Ages rose and fell, and time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Ping'an was over eight thousand years old.
Even now, Xiao Ping'an was unbelievably young.
His body was lustrous as jade, and his thick black hair fell over his shoulders. He still looked to be around twenty.
His blood Qi surged like an ocean, powerful to the extreme, yet it was still growing. The years seemed unable to leave a mark on him.
Xiao Ping'an's strength was still rising, and he had yet to reach the peak of his first lifetime. It was truly incredible.
In particular, the suppression Xiao Ping'an's Heavenly Tyrant Blood exerted over other bloodlines had almost reached its peak.
The golden age of this lifetime had thus drawn to a close. The whole world fell silent, with not a single peerless genius capable of challenging Xiao Ping'an's Heavenly Tyrant Blood.
Every peerless genius who aspired to the path of a Great Emperor had sealed themselves away early, afraid of being suppressed by the Overlord Heavenly Venerable.
Xiao Ping'an himself felt somewhat speechless. He had never imagined that a Heavenly Tyrant Body proving the Dao to become a Heavenly Venerable would be so overbearing.
He sighed softly. He had not meant to do this, nor had he intended to suppress anyone.
Living in the same era as him could only be their fate.
On Heavenly Pillar Mountain of the Tyrant Body Ancestral Star, Xiao Ping'an carefully studied the method of becoming a Red Dust Immortal.
He lived a happy little life with the two Great Accomplishment Sacred Bodies.
The Tyrant Body Ancestral Star was immensely powerful. With the Overlord Heavenly Venerable and two Great Accomplishment Sacred Bodies who had achieved Alternative Dao Attainment holding the fort, it had become a new forbidden zone in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
On other planets, the Great Dao's suppression was severe, but on the Tyrant Body planet alone, talented disciples emerged one after another.
In the days after the golden age had ended, when countless peerless geniuses lay dormant, a startling upheaval suddenly occurred on an ancient planet in the depths of the universe.
Carefree Ancient Star.
It was an ancient Life Source Land that had once produced a peerless expert like Carefree Heavenly Venerate.
Compared with Big Dipper, Ziwei Star, and Heaven-Reaching Ancient Star, this planet could hardly be called prosperous.
But compared with other Life Source Lands, it was far more flourishing than the average planet.
Although the Dark Supremes had caused numerous Dark Turmoils throughout history and had plundered this ancient planet on many occasions, the beings on it had tenaciously survived.
After a peerless expert like Carefree Heavenly Venerate was born, the planet was rarely troubled by the Dark Supremes.
Grateful for Carefree Heavenly Venerate's meritorious deeds, its many inhabitants renamed the planet Carefree Ancient Star.
Carefree Heavenly Venerate had now been gone for a long time and could no longer protect the planet, so its people had also become more reserved.
Carefree Holy Land carried on Carefree Heavenly Venerate's inheritance. It was the strongest inheritance on the planet, and it was no exaggeration to say it reigned supreme over Carefree Ancient Star.
Yet the holy lord of Carefree Holy Land was now only a Great Saint, utterly commonplace when compared with the whole of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
On this day, in the core region of Carefree Holy Land, within the greatest dragon vein on Carefree Ancient Star, an ancient, roughly hewn stone figure suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.
Rumble!
At the heart of Carefree Holy Land's dragon vein, over ten thousand streams of dragon Qi transformed into true dragons, surging and roaring.
Boundless essence Qi of heaven and earth flowed there, while divine radiance filled the sky, shining with ultimate brilliance.
Amid the vast chaos and dragon Qi, the ancient, roughly hewn stone embryo gave off an utterly profound presence and slowly took the form of a Nine-Aperture Stone Man, lifelike in every detail.
Rumble!
Terrifying thunder seemed to roar within the stone man's body, while an immensely vigorous fluctuation of life spread out.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The heartbeat sounded like rolling thunder. People across Carefree Ancient Star suddenly collapsed to the ground, their hearts in agonizing pain.
It was as though someone had struck their hearts hard with a hammer.
The heartbeat grew faster and faster, shaking heaven and earth and making the Great Dao roar.
An Extreme Dao Weapon radiating green light manifested around the stone man, protecting him.
It was a Great Dao Treasure Bottle forged from Immortal Tear Green Gold.
Rumble!
As astonishing fluctuations of the Great Dao spread in every direction, all the beings on Carefree Ancient Star sensed them.
Expressions of utter astonishment appeared on the faces of countless cultivators. They all looked toward Carefree Holy Land, toward its core region.
How many years had it been since Carefree Ancient Star had produced a Supreme? Yet now, Supreme-level fluctuations of the Great Dao were spreading across the planet.
Although legends said that Quasi-Supremes were sealed in Divine Source on this planet, the presence of a Quasi-Supreme was ultimately not that of a true Supreme.
There were indeed several Quasi-Supremes lying dormant on Carefree Ancient Star.
