The Emperor Star Wavers, Mars Rises High

Some people enjoyed peaceful years because others bore the burden and pressed onward.

So why couldn't that person be Ye Fan?

Let Master Ye suffer a little more.

In the eyes of Lin Xian, a seasoned wage slave, the Bodhi Seed was not a treasure but an immense karmic burden.

Taking the Bodhi Seed meant shouldering the heavy responsibility of safeguarding cosmic peace, proving the Dao as a Great Emperor, and resisting the Dark Supremes.

"Suddenly, a madman sharpened his blade at night; the Emperor Star wavered, and Mars rose high."

Lin Xian recited a fitting poem, then could not help sneering. "But I'm even more afraid that a Devouring Heaven Demonic Jar might come flying in from beyond the heavens."

"Then what about your cultivation?"

After a long silence, System 10086 said coldly, "Cultivation through the Shrouding Method differs from other systems. It is destined to involve slaughter and struggle: competing for the Emperor Path of a Lifetime, engaging in bloody battles against the prodigies of the ages. If you keep lying flat, aren't you afraid of becoming a pile of bones on the Emperor Path?"

"Why do the living beings of the Shrouding the Heavens universe fight for the Emperor Path of a Lifetime?"

Unhurriedly, Lin Xian asked and answered his own question. "Because the world turns, time presses on, ten thousand years is too long, and one must seize the day!"

"During the Ancient Immortal Era, Immortal Two experts could ascend to the Immortal Realm. Immortal Four Saints were said to be indestructible through ten thousand tribulations. But after the great war at the end of the Chaotic Ancient Era, the great universe was damaged and shattered. Though Desolate Heaven Emperor restored the myriad Dao of heaven and earth, Immortality substances remained scarce, spiritual essence was still thin, and cultivators' lifespans were drastically reduced."

"In this era, even a Human Dao Supreme, a Great Emperor of a generation, could live for only a little over ten thousand years in a Lifetime. How could anyone accept that?"

"Therefore, everything has always been urgent!"

"Resources are scarce, so cultivators of all races fight over a single Emperor Path. There is no road ahead, so all living beings must carve out a bloody path through slaughter."

"But I am different. I know there is a road ahead. I know immortals exist ahead."

"Immortals exist in this world, and one may become immortal even amid the mortal world. I have already cracked the greatest secret of the Shrouding the Heavens universe and grasped the ultimate truth, so why should I be in a hurry?"

"That is the capital that lets me lie flat. There is no need to raise venomous insects. I only need to climb step by step."

System 10086 fell silent for a long while before slowly asking, "Then how will you deal with your Dao heart? In cultivation within the Shrouding the Heavens universe, one defeat can shatter one's Dao heart. Do you want to imitate the Chaotic Ancient Great Emperor and become a Great Emperor after a hundred defeats? There has only been one such example throughout the ages."

"Simple. I'll just suppress everyone with my realm."

Lin Xian's eyes were deep, as though he held all wisdom in his grasp. "There are barriers between realms. One step forward is 'immortal,' and one step back is 'mortal.' Those in higher realms absolutely suppress those below them."

"No matter how gifted you are, if the gap in realms is too great, it is like a heavenly chasm lying across your path. It is simply impossible to 'fight immortals in reverse.'"

"Even figures on the level of an Emperor's child, before entering the Divine Forbidden, only possessed Eight Forbidden and could at most fight across eight minor realms."

"If I can't beat Emperor's children, saintesses, prodigies, or outstanding talents, then I'll crush them with my realm!"

"I'll use the Immortal Platform Realm to fight Sea of Bitterness cultivators, and Great Saint cultivation to suppress Saints."

"As long as I don't lose, I won't be defeated."

System 10086: "..."

Truly, listening to your words was like listening to your words.

"What about combat strength?" System 10086 continued its final struggle, throwing out its last crucial question. "What will you do when you reach the later stages of cultivation with your shoddy foundation?"

"I'll cut away my cultivation and start over."

Lin Xian flashed a brilliant smile, revealing a row of snowy white teeth. "If I can cultivate to the peak of the Great Saint Realm, then with that shoddy realm, I will definitely be unable to break through to the Quasi-Emperor Realm. I might as well cut away my cultivation and begin anew, rebuilding my foundation from the perspective of a Great Saint and strengthening my roots."

