Emperor Zun took out the juice of an Immortal Medicine. He had already consumed the Humanoid Immortal Medicine and lived a new lifetime. Taking another Immortal Medicine could no longer extend his life.
But for healing wounds and restoring him to his peak, its effects were extraordinary.
Emperor Zun returned to his full strength in an instant.
He did not dare let his guard down against the Demon Venerable.
Both men were now at the peak of their vitality. The ripples of the Grand Dao produced by their collision were terrifying.
Both were Heavenly Venerables who had swept aside every foe in their path. Their strength was immense.
Their battle shook the ages.
Emperor Zun should have been at his peak, yet against the Demon Venerable, he fell on the defensive in the blink of an eye.
Even without the Heavenly Demonic Saber, the Demon Venerable was more than Emperor Zun could handle.
Every attack sent Emperor Zun's blood spilling across the stars.
Li Ming fought Emperor Zun for a hundred exchanges.
In the first ten, Emperor Zun coughed up mouthfuls of blood.
In each of the next ninety, his body was blasted apart.
No one had expected this clash at the pinnacle to end like this.
Emperor Zun's blood drenched the stars, while the Demon Venerable remained unscathed.
Li Ming put away the Heavenly Demonic Saber and silently watched Emperor Zun heal.
Emperor Zun struggled to reform his body. He was still covered in blood.
He labored to heal the Dao Injuries he had suffered.
His battle with Li Ming had wounded him far too severely.
It would likely take a century for him to recover fully.
He had truly underestimated the Demon Venerable—and everyone under heaven.
Whether it was the saber qi of the Heavenly Demonic Saber or Li Ming's own Flying Immortal Power, once it entered a body, it inflicted grievous Dao Injuries.
Fortunately, Emperor Zun had been at his peak.
Had his vitality been depleted, Li Ming might already have killed him.
Just then, inside a mysterious Chaos Small World, a block of Immortal Source burst apart.
A young man stepped out.
It was Chuan Ying.
Sensing that Emperor Zun was in danger, he had rushed over.
At this point, Chuan Ying was only a Quasi-Emperor. He had yet to achieve Alternative Enlightenment.
He stood protectively before Emperor Zun, watching Li Ming with a tense expression.
Though he knew Li Ming could kill him with a single finger, he bravely stood in Emperor Zun's way.
"Ignorant junior. You dare bare your teeth at me?"
Smack! Li Ming slapped Chuan Ying's head clean off, sending it flying into the Chaos Sea.
It took several days for his head to fly back.
"Emperor Zun, you're quite impressive!"
"Your strength is formidable!"
Li Ming said, "I hear you intend to establish the Heavenly Court and forge an Immortal Weapon. As it happens, the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains in Kunlun Mountain, which I occupy, have been abandoned. The mountains have shattered. You could repair them and forge the Immortal Ascension Cauldron there, making it a true Immortal Weapon."
"I have an Immortal Treasure Map. Part of it records what the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains originally looked like. I'll make you a copy so you can study it."
As Li Ming spoke, he made a copy of the Immortal Treasure Map and casually tossed it to Chuan Ying.
Then, with a flicker, he vanished.
Chuan Ying caught the Immortal Treasure Map and watched the Demon Venerable depart, not daring to say another word.
"Emperor Zun!"
Chuan Ying turned to Emperor Zun, whose body was covered in blood, his face full of worry.
As the foremost divine general of Emperor Zun's Ancient Heavenly Court in the original story, Chuan Ying had a special relationship with him.
They were something between teacher and friend.
Emperor Zun had discovered him when he was still young and ignorant, then guided him onto the path of cultivation.
They did not call themselves master and disciple, but their bond was real.
Seeing Emperor Zun beaten so badly by the Demon Venerable, gravely wounded and seemingly one misstep from death, Chuan Ying was deeply worried.
"Emperor Zun, let me take you back to the Chaos Small World." Chuan Ying moved to help him away.
Emperor Zun shook his head. He remained seated, motionless, in the Chaos Sea at the Cosmic Frontier Wasteland.
His wounds were severe, but he was not dying.
From every corner of the universe and throughout the Chaos Sea, boundless spiritual energy surged toward him.
Countless stretches of the starry sky dimmed.