They sensed that terrifying presence of life and wanted to investigate, but dared not venture deep into the core region of Carefree Holy Land.
However, they had been born on Carefree Ancient Star, so they naturally knew the whole planet and Carefree Holy Land extremely well.
They also knew Carefree Holy Land's inheritance very well.
Sensing this terrifying presence of the Great Dao, the Quasi-Supremes thought of the ancient legends.
Could it be that Carefree Heavenly Venerate truly did not die, and actually lived a new lifetime?
Similar thoughts occurred to the several Quasi-Supremes at once.
They were already Quasi-Supremes, but the fluctuations of the Great Dao they sensed emanating from the unseen had definitely surpassed an ordinary Supreme, reaching the legendary level of a Heavenly Venerable.
At the thought of the legends of Carefree Heavenly Venerate, the Quasi-Supremes' faces grew excited.
From what they knew of Carefree Holy Land, none among its hidden forces could possibly prove the Dao and become a Heavenly Venerable at this time.
No matter how they calculated it, or considered it alongside the legends of history, such terrifying Heavenly Venerable-level fluctuations of the Great Dao could only come from the legendary Carefree Heavenly Venerate.
As everyone speculated, the two Quasi-Supremes of Carefree Holy Land were awakened at once.
They broke out of their Divine Source and, together with the Carefree sect leader, a Great Saint, flew toward the dragon vein in the deepest part of the holy land.
They watched the stone man rise and sink amid the ten thousand streams of dragon Qi, shining with boundless divine light. Seeing the utterly profound charm of the Great Dao he radiated and the terrifying fluctuations of its laws, the three could hardly conceal their excitement.
Their eyes burned and Great Dao Runes flickered as they stared fixedly at the stone man.
Soon, they turned to the Dao-proving weapon hovering above him: the Great Dao Treasure Bottle made of Immortal Tear Green Gold.
The three bowed with utmost respect. "Greetings, Lord Treasure Bottle Deity!"
The Immortal Tear Green Gold Great Dao Treasure Bottle before them was Carefree Heavenly Venerate's Dao-proving weapon.
Carefree Heavenly Venerate had clearly died, and his Immortal Tear Green Gold Treasure Bottle had been shattered by Xiao Ping'an and forged into his own Tyrant Bell.
Why, then, was there another Immortal Tear Green Gold Great Dao Treasure Bottle here?
On Carefree Ancient Star, there was actually a second Extreme Dao Weapon belonging to Carefree Heavenly Venerate, also an Immortal Tear Green Gold Great Dao Treasure Bottle.
With this Extreme Dao Weapon, it was no wonder Carefree Holy Land had become the foremost holy land on Carefree Ancient Star.
After all, there was no second Extreme Dao Weapon to be found on Carefree Ancient Star today.
Moreover, this Immortal Tear Green Gold Great Dao Treasure Bottle had protected all beings many times during the Dark Turmoils. Thus, both Carefree Holy Land and the beings of Carefree Ancient Star held this Extreme Dao Weapon in great reverence.
Whenever they paid homage, they would prostrate themselves and bow in worship.
This weapon was not merely Carefree Heavenly Venerate's Extreme Dao Weapon; it was also the faith of the beings of Carefree Ancient Star.
The weapon deity of the Great Dao Treasure Bottle said, "After seventy thousand decades of nurturing, whether Carefree Heavenly Venerate can become a Saint Spirit and live a fourth lifetime will be decided in the next few days."
Though the weapon deity's tone was perfectly calm, everyone could hear its excitement.
The Immortal Tear Green Gold Treasure Bottle had guarded Carefree Heavenly Venerate for a full seven hundred thousand years. The answer to whether he would succeed was about to be revealed.
Rumble!
After they had waited only a few days, earth-shattering thunder came from within the stone man as the few watched expectantly.
Crack! Crack!
With the sound of stone breaking, a dense web of cracks appeared across the stone man's surface, and dazzling divine light burst forth.
Heaven and earth responded, and countless strange phenomena appeared.
Brilliant rain of light appeared in the void, lotuses bloomed one after another, and Divine Springs gushed out of the void.
More wondrous still, a gate of light opened in the void, as though it meant to guide this Immortal Fetus into the Immortal Domain.
At the sight of such a wondrous scene and such terrifying pressure, countless experts could not stop trembling.
At the very heart of Carefree Ancient Star's dragon vein, the immensely mysterious stone man shattered.
With a thunderous boom, endless chaos exploded outward, blotting out heaven and earth. Divine light and auspicious radiance accompanied it, sweeping across the entire planet.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Carefree Heavenly Venerate's Extreme Dao Weapon immediately activated the formations on the planet, intercepting the terrifying fluctuations of the Great Dao to prevent them from harming its other inhabitants.
Fortunately, the weapon deity of the Immortal Tear Green Gold Great Dao Treasure Bottle had awakened; otherwise, the planet's inhabitants might truly have suffered heavy casualties.
After about a quarter of an hour, the terrifying chaos and light slowly vanished.
