Volume 1, Chapter 323 – Rebirth

Lingyang Realm, Central Heaven Domain, Imperial Palace.

A sky-piercing ancient tower stood to the north of the Imperial Palace. Beneath the tower stood several dozen figures. Heavy Emperor laws pressed against the surrounding void, and chaos qi spread through the air.

More than half of the Human Emperors currently active in Lingyang Realm were already gathered here. Most of them were loyal supporters of the Imperial Court. In the bloody battle in the starry sky beyond the domain, nearly all of them had been present.

A figure in black robes stood before the gathered Human Emperors. It was none other than Taishi. His gaze was fixed on the top of the ancient tower, deep as the sea, without the slightest visible fluctuation of emotion.

A treasure record appeared from the void and slowly unfurled, radiating overwhelming imperial might, as though a river of stars were rolling across its surface.

A blinding divine light shot up from the treasure record, and the Human Race Chronicle atop the ancient tower of the Imperial Palace also released a gentle glow, illuminating ten thousand stretches of mountains and rivers.

Black ripples spread through the void. Golden flames ignited in Taishi’s eyes. With one step, he ascended into the highest heavens, drew out Sovereign blood from his heart, and threw back his head in a long roar.

“Help me open the gate!”

Several dozen currents of Emperor laws suddenly surged upward, wrapping around the imperial blood as they soared. The gathered Human Emperors began a blood sacrifice, seeking to overturn yin and yang and open the Yellow Springs Road.

A gate that seemed to connect heaven and earth appeared. The light of the great sun in the sky instantly dimmed, and extreme yin qi spread across the highest heavens.

Woooo—

Suddenly, yin wind howled through heaven and earth, and the clear sky over ten thousand li was instantly covered in dark clouds. A pitch-black figure crossed the void from afar, stopped outside the Imperial Palace, and knelt in the air in supplication.

“Please, Sovereign, allow me to borrow the road into the Yellow Springs. Below the Yellow Springs, I am willing to serve the human race!”

The eternal separation of yin and yang was a rule of the Heavenly Dao. The power required to break through that rule was far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

Only the living could open the Yellow Springs Road. It required the blood of the strongest beings in the mortal world as a guide, using fierce yang qi to batter the Nine Netherworlds, and only then could one hope to break through the barrier between yin and yang for a short time.

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Most important of all, this required the sacrifice of lifespan.

This was a Ghost King whose cultivation had reached a divine level. His aura was not weaker than that of an Emperor-level supreme expert. Yet standing outside the Imperial Palace at this moment, he appeared incomparably humble, almost pleading.

For one as strong as him, only below the Yellow Springs could he seek a further breakthrough. Otherwise, he could only remain in the world of the living until his soul scattered, without even qualifying for reincarnation.

Ghosts and wandering souls stranded in the living world for various reasons rarely met good ends.

Under normal circumstances, even ten thousand years might pass without anyone opening the Yellow Springs Road even once. Had Taishi’s time not been running out, and had he not wished to preserve one more layer of foundation for the human race, he would never have taken such a risk.

To walk the border between yin and yang was perilous even for an Emperor-realm expert. A single misstep could bring disaster.

“Granted.”

Facing the Ghost King’s plea, Taishi gave a slight nod and agreed.

Dark clouds filled the horizon. Countless powerful ghosts crossed the void and came from afar, male and female alike, and far more than just humans. Many ghosts formed from the remnant souls of demons and devils were also watching from a distance.

“May the Sovereign know peace. Please let us borrow the road into reincarnation…”

“Below the Yellow Springs, we will forever remember the Sovereign’s great grace…”

“We beg the Sovereign for mercy…”

Creak—

That heaven-and-earth-reaching gate slowly opened, and a boundless river came surging down from the horizon, flowing straight into the Nine Netherworlds.

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“The Yellow Springs!”

“The road is open!”

The gathered ghosts were overcome with excitement, nearly mad with it. Had they not feared Taishi’s imperial might, they would already have swarmed forward.

