Heavenly Emperor

The Dharma Master Jiese did not reveal directly what had happened in Luofu Grotto-Heaven, but instead informed Yu Tunzhou through telepathy.

This wasn't Jiese was deliberately keeping his distance from Lin Yueheng, but because this matter was Buddhist School secret. If it weren't for Master Xuanku of the Vajra Chan Temple giving instructions, even Young Hero Yu wouldn't have told him.

"... Someone from Little Thunderclap Temple entered the grotto-heaven, intending to obtain the legendary [Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic] left behind by the Buddha. However, it seems that the [Yi Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic] ended up in the hands of a Buddhist disciple from Vajra Chan Temple. Ultimately, both disappeared without a trace within the Luofu Grotto-Heaven. Currently, the Luofu Grotto-Heaven has been sealed off by various factions. Rumor has it... a Immortals and Gods Portal has opened within the grotto-heaven!"

Upon hearing the words "[Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic]", Yu Tunzhou frowned.

Upon hearing the last part, Yu Tunzhou asked in confusion, "Is there Immortals and Gods Portal hidden in Luofu Grotto-Heaven? Is it the kind you suppressed not long ago, Master?"

"Indeed," Dharma Master Jiese sighed. "We only just learned of this ourselves. To be honest, Young Hero Yu, each family has experienced several great calamities, resulting in severe breaks in their lineages. Even the original records of Luofu Grotto-Heaven have been lost."

"Luofu Grotto-Heaven were excavated three thousand years ago. At that time, because of the name ' Luofu,' everyone thought it was a Daoist School grotto-heaven."

"Until recently, it was discovered that in ancient translations, ' Luofu ' could also be translated as ' Rahula.' This grotto-heaven is actually the manifestation site of Venerable Rahula, a Buddhist School Pure Land, not Daoist School grotto-heaven."

"Rahula?" Yu Tunzhou found the name strangely familiar.

"Indeed, Venerable Rahula was one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, a great Arhat," Dharma Master Jiese said. "He was once known as the foremost in secret practices, and he became a monk under the Buddha at a young age, the first 'novice monk' in the world."

"The first novice monk..."

Upon hearing this, Yu Tunzhou immediately recalled the records about this person.

In Buddhism, a novice monk (Śrāmaṇera) is, in a common sense, a young monk who has just entered monastic life.

The reason he remembered Rahula's name was not only because Rahula was one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, but also because Rahula's status was extremely special—it was rumored that he was a mortal descendant of the Buddha before he established his teachings.

Simply put, this is the biological son of Shakyamuni!

In some scriptures from his previous life, this person also received a prophecy from the Buddha that "in your next life, you will become a Buddha."

The so-called prediction is when the Buddha foretells his disciples' place of rebirth after death, as well as the causes, country, and Buddha name they will become in the future.

In other words, the Buddha once predicted that Rahula would become a Buddha in the future, and would be known as the "Future Buddha".

Of course, more than two thousand disciples, including Maitreya, who possessed sufficient merit and spiritual practice, also received predictions from the Buddha...

Maitreya is the most famous among them.

When Yu Tunzhou first learned of this, he was puzzled. Shouldn't Future Buddha be an extremely prestigious honor?

But why are there so many people?

With so many Future Buddha, wouldn't that make everything too common?

I've never seen Daoism mention a future Heavenly Venerable.

Later, he asked his teacher for guidance.

The teacher immediately turned to the senior student standing next to her and said, "If you do a good job on this project, you'll have a chance to stay at the university as a teacher after graduation."

He suddenly realized it was all just empty promises!

"Since it is the manifestation site of a great Arhat, the ancestral temple of Buddhist School should have already surrounded Luofu Grotto-Heaven, right?" Yu Tunzhou asked.

Dharma Master Jiese shook his head and sighed, "On the contrary, none of the ancestral temples have set out. Firstly, Luofu Grotto-Heaven involves a wide range of forces, with dozens of factions stationed there. Acting rashly would only invite joint suppression from all of them."

"And the Vajra Chan Temple, which is most qualified to intervene, has already stated that it cannot interfere with the Buddha's destiny."

Yu Tunzhou understood. "No wonder Master Xuanku found me. Is he doing well in the Northern Dark Sea?"

Master Xuanku was one of his neighbors in the grotto-heaven and also Dingguang's guide.

