Daode Tianzun?!

"Demon Venerable!"

"Ming Venerable!"

"Ziwei Venerable!"

At that moment, the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands erupted.

Countless sages and worthies cried out Li Ming's honorific title, while even more low-level cultivators heard the news and joined in chanting his title.

It was all because Li Ming's performance had been far too astonishing.

Twenty-six thousand years had passed, yet Li Ming was still alive. What shocking news that was.

The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands were in an uproar, and countless people were overwhelmed with excitement.

Especially the Ziwei Holy Land and Sun-Moon Holy Land on Ziwei Star. They went wild, shouting without end.

Their momentum shook Ziwei Star and reverberated through the starry sky.

The Demon Venerable had defied the heavens and returned, living out a new lifetime and displaying an invincible bearing!

He was so young that it left people astonished, like an undying deity, eternal and imperishable, his entire body radiating immortal brilliance.

Li Ming looked at his former body.

That old body was not aged. On the contrary, it looked just like him, like a teenager in his teens.

It lay there motionless on the ground.

The only difference was that it no longer had any aura of life and seemed steeped in decay.

It was as though he were looking at another version of himself, like a pair of twins.

That was himself—his former self.

Li Ming had now transformed into a flawless Chaotic Body.

His former body had likewise undergone an astonishing transformation during its metamorphosis, becoming a flawless Chaotic Body as well.

"In the original story, after the Ruthless Empress transformed into a flawless Chaotic Body, she refined her old body into the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar. Should I refine my old body into the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar too?"

"Why didn't the Ruthless Empress discard her old bodies from later transformations, or refine them into the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar? Why did she instead place them in coffins and leave them in the Myriad Dragon Nest?"

Li Ming looked at his old body and carefully pondered how to deal with it.

"When I read Shrouding the Heavens back then, someone once discussed this. If the Ruthless Empress's body from her first transformation had not been refined into the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar, but had instead been placed in that Corpse-Nurturing Land on Earth to undergo Corpse Spirit Awakening, would it have become another Ruthless Empress?"

Li Ming recalled that strange post, and his heart suddenly burned with excitement.

He truly wanted to try it.

If he placed this old body in Earth's Corpse-Nurturing Land and truly allowed it to undergo Corpse Spirit Awakening, what would it ultimately become?

Would it really become another him, just as they had discussed?

What strange changes would occur?

At that thought, Li Ming immediately abandoned the idea of refining his old body into the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar.

For now, he placed the old body inside the Bronze Immortal Hall and intended to let the immortal Dao essence within cleanse it first.

Then he planned to toss it into the Immortal Spring Vein of the Reincarnation Sea and nurture the corpse for a while. After the great battle at the End of the Mythology Era ended, he would transfer the body to Earth and place it in the Corpse-Nurturing Land.

After all, the opening of the Road to Immortality at the End of the Mythology Era was drawing ever closer. If he placed the corpse there now, it might be destroyed in the mythological war.

Since it was an experiment, he had to be serious and careful. He could not be careless.

Before transmigrating, he had never realized how many Dark Supremes existed in this era.

Before transmigrating, he had always assumed that there were not many Dark Supremes in this age.

Only after arriving in this era did he discover that between the Chaotic Ancient Era and the Age of Mythology, there had been a long Primordial Ancient Era. Numerous Supremes had been born during that period, and they had later sealed themselves away through methods similar to self-severance.

The number that remained until this era far exceeded that of Ye Fan's time.

The Age of Mythology truly was an exceptionally dangerous era.

Li Ming even suspected that the great battle at the End of the Mythology Era and the great battle at the end of the Ancient Era had likely occurred because there were too many Dark Supremes and too few resources, forcing them into war.

As for the truth, he would know once he experienced those eras himself.

Chaos Thunder tore through space, and Li Ming stepped inside, entering a strange world.

This place was shrouded in darkness, devoid of any life aura, like a land of death.

There was even a faint, mysterious force that plundered the vital essence of all living beings.

Li Ming even saw countless corpses in this world.

The Divine Substance within them had long since vanished completely. A gentle breeze would reduce them to drifting ash.

There were Saint-level bones and Quasi-Emperor-level bones.

There were even some Supreme-level bones. It was truly astonishing.

Why had Li Ming come here?

It turned out that he had once obtained a strange set of coordinates from fragments of that old Teng Snake ghost's primordial spirit.

According to the old Teng Snake ghost's memory fragments, when Lingbao Tianzun killed the heavily wounded Teng Snake back then, someone had seemingly helped him.

All the secrets pointed toward this mysterious place.

