Until we meet again

"The Netherworld Scripture" and "the Origin Scripture."

These were two ancient scriptures the Netherworld Venerable had left in the Underworld, embodiments of two entirely different Daos belonging to that supreme powerhouse of the Mythological Era. Each possessed heaven-reaching, earth-shaking power, enough to lay the foundation for a hundred generations of any lineage in the outside world.

Two radiant pieces of jade fell from the Corpse Emperor's bow, each recording one of the Netherworld Venerable's fundamental scriptures. The Netherworld Scripture needed no introduction. It was the foundation of his cultivation and the source of the Underworld's principles, drawing upon the netherworld and transforming reincarnation. It had been one of the finest scriptures of that era.

The Origin Scripture, by comparison, was far more mysterious. The Netherworld Venerable had exceedingly few successors to this aspect of his Dao, and its teachings had almost vanished with the shattering and fall of the Heavenly Court at the end of the Mythological Era.

"The world knows that the Heavenly Court once had an Origin Dao sovereign who helped Emperor Venerable seize Kunlun Mountain. He also helped Emperor Venerable develop the Land of Ninety-Nine Dragons Nurturing Immortality, rendering heaven-reaching service in nurturing his Immortal Ascension Cauldron. But how could the world know that this Origin Dao sovereign was none other than the Netherworld Venerable?"

The Corpse Emperor recounted that history. The Netherworld Venerable's accomplishments in the Origin Dao were unknown to the world, but his mastery of it had been equally heaven-defying.

In those days, after Kunlun Immortal Mountain had nurtured the Immortal Bell, its fortune and mighty power had been all but exhausted. The Netherworld Venerable had poured all his strength into draining many life-bearing planets, creating a supreme deathtrap and Immortal Ascension Ground-the Land of Ninety-Nine Dragons Nurturing Immortality-and successfully nurturing the Immortal Ascension Cauldron.

"The Origin Dao might seem to merely borrow the mighty power of the external world, but it actually embodies the Netherworld Venerable's absolute control over fortune and heaven and earth. You certainly wouldn't know that he once captured several Saint Spirits on the verge of full maturity. He used them as materials and test subjects, 'ripening' them with his supreme Origin Dao to validate his own path."

Once he began speaking of the Netherworld Venerable, the Corpse Emperor's words poured forth without end. Evidently, cultivators at this level also felt the urge to unburden themselves, and a powerhouse like Yuangeng was the perfect listener for him.

If the Underworld was the Netherworld Venerable's greatest achievement with the Netherworld Scripture, then his greatest achievements with the Origin Scripture were Source God, Source Demon, and Source Ghost. They were three monsters on the level of Dao Provers, their bodies and Primordial Spirits alike masterpieces of his mastery. Even without ever undergoing an Extreme Dao tribulation, they still possessed the strength to fight sovereigns head-on.

By combining these two achievements, the Netherworld Venerable had created his vital-bound supreme treasure: the present Heavenly Nether Treasure.

"The more you tell me, the more I want to trade a few moves with that Netherworld Venerable."

Yuangeng cared little about the Heavenly Nether Treasure. He placed the Netherworld Scripture and the Origin Scripture before him, feeling both wistful and regretful. Had he emerged during the Mythological Era, his life would surely have been far more exciting than it was in this late period of Primordial Antiquity. That era had Emperor Venerable and the Netherworld Venerable; this one had only an Undying Heavenly Emperor whose training was lacking.

"Perhaps you'll have a chance in the future."

The Corpse Emperor spoke, but he was clearly deeply invested in nurturing the Undying Heavenly Emperor's corpse. He volunteered to pay a price for the opportunity to study Yuangeng's Death-and-Life Grand Array, hoping to draw inspiration from it and prepare for his second Reincarnation Seal.

After all, he had already severed himself. In this life, he had all but lost the chance to live a third lifetime. He sought only to rise again after death, entrusting his hopes to his next incarnation.

"It's no trouble. If you're willing to expend your remaining lifespan, you're welcome to stay in my Burial Emperor Hall. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

Yuangeng clearly saw that the Corpse Emperor intended to draw closer to him, but he did not mind. Though this fellow lacked the aptitude to attain immortality through nine lifetimes, he was ultimately an emperor capable of proving his Dao in the era of Shrouding the Heavens. In the future, he could become a burial immortal or a True Immortal.

With a slight stirring of his thoughts, dazzling heavenly light immediately shone from his abdomen. A five-colored Ancient World appeared behind him-the Dao Palace Secret Realm, born from his five internal organs and evolving the innate five elements.

Rumble!

