Di Que and the Fighting Saint Emperor stood above the Heavenly Heart Imprint, surrounded by boundless Hundun, with mist rising and billowing, and myriad wonders unfolding. Once they had stabilized their Dao Fruits, their flawless aura spread throughout the entire universe.
The two opened their eyes, their gazes tearing through the starry sky.
They paid no attention to the cheers and congratulations from across the universe. After exchanging a glance, their figures vanished.
Just as everyone thought the two had entered the Mythic Battlefield to fight, they discovered that they could no longer find any trace of their presence.
Undying Mountain.
This black mountain range, dark as ink, had descended upon the Eastern Wasteland of the Big Dipper.
It had become one of the most famous forbidden zones on the Big Dipper.
That was because not only the Undying Heavenly Emperor and Overlord Heavenly Venerable lived here, but Ancient Emperors also moved in from time to time.
No matter how the mortal world changed, Undying Mountain stood proudly, a forbidden zone that inspired deep reverence.
One day, two streaks of divine light descended from the heavens, landing in Undying Mountain.
They were none other than the legendary Di Que and the Fighting Saint Emperor.
They entered Undying Mountain, where they saw the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree and the figure of Overlord Heavenly Venerable.
The aura of longevity surrounding this person was so rich that it was even more intense than the aura of longevity emanating from an Immortal Divine Medicine.
He truly lived up to the legend of a True Immortal.
Di Que and the Fighting Saint Emperor stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Overlord Heavenly Venerable!"
Xiao Ping'an, beneath the ancient tea tree, slowly opened his eyes. He had returned to the original simplicity of the Dao, his bearing now that of an immortal.
"There's no need for such formalities. You two may sit as well."
Then, a wooden tray-or rather, a cushion-made from the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree appeared before each of them.
"Thank you, Overlord Heavenly Venerable!"
"Now that we've managed to stand upon the Heavenly Heart Imprint and tread upon the myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth, we must thank you for intervening and suppressing the Heavenly Heart Imprint."
"Had you not supported us, there would have been no way for us both to stand upon the Heavenly Heart Imprint at the same time."
It turned out that everyone's guess had been right: Overlord Heavenly Venerable really had intervened, suppressing the backlash of the Heavenly Heart Imprint for them.
That was why they had come to pay a visit to Overlord Heavenly Venerable as soon as they became Emperors.
When Xiao Ping'an had read the original story, he had felt that the two of them were rather unfortunate. Moreover, neither had ever unleashed a Dark Turmoil, making them Ancient Emperors worth saving.
Therefore, even though they had not reached the strength of a Heavenly Emperor, Xiao Ping'an had still secretly helped them.
The two had become Emperors at the same time in this era.
In the original story, the Fighting Saint Emperor had died not long after becoming an Emperor.
As for Di Que, he did not become an Emperor until the later stages of Shrouding the Heavens.
Since he now had the ability to help them, he had simply lent them a hand.
He felt that the two of them had potential.
Xiao Ping'an felt that any Ancient Emperor or Supreme who had never unleashed a Dark Turmoil was worth helping, if possible.
Of course, Xiao Ping'an was no saint, nor was he their caretaker. He helped when he wanted to, and no one could force him into it.
Now that the two had become Emperors, they naturally knew right away what had happened in this world.
They sensed that Overlord Heavenly Venerable had intervened.
If Overlord Heavenly Venerable had not stepped in, the two of them might have run into serious trouble, even putting their lives at risk.
Xiao Ping'an smiled. "I saw that you two had potential. I had originally planned to let things take their natural course. Even if you could not become Emperors in this lifetime, you could still wait for a later generation. This time, it was merely a sudden impulse, so I lent a hand. That made for a fine tale."
Though Xiao Ping'an spoke lightly of it, the Fighting Saint Emperor and Di Que knew that it was no feat just anyone could accomplish.
"Thank you, Overlord Heavenly Venerable!"
"If you ever need anything from us, just say the word."
Xiao Ping'an nodded. The two were quite sensible. He had not asked for anything in return, and they might not be able to help him in the future, but he was very pleased with their attitude.
After that, the two asked Overlord Heavenly Venerable about the path to becoming a Red Dust Immortal, then left.
In the days that followed, though the two fought from time to time, they maintained peace throughout the world.
Every kind of demon and monster was suppressed by them. Even some Dark Supremes, itching to make a move, did not dare show themselves.
The Mythic Battlefield in this era was probably the site of the most frequent battles.
