At the break of dawn, the morning's rosy clouds crept across the horizon, like a shy young maiden.
The sun rose in the east, its golden rays spilling over heaven and earth. The boundless continent seemed draped in a faint veil.
A vast, towering ancient city stood at the edge of the boundless plains, majestic and imposing, its long history stretching back through the ages.
The ancient city was grand and imposing, yet imbued with a simple, soulful spirit, as if it possessed a life of its own. It had witnessed the rise and fall of eras in the Ancient Realm, and the flourishing and decline of great ages.
The shocking marks left by artifacts on its walls were like countless brands, weathered by the smoke of war. Stained with the blood of undying Immortal Kings, they had never fallen, standing firm since time immemorial.
The walls of the ancient city had been built from precious, age-old stone. They were impregnable, their unremarkable exterior having safeguarded the million residents within countless times.
The Primal Ancient Realm, the towering Imperial City!
The Imperial City was glorious. During the Immortal Ancient Era, the most brilliant age in the Primal Ancient Realm, its splendor rivaled that of the Immortal Domain. Geniuses emerged in droves, and royal clans stood in abundance, all basking together in the sacred radiance of the heavens.
Even today, the streets of the Imperial City remained bustling. People streamed past one another amid its extraordinary prosperity and wealth. From time to time, True Immortals and Immortal Kings rode through the long streets and entered the Imperial Palace, the city's symbol.
This inevitably sparked lively discussion among the city's residents. They wondered which Immortal King was holding a grand gathering this time, inviting powerful figures from all corners to raise their cups in celebration at the palace.
Suddenly, an infant's cry rang out, clear and powerful, reverberating through the Imperial City.
"Waaah!"
The bustling, towering Imperial City fell silent in an instant. Only the infant's cries rang out, each one loud and full of vigor.
The pedestrians and powerful experts in the city all turned their eyes toward the ancient palace in the Imperial City's center.
At that moment, dazzling divine light filled the ancient palace, enveloping the crying infant and silently nourishing and protecting him.
The infant's cries grew louder and louder, as if resonating with heaven and earth. Powerful auras kept emanating from him, shaking the entire Imperial City.
Above the Imperial City, a vast sea of essence and divine radiance descended from the cosmos, gathering in the form of starlight. Countless beams converged into rivers and waterfalls, pouring down from the heavens like the Milky Way spilling from the ninth heaven.
This was a gift from the cosmos. All the essence of the sun and moon gathered toward the palace, surrounding the infant who had come into the world and helping him build a flawless foundation for cultivation.
Waterfall after waterfall of divine essence from beyond the heavens cascaded down. The entire Primordial Imperial City was enveloped in its radiance, making the city's residents feel as though they were in an immortal realm. It was wondrous and astonishing!
"Don't just stand there. Sit down and cultivate!"
"This is a heaven-sent opportunity, one that might not come even once in ten thousand years. Make the most of it and cultivate!"
The elders who cultivated in the city urged their less accomplished juniors on. This was a rare opportunity, an extraordinary stroke of fortune!
In this age, when not even one invincible True Immortal had appeared in ten thousand years, essence comparable to that of the immortal level was an immeasurable gift. It was like rain after a prolonged drought, or rebirth after withering away.
"The infant's cries are already so deep and powerful that they've stilled the Imperial City. His birth has brought such astonishing signs. I wonder which mighty human expert has ascended to the pinnacle of the Supreme Realm... Or perhaps the birth of an Immortal King's child has stirred the Imperial City." In an elegant pavilion, an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face stroked his beard and sighed.
"It's most likely the birth of an Immortal King's child. Our Ancient Realm will gain another mighty warrior! How fortunate, how fortunate!"
Omens appeared one after another. True Dragons and Immortal Phoenixes danced together above the Imperial City, while rosy clouds filled the sky and auspicious energy stretched in a thousand strands.
The infant's cries echoed through every corner of the Imperial City, as if imbued with a mysterious power that sent a powerful shiver through every living being.
Suddenly, a streak of golden light split open the sky. A gigantic Bronze Treasure Cauldron flew out, its surface engraved with ancient runes and shining with dazzling light.
The cauldron circled the Imperial City three times, then slowly descended, its mouth facing the elegant pavilion where the infant lay.
Then, a solemn and sacred voice rang out from within the cauldron: "This child was born a flawless Supreme, a being without precedent in all the ages. His gifts are extraordinary, and his destiny beyond measure. His path will be smooth and unhindered as well. I now bestow upon you the essence of heaven and earth. May you never forget your original purpose and forge ahead bravely."
