Honghuang: The Golden Crow Emperor, starts by robbing the Three Pure Ones

Chapter 973 The Birth of the Emperor
With Lü Ba's fall, countless streams of light containing techniques for breaking through to the realm of gods and demons scattered across the mortal world like stars in the sky.

One of the streaks of light, carrying a powerful aura of law, roared in and finally stopped above the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty, a powerful dynasty in the mortal realm! The streak of light illuminated all directions, turning the originally dark sky into daylight, and even the restrictions deep within the imperial palace were slightly shaken by this aura.

Inside the palace, a sharp gaze pierced through the halls and locked onto the streak of light, the eyes filled with contemplation.

"Ancestor, is this... is this really the method to break through to the God-Demon Realm?"

In the deepest forbidden area of ​​the imperial palace, the one asking the question was the current emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty. Floating before him was a huge Xuan Tian amber crystal, inside which was frozen an old man—the old man's body was as solid as a sculpture, only his eyes could move slightly, exuding the vicissitudes of time.

"Yes, that's right..."

The old man's voice came from the amber, so weak it seemed it might stop at any moment, clearly indicating his impending death.

Upon hearing the affirmative reply, a hint of urgency flashed in the current emperor's eyes: "If we can obtain this item, could our Great Yan Dynasty...?"

"No."

A soft sigh interrupted the emperor's words, emanating slowly from the amber.

"In my early years, I used unorthodox methods to break through to the Emperor realm. Even after I cultivated to the peak of the Emperor realm, I had no chance to advance any further."

These words instantly turned the emperor's face ugly. How could he not know that the rules of this world had long been altered by gods and demons—the methods of advancement that had been passed down were either riddled with errors or contained fatal hidden dangers, and they simply did not allow the birth of truly autonomous emperors or Dao Lords in the mortal realm!
The old man in the amber was none other than Yan Li, the founding emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Years ago, Yan Li, by chance, imitated the Dharma form of a powerful figure from the Demon Abyss and cultivated, breaking through all the way to the peak of the True Monarch realm. However, if he wanted to advance further, he could only choose to submit to that Demon Abyss Lord and become a vassal. Yan Li was unwilling to accept this, so he secretly collected methods to break through to the Emperor realm, spending tens of thousands of years planning and finally succeeding in breaking through at great risk.

However, this breakthrough also left a fatal flaw—the Emperor's body, which should have been immortal, suddenly had a lifespan limit! After living for more than 100,000 years, his lifespan was coming to an end, and he could only seal himself in the Xuan Tian Amber, relying on the spiritual power of the crystal to prolong his life and hoping for a glimmer of hope in the future.

"Alas! If I could have a few thousand more years of lifespan, perhaps I could take advantage of this great tide of inheritance to break through to the Dao Lord realm..."

Yan Li's sigh was full of resentment, which also saddened the emperor beside him.

"Ancestor, what should we do now..."

"Let's gather resources as soon as possible." Yan Li's voice regained some of its calmness. "In this world, peaceful days are probably numbered."

The emperor nodded in agreement and was about to turn and leave when a strange, soft laugh suddenly broke the silence in the forbidden hall.

"I have a way to help you. Would you like to give it a try?"

"who!?"

The current emperor was greatly shocked—to be able to bypass the heavy restrictions of the palace and the senses of the ancestor and silently sneak into the forbidden area, such strength was by no means ordinary!
"go out!"

Just as the emperor was about to summon the guards, Yan Li, who was inside the amber, suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible excitement.

The emperor was taken aback. Although he was full of doubts, he still respectfully withdrew and dared not stay for even a moment longer.

Soon, only Xuan Tian Hu Po and Yan Li remained in the hall.

"Kakaka-"

In the quiet hall, a crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out. The once crystal-clear surface of the Xuan Tian amber was now covered with jagged cracks, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

"Poof!" The crack suddenly widened, and a figure burst out of the amber, landing steadily on the ground. It was Yan Li! The aura of a peak Emperor was no longer suppressed on his body, spreading out like a tide. His eyes were fixed on the shadows inside the hall, and his voice trembled with excitement.

"This humble old man, Yan Li, greets Senior!"

From the shadows, a figure slowly emerged. It was a man dressed in a long, golden-red robe, surrounded by a faint aura of flames. His bearing was as majestic as the blazing sun, and behind him seemed to be the phantom of a golden crow slowly circling—it was Ling Xiao!
"Your senses are quite sharp."

Ling Xiao chuckled softly, his gaze falling on Yan Li with a hint of scrutiny.

Yan Li quickly bowed and said, "Senior, you flatter me."

Although he had not personally visited Zixiao Palace, he had heard rumors about its master from his subordinate True Lords. Having just sensed the aura emanating from Ling Xiao that transcended the rules of heaven and earth, he immediately guessed the other's identity.

"You're quite clever; no wonder you were able to cultivate to the peak of the Emperor realm despite the heavy blockade imposed by gods and demons," Ling Xiao said calmly, then changed the subject, "Do you want to mend your foundation and regain sufficient lifespan?"

"miss you!"

Yan Li barely hesitated, his eyes blazing with intense desire—this was his only obsession for over a hundred thousand years!
"very good."

Ling Xiao raised his hand and grabbed, revealing a pure white pill in his palm. The pill's surface swirled with innate spiritual energy, and its aura caused Yan Li's mind to tremble, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope to mend his own flaws.

“This pill can make up for your foundational deficiencies.” Ling Xiao looked at Yan Li’s reaction and sneered disdainfully. “The so-called God and Demon Realm is nothing but a bunch of useless people who are afraid of being surpassed by others—their inherited techniques are full of loopholes, just because they are afraid that someone can climb to the same level as them.”

Yan Li swallowed hard, not daring to reply—he naturally knew that the senior in front of him didn't care about those high and mighty true gods and demons at all.

"Senior, this favor... what price should this old man pay?"

Yan Li was not blinded by joy; he knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Ling Xiao frowned and pondered for a moment, then gently shook his head: "No need. If you can break through to the Dao Lord realm, that will be the price you've paid."

These words stunned Yan Li—merely breaking through to the Dao Lord realm?

He quickly came to his senses; whatever Ling Xiao's purpose was, this was his only chance of survival.

"Even if this pill is poison, I still have to taste it to see if it's salty or not!"

"You're quite decisive."

Ling Xiao chuckled and tossed the pill to Yan Li. "I hope you won't disappoint me. Remember, you'd better advance to Dao Lord within ten thousand years, otherwise, you'll have no chance."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Xiao's figure transformed into a ball of golden flame and vanished from the hall in an instant, as if he had never existed.

Yan Li held the pill, gazing in the direction where Ling Xiao had disappeared, and stood there for a long time.

"What exactly does this senior want to do?"

He was filled with doubt, yet he knew that his fate had changed from the moment he received the elixir.

(End of this chapter)