From time to time, people felt astonishing fluctuations of the Great Dao coming from the Mythic Battlefield. It was obvious that the two Emperors of the age were fighting there.
The Fighting Saint Emperor especially could never sit still.
He followed the Battle Immortal Dao; after three days without a fight, his whole body itched.
And Di Que, his old comrade in battle, was the perfect sparring partner. So most of the time, he sought out this old friend to fight and trade moves.
Every time they fought, the sky and earth shattered, shaking the world.
Everyone was curious. The Fighting Saint Emperor loved fighting so much, so why had he never provoked Overlord Heavenly Venerable?
Later, vague rumors began to spread that Overlord Heavenly Venerable had sent the Fighting Saint Emperor flying with just one finger. It had taken him a century of arduous cultivation to heal his Great Dao injury.
And that had been the result of Overlord Heavenly Venerable holding back and showing mercy.
This rumor showed that Overlord Heavenly Venerable's strength had long since reached an unimaginable level.
His strength had far surpassed the Fighting Saint Emperor's.
Big Dipper.
The human race on the Big Dipper was now flourishing. Throughout the entire Primordial Era, they had not suffered any oppression like they had in the original story. Instead, they thrived, full of life and prosperity.
The Primordial Beings and the demon race, on the other hand, were suppressed by the human race.
Even as one Primordial Emperor after another became Emperors and moved their people to the Big Dipper, they still could not gain an absolute advantage.
After all, the human race had Overlord Heavenly Venerable, a True Immortal, watching over them. Who would dare bare their fangs at the human race?
One day, in the Eastern Wasteland, within that million-li stretch of wilderness, a Barbarian Tribe genius appeared, dressed in animal hide. His talent for cultivation was astonishing.
What was even more astonishing was that he had great fortune and had obtained both the Taiyin True Scripture and the Sun True Scripture.
Unable to resist, he cultivated two completely different scriptures at the same time.
Two scriptures that clashed with each other.
His cultivation was remarkable at first, and he was extraordinarily powerful. But as his cultivation grew deeper and deeper, people finally realized something was wrong.
He realized it too.
One of his eyes held the Sun, the other the Moon, making him look extremely eerie.
Yet his body radiated a chaotic and overwhelmingly powerful aura.
He seemed to have lost his mind. Everywhere he went, he left devastation behind, and countless Primordial Beings and members of the demon race suffered.
Fortunately, his body instinctively avoided human settlements.
The Barbarian Tribe man who cultivated the Sun True Scripture and the Taiyin True Scripture spent his days speeding across the Big Dipper, raving and muttering to himself.
Yet his strength was unbelievably formidable, and hardly anyone could stand against him.
He especially liked eating powerful living beings. As long as they were not human, he would find a way to get his hands on their flesh and blood, even swallowing them whole.
Countless powerful beings fled at the sight of him.
He became the notorious Human Demon. His original name was Dongfang Taiyi, but almost no one mentioned it anymore.
In the original story, a Great Saint from the Myriad Dragon Nest had personally gone after him, carrying an Extreme Dao Weapon. While his mind was in turmoil, the Great Saint had forcibly suppressed him and sealed him away, intending to interrogate the Sun True Scripture and the Taiyin True Scripture out of him.
As a result, Dongfang Taiyi had been lucky enough to survive into a later era, and with Ye Fan's help, he became one of the fake Great Emperors.
While cultivating and comprehending the Dao, Overlord Heavenly Venerable happened to notice Dongfang Taiyi. So he casually instructed him in the Way of Taiji, then tossed him onto the Starry Sky Ancient Road.
With two Heavenly Emperors standing side by side in this era, Dongfang Taiyi could forget about becoming an Emperor.
But if he was sealed until a later age, and managed to comprehend the Way of Taiji and bring Yin and Yang together, he could still become an Emperor one day.
Dongfang Taiyi was also a human genius worth cultivating. If he was properly nurtured, perhaps he could become an ordinary Great Emperor of the human race.
With Overlord Heavenly Venerable secretly guiding him in this lifetime, Dongfang Taiyi should not be too weak in this era.
Whether he chose to be sealed until Ye Fan's era and emerge then, or to avoid the Fighting Saint Emperor's era and wait until the Desolate Antiquity to become an Emperor, that was up to him.
One day, while Overlord Heavenly Venerable was cultivating and comprehending the Dao, he suddenly sensed something and abruptly opened his eyes.
Two streaks of purple light tore through the starry sky, gazing toward Kunlun on Earth.
The aura of the Netherworld Venerable had appeared there.