"By then, Heavenly Emperor Ye will definitely be in the late stages as well. It won't be a problem for him to protect me while I cultivate again."

"If a Great Saint cultivates anew, then so long as nothing unexpected happens, I will surely establish an invincible Dao heart and charge into the Quasi-Emperor Realm."

"Once I enter the Quasi-Emperor Realm, things will be easy. Whether I use an immortal divine medicine to live another Lifetime and explore the path of mortal-world immortality—"

"Or enter the Heavenly Court, seal myself in Divine Origin, sleep for a while, and coast into the Immortal Realm."

"They all come down to one word: win!"

System 10086 was numb. It had never seen someone so shameless, someone who truly did not want to work hard at all.

"System, it's good that you came out."

Smiling brightly, Lin Xian pointed at the small Bronze Coffin. "Hurry up and comprehend this Bronze Coffin. This is truly good stuff, far more precious than an immortal divine medicine."

"If you comprehend anything, remember to carry me along."

System 10086: ???

The heavens had been turned upside down! Who exactly was the host here?!

"Host, didn't you say you couldn't take anything because you were afraid of becoming entangled in karma?" System 10086 demanded furiously. How could this man have two faces? Its crackling current could no longer maintain its disguise, exposing its true emotions.

"Foolish system."

Lin Xian laughed. "Scriptures are not unique items, so naturally, one can take as many as one wishes. Desolate Heaven Emperor left this Immortal Scripture behind for the living beings of this great universe to read."

"Don't just see me as a transmigrator. In truth, I have long been one of the people of Shrouding the Heavens."

System 10086 fell silent. Once again, it was shocked by its host's shamelessness.

But in the end, it gave in.

Because the Immortal Scripture within the coffin was highly compatible with the system.

The Bronze Coffin belonged to the Lord of the Plateau, but the scripture inside it had been left behind by Desolate Heaven Emperor.

Among the several hundred ancient imperial characters, half intertwined and interwove, jointly evolving into a mysterious world suffused with flowing immortal light. If one leaped inside, one would sense its boundless vastness.

This was precisely a method for opening heaven and earth and evolving an Immortal Realm.

The system carefully experienced this intent of creation. Though it caught traces of Dao resonance, it could not grasp the method and could only ponder it bitterly.

Meanwhile, Lin Xian wandered leisurely through the Bronze Coffin. By the light filtering in from outside, he reexamined the patterns carved on its walls. The faint radiance emanating from those bronze engravings had protected the people within the coffin, preventing them from being shaken to death along the way.

"Where am I...?"

Liu Yunzhi and the others, who had been knocked unconscious, slowly woke under the light. Their eyes swept around in confusion before they immediately became alert.

"You... what exactly are you trying to do?!" Liu Yunzhi cried in terror as he recalled what had happened earlier.

"Stay put and stop courting death. I don't have time to deal with you."

Lin Xian spoke indifferently, turned back around, and continued exploring the mysteries of the Bronze Coffin.

"Stay here?"

A fierce glint appeared in Liu Yunzhi's eyes. He was not that foolish. This strange man clearly bore him ill will. Was he supposed to remain here and wait for death?

Seeing the slivers of light outside the Bronze Coffin, hope arose in Liu Yunzhi's heart. He shouted, "Come outside with me! It'll be safer if we leave together."

Compared with the unfamiliar Lin Xian, the others trusted their classmate Liu Yunzhi more.

Thus, they rushed out after Liu Yunzhi. Immediately afterward, countless screams rang out.

"If you don't court death, you won't die." Lin Xian narrowed his eyes and looked beyond the coffin. He instinctively sensed danger, as if some primordial beast were charging toward them.

"Celestial Master?!"

At that moment, Zhou Yi rushed in holding a Buddhist artifact, his face full of urgency. "Celestial Master, evil demons killed Liu Yunzhi and the others!"

"One thought makes a Buddha; one thought makes a demon."

Lin Xian looked at the people who had returned and sighed. "It is only natural for Buddhas to suppress demons. None of you are hurt, are you?"

"We're fine. Everyone has Buddhist artifacts protecting them!"

