The reigning emperor

The battle between Yuangeng and Emperor Jun, two Extreme Dao Supremes, naturally drew the attention of countless cultivators. Across the universe, many powerful beings turned their gazes toward it, shaken by the clash between these two supreme powers.

On the great life-bearing stars, many Quasi-Emperor beings and Ancient Emperor clans immediately activated secret treasures to monitor that supreme battlefield at every moment. Even within many Life Forbidden Zones, eyes opened to watch the battlefield.

Especially when they saw that Lunar Essence Supreme slay another sublimated Supreme in a near-overwhelming display of force, many Forbidden Zone Supremes fell silent, unable to conceal the turmoil in their hearts.

"Emperor Jun has been slain. His primordial spirit has been annihilated, and he has fallen into eternal oblivion. An old friend... to think he survived the divine war, only to fail to survive this calamity." Within the Primordial Ancient Mine, another supreme being opened his eyes and watched the battlefield, his words tinged with unavoidable regret.

"Who was the one who struck? He truly is powerful. Throughout all history, it seems only the Human Emperor ever brought the Lunar Essence Great Dao this far." In the Divine Ruins, an ancient Supreme also sighed in wonder. He had sensed the battle just now; the mighty power of those Lunar Essence Dao Laws had shocked even Extreme Dao Supremes, surpassing that of ordinary emperors.

"The Human Emperor died long ago. This is an ancient Supreme Emperor Jun dug out of the Primordial Ancient Mine. Even his cultivation system differs from ours. It seems to emphasize resonance with the world outside the body..." A low voice also rang out from Burial Heaven Island. One Supreme seemed to have witnessed the entire battle between Yuangeng and Emperor Jun.

"A cultivation method from before the Mythical Era...? I once obtained half a volume. The world has changed. Those methods have their subtleties, but people today cannot cultivate them. They are meaningless." In the Immortal Mausoleum, another ancient being joined the discussion, his words carrying a hint of regret.

"..."

The supreme beings within the forbidden zones exchanged a few words, then sank back into their enduring silence. The vast majority of the Supremes cared little about an ancient being like Yuangeng. Their Dao hearts were steadfast, and they had lived far too long. Few things could make them lose their composure.

By contrast, the other cultivators in the universe were far more anxious.

They understood that every battle between Supremes could become the spark for a Dark Turmoil. After all, the expenditure at that level was too immense. No one could guarantee what madness those Supremes whose life essence had run dry might commit.

The leaders of many top-tier traditions activated Emperor Weapons and Heavenly Venerable Weapons, keeping constant watch over the supreme battlefield. There, the victor stood at ease in the universe. He seemed the embodiment of the yin of all Daos, with Lunar Essence Dao Laws forming thick mist around him that enveloped almost the entire battlefield.

No one knew whether Yuangeng would unleash a turmoil. In the eyes of the world, this ancient Supreme from before the Mythical Era was far too mysterious, with too many uncertainties surrounding him.

Yet clearly, Yuangeng had no intention whatsoever of unleashing any Dark Turmoil.

He stood within the dense mist formed from Lunar Essence immortal light, holding the Half-Broken Axe Haft as he carefully studied its material, forging method, and the Dao Patterns engraved upon it.

"Weapons of the Shrouding the Heavens era... they do indeed seem well suited to the method of using the body as a seed."

Only after a long while did Yuangeng put away the broken axe, marveling inwardly. The beings of the Shrouding the Heavens era had a profound understanding of "weapons," one that differed greatly from that of the Immortal Ancient Era.

As far as Yuangeng knew, virtually every accomplished cultivator of the Shrouding the Heavens era possessed a weapon cultivated in tandem with their very life. It was an embodiment of their Dao and played an extremely important role in cultivation.

By contrast, cultivators of the Immortal Ancient Era placed little importance on such things. Among that era's most eminent cultivators, Six Paths of Reincarnation, Wuzhong, and the Heavenly Horned Ant of the Ten Fiends had indeed forged weapons, while Immortal Kings such as the Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit and the True Dragon had not. Weapons were not essential to cultivators.

