Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 945 The Heavenly Emperor Grants Him the Throne

The shattered Great Freedom Demon transformed into countless shimmering light and shadow, each corresponding to a constantly changing demonic thought. The shimmering light collapsed time and time again, yet was reborn in each transformation.

From the nine-tiered glazed lotus throne left behind by Chu Tai, countless mists arose, manifesting various strange phenomena that surrounded the Great Freedom Demon, mending his losses.

"You are so merciful. Even knowing that I can bring them back to life, you are unwilling to harm these dead souls."

A voice, seemingly present yet absent, seemingly sighing, seemingly regretful, seemingly praising, seemingly mocking, emanated from Chu Tai's heart. The form of the Great Freedom Demon was about to take shape again, but as soon as the bell rang, its form shattered once more.

Chu Tai looked down at the countless shimmering light and shadows scattered by the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon. The Eastern Emperor Bell in his palm spun continuously, generating a tremendous suction force. Like peeling away layers of silk, it pulled out strands of shimmering light from the shimmering light and shadows, crushed and reassembled them, and transformed them into nourishment for many Dao Fruits.

The Great Freedom Demon didn't care. He barely managed to conjure a face and said to Chu Tai, "It seems you really don't want to exchange more words with me. But after you listened to my story, my calculations were complete. How will you be sure that your achievement of the First Grade True Dao is real and true? How will you be sure that the anchor point you found is accurate?"

"If you have even the slightest doubt in your heart, your path to becoming a first-grade cultivator will inevitably become more difficult."

As he spoke, the Great Freedom Demon burst into laughter, and the memories of countless beings within the Ninth-Rank Glazed Throne began to crumble. He clearly intended to take these people away.

The sound of the Eastern Emperor Bell echoed all around again, the light of time stopped, and Chu Tai stepped forward to increase the intensity of the extraction, staring at the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon.

“I know your schemes, but I don’t mind. All I lack is the final intelligence. As for the doubts you’ve left in my mind, or the schemes you’re trying to devise for me, you might as well take a look at what they are.”

The Eastern Emperor Bell swayed gently, and the first-grade Dao Fruit of the Mountain Spirit system, [Cheng Tian], slowly emerged.

The vast, illusory land emerged as the Dao Fruit materialized. This land was initially desolate and silent.

But soon, with the appearance of the first ray of light and the landing of the first drop of water, the pulse of life became apparent.

Crustal movements, volcanic eruptions, atmospheric circulation, glacial melting, and water vapor evaporation—these and many other primordial natural changes led to the birth of the earliest life.

New shoots break through the soil, ants begin to appear; life begins from the smallest unit and gradually covers the entire earth, even spreading towards the sky.

Then came the emergence of various civilizations, including the fire spirit civilization that lived in the sandstone and volcanoes, the merman civilization that existed in the ocean, the natural civilization that was full of tall plants, the amphibian civilization, the bird civilization, and the most common human civilization.

These civilizations relied on the earth, and the earth carried the civilizations. The so-called sky is not only the physical sky, but also the "sky" created by the civilization's rituals.

In the beginning, chaos was divided, and Yin and Yang were formed. Yin and Yang harmonized, giving birth to the nine realms. The earth, following the will of Heaven, gave birth to all things…

This is a near-perfect first-grade Dao fruit, but its imperfection lies in the excessive Heavenly Will within it, which causes an imbalance between Heaven and Earth.

Chu Tai looked at the fruit and the various powers that the Heavenly Demon had fallen into, which stimulated the illusory image of civilization to continuously improve.

Looking back at the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon, Chu Tai said, "Over the years, as I've comprehended the Dao Fruit of [Heavenly Inheritance], I've already guessed some information about the First-Grade True Dao, but I've never been able to confirm it."

"But the Heavenly Emperor can't tell me this, because he needs someone to help balance the relationship between the two Great Heavens, and even to pull me into the camp of the Immortal Manifestation and Transformation Great Heaven; it's also not appropriate for the Taiyi Ancestor to tell me, because he needs someone to maintain the balance between the two Heavens and continue the Taiyi Immortal Lineage between the two Heavens."

"That's why I chose you. Only you can tell me the truth and give me a clearer understanding of the future."

Chu Tai placed his palm on the light and shadow left by the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon, which resembled the area around his heart, and slowly pressed down. Wisps of crystal-clear light bloomed, repelling Chu Tai's palm outward.

Maintaining his pressure, Chu Tai said coldly, "Now I understand why the Patriarch didn't believe I could achieve the first rank before the Journey to the West period ended."

"Because I don't have enough time. Other cultivators, after reaching the third rank, will start to trace their own time, gradually occupy their past, and generate more ancient traces of their existence. But I don't have this problem. With the Eastern Emperor Bell and the Dao Fruit of the Time Light System, I have never had these problems from the beginning."

