Legend held that there were three extraordinary flowers in the world. Like Immortal Medicines, each was one of a kind.
These three flowers were even more mysterious, their origins astonishing beyond belief.
The first was the Demon God Flower, said to be the supreme treasure of the Demon Race. It bloomed once every fifty thousand years. If a member of the Demon Race consumed the flower or absorbed its essence in childhood, they could become a peerless demon god with the potential of a Great Emperor.
The second was the Hedao Flower. Legend said it was so precious that it had appeared only once since ancient times. At the instant it bloomed, anyone who consumed its essence could immediately merge with the Heavenly Heart Imprint and attain Enlightenment as Supreme.
It was easy to imagine how wondrous and precious such a flower was.
It had appeared once in the early Age of Mythology, but never again.
And the Supreme who had used it had met a grim end.
Li Ming had once tried to investigate that Supreme's past, only to discover that someone had silently devoured him.
Li Ming suspected that using the Hedao Flower was much like acquiring a Chaotic Body—it effectively created one by Acquired means.
In that case, it was no wonder the Supreme who had used the Hedao Flower had become a target.
There was another flower that held astonishing secrets, one whose beauty only those who had truly attained enlightenment could appreciate.
It was the Divine Flower in Emperor Zun's possession, the pinnacle of beauty in this world.
Inside that Rotten Wooden Box was the Divine Flower.
No one asked how Emperor Zun had obtained it, but they had all heard of its wonders.
Legend said that once the flower withered, it would turn into a seed and vanish through the void.
There was only one such flower in the entire world.
Legend said it had fallen from the Immortal Domain into this world.
When it bloomed, it was said to create the most beautiful sight under heaven, one that left all who saw it entranced.
If someone too weak forced themselves to look, their Primordial Spirit would dissolve into a rain of light. Like Dao Dissolution, it would end in self-destruction.
Some said the flower contained the rules of the Immortal Domain.
Emperor Zun took out the Rotten Wooden Box and planted the flower in the Divine Spring Water there.
The Divine Flower immediately shed a dazzling rain of light.
The flower voraciously swallowed the essence of heaven and earth. Its crystalline leaves shimmered with a bewitching aura, and it even drew spiritual energy from the void.
The bud trembled softly. Then one petal suddenly unfurled.
At that instant, light rained across the sky, flooding all of Xuandu Cave.
Fortunately, Daode Tianzun had laid down layer upon layer of Formations here. Otherwise, every living being in the Black Mountain Forbidden Zone would have seen it. Instead of gaining anything, they would have dissolved into a rain of light.
Within the drifting sheets of light, illusory immortals danced gracefully. The sight was deeply mysterious.
Everyone watched closely, unwilling to miss the smallest detail.
Petal after petal unfurled, dazzling beyond measure and captivating the mind.
Li Ming felt an urge for his Primordial Spirit to fly out and merge with it.
It was truly shocking.
He had reached such heights, yet this flower could still affect his Primordial Spirit. It was almost impossible to imagine.
Its fragrance was exquisite—almost unbearably so.
As the mysterious flower bloomed, its scent made one feel on the verge of ascending, merging with the flower and dissolving into the Myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth.
When the last petal unfurled, light surged into the heavens throughout Daluo Heaven, piercing the defenses of the Black Mountain Forbidden Zone.
No one knew what had happened there, but everyone who sensed that aura was stunned.
Li Ming and the other three Heavenly Venerables stared at it in disbelief.
Amid the entrancing rain of light, a lifelike fairy maiden flew out and began to dance.
She was the Divine Flower's stamen: a tiny fairy maiden, no taller than a fist, yet vividly lifelike.
She danced above the flower as though stirring the ages and cutting across the river of time.
Within that beauty at its utmost limit lay the hazy laws and paths of the Grand Dao.
Li Ming quieted his mind and slowly contemplated them.
The world in his eyes changed all at once.
Within the flower were Grand Dao Order Divine Chains, one after another. The dense rain of light consisted of countless Grand Dao Runes.
Like the others, Li Ming sat cross-legged there, utterly still.
He contemplated and deduced without pause, his whole presence growing ever more unfathomable.
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye. No one dared disturb them.
