In the heavens, people become emperors by being bad.

Chapter 567 [The Azure Emperor Plays a Grand Game, the Golden Crow Illuminates the Nine Netherworlds]

"A quasi-emperor who once had an audience with the Azure Emperor."

The powerful members of the Divine Race were very excited and exclaimed, "The Azure Emperor has lived for at least ten thousand years, a lifespan that only a fully-fledged Holy Body can achieve."

Could it be that there is a quasi-emperor within the family who is comparable to the Supreme Being?

In the Dharma-ending Age, great strength does not necessarily guarantee a long life. For example, the Fighting Saint Emperor and the Void Emperor only lived one lifetime. If one lives a long life, one's strength will more or less increase.

The people of the Heavenly Court were also solemn and ready for battle. Even a pig that lived for ten thousand years could cultivate into an unparalleled powerhouse, let alone a quasi-emperor.

"Since you have met the Azure Emperor, why would you offend the Heavenly Court founded by him?"

Lin Xian shouted loudly, and wisps of immortal light bloomed from between his eyebrows. Then he unleashed the Demon Emperor's Nine Slashes towards the ancestral star of the God Clan.

"What is your relationship with the Azure Emperor, fellow Daoist?"

The ancestor deepest in the divine realm was startled. In his later years, the Azure Emperor had indeed considered establishing a Heavenly Court. The gods from all realms who came to pay homage to him had already addressed him as the Heavenly Emperor, but in the end, nothing came of it, and the Heavenly Court was never established.

"I am the messenger of the Azure Emperor, and I have been ordered to assist the Emperor in reincarnating and rebuilding the Heavenly Court."

Lin Xian looked towards the Pure Land of the Gods and said with a half-smile, "The path to immortality is about to open. Even a quasi-emperor like you has endured the torment of the longevity method to reach this lifetime. Do you think the Azure Emperor will have no way to achieve this?"

These words shocked all the saints and left the gods speechless. The Azure Emperor was still alive; he had not died.

Although everyone had some guesses beforehand, when Lin Xian made the announcement openly, everyone was astonished.

"No wonder the Heavenly Court acts so domineeringly, showing no regard for the gods, and even killing a quasi-emperor of the Heavenly Court with impunity, not afraid of retaliation from a person who is about to attain enlightenment. It turns out that the Azure Emperor is backing them up."

Many of the saints from all races who had followed to gather information suddenly realized that they were from inside the Heavenly Court. They were first shocked, and then raised their heads high.

"If the Azure Emperor is not dead, what is the point of this imperial path in this life?"

The assembled heroes were in an uproar. Amidst the murmurs, a blond youth gritted his teeth and said, "This life is too difficult. These old bastards are blocking my path to advancement..."

Upon hearing the news of the Demon Emperor's Tomb, the old Golden Crow rushed over from the Feathered Starfield, but he was too late. He stumbled upon the Heavenly Court's conquest of the God Clan and heard that the Azure Emperor was still alive. At this moment, his emotions were simply exploding.

With a fierce tiger like Ye Fan blocking the way in front and a true dragon like the Azure Emperor behind, are we supposed to let him break the Heavenly Heart Mark and become an emperor?
Throughout history, there have been many outstanding individuals like Gai Jiuyou, but his tragic end serves as a bloody lesson.

The second emperor will challenge not only the current emperor, but also the entire universe. Apart from the Chaos Body, how many people can succeed?

"Not necessarily. The Azure Emperor is definitely preparing for the path to immortality in this life. He has already enjoyed the glory of being an emperor and sovereign. He may not necessarily compete with us."

"He walks his path to immortality, we strive for our path to becoming emperor."

There are different perceptions among those who fight their way to the end of the Emperor's Road and leave their names on the Crystal Wall, especially Emperors like Zhang Bairen who are from different generations. They have already missed thousands of lifetimes, so they don't care about this one. Their mentality is very stable.

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, but no one doubted that the Green Emperor had passed away.

