Chapter 224

Chapter 224: A Second Life?

"What is that place?"

The black-robed youth’s gaze stretched into the distance, where a small town shimmered with lamplight and an ancient, unadorned pavilion stood. Even his Divine Sense couldn’t penetrate the building to glimpse its secrets.

"That is Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

The Black-robed Immortal King’s gaze sharpened. "For over half a year, this pavilion has stood in the Southern Wilderness of the Yuan Realm. I had thought it merely housed an astrologer somewhat skilled in the art of calculations. But now, it seems Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is far more complex."

Pressing his thin lips lightly, the black-clad youth smiled faintly. "This Heaven’s Secret Pavilion operates under its own laws, shaping an autonomous world. Independent of the Heavenly Dao—naturally, it’s anything but ordinary."

"Since the birth of this cosmos, no one has ever achieved such a feat."

"When time allows, I mean to meet this master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

…

Meanwhile, in that new realm, the crowd still reeled from the shock of the World Master of the Xuankong World’s death. An overwhelming dread gripped them.

A true immortal, obliterated in the blink of an eye.

The terror left by the Black-robed Immortal King was bone-chilling.

Two streams of clear tears traced down Su Miao Zhen’s cheeks.

A seed of hatred sprouted within her heart.

"Farewell, Daoist friends. Until we meet again," stammered the man in yellow, unease tightening his chest as he hastily took his leave.

Meng Changan and the Green Robe Drunkard vanished too.

Across the heavens, only that chasm in the sky remained—a scar slashed across the firmament, conspicuous as a dividing line.

Staring at the tear in the void, an inexplicable disquiet stirred in every heart.

Boom!

A deafening roar erupted from deep within Godfall Ridge. Golden beams of light shot in all directions as countless treasures spilled forth. Tomb after tomb of emperors materialized, unleashing an overwhelming imperial might.

"Legends say that across time, innumerable great emperors entered Godfall Ridge seeking to live a second life. Could these be the mausoleums of those very emperors and emperor venerables?" someone speculated.

"Such emperors were peerless across all realms. Their tombs must hold priceless treasure—opportunity knocks but once!" Great emperors and emperor venerables stirred with restless ambition.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Streaks of light darted toward the imperial tombs.

Even Great Emperor Ziwei joined the fray—having long waited for this moment, he lunged at the treasures without hesitation.

Ye Xu flickered out of sight, vanishing into the void.

Emperor Venerable Four Extremes wrinkled his brow. He’d encountered many emperors’ tombs before, but all lay interred within the Burial Soil—a place steeped in strangeness. For such tombs to surface was deeply suspicious.

Crack!

Suddenly, a jarring noise echoed from inside one tomb—a sound much like a coffin creaking open. Everyone froze mid-flight, scalps tingling with dread.

Could someone truly have awakened to live a second life?

Boom!

In the next moment, a large hand covered entirely in black fur lifted the coffin lid. A streak of black light burst through the dome of the imperial mausoleum, transforming into a black-haired giant ape thousands of feet tall, standing between heaven and earth.

The moment he appeared, the white-bearded old man, the middle-aged Daoist nun, and others were astonished.

"This is the Hundred-Armed Demon Ape. Two hundred and eighty thousand years ago, it was a tyrant in the Sea of All Realms and also a top Emperor Venerable expert. We thought it had long perished, never expecting it to be buried at Godfall Ridge," said the white-bearded old man with a grave expression.

"This demon is extremely malevolent, everyone be careful," cautioned the middle-aged Daoist nun.

Roar!

The Hundred-Armed Demon Ape roared towards the sky. The imperial mausoleum exploded with a loud bang. A streak of golden light entered its hand, which turned out to be a sacred staff adorned with mystical totems and divine patterns.

With a fierce and slightly blurred gaze, it stared at a Great Emperor and asked, "What year is it now?"

"Are… are you human or ghost?"

That Great Emperor was scared out of his wits.

Boom!

A streak of golden light attacked. The Hundred-Armed Demon Ape swung its magical tool; although it was tens of thousands of miles away, it arrived in an instant and with one blow subdued the greatly frightened Great Emperor, clean and swift.

"Wasting my time," said the Hundred-Armed Demon Ape disdainfully.