In the Kunlun Secret Realm, Mount Kunlun stood proudly, and the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains had long since been moved back into the Kunlun Secret Realm by the Undying Heavenly Emperor. The place was now dazzling, filled with an aura of Red Dust Flying Immortal and dragons soaring into immortality.
Earth, the Primordial Ancient Star that had not been sealed away, was now in the age of the Primordial Ancient Star. The entire planet was immense, with towering mountains everywhere.
Around Mount Kunlun, even stretches of starry river swirled.
Anyone who looked upon Earth as it was now felt an inconceivable sensation.
That supreme aura seemed to have surpassed the might of an Extreme Dao Weapon.
Within the Kunlun Secret Realm, one dragon after another appeared, as though they were drawing something forth.
Boundless Hundun swallowed the place, blocking others from investigating it.
As one of the universe's Origin God Mountains, Mount Kunlun was indeed mysterious and powerful.
Back then, Xiao Ping'an had personally buried the Netherworld Venerable there.
"Who would have thought that the Netherworld Venerable would emerge in this era?"
"The Primordial Era is about to end soon. The entire world will inevitably have to endure another slash from the will of Heaven."
"Netherworld Venerable chose this era to make his first attempt. It really wasn't the right time."
"Let's hope the Heavenly Blade doesn't shatter his Reincarnation Seals when the time comes, or all the Reincarnation Seals he painstakingly accumulated before will have been for nothing."
"I'll go take a look first."
With that thought, Ping'an took one step and headed straight for the Primordial Ancient Star.
By now, the dragon veins of Mount Kunlun had become very complete. The Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains that had been moved away in the past had long since been moved back.
The entire Mount Kunlun was extraordinary. Countless dragon veins devoured the essence of Hundun from the cosmic starry sky, nourishing the entire Kunlun Secret Realm.
Since it wasn't drawing the world's essence from Earth, the Great Dao roared across Earth now, and the essence of Heaven and Earth flowed freely, making it very suitable for cultivation.
Deep within Mount Kunlun's dragon veins, at the very depths of the earth vein, a coffin lay buried.
After a million years of nourishment, even a corpse might gain spiritual awareness.
Even a skeleton might be reborn with flesh and blood.
Of course, that was provided it didn't catch anyone's eye and could withstand a million years.
Remembering his agreement with Netherworld Venerable back then, Xiao Ping'an came here.
Deep in the dragon veins, mysterious, unfathomable auras spread outward, and countless mysterious lights shimmered.
At the very depths, an utterly ordinary-looking yellow earthen coffin slowly rose.
When it reached the surface, a rumble sounded, and the coffin lid opened by itself.
In the blink of an eye, boundless dragon Qi poured out, along with boundless Hundun Qi. Radiant lights shimmered, and mist swirled upward, as if someone were ascending to immortality.
Countless astonishing visions appeared all around. True Dragons, White Tigers, Vermilion Birds, Xuanwu, Teng Snakes-powerful immortal spirits of every kind seemed to be protecting his path.
Just then, a fat Daoist crawled out of the coffin. He looked at this unfamiliar world, his face full of confusion.
Then his body instinctively grabbed a piece of jade beside him, and mysterious light flowed toward the space between the fat man's brows.
Before long, the fat man went from bewildered to increasingly clear-headed, and finally woke up completely.
"Hahaha, this Venerable has come back to life!"
"So I'm the famous Netherworld Venerable of the Mythical Era's end..."
"Those other Heavenly Venerables and Ancient Emperors are nothing in front of me..."
"I'm someone who's going to become a Red Dust Flying Immortal..."
Netherworld Venerable quickly gathered all the treasures he had placed in the coffin.
Then he hid them all in his ear. There was a small bowl inside it, and he stashed every treasure in that little bowl.
Because in a little while, he would have to sever all his cultivation and memories, and truly begin cultivating anew in another life.
Just as Netherworld Venerable was about to sever all his cultivation and memories, he suddenly sensed that there was someone above him.
His hair immediately stood on end, and he dodged like a rabbit. When he saw the figure, he was instantly stunned.
A scream rang out, so piercing and mournful.
"Why aren't you dead yet? Impossible! Could you have become a ghost? I didn't go dig up your grave, so don't pin this on me..."
Xiao Ping'an looked at Netherworld Venerable. His whole person exuded a lecherous air, and he was such a clown that it left Xiao Ping'an speechless.
And this was supposed to be Desolate Heavenly Emperor's brother.