He was the only one to attain enlightenment since the beginning of time. How could he not have a backup plan? His plans spanned millennia, and his wisdom was like that of a demon. This is what makes him fit the image of a great emperor.

Even the ancestor of the gods firmly believed: "The Azure Emperor is playing a grand game."

"Quickly, dismantle the formation and invite the distinguished guests from the Heavenly Court inside."

The ancestor of the gods instructed that if everything was true, then the gods were clashing with a great emperor. The gods were indeed powerful, surpassing all other races, but in the eyes of a true demon emperor, they were nothing.

Having witnessed the Azure Emperor's unparalleled brilliance and peerless talent, the ancestor of the divine race absolutely refused to believe that this great emperor had passed away. He was too close to the path of immortality, and he should have persevered even if it meant being half-dead to see what was going on.

Lin Xian and the others leaped in and finally met an old Quasi-Emperor in an ancient cave.

"I've made a fool of myself in front of you fellow Daoists. This useless old man is trying to emulate the Supreme Immortal, but he's just trying to draw a tiger and ending up with a cat instead..." The God Ancestor mocked himself. He was incredibly old, with only fifty hairs on his head, which were withered and dull, but they were growing stubbornly and refused to fall out, revealing a set of loose, yellow teeth.

As for the petrification of the lower body, it simulates the Holy Spirit, allowing the vitality of the body and the Sendai to lie dormant and slumber, reducing life consumption to a minimum, thus allowing the person to live to this life.

"How can something useless be of great use?" Lin Xian smiled slightly and said, "This method of longevity was originally passed down from my Heavenly Court and was later gradually perfected by the Feathered Emperor. I wonder where the fellow Daoist of the Divine Race obtained it from."

"It was bestowed upon me by the Azure Emperor. Back then, the Azure Emperor entered the Divine Ruins and killed two Great Perfection Saint Spirits, and unexpectedly obtained this method of immortality."

The ancestor of the divine race narrowed his eyes and asked tentatively, "Fellow Daoist is the envoy of the Azure Emperor, yet you did not know?"

"The Azure Emperor is preparing for his path to immortality. In his slumber, he prepares for his final leap, ignoring worldly affairs and even entrusting the Heavenly Court to us."

Lin Xian said calmly, "If the old patriarch doesn't believe me, I can go to the Big Dipper to borrow the Chaos Green Lotus and try out this Divine Lord Formation."

"No need, Great Sage, please withdraw your supernatural powers." The ancestor of the Divine Race coughed and said, "Although I have doubts about why the Azure Emperor's envoy is a human, the Demon Emperor's Nine Slashes are enough to prove it."

"Our Heavenly Court embraces all rivers and all races as one family. How can there be a distinction between humans and demons?" Ye Fan said sarcastically. "If the gods hand over my son, our Heavenly Court will not mind sending Lord Lin, who is also a Holy Body, to arrange a marriage."

"Why don't you go?" Lin Xian sneered. "As an emperor, your job is to take concubines from all races and contribute to the peace of the universe."

"You two are joking," the patriarch of the Divine Race sighed, then summoned the current patriarch of the Divine Race and inquired about the matter.

Ye Tianxuan was originally on the ancestral planet of the God Clan, but later she took the God Clan princess hostage and broke out on her own. Her life was not in danger, but her whereabouts were unknown.

"What's wrong with your divine race?!"

The Black Emperor roared, "The Supreme Formation can stop even the Heavenly Court's army, but it can't stop two little kids!"

"There's an insider."

The current patriarch of the divine race gave a wry smile, and then went to invite three people, two of whom were God-Kings.

"It's you!"

Ye Fan suddenly stood up. The three people were all acquaintances of Beidou: Ji Haoyue, the God King of the Ji family, his sister Ziyue, and the God King of the Jiang family.

After they set foot in the starry sky, they gradually came into contact with the gods and recognized that they shared the same bloodline, so they were guided to their ancestral star.