It stood adjacent to the place where Lingbao Tianzun had suppressed the Crippled Immortal.

Seeing that Supreme-level experts had died here, Li Ming realized that this was likely an extremely terrifying place.

However, his skills gave him courage. Trusting the blade in his hand and the Bronze Mirror within his body, he came.

After crossing the vast land of death, he saw a black ocean ahead, with an enormous island rising from it.

Countless streams of sun and moon essence descended like a fallen galaxy, radiating an incomparably dense aura of life.

There stood a man dressed in Daoist robes.

He wore a purple-gold crown and an Eight Trigrams Daoist robe, while his gray-white hair spilled loosely down his back.

When he sensed Li Ming's arrival, he abruptly opened his eyes. Within them were scenes of universes being created and destroyed, and his aura was immensely terrifying.

Li Ming was startled when he sensed this man's aura.

This pitch-black, icy world was filled with strange forces that ceaselessly devoured people's vital essence.

Yet where that old Daoist sat was actually a sacred land.

Endless sun and moon essence descended there, accompanied by surging chaotic energy and an incomparably dense aura of life.

It was as though he had cultivated and comprehended the Dao there for countless tens of thousands of years.

Perhaps because he had remained immersed in enlightenment for so long, a faint layer of dust had even settled over him.

The instant he opened his eyes, all filth vanished in an instant. He seemed ethereal and almost immortal, with white hair and a youthful face.

As he inhaled and exhaled, endless Chaos Essence flowed in and out through his nostrils.

Li Ming simply stood there quietly, watching the old Daoist continuously breathe in and out.

Li Ming could sense the old Daoist's divine sense. It was faint at times, strong at others.

As he inhaled and exhaled chaos, his divine sense grew increasingly powerful.

Once the man's divine sense rose to the level of a Heavenly Venerable, Li Ming judged from the aura emanating from him and tentatively asked, "Daode Tianzun?"

"That is correct. It is this old Daoist!"

In the blink of an eye, the old Daoist regained his youthful prime. His gray-white hair turned black as ink, and he took on the appearance of a middle-aged man around thirty.

He seemed to have sensed that Li Ming had cultivated the Dao Scripture as well, and he looked at Li Ming with a genial smile.

Li Ming had never expected that the person who had helped Lingbao Tianzun kill the Crippled Immortal would be Daode Tianzun.

And in this era, he had actually encountered the living Daode Tianzun.

It was truly unbelievable.

Judging by the timeline, Daode Tianzun should have been buried underground by now.

Yet Li Ming had encountered Daode Tianzun at this very moment.

Daode Tianzun slowly swept his gaze over Li Ming's body. When he sensed the incomparably powerful chaotic aura around Li Ming, he was startled as well.

Li Ming was actually a Chaotic Body!

And he had successfully attained the Dao and become a Venerable!

Li Ming was actually a Chaotic Heavenly Venerable!

"I never expected Fellow Daoist to attain the Dao as a Venerable through a Chaotic Body. You must surely rank among the Nine Heavenly Venerables as well!"

"Are you the legendary Demon Venerable?!"

Though Daode Tianzun appeared to have withdrawn from worldly affairs here, he had unexpectedly heard of Li Ming's name.

That was not strange. At this level of cultivation, one had long possessed the ability to extract certain information from the Heavenly Heart Imprint.

They could not deduce every secret, but they could still infer a rough outline from scattered clues.

"That's right. I am the ninth of the Nine Heavenly Venerables, the Demon Venerable!"

Around Li Ming, the myriad Dao of heaven and earth submitted to him and merged with him. Anyone could tell at a glance that he was the current one who had attained the Dao.

Daode Tianzun politely cupped his hands.

"Have you always lived in seclusion here, Heavenly Venerable?"

"Back then, were you the one who joined Lingbao Tianzun in killing that Crippled Immortal?"

"Did you and Lingbao Tianzun arrange that Crippled Immortal's corpse there?"

Li Ming spoke directly, voicing the questions in his heart.

Daode Tianzun nodded, then shook his head.

"The one who killed that Crippled Immortal was mainly Lingbao Tianzun. This old Daoist merely lent him a hand!"

"I have slept here for roughly a hundred thousand years. This place can be considered one of this old Daoist's Dao grounds."

Li Ming sharply noticed the phrase "a hundred thousand years." It seemed that Daode Tianzun had likely been buried in the earth here and undergone Corpse Spirit Awakening.

"As for that Crippled Immortal's corpse, after I studied it for a time, Lingbao Tianzun took it away. He intended to devour the Crippled Immortal's body, seize its essence, and live out a new lifetime."

