Sudden.
Thump!
A deep, muffled sound came from the bottom of the abyss, like a heartbeat, making the entire abyss tremble.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The sound grew clearer and stronger.
Snow Empress's face turned pale. The heartbeat seemed to contain some kind of Dao rhythm, causing her blood and qi to surge. If it weren't for the protection of the Green Lotus Sword, she would probably have been injured long ago.
"Hold your breath and focus your mind." Lin Hao's voice reached your ears.
The Snow Empress quickly did as instructed, circulating the Azure Emperor Scripture, his body radiating azure divine light that resonated with the Green Lotus Sword, barely managing to withstand the impact of the heartbeat.
After descending for another half an incense stick's time, light finally appeared below.
It was a ghastly green light, eerie and cold, like ghostly fire burning.
The two fell to the bottom of the abyss.
Before them lay a vast underground space, spanning a hundred miles in circumference. The surrounding rock walls were inlaid with countless pale green crystals, emitting a ghostly light that illuminated this underground world.
In the center of the space stood a massive altar.
The altar was entirely black, cast from an unknown divine stone, and covered with densely packed ancient runes, exuding a chillingly evil aura.
In the center of the altar, there was a stone coffin.
The stone coffin was simple and unadorned, yet it exuded an aura of majesty that had suppressed all ages.
Those heart-pounding roars came from inside the stone coffin.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Each thud caused the underground space to tremble, and green crystals fell from the rock walls.
Snow Empress held her breath; she could sense that an incredibly terrifying being was sleeping in the stone coffin.
Even a mere corpse is enough to send shivers down the spines of all living beings.
" Great Emperor coffin is this...?" Snow Empress's voice was hoarse.
Lin Hao walked to the altar, his gaze falling on the stone coffin, and slowly spoke:
"Not Great Emperor."
"But rather— the Sacred Body."
" The Sacred Body?" Snow Empress was taken aback.
" The Desolate Ancient Sacred Body is a special physique that was once incredibly glorious in the Desolate Ancient Era, but was later cursed by heaven and earth, making cultivation difficult."
Lin Hao reached out and gently stroked the stone coffin, as if reminiscing about something.
"This Sacred Body reached the peak of the ninth level of Quasi-Emperor in his lifetime, just one step away from proving himself as an Emperor. Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong era, living in the same Lifetime as the Azure Emperor."
" The Azure Emperor was exceptionally talented, becoming the first to attain the Dao. His Dao suppressed all others, severing the path to Emperor for everyone. This Holy Sacred Body was unwilling to accept this and attempted to attain the Dao through force, forcibly breaking through to the Great Emperor Realm. Ultimately, he attracted a backlash from heaven and earth, perishing and his Dao dissipating, and was buried here."
Snow Empress was deeply shocked by what she heard.
The peak of the ninth level of Quasi-Emperor is second only to the Great Emperor, capable of sweeping across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, invincible in an era.
Such a figure, because Lifetime in the same era as the Azure Emperor, had his path to becoming emperor blocked and ultimately perished in obscurity.
How tragic.
"Your Majesty, you brought me here for..." The Snow Empress vaguely guessed what was going on.
"Although the Sacred Body is dead, its physical body has been tempered by Heavenly Tribulation and is now nearly immortal, containing the Sacred Body's essence. You possess the Green Lotus essence and have received the inheritance of the Azure Emperor Scripture. If you further refine the Sacred Body's essence, you may be able to forge an unprecedented path."
Lin Hao looked at Snow Empress, his gaze deep:
"Using the vitality of the Green Lotus as a guide, the blood and qi of the Sacred Body as a foundation, and the Ultimate Ice as a soul, the three elements combined can forge an unparalleled foundation for the Dao. In the future, it is not impossible to surpass the Azure Emperor and attain the Dao to become an Emperor."
Snow Empress shuddered, and a raging fire ignited in her icy blue eyes.
Prove your Dao and become an Emperor!
This is the ultimate dream of all monks.
Throughout history, very few people have been able to become Great Emperor; there has only been one in each era.
And now, His Majesty tells her that she has the opportunity to walk the path of God!
" Snow Empress, I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations!"
She knelt on one knee, her voice firm.
