Chapter 1559: Great Unification

"He is..." Jiudao opened his mouth, wanting to utter a name.

This was a single word, a name powerful enough to shake the eternal heavens. But as soon as it was uttered, astonishing changes occurred in this place.

On the clear sky, dazzling light flashed. There were no clouds, nor any demons, yet in an instant, chaotic lightning struck, engulfing the area.

The lightning that pierced through the long river of time was terrifying, its roar fierce, its radiance strong, unparalleled!

Everyone trembled. What had they seen?

The eternally flowing river of time truly appeared before everyone's eyes, traversing the space. Yet, a single ray of light pierced through it!

"Ah..."

The lean old man from the Heavens screamed. He felt as if his entire body had been pierced, his flesh on the verge of evaporating into a bloody mist. He was about to vanish!

Why? He was terrified and indignant. Why was he struck?

The chaotic lightning was still very far from him; merely witnessing it had caused him such terrible suffering.

At that critical moment, the imperial decree suspended above his head descended with a myriad of pure radiance, saving his life.

The decree’s light was resplendent, protecting him.

Otherwise, even if this world-shaking lightning hadn’t specifically targeted him, the residual power alone would likely have been enough to scatter his form and spirit.

When calm returned, the long river of time receded, and the abnormal spectacle of lightning and thunder dissipated.

People were dazed, lost in thought.

In the field, the lean old man's body was almost disintegrated. Faint glimmers of light from the imperial decree now restored his damaged form, bringing him back into existence. He had been on the verge of death.

The lean old man trembled, yearning to shout, "It wasn't me who said it! I didn't mention any name! Why did it strike me?!"

However, he dared not speak. One misstep, and next time he might turn to dust, his three lives vanishing into nothingness.

Dog Emperor, Rotten Corpse, Chu Feng, and the others were all dumbfounded, staring intently at the scene.

Jiudao wondered too. He had uttered the name, so why did the lean old man suffer the chaotic heavenly tribulation?

Soon, he noticed faint, residual electric arcs flowing and fading on the war spear in his hand. In an instant, he realized: he possessed a token, otherwise, he likely wouldn't have fared much better himself.

Even so, he maintained an air of righteousness, feeling no guilt. And regardless of whether it was true or not, he immediately began to accuse the lean old man, saying sternly, "After hearing that name just now, did you harbor ill intentions, showing great disrespect?"

"No!" the lean old man denied flatly, indignant. "Are you trying to frame me and cause my death?!"

In fact, he hadn't even heard the name yet when he was inexplicably... struck!

Who could he complain to? The lean old man strongly suspected he had just taken the blame for this old rogue, becoming a scapegoat. He had an urge to strangle him.

"What was that situation?" Jiudao asked, radiating righteousness.

"How would I know!" The lean old man's composure was nearly lost. He wanted to rage, even to snap, but in the end, he restrained himself with immense willpower.

Because he was terrified of something going wrong.

"Don't make things difficult for me. As an envoy, I am only slightly stronger than a True Immortal and haven't truly reached the Immortal King realm. I was born in this epoch, so my knowledge is limited."

The lean old man adopted a low profile. He didn't want to get involved in that immense, unseen karma.

However, some were relentless, like Jiudao and Dog Emperor, who were exceedingly eager to know everything about that person. The former was anxious, the latter curious.

So, they stepped forward together, repeatedly asking. Although they didn't utter the true name again, they provided other hints.

"I truly don't know. The waters of this world are so deep. I dare not trace back to figures from several epochs ago; mentioning them too much might cause trouble."

"Beyond the Heavens, some beings are unspeakable, not to be spoken of. Even after their death, their names cannot be mentioned."

"Several epochs ago, there was more than one supremely renowned existence in the Heavens. Because the territory is vast, truly immense and boundless, it's understandable what kind of Dao fruits they might have attained. Where they came from, or whether they originated here, is fundamentally untraceable; their roots cannot be sought."

"Please don't ask me anymore."

The lean old man spoke a few paragraphs quickly and concisely. He was truly scared.

"What are you saying!" Jiudao was very stern. He least wanted to hear inauspicious or bad news. He said coldly, "How can someone manifest great power after death? Impossible!"

The lean old man said, "They were too strong in life, leaving traces in this world that even time cannot erase, enduring through eternity. When someone mentions them, their traces will become manifest."

After speaking, he felt a chill down his spine and looked around repeatedly.

Then, he added, "Actually, what you want to know can only lead to two outcomes."

According to him, one outcome was the revival of traces from their life, manifesting power upon their name being touched, as he had just mentioned.

This made everyone ponder deeply, shocking Dog Emperor, Rotten Corpse, Jiudao, Chu Feng, and the others, whose feelings varied.

Because, according to this understanding, during the Soul River battle, was some great power also touched for the same reason?!