Taishi swept his gaze over the ghosts around him, their excitement nearly turned to frenzy, and simply waved a hand.

“Go on.”

He stepped aside and let the gathered ghosts enter the Yellow Springs Road first. Even toward those remnant souls transformed from demons and devils, Taishi offered no obstruction at all and let them pass on.

Once these ghosts entered the Yellow Springs, there would be no road back, and they could never return to the world of the living. They would pose no more harm to the mortal realm. In this way, it could be considered another cleansing of hidden dangers from Lingyang Realm.

“Cough…”

Taishi coughed softly, pressed his lips together, and swallowed down the metallic sweetness in his throat.

Liu Yunzheng, dressed in azure robes, stepped out from the ancient tower and came to his side, brow furrowed with hidden concern.

“Yunzheng, do you think my day will come as well…?”

Taishi looked at the host of wild-eyed souls rushing toward the Yellow Springs, the divine light in his deep eyes dimming slightly, a trace of age suddenly appearing about him.

“You are the Sovereign of the human race, the backbone of the Vast Land of Shenzhou. Even upon reaching the underworld, you will continue to write an undefeated legend…” Liu Yunzheng said with solemn seriousness.

“An undefeated legend…”

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Taishi let out a low laugh, tinged with self-mockery.

“I will bring Ling Chu back. If my time is not enough afterward, I will have to trouble you then…”

Liu Yunzheng seemed not to have heard. He bowed deeply.

“I will remain here awaiting the Sovereign’s return.”

The corners of Taishi’s lips curved slightly, revealing a faint smile. He stepped forward, imperial might bursting forth. Golden radiance lit up the sky, blood and qi surged heavenward, and like a dazzling crimson sun, he plunged beneath the Yellow Springs, stirring up towering waves…

…

…

Within the dazzling space-time passage, countless lights and shadows sped backward outside the tunnel, pulling out one blurred, magnificent streak of color after another.

The group passed through and soon stepped onto solid ground.

“What were those things just now?”

Li Canglan stared blankly at Shi Lan. Thinking of the chaotic light-clusters of various sizes outside the tunnel just now, he asked instinctively.

“They should have been worlds. I’m not sure either.”

Shi Lan shook her head slightly and looked around at the surroundings. Her strength now was far greater than it had been before, but the world core had already fused with her, so it would no longer reject her true body and cause the world to collapse.

The place she had chosen to land was random. This was a stretch of wasteland. Not far away was a highway, and vehicles passed by from time to time.

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“The spiritual qi here is so thin…”

Li Canglan felt somewhat uncomfortable. The muddy aura filling heaven and earth made him feel as though every breath added impurities to his flesh. In such an environment, let alone cultivating, even maintaining one’s cultivation without regressing would not be easy.

“This isn’t Yunyan Star. It’s a world in the Age of Ending Dharma. But that’s fine. I know of a secret realm. Together with spirit crystals, it will be enough to let all of you cultivate in peace.”

This small world was, after all, a fragment of the major world Qinghong Realm. There were still quite a few places where the spiritual qi had not yet dried up.

As she spoke, Shi Lan prepared to take Li Canglan and the others through space and head straight for the secret realm.

“Wait.”

Li Canglan said hesitantly.

“Can I take a look at this world?”

Shi Lan considered for a moment, then nodded. One day in Lingyang Realm was half a year in this world. There was plenty of time.

She reached into the void and directly pulled out dozens of sets of clothing from a warehouse far away, then tossed them to Li Canglan.

“Change your clothes first.”

The youths were all somewhat excited and hurriedly changed. Only a few of the girls stood there clutching the clothes, looking embarrassed. To them, modern clothing was a little too bold.

Shi Lan herself did not think much of it. The clothes she had taken were already on the conservative side.

She directly drew out a separate stretch of space, blocked Li Canglan and the others outside it, and began teaching the girls how to dress.