“Across the Endless Star River, the Flame Ancestor reigned, his myriad fires incinerating star systems. The Martial Ancestor’s domain, his divine might vast and boundless, awed the Eight Desolations of the cosmos. Within the boundless heavens, the Flame Ancestor, the Martial Ancestor…”
The rest of the ancient script was too faded to discern.
Ye Chen, ever curious, asked, “Are the Flame Ancestor and Martial Ancestor the same person? And what realm did they reach?”
Ji Fuyao, her snow-white neck gracefully inclined, subtly shook her head. She didn’t know either. All they knew was that beyond the Emperor Realm lay the Supreme realm. But what lay beyond the Supreme?
Ye Chen felt a momentary daze. He recalled visions from cultivating the Desolate Heaven Art and Star-Plucking Hand, glimpses of the Outer World. Beyond this realm lay a boundless starry sky, an expanse of true heavens so vast that star realms were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. The Outer World, that was where the true heavens lay!
He remembered the peerless expert who had imparted the Star-Plucking Hand, who once spoke of the ‘Primordial Star.’ What was that place? What did his words truly mean?
A moment later, Ye Chen shook his head. Such concepts were still too distant for him. His Master had once said, “The starry sky can be gazed upon, but never forget the path beneath your feet.” Remembering this, Ye Chen clenched his fists. “Senior Sister, I will Attain Emperor! The next time we meet Master, I’ll be the Desolate Martial Great Emperor!”
Ji Fuyao’s eyes sparkled as she offered a soft smile. “Good.”
A short while later, a wisp of the Eight Desolations Annihilation Flame pulsed from Ji Fuyao’s hand. At the same time, the Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame in Ye Chen’s palm flickered to life. A look of pleasant surprise passed between them. There must be a Spirit Fire Inheritance here! The next instant, both pointed to the same spot: a mountain range to the northeast, where a terrifying Spirit Fire Inheritance resided.
Ye Chen smiled. “Senior Sister, you go ahead. I need to seek a Martial Dao Inheritance, to Attain Emperor through the martial path!”
Ji Fuyao inclined her snow-white neck, nodding. “Alright.” The two parted ways.
…
In the Ancient Great Medicine area.
“Boom!”
“Crack!”
The void tore, space twisted! From the spatial rift emerged a green-robed woman, followed by several Demon Race Great Emperors. Terrifying demonic power surged across the sky.
The green-robed woman extended her divine sense, probing the surroundings. Her delicate hand stretched out, green threads of light swirling from it, each imbued with the unique Dao Rhyme of the Azure Serpent Clan. A moment later, the green-robed woman slowly spoke, “They are all dead.”
The Demon Race Great Emperors turned pale. “Suluo Great Emperor, did the White Robe Great Emperor make a move?”
The green-robed woman subtly shook her head. “No, it wasn’t him.” As she spoke, a wisp of eerie power surged from Suluo Great Emperor’s hand, sealing it within an Ancient Jade Slip. “If I’m not mistaken, Xuanji Holy Lord was the one who acted!”
The Demon Race Great Emperors were astonished. “Xuanji Holy Lord? Why would she save Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen?”
Suluo Great Emperor pondered. “I’ve had dealings with the Silent Destruction Sect recently. I heard them say that this White Robe Great Emperor and Xuanji Holy Lord share a karmic connection. Back then, the Silent Destruction Old Man sent two Nine-star Great Emperors to Azure Mystery Peak of the Grand Dao Sect to capture Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen, but the White Robe Great Emperor teleported them directly to Xuanji Holy Lord.”
The Demon Race Great Emperors frowned. “This is troublesome. We are certainly no match for Xuanji Holy Lord. In fact, all the Great Emperors in the Emperor Realm Area combined wouldn’t be her match!”
Suluo Great Emperor gently waved her hand, transforming into her true form: an incredibly massive, azure-green python that appeared between heaven and earth. Its scales shimmered with a chilling light, striking terror into all who beheld it. Her colossal body began to slither across the land, circling the area. Soon, she caught the scent of blood.