As soon as the voice fell silent, a golden beam shot out from the cauldron and entered the infant's body. The entire scene was like a dream, leaving everyone amazed.
Once the golden light faded, the cauldron transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the sky. The True Dragon and Immortal Phoenix danced with even greater joy, as if celebrating the momentous occasion.
............
Within the dignified and imposing palace, more than a dozen Immortal Kings gathered, their forms shrouded in misty essence. All of them looked toward the newly born "son of an Immortal King." Several Immortal Kings seemed deep in thought, yet didn't know what to say.
The omens that had appeared moments ago were simply too immense. They were the cosmic gift bestowed when a living being of the human path stepped into the Supreme Realm. The spiritual energy and essence were so dense they had taken on a physical form and could not disperse.
And yet, there had been no Supreme Tribulation, nor a path to Supreme power.
At last, Immortal King Wuzhong, dressed in a white robe and wearing a gentle expression, spoke with calm composure. "Fellow Daoist of Reincarnation, this child is a Born Supreme, unmatched in this age... indeed, unmatched throughout all the ages! Yet, looking across the rise and fall of eras and the succession of great ages, there has never been a flawless Supreme infant. I have never heard of such a thing, not in ancient times... Fellow Daoist..."
Hearing this, Immortal King Six Paths Reincarnation, who stood by the bed, froze. Then he said gravely, "This child is my own son, my blood relative. I will bear all the karma of his fate!"
The Immortal Kings fell silent. They looked at Immortal King Six Paths Reincarnation's firm, resolute gaze, then at the rosy infant suffused with the aura of a Supreme. It seemed every Immortal King had reached a decision.
"Waaah!"
The infant gave a weak, delicate cry. His little body suddenly blazed with divine light, which shot up like a pillar, passing beyond the palace and soaring into the clouds as if to summon something.
Boom!
A thunderous crash rang out. The sky above the Imperial City split open, revealing the boundless cosmos, its starry river and chaotic void. A vast, turbulent River of Time surged through the rift, magnificent and mighty as it appeared above the city, rolling toward the pillar of light that pierced the heavens.
Feeling the changes in the Imperial City, the Immortal Kings inside the palace immediately used their divine senses to investigate what was happening outside. When they realized the River of Time was being summoned, they were all shaken. The still waters of their hearts stirred with a faint, unfamiliar excitement.
The instant the pillar of light joined with the river, the infant appeared outside the palace, suspended in midair beneath the river.
The River of Time flowed slowly, its rippling currents seemingly containing the boundless power of time. A weathered, ancient aura filled the air.
Seeing his own son suddenly appear outside, Immortal King Six Paths Reincarnation's heart tightened. But he quickly calmed down, flashed out of the palace, and flew to the infant's side. He gently scattered the radiance of an Immortal King over his son, shielding him with the power of an Immortal King so that no unknown calamity could befall him.
Splash, splash!
The River of Time surged onward. Countless fragments of memory flowed toward the infant along the connecting pillar of light. Immortal King Six Paths Reincarnation was just about to stop them when he felt the karma of life and death descend upon him, shrouding the crown of his head.
If he tried to stop the memory fragments from entering the infant's sea of consciousness along the pillar of light, he would suffer a tribulation of life and death. Not even he, an Immortal King giant, could resist this unfathomable force of karma!
Nourished by the river, the infant's little body glowed faintly. He was like a child bathing in brilliant stars, every inch of his skin brimming with life and vitality.
His eyes slowly opened. A gaze as deep as the sea flashed within them, seeming able to see through every illusion in the world and reach the source of all things.
Boom!
Suddenly, a clap of thunder rang out from nowhere, shaking the entire Imperial City. The cultivators meditating and practicing all turned their eyes toward the sky, as if drawn to it by some irresistible force.
A figure emerged in the River of Time, clad in a tattered imperial robe, his body broken and battered. He walked out of the river step by step, each step bringing a reincarnation. In three steps, he reached the infant, standing tall in midair.
At the same time, an immensely powerful pressure swept across the area, carrying a thick stench of blood. Its pungent reek was too much even for True Immortals to bear; they retched miserably and fainted.
Everyone present, save for the Immortal Kings, collapsed unconscious. The top Immortal Kings and the giants joined forces to form a defensive barrier, barely managing to withstand the pressure.
Even so, they struggled greatly. After forming the barrier together, the Immortal Kings could barely take a step; they were completely immobilized, as if bound beneath an overwhelming weight that wouldn't let them move.
Outside the palace stood the very figure who had entered the River of Time using a forbidden technique: the Reincarnation Emperor—Su Li!
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