"And I chose to attempt another path!" Daode Tianzun said. "I see that Fellow Daoist has also lived out a new lifetime through your own abilities. Perhaps we can discuss this matter together!"

So Daode Tianzun truly had dealings with Lingbao Tianzun, and had even helped him.

No wonder Li Ming had vaguely sensed a connection between the Salvation Scripture and the Dao Scripture. There was even content related to the Salvation Scripture within the Dao Scripture.

It seemed that Lingbao Tianzun and Daode Tianzun had been far closer than people imagined.

"How is Lingbao Tianzun now?"

"Is he still alive?"

"Did he successfully live out a new lifetime?"

Li Ming cared deeply about these questions.

The Four Swords of Zhu Xian, Lingbao Tianzun's Formation Diagram, the Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir, killing a Crippled Immortal, creating the Salvation Scripture, pacifying the Corpse Calamity—Lingbao Tianzun was absolutely a heavyweight figure in the original story.

Unfortunately, by Ye Fan's era, he had long been thoroughly dead.

Only by personally experiencing this era did Li Ming realize what a formidable figure Lingbao Tianzun had been.

It seemed that aside from Emperor Zun and Netherworld Venerable, Lingbao Tianzun had lived out new lifetimes the most times.

Of course, perhaps the Daode Tianzun before him had done so as well.

However, Li Ming felt that this Daode Tianzun might not be the true Daode Tianzun.

He was Daode Tianzun after Corpse Spirit Awakening.

It was simply that Daode Tianzun's state differed somewhat from Netherworld Emperor Duan De's.

Daode Tianzun seemed to have retained more memories, preserving complete memories belonging to Daode Tianzun.

Even the soul born from Corpse Spirit Awakening believed that he himself was Daode Tianzun.

Li Ming vaguely sensed this, but he did not point it out.

Daode Tianzun shook his head.

"I do not know what state Lingbao Tianzun is in now."

"After we killed that Bloodied True Immortal back then, we carefully studied that True Immortal's corpse."

"Later, Lingbao Tianzun attempted to transform through his own method."

"And I buried myself in this world and attempted to transform."

"Now, this transformation of mine has succeeded."

"But I have not sensed Lingbao Tianzun's aura."

"Still, I vaguely feel that Lingbao Tianzun may be transforming somewhere."

"As for when he will succeed or whether he can return against the heavens, this old Daoist does not know."

Daode Tianzun spoke with some regret.

Lingbao Tianzun seemed to have been an old friend of his. He felt regretful that this old friend might not successfully return to life.

Daode Tianzun rose to his feet and led Li Ming toward the depths of the palace.

On this island stood a majestic and magnificent complex of palaces, like heavenly halls in an immortal realm.

Li Ming and Daode Tianzun each sat cross-legged atop a Dao Altar.

This island was truly astonishing. Li Ming discovered in surprise that Daode Tianzun actually possessed a Demigod Medicine.

If he was not mistaken, it should be the Demigod Medicine Fleeceflower Ancestor.

It had ended up in the Kunlun Mountain Secret Realm during Ye Fan's era.

Who would have thought that it was now in Daode Tianzun's hands?

Of course, perhaps it had voluntarily chosen to follow Daode Tianzun.

Divine Spring Water flowed here, and the ground itself was Immortal Medicine. It was more than enough for it to grow here.

Yet Daode Tianzun did not seem to care much about such things and had not deliberately searched for Immortal Medicine.

At his level of cultivation, he had surely consumed Immortal Medicine long ago.

Here, Daode Tianzun's Dao-attaining weapon, the Black-Yellow Pagoda, rose and fell within the chaos.

Who would have thought that Daode Tianzun had naturally evolved a small world here and was attempting to evolve an Immortal Domain within it? It was truly astonishing.

Could this be the result of his research into the True Immortal's corpse?

"I never expected the secret realm you created to differ so greatly from those created by other Heavenly Venerables."

"It truly carries a hint of evolving toward an Immortal Domain."

"I'm truly impressed!" Li Ming said politely.

"You flatter me, Demon Venerable!"

Daode Tianzun shook his head. "It was merely a small insight gained while studying a True Immortal's corpse. It cannot evolve into a genuine Immortal Domain."

Li Ming took a sip of the divine liquid Daode Tianzun had given him and was surprised to find a mysterious, warm aura flowing through his body. It had actually extended his lifespan somewhat.

Li Ming was also startled. Although he had never taken an Immortal Medicine, he paid close attention to treasures capable of extending one's lifespan.