A young man who looked about twenty appeared there. He wore ancient robes, and a powerful, transcendent presence radiated from his whole body.
Although no astonishing fluctuations of the Great Dao's laws or energy emanated from his body, the few people around him still found him unfathomable and felt their hair stand on end.
Soon, that feeling vanished, leaving only excitement and pleasant surprise in their hearts.
Together, they called out respectfully, "We welcome the return of the Heavenly Venerable Ancestor!"
"Greetings, Heavenly Venerable Ancestor!"
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The Immortal Tear Green Gold Great Dao Treasure Bottle turned into a beam of brilliant green light and flew straight to the young man's side, releasing an immensely excited divine thought and a deeply affectionate presence.
Indeed, the expert before them was none other than Carefree Heavenly Venerate of old.
He had explored many methods of attaining longevity.
Using the power of his own faith, he had refined an avatar, named him Yun Gen, and granted him an independent life.
Yun Gen possessed the strength Carefree Heavenly Venerate had possessed as a Great Emperor in his second lifetime.
During his first and second lifetimes, Carefree Heavenly Venerate had possessed the strength of an ordinary Supreme.
It was when he relied on his own ability to live a third lifetime that his strength soared and his lifespan greatly increased. His own Great Dao underwent Ultimate Sublimation and transformed into the Nine Secrets: Xing, earning him a place among the nine great Heavenly Venerables.
If Xiao Ping'an had known this, he would surely have been very surprised as well.
No wonder Yun Gen had been such trash, actually beaten to death by Xiao Ping'an, who had achieved Alternative Dao Attainment.
At the time, Xiao Ping'an had felt that Carefree Heavenly Venerate's strength as one of the nine great Heavenly Venerables was far too much of a sham.
The original text had said that Carefree Heavenly Venerate had gone into hiding in a forbidden zone during the Mythological Era.
Later, in the ancient era, he forcibly seized the body of an expert who was about to succeed in proving the Dao and fused with him.
This method of seizing and forcibly fusing with someone proving the Dao was a unique method of longevity that Carefree Heavenly Venerate had devised.
Although it did not require him to devour countless beings to mend the cracks in his Immortal Platform, as other Dark Supremes did, it was rather miserable for those who attained the Dao in later generations.
Once he set his sights on them, there was almost no chance of escape.
It was only because Ye Fan of a later age was hard to kill that he managed to beat Carefree Heavenly Venerate to death.
Xiao Ping'an had not expected Carefree Heavenly Venerate to have studied the Saint Spirit method of longevity as well.
Carefree Heavenly Venerate and his avatar had separately studied and tested two paths to longevity.
Yun Gen seized the bodies of others proving the Dao and forcibly fused with them. This alternative method of longevity was extremely vicious, and he had already died at Xiao Ping'an's hands.
The true Carefree Heavenly Venerate, meanwhile, had become a Saint Spirit Stone Embryo. After seven hundred thousand years of nurturing by heaven and earth, he sought to become a Great Perfection Saint Spirit and prove the Dao anew.
At this moment, galaxies shifted and the universe was destroyed and reborn in Carefree Heavenly Venerate's eyes, which were immeasurably profound.
Just as everyone joyfully congratulated him, Carefree Heavenly Venerate sighed. "I did not succeed in living a new lifetime."
"Nor did I become a Saint Spirit Heavenly Venerable."
"According to my original calculations, after more than a million years of nurturing, I should have become a flawless Saint Spirit, but I did not attain a Saint Spirit's body."
"I emerged after seven hundred thousand years, and in the end I did not reach Great Perfection."
"If I had succeeded in living a fourth lifetime, I should have had a lifespan of at least fifty thousand years in this one."
"But now I have a mere seven or eight thousand years. What a pity."
"Although my strength has increased slightly, I clearly have not lived a fourth lifetime. At most, it counts as three and a half."
Carefree Heavenly Venerate sighed with great regret.
He had failed to live a fourth lifetime through this method of becoming a Saint Spirit, but he did not know what had gone wrong.
If Xiao Ping'an had been here, he would certainly have been surprised and discussed it with him in detail.
For the later Ascension Great Emperor had indeed succeeded in living a new lifetime through the Saint Spirit method and had nearly embarked on the path of a Red Dust Immortal.
If his descendants had not offended the Ruthless Great Emperor, and if the Ascension Great Emperor had not been severely suppressed by her and had his Dao heart broken, perhaps he could have continued on that path.
The Saint Spirit method was indeed a wondrous and useful one. Xiao Ping'an was also very interested in it and was now carefully studying it.
In any case, Xiao Ping'an was carefully comparing and studying every method of longevity and every method of becoming a Red Dust Immortal from later ages.
Others did not know that becoming a Red Dust Immortal was a viable path. Although Xiao Ping'an had no cheat, he knew which path was right.
Working backward from the result made things much easier, and that was the source of Xiao Ping'an's confidence.