Yuangeng had no weapon cultivated in tandem with his life either, but that did not stop him from taking an interest in this era's weapon-forging methods. After all, the cultivation methods of this era's beings came from a genuine Immortal Emperor. Their value as a reference was simply too great.

Perhaps I should find some cultivation scriptures from this era to study. I recall that this universe also has the Red Dust Immortal Path, a route entirely different from that of True Immortals. It involves transformation amid life and death, and its upper limit is very high... Yuangeng silently considered his plans.

He was a transmigrator who had cultivated for more than five hundred thousand years, so his Dao heart was naturally steadfast. Once he understood his circumstances, he quickly accepted his present situation, severed the longing for the past, resentment, and confusion in his heart, and began planning for the future.

Since he had awakened in this era, then given the circumstances of the Shrouding the Heavens universe, if he could become an immortal, he would surely have another opportunity to visit the Immortal Domain and Burial Domain in the future.

After all, he had visited both the Burial Domain and the Immortal Domain. He had many friends among the Immortal Ancient Golden Crow Clan, in Pan King's City, and elsewhere. Those people had already been Supremes in the Immortal Ancient Era, and several had even reached the Extreme Dao. If they had survived, they should all have become immortals by now.

Moreover, Yuangeng's Dao companion was a Golden Burial Cultivator of extremely high standing in the Burial Domain. With her lifespan and cultivation method, as long as she had survived those imperial battles at the end of the Chaotic Ancient Era, she could very well have lived until now. It was even possible that she had already become a Burial Immortal or a Burial King.

First, become an immortal!

With such hopes and expectations, Yuangeng brought his heart into harmony with the Dao and quietly began planning his future path. To him, becoming an immortal was no lofty, unattainable fantasy. As long as he was willing to spend the time, it would not be difficult.

Rumble!

Just then, the boundless Lunar Essence mist surrounding Yuangeng suddenly trembled slightly. Upon sensing it carefully, he detected the aura of a powerful being approaching from afar, hurtling toward his position.

Yuangeng narrowed his eyes and took the initiative to disperse the Lunar Essence mist lingering around the supreme battlefield. Beyond it stood an old man less than ten feet tall, leaning on a Blue-Gold Qilin Staff and hovering leisurely in the air. He wore a Qilin Treads the Heavens Robe, his gray hair falling over his shoulders. He seemed the ruler of this starry expanse, making his rounds through the universe.

Roar!

Just as Yuangeng was about to speak, the old man leaning on the Blue-Gold Qilin Staff suddenly stirred his blood energy. A moment later, the phantom of an enormous azure qilin, a hundred thousand feet tall, appeared behind him. It gave a low roar and nodded toward Yuangeng.

Roar!

Yuangeng naturally understood what the other man intended by this gesture. He activated his Lunar Essence Dao Laws, and a manifestation of a Four-Horned Black Qilin, likewise tens of thousands of miles tall, appeared. He gave a low roar, then dissipated into heaven and earth.

"Alas!"

At this, the gray-haired old man nearby froze for a moment, realizing that Yuangeng was not of his race. Regret surfaced on his face, only to be suppressed an instant later. He stepped forward to Yuangeng, inclined his head slightly, and sent out a ripple of divine sense.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist."

That ripple of divine sense was not powerful, yet it truly stirred the laws of all Daos, making heaven and earth resonate and imbuing it with a presence and majesty that could not be ignored.

Especially in the eyes of Yuangeng, a cultivator of the Immortal Ancient Method who emphasized comprehending Dao laws, that unique majesty was even more apparent. It was as though the old man were the master of all Daos, the representative of this universe. Wherever his gaze fell, wherever his heart turned, all Daos had to submit.

The Heavenly Heart Imprint?

At once, in Yuangeng's mind,

that term surfaced. Though he had never experienced this most important thing of the Shrouding the Heavens era himself, he had long heard of it.

He could almost be certain that this imposing presence belonged only to the reigning emperor who held the Heavenly Heart Imprint.

Yet Yuangeng did not mind the other man's control over all Daos. A faint smile appeared on his face, and ripples of divine sense spread outward as he responded to the goodwill offered by the emperor before him.

"I am Yuangeng of Lunar Essence. Greetings, fellow Daoist."