The Dao King looked solemn.

"Indeed, all sorts of demons and monsters are emerging." The Dao King smiled wryly. He looked towards the scars of the heavens. "The scars of the heavens have appeared; it’s time for me to attain immortality."

Condensing the luck of both realms, the Dao King had already possessed the strength to ascend to immortality. But he had been suppressing his cultivation, waiting precisely for the great change in the Yuan Realm and the appearance of the scars of the heavens.

Because the Heavenly Dao had experienced major issues and could no longer monitor everything in the lower realm. Even if he became immortal, he wouldn’t be bound by the constraints of rules from the Immortal Realm and could openly remain in the lower realm.

This was the most crucial information he had obtained from the Immortal Realm.

The Immortal Realm was changing.

"Someone has truly lived a second life!"

Lian Jiuyou gazed at the Hundred-Armed Demon Ape, his expression agitated. "Then father… father emperor, could he also be alive?"

The Green Lotus Demon Emperor was precisely in the Burial Soil.

Crack! Crack!

Strange noises sounded repeatedly. The coffins in many imperial mausoleums shattered. One by one, Emperor Venerables who had long been lost reappeared in the world.

"Master!"

"Master Uncle Six!"

"Third Generation Ancestor…"

"Imperial Great Ancestor!"

Many factions stared at the revived ancient sages and predecessors, their expressions filled with shock.

The new world instantly turned into a large family reunion scene.

"Hahaha!"

Over twenty Emperor Venerables emerged. Not a single Great Emperor was among them. These individuals emanated powerful auras. Although they hadn’t broken through to the True Immortal Realm, each had cultivation at the pinnacle of Emperor Venerable.

"The ancients truly did not deceive me; Burial Soil is indeed a good place," a top Emperor Venerable said. "This Emperor was buried one hundred twenty thousand years ago, passed through one hundred twenty thousand years, and finally succeeded in living out a second life, hahaha…"

Upon hearing this, many people’s hearts stirred with desire.

The legend of Burial Soil had existed since ancient times.

However, those who could live out a second life were extremely few; even Lin Qianmo had only seen two such individuals.

But at that moment, everyone had to believe it.

They also felt deep yearning for the divine wonders of Burial Soil.

Lian Jiuyou’s gaze was desolate. Those who had lived out a second life were all top Emperor Venerables, yet the figure of the Green Lotus Demon Emperor was entirely absent. Did this prove that the Green Lotus Demon Emperor was already dead?

Yet, back in Burial Soil, he had clearly seen the Green Lotus Demon Emperor, even spoken with his awakening consciousness. Only a short time had passed; could the Green Lotus Demon Emperor really have died?

Hum!

Just as Lian Jiuyou was lost in wild thoughts, from the deepest reaches of Godfall Ridge, strands of green light bloomed out.

Between heaven and earth, a Green Lotus slowly rose.

The gazes of countless people gathered toward it.

"This…"

Lin Qianmo’s gaze turned sharp; this aura was too familiar; unmistakably, it was the aura of the Green Lotus Demon Emperor.

Could it be that he had also succeeded?

"Another one?"

The crowd was greatly shocked as well.

The Green Lotus was born from the chaos; the lotus bore divine patterns of the Great Dao, and its petals opened layer by layer, revealing a demonically handsome man sitting in lotus position, dressed in green robes.

He appeared delicate and handsome, with a somewhat sinister aura, yet his cultivation was immensely powerful, even reaching the realm of Peak Emperor Venerable.

"Father Emperor!"

Lian Jiuyou cried tears of joy and rushed toward the Green Lotus.

"My son…"

The Green Lotus Demon Emperor showed no joy or sadness; he watched calmly as Lian Jiuyou flew toward him. In his eyes, all one saw was indifference, utterly without emotion.

"Son pays respects to Father Emperor!"

Lian Jiuyou wept profusely, kneeling in the void.

"Hmm."

The Green Lotus Demon Emperor gave a slight nod, his eyes showing no ripples.

"Strange."

Lin Qianmo frowned deeply; the Green Lotus Demon Emperor seemed like a different person entirely.

How had he overcome the predicaments back then?

In one leap, he had actually attained the level of Peak Emperor Venerable?

It was all too peculiar.