In the space of a breath, faint, indistinct prayers seemed to ring out, as though ancient forebears were offering sacrifices to the Heavens. Vast and magnificent, the sacred voices seemed ready to break through the barriers of this world and reach the outside.
Sensing Su Yu's probing, the five-colored Immortal Phoenix, its soul revived, let out a piercing cry. Boundless divine light erupted from it, shattering his divine sense.
In the Ageless Hall, Su Yu felt a stabbing pain in his spiritual sense, and his expression turned cold.
"Subdue!"
He shouted, gathering his spiritual sense once more and driving his Source Heaven Divine Eyes to their limit. Like a demon god, he fixed his gaze on the immortal spirit within the cage. Inside the hall, streams of silver radiance spread out, illuminating the palace like an immortal realm.
The Heavenly Emperor's Son was a descendant of an ancient immortal spirit, the Undying Heavenly Emperor's direct son and a member of the Undying Immortal Phoenix Clan. From the beginning of his gestation, he had been baptized by an entire Fortune Source Eye. In another timeline, he had emerged as a peerless Holy Lord. His origin was so profound that his bloodline could be called the strongest of the golden age, placing him in the foremost ranks of the Dharma Ending Epoch.
In the entire Dharma Ending Epoch, those whose innate origins surpassed the Heavenly Emperor's Son's could be counted on one hand: Little Immortal Phoenix, Ye Yishui...
Su Yu stared intently at the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar, then flicked his sleeve and took out a bronze Buddha statue covered in cracks. It was the forbidden artifact left behind by Sakyamuni that he had obtained from the Great Thunderclap Temple on Mars, a precaution against the unexpected.
"Suppress!"
He formed a hand seal and drove the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar with all his strength. The jar trembled slightly, and countless rays of dark light erupted, transforming into immortal chains of black gold that smashed straight through the Divine Source.
In the time it took a hare to dart away and a falcon to swoop, the Divine Source shattered, sending streams of light spilling in every direction. The divine chains of dark light bound the divine egg. Its Qi began to surge, erupting in violent fluctuations as cracks spread across its shell and five-colored divine light shot out. The Immortal Phoenix wanted to break free of the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar's restraints; he wanted to emerge early.
Chapter 47: Achieving Chaos
"Phew..."
Ragged clouds raced across the sky as a swath of immortal light swept past. Prayers rose from within the light, and Su Yu felt as though he had entered another world.
Across the ages, the vast sounds of a sacrifice carried him into an illusion.
Su Yu calmly surveyed his surroundings. The Devouring Heaven Demon Jar protected him, while the Undying Heavenly Emperor was still undergoing nirvana on Yinghuo Ancient Star and could spare no attention for anything else. With a Quasi-Emperor Forbidden Artifact in hand, even if the Ancestor Kings of the Eight Divine Generals were blocking his door, they could change nothing.
He was absolutely certain he could suppress any mishap!
This was an incomparably magnificent and vast immortal realm. Countless heavenly palaces and pavilions stood above the nine heavens, wreathed in immortal Qi. Endless life essence Qi flowed from the palace complexes, and countless illusory immortal spirits danced amid auspicious mists. Blood-red Undying Immortal Phoenixes beat their wings, while divine qilins surging with purple light strode and roared. The sights were wondrous beyond counting.
Su Yu's gaze settled on the heavenly palaces, and he realized this was the Undying Heavenly Emperor's Imperial Court from the Primordial Era.
"We pay our respects to the supreme god!"
"The Heavenly Emperor reigns supreme..."
Countless living beings knelt in the void, worshipping the heavenly palaces. They filled the blue expanse in dense, dark masses, an overwhelmingly imposing sight. Waves of chanting rang out like great bells and ceremonial chimes, deafening and soul-shaking. Ancient Saints beyond counting prostrated themselves, singing the Undying Heavenly Emperor's glorious deeds with utmost sincerity and reverence.
