Chapter 291

Chapter 291: The Secret of the Human Emperor

"Who can tell how many autumns have passed in this long dream? What year might this dusk reveal…"

A low, timeworn voice echoed endlessly within the Lingxiao Palace.

Vast energy radiated from the Human Emperor’s body, yet it no longer held its former majesty—now filled only with decay and twilight.

"Did the Human Emperor revive?"

"Is it possible he still lives?"

Gu Daojin, the Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital, and Yu Ziwei stared in horror at the scene before them, faces etched with disbelief.

Ye Xu looked toward the Lingxiao Throne. The Human Emperor remained motionless; he had not returned to life.

Buzz!

Countless divine patterns swam through the air like tadpoles, interweaving into formations. Threads of power flowed into the Human Emperor’s form, and faintly, a streak of white light drifted from his body, coalescing into a hazy figure.

A mere wisp of its aura could suppress eternity itself.

"He perished long ago," Ye Xu stated solemnly. "This must be his lingering will."

"I awakened the formation, allowing his regrets to stir briefly."

"Your insight holds true."

The Human Emperor’s will seemed fully roused now, memories restored. His gaze settled upon Ye Xu and the others as he smiled faintly. "I never imagined the Divine Court would see daylight again."

"Which epoch is this?"

"Six epochs have passed since the creation of the heavens. We now stand in the seventh," replied Ye Xu. "Millions of years separate us from the era of the Ancient Divine Court."

"Millions of years…" murmured the Human Emperor, his eyes distant. "So brief a span, yet the world has transformed utterly."

"Who commands all realms now?"

"The Ancient Divine Court’s fall plunged the worlds into chaos—a pot of disorder," Gu Daojin answered. "Now, factions carve domains among themselves. No single power rules these realms."

"Your Majesty," Gu Daojin pressed, voice tight with urgency, "the Ancient Divine Court stood peerless in glory and might. How could it shatter overnight?"

He voiced the question haunting them all.

"It changes nothing to tell you." The Human Emperor chuckled softly, all bitterness and resentment long since faded with time.

"The Ancient Divine Court incurred divine retribution. The Purple Palace obliterated us."

So it truly was the Purple Palace.

A chill swept through the group.

"The Purple Palace reigns supreme in the higher worlds, commanding the Immortal Realm. Why would they strike a lower-world power?"

This puzzle remained unsolved.

The Son of Heaven carries the Heavenly Dao and names himself Destiny’s Chosen. All existence lies within his purview—a reach even surpassing the ancient Heavenly Emperors. How could he crush a mere underworld dynasty?

Was it solely because the Human Emperor bore the luck of the Yuan Realm and might yet rise… as a second Heavenly Emperor?

"Long ago," the Human Emperor’s voice thickened with remorse, "I cultivated to the end of the Great Dao, attaining the Immortal Venerable realm. At the pinnacle of my pride… I committed a grave error."

Ye Xu’s expression turned grave. "The Human Emperor has actually reached the Immortal Venerable realm?"

It must be known that even in the Immortal Realm, an Immortal Venerable was undoubtedly a dominator of their own territory. Yet the Human Emperor, residing in the lower realm, had managed to cultivate to the Immortal Venerable realm. This alone proved how terrifying his aptitude was.

"The bearers of the luck of the Yuan Realm, they truly are freaks," Ye Xu thought to himself.

First there were the human ancestor and the Heavenly Emperor, and now the Human Emperor. Just how great an achievement could Nangong Zhandao manage?

"Your Majesty, what precisely did you do?" Gu Daojin asked solemnly.

The Human Emperor’s voice was heavy, his breathing faintly quickened as he said, "After cultivating to Immortal Venerable, I forcibly tore open a passage between the Immortal Realm and the lower realm, attempting to ascend."

Everyone was utterly bewildered to see this. An Immortal Venerable ascending to the Immortal Realm, wasn’t that entirely rightful?

"Moreover, I was at the peak of my power. It wasn’t that I wanted to ascend alone, but to bring the entire Divine Court’s subordinate forces with me, ascending together into the Immortal Realm."

"I wanted to accomplish a magnificent feat."

"The entire nation ascending!"

The Human Emperor’s aura was magnificent, his eyes shone brightly, but his voice gradually lowered.

"But the facts proved I harmed them."

Everyone was profoundly shocked.

Ascending the entire nation; this was already a violation of the rules of the heavenly path, a breaking of regulations. That was why the divine punishment was inflicted, causing the Divine Court to crumble in an instant.

