Chapter 605: Dream Awakening and Cruelty

The dream continued in their minds.

At this moment, the Cloud Heaven Realm had been reduced to ruins. Yet, the brutal war had ultimately ended in victory. Emperor Yun and the others defeated the Lord of Reincarnation, exited his mind, and the entire world erupted in cheers.

Emperor Yun, Lord Yunzhong, and Emperor Xing returned as heroes. It was a final war, fought with their lives at stake. But in the end, they had forged an incredible miracle: the Immortal Path was overthrown, and their future lay open and boundless.

The land of the Cloud Heaven Realm was like a piece of cheese gnawed by rats, pockmarked and blackened. Gorges and cracks crisscrossed the ground. Teams of celestials moved back and forth, repairing the scarred world, rebuilding, and cleansing the land of its ominous aura.

"Although we won this battle, the cost was too devastating."

"But it was all worth it..."

"Indeed, this was a stage set by the ancient forbidden zone for us. Though they used us, it was also an opportunity."

"The Lord of Reincarnation came without his 'Reincarnation' power, alone and in disguise, entering the mortal realm where he was ambushed. This was his weakest moment, yet he was still outrageously powerful. Ultimately, with an extremely low probability, we united to conquer fate and create various miracles..."

"Yes! Emperor Xing also created a miracle and broke through."

"Did we truly win? Suddenly, I feel a sense of bewilderment, as if it were all a dream."

"Almost all the Celestial Emperors of the old era have fallen. Everything familiar is leaving us." Someone looked up, tears streaming down their face without realizing it. Heavy rain poured down, weeping for the common people.

Under the pouring sky, Lord Yunzhong, Emperor Xing, and others stood silently before the tombs of the Celestial Emperors, umbrellas raised, their black robes stark and tall. Uncontrollable sobs mixed with the wails of numerous celestials.

Yet, the world remained in celebration. With everything awaiting revival, prosperity began anew. But the cost of this war was simply too immense. Emperor Yun and Lord Yunzhong, who originally had only one month left to live, now had just half a month. The "Soul Link" had shortened and equally distributed everyone's lifespan to that of Emperor Yun and Lord Yunzhong, meaning Emperor Xing was also nearing death.

"But, as long as we won, every last one of these heavy stakes was worth it!" they declared.

New monuments to heroes rose from the earth. Countless families wept and wailed, praising their courage, for they had opened the path to a distant future.

In their final half-month of life.

Lord Yunzhong, in the end, departed. After experiencing this war, he had completely let go, becoming free and unrestrained. This man, once irritable and obsessive, yet extremely timid in love, with a thorn deeply embedded in his heart, finally chose in his last moments to find that very thorn from years ago.

He found the reincarnation of the common woman from the mortal tribe who had once yelled "hero" at him when he descended to the mortal realm in his youth. Lord Yunzhong got heavily drunk, confessing his heart to her, his face flushed with intoxication and his voice choked with tears:

"I broke fate, and I became a hero."

"I once mocked such foolish people, mocked those so-called heroes who stood up stubbornly to their deaths when victory was impossible. What laughable beliefs and actions..."

"But today, I have become the very person I once despised the most."

The rain poured down, and the woman, gentle as water, was already watching him from the Wuwei Sumeru Temple in the golden bamboo forest, her face stained with tears.

"I love heroes, just as I love you," the woman gave him the best possible answer.

That woman walked with him into the hall; two heroes, a perfect match of talent and beauty, a union made in heaven. The entire Celestial Way offered its most heartfelt blessings. He found the happiness he desired.

Emperor Xing also departed. After this great battle, he chose not to bask in the cheers and adoration of the people. In his last half-month of life, he quietly left. The so-called glory and praise of a hero, the anthems and poems written for him—that was never his stage.

He feared such commotion. He preferred to be alone. He most enjoyed curling up in a corner, watching the mountains and rivers, feeling the slow shift of time and the world.

Three days later, he returned to reunite with his old classmates. At a new gathering, he still sat silently in a corner, listening to friends he had grown up with chat freely, still trying to shrink himself smaller and smaller, even smaller. He liked this atmosphere very much.

Suddenly, he whispered, his voice barely audible, "I fulfilled your childhood dream... I saved the entire world."

Those around him laughed brightly and playfully punched his chest.

"That's typical of you!"

Emperor Yun, during his last half-month, still had no private matters. He did not reserve any time for himself in his final moments. He maintained his usual routine, choosing to attend to the scars left by the war, to re-establish his rule, holding various court meetings, and busying himself with the trivial handover tasks for after his death.

Some said: Emperor Yun dedicated his entire life to his people; his final private moment was devoted to the public affairs of the entire Celestial Way's development. He was a benchmark of the old era. But he, too, would eventually disappear into the vast currents of history.

They won, yet they lost everything.

