The Heavenly Emperor of Chu

Chapter 198 The Immortal Phoenix Asks the Way
Xianhuang kept a low profile on this trip, without making a big fuss. He was going to meet a legendary figure, and being too flamboyant might cause unnecessary trouble.

Before long, the Celestial Phoenix arrived silently outside the ancient star of the Big Dipper.

In the vast galaxy, a brilliant ancient star floats in the sky, radiating a hazy, clear light, and its surface is covered with dozens of Daoist auras. These auras were left behind by beings of the highest Dao, and some even harbor supreme beings lurking here.

"As expected of the ancient star of the Big Dipper, known as the burial star of emperors, many supreme beings have indeed passed away here." Immortal Phoenix gazed at the brilliant ancient star of life before her and sighed.

When he was young, he had also traveled to various ancient life-bearing stars, but at that time his cultivation was weak and he could not see much of the secrets.

After attaining enlightenment, he devoted himself to the method of transformation, spending almost all his time at home and rarely traveling outside.

When he reappeared on the ancient star of the Big Dipper, he began to see some clues.

The Celestial Phoenix could sense that there were several places on the ancient star of the Big Dipper where the aura of the ultimate level was dormant, but their condition was very poor, far from their peak.

"Are those the supreme beings of the forbidden zones who severed themselves?"

After glancing at those places a few times, the Immortal Phoenix ignored them completely. These Supreme Beings were too weak to interest him in the slightest; even in their prime, they wouldn't be a match for him.

The Celestial Phoenix had no interest in targeting these supreme beings from forbidden zones; as long as they didn't cause trouble, he wouldn't bother with them.

Before long, the figure of the Immortal Phoenix appeared in front of a continuous black mountain range.

Immortal mountain!
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Undying Mountain was a notorious forbidden zone for life, and it was extremely active in the early stages of the ancient era, having launched more than one dark upheaval.

This forbidden zone was even known for its repeated attacks on the Heavenly Emperor Taiyi and the Great Emperor Fuxi, making it a notorious figure throughout the world.

However, after Emperor Fuxi attacked the Immortal Path, the Undying Mountain Forbidden Zone fell into complete silence, and no supreme being has emerged for three or four hundred thousand years, causing people to gradually forget the existence of the Undying Mountain.

Not only the Undying Mountain, but other forbidden zones of life are the same; no supreme being has emerged in the past hundreds of thousands of years.

Just as the Immortal Phoenix approached the edge of the Undying Mountain, a hunched figure emerged from the depths of the mountain and slowly approached the Immortal Phoenix.

The figure appeared to move slowly, but in reality, it could overcome numerous obstacles with a single step, displaying an effortless and graceful demeanor.

His hair and beard were all white, his face was covered with wrinkles, and he looked like a candle flame in the wind, as if he might be extinguished at any moment.

"The former emperor?"

Immortal Phoenix's expression turned serious. He could see the background of the old man in front of him; he was a Daoist who had once been invincible.

If word got out that a former enlightened being was willing to become someone else's servant, it would surely cause many brilliant minds to lose their composure.

After all, that's a landscape that many people pursue their whole lives but can never touch.

"Fellow Daoist Immortal Phoenix, the Heavenly Emperor invites you!"

The old man stared blankly at the beautiful and graceful phoenix before him, but he quickly