Suddenly, Su Yu's gaze rested on a white-robed divine general. The handsome, dashing warrior held a wondrous heavenly steed in one hand and a battle halberd in the other, looking at the palace at the highest point with an exceedingly complicated expression.
At the summit of the heavenly palace, an incomparably majestic figure looked down upon all living beings. His presence stirred mountains and rivers across hundreds of millions of miles, like an Immortal King. The Qi of the Great Dao shrouded him, and intricate runes wreathed even his hair, preventing Su Yu from seeing his face clearly.
"Is this the Undying Heavenly Emperor's version of heaven, earth, ghosts and gods all worshipping Emperor Zun? Boring!"
Su Yu murmured. It all struck him as twisted. The reverence of all races seemed illusory in his eyes, and the supposed worship of the Heavenly Emperor throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths was no more than passing clouds.
The Ancient Heavenly Court had crumbled, and the Undying Imperial Court had fallen.
Only the present mattered!
"Rip!"
Dark light burst forth, and a strand of Extreme Dao divine might descended. Su Yu shattered the illusion outright. Such ancient things held no meaning for the present.
Dazzling rays of five-colored divine light shot from the divine egg, intertwining with ancient, unadorned Dao principles. They reflected scenes from millions of years ago, presenting them again and again in the void.
Su Yu calmly watched the divine egg break apart bit by bit. He held the bronze Buddha statue in his right hand and the spiritual-sense jade pendant left by the Divine Silkworm Princess in his left, fully prepared for every possibility.
"Clang!"
Suddenly, a strand of Extreme Dao Qi emerged from the divine egg and broke through the chains of dark light. Five-colored divine light burst forth, pouring out like the heavenly river of the nine heavens, sacred beyond compare.
Within the chaos, a divine bird appeared. Five-colored divine light surged skyward inside the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar, while brilliant immortal light blazed like a rainbow and boundless divine power surged.
Even the sounds of the Great Dao rang out, as though blessing the immortal spirit. Auspicious Qi rose, and radiance spilled everywhere. The illusory figure of an Immortal Phoenix blotted out heaven and earth, roaring through the world, its feathers shining like stars. The true spirit within had not taken human form and was roaring inside the Emperor Weapon's space.
"Still!"
Brilliant light bloomed before Su Yu's brow. His fingers moved in a cascade of afterimages as his vast divine sense, now at the Immortal Platform Realm, drove the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar. The jar shook and blazed with auspicious colors, spreading Extreme Dao fluctuations as its body devoured the essence Qi of the eight directions like a bottomless pit.
At last, a stream of immortal light flew out from the Emperor Weapon's space. Threads of dark light gathered again, forming seven chains that swiftly stabbed toward the Immortal Phoenix.
The Immortal Phoenix let out a series of metallic cries. Its wings, like Phoenix Blood Red Gold, beat against the void with a thunderous noise. Seemingly expressing its anger, it glared at the chains on every side like a beast driven to the brink.
Suddenly, a blade of immortal light slashed past. Its radiance stung even Su Yu, as though needles had pricked him, and the black-gold chains were severed once more.
Su Yu looked closely. It was a heavenly book cast from Phoenix Blood Red Gold. Wisps of Extreme Dao Qi descended from it, sacred and brilliant, shining with a dreamlike luster that captivated the eye.
"The Undying Heavenly Emperor Scripture! Extreme Dao Phoenix Blood Red Gold. If I'm not mistaken, there's also an unfinished Extreme Dao weapon..." Su Yu looked at the Phoenix Blood Red Gold with longing in his eyes. In the original story, the Heavenly Emperor's Son also had a Heavenly Blade made of the same material as the Undying Heavenly Blade.
After the Phoenix Blood Red Gold book severed the chains of dark light, the Undying Immortal Phoenix cried out again, Divine Radiance swirling around him. He drove the heavenly book into the void, trying to escape the space.
"Hum!"