The power of countless suns, moons, and stars was drawn into his body.
Emperor Zun continually regulated his breathing, his whole body radiating the light of the Grand Dao.
Every drop of his spilled blood was drawn back into his body.
Soon, his body regained its original form, and all his visible wounds had healed.
Yet despite appearances, he had not truly recovered.
The Dao Injuries within him would take a century to heal.
He had never expected the Demon Venerable to be so formidable.
If Li Ming had not held back, Emperor Zun really might have died.
Emperor Zun stayed there, silently tending his wounds.
With the battle over, the entire world erupted in uproar.
Many wore complicated expressions.
Emperor Zun had lived a new lifetime and grown immensely powerful.
He had challenged the Netherworld Venerable, defeated him, and awed the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
Yet in the blink of an eye, the Demon Venerable had defeated him.
The Demon Venerable's strength was no empty boast.
Nor could Emperor Zun's strength be underestimated.
Most people now agreed that Emperor Zun was the strongest beneath the Demon Venerable.
As for Lingbao Tianzun, he should be very strong, perhaps on Emperor Zun's level.
Daode Tianzun was powerful as well.
"The Demon Venerable is terrifying. He's lived so many years without dying, and he's still at his peak."
"He's so strong he defeated Emperor Zun with ease."
People everywhere discussed the two Divine Wars.
For the next hundred years, Emperor Zun sat motionless in the Chaos Sea at the Cosmic Frontier Wasteland, healing his body while cultivating and contemplating the Dao.
He had gained a great deal from this battle.
A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.
Where Emperor Zun sat, a vast tide of blood qi suddenly rose, shaking the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands and every living being.
The Myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth wailed. Countless people sensed Emperor Zun's mighty presence.
Within that boundless blood qi, Emperor Zun slowly stood.
His surging vitality and powerful life force made him seem reborn through Nirvana.
He had erased every Dao Injury and returned to his peak once more.
In the days that followed, people witnessed what Emperor Zun could accomplish.
First, he announced the founding of the Heavenly Court. Then he launched campaigns in every direction. Apart from the Forbidden Zone factions, he conquered nearly every life-bearing planet.
Joining forces with the Netherworld Venerable, he actually restored the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains.
Though countless life-bearing planets became places where cultivation was impossible, the beings living on them were not killed.
Once the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains were restored, they truly forged the Immortal Ascension Cauldron into an Immortal Weapon.
They even had a little power left over to turn the Netherworld Venerable's Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure into a Half-Immortal Weapon, just one step short of a true Immortal Weapon.
Emperor Zun then announced that he would refine the Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir. He invited the Supremes to emerge together when the time was right for the Ascension of the Entire Religion.
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Li Ming simply continued cultivating in silence, leaving Emperor Zun to his work.
As far as Li Ming was concerned, anything could be discussed so long as it did not interfere with his becoming a Red Dust Immortal.
He had always watched the world's course and development with a detached eye.
He even wondered when Emperor Zun had become corrupted.
One day, Emperor Zun came to Reincarnation Sea to visit Li Ming.
The imposing man descended from the starry sky with the Immortal Ascension Cauldron above his head and arrived at Reincarnation Sea.
Many saw Emperor Zun along the way, and countless cultivators burst into excitement.
Emperor Zun was now the Lord of the Heavenly Court, an idol to many.
Unlike the rather aloof Demon Venerable, who rarely accepted followers and was difficult to attach oneself to, Emperor Zun was different.
He welcomed almost everyone.
Anyone who passed the trials and joined the Heavenly Court would become part of the All-Sect Ascension Plan. With luck, they might one day enter the Immortal Domain together and become immortals.
The grand promise Emperor Zun had painted attracted countless cultivators.
Whenever people saw him, many shouted that Emperor Zun would live forever.
Boundless Faith Power gathered like a vast ocean and flowed into the Immortal Ascension Cauldron.
For a time, Emperor Zun's strength and prestige were unmatched.
By now, Netherworld Emperor Duan De had mysteriously vanished.
Meanwhile, Emperor Zun was gathering Immortal Medicines and all manner of rare treasures to refine the Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir.
He was also personally visiting the Forbidden Zones to invite the Dark Supremes.
