Conditions

The brightly lit room was filled with precision instruments, all kinds of objects Xu Changqing had never seen before, and high technology that made his eyes light up.

This place was as large as a football field, covered everywhere in runes and silver radiance. The lights were dazzling, and although there were many objects, it did not feel crowded.

At the center stood a bloodstained spaceship. Merely looking at its exterior gave Xu Changqing a chilling sensation. Its cold, sinister aura rushed toward him, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

"This was my companion when I fought upon the Emperor's Road. I created it when I was in the Saint Realm," Emperor Daoyan said, his voice carrying reminiscence and emotion.

Xu Changqing listened quietly. Sure enough, if Emperor Daoyan had been in the Saint Realm while he himself was only a Half-Saint, he would have had no chance of winning against him.

Then he saw several Half-Saint Weapons hanging from the silver walls, each one radiating a dangerous aura.

He was somewhat puzzled as to why Emperor Daoyan had not brought out these items to fight him earlier.

Emperor Daoyan seemed to understand what Xu Changqing was thinking. "Whether I used them or not, the outcome would likely have been the same. We would both have been badly wounded. It would only have dragged out the battle."

He knew that bringing out those things might have produced unexpected results, but they would not have been enough to deal Xu Changqing a fatal blow.

After that, Xu Changqing saw several bloodstained mechas. The red bloodstains had still not faded and clung to the blue armor.

The mechas did not look large, only two or three meters tall, yet they gave Xu Changqing an extremely dangerous feeling. Even the runes concealed within their frames made him feel that they were far from simple.

As expected of the Tech Emperor from Covering the Heavens. Although he himself was somewhat weaker than the other Great Emperors, once he used these things, he might have been stronger than many Ancient Emperors.

An emperor who had Proved Dao with External Objects could not possibly be simple. In that earlier battle, Xu Changqing had indeed been somewhat arrogant.

If Emperor Daoyan had used every method at his disposal, the outcome truly would have been uncertain. Fortunately, Daoyan had no reason to make things difficult for a junior like him.

Next, Xu Changqing saw Immortal Gold: a fist-sized piece of Eternal Blue Gold, a palm-sized piece of Divine Mark Purple Gold, and a piece of Immortal Tear Green Gold about four fingers wide.

Seeing the Immortal Gold, Xu Changqing was moved as well. Just how had Emperor Daoyan gathered so much Immortal Gold?

Emperor Daoyan continued leading Xu Changqing onward. When they reached a gate emitting five-colored light, he gently pressed it with his hand, and dazzling blue radiance erupted in an instant.

The Five-Colored Gate slowly opened, revealing a pool only three meters wide within.

"This is a treasure liquid I created myself. Back then, I spread it throughout every corner of the Eternal Star Domain. People called it the Strongest Treasure Liquid. It can allow Half-Saints and Saints to undergo another transformation."

"Actually, Proving Dao with External Objects is not as weak as you imagine. External objects, external objects... How do people define them? Has anyone ever truly defined them?"

"Anything that can raise your strength is not an external object. Take Spiritual Energy and vital essence, for example. Though they can be absorbed into the body to strengthen oneself, would you dare call them external objects? And Divine Source, Divine Grass, all manner of crystals containing energy—would you dare call them external objects?"

"You members of the Younger Generation who come from beyond the Starry Sky reject external objects, not realizing that you have already fallen into a lower level."

Emperor Daoyan's words brought Xu Changqing to a realization. He was right. As long as something could increase one's strength, why care whether it was an external object or not?

Emperor Daoyan was rather mild-tempered. He was neither taciturn nor domineering, but a gentle and refined man—though he might use a spaceship to ram people.

Xu Changqing listened quietly. At this moment, the one standing before him was not merely Daoyan at the Half-Saint level, but an imprint of the true Emperor Daoyan, possessing unimaginable might.

He simply did not know how Emperor Daoyan had managed to preserve a single imprint for millions of years.

"The fact that you came here already shows that you seek the protection of external objects. So, those words you said earlier..." Emperor Daoyan looked at Xu Changqing with a smile.

It seemed that he still cared greatly about that remark.

Naturally. As fellow Great Emperors, being called the weakest Great Emperor before even fighting would have offended anyone. The fact that he had not killed Xu Changqing already made him a good man.