"Master Xuanku is well," Jiese said. "Young Hero Yu came from Luofu Grotto-Heaven, so he's practically one of us. Therefore, Master Xuanku believes that it's most appropriate for you to handle this matter. Even if it causes controversy, Vajra Chan Temple and Shangqing Mountain will take care of it."

"I will make a trip to Luofu Grotto-Heaven." Yu Tunzhou nodded, then suddenly smiled and said, "To be honest, ever since I left Luofu Grotto-Heaven, I've been secretly looking forward to something, or rather, 'returning home in glory'?"

"I just didn't expect this day to come so soon."

He chuckled. This time back, he didn't need to do much. He simply put his hands in his sleeves, strolled around the town, looked here and there, and saw if his "seniors" were still as "taciturn" as before.

Anyway, Yu is no longer a man of few words.

This matter is temporarily closed.

The three sat in the courtyard and first chatted about the affairs of the Eastern Wilderness, from the Immortals and Gods Portal to the Nan and Yao families, and then to that Nine Netherworlds Devil Lord. Each story was thrilling and shocking.

Hearing that Yu Tunzhou had "invited" out the Ancestral Artifact of Floating Hill Mountain to suppress that Devil Lord, Lin Yueheng and Jiese were both very disappointed that they hadn't been able to witness that scene.

Such a peerless divine weapon is rarely seen in this world; there have been no records of it for at least several decades.

When discussing the future, Yu Tunzhou didn't hold back, revealing his plans to New Martial Arts arts.

"... I've made some improvements to Old Mo's method of Refining the True essence. The new Great Spirit Courtyard route reduces the damage to the physical body and increases the tempering of the Primordial Spirit..."

As they listened, their expressions grew serious.

They were both knowledgeable and had practiced the Refining the True Method before. After hearing Yu Tunzhou's explanation, the two even tried out the Great Spirit Courtyard's new route on the spot and finally confirmed that it was correct.

"The Martial Dao... is about to change." Lin Yueheng murmured, his mind already swaying at the prospect of this Secret Method.

As disciples of the Grand Sect, he and Jiese had traveled the martial arts world for several years and knew the kind of uproar this Secret Method would cause if it were made public.

--Martial arts for everyone!

Previously, only those who had forged a superior martial foundation were qualified to envision the External Scenery; otherwise, they would at most reach the Divine Ability Realm.

Therefore, those who have mastered superior martial arts foundations can all be categorized as Martial Dao geniuses.

A year later, the Eastern Wilderness will witness an explosion of "Martial Dao geniuses"!

The Martial Dao, which have been established and passed down for thousands of years, are about to usher in their first glorious era!

But beneath the surface of a great era often lie the seeds of future chaos.

Dharma Master Jiese clasped his hands together and solemnly said, "I have long heard of the great calamity that is about to befall heaven and earth. Benefactor Yu's willingness to publicly reveal this method at this time, benefiting all living beings, is truly a meritorious act! After returning to the sect, I will do my best to persuade the elders to assist Young Hero Yu."

"As for the Vajra Chan Temple, I will also convey to Master Xuanku that, as expected, as long as Young Hero Yu can help that Buddhist disciple overcome this calamity, the Vajra Chan Temple will certainly not become an obstacle to the transmission of the Dharma."

Lin Yueheng took a deep breath and said frankly, "I don't think this method will necessarily be opposed by all the major Aristocratic Clan and sects in the world. At least it will bring many benefits to my Cross-River Sword Sect."

"With everyone practicing martial arts, the powerful sects and aristocratic Aristocratic Clan that control resources will not only not decline, but will instead usher in a period of rapid development. Although there are many martial artists in the civilian population, they ultimately lack high-level inheritances. While the increase in local martial artists will make management more difficult, it is ultimately a step forward for Human Race as a whole."

"The spread of this method may become a way to select talent."

Yu Tunzhou nodded. "That's right. This method won't overturn the existing order. Aristocratic Clan that control resources and subsequent Divine Ability and inheritances will still have the advantage. But it will give all people a choice. Everyone can practice martial arts, so everyone has hope. The social hierarchy will no longer be rigid. Even the lowest-class people can see the light of day through Martial Dao."

The Dharma Master Jiese suddenly asked, "Young Hero Yu, do you have any plans to travel to the Northern Dark Sea?"

"I don't have that idea for now." Yu Tunzhou shook his head, then suddenly his eyes flickered slightly as he said, "However, the mage has reminded me."