The second outcome, naturally, is that after the path ends, one leaps across the sea and sky, undergoing tribulation and transforming again. Perhaps a new path emerges, or that person attains the ultimate Dao Fruit.

Therefore, the lean old man dared not make any reckless conjectures, even if it meant death.

At the very least, he dared not mention it in this world.

"Who is the deceased supreme being you're referring to?" Jiudao asked somewhat nervously.

"It's..." The lean old man hesitated, but after looking around and seeing no terrifying abnormalities, he relaxed and said, "Once, pollen filled the sky, rushing towards the Heavens..."

However, as soon as he spoke of this, a bizarre aura surged from the ground. He screamed, blood streaming from his eyes, and tender sprouts began to grow, even from his scalp, ripping open his skull!

He wanted to say, "That person is dead, how can they still cause such supernatural phenomena?!"

Clearly, he had harbored a slightly conceited mindset earlier, as his patriarch was currently glorious. Thus, when mentioning the deceased woman, certain thoughts inevitably arose in his mind.

As a result, he suffered this strange and tragic fate.

Again, it was the imperial decree that saved him. This time, it directly enveloped his body, helping him purify, and only then did he turn from danger to safety.

This sent shivers down his spine. What kind of place was this?

Why, with just a slight mention or a passing thought, would one be sensed and targeted? Had the woman at the end of the pollen path not truly died yet?!

There's something strange! The lean old man was terrified.

Perhaps, her grave is in this world!

This was the lean old man's chilling speculation. He dared not think further.

In fact, someone else saw more clearly than him: Chu Feng. What did he see? Pollen filling the sky, all spirit particles.

However, the people on the two-worlds battlefield didn't see it!

It was those flying spirit particles that caused the lean old man’s eyes to bleed, his skull to be ripped open, and tender sprouts to bore out of his flesh.

Although Jiudao didn't see anything, he sensed something and said, "I think your lineage has a great karma with that powerhouse of the pollen path."

After mentioning this, Jiudao fell silent. He didn't want to say anything more.

He even thought that the lean old man's lineage and this world both had a great karma. Otherwise, how could things have come to this?

The lean old man's face was pale. He said, "I don't know, and I'll depart now. I won't have any further involvement with you, nor will I interfere with this world!"

He decisively fled. He wanted to follow his patriarch's command to observe the heavens, and then leave as soon as possible, returning to the Heavens!

He was truly terrified, afraid of something going wrong.

The scene fell silent. People were pondering, what was the Heavens' true aim?

The final apocalypse was approaching. How would the great karma conclude?

"Regardless, we have no choice between life and death. Let's unify as soon as possible. We cannot afford internal strife anymore. If there is a choice, let's always face outwards and eradicate the strange!"

Someone spoke, an old Ultimate being.

People agreed with him. Now was the time to act and unite all forces.

Great unification, regardless of whether there was a glimmer of hope, was now the only option.

A positive sign was that the powerful individuals from the Fallen Immortal King Clan who had arrived at the two-worlds battlefield showed goodwill. They were willing to leave the abyss and stand with the people of the Yang Realm.

Of course, this was only a portion of the Fallen Immortal King Clan's evolvers. There was another group eternally fallen into darkness, unable to turn back, and who could not possibly support the Yang Realm.

Those people had not arrived this time; their differing choices meant they would ultimately be in opposition!

"Across the Great Thousand Worlds and the Heavens, there have never been more than ten complete evolution systems capable of reaching the extreme ends of evolution since ancient times. Now, there are only four or five left!" Dog Emperor said.

This was a fact, known to all True Immortal-level evolvers.

Throughout the heavens and myriad realms, there were countless marvelous methods and numerous cultivation systems. However, in summary, all paths led to the same destination, and many were merely branches of larger systems.

Currently, in the Great Thousand Worlds, there were only a few main sources of evolution!

The Yang Realm naturally counted as one, and the great realm where the Fallen Immortal King Clan resided counted as another.

The Yang Realm had the support of some Fallen True Immortals, which was naturally a great help!

"The great unification might be achieved very soon!" Jiudao said.

"To integrate the Great Thousand Worlds and unite all evolvers, we must first start here in our Yang Realm!" A rotten Grand Universe-level creature spoke.

Once a preliminary consensus was reached, everyone felt it was necessary to act swiftly and vigorously to push for the great unification as soon as possible.

The problem was, after this preliminary consensus, who would lead, and which lineage would be at the forefront?

Some looked at Jiudao and Dog Emperor, who were the current supreme powerhouses.

Others looked at the short old man who had created the Time Scripture and was now revived from a famous mountain; he too was a terrifying existence.

Still others looked at the dark shadow in the gloom, suspected to be a true Fallen Immortal King!

"Don't look at us. We don't belong to this epoch; we are all former failures. There's nothing for us to contend for in this world," Jiudao said.

He made it clear: he, Dog Emperor, and the others would seek out the old monsters who had survived several epochs. When needed, they could step forward and act, but they would not personally participate in this integration.