Although Netherworld Venerable couldn't bring out the strength of a Supreme now, his physical body was still truly that of an Ancient Emperor. He hadn't yet severed everything.
As for his Primordial Spirit, it was exceptionally keen.
He quickly sensed something amiss: the Overlord Heavenly Venerable before him really was still alive.
"You're still alive? This is too bizarre."
"You clearly never severed yourself with a slash. How did you survive a million years?"
Facing Netherworld Venerable's bewildered expression, Xiao Ping'an smiled faintly. "My Red Dust Immortal method-the theory of the Red Dust Immortal-is correct."
"I've been following the Red Dust Immortal Path that I deduced, step by step."
"By comparison, your Red Dust Immortal Path will take a much longer time."
Netherworld Venerable let out a series of sighs.
"Overlord Heavenly Venerable truly is incredible."
"My Red Dust Immortal Path is far too difficult. Each reincarnation takes hundreds of thousands or even a million years, and all sorts of unforeseen circumstances can arise in between. It could be interrupted at any time, leaving all my efforts in vain."
"By comparison, your Red Dust Immortal Path is truly astonishing."
Netherworld Venerable sensed the several Reincarnation Seals within his body and couldn't help smiling with satisfaction.
"Though my path of Reincarnation Seals takes longer than yours, I can proceed step by step and retreat when necessary. One day, I'll become a Red Dust Flying Immortal too. This is my Great Dao path, and I'll never change it." For once, Netherworld Venerable wore a solemn expression.
Xiao Ping'an nodded. "Your path is indeed a good one. I think you can definitely make it work too. Based on my deductions, the time you need to form each Reincarnation Seal will grow shorter and shorter. The further you go, the less time it'll take."
"Though you'll waste a long time at the start, you'll soon catch up and surpass others. You don't need to worry."
Xiao Ping'an had read the original story, so he naturally knew that Netherworld Venerable's path was a steady one.
So he had no interest in interrupting Netherworld Venerable's transformation. There was no need to guide him to transform using his own Red Dust Transformation Method. Netherworld Venerable only needed to transform according to his own ideas.
Netherworld Venerable carefully sensed the aura on Overlord Heavenly Venerable, then finally couldn't hold back and said, "The life force on you is so dense, you're practically an Immortal Divine Medicine."
"You've lived all these years without severing yourself with a slash. Could it be that you really became an immortal?"
"You became an immortal so quickly? That's incredible."
Xiao Ping'an smiled.
"Netherworld Venerable, I expect you won't be able to understand my Great Dao path, because there are things even I don't understand."
"I really did become an immortal."
"I encountered an inconceivable Immortal Ascension Tribulation in this world. A tribulation that should never have appeared showed up here." Xiao Ping'an said with a smile.
Although Netherworld Venerable had already suspected as much, when his suspicion was confirmed, he was still dumbstruck.
He even felt a little dazed, unable to believe it.
In the end, his thousand words became one sentence: "Overlord Heavenly Venerable's mastery of Fortune is profound. This Venerable is impressed!"
Netherworld Venerable had successfully come back to life, and successfully returned.
This time, the corpse's awakening was unusual. Before he severed everything, it was still the soul of the original Netherworld Venerable.
Once he had severed everything, a newly born soul would take over his body and begin cultivating from the start.
His body would also be broken and remade, everything as if newly born.
Then, under Netherworld Venerable's eager gaze, Xiao Ping'an described in detail the Immortal Ascension Tribulation he had undergone.
He told him that he, too, hadn't expected it. The appearance of this Immortal Ascension Tribulation had been completely baffling and beyond his expectations.
If he had been prepared in advance, perhaps he wouldn't have had such a hard time crossing the tribulation.
Xiao Ping'an also told him that although the Immortal Ascension Tribulation was frightening, it wasn't quite that frightening.
As long as one transformed step by step, one would definitely be able to pass the tribulation easily, with an overwhelming advantage.
Netherworld Venerable didn't take in Xiao Ping'an's somewhat boastful words, of course, but he couldn't help grumbling inwardly: The Immortal Ascension Tribulation isn't something just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can encounter.
Xiao Ping'an then told Netherworld Venerable about his own path of transformation. He wasn't foolishly revealing his secrets on purpose; it was just that there were too few people in this world he could talk to.
He had always felt a certain loneliness and solitude-the loneliness of being a master.
And this old ghost, Netherworld Venerable, who had lived from Desolate Heavenly Emperor's era to the present and had been broken and remade, was undoubtedly one of the people worth talking to.
What mattered was speaking from the heart and showing others one's sincerity.