He had never expected that a cup of immortal liquid offered by Daode Tianzun would have such an effect.

Clearly, Daode Tianzun was quite pleased with Li Ming's reaction.

There was even a trace of pride in his smile.

Li Ming suddenly recalled that, in Ye Fan's era, there had been an Ancient Venerable who killed those Perfected Sacred Spirits and refined them into divine liquid.

Could this be something brewed from those Sacred Spirits?

Sure enough, Daode Tianzun nodded. "I happened to slay two Sacred Spirit Supremes and used them to brew this immortal liquid!"

Li Ming nodded. "This really is good stuff!"

"I came here to seek your guidance on the secret of immortality, and I also wanted to hear about Lingbao Tianzun."

Daode Tianzun nodded. "Do you find the environment here extremely strange?"

"Yes. It feels like a mysterious prison." That was Li Ming's honest impression.

"That's right. This truly is a prison!"

"And it has been passed down from some unknown era to the present!"

"Lingbao Tianzun even suspected that this might have been a prison personally established by the Desolate Heavenly Emperor back then!"

"It holds nothing but utterly wicked and vicious people. They can never escape for the rest of their lives and can only die trapped here!"

"It has even imprisoned true immortals!"

Daode Tianzun spoke with a solemn expression.

"Lingbao Tianzun discovered this place?"

"No, I discovered it first!"

"Back when Lingbao Tianzun and I were cultivating and comprehending the Dao here, we happened to encounter that Bloodied True Immortal who had fallen into this world through the Immortal Domain Rift..."

Things had simply happened to work out that way.

Lingbao Tianzun, having transformed into a new Lifetime, was at the peak of his strength.

Daode Tianzun was likewise at his peak.

They had been tremendously excited to face a Bloodied True Immortal.

Faced with two overwhelmingly powerful Heavenly Venerables, that Bloodied True Immortal met a tragic end.

"Lingbao Tianzun trapped that Bloodied Crippled Immortal with an array diagram, then used the four Immortal Swords to destroy that True Immortal's primordial spirit!"

"The two of us studied that Bloodied True Immortal's body together and benefited immensely!"

After hearing Daode Tianzun's words, Li Ming nodded.

In a sense, a True Immortal's corpse was even more precious than an ordinary Immortal Weapon.

That was because True Immortals were genuinely living beings, while Immortal Weapons were not lives with fleshly bodies.

"What happened afterward?" Li Ming pressed.

"Afterward, Lingbao Tianzun took the True Immortal's corpse and sealed it away."

"It was what I told you before: Lingbao Tianzun intended to use this True Immortal's corpse to live out a new Lifetime."

"As for whether he can succeed, that is truly unknown."

After thinking for a moment, Li Ming said, "Have you ever deduced a similar scenario, where Lingbao Tianzun's corpse turns into an entire world?"

"Where his head turns into a life-bearing planet?"

Recalling Lingbao Tianzun's fate in the original text, Li Ming asked.

Daode Tianzun made a brief deduction, and his expression immediately changed again and again.

"This actually seems to be real!"

"It really seems as if it will happen in the future!"

"But the heavenly secrets are chaotic. It also seems false, as though it has not happened yet. There still seems to be a chance to change things!"

Li Ming had not expected Lingbao Tianzun to possess so many fortuitous opportunities.

Truly, it was both his making and his undoing because of the True Immortal.

In the original text, after that Crippled Immortal's corpse underwent Corpse Spirit Awakening, it should have perished together with Lingbao Tianzun.

Now that Li Ming had dealt with the primordial spirit produced after the Corpse Spirit Awakening, Lingbao Tianzun would most likely not die so miserably, right?

He would not end up as in the original text, his body exploding into ash and evolving into a world.

Just think: if Lingbao Tianzun had never self-severed and truly lived out a new Lifetime, his strength would very likely make him the strongest of them all.

Lingbao Tianzun, who had lived out a fifth Lifetime, might very well be stronger than Li Ming, Emperor Zun, and Netherworld Venerable.

Lingbao Tianzun was actually this terrifying.

By killing that old Teng Snake True Immortal, Li Ming seemed to have genuinely changed Lingbao Tianzun's fate.

"In truth, perhaps Lingbao Tianzun and I are not the only Ancient Heavenly Venerables who never died."

"I have studied many ancient legends. Following the clues, I discovered that the first of the Nine Heavenly Venerables, the Tribulation Heavenly Venerable, may very well not have died. He may also be undergoing an astonishing transformation, and one day, he may return against the heavens!" Daode Tianzun said solemnly as he looked at Li Ming.