When the heavenly book, wreathed in Extreme Dao Qi, struck the void, it produced only faint ripples, waves without form. The space itself remained unmoved.
"Let's see how much longer you can hold out!" Su Yu murmured. He formed another hand seal and drove the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar with all his strength, a certain arresting sharpness about him.
The heavenly book in the Heavenly Emperor's Son's hands could not last much longer. Its remaining Extreme Dao Qi would run out sooner or later, and in the meantime, Su Yu did not mind playing with him.
As for the Source consumed, it was but one hair on nine oxen before an Undying Immortal Phoenix!
"Hum..."
Divine Radiance collided as time slipped away bit by bit. The Extreme Dao essence on the Phoenix Blood Red Gold book grew increasingly faint. Just as the five-colored Immortal Gold cut at the chains of order again, a sharp glint flashed in Su Yu's eyes. The five remaining chains of dark light knocked the heavenly book flying, then vanished into the void.
Su Yu calmly put away the jade jue. He had been somewhat worried about his opponent's Emperor Dao forbidden artifact, but in the end, it had been a false alarm.
Four Extreme Dao chains bound the five-colored Immortal Phoenix inside the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar. A beam of divine light pierced his Immortal Platform, seized his soul and dragged him to the ground. Ten more chains of dark light shot out from the void, completely subduing the Heavenly Emperor's Son.
"Ah!"
Fine specks of light spilled to the ground as the Heavenly Emperor's Son wailed. Blood splashed from his brow, and the chains pierced his primordial spirit, sending pain straight through his crown.
"Got him!"
A faint smile appeared on Su Yu's face. Everything had gone so smoothly that it felt almost unreal.
He took out the Lihuo Divine Furnace and stepped forward. Ripples of Dao principles appeared in the void as he entered the Emperor Weapon.
The Divine Phoenix, bound by more than ten chains of order, took human form. His face contorted, the Heavenly Emperor's Son roared at Su Yu, "A human? Who are you? Aren't you afraid of my father, treating me like this?
"The Eight Divine Generals will be here soon. Don't think having an Extreme Dao Emperor Armament means you can disregard everything. If you submit to me, I can bestow the Ancient Scripture of the Gods upon you."
Su Yu studied his face carefully, feeling a little regretful.
The Heavenly Emperor's Son's black hair fell over his shoulders, and his face was more beautiful than a woman's. His body was crystalline and near-perfect, and five-colored divine light radiated from him. He could be called a flawless man.
"I am... it doesn't matter who I am!
"Millions of years have passed. The Undying Heavenly Emperor has long been gone!
"And you will join me in attaining eternity!"
Su Yu looked at the Heavenly Emperor's Son impassively, his voice utterly cold.
Specks of spiritual light radiated from him as the "Clouds in the blue sky, water in the vase" phenomenon opened, forming the Great Dao Treasure Vase above his head. A divine chain emerged from its mysterious body and pierced straight through the Immortal Phoenix's flesh and soul.
"No..."
The Heavenly Emperor's Son screamed. Su Yu's gaze shifted, and he turned into a dark shadow and pounced.
The next moment, sound vanished from the space. Silence fell throughout the Emperor Weapon, and only the faint flickering of dark light spoke of the horrific crime hidden from the light of day...
Ten days later, Su Yu walked out of the Ageless Hall. Chaos Qi spilled from his body, and origin essence Qi was drawn from the void into this small world. The blood Qi within him flowed without escaping, as though he had entered a realm of returning to his original simplicity.
The Great Dao of the entire world was in harmony with him.
Su Yu took out the chaos jade jue and reflected himself in it. It could reveal the changes in his constitution.
Examining the marks on it again, he saw that his Chaos Body had undergone a qualitative leap. The origins of the Sacred Body and the Immortal Spirit Body had brought his Chaotic Blood close to perfection.