"My time has always been suppressed by the Eastern Emperor Bell, and no one can interfere with it. Naturally, I have not thought about this aspect. In addition, I have achieved success in my cultivation and entered the Three Pure Realms. I left too little cosmic light in the two Great Heavens. Once I achieve the first rank, I will inevitably be rejected by the two Great Heavens."

"After all, the First Grade True Dao, in terms of rank alone, is already infinitely close to, or even no less than, the Great Heaven itself."

"The Great Heaven can still regard a second-grade Dao Fruit as a mature fruit or an undeveloped infant. However, a first-grade Dao Fruit can already threaten the Great Heaven. If it does not leave enough connections beforehand and has enough destiny, it will inevitably break away from the Great Heaven at the moment of attaining the Dao and become independent, no longer able to interfere with the two Great Heavens."

The Heavenly Demon barely managed to muster his power, and said intermittently, "Even if you...know...it, so what...can...you...do...it?"

"How...can you...resist? In the end...the only way...if you want to achieve the first-grade...true Dao...is to use the Dao Qi of outsiders as a ladder...otherwise...otherwise the moment you attain Dao...will inevitably cause...a violent upheaval in the Three Pure Ones...and I...and Heaven...can then break free from the seal..."

"You can't afford to gamble..."

"Yes, I know I can't afford to gamble, but I see another possibility within [Cheng Tian]!"

Chu Tai's palm pierced through the chest of the Great Freedom Demon in the shocked gaze of the demon, extracting a portion of the power of the Dao Fruit and merging it into the Eastern Emperor Bell to nourish the many Dao Fruits.

Afterwards, Chu Tai returned to the side of the Heavenly Emperor of the Three Pure Ones and silently refined the Eastern Emperor Bell. The struggle between the Great Dao of Taiyi and the Dao of Heavenly Demons became increasingly apparent.

He gradually extracted and gathered countless forces of change, eventually integrating them into his own Dao.

During this time, the Heavenly Demon began to avoid Chu Tai, because when he extracted the power of the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon, the Eastern Emperor Bell took away all the changes in the cosmic light, so even the Heavenly Demon had no way of knowing what had happened at that time.

Or rather, his desire to know would inevitably trigger a response from the Eastern Emperor Bell.

Even a powerful figure like the Heavenly Demon, a senior first-rank expert, couldn't possibly discern the information suppressed beneath the Eastern Emperor Bell before Chu Tai could react.

Unaware of the unforeseen events and having lost some of his power, the Heavenly Demon naturally didn't want to continue entangled with Chu Tai. Most of the time, he simply relinquished some of his transformative power to escape Chu Tai's pursuit. As time passed, Chu Tai watched as the Buddha Tathagata bestowed his seal.

Having witnessed Su Hua, who had completed her cultivation first, gather the essence of the growth of many flowers in the world, and thoroughly integrate some of the principles of the Yuanjun system [Sile] into her own Dao fruit, she led dozens of Kunlun female immortals and flower fairies and goddesses away from the Three Pure Realms and returned to the Immortal Manifestation Dao Transformation Great Heaven.

That day, through the connection between the Three Pure Heavens and the outside world, Chu Tai vaguely saw the unspeakable and many distorted forces, but compared to the past, there seemed to be a trace of order. Obviously, without the interference of Heaven and Heavenly Demon, the Immortal Manifestation Dao Transformation Great Heaven had also begun to self-correct and recover.

Taking this opportunity, Chu Tai also relied on the power of the Eastern Emperor Bell to sense some of the changes in the Eastern Celestial Realm and established a brief connection with his several avatars.

Through a brief resonance between the Eastern Emperor Bell and the Celestial Cauldron, he transferred a portion of his gains into the Celestial Cauldron, enhancing the power of the Eastern Mountain pantheon.

At the same time, he also sensed the state of the Celestial Cauldron and gained a clearer understanding of the essence of the First-Grade True Dao.

'Indeed, the immortal destiny that the Heavenly Emperor of the Journey to the West spoke of, which sustains a True Lord, does not mean that achieving the first rank of True Dao requires immortal destiny. Rather, it means that a True Lord needs immortal destiny as a connection to remain in the mortal realm. A True Lord without immortal destiny, unless they break through without relying on the power of the Great Luo Heaven, will inevitably be pulled into the Great Luo Heaven at the moment of breakthrough.'

'Thinking about it, it makes sense. If the power of a First-Grade True Dao were to be unleashed without restraint, could the Great Heaven truly withstand it?'

Chu Tai recalled the feeling that [Cheng Tian] gave him. He felt that if no one stopped him, he could unleash all the power of the [Cheng Tian] Dao Fruit without any scruples. He could easily crush countless worlds in the Three Pure Realms and reshape them into a new world of earth, water, fire, and wind.

If even Chengtian is like this, Chu Tai dares not imagine how terrible the impact of a full-scale war would be if the other True Lords did not restrain each other.