Although Ye Tianxuan was later released, they were from a powerful imperial family, and even the gods could not easily touch them, so they could only forcibly detain them here.

"Brother Ye."

Jiang Family God King sighed. He had never expected that Ye Fan, an old friend from the Big Dipper, could reach this level and suppress the God Clan. He truly had the demeanor of commanding all the heavens.

"Ye Zi." Ji Ziyue's expression was complicated. Dressed in a purple fairy robe, she was even more beautiful than before, like a fairy from the mortal world.

The God King Ji Haoyue remained silent. Today, Ye Fan was someone that all the heroes of the Big Dipper looked up to, until he was completely out of reach.

"You can discuss the rest. I need to discuss the method of immortality with the old patriarch."

Lin Xian gloated, pushing Ye Fan out as a shield, and then discussed the Dao with the ancestor of the Divine Race.

One lived for ten thousand years and went extremely far in the petrification of the Holy Spirit, while the other mastered the longevity method of the divine organization and pushed the path of faith to its peak.

The discussions between the two individuals were highly beneficial, refining and innovating the details of the Holy Spirit's method of longevity, and also exploring the cosmic order.

"The Heavenly Court and the Divine Organization have merged; be wary of the Underworld." The Divine Ancestor, intending to curry favor, pointed out one threatening organization after another.

These two organizations have been in opposition since the age of mythology, and both possess extraordinary historical foundations.

Since the divine organization has chosen to support the Heavenly Court, the Underworld will definitely oppose it. They have no shortage of quasi-emperors. It is said that the current Yama King is a quasi-emperor of the Ninth Heaven and a primordial Yin God.

"The underworld and the heavenly court are originally one, and will be recovered sooner or later."

Lin Xian smiled slightly. As long as Duan De attains the quasi-emperor level and obtains the Salvation Scripture, he can further plot against the Underworld.

The ancestor of the divine race was slightly taken aback, then reminded him, "The Kunlun remnants should not be underestimated; they have a mysterious connection with the Immortal Bell."

"The Kunlun descendants, suppressed by Qi cultivators, also originated from the primordial lineage and have long been citizens of the Heavenly Court."

Lin Xian said leisurely, "Kunlun has already been defeated by the Emperor, so what is there to say?"

"During the Desolate Tower Era, there was a Celestial Dynasty." The Divine Race was extremely ancient, and the old patriarch even knew the history of the Chaotic Ancient Era, believing that this organization might still exist.

Lin Xian said with a strange expression, "Actually, I am a member of that organization."

"Well done, Lord Lin! He's finally shown his true colors." The old Golden Crow sighed. With a surge of divine sense, he knew that the Heavenly Court had no outstanding figures of the present day, only old fogies.

"Who?!"

In an instant, the ancestor of the divine race caught a mysterious fluctuation. He turned around abruptly, and in the deepest part of his eyes flowed an aura of creation, as if the universe had just begun.

Cultivating for ten thousand years is no ordinary feat. Even if one cannot leave the ancient cave, one is still a high-level quasi-emperor in the vast universe.

"It is truly a blessing that you, my fellow Daoist, are still alive after thousands of years."

The appearance of the young Emperor Jun, with his youthful appearance and lively instincts, startled the ancestor of the gods.

"Yes, it's you!"

The old quasi-emperor of the Divine Race said with a trembling voice, "Quasi-emperor of the Golden Crow Clan, you actually succeeded! Your Dao Fruit far surpasses that of the Divine Court Emperor..."

As fellow quasi-emperors, seeing Di Jun live out his second life, radiating youthful brilliance, the ancestor of the divine race felt incredibly conflicted.

"It's me." The young Emperor Jun frankly admitted in front of the two of them. At this point, there was no need to hide it anymore.

"It really worked! He really lived a second life! There really is a way to live forever in this world!" The ancestor of the divine race looked at the sixteen or seventeen-year-old blond boy, and tears streamed down his face. He almost lost his Dao heart, and a few of the few hairs on his head fell out.