Su Yu nodded, deeply satisfied. In truth, the divine constitutions of this age were all difficult to get his hands on. Among the emperor's-son-level figures in the original story, the only ones without Emperor Weapons to protect them were the two unlucky fellows, the Heavenly Emperor's Son and the Northern Emperor Wang Teng.
One could say that the Undying Heavenly Emperor had abandoned the Heavenly Emperor's Son. As the sole inheritor of the Chaotic Ancient Era, Wang Teng had an emperor scripture, the Heavenly Emperor Sword and a King's war chariot, yet the most important thing, an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon, lay buried deep in the Northern Plains.
Walking the Burial Emperor Star without an Emperor Weapon, how could one even speak of competing on the emperor's path? Ye Fan had obtained the incomplete Source Cauldron of All Things while still at the Holy Lord stage. Otherwise, the Extreme Dao holy lands, Desolate Ancient Families and Primordial Imperial Clans would have joined forces to suppress and kill him long ago.
That showed just how important an Emperor Weapon was for protection. The other heavenly talents safeguarded by Extreme Dao Emperor Weapons had, for the most part, remained active until the Quasi-Emperor stage...
Chapter 48: The Green Lotus's Tranquil Nature, a Dreamlike Immortal Treasure
As swiftly as a hare ran and a falcon swooped, ten days or a month passed in the flick of a finger.
Too much had happened during this time!
News of Tu Tian's death spread, shaking the Northern Region. A supreme mighty figure who possessed half an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon had died so simply, without a single piece of news getting out.
The Northern Region's foremost bandit emerged from seclusion and immediately performed divinations. Searching mountains and seas, he used heaven-defying means to find the site of the murder: a mining area belonging to the Yaoguang Holy Land.
This sparked a massive confrontation. Enraged, Old Undying attacked the immortal holy land and captured one of Yaoguang's living fossils.
At the height of the clash, the Northern Region trembled. Many could feel vast Extreme Dao imperial might howling across the boundless land as saintly might surged. The Yaoguang Holy Land mobilized in full force and nearly awakened its ancient foundations.
A Half-Saint wielding a Saint Weapon was unquestionably a taboo existence in this Dharma Ending Era. Such a person should not have appeared in the world at all; Divine Source was where he belonged.
Faced with such a titan, the Yaoguang Holy Land was forced to back down. Li Daoqing swore that the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron had not been deployed recently, and the nine mighty figures guarding the ancestral hall vouched for him...
The other Extreme Dao holy lands also produced evidence, one after another, that their Emperor Weapons had not been moved.
When the news spread, it truly pierced the heavens. If the Yaoguang Holy Land had not done it, and the other Extreme Dao powers' Emperor Weapons had not been deployed, then who could it have been?
A small number of people even thought of the immortal inheritance once found in the Cloudbreak Mountains, believing that the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar's owner had returned and reclaimed the jar's body.
Once spread, this news was like oil poured onto a fire, raising a storm throughout the Eastern Wasteland. After all, it concerned a complete Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon. Who would not covet it? This was the most reasonable explanation.
The rumors of Cloudbreak were also dug out of ancient history once more. Some elders still remembered the old records: in years past, many holy lands had joined forces to suppress the Ruthless One Lineage.
In that battle, the Extreme Dao holy lands of the Eastern Wasteland and the immortal divine dynasties of the Central Continent had joined hands. Four Extreme Dao Emperor Weapons had been deployed in total, breaking through the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar's seal and killing the imperial artifact's owner. Even the revived Devouring Heaven Demon Jar had been driven apart, and the demon art's lineage had been almost entirely wiped out.
Times had changed, and tens of thousands of years had passed. Once more, the shadow of that demonic sect was drawing near.
If the rumors were true and the Demon Jar had been made whole, who knew what storms of blood and boundless slaughter would follow, or how many more people would be devoured by the Devouring Heaven Demon Art...
The conspiracy theory was wildly popular among lower-level cultivators, but it drew little response from the great sects. Few believed it.