The Human Emperor had been too arrogant, presumptuously attempting to defy the Immortal Realm’s rules.

The destruction of the Divine Court was within reason.

"I angered the Purple Palace and willingly received the divine punishment, but my subjects were innocent," the Human Emperor declared with resentment flashing in his eyes, his emotions becoming increasingly frenzied.

"The Son of Heaven…"

The Human Emperor clenched his teeth, a deep fear surfacing in his eyes.

He could never forget his moment under the heavenly path like an ant, that cold, indifferent gaze filled with utter contempt and chilliness.

Even as an Immortal Venerable, in the Son of Heaven’s eyes, he was merely an ant.

Everyone was deeply shaken, feeling a sense of sympathy for the Human Emperor.

A generation’s Human Emperor, concluding with such an absurd finale, truly evoked endless emotions.

"Your Majesty, I have one more question."

Ye Xu stared intently at the Human Emperor, his voice stern: "Under the rules of the heavenly path, it is difficult to reverse all things."

"However, why is it that after Your Majesty attained immortality and broke through, you could remain in the lower realm?"

"Why, even now, are there so many true immortals who have not ascended?"

"What, exactly, is the reason behind this?"

This question had long troubled Ye Xu. Although he possessed the Heavenly Machine System, he wasn’t willing to spend heavenly secrets points; after all, earning hard-won money wasn’t easy.

He believed the Human Emperor could resolve his confusion.

After all, the Human Emperor had cultivated to the Immortal Venerable realm in the lower realm, and his four Heavenly Kings were at the true immortal level, even as high as the Immortal King realm. This was clearly no isolated case.

"Who told you the rules of the heavenly path dictate that those who attained immortality must ascend to the Immortal Realm?" The Human Emperor’s gaze was detached.

"Wasn’t it?"

Not only Ye Xu, but Gu Daojin and the Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital all had their expressions dramatically change.

Although Gu Daojin remained in the lower realm, he didn’t understand what that meant.

"The Immortal Realm was not innate; it was forged by the Heavenly Emperor using the power of all beings. The Immortal Realm had no will, nor did it exercise the rules’ authority of the Heavenly Dao."

"When the Ancient Heavenly Court still existed, it monitored the Heavens and guided true immortals to ascend. When the Purple Palace took the stage, with internal chaos, how could it still care about the lower realm?"

"Those willing to ascend naturally could ascend."

"Those unwilling to ascend could also remain in the lower realm."

"Of course, that was only my view."

"Perhaps the Heavenly Emperor carrying the Heavenly Dao caused a mutation that spread to the Immortal Realm; that was not impossible."

The Human Emperor said lightly, "In the past, the human ancestor once told me that a great change would occur in the Immortal Realm, and all realms would collapse. Has all this been playing out?"

"Is Your Majesty referring to the scars of the heavens?" Gu Daojin asked in shock.

"The scars of the heavens?"

The Human Emperor frowned; he didn’t know of the existence of the scars of the heavens.

"On the day when the revival of spiritual energy happened in the Yuan Realm and Godfall Ridge was unsealed, the sky of all realms cracked, seemingly with a fissure in the Immortal Realm. Could that be the human ancestor’s prophecy?" Qin Fei Yan said.

"Perhaps,"

the Human Emperor sighed. "If a great change occurs in the Immortal Realm, disasters will surely spread to the lower realm. Then it will be a scene of devastation again."

"As a wisp of obsession, though I had the heart to turn the tide, I had no strength left."

The Human Emperor let out a sorrowful sigh.

His body twisted bit by bit.

It seemed that the existence time for this wisp of obsession was about to end.

"Human ancestor, I also failed you."

Leaving behind those last words, the Human Emperor completely turned to ashes, leaving only a corpse to rest eternally on the throne of Lingxiao.

Ye Xu furrowed his brows slightly.

The Human Emperor’s last words carried a wealth of information.

"Why did he say ‘also’?" Ye Xu muttered.

"The human ancestor had long foreseen the changes in the Immortal Realm; those scars of the heavens should be just a precursor," Qin Fei Yan said with clear eyes. "If heaven and earth indeed undergo a great change, we also cannot remain unscathed."

"Big Brother, perhaps we really should consider Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

Gu Daojin nodded.

The Human Emperor’s words had enlightened him greatly.

The reason he could stay in the lower realm was probably mostly due to a problem with the Immortal Realm’s operation, creating a bug-like loophole.

This was a bad sign.