"The great wheel of history rolls away. Emperor Yun, whom we knew, and all the mighty Celestial Emperor giants of the ancient Era of Innate Abilities, were buried in the mortal dust with their victory."

"A new era of Buddhism and Taoism, where those with innate abilities embark on true cultivation, is rising."

Countless celestials—old men, children, women, and youths—gazed at the ruins. Suddenly, they remembered a saying from the Asura Path:

The rolling waters of the Yangtze flow east,Waves wash away all heroes,Right and wrong, success and failure, turn to naught.The green mountains remain, how many times has the sun set red?

Half a month later.

In the Mortal Realm.

The sky was high and clear, boundless and vast. The sun set in the west. A tomb stood erect, its stone tablet inscribed: "Tomb of Hero Zhang Xiao." Emperor Yun had erected this tomb for Zhang Xiao, his lifelong adversary.

The three stood once again on this land, facing the final moments of their lives.

"I still remember your roar in Xiao Kingdom back then, declaring war on the celestials. It seemed inconceivable... yet you used your life to pave the way for the entire world, taking the first step," Emperor Yun said, gazing at the tomb and pouring a cup of wine onto the soil in front of it. "Today, I, too, have let out a roar for an era, just like you."

"The only difference is that you failed, thinking you had succeeded, when in reality, you were part of my calculations... As for me, I have triumphed in this roar. But... is that truly the case?"

Emperor Xing and Lord Yunzhong stood nearby, their expressions changing drastically upon hearing this. Could it be that their victory was false? Did the Lord of Reincarnation feign death and escape, secretly living somewhere, preparing to recover and return?

Emperor Yun stood before the tombstone, suddenly looking up and saying calmly, "Our lifespans are all coming to an end... Many times, it's hard to say whether life truly is a grand dream."

He paused. "But regardless of truth or falsehood, we are all heading towards death, the end of our lifespans... This truly is a beautiful dream for the remainder of our lives, right before we die."

"Even if this victory feels like an illusion, we have still lived out the final days of our lives within it."

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the sky, and a pair of eyes emerged, like the sun and moon, carrying the vastness and indifference of eons.

"I respect the heroes of every era. This is what you deserve."

**The Real World**

In the Mortal Realm, at the Wuwei Sumeru Temple, a Buddhist and Taoist holy land, a pure land.

Xu Yingluo, clutching her prayer beads, suddenly opened her eyes. Ignoring the bewildered monks around her, she was filled with shock.

"Emperor Yun... lost!!"

"It's too terrifying, unimaginably powerful. Is that truly just a Celestial Emperor?"

In her eyes, everything seemed to crumble like dry leaves. The ultimate being formed by Emperor Yun, supposedly immune to all spells and physical attacks, an immortal and indestructible life form... was actually beaten without any power to retaliate! After barely managing to stop time and delve into the opponent's brain, it was as if they vanished into thin air. She couldn't see what happened inside at all. In short, it seemed to be forcefully obliterated in an instant.

A single soybean-sized object, casually retrieved from the ear, bounced onto the ground—it was the condensed remains of Emperor Yun and the others... The entire process was appallingly simple and brutal!

Deep within a certain forbidden zone.

The Epoch Bodhi Fruit Tree also fell completely silent. He had probed the opponent's true appearance, recognized the true form of this descending entity, yet he never expected such immense power. It was as if the Dao itself was stripped to its essence: a few physical strikes, without complicated moves, completely annihilated the opponent. Could such an existence truly be defeated? He couldn't help but feel doubt in his heart.

"But in the end, these are remnants of the old era's celestials, relying solely on their innate abilities... Emperor Yun and his kind were destined to be eliminated, born at the wrong time, missing the most splendid grand era. Even if they couldn't succeed now, they could still use their lives to provide some final warmth and contribution."

For him, this was a great victory. He had ascertained the Lord of Reincarnation's true form in the mortal realm, uncovered some of this entity's abilities, and captured Meng Po, who had descended to the mortal realm for reincarnation and tempering. At the same time, he had severed the Celestial Way's foundation! Now, the Celestial Way was riddled with internal strife and in utter disarray, completely incapable of encircling and suppressing their dark forbidden zone! This war between the two sides... was a massively profitable, unprecedented victory for him!

"To uncover a portion of their abilities and pave the way for future generations is enough..." A faint voice echoed through the deep mountains. "The new era will ultimately rise completely. What are so-called miracles, if not the culmination of repeated failed explorations, a path paved with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, before they can be seen?"

Yet, in the shadows, all who witnessed this battle were utterly silent, completely awestruck by it.

Celestial Era 548, June 7th. Emperor Yun and Lord Yunzhong fell into slumber. Lord Youshan calculated their demise. The celestials besieged the Lord of Reincarnation. The Emperor's punch pacified the world, his combat power unequaled through the ages. The Six Paths and Three Realms trembled for him, truly the foremost being of all time!