It was no surprise that he had come to see Li Ming.
Though they had fought an earth-shaking battle years ago, there was no hatred between them.
Li Ming had generously lent Emperor Zun Kunlun Mountain, too.
He had also been using Emperor Zun and the Netherworld Venerable to repair the damaged Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains, but they had indeed gained countless benefits from it.
Years ago, Emperor Zun had wanted to attack Kunlun Mountain, but he had not been strong enough.
Now that he was powerful enough to attack it, he was surprised to find that Kunlun Mountain had already fallen under Li Ming's control.
Fortunately, Li Ming cared little for Kunlun Mountain. Instead, he had made Reincarnation Sea his home.
Emperor Zun could understand that.
After all, repairing the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains had been extraordinarily troublesome. Now that they were restored and the Immortal Ascension Cauldron had been forged, he could return the mountains to Li Ming.
That would repay the favor.
When people saw Emperor Zun, the Lord of the Heavenly Court, streak across the sky and enter Reincarnation Sea, cries of astonishment rang out.
"Emperor Zun really went into Reincarnation Sea!"
"Reincarnation Sea is no safe place. I heard that when someone ventured inside, all their life essence vanished in an instant, leaving only a pile of bones."
"Exactly. The Demon Venerable's Dao is far too strange and terrifying."
"The Demon Venerable nearly killed Emperor Zun back then. Has Emperor Zun gone to challenge him again?"
"Fool. Emperor Zun and the Demon Venerable made peace long ago. Why would they fight to the death again?"
"Right. I heard Emperor Zun could only forge the Immortal Ascension Cauldron into an Immortal Weapon because the Demon Venerable lent him Kunlun Mountain."
Many were fervent admirers of Emperor Zun, but many others admired the Demon Venerable just as fervently. Naturally, they did not want the two to fight to the death.
Within Reincarnation Sea, the silver waters churned, and countless Immortal Dao Runes flowed through them.
Emperor Zun crossed it as though walking on level ground, for he had been granted permission to enter.
Though he had already lived more than ten thousand years in this lifetime, Emperor Zun still looked like a young man.
He was handsome and dashing, with the deep authority that came only from long years in power.
His features could not be called beautiful, but they far surpassed those of ordinary men. Coupled with his distinctive bearing, they gave him a spirited, heroic appeal.
Having transformed in this lifetime through the Saint Spirit Method, he was wreathed in boundless Grand Dao Divine Resonance and chaotic qi.
The aura of a being nurtured by heaven and earth was unmistakable.
He surveyed the Reincarnation Sea with keen interest.
The famed Reincarnation Sea was dangerous, but he trusted that the Demon Venerable would not strike from the shadows.
Li Ming opened his eyes and looked at Emperor Zun as he approached.
"Emperor Zun."
"Demon Venerable."
Their battle more than ten thousand years ago had taught Emperor Zun the limits of his strength.
Though he had lost, Emperor Zun had not been discouraged. He had turned that defeat into motivation to cultivate and had grown stronger still.
Yet when he saw the Demon Venerable, he could still sense the unfathomable power within him.
He had to admit that the Demon Venerable was stronger than he was.
The legendary Chaotic Body known as the Demon Venerable was truly formidable.
"It's been many years. You've grown stronger," Li Ming said in praise.
"I'm still no match for you, Demon Venerable," Emperor Zun replied politely.
"What brings you here?" Li Ming asked without preamble.
Emperor Zun nodded. "Demon Venerable, your cultivation reaches from heaven to earth. Do you truly intend to spend your whole life in Reincarnation Sea?"
"Do you plan to keep transforming here forever?"
"Have you ever thought of joining the Heavenly Court and pursuing Mortal-World Ascension together?"
"If you're willing to join, fellow Daoist, I'll give you the leading seat in the Heavenly Court," Emperor Zun said gravely.
Li Ming was startled.
In the original story, Emperor Zun had been a ruthless, ambitious figure. Now that he had established the Heavenly Court, he was actually willing to give up its top position.
But Li Ming knew the Heavenly Court was ill-omened. No one who established it ever came to a good end.
It always collapsed for no apparent reason.
Apart from the Desolate Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Emperor Ye, no one else could bear the weight of its karma.
