Seeking the Dao

"Without emotions, you have no motivation to cultivate. You have taken the wrong path." A somewhat childish voice came from the plains, exploding in Xu Changqing's ears like thunder.

Xu Changqing refuted without hesitation, "No one has the right to judge my path. There is no right or wrong path, only forks in the road. There may be obstacles along those forks, but as long as they are cleared, one can reach the end."

There had never been roads in this world. Only when enough people walked the same way did a road naturally form.

Could the Dao of an Ancient Emperor be judged by others?

Perhaps his Dao had flaws, but he had not taken the wrong path. Even if he had, then he would see it through to the very end!

Xu Changqing knew that the young shepherd boy was speaking. The boy was seeking the Dao, questioning his path.

Naturally, he was unafraid. His Dao heart was firm, and no one could shake it.

"That is true. But after severing your emotions, what reason do you have left to cultivate?" the boy continued softly, his tone carrying a trace of interest.

He was very curious why Xu Changqing had been able to sever his emotions and thus survive the Heavenly Tribulation.

Because when a person no longer had emotions and held only the Dao in his heart, he could become one with the Dao.

Because the Dao had no emotions.

"Become Emperor, become immortal, attain longevity." Xu Changqing's answer was simple.

"And after you become Emperor, become immortal, and attain longevity?" the boy continued asking.

Throughout history, countless Ancient Emperors had fallen on the road in pursuit of longevity.

The only person said to have become immortal was the Desolate Heavenly Emperor.

Yet he was merely a legendary figure recorded in scattered Ancient History. No one knew whether he had truly existed.

Moreover, aside from Ancient Emperors, very few people even knew of his existence.

If one had no emotions, then after becoming Emperor, becoming immortal, and attaining eternal life, what meaning would remain?

"We'll talk about it once I get there." Xu Changqing did not turn back to look at the boy. He simply continued forward, stepping across the Vast Boundless Grassland one step at a time.

Whether he succeeded or failed, he did not know. He only knew that he had to give it his all.

Success or failure, both were normal parts of life. No one could avoid defeat forever.

No one had a certain ending. If he failed, then it simply meant he lacked the luck and talent.

The boy kept watching Xu Changqing's back. It was not a particularly tall figure, and it looked somewhat lonely. His white hair fluttered, while his steps remained steady. The boy sighed softly before gradually vanishing from where he stood.

Before disappearing, he left behind a few words.

"Enter the Starry Sky, and you will step onto the Human Race Ancient Trial Path."

"I am very curious about what you will ultimately achieve. Will you fade into obscurity among the masses, or rise to greatness?"

"Let nature take its course. Whether I succeed or fail, I will feel neither sorrow nor dejection. So long as I have tried my best, that is enough," Xu Changqing replied calmly.

He first raised his head to look at the sky. The sun shone brightly, while tender green grass swayed gently in the breeze.

He did not know who that boy was, but he was surely a powerful expert. Otherwise, Xu Changqing could not have failed to sense even the slightest trace of his presence.

Dressed in black, Xu Changqing's white hair draped over his shoulders. His deep eyes were like the secluded spring under the moon. Step by step, he rose into the sky and stood beneath the vast heavens, looking down upon the endless grasslands below.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing here but grassland. There were no buildings and no towering trees.

His immense Divine Sense swept outward, only to find the same.

"Looks like this world was created by him," Xu Changqing muttered. Naturally, he meant that boy.

He did not wish to know who the boy was, nor was he curious. None of it had anything to do with him.

Rather than pursue the boy's identity, he might as well improve his own strength.

Once his strength reached a certain level, he would naturally know everything.

"Now that I have successfully severed the Dao, it is time to fight upon the Emperor's Road!"

"So what if she and I were born in the same era? I will still fight, still kill, until one of us becomes Emperor."

Xu Changqing thought of the Woman in White. Rather than fearing her because of the achievements he knew she would attain, his fighting spirit surged higher.

"I imagine she has also set foot on the Starry Sky Ancient Road." A faint, cold smile curled across Xu Changqing's lips, and his gaze turned frigid.

Back in the Big Dipper Star Domain, he had dealt with many members of the younger generation and had been hunted by countless factions. Yet those people had either suffered shattered Dao hearts and fallen within the Big Dipper Star Domain, or embarked upon the Starry Sky Ancient Road.

Even his own son had nearly been killed by him and had now also set foot on the Starry Sky Ancient Road.

