Chapter 194: Crossing an Era

The Ancient World was indeed too rudimentary, and Xu Zhi didn't quite approve of its reincarnation system.

In the Wizard World, there was an underworld. It functioned as a system of reincarnation, drawing in souls from the world. These souls would live a second life within it, capable of cultivation, nourishing the underworld, and steadily developing into a high-energy world.

In the Ancient World, however, stood the Jianmu Tree. This was not a system of reincarnation; its soul energy didn't elevate the world but instead condensed into a fruit, benefiting only one individual in their cultivation. Their cultivation system was inherently based on "absorbing the spiritual essence of all beings." Souls were like incense sticks, continuously releasing their energy. To simply extinguish such an "incense stick" was utterly preposterous.

"In the past, the Phoenix hastily used the Jianmu Tree to achieve godhood, but in the long run, this proved extremely detrimental to development. It caused the Jianmu Tree to absorb the souls of deceased beings from the land, producing numerous fruits and giving rise to many powerful individuals. The major holy lands and heavenly rulers all benefited from this system. While it seemed to surpass the Wizard World in a short period, it was in fact a castle in the air, a reflection of the moon in a well, a shoddy construction liable to collapse with the slightest push at any moment."

"The Jianmu Tree should be cut down, and a reincarnation system established to fully utilize the power of souls instead of simply consuming them. However, how it ultimately develops will be up to them."

Xu Zhi's expression remained calm, though how exactly to guide them was still unknown. He simply picked up an apple, poured some Phoenix spirit tea into his mug, and settled into a chair in the courtyard, leisurely continuing to observe the evolving spores in the small sandboxes.

In the Ancient World, within the Solar Palace. This was where the Heavenly Emperor governed the court and held audiences with his officials. Since his ascension, Emperor Duan Tiandi had resided in the Solar Palace, which also served as his office. The previous Emperor, Di Qi, had his own residence, the Moon Palace, but Duan Shanyi had bestowed it upon Quasi-Emperor Fen Teng. As Duan Tiandi remained unmarried, the Solar Palace was his home, and the imperial throne where he held court doubled as his usual resting place. That an Emperor would use his throne as a bed spoke volumes about his diligence and arduous work ethic.

"Dao Changsheng must be executed." Duan Tiandi quietly closed his eyes, whispering in the deserted Solar Palace. The incomprehensible power, the immortality, the ability to fight even after decapitation—even he found it utterly terrifying. From ancient times to the present, he had never witnessed anyone capable of such a feat.

"Who exactly stands behind him...?" Duan Tiandi's expression remained unruffled, his voice hoarse. "I consider myself a man of great ambition and strategy, yet I've only just managed to forge a cultivation path for my ancient clan. He, on the other hand, is not even a hundred years old and has already established a complete path, far surpassing my own..." He prided himself on being a genius, a peerless talent who had swept aside the prodigies of his era, ascending to the throne of Heavenly Emperor with an invincible aura. Yet, his ability to reach this point wasn't solely due to talent; it was also the result of incredible fortuitous encounters! He had been aided by ancient beings; without such opportunities, it would have been difficult even to lay the groundwork for his ancient clan's cultivation path.

But what about Dao Changsheng? It was simply too astonishing. Even if Dao Changsheng possessed greater talent than him, it was utterly impossible for his abilities to be *that* formidable. An unprecedented path is carved out through overcoming countless obstacles and refined by myriad insights, not brought to maturity in an instant.

"The Eleven Ancestral Witches...""This Dao Changsheng... which one of you is he a contingency for...?"

Duan Tiandi opened his eyes, a flicker of determination appearing in them. Sitting on his imperial throne, he gazed distantly at the sky, as if trying to peer through the mysteries of the Great Luo Heaven. "Even with you eleven ancient beings, I will still cut him down! I will act first and report later!" He spoke with conviction, his voice calm: "When heaven and earth were first forged, the Daoist Master once said: 'Those who seek the Dao seek freedom for a lifetime, seeking to wander unbound between heaven and earth!' Yet now, the Eleven Ancestral Witches are enthroned on high, unwilling to die of old age, holding the cosmic order in their grasp. How are they any different from the corrupt primordial gods of old?"

"You, the heavenly gods who once overthrew the evil deities... you too have lost your original intentions, growing old and decrepit, transforming into another kind of evil god." His expression tranquil, he suddenly remembered his youth. Back then, as he journeyed through the mountains, he had a fortuitous encounter, meeting a mysterious, unknown entity. That entity, whose true identity remained unknown, sat low at the base of a mountain, drinking intoxicants and muttering to itself: "Among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, ancient beings from the past have infiltrated. Malicious ancient presences lurk within them, destined to corrupt the beliefs of these younger Ancestral Witches. Gradually, day by day, they will secretly infect and assimilate them, inevitably turning them into one of their own."

"Even if I retain my ambition now, I can hardly prevent my own future decay. When I grow old, my grand ambitions will fade, and I might fear death, becoming assimilated by them... I truly fear that one day, I too will become the very existence I despise the most..."

At that time, to his own surprise, he felt no fear. Instead, he laughed heartily at the figure in the shadows and declared: "When the heart ages, it dies! If the Dao heart is lost, you will be overthrown sooner or later! I will overthrow you!"

How ridiculous was that? A mere weak boy, audacious enough to declare he would overthrow the sun in the heavens. The voice also chuckled, not in mockery of his arrogance, but with a sigh from the shadows, it teased: "Young man, you seek the Dao, you wander through mountains and across the land. What is the Dao you truly seek?"

The young boy, full of vigor, walking amidst mountains and across the land, pointed at the sun: "If I am ever to become the Heavenly Emperor, I shall cleave through this era, standing alone for all eternity, and eradicate all of you! I will sever the existence of all that is destined to decay and pass away, ushering in a new, prosperous epoch where no ancient entity commands worship or requires subservience! All living beings shall thrive in the present, seizing each day, not striving for eternity. Any astonishing talent shall be capable of becoming Emperor, achieving a lifetime of glory!"

"And if I, at that time, should also fall..." the voice murmured faintly.

"Then slay! If you hesitate to sever what must be severed, I will sever it for you."

Duan Tiandi stared blankly, recalling the audacious words of his youth. His eyes, once clouded, suddenly closed and remained so for a very long time. When he finally opened his eyes again, a bitter smile touched his lips. "What exactly did I say back then? How utterly ridiculous, to have reached this point driven by such a belief... An astonishing talent can indeed become Heavenly Emperor. Yet, here I sit on the imperial throne, aren't I merely obstructing the path of an Emperor who is potentially stronger than me?"

Dao Changsheng, he was perhaps more suited for this position than I. Regardless of who stood behind Dao Changsheng, or whose pawn he was, he had undoubtedly obstructed the path of a peerless genius, bringing it to an abrupt end! Had he, too, begun to harbor selfish motives?

"The selfishness of living beings is truly the most terrifying of all demonic obstacles... I was genuinely young then, full of reckless talk. It's one thing to face those eleven terrifying beings alone and find it difficult to win... but even if I *did* win, what then?" He couldn't help but chuckle softly. "If I were to overthrow the old regime, how could I guarantee that I wouldn't become the next Ancestral Witch?"

A sudden silence fell in the air. Death is an inevitability for all life. Even Great Emperors find it difficult to escape the relentless erosion of time; no matter how astonishingly talented, none can evade old age and decay. The older and more powerful an entity lived, the more they understood the preciousness of life, and thus the more they feared death. Between life and death lay a profound terror. Would he, in his twilight years, truly be content to decay? He wanted to declare: "I absolutely will not; my original intention will remain unchanged!" But what if that moment of impending death truly arrived? He suddenly wavered, recalling the drunken old man at the base of the mountain all those years ago.

"This is a terrible, inescapable loop," he murmured, closing his eyes once more. His face held an indescribable weariness and bitterness. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he abruptly stood up.

"No! I can still guarantee that I absolutely will not! I have a method to completely sever the ancient past from the present... As long as I, Duan Tiandi, have no twilight years!" He began to pace back and forth swiftly in the palace. "If I can truly sever the ties to ancient existences of the past, striking down all that is decayed, aged, and outdated, then in my own twilight years, I will guide a new Heavenly Emperor to overthrow me, to kill me, before I succumb to decay and fear death! This must become a rule... No Heavenly Emperor shall ever reach old age and decrepitude. They shall be slain on their imperial throne by a new Emperor, and their overthrow shall be their greatest glory!"

"This is the true Duan Tiandi."

His eyes were clear and bright, devoid of any confusion, as if he had once again transformed into a young boy. He gazed intently at the sky. "But the one who can overthrow me... is not you, Dao Changsheng!"

In the Kaiyuan Heavenly Court, in the third month of spring, the year 310, during the period of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects). As the earth awoke to spring, Xuvie, the God of Four Seasons, began to orchestrate the change, mobilizing the Rain God, the Cloud Spirits, the Thunder Lord, and the Lightning Mother. A gentle rain nourished new plants, and with a single clap of thunder, Jingzhe truly began.

*Boom!*

A resounding clap of thunder echoed across the heavens. Soon after, the Thunder Lord, wielding his thunder hammer, approached a black Heavenly Court chain wrapped around a Divine-Binding Pillar. A frail, scholar-like young man was bound to the pillar, meekly protesting: "I am innocent, I am merely an honest and hardworking scholar..."

"By order of the Heavenly Emperor, receive one hundred thousand lightning strikes, to be delivered over three months!"

*Boom!*

The colossal thunder hammer crashed down, shaking the Thunder God himself. A massive shockwave rippled outwards, causing blood to stream from Dao Changsheng's seven orifices, as his bones and flesh began to shatter inch by agonizing inch.

In the Kaiyuan Heavenly Court, in the sixth month, the year 310, during Lixia (Start of Summer). For three months, massive peals of thunder had continuously rumbled across the sky, accompanying the recurring showers.

"Report, Heavenly Emperor! The one hundred thousand lightning strikes have been completed, and Dao Changsheng is still alive!"

Inside the Solar Palace, the Heavenly Emperor was holding court, with numerous deities fulfilling their cosmic duties.

"What? He didn't die?""Impossible. Even a hundred Quasi-Emperors would have perished."

The surrounding gods were greatly astonished. The Heavenly Emperor frowned slightly, finding it somewhat peculiar. A faint unease stirred within him, yet he could not personally descend to carry out the execution. If any random Dao Changsheng could cause such chaos and rampage through the Heavenly Palace, implying no one in the Heavenly Court could subdue this monster save for the Heavenly Emperor himself, it would already give rise to widespread rumors. Now that he had been captured, fully restrained, and sent to the execution grounds, left to their mercy, yet no one could kill Dao Changsheng, requiring the Heavenly Emperor to act again—wouldn't that imply the Heavenly Court was utterly incompetent? If the Heavenly Court was devoid of capable individuals, how could it maintain the cosmic order of heaven and earth?

"Explain it in detail," the Heavenly Emperor commanded.

The immortal official couldn't help but say, "That monstrous entity's bones were shattered, his flesh ripped from his bones, his entire body torn to shreds countless times. Yet, his vitality persists. Indeed, I don't know if it was an illusion, but his body actually seemed to grow tougher..."

*A stir of murmurs and gasps ran through the hall.*

"Unbelievable." The astonishment among those present grew, and discussions erupted.

At that moment, the Lightning Mother slowly stepped forward. "Your Majesty, Heavenly Emperor! I wield the God-Smiting Whip, which can strike the primordial spirits of all beings! Even a Void-Piercing Great Emperor, if struck a hundred times without resistance by the God-Smiting Whip, would have their soul utterly scattered!"

"Your humble servant requests permission to execute this monster!"

From his imperial throne, shrouded in wisps of primordial purple cosmic energy, the Heavenly Emperor's majestic voice resounded:

"Granted!"