Even their friends and family had suffered calamities because of it.
By offering Li Ming the position of Lord of the Heavenly Court, Emperor Zun was effectively holding Ji Ming over the fire.
Li Ming would never agree.
So despite Emperor Zun's show of generosity, Li Ming refused him in no uncertain terms.
"For cultivators like us, true power comes from within. I have no interest in building a faction, much less establishing the Heavenly Court."
"Exploring the Road to Immortality when it opens, though—that could still be worthwhile."
"But I don't intend to use the Road to Immortality to enter the Immortal Domain. I've made up my mind to follow the Red Dust Immortal Path in this world."
"I'm sure the Netherworld Venerable has mentioned the Nine-Life Red Dust Transformation Path to you. We've discussed it at length."
"To put it simply, our ambitions differ. You walk your Road to Immortality; I'll walk my Red Dust Path."
Emperor Zun was plainly delighted to hear that.
Clearly, he still placed great importance on being Lord of the Heavenly Court.
He had worried that the Demon Venerable might resent him for claiming that title and perhaps come looking for trouble.
Now it seemed the Demon Venerable was just as the Netherworld Venerable had said: determined to follow the Red Dust Immortal Path, with no intention of entering the Immortal Domain through the Road to Immortality.
Emperor Zun pressed the matter with a few more courtesies, but Li Ming still refused.
"Establishing the Heavenly Court and building a vast power are not what I want."
"If I truly wanted to rule the world, I would have founded my own faction long ago."
"In fact, aside from my ties to the Ziwei Holy Land and the Sun-Moon Holy Land on Ziwei Star, I've never paid much attention to other factions."
"You, on the other hand, have built a Heavenly Court of such immense size. Your heart is set on it."
"Though you successfully lived a new lifetime through the Saint Spirit Transformation Method, your heart clearly isn't set on the Red Dust Immortal Path."
"By now, you must know that something has most likely happened to the Immortal Domain. It has probably shattered into countless fragments."
"Even if you succeed in entering the Immortal Domain, you may not meet a better fate. You could well encounter enemies far stronger than you!" Li Ming said after some thought.
Emperor Zun nodded. "Demon Venerable, your ambitions reach far beyond mine."
"No wonder you've lived in seclusion in the Reincarnation Sea all these years."
"But the Red Dust Immortal Path is far too difficult. Every transformation could end in death."
"Demon Venerable, powerful as you are, with cultivation that rivals Fortune itself, can you guarantee you'll survive every transformation?"
"I came today because I've gathered nearly all the materials needed to refine the Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir. I heard you still have three kinds of Immortal Medicine, fellow Daoist. I'd like to obtain some to make the elixir more potent."
"The Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir can keep a Dark Supreme at his peak for two thousand years. Perhaps it could also help you live a new lifetime."
"Once we enter the Immortal Domain, we're sure to face stronger enemies. Those of us ascending from the Lower Realm will naturally need to huddle together for warmth."
"I still hope you'll give it serious thought, fellow Daoist. We could pursue the Ascension of the Entire Religion together. Such a chance is rare, while the future of the Red Dust Immortal Path remains uncertain."
Li Ming studied Emperor Zun's earnest expression and sensed him carefully. He detected no strange aura. Evidently, Emperor Zun was still himself and had not been tainted.
Then when would Emperor Zun be tainted?
The Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir was exceedingly difficult to refine. Li Ming had obtained its recipe from the Netherworld Venerable, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun, but had found it too troublesome to make.
Now that Emperor Zun was willing to do the hard labor, Li Ming was happy to contribute some Immortal Medicine in exchange for a few Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixirs.
He casually took out fruit from the Flat Peach Divine Medicine, White Tiger Divine Medicine, and True Dragon Elixir and gave it to Emperor Zun.
"When you've refined the Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir, just set aside a few for me. There's no need to trade me any other materials."
"Also, you should have harvested your Humanoid Immortal Medicine many times by now. If you've gathered some every four or five thousand years, you must have quite a stock. Give me some to study."
"I've long heard that the Humanoid Immortal Medicine has two forms, one tree-like and one grass-like. Give me a portion of each."
Emperor Zun did indeed possess plenty of treasures, and Li Ming asked for them without the slightest hesitation.
Before you continue