Such power must naturally be limited by the Great Heaven.

This also explains why, even though the Immortal Manifestation Dao Transformation Great Heaven and the Eastern Extreme Chenguang Great Heaven are not significantly different in rank, the difference in the number of first-grade cultivators between the two heavens is so great.

The fundamental reason is that the Heavenly Emperor in the Immortal Manifestation of the Great Heaven has reached the pinnacle of the First Rank, and the Great Heaven itself is under his control. If he so desires, he can naturally allow more First Rank beings to exist.

Of course, it could also be the difference between the way of gods and the way of immortals.

'Perhaps after achieving the first rank in the Divine Path, one's connection with the Great Heaven will become even closer, becoming some aspect or derivative of it?'

With the two-day communication severed, Chu Tai's thoughts drifted somewhat, but the Heavenly Emperor beside him slowly spoke: "You intend to use the Eastern Emperor Bell to attain enlightenment? Do you know that after doing this, you will no longer be yourself?"

Chu Tai did not answer, and the Heavenly Emperor continued, "I can sense that there are eight special Dao Qi, equivalent to the first rank, flowing and changing within your Eastern Emperor Bell. At its core is a Primordial Dao Qi originating from the Great Luo Heaven. Once you choose to entrust your true Dao to it, you will perfect the Dao Fruit hidden within the Eastern Emperor Bell. Your best outcome will be to become the spirit of the Eastern Emperor Bell, rather than to attain Dao on your own."

"Although according to my speculation, after achieving the Innate Realm, all kinds of acquired concepts are not important. It doesn't matter whether you attain the Dao through a tool, a human body, or a deity. But before you attain the Dao, your identity is still very important."

"This concerns who you really are and what you really are. And I remember this is something you've always been very concerned about. Can you let it go?"

Chu Tai chuckled lightly: "Perhaps the way I attain enlightenment will surprise all of you?"

"To everyone's surprise, do you want to rely on the Celestial Cauldron you left in the Eastern Celestial Realm, or those eight incarnations? Although they have some abilities, they cannot bring you a stable destiny and power. If you want to attain enlightenment and stay in the mortal world, relying on them alone is not enough."

"If you are willing, after Fellow Daoist Taiyi makes his choice, when you return to the Eastern Pole Chenguang Great Heaven, I can condense the Venerable Positions of your two incarnations and integrate them into the Pure and Eternal Blessing Great Heaven. You can stay in my Great Heaven to attain enlightenment."

For the first time, the Heavenly Emperor revealed his needs to Chu Tai: "As long as you remain in the Great Heaven and stabilize the power of the Unfathomable Later Saint Emperor, I can handle the problems of the Three Realms and Heavens myself."

"If you are willing to help, I can give you more rewards, such as all my insights after I attained enlightenment, all the problems in the later stages of first-grade cultivation, and many doubts that may be encountered in the process of reversing the innate from the acquired."

Chu Tai did not answer, but after a moment of silence, he said quietly, "Aside from these, you should also hope that I can stop the possible invasion of the Immortal Manifestation Dao Transformation Great Heaven."

"That's natural. After you become an emperor, it is your duty to protect the heavens."

After the Heavenly Emperor finished speaking, he added, "If you are worried about your companions in your own Great Heaven, I can also help you once to bring them into the Pure and Blessed Great Heaven. Finally, I can also give you a promise: after I attain enlightenment, everything in the Pure and Blessed Great Heaven can be left to you. You will inherit my position and become the next Heavenly Emperor of the Pure and Blessed Great Heaven, gaining power that is infinitely close to that of a Primordial True Saint."

"With such a position, coupled with the Eastern Emperor Bell in your hand, even I am no match for you now, and you are enough to unify the two great heavens."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai couldn't help but sigh, "The Heavenly Demon's many bewitching methods are far inferior to yours."

"He is merely using various magics to conjure up some illusory possibilities for you, but what I say is absolutely true. As long as you nod, you can get everything you want."

The Heavenly Emperor looked at Chu Tai and even revealed an imperial seal in his palm in front of him. Although it was not yet complete, Chu Tai could feel a power close to that of the [Heavenly Mandate]. It seemed that once this thing was completed, it would be enough to support the status of a first-rank True Monarch.

Looking at this priceless treasure, Chu Tai's gaze couldn't help but wander; this was something that could elevate one to the heavens in one step.

But when he looked at the Eastern Emperor Bell, his eyes regained their clarity.

He knew very well that with the Eastern Emperor Bell, achieving the first rank was inevitable; the only problem now was time.

Chu Tai wanted to try again regarding this issue.

Therefore, he ultimately refused the Heavenly Emperor's offer.

"Very well, let's wait for Fellow Daoist Taiyi to return completely and let him make his choice first. My door is always open for you."

(End of this chapter)