Chuan Ying remained nearby, keeping watch over Emperor Zun. He came to check on him once, then soon left.
Aside from him, no one dared approach. Even the Dao Gate's most outstanding disciple stayed away.
The Divine Flower remained in bloom, and a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.
Crystal clear, the tiny fairy maiden formed from its stamen danced on, revealing inscrutable Grand Dao Rules.
The Divine Flower had not withered after blooming. It stayed in bloom for over a century. Only after more than two hundred years did it finally wither, turning into a seed that was about to escape through the void.
Brilliant and the size of a longan, the seed tore open the void and tried to flee.
Emperor Zun caught it in one hand and sealed it away again.
"This thing will need at least another hundred thousand years before it blooms again."
"I never imagined it could be so miraculous."
"I can feel that my cultivation has advanced considerably."
"Indeed. Who would have thought it contained Immortal Dao Laws?"
"Yes. I gained a great deal from it as well."
"In a moment of revelation, I grasped an immortal melody. Allow me to play it for you all to judge." As Emperor Zun spoke, he took out the Horn of War.
"Woo-oo, woo-oo, woo-oo..."
The Horn of War was another Extreme Dao Weapon Emperor Zun had forged.
Besides the Immortal Ascension Cauldron, his weapon of enlightenment, he possessed a second Extreme Dao Weapon: the Horn of War.
In a sense, Emperor Zun was also highly accomplished in the way of music.
In the original story, there had been Jiang Taixu's God's Prelude and something or other by Gai Jiuyou. Whatever its name was, it had been incredible.
Only after arriving in this world had Li Ming discovered, to his surprise, that Emperor Zun had created a God's Prelude of his own.
The Horn of War appeared to be a weapon, but it was also an instrument.
Those present were not the only ones who heard it. Its distinctive sound reached across the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
Music of incomparable beauty swept through heaven and earth like a vast ocean.
Within it lay immensely powerful force.
One decaying Dark Supreme after another awoke.
One of them said, voice trembling, "Emperor Zun! That's Emperor Zun's Horn of War. He's grown even stronger!"
"Is he going to war?"
"No. I can sense it—Emperor Zun has created a new divine melody all his own!"
"The Horn of War can be used like that?"
"It was clearly a weapon, yet Emperor Zun turned it into an instrument!"
"Legend says Emperor Zun found a mysterious horn in the chaos. Supposedly it came from the Immortal Domain. Delighted with his find, he carefully refined it into the Horn of War."
"What? It was forged from the horn of a True Immortal?"
The vast sound spread across the world. It carried not only Grand Dao Divine Resonance, but also an intense killing intent.
People debated among themselves, wondering what sort of divine melody Emperor Zun had comprehended.
The Grand Dao, laws, and order wove together in countless strands. The Myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth resonated and reverberated. Endless divine thunder exploded as chaotic qi surged and roiled.
After a while, the Horn of War fell silent.
Soon, people witnessed an even more astonishing sight.
Four beams of divine light flew out of the Black Mountain Forbidden Zone, their terrifying auras shaking the entire universe.
Every cultivator could sense their dreadful power.
Someone tried to peer at them with a Heaven-Piercing Dharma Eye, only for the eye to explode with a crash.
People watched the starry sky in silence as the four Heavenly Venerables swept across it, inspiring boundless awe.
The four figures reached the depths of the universe and arrived at Feixian Star.
Countless suns, moons, and stars circled Feixian Star, which seemed both mysterious and mighty.
Li Ming, Emperor Zun, Daode Tianzun, and Lingbao Tianzun arrived together.
The moment they appeared, they became the center of that part of the cosmos.
The Dark Supremes in Feixian Star's Life Forbidden Zones were jolted awake.
"Emperor Zun is here!"
"The Demon Venerable is here too!"
"Daode Tianzun has come!"
"And Lingbao Tianzun!"
"What are they doing here?"
"Surely they aren't planning to flatten every Forbidden Zone on Feixian Star?"
The arrival of four Heavenly Venerables on Feixian Star brought an aura too terrifying to ignore.
Even the Dark Supremes sunk in deep slumber awoke. They could hardly pretend to sleep through it.