Had it been another Great Emperor, he might have simply beaten Xu Changqing severely and thrown him out.

Xu Changqing's expression remained utterly calm. "I take back what I said before. You are not weak, and I find my own arrogance laughable."

He admitted that after undergoing tribulation and fighting numerous Ancient Supremes and Great Emperors, he had grown arrogant. He truly had looked down on Emperor Daoyan somewhat.

But now, his understanding of Emperor Daoyan had changed.

If Emperor Daoyan had truly brought out every Half-Saint item inside, Xu Changqing would have suffered greatly. He might even have had to risk half his life to fight desperately.

Emperor Daoyan nodded and led Xu Changqing to the edge of the Strongest Treasure Liquid. "I will give you these things, but you must also do something for me."

There were no unearned opportunities in this world. To obtain more, one had to pay a greater price.

"Let me first speak of the benefits. The Strongest Treasure Liquid contains the Primordial Fate Stone of the Burial Emperor Star, fused with all kinds of rare treasures from the universe. It can allow you to undergo three transformations during the Half-Saint and Saint stages."

"You may take one of the spaceships outside. It contains the coordinates of the Human Ancient Path, as well as the coordinates of several life-bearing Ancient Stars, such as the Burial Emperor Star, the Primordial Ancient Star, and Ziwei Star."

"As for cultivation methods, I will not give you my Emperor Scripture or Forbidden Secret Techniques. But aside from my own methods, you may take everything else, including those of Quasi-Emperors."

"My only condition is this: if you cannot Become Emperor, or cannot see any hope of Becoming Emperor, you must enter self-sealing and wait for my son to be born. Then you must protect his Dao and ensure his safety."

"If you Become Emperor, then give him some of your cultivation methods and your blade, and protect his Dao for two hundred years. Can you do that?"

Daoyan's words made Xu Changqing sink into thought. Then he nodded directly. There was nothing to consider.

This condition was very favorable for him.

After all, did he not understand his current situation?

What Emperor Daoyan spoke of was the future. The future was the future, and the present was the present.

Seeing Xu Changqing agree, Daoyan did not ask him to swear an oath. A powerhouse like him was naturally proud and would not go back on his promise.

"Very well. You may cultivate here as you please. The time limit is one hundred years, though you may leave at any time during that period. If you wish to leave, go beside the warship. There is a Teleportation Array there."

As he spoke, Emperor Daoyan's figure began to fade. At the same time, he raised a hand and pointed, sending a streak of blue light directly into Xu Changqing's brow.

In addition to the cultivation methods, there was also the location where Dao Yi slept. Divine Source Liquid had already been prepared there.

After doing all this, Emperor Daoyan sighed and vanished from the place. He first went outside and touched the companions of his youth.

There were bloodstained spaceships, bloodstained mechas, and all kinds of weapons.

At last, he completely disappeared from that place, leaving it behind and arriving in the world outside.

On the Stone Tablet within the Star Sea, he saw that his name was no longer at the top. He also saw the vast Steel Jungle outside, though none of those people noticed him.

Without paying it much attention, he stepped through the night sky, walking step by step into the Eternal Kingdom and gazing at the incomparably flourishing city.

This imprint of his had existed for an extremely long time. He had preserved it at the height of his power through certain objects and methods. If Xu Changqing had not come soon, it would have dispersed.

Once it dispersed, the Star Sea would vanish as well.

He first wandered through the Eternal Kingdom for a long time before finally arriving somewhere.

Before him was a piece of Divine Source several meters wide. A young man who resembled him by eighty percent lay quietly within it with his eyes closed. Beside him were all kinds of rare treasures, including Immortal Gold, Divine Medicine, and weapons.

Emperor Daoyan silently looked at Dao Yi before turning and leaving, without showing any reluctance.

At the edge of the Five-Colored Divine Pool, Xu Changqing removed his clothes, revealing densely packed scars and bloodstains everywhere.

The injuries Emperor Daoyan had inflicted had yet to recover.

However, Emperor Daoyan had given him a Great Emperor's Healing Cultivation Method in his memories.

Unfortunately, Emperor Daoyan had not given him any Forbidden Emperor Techniques, only cultivation methods from the Sea of Bitterness to the Quasi-Emperor realm, along with some Divine Abilities.