Old Golden Crow felt the same way. Back then, he was also an old quasi-emperor struggling on the brink of life and death. Now that he had come back to life, although their friendship was not deep in the past, he still comforted him, saying, "Fellow Daoist of the Divine Race, there is no need to be agitated. The second life is difficult, but it is not impossible. At least your method of immortality has a great chance of success. It has gathered the efforts of more than one supreme being and can be perfected."

The ancestor of the divine race took a deep breath and steadied his Dao heart. The Holy Spirit Longevity Method, unlike other longevity methods, was extremely time-consuming.

"Why has Senior Golden Crow returned? Could it be that you met a perfected Holy Spirit on Feather Star?" Lin Xian asked tentatively, already crushing a jade talisman in his sleeve.

"Who are you calling senior? You old fogies are all pretending to be young. Are you some kind of ancient relic transformed from the Holy Spirit Longevity Method?" Old Golden Crow sneered inwardly, then put on a warm smile and said, "Now that you have lived a second life, the past is gone and only new life remains. You are only eighteen years old this year, Brother Lin, please don't be so polite."

"In the ancient star field of Feather Transformation, I caught a glimpse of a divine embryo that resembled that of my fellow Daoist of the Divine Race, and I knew that Brother Lin was no ordinary person."

The ancestor of the divine race had a thought: someone in the ancient star field of the Feathered Ascension Realm had perfected this method of immortality, and there was a similar divine embryo to himself.

Who exactly is it? Apart from him, no other quasi-emperor has ever been heard of taking this path.

“Brother Jinwu, you are mistaken. I see that you are full of spirit and energy, with fair skin and jade bones. You are definitely destined to be an emperor. You are the one who will achieve enlightenment in this life. How can you be subordinate to me?” Lin Xian stood up and bowed, calling him brother. Then he invited the old Jinwu to take a seat. He himself was just an ordinary little cultivator and really could not accept the honor.

The ancestor of the divine race looked at the two boys who looked only sixteen or seventeen years old in his cave, deferring to each other, and couldn't help but twitch his lips. What kind of world is this? The old monsters are all better at pretending to be young than the other.

For a moment, even the patriarch of the divine race had some doubts. He wondered if his failure to achieve Nirvana was due to his lack of shamelessness and unstable Dao heart.

The two smiled and humbly defered to each other, almost to the point of kowtowing. Finally, they sat down opposite each other, and the young Emperor Jun sighed, "With the Azure Emperor in this world, the universe has a master. I have extinguished my desire to attain the Dao and am willing to become a wild spirit in the mountains."

“Brother Jinwu is mistaken. The Azure Emperor pursues immortals and all beings become emperors without interfering with each other. Otherwise, why would the Heavenly Heart Mark be empty today? It is because the Azure Emperor used the supreme law to suppress himself with the Desolate Tower, leaving the imperial throne for future generations.”

Lin Xian's expression turned solemn, and he said very seriously, "Brother Dao's talent is extraordinary, and you have lived a second life against the heavens. This is a rare occurrence throughout the ages. The Heavenly Court has decided that you will be the Heavenly Emperor."

The Heavenly Emperor? The young Emperor Jun's lips curled into a cold smile. Since ancient times, emperors have been made through fighting. A Heavenly Emperor who is conferred a title is no longer a Heavenly Emperor. He is clearly the Son of Heaven, residing below the Heavenly Court.

“There are countless outstanding individuals in the universe, so let’s find someone more capable.” The young Emperor Jun shook his head repeatedly and said, “I only wish to cultivate immortality and seek the Dao, and dare not covet the throne.”

"No one in the universe is more wise and virtuous than you, Daoist brother. If the Golden Crow Emperor does not attain the Dao, who in this life can?" Lin Xian said sincerely, "Daoist brother, please do not refuse."