Pangbo and Ye Fan were the last two to rush in. Though they looked thoroughly bedraggled, neither was bleeding or injured. One held an ancient lamp that illuminated every direction, while the other wielded a Vajra Pestle with imposing force, scattering Buddhist light and preventing the Divine Crocodiles from advancing.

After sweeping his gaze around, Lin Xian discovered that everyone held a Buddhist artifact. Perhaps because Liu Yunzhi and the others were gone and there was no competition, everyone who had gone out exploring had brought back one or more Dharma artifacts.

Incense burners, Vajra Pestles, bronze bells, wooden fish... Countless Buddhist artifacts blossomed with godlike radiance at that moment, protecting every person who had gone out exploring. There had been no casualties.

But the danger had not been resolved!

Outside the Five-Colored Altar, dense scales covered the ground. Thousands upon thousands of Divine Crocodiles continuously battered the barrier of light. More cracking sounds came from outside, and in only a brief moment, over a hundred small crocodiles had successfully broken through.

"Crack! Crack!"

Though they appeared tiny, these extremely savage creatures were terrifying. They could fly through the heavens and burrow through the earth, every Divine Crocodile like a sharp sword with astonishing piercing power.

A female student held a Buddhist artifact but did not know how to use it. She could only watch helplessly as a Divine Crocodile charged toward her, crying in despair, "Did we disturb the Buddha's artifacts and deserve punishment?"

"Amitabha Buddha Emperor never killed a single person in his life, and Sakyamuni was not so petty."

"This is not your fault. Time has worn away all great power."

"Before the passage of time, nothing in the mortal world is indestructible."

"The seal of the Great Thunderclap Temple weakened as the years passed, and the demons inside broke through a corner of the seal."

Lin Xian rose to his feet and shouted, "Hold steady! Everyone gather together! Ye Fan, give me your lamp."

After everything that had happened, Lin Xian had become the group's pillar and possessed a certain degree of authority.

At his command, everyone who was still standing obeyed without hesitation. Holding Buddhist artifacts, they gathered together. Although the light barrier's range shrank, it became increasingly solid and dazzling, blocking wave after wave of attacks.

Ye Fan decisively handed over the Ancient Bronze Lamp from the Great Thunderclap Temple—the only one untouched by dust, completely intact, and eternally burning. When life itself was at stake, what use was a treasure?

Standing within the light barrier, Lin Xian directed the radiance of the Buddhist artifacts and gathered it onto the Ancient Bronze Lamp. Then he circulated all the divine power in his body. The flame flickered, spilling dazzling divine brilliance like the sun and pure radiance like the moon, making him seem like a sacred being beyond the mortal world.

"Destroy!"

Streams of sacred rainbow light shot out like actual rainbows, illuminating the entire Five-Colored Altar. It was as if the sun had fallen upon the earth. The brilliant radiance was blinding, and the next moment, countless shrieks sounded.

Blood dyed the altar red, and the stench of blood spread everywhere, making the place seem like a field of carnage.

"Blech..."

How could people who had lived in the city ever have seen such a scene? They vomited instinctively, their grips on the Buddhist artifacts becoming unsteady. The light barrier weakened by several degrees, revealing many gaps that the Divine Crocodiles seized to rush inside.

"Hold steady! Move closer to me!"

Lin Xian shouted again. The dozen or so remaining people tensed and moved toward him, forming a circle with their Buddhist artifacts.

Radiance flowed. With Lin Xian, a cultivator, present, the Buddhist artifacts' effects were brought fully into play. A bright lamp illuminated the great thousand worlds, killing one Divine Crocodile after another as blood saturated with divine power splashed across the Five-Colored Altar.

At that moment, everyone worked together with one heart. Even the foreigner Kade rushed over, babbling incoherently, "God bless us, Buddha have mercy!!! Let me transform into a Transformer and suppress these demons!"

Lin Xian could not help glancing sideways at him. Sir, were you Father Wang Laba of the Shaolin Temple's Vatican Office?

Countless Divine Crocodiles were slain and turned into blood sacrifices, becoming the energy needed to activate the interstellar train.

The Bagua Taiji diagram in the void gradually solidified.

"Roar..."