He believed there was no need to compete with younger generations for positions.

"I am still very young, in the prime of my youth. I believe it's my turn to become the Heavenly Emperor in this epoch!" Dog Emperor was eager to try.

It was quite displeased with Jiudao. It wanted to be the Heavenly Emperor!

"Have you no shame?" Jiudao said grumpily.

"What an outrage! How dare a dog like you contend for the Heavenly Emperor's position?" Rotten Corpse also reprimanded, looking disgusted. However, he then shamelessly said, "I think I can try!"

"Get lost!" Dog Emperor was indignant, glaring at Rotten Corpse. Then it looked at the crowd and said, "Think of my kin and acquaintances, the Three Heavenly Emperors! They were either my brothers or my friends. Now it should be my turn, otherwise, how can this Emperor face the world? I must contend for a Heavenly Emperor position!"

Rotten Corpse didn't back down. He said, "I am also a friend of the Three Heavenly Emperors. Moreover, even the person Old Man Skin revered most was my brother. With such divine blessings upon me, if I don't become the Heavenly Emperor in this life, it would be too shameful. I would have no face to meet the Four Emperors in the future!"

Dog Emperor’s face turned red and its neck swelled. It extended a large dog paw, pointing at him, and said, "Are you going to contend with me?"

Jiudao looked at the man and the dog, truly wanting to slap them both to death. Losing face for both humans and dogs, how dare they act like this in front of a group of juniors?

"The position of Heavenly Emperor is not shouted into existence; it's fought for, or chosen through the respect of the world. Both of you shut up!" Jiudao finally couldn't hold back.

After his serious admonition, Dog Emperor and Rotten Corpse sheepishly backed off for the time being.

"Since the seniors are giving opportunities to the later generations, I, though unworthy, wish to contend for the Heavenly Emperor's position!"

It was Feather Emperor, the first to step forward, contending for that position.

Some had strange looks in their eyes. He was the martial uncle of the Overlord of Yongzhou. This lineage had always been dedicated to the great unification of the Yang Realm, constantly contending for it over the years. His stepping forward now was perfectly normal.

It should be known that his martial nephew, the Overlord of Yongzhou, had once been qualified to contend for the Emperor's position in the Yang Realm.

What's more, the one before them was known as the Undefeated Feather Emperor, a myth among prehistoric myths, one of the most astonishing and powerful individuals of this epoch!

At this moment, the entire Yang Realm was watching the two-worlds battlefield.

On a famous mountain, Qin Luoyin was startled. She hadn't expected this old acquaintance to be the first to step forward and contend for the position. But on second thought, this was indeed his style.

"My Yuan Clan will also contend!" At this moment, the rotten Grand Universe-level creature from the Yuan Clan spoke, looking very confident.

Yaoyao frowned. Ever since she met the people of the Yuan Clan, she had always felt uneasy, finding it difficult to develop any good feelings towards them.

Chu Feng's expression turned cold. He hadn't yet told Yaoyao the truth, fearing an accident. After all, the Yuan Clan was too powerful, and he worried that if they knew Yaoyao's true background, they might relentlessly try to harm her later.

The Yuan Clan was the family that had caused the death of Yaoyao's ancestors, leading to the demise of all Yushang's children. It had also caused Yaoyao's grandfather to wander into the Minor Underworld, his flesh implanted with mother gold.

"The Yuan Clan?" someone murmured, deeply surprised. This was indeed a terrifying family, its strength unfathomable.

However, there were rumors that they might be connected to beings from beyond the heavens, whether the strange creatures of the sacrificial ground or other unfathomable forces.

"My Yuan Clan was born between heaven and earth, and naturally we must contribute our part to the heavens. Rest assured, my clan will absolutely assist in the great unification, because we have clan members in other realms, and even an Immortal King ancestor overseeing them!"

The rotten Grand Universe-level creature of the Yuan Clan actually uttered such words.

This made many people gasp. Was this a show of strength? Indeed, terrifyingly powerful!

Some understood: with power, one must contend!

Because, legend has it that the Heavenly Emperor position holds endless wonders. Whether attained through one's own strength, heavenly selection, or human choice, a mysterious pulling force will form, drawing the chosen one towards that true position!

In summary, that position offers immense benefits for evolution!

Contenders for the Emperor's position might truly become Emperor in the future!

Chu Feng walked out. After seeing the Yuan Clan's involvement, he absolutely would not allow them to ascend to the Emperor's position.

"Young friend, what do you intend to do?" An elder from Zhou Xi's family asked kindly.

"Old man, what do I look like to you? Some say I was born to be the Heavenly Emperor, my appearance akin to the strongest Heavenly Emperor in history!" Chu Feng spoke, looking arrogant and as if it were a matter of course.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Some thought he was too shameless, yet others' hearts trembled as they stared intently at his appearance!

(End of chapter)