Chapter 535 Part 3
by post_apiChapter 535 Part 3: Heavenly Emperor (3)
"The Heavenly Emperor is indeed dead," said Qiao Canxue and Qiao Feixian, who had once again merged, speaking faintly from behind.
Her eyes were one black and one white, vast and endless like a great ocean, revealing no visible emotion.
Even in this form, she was no longer the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor she once was, but had completely reincarnated and renewed herself.
"I recall a bit of my past life’s memories," she began slowly, her gaze growing ever deeper.
"There are no dark schemes or plots; the Heavenly Emperor left this corpse as a gift."
"Whether it’s you, Nian Chao Sheng, or the Earth Ancestor, you all have overestimated the Heavenly Emperor. Even someone as strong as the Heavenly Emperor was powerless before the Great Collapse."
As she spoke, two beams of black and white light burst from her eyes, merging together in the air.
When this light landed on the Heavenly Emperor’s Throne, a vague and blurry shadow appeared in the void.
The shadow wore a crown and looked exactly like the Heavenly Emperor’s corpse, but it was hazy and gave no sense of power or pressure, like an ordinary person without strength.
After the Heavenly Emperor Projection appeared, it paused for a moment on Qiao Canxue Qiao Feixian, the transformed daughter of the Heavenly Emperor, let out a faint sigh, and then shifted its gaze to Qiao Mu.
The Heavenly Emperor smiled lightly and said, "There is no need to be so cautious; my true self has long perished with the Immortal Realm, and now I am merely a spiritual projection of a wisp of my consciousness, posing no threat to you."
As soon as the Heavenly Emperor Projection appeared, it directly addressed the matter that concerned Qiao Mu the most.
Qiao Mu came to these Return Ruins to seek a way to completely eliminate the Undead Immortal Lord and to save the Great Collapse, but if the Heavenly Emperor had malicious intent, he would not force the issue.
"This strand of spiritual projection is actually placed upon Qiao Canxue Qiao Feixian?" Qiao Mu gazed at the Heavenly Emperor Projection, already convinced to some extent.
He had his own judgment; the current Heavenly Emperor Projection or the lifeless body posed no threat to him… Moreover, he still possessed the ability to live forever, so even if someone could kill him, what would that matter?
"Surely the great Heavenly Emperor would not let a projection appear at this moment just to say a few words to me?" Qiao Mu asked directly.
"It is simply to make some preparations for my daughter before my death, and to form a favorable bond with you," the Heavenly Emperor nodded slightly, his gaze resting on Qiao Canxue, his expression becoming somewhat deeper.
Just to form a favorable bond?
This answer surprised Qiao Mu a little.
It wasn’t without reason to think so…
Qiao Canxue, as the Daughter of the Heavenly Emperor, was the one who guided Qiao Mu on his martial path, but she was only a guide.
As for these so-called backup plans, they were not as grand as Immortal Diyuan thought, nor were they a world-changing scheme; the role of the Heavenly Emperor’s daughter was far less significant than Immortal Diyuan initially believed.
However, it was just an attempt to find a way for his daughter to live, knowing that he himself would surely die.
"Well, that’s indeed some rare good news," Qiao Mu said with a faint smile.
"Even the Heavenly Emperor has faith in me, placing the hope of the Heavenly Emperor’s daughter’s survival in my hands."
At this point, Qiao Mu suddenly felt a bit uneasy: he wondered if the Heavenly Emperor foresaw the future scene where I would ‘join forces’ with him in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall when he died all those years ago.
"You underestimate yourself and overrate me," the Heavenly Emperor spoke very politely.
"The true players in this eternal game are Entropy and the Dao Ancestor, while I am merely a spectator, a gambler placing bets on the side."
The Heavenly Emperor and Qiao Mu locked eyes, their gazes calm, not resembling the aloof Heavenly Emperor at all.
"As for you…"
"Possessing the ability to attain immortality and having already reached this point, there is nothing I, a deceased person, could force you to do."
"Even if it is a heavenly oath, how much can it restrict someone who is immortal?"
"So, I just want to create a kind bond." The figure of the Heavenly Emperor became more blurred, and he continued:
"The so-called Heavenly Emperor is actually not very different from any True Immortal. If a True Immortal has almost endless time to practice, then everyone can hope to become a Heavenly Emperor."
"Since you have reached the end of the path of evolution for living beings and have become truly extraordinary, then to reach my level is just a matter of time."
"And conveniently, time does not mean anything to you."
"You do know quite a bit." Qiao Mu wasn’t surprised at all.
A True Immortal is a practitioner who understands the laws of heaven and earth. An Immortal Yanshen can interfere with time, and the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor can know the past and foresee the future, so the grand Heavenly Emperor naturally has even greater abilities.
For someone burdened with the Long Life Lock, time indeed has little meaning.
In the battle with the Undead Immortal Lord, he directly spent over a hundred lives, going through a total of a hundred thousand years of Long Life Dream, using the accumulation of a hundred bodies to severely injure the Undead Immortal Lord.
If Qiao Mu wanted, he could die a hundred times or a thousand times, but even with great amounts of experience, he could not figure out how to completely defeat the Undead Immortal Lord.
Perhaps the Heavenly Emperor treated him so kindly because he understood this.
The Heavenly Emperor stands above all the immortals in the celestial realm because his magical power and understanding of the way surpass all True Immortals, and no one can match him.