Soon, a burly deity emerged from the Dao Palace Secret Realm. He had sharply defined features and wore a deep-blue robe of yin water. His gaze resembled an ocean with no visible bottom, so profound that it made others tremble.

This was Yuangeng's water-element Divine Spirit of the Dao Palace, born from his kidneys, one of the five internal organs.

Smack!

The Divine Spirit pressed his palm against Yuangeng's true body. Pitch-black death and netherworld power instantly seeped into his yin-water robe, transforming it into Burial Emperor battle attire. He strode up to the imperial throne in the sky and slowly seated himself. At that moment, boundless netherworld aura spread from the throne, shrouding the entire star domain and making the Underworld's atmosphere even more oppressive and sinister.

Then Yuangeng's true body nodded to the Corpse Emperor's bow, turned, and vanished into the Netherworld.

Several hundred years had passed, and he could sense subtle changes taking place in the Heavenly Heart. As the end of his lifespan gradually approached, the Qilin Emperor's hold over the Heavenly Heart Imprint was growing ever weaker.

It was time to make the final preparations for proving his own Dao.

Meanwhile, deep in the starry sky, on a life-bearing planet named Big Dipper, a vast mountain range stretched for tens of millions of li.

The mountains rose and fell in an unbroken chain, forming the wondrous sight of myriad peaks surrounding a single lake. They resembled thousands of little dragons entwined with one another, fighting over a dragon pearl for the chance to become the "dragon lord."

On that lake, a small boat stirred ripples as it drifted leisurely across the surface. The surging dragon energy around it was sharper than steel blades, yet could not damage it in the slightest.

A white-haired old man sat cross-legged on the boat. He was not particularly tall, but his figure was round and plump. He gazed up at the heavens, his thoughts unknown.

Yuangeng... an Extreme Dao master of the Immortal Ancient Method... knows the Burial King Method, so he's almost certainly been to the Burial Domain... was there someone like him at the end of the Chaotic Ancient Era?

The old man, so round that he was somewhat fat, wore a troubled expression as he struggled to recall the past. He seemed to be searching his long history for information about a certain man.

But even after a long time, he found nothing. He could only pat his head helplessly.

He was clearly very old, his lifespan nearing its end, yet his mind remained astonishingly lucid. The wisdom and depth in his eyes were impossible to conceal.

Beside his hand rested a perfectly rounded, flawless bowl. It looked ordinary, but anyone with some knowledge could tell at a glance that it was a supreme weapon forged from chaos stone marrow. Though the divine treasure slumbered, its Extreme Dao aura remained impossible to hide.

Clearly, this was a dying old sovereign and his Extreme Dao Weapon.

Or rather, the man once named Cao Yusheng had reached the twilight years of another lifetime.

Normally, he chose to awaken his memories of the past just as his Primordial Spirit began forming in each lifetime, preparing for his cultivation path. But this life was special. A certain unforeseen variable had triggered the restrictions hidden within his body, causing him to recall all his past memories and assess and plan for his current circumstances.

Cao Yusheng believed that the universe in its present state was not a very favorable environment for him.

In his eyes, the Underworld's almost frenzied search was merely a trivial matter. As the founding patriarch of that great lineage, even if he stood before Yama, the Corpse Emperor, and the others

and underwent an emperor's great tribulation, none of them would recognize him.

The only troublesome factor was the Lord of the Underworld who had appeared just five hundred years ago-that man from an ancient era whom even Cao Yusheng could not see through.

"Alas! Back then, all this Daoist wanted was to slip away after death and sever every karmic tie. How did those little bastards decide I was going to settle accounts with them? Now look what's happened-a Burial Emperor has shown up. If he really digs this Daoist out someday, there'll be one hell of a commotion."

The plump old man muttered, forced to inspect his body's condition again and again and continually set restrictive talismans upon it. His ambitions were as vast as the heavens, and he had no desire to let the Underworld disrupt his plans again. He had no choice but to conceal himself, terrified of being found.

His actions this time were entirely unplanned. Though he lacked preparation, he had no choice but to exert his full strength once to avoid being discovered by that terrifying man who had also practiced the Burial Method.

After a long while, the plump old man finally completed all his preparations. He took an iron coffin from his bowl, lay down neatly inside it, placed the bowl upside down over his chest, and personally closed the coffin lid over himself.

"Burial Emperor? See you around!"

Soon, the old man's lifespan ended completely, and the Dragon Dao astral winds that filled the lake's surface cut the little boat into splinters.

Fortunately, the iron coffin remained unharmed. As the boat broke apart, the heavy coffin sank rapidly to the bottom of the great lake.

The lake bottom was utterly dark. Inside the iron coffin, only three lustrous white markings stood out at the old man's Immortal Platform, between his brows.