Xu Changqing silently adjusted his condition in this world. Although he was in excellent shape, he had only just survived the tribulation and needed time to consolidate his gains.

He began to realize that his Supreme Heartless Body was a Near-Dao Physique, comparable to an Innate Dao Embryo, yet it possessed traits the Innate Dao Embryo lacked.

It was exceptionally sensitive to unusual emotions. For example, even if a killer concealed himself perfectly, Xu Changqing would catch any slightest fluctuation in the killer's heart.

Likewise, if a hypocrite wished to assassinate or scheme against him, he would be able to sense it.

Moreover, his Sea of Bitterness was as clear and pristine as a mirror, without the slightest impurity. It differed from the Sea of Bitterness of all other cultivators.

Within his Dao Palace, the roots of his emotions were nurtured. They could transform into divine beings and even form the embryonic shape of terrifying Secret Techniques.

His Immortal Platform resembled a staircase leading into the sky, gleaming brilliantly like the steps of a golden mirror. It seemed that crossing those steps would lead one onto the immortal path and grant longevity.

Above his bright, mirror-like Sea of Bitterness was a Vision of a Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood.

It was a cruel and desolate scene. The sky was dark red, heaven and earth were split apart, and countless streams of magma erupted from cracks in the ground. Billowing black smoke swept through the air, while the boundless sea of blood roared and churned.

Corpses piled up like the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Ruined walls and broken remains lay everywhere, along with mountains of white bones and towering peaks stained with blood.

Atop the highest mountain of corpses, a white-haired figure knelt halfway down, holding a Bone Saber planted into the corpses. Blood had soaked his white hair, concealing half his face, while his pale strands spilled across the corpse mountain beneath his feet.

Before him stood a shattered Dragon Stele, with a blurry figure fallen behind it. Before a broken bone club, a burly, towering man had been split into two.

The Purple-Gold Bell had shattered into fragments. A golden mace, a green Ancient Pagoda, a Five-Colored Stone, and other weapons of Ancient Emperors all lay fallen before Xu Changqing.

"This may be the most heaven-defying aspect of my physique." Even Xu Changqing was amazed as he looked upon the Vision. He had not expected it to absorb the Tribulation Imprints of the Ancient Emperors he had defeated.

He had also given this Vision a Taboo name—Emperor's Fall.

Xu Changqing began cultivating in seclusion. Ever since Emotion Severing, countless inspirations had flooded his mind, allowing him to create Divine Abilities.

"The Secret of Swiftness possesses the ultimate speed of this world, while my Heaven's Will Saber Art cannot be evaded no matter how one moves. After Emotion Severing, I comprehended the profound meaning within Heaven's Will Saber Art, making this Secret Technique even more complete."

"Mind Reincarnation, a Secret Technique built from the Emotion Power within my five viscera and six bowels. It pulls opponents into the most painful and sweetest worlds of their memories, leaving them briefly dazed. Against her, it will guarantee victory."

She had an obsession, so if Xu Changqing faced her, it would be difficult to determine victory or defeat.

But this move could only be used once, though it would also be the key to deciding the battle.

If he could defeat the Ruthless Great Emperor in her younger days, that achievement would be recorded in Ancient History.

"Draw Saber Slash, a Secret Technique that guarantees death with a single saber strike. It is aimed at the Secret of All, using Ruthless Blade Intent nurtured above the Sea of Bitterness. Once the Saber Intent cultivated for centuries erupts, it will unleash world-shaking destructive power. Even tenfold combat strength will not be able to withstand it."

Over three hundred years of wandering, Xu Changqing did not know how many cultivation arts and Divine Abilities he had created. Yet the three Secret Techniques and his Vision were the ones that satisfied him most.

He also possessed countless cultivation arts, including all kinds of strange and unusual techniques. He did not lack offensive Divine Abilities.

Other than the Emperor's Scripture and Secret Techniques, he possessed almost everything.

"Now that I have understood my true self, it is time to embark upon the Starry Sky Ancient Road."

"In the name of heartlessness, I will fight upon the Emperor's Road!"

Xu Changqing's fighting spirit soared. His aura erupted wildly, blasting through the auspicious clouds. Like a drawn saber, he transformed into a streak of white light and shot into the Starry Sky.

The thought of soon competing against the Woman in White filled his entire body with excitement, and his fighting spirit surged.

He also imagined the expressions of those enemies when they learned that he had become invincible in the Starry Sky.