In today's world, if we were to say which place is most suitable for traditional martial arts, besides the Eastern Wilderness, it would be the Northern Dark Sea!

This is determined by the war situation; the Northern Dark Sea needs a much larger number of martial artists than anywhere else.

"It seems Young Hero Yu has also thought of this," Jiese said with a smile. "If Young Hero Yu doesn't mind, I will pass this Secret Method on to Master Xuanku."

"Then I'll trouble you, Master," Yu Tunzhou said with a smile. "Besides that, there are some martial arts techniques passed down. I'll spend a couple of days sorting them out and then pass them on to you. Please pass them on to Master Xuanku on my behalf."

Jiese sincerely said, "Now that Ancient Method are showing signs of revival, many people predict that Martial Dao are destined to decline before they even rise, while the immortal Immortal Dao will remain the mainstream. But now it seems that Martial Dao may not necessarily lose, after all, the threshold for the Immortal Dao is still higher than that of the original Martial Dao."

The three were engrossed in their conversation when the topic gradually shifted to discussing their own Martial Dao.

Lin Yueheng and Jiese had been at the Chain Forming Stage for a long time and had accumulated a deep foundation. Therefore, their cultivation speed in the Early Divine Ability Realm was not much slower than Yu Tunzhou's, and they were not far from the Middle Divine Ability Stage.

Moreover, as direct descendants of sects, they do not need to bother refining their Flesh and Blood Divine Ability. They only need to nurture the Dao Sprout Immortal Embryo as soon as possible to break through to the External Scenery.

"I've heard that back then, after the Heavenly Demon Kou Ziling attained the Dao Path, he broke through to the External Scenery in just one year, completely treating the Divine Ability Realm as a temporary transition."

"Sect Master Yan of the Nanhua Sect was a little slower in cultivating at the Divine Ability Realm, taking one year and five months, but he made up for it with his breakthrough speed in the first three levels of the External Scenery Realm."

Lin Yueheng's gaze was sharp, radiating confidence. "My goal for myself is to complete all the necessary preparations within two years and break through in the External Scenery!"

Yu Tunzhou asked curiously, "Back then, how long did it take that Heavenly Demon and Sect Master Yan to break through to the Dharma Aspect after reaching the Peak External Scenery?"

"I remember that after Sect Master Yan broke through to the Peak External Scenery, he went overseas to train for ten years, and after returning, he went into seclusion for another ten years before finally reaching the Dharma Aspect."

"The Heavenly Demon Kou Ziling doesn't know. After entering the External Scenery, this person's whereabouts became unpredictable and difficult to trace. All that is known is that from the External Scenery to the Dharma Aspect, this person only took a little over twenty years."

Lin Yueheng recalled.

Jiese couldn't help but say, "In terms of the speed of breaking through the Dharma Aspect, over the past thousand years, we still have to look to that Daoist Fuyao from the Northern Dark Sea. He went from the Peak External Scenery to the Dharma Aspect in just five years!"

"Absolutely appalling!"

Lin Yueheng nodded hurriedly. "This guy is indeed outrageous. He clearly doesn't progress very fast in the Divine Ability Realm, and he hasn't manifested Dao Path yet, but he only took five years to overcome the Heavenly Gate that has blocked countless Grandmaster before his Dharma Aspect!"

"Furthermore, what's even more astonishing is the accumulation period for the Half-Step Dharma Aspect. Most predecessors needed five to ten years, but he only took a little over a year to completely solidify it, completing the accumulation and advancement!"

"My master commented that this person had already conceived the path to the Dharma Aspect before breaking through to the Peak External Scenery, which is why he progressed faster and faster without any constraints or obstacles!"

Yu Tunzhou had never heard of this before and was secretly surprised. Could it be that the Dao Master of the Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple was a late bloomer?

Well, at his current age, he's far from being a late bloomer; in fact, he's considered one of the younger generation in the Dharma Aspect.

Towards the end of the conversation, Lin Yueheng suddenly remembered something and reminded him:

"Brother Yu, Huang Tian has also come on this trip. He seems to have something important to discuss with you."

Yu Tunzhou was somewhat surprised; Huang Tian had also come to lend a hand?

If I remember correctly, this person is a disciple of the [Mending Heaven Pavilion], and the master of the [Mending Heaven Pavilion] was also a participant in the Luofu Grotto-Heaven in the past. Under the instructions of the Martial Ancestor, he almost wiped out the contenders for the Martial Fortune of that generation.