Although Qiao Mu in front of him is a junior, he possesses the ability of immortality, so catching up to the Heavenly Emperor is just a matter of time—there is no essential difference between a True Immortal and a Heavenly Emperor, only a difference in the accumulation of experience, with no change in quality.
The so-called Immortal Lord, Celestial Venerable, and the Heavenly Emperor’s daughter, as well as the Heavenly Emperor… all these titles are merely identities and names like those of noble lords in the mortal world.
The difference in accumulation is indeed vast and requires an immeasurable amount of long time.
However, for Qiao Mu, time is not a problem.
But this is still not enough.
What he wants is not just to catch up to the Heavenly Emperor, but to achieve what even the Heavenly Emperor cannot do.
"This remains of All Laws are Inviolable is a small gift," said the Heavenly Emperor lightly.
"When you can bear this weight, it will naturally be All Laws are Inviolable."
As he finished speaking, the crown on the Heavenly Emperor’s head on the Heavenly Emperor’s Throne suddenly fell apart, transforming into shining light that flowed into the Heavenly Emperor’s body.
The Heavenly Emperor Projection also became increasingly blurry, about to completely disappear.
Qiao Mu watched this scene, with many thoughts crossing his mind:
"It seems the Heavenly Emperor indeed kept a backup plan, bringing the Heavenly Emperor’s daughter’s two reincarnations, Qiao Canxue Qiao Feixian, safely to this Lingxiao Treasure Hall, causing the Heavenly Emperor Projection within to manifest."
"If I had tried to interfere with this Heavenly Emperor’s remains like Patriarch Qingmu and the others when we first entered the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, I cannot imagine the consequences."
As the Heavenly Emperor Projection was about to fade away, Qiao Mu suddenly remembered something and stepped forward to ask:
"You said you are just a gambler watching the game, then what about the Dao Ancestor?"
"Since there is a spark of awareness appearing, why not say it clearly?"
The projection of the Heavenly Emperor was now blurry, and Qiao Mu could only vaguely see the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he softly chanted:
"No image in all directions, no trace in the six paths. Jumping out of the three realms, not within the five elements."
"It is not easy to meet the Dao Ancestor."
"However, once you inherit the power and burden of the Heavenly Emperor, the Dao Ancestor, who has always been in the background, will naturally not just watch from the sidelines."
"At that time, you can ask him yourself!"
As soon as the words fell, the projection of the Heavenly Emperor became indistinct and completely vanished.
Only the body of the Heavenly Emperor on the throne remained, still as it was before, with a continuous flow of original celestial energy emanating from it, gathering into a large umbrella above.
Qiao Mu chuckled softly; just as he was about to step forward, someone behind him grabbed his sleeve.
Turning back to look, Qiao Feixian, who had transformed into two people, stood behind Qiao Mu and tugged at his sleeve, her expression not showing anything special, her eyes deep like a bottomless well:
"Has the adoptive father really made up his mind?"
Qiao Canxue stood two steps away, hesitating for a moment without speaking.
Qiao Mu laughed twice and walked boldly towards the Heavenly Emperor’s body, reaching out to touch it.
He began to use a martial skill he had perfected long ago but had never used before.
"Taotie Swallowing Heaven Skill!"
Suddenly, a powerful pulling force erupted, drawing in all the original immortal energy surrounding the Heavenly Emperor’s remains.
Yet, no matter how much Qiao Mu absorbed, the Heavenly Emperor’s remains showed not the slightest change, and the original immortal energy continued to flow out endlessly.
At first, Qiao Mu appeared calm, but after a moment, his expression changed slightly, and his body suddenly shattered into pieces.
From the blood, a newborn Qiao Mu stepped out.
"No wonder the Heavenly Emperor said that; it seems that carrying this weight is not easy," Qiao Mu thought.
"A snake cannot swallow an elephant. Even though the Heavenly Emperor is dead, I still cannot contain or digest such great power with the Taotie Swallowing Heaven Skill."
"The title of the strongest in all worlds is truly not a false one."
The Heavenly Emperor was so powerful that the source of this body’s celestial energy was many times greater than the combined spiritual energy of a vast world.
If Patriarch Qingmu and others, who entered the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, could really refine a bit of the Heavenly Emperor’s source, they might also ascend to True Immortal status.
Qiao Mu thought for a moment, and his body turned into a mist of blood, which quickly enveloped the Heavenly Emperor.
After achieving the true body of martial arts, his physical form was no longer limited to a human shape; at that moment, he transformed into a thick mist of blood that enveloped the Heavenly Emperor’s body.
"Taotie Swallowing Heaven Skill!"
At this moment, every wisp of blood mist was using the Taotie Swallowing Heaven Skill, trying to swallow the body of the Heavenly Emperor.
This time he held on longer, the blood mist grew thicker, but in the end, it still burst apart and exploded.
In the void, another reborn Qiao Mu stepped out.
He grabbed the Human Emperor Sword nearby, and his previously indifferent gaze suddenly became clear.
"The direction is not wrong; it’s just that a snake cannot swallow an elephant, no matter how clever it tries to be." After two failures and two thousand years of reflection in the Long Life Dream, Qiao Mu had gained some understanding.
It’s like how digestive tablets can help digestion, but even if you eat a ton of them, you still cannot consume an entire cow in one meal.
"So next, it is just a matter of time."
"The snake cannot swallow the elephant, unless the snake also transforms into a creature as large as the elephant; then it might have a chance. And to reach that point, who knows how many thousands of years it would take."