"Becoming an emperor is not my wish, I only seek the path to immortality." The young Emperor Jun smiled knowingly and said, "Isn't there still the Emperor?"

"Emperor?" Lin Xian clicked his tongue and said, "Someone who hasn't been able to trigger the Great Emperor Tribulation for hundreds of years."

"If that Vermilion Bird could take this step, it would have already succeeded and wouldn't have been sitting idly for hundreds of years." Even the ancestor of the gods looked down on him, saying bluntly, "To be afraid of one's life when undertaking great things, and to be willing to risk one's life for small gains, is not the way of a great emperor."

"Oh, then in your opinion, who in this world is worthy of becoming an emperor?" Jinwu Dijun raised an eyebrow, a heroic spirit surging forth. "Since I soared down to the world, in my first life I fought bloody battles in all directions, and was invincible in the universe. I have cultivated an invincible spirit and already have the heart of an emperor."

"The King of Hell, a primordial Yin spirit, is about to attain enlightenment." Lin Xian asked, "What kind of person is he?"

"A supreme puppet, a clown from the underworld, how could he have the heart of an emperor?" Emperor Jun said disdainfully, "I will capture those withered bones in the tomb sooner or later."

"The White-Haired Sword God, a descendant of the Heavenly Court." Lin Xian then asked, "What about the current Quasi-Emperors?"

"Lost in spirit, prematurely gray-haired, already decaying, devoid of any willpower." Di Jun shook his head and said, "Just a guard dog."

"The Immortal Empress, wife of the Emperor, with her eight divine generals gathered beneath her, all eager to make their move." Lin Xian asked with a smile, "Brother Dao, are you afraid?"

“If one could attain enlightenment, one would have done so long ago, and be no different from that emperor.” The Golden Crow Emperor laughed wildly, “Such a mediocre person is not worth mentioning.”

"Besides that, I really don't know anything else." Lin Xian spread his hands and looked at Di Jun, asking, "Brother Dao, do you know any heroes of the universe?"

"The Great Emperor possesses the power to encompass the universe and the ambition to swallow the heavens and earth. His body may die, but his will will not waver; his soul may be destroyed, but his Dao will not be scattered. This is true of all supreme beings throughout history."

The young Emperor Jun stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the starry sky, his expression extremely solemn, and said: "In the universe, only Gai Jiuyou can attain the Dao!"

Even considering the mythological era, Gai Jiuyou is one of the most amazing people in history, a rare talent. If the Azure Emperor had not achieved enlightenment before him, and the two had been too close in rank, he would have become another great emperor!
Reaching the threshold of enlightenment in just one thousand years—this talent is not comparable to a freak like the Demon Emperor Xue Yueqing, but it far surpasses the average of a Great Emperor who has lived for two or three thousand years.

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise... cough cough..." At the end of the starry sky, a sickly old man appeared. His white hair was disheveled, and his qi and blood were exhausted to the extreme. He should have been a peerless figure, ruling over the nine heavens and ten earths, but he was burdened with Dao injuries and walked with a stagger.

In the post-ancient era, the world underwent great changes, and everything was so difficult. Especially with the Azure Emperor's Great Dao still intact, he was able to reach that point, almost breaking through the eternal shackles, rewriting history, creating miracles, and truly attaining the Dao.

It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but rather that the universe was finite, the heavens blocked his path, and the Azure Emperor was too unscrupulous. He exchanged favors with the Desolate Tower, and tricked everyone from all living beings in the universe to the supreme beings in forbidden zones, not even sparing himself.

"A peerless hero." Di Jun's eyes flashed with divine light, like two blazing suns, and he said calmly, "It is a great regret in my life that we never fought back then."

"A peerless genius." Gai Jiuyou slowly raised his head. The Azure Emperor's heart pounded like thunder, and his eyes gradually cleared. He said calmly, "Throughout history, how many people have achieved such a feat as you, surpassing even the emperors?"

(End of this chapter)