“Whoosh!”
On the ground, faint traces of blood, almost invisible before, reassembled. Supreme Dao Rhyme flowed, and two incredibly dim drops of blood appeared before Suluo Great Emperor’s massive form. Suluo Great Emperor transformed back into her green-robed human form, and the two drops of blood floated above her delicate hand. The other Demon Race Great Emperors asked, “What is this?”
Suluo Great Emperor’s eyes gleamed with divine light. Her true form had just used Supreme Secret Art Derivation to deduce the events that had transpired here. “The Ancient Great Medicine here once controlled Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen, forcing them to fight our Demon Court’s Great Emperors. Then, Xuanji Holy Lord descended and annihilated those Great Emperors. Later, the Giant Crocodile Old Ancestor had truly terrible luck. Xuanji Holy Lord was already refining the Ancient Great Medicine at that point, so he was killed by her!”
A chill of fear ran through the Demon Race Great Emperors. Luckily, Xuanji Holy Lord had already departed by the time they arrived! Otherwise, they too would have been annihilated!
Suluo Great Emperor sealed the two drops of Ye Chen and Ji Fuyao’s blood into an Ancient Jade Slip. “We’ve gained something from this trip; we can return and report. With these two drops of blood, we can certainly track Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen. However, with Xuanji Holy Lord protecting them, any move we make would mean instant death!”
The Demon Race Great Emperors nodded, sighing. “To think the White Robe Great Emperor has a connection with Xuanji Holy Lord... what are we to do?”
Not long after, Suluo Great Emperor, along with the other demons, tore open the void once more. Their forms transformed into streaks of starlight, shooting through the spatial rift and returning to the Demon Court’s gathering place.
...
In a distant part of the Emperor Realm Area.
Lu Xuan lay leisurely on his lounge chair, watching the sun, moon, and stars evolve above him, his heart utterly unperturbed. Nearly two months had passed since they entered the Bronze Ancient Palace. Time truly flew. He and Chen Changsheng had practically eaten their way through! Eating couldn’t stop! Opportunities were opportunities, but food was food!
Now, they were nearing the entrance to the Above Emperor Realm Area. Lu Xuan said casually, “Once we’ve settled Fuyao and Ye Chen here, we can proceed into the Above Emperor Realm Area.”
Chen Changsheng nodded. “Indeed. I’ve explored most of the opportunities useful to me here.” This time, following Lu Xuan, his gains were simply astonishing! From the Ancient Epochs until now, he had entered the Bronze Ancient Palace several times, but all his previous gains combined couldn’t compare to even a tenth of what he’d acquired this trip. Master’s array mastery was simply too formidable. He could see through any seal or restriction with just a glance! It was as if he stood at the pinnacle of array arts. In the past, even after becoming Lu Xuan’s disciple, he had only been “half-convinced”! But now, he was truly convinced! He suspected Master possessed the power to see through the origin of arrays! A power that transcended realms, reaching directly to the fundamental essence!
As Chen Changsheng pondered, he manipulated a spirit fire, starting to cook in a profound iron pot. Wisps of cooking smoke curled upwards. A divine radiance appeared around Chen Changsheng. A Wooden Puppet Clone in his Storage Ring glowed, and a moment later, he said, “Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother were taken by Xuanji Holy Lord to an ancient sect ruin called the Danwu Sect! It’s a Branch Sect of an Outer World power.”
Lu Xuan smiled. “Not bad, not bad. If the opportunity arises, we should thank Xuanji Holy Lord. Where is she now?”
Chen Changsheng replied gravely, “She’s headed to the Above Emperor Realm Area.”
Lu Xuan nodded.
Just then, “Boom!” “Crack!” The void tore, space twisted! A small girl in a green dress emerged from the spatial rift.
Lu Xuan paused for a moment. The Heavenly Dao Avatar again? Coming to mooch for food again?