Was Huang Tian's trip because of the events at the Eternal Dragon Gate?

"This guy is quite grateful," Yu Tunzhou thought to himself.

After getting up to take his leave, he immediately went to find a place where Huang Tian was staying temporarily.

To express their gratitude to Lin Yueheng and his Immortals and Gods Portal, Floating Hill Mountain treated them with exceptionally high courtesy.

Before even getting close, Yu Tunzhou felt a wave of scorching heat surging towards him.

It was as if waves of heat were rolling around the courtyard, forming a furnace of its own, while the lush trees around it had all withered and died.

Is this guy practicing cultivation?

The extraordinary phenomena observed during cultivation were so domineering!

Yu Tunzhou was speechless with astonishment, and just as he approached, Hun Huntian in the Primordial Spirit Heaven and Earth suddenly awoke.

Rather than an awakening, Yu Tunzhou felt it was more like a startled awakening, because the man's mind was filled with a sense of vigilance.

"The Golden Crow Clan? Fellow Daoist, where have you come to? How can there still be such a pure-blooded Golden Crow Clan in this world?"

Yu Tunzhou stopped in his tracks, his expression turning serious.

Golden Crow?

Golden Crow Divine Intent?

He instantly recalled his encounter at the Eternal Dragon Gate, where the will behind Huang Tian had warned him not to meddle, which he had directly shattered with the Vajra Bracelet.

"Hmm, so it's this brat who's gained the favor of the Golden Crow Divine Intent. I thought it was Lu Ya who had a child, thus continuing the Golden Crow clan's lineage. I was terrified..."

After Huntian, Hun Tian muttered a few words, then changed the subject, becoming serious.

"Fellow Daoist, I have already digested most of the fragments of Long Yan's Primordial Spirit, and the gains are not much, but there is one thing that should serve as a warning to both of us."

"Tell me about it." Yu Tunzhou stopped abruptly, his main attention turning to Huntian.

"This Long Yan once came into contact with one of the Three Corpses of the Human Emperor!" Huntian said in a deep voice, "Not through the Immortals and Gods Portal, but overseas, that is, in the ancient, Savage Wilderness!"

Yu Tunzhou's expression changed drastically. "Could it be... Self-Obsession Corpse?"

Within the gates suppressed at Floating Hill Mountain, it appears that both the Benevolent Corpse and the Malevolent Corpse are imprisoned simultaneously, leaving only my Self-Obsession Corpse!

What level were the Three Corpses severed by the Human Emperor? At least above the level of Immortals and Gods!

How could a powerhouse of this level possibly move freely in the current world?

"Indeed, it should be the Self-Obsession Corpse of the Human Emperor." Huntian, integrating what he had seen, said, "His condition is quite problematic; he is sometimes confused and sometimes lucid. He is suppressed beneath a deep sea and bound by nine chains. Long Yan addresses him as ' Human Emperor,' and his attitude is extremely respectful, even fearful."

This makes sense; the body of obsession severed by the Human Emperor deserves this respect, both in terms of strength and status.

The phrase "can Huntian" caused Yu Tunzhou's expression to change slightly.

"From Long Yan's perspective, I caught a fleeting thought amidst his distracting thoughts—two words: ' Heavenly Emperor '!" Huntian said solemnly. "I could feel that Long Yan was suppressing his distracting thoughts, extremely fearful, and forcing himself to remain calm. That's why I was suddenly jolted awake when I sensed the Golden Crow's aura."

The earliest Heavenly Court in ancient times was ruled by the Demon Race. The strongest Demon Race at that time, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, was the first "Heavenly Emperor" in the world!

Yu Tunzhou remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Great Sage, continue refining the fragments to see if you can uncover more clues."

"Alright." Huntian changed the subject, "But let's go check on that kid inside first. Having gained the attention of the Golden Crow Divine Intent, his situation should be similar to yours, fellow Daoist."

Yu Tunzhou nodded, understanding that Huntian was referring to the Kunpeng Divine Intent.

He had already made a preliminary break in the lock of Kunpeng Divine Intent within the Dragon Gate.

Although Huang Tian's entanglement with the Golden Crow Divine Intent was broken by the Vajra Bracelet in the Dragon Gate, the situation still seems far from optimistic.

In the courtyard.

As Huang Tian looked up, the surging heat around him began to subside, and the person outside the door made no attempt to conceal their presence.