Emperor Zun led the others to the site. After examining it, he set about breaking the Feixian Star Road to Immortality Seal.
His aura was overwhelming. With a light sweep of his hand, he activated countless densely packed runes.
Terrifying Extreme Dao Divine Might shook the world.
The commotion awakened more than Feixian Star's Dark Supremes. Supremes in the other Forbidden Zones woke as well.
Within the activated sealed grounds, the so-called Central Forbidden Zone, Extreme Dao Divine Might erupted until the place seemed ready to boil over.
All of Feixian Star seemed on the verge of splitting apart.
"What is Emperor Zun trying to do?"
"He's brought the Demon Venerable, Daode Tianzun, and Lingbao Tianzun with him!"
"Their auras have grown even stronger!"
"Unbelievable."
The many Dark Supremes racked their brains, unable to understand why the four had come to Feixian Star to display their might.
Could they be planning to attack its Forbidden Zones?
Many watched coldly from the sidelines.
Li Ming and the others, meanwhile, had raised their vitality, energy, and spirit to their peaks. Extreme Dao Divine Might surged from them, shaking the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
Each possessed the overwhelming strength to suppress the myriad Daos with a single Dao and tread upon the Heavenly Heart Imprint.
Thus, the slightest release of their auras shook the entire world.
They were not showing off deliberately. They truly were that powerful.
Blood and vitality surged skyward from all four. Brimming with life, their bodies sounded with thunder and roaring seas, as though they were splitting heaven and earth apart. An ineffable Grand Dao Heavenly Sound rang out too, like someone chanting scripture.
Emperor Zun looked at the three men, their vitality surging, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Only people strong enough could be his friends or were worthy of being called his fellow Daoists.
He paid no heed to the rest of that riffraff.
"Emperor Zun, how is your Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir coming along?" Lingbao Tianzun asked. "I have an Immortal Medicine, the Ancient Tree of Life. I can provide you with enough medicinal sap. I could even cut down the whole tree to refine the elixir if need be."
"All I ask is a larger share once the Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir is complete."
Daode Tianzun also looked at Emperor Zun with anticipation.
Daode Tianzun currently had no Immortal Medicine. He had once possessed the Immortal Medicine known as the Ginseng Fruit, but it had inexplicably vanished while he slept and underwent his transformation. He had searched the entire world without finding it.
By his deductions, it had either fallen into the hands of a Dark Supreme or hidden itself in some Chaos Small World.
"Of course the Nine-Revolution Immortal Elixir isn't finished," Emperor Zun said. "I came here to collect certain materials. I'll need several fellow Daoists to help me obtain them."
"That's also why we're exploring the Feixian Star Road to Immortality."
Lingbao Tianzun thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something.
"No wonder you were so eager to invite this old man. You want me to use the Nine Secrets: Zu to break the Formations here."
Li Ming considered it and found that was exactly right.
Emperor Zun had planned far ahead.
Not only had he persuaded Lingbao Tianzun to willingly offer sap from the Ancient Tree of Life, along with its leaves and trunk—nearly cutting off its roots as well—but he had also persuaded him to willingly use the Nine Secrets: Zu to break the Formations here.
"That's exactly what I had in mind. Fellow Daoist, you specialize in Formations. Though I've studied them deeply myself, I believe you're the expert."
"Years ago, Netherworld Venerable and I studied the Origin Heaven Divine Art together. Perhaps I can now exchange insights with Fellow Daoist Lingbao."
"Good. Once this is over, we'll study it together."
Lingbao Tianzun was highly pleased.
He had absolute confidence in his Nine Secrets: Zu and was keenly interested in how Netherworld Venerable had attained enlightenment through the Source Arts. But Netherworld Venerable had always kept his secrets close, refusing to reveal more.
Lingbao Tianzun had never expected Emperor Zun to be so generous after Netherworld Venerable's disappearance. It was a delightful surprise.
Daode Tianzun said with a chuckle, "This old Daoist has long wanted to enter the Immortal Domain through the Road to Immortality."
"Now I'll finally explore it for the first time."
"Haha! The Road to Immortality is dangerous indeed. Most Supremes won't explore it until they're on the verge of death."
