Chapter 600: The End of an Era

Clearly, Emperor Yun’s statement indicated he already knew all the information. It must have been Quasi-Emperor Binxi, whose head was now in his hand, who told him before his death. However, after speaking, Binxi could not escape being tortured and killed in Emperor Yun’s fury.

“So, you, an entity from an ancient dark forbidden zone… plotting against me in secret! Very well, as you wish. With little time left and no escape, why not strive for a miracle??” His powerful aura emanated. Emperor Yun strode forward, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

Lord Yunzhong, accompanying him from behind, coldly commanded, “Disperse all celestials in the Cloud Heaven Realm. Send them quickly to the Fengtian Realm for refuge. Do not inform them what is happening here. Furthermore, any elderly Heavenly Emperors, those who believe their cultivation can no longer advance, and those who voluntarily wish to stay, remain here!” The short-tempered Lord Yunzhong was now burning with even greater fury. Mist surged around his body, and he exhaled fine dewdrops, making him truly chilling.

The Celestial Realm had only recently begun cultivating the Buddhist path, and its system was just emerging. Its material accumulation of divine essence was insufficient; it could not afford to supply two more portions. This essentially declared a death sentence for both of them! How could they not be frustrated? How could they not be enraged? They were bound to die within a month!

No one dared to scheme against them during their lives, yet after their sealed slumber in death, someone actually set their sights on them! Originally, they were considered "dead," and they presumed that no matter how much people of the current era fought for power, they would ignore them. Who would dare dig up the graves of two deceased saints, fearing their desperate counterattack before death? But now… they had truly been schemed against, yet they couldn't even launch a desperate counterattack; instead, they had to fight for him!

“Emperor Yun?” Xu Zhi slowly rose to his feet, his usually casual and relaxed expression finally becoming somewhat serious. This was his first true face-to-face encounter with the legendary figures of Emperor Yun and Lord Yunzhong, and he hadn't anticipated such a peculiar situation.

“My visit this time was merely a casual stroll, yet my identity has been exposed, and they are truly about to make a move against me,” Xu Zhi thought to himself, turning to look at Zhang Taiyuan and feeling that life was somewhat bizarre. Indeed. Counting this present moment, this was already the second miracle… To find his true self and expose his identity amidst the vast multitude of beings was the first difficult miracle. And the third incredible miracle… would be to defeat himself, perhaps? If all three great miracles converged and succeeded, then this grand miracle would truly be… A legend? Destiny? Or perhaps… something more? Perhaps future generations would record that an ancient Emperor, who had reigned for eons, severed the path to immortality, commanded the cycles of creation and destruction of all things, and defeated countless historical adversaries, was discovered during a casual incognito visit to the mortal realm, falling on some ridiculous day?

“It seems that in these eras, many peerless prodigies have been born, actually creating incredible feats, aiming to defeat the strong with the weak, approaching me step by step, intent on taking me down…” Xu Zhi mused.

“If there’s no probability, increase the probability! If there’s no possibility, increase the possibility!” Zhang Taiyuan’s voice was clear and resonant as he stepped back, smiling slightly. “As for miracles, if you don’t try, how will you ever know you can’t achieve them?” Boom!!! Suddenly, Zhang Taiyuan exploded completely. “What a nuisance.” Emperor Yun retracted his palm; Zhang Taiyuan instantly turned into a bloody mist. Then, with another forceful gesture, the celestial maiden also transformed into a spray of blood.

Screenshots were taken. Yuan Qinghua and her companion, who were livestreaming, also changed their expressions!

“The probability mathematician, philosopher, and miracle scholar, who had maxed out his ‘mouth cannon’ skill points, finally exploded on the spot!!” This era, damn it, isn't playing by the rules. Shouldn't it be a gradual development, with the Buddhist path system growing strong and prosperous, overthrowing minor bosses step by step, and only then finally confronting the ultimate boss? Now, the era has just begun without much development, and they're already starting a war, directly fighting the ultimate boss? But the minor bosses haven't developed either; the gods of the Underworld were just recently recruited…

“This is probably what true reality is like,” Bai Xiaojun sighed. “How could anything proceed according to a fixed plan? How could you ever predict life?”

“How ruthless!” Yuan Qinghua, looking at the exploded Zhang Taiyuan, no longer remembered how many times she had said that phrase. Although they knew that Prefecture Lord Youshan, daring to act like this, definitely had more than just these two clones; there were also celestials hidden in the shadows, possibly secretly observing from here. “The schemes between these powerful figures are too exciting! More dramatic and convoluted than any movie plot! Let’s move further away to livestream!” Feeling the overwhelming pressure of soaring rage, Yuan Qinghua quickly huddled with Bai Xiaojun further away, trembling, so as not to be caught in the crossfire. They longed and aspired. When would they be able to resemble these terrifying ancient existences, looking down upon the world, standing proudly in the firmament, calculating everything, and using all beings as pawns? It was simply too cool.

Amidst their frantic screenshots, Bai Xiaojun whispered, “This Quasi-Emperor Binxi shouldn’t be Prefecture Lord Youshan’s clone… After all, entities from forbidden zones wouldn't have such high cultivation levels upon recovery, nor could they possess someone so powerful. So why would this Quasi-Emperor willingly listen to him and risk his life to shatter the divine essence?”

“An ordinary person couldn’t do it, but who is Prefecture Lord Youshan? He’s an ancient myth lecturer!” Yuan Qinghua recalled the terrifying rhetoric and murmured, “Without revealing his identity, he could use the name of a celestial saint to trick this Quasi-Emperor. He could tell him it was the only chance for the celestials’ glory and future, urging him to seize it, to fight to the death, and thus force Emperor Yun and Lord Yunzhong to make a move, potentially killing their opponent. Conducting such ‘ideological work’ makes perfect sense…”

“Ideological work?” Bai Xiaojun shivered as she recalled the recent words, and quickly nodded.