"Heh heh, that young man who was targeted by Kunpeng has arrived. You can have a good chat with him now."

The voice of the Golden Crow Divine Intent resounded in his mind with a hint of mockery.

The words had barely left his mouth when the courtyard gate was pushed open. Yu Tunzhou a blue robe, slowly walked in.

"Sit!" Huang Tian stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, his movements swift and decisive, without the slightest hint of formality or hesitation.

"Okay." Yu Tunzhou returned the greeting, his reply equally crisp and decisive.

The two sat facing each other in the courtyard. Huang Tian cut to the chase:

"My purpose in coming to the Eastern Wilderness is not only to repay your favor, but also to relay a message from my master. He says you should return to Luofu Grotto-Heaven and deal with the 20% of Martial Fortune you refused back then. Either scatter it and let it return to the world, or swallow it all and keep it."

Yu Tunzhou was speechless. That person actually wanted him to return to Luofu Grotto-Heaven?

"Why is that?" he asked.

Huang Tian said frankly, "According to the patriarch's words, that 20% of Martial Fortune was rightfully yours back then. You chose to refuse it, which was your freedom, but it cannot be allowed to remain in the cave, neither returning to heaven nor falling into the hands of man. This will become an unresolved karmic debt. The patriarch said that if karmic debts are left unresolved, changes will inevitably occur over time. Only by returning it to its rightful place can it be completely resolved."

Upon hearing this, Yu Tunzhou remained silent for a moment and did not immediately agree.

Huang Tian didn't care. He was only responsible for delivering the message. Whether Yu Tunzhou listened to it or not was another matter.

He then wanted to ask Yu Tunzhou how to suppress divine will, but then he thought that since he was asking for a favor, he couldn't be too direct or blunt; he had to be polite.

So, he changed the subject and said:

"Brother Yu, I would like to exchange techniques with you to verify our understanding of the Dao Path."

Yu Tunzhou naturally did not refuse; he was equally curious about how Huang Tian could gain the favor of the Golden Crow Divine Intent.

After all, in the earliest times, the one who was the source of the Golden Crow Divine Intent was even above the Kunpeng, and was the earliest Heavenly Emperor in the world!

Seeing that Yu Tunzhou had agreed, Huang Tian immediately released all his suppression.

boom--

Golden flames surged several feet from his body, and amidst the flames, ten golden suns emerged one after another from behind him, their crimson light blazing. Their masculine and domineering aura instantly filled the entire courtyard, even melting the bluestone ground beneath.

The ten golden suns slowly rotated along a mysterious trajectory, attracting and merging with each other, eventually condensing into a perfect, blazing sun, hanging three feet above his head.

The sunlight cascaded down like a waterfall, making the Huang Tian appear like a deity seated amidst raging flames.

"My Dao Path follows the path of extreme Yang." Huang Tian's voice was steady, filled with certainty about his own Dao. "Ten suns unite as one, using the Golden Crow True Fire as the root, to forge a Pure Yang Dao Body."

Yu Tunzhou slightly raised his palm, and no unusual phenomena appeared, but the aura around him suddenly changed.

In an instant, the radiance of the great sun hanging behind Huang Tian showed signs of receding, and the myriad sharp rays returned to silence like the tide. The great sun seemed to be gently supported by an invisible force, making it difficult to rise or set again.

This feeling was completely different from the burning principles of the Huang Tian. It was as if a chaotic, undeveloped void had swallowed up the principles, the great sun, and also light and heat.

Ultimately, heaven and earth returned to nothingness.

"The Dao Path is the Dao of Wuji," Yu Tunzhou said slowly, "Tracing back to the origin, returning to the Chaos Wuji."

Huang Tian showed no surprise at this; they had already guessed this long ago, since the battle at Dragon Gate.

After all, the Dao of Wuji is one of the fundamental great paths. The only thing I can't understand is how Yu Tunzhou could have such a magnificent Fist Intent.

His gaze was burning with fervor, and he was about to have a one-on-one exchange with Yu Tunzhou to verify their understanding of the Dao Path when his figure suddenly swayed and his expression changed drastically.

From the depths of his mind, a furious roar exploded like thunder!

That was the Golden Crow Divine Intent!

The teasing tone from a moment ago vanished instantly, replaced by a raging inferno, as if age-old hatred and violence had suddenly erupted, manifesting only as a name that evoked a desire to drink its blood and devour its flesh.

"Haotian?!"