"This time, we can go and see it for ourselves."
The same was true for Li Ming. He had never explored the Road to Immortality on his own either.
For him, this would be a new and intriguing journey.
By now, the Dark Supremes on Feixian Star were in an uproar.
Four Heavenly Venerables of such formidable power had arrived and set their sights on the central sealed region.
At that moment, they were discussing it among themselves while watching coldly from the sidelines.
They had already begun to guess what was happening.
If those four dared to disturb the seal in the Central Core Area, they must be trying to enter the Road to Immortality.
But did they think they could open the seal there without asking them first?
Enormous stone steles stood packed together, each towering into the clouds. Their surfaces were covered in dense Extreme Dao Runes that would endure for eternity.
Just as the four were about to enter the core area, a Dark Supreme finally lost patience.
With a roar, a red Heavenly Demonic Saber came slashing down.
At the same time, the auras of more Dark Supremes suddenly erupted, striking terror into every living creature under heaven.
The incarnations of Dark Supremes appeared one after another, staring coldly at the four.
They were making their displeasure plain.
After all, the Feixian Star Road to Immortality Seal had been created through the combined efforts of many Dark Supremes.
The Road to Immortality belonged to everyone. It was not Emperor Zun's private property.
Emperor Zun might have founded the Heavenly Court and grown powerful, but the Dark Supremes could no longer hold back when they saw that he might destroy everything they had put in place.
Which Supreme who had cultivated to this level was not bold enough to defy the heavens? Which of them was not supremely confident?
Even after Demon Venerable Li Ming had killed so many Dark Supremes, some still clung to the hope that they might be stronger than he was.
So what if Emperor Zun had transformed and lived a new Lifetime?
Many Dark Supremes remained so confident that they looked down on Emperor Zun, believing themselves to be his equal. It was no wonder they dared to attack him.
Now, Dark Supremes woke from their slumber one after another and sent out their incarnations.
Emperor Zun wanted to explore the Road to Immortality. Some wanted to explore it alongside him, while others wanted to stop him.
Watching Lingbao Tianzun and Emperor Zun furiously deduce the workings of the Formation and try to break it, one Dark Supreme could no longer restrain himself.
"What are you doing?"
"Are you really going to break the seal on the Road to Immortality?"
"This is neither the right time nor the right place. Opening it now could destroy it. Fellow cultivators, I urge you not to break the seal."
Though the Dark Supreme tried to keep his voice calm, his suppressed anger was unmistakable.
He had spent so many years helping seal that place. He truly did not want anyone to destroy its seal.
"Heh. Before you meddle in our affairs, you ought to consider whether you have the strength." Emperor Zun sneered, and the Immortal Ascension Cauldron appeared.
Rumble!
Blazing light flashed from it. The three-legged, two-handled cauldron bore lifelike engravings of flowers, birds, fish, insects, the sun, moon, and stars, and every living creature under heaven.
Green radiance blotted out the sky and suppressed the Myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth.
The Immortal Ascension Cauldron, already refined into an Immortal Weapon, floated above Emperor Zun's head.
It suddenly hummed and trembled, blazing with light. Its mouth opened wide and swallowed the Heavenly Demonic Saber forged from Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold.
The saber's owner gave a cold snort, but in the end, he did not dare demand its return.
It was not that he did not want to. He simply did not dare; he was not strong enough.
Though he wanted to go out and challenge Emperor Zun, he knew he was no match for him.
And with Demon Venerable there as well—a fiend who killed and devoured people at the slightest provocation—he was even less willing to face them.
The Dark Supreme had backed down, but Emperor Zun had no intention of letting him go.
Emperor Zun's vast voice rang out.
"I invited Demon Venerable, Daode Tianzun, and Lingbao Tianzun to explore the Road to Immortality with me, yet someone actually tried to stop us.
"That is courting death!"
With a thunderous boom, the Immortal Ascension Cauldron sent green radiance across the sky and bore down on a Life Forbidden Zone amid boundless chaos qi.
Another thunderous boom rang out, and the Immortal Ascension Cauldron shattered the Life Forbidden Zone.
The entire universe erupted in uproar.
Before you continue