Lin Hao nodded, waved his hand, and unleashed a divine light that entered the stone coffin.
"Buzz--"
The stone coffin trembled, and the lid slowly opened.
A vast and powerful aura, as boundless as a starry sea, surged into the sky, turning the entire underground space golden.
In the golden light, a majestic body lay quietly in the stone coffin.
His face was blurred, shrouded in chaotic energy, making it impossible to see clearly, but the aura of suppressing eternity made the Snow Empress almost kneel down.
This is the Sacred Body of Quasi-Emperor at the peak of the ninth level. Even if one perishes for countless ages, one will still be immortal and invincible.
"Go in and refine the essence of the Sacred Body. I will protect you."
Lin Hao's voice roused the Snow Empress from her shock.
She took a deep breath, leaped into the stone coffin, sat cross-legged beside the Sacred Body, and began to refine the vast and boundless essence of the Sacred Body by circulating the Azure Emperor Scripture.
Golden light engulfed her.
Lin Hao stood with his hands behind his back before the altar, gazing upwards into the abyss. His gaze pierced through the rock walls, revealing the world beyond the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land.
" The Azure Emperor's legacy has manifested, the Tomb of the Sacred Body has opened... The Big Dipper is about to descend into chaos."
"Let things be chaotic; only in chaotic times can heroes emerge."
" Snow Empress, don't let me down."
He slowly closed his eyes, his aura merging with the underground space, as if transforming into an ancient and eternal sacred mountain, guarding the woman in the stone coffin who was undergoing transformation.
Emperor Burial Abyss, time flows on.
Meanwhile, the outside world was already in an uproar over the matter of the Azure Emperor's succession.
Eastern Wasteland, the Yaoguang Holy Land.
Inside a divine palace suspended high in the heavens, several figures sat upright, their auras vast as the sea; all were Mighty One from the Immortal Platform Secret Realm.
" The Azure Emperor Scripture appeared in the world and been obtained by a mysterious woman. Beside her is a young man in black whose strength is unfathomable, and he is suspected to Mighty One at the Immortal Platform Second Heaven or above."
An elder reported in a deep voice.
"Investigate! Find out the woman's background and the young man in black's details!"
" The Azure Emperor Scripture is an ancient and supreme scripture that must never fall into the hands of outsiders!"
"Where is the Yaoguang Holy Son? Speak to me!"
The Ji Family, the Void Hall.
Ji Hong, the Holy Lord of the Ji Family, sat in the main seat, with the core elders of the Ji Family below him.
"A message came from Haoyue: the Azure Emperor Scripture chosen his master, and it seems that you are destined to be with Azure Emperor. That young man in black severely Dragon Transformation Secret Realm with a flick of his finger; he is suspected to be the woman's protector."
" The Azure Emperor Scripture paramount importance; my Ji Family must get a share of the spoils."
"Pass down the order: utilize all intelligence networks to search for the whereabouts of those two. Also, summon the Void Mirror to deduce the secrets of heaven!"
The Solar Divine Dynasty, the Golden Crow Hall.
"What?! Our Divine Dynasty elder was severely injured by that young man in black with a flick of his finger? And the Azure Emperor Scripture was obtained by an unknown woman?"
The Sun God was enraged, and his body was engulfed in the True Solar Fire, which distorted the very void.
"By imperial decree, all the experts of the Divine Dynasty are to be mobilized and reclaim the Azure Emperor Scripture! As for that young man in black... if we can capture him alive, I will personally reduce him to ashes!"
The Jade Lake Holy Land, the Flat Peach Garden.
The Queen Mother of the West sighed softly and said to the Yaochi Holy Maiden Yaochi below, " With the Azure Emperor Scripture's Scripture, the Big Dipper will be thrown into chaos. Although Yaochi will not contend, it cannot remain uninvolved. You take the Western Emperor Pagoda and lead people to find those two. If there is an opportunity, you can forge a good relationship with them."
"Yes, Holy Mother."
Central Province, the Great Xia Dynasty.
" The Azure Emperor Scripture... Interesting."
The Great Xia Emperor toyed with the jade seal in his hand, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "Send out the order to send out the secret guards to find those two. Remember, focus on winning them over; don't take action unless absolutely necessary."