Beneath the Great Thunderclap Temple, Crocodile Ancestor let out a roar. Blood-red eyes like lanterns opened, resembling two blood moons—crimson and terrifying.

Lin Xian's expression changed drastically. This was Crocodile Ancestor, suppressed by Sakyamuni. It was said to possess the Great Saint Realm. Even after thousands of years of sealing had reduced its strength to less than one percent, it was still a Saint capable of destroying planets, with incomparable might.

Fortunately, the Taiji Bagua diagram in the sky finally took complete form. It had been completed by the divine power contained in the Divine Crocodiles' blood. The symbols of all eight trigrams flashed simultaneously, emitting dazzling light as the gate of the starry sky reappeared.

"Get into the coffin!"

Lin Xian shouted, shielding everyone in front of him.

Boom!

A dull tremor sounded as the Taiji Bagua diagram opened completely like a gateway, revealing a mysterious and enormous passage. Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin had activated!

Everyone hurried into the coffin. Then a huge crash sounded, and the giant Bronze Coffin trembled.

"It won't charge in here, will it?"

Someone asked in a trembling voice. Crocodile Ancestor's heart-rending roars echoed in their ears, clearly filled with boundless fury.

Lin Xian, however, remained calm. If it charged in, then not to mention a Great Saint—even if a Great Emperor came, it might not be able to destroy the Bronze Coffin.

Crocodile Ancestor was no longer a threat. The only question was whether the Divine Thought of the Great Accomplished Saint Physique had slipped inside.

But even if it had, it would seek out a Saint Physique to possess. What did that have to do with an ordinary cultivator like him, one without any special bloodline?

"Take this back."

Lin Xian handed the Ancient Bronze Lamp over without the slightest reluctance.

Ye Fan was somewhat surprised, but he still refused. "Celestial Master, you saved all of us. We can never repay such life-saving grace. What does a single lamp matter?"

"This is useless to me."

Lin Xian looked at Ye Fan's pocket and said faintly, "However, I can smell the Bodhi Seed. Could you lend it to me?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Fan straightforwardly took out the Bodhi Seed.

"So decisive?" Lin Xian was rather surprised. He looked closely at the Bodhi Seed. Its natural patterns linked together to form a compassionate Buddha, ancient and natural, faintly exuding a Zen-like charm.

"Host, didn't you say you didn't want the Bodhi Seed?"

The system's faint voice rang out again.

"Not wanting it doesn't mean I can't use it. That settles the inequality."

Lin Xian chuckled and accepted the Bodhi Seed.

The instant it touched his hand, his thoughts became several times more active. Problems he had not understood before became clear in an instant.

He could not help praising it. "What a divine object."

Ye Fan looked calm as he explained seriously, "What is a Bodhi Seed worth? Everything in this world is centered on people. No matter how precious a divine object is, it cannot be more important than a human life."

"Good! Very spirited!"

Lin Xian praised him. "Young man, I see the potential of a Great Emperor in you."

"Celestial Master, are you going to accept me as your disciple?" Ye Fan's eyes brightened. Displaying his shameless, black-hearted nature, he immediately latched onto the opportunity and refused to let it go.

"There is no bond of master and disciple between us, but I can tell you about the essence of cultivation."

Lin Xian smiled faintly. Then he sensed the eager gazes around him and nodded. "Come over and listen as well."

Everyone was delighted and sat cross-legged around Lin Xian in a circle.

Lin Xian temporarily uploaded the Bodhi Seed to the system so it could comprehend the Dao. He himself began chatting nonsense with the others, teaching them some common knowledge about the cultivation world.

"This time, we're heading to the Big Dipper cultivation world. Away from home, outsiders are despised. If we want to survive in the Big Dipper, we must learn four essential skills: swindling, bluffing, stealing, and cheating."

"Today, we'll first discuss how to bluff people."

"Actually, you are lay disciples from an ancient temple in the Western Desert, cultivation reserves. During an entry trial, you accidentally fell into a teleportation formation and arrived in the Eastern Wasteland."

"The Buddhist artifacts in our hands are proof, along with our short hair. We simply have not shaved our heads in too long."

"We are outer disciples and have not truly begun cultivating yet, so the rules are not too strict."

"..."