, Grand Tutor Wen and Bi Gan came together to pay their respects. They were already waiting outside the palace.
It went without saying that they had come because of what had happened today.
Grand Tutor Wen and Bi Gan soon arrived, but they weren't alone. There was another person with them.
It was Huang Feihu, the town-protecting King Wucheng and a high-ranking official at court.
"Your Majesty, please think carefully about your Imperial Expedition. It will do more harm than good!" Bi Gan said gravely.
He had just paid his respects to the King and had immediately spoken up, showing just how anxious he was.
It was hard to blame him. Launching an Imperial Expedition at such a critical moment was clearly unwise.
Even if he truly crushed the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea, it would still be a Pyrrhic victory if all the other lords rebelled.
And if he failed to suppress the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea, or even suffered a crushing defeat, the kingdom could well be in danger of falling.
"Your Majesty, the Second Chancellor is right. An Imperial Expedition isn't out of the question, but this is absolutely the wrong time!" Huang Feihu said gravely.
Huang Feihu's family had served the kingdom loyally for seven generations, and his younger sister was the Western Palace Consort. Naturally, his fortunes rose and fell with those of Great Shang.
That was precisely why Huang Feihu had come with Grand Tutor Wen and Bi Gan at such a crucial moment.
"Tell me what you think, Your Majesty."
Compared with Huang Feihu and Bi Gan, Grand Tutor Wen was much calmer. Rather than immediately trying to dissuade him, he asked what was troubling him.
Since returning to court, Grand Tutor Wen had gradually changed his opinion of the King.
Judging by the King's actions lately, he shouldn't have made such an unwise decision.
"You've all read the Three-Year Development Plan, so you know what this means for Great Shang. But..."
There was no need for him to hide anything from these three, so he explained his plans directly.
"Your Majesty, what you say may be reasonable. Once word of your Imperial Expedition spreads, all the hidden dangers will come to light.
"But have you considered that without you in Chaoge City, things could become even worse than you imagine?" Bi Gan said seriously.
He understood the King's intention. He wanted every hidden danger to come to light at once, so he could root them all out.
After all, with the King in Chaoge City, even those with grievances wouldn't dare act recklessly.
Once the Three-Year Development Plan was put into action, many people would pay lip service while secretly resisting it.
Only when the King embarked on an Imperial Expedition would many of them lose patience and reveal themselves all at once.
But he was worried that with the King in Chaoge City, he could still make adjustments and keep the situation from spiraling out of control.
If the King went on an Imperial Expedition and the situation spiraled out of control, how would they set things right?
He would rather move slowly than risk anything going wrong, and he certainly didn't want to see Great Shang fall.
Huang Feihu and Grand Tutor Wen both nodded. That was what worried them most as well.
"Don't worry. If I dare to lead an Imperial Expedition, I've already made all the necessary plans. I intend to have Grand Tutor Wen oversee the government!" Zi Shou said.
Before you continue