“Quick, go!” In the distance, the crowd continued to evacuate; Zhang Xiao, Shangguan Man, and others were forcibly dispersed. At this moment, Xu Zhi was also in no hurry to act, allowing them to evacuate the crowd. As a Prefect of Reincarnation, he would naturally not go around killing and destroying, committing such egregious acts. Killing too many people was detrimental to the Underworld; it would not only increase the operational burden on the Underworld, causing Fengdu Ghost City to overflow, but also prevent souls from undergoing tempering and lose the meaning of reincarnation.

At this moment, Emperor Yun’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the Prefect of Reincarnation. He had not expected his true form to be such a handsome, overly young man with a casual, languid expression. “You came alone, without the cycles of reincarnation—that certainly presents an opportunity. But… is there truly an opportunity?” Emperor Yun smiled faintly. Behind him, Heavenly Emperors gradually began to gather. Of the seventy-four Heavenly Emperors in the Celestial Path, fifty-seven had already gathered, a massive and shocking number.

Xu Zhi looked at him. “Emperor Yun, in this Era of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, you are the first contemporary Heavenly Emperor to rule the Human Path, the Animal Path, and the Celestial Path. You were also the first Heavenly Emperor of the Human Path tribes, Emperor Bai, Li Shuibai, who led the people in slash-and-burn farming.”

“Of course, I’ve looked into who I once was,” Emperor Yun skirted around the topic of his past as a human emperor, now fully embracing his celestial identity. He continued, “Zhang Xiao… he will also become like me in the future. Even if he did many things in the Human Path and perhaps made various schemes for the rise of the mortal realm in the Underworld… the moment he entered our Celestial Path, I knew he was already one of us, a celestial.” He spoke coolly, “Zhang Xiao will be the next Emperor Yun…. But speaking of him, I’ve just realized how remarkably similar our experiences are.”

The crowds on both sides of the street were retreating, like a rapidly receding tide. He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes seemingly peering through distant ages. “I vaguely recall Zhang Xiao saying something to me back then: ‘People must always take the first step, to let out a roar. Without a bloody revolution, without challenging and testing, one will never know the opponent’s true strength, never be able to defeat them, and forever remain shrouded in the shadow of the celestials. The complete destruction of the Yao Kingdom today will eventually become the spark of tomorrow’s hope, blossoming into vibrant flowers throughout a long future history.’”

“Everything that happens today paves the way for future generations.” His eyes were distant as he intently stared at Xu Zhi. “He for the Mortal Path, I for the Celestial Path.”

In the Human Path and the Animal Path, wandering between the two realms, the Asura Path warriors quickly sought out top sects and mortal dynasties, announcing the news of what was happening in the Celestial Path. How to proceed was up to them. They also didn't know what to do.

“This journey will lead me to confront an incredible adversary, with almost no chance of return, because I am too old, far too old…” A white-haired old man with a youthful complexion sat in a rocking chair, gently stroking a little girl’s head, gazing at the sky with an utterly unconstrained tone. Suddenly, he stood up, leaning on a slender gray wooden sword as a cane, shuffling step by step, like an old man on the street. He was so old that every step seemed incredibly arduous.

In the Animal Path. Whoosh. A clear, snowy-white waterfall cascaded down from the mountain gorge. Faint chirping of insects and birds echoed in the verdant forest. A snowy-white elk slowly lay down at the base of a tree, filled with blissful affection. “The celestials are not in harmony with us, but ultimately, we must contribute some possibility,” an ancient tree beside the waterfall slowly spoke, uprooting itself and ascending into the sky with immense power. The elk stood up, chased the ascending figure, dashed into the mountains, and finally stood at the edge of a cliff, looking up at the sky, neighing ceaselessly.

In a secret chamber. “Ancestor…” A dragon-robed emperor lowered his gaze. “This is the stage created for us by that ancient forbidden zone entity.” A withered skeleton slowly grasped a snow-white leg bone and attached it to itself. Snap! The bone clicked into place, the sound slow and deep. “We are too old, unable to keep pace with this new era… As beings of the past, with no divine essence sealing us in this emerging era, we are virtually certain to die… So, why not dissipate our last golden gleam?” He flashed and ascended directly into the heavens.

Such events continuously occurred in the Mortal Path and the Animal Path, and many descendants who were not informed showed expressions of shock. They knew how long their ancestors had been living in seclusion and what terrifying power they had possessed in that era. Yet now, contemporary Great Emperors, one after another, departed simultaneously, indicating they were going to challenge a mysterious opponent. Who exactly was this opponent? Even stranger, they all showed expressions indicating a permanent departure, with no intention of returning, which was enough to demonstrate the incredible nature of their adversary!

Above the entire Cloud Heaven Realm, streaks of meteors of various colors shot forth, tearing through layers of space, seemingly streaking into this land like falling stars. Countless black clouds churned in the sky, plunging it into utter darkness. Blindingly radiant figures cloaked in golden light appeared, and dark, murderous Buddhist glints also pierced through the clouds. The radiating light was a stark blend of black and white, with air currents surging and howling, blurring the distinction between day and night. The sky shone with black and white radiance.

Xu Zhi stopped, looking at the Heavenly Emperors who had arrived from all directions, as well as the numerous Heavenly Emperors of the Celestial Path. “I didn’t expect it to actually succeed, to truly create a miracle and attempt to fight me. There’s a slight possibility now…” He paused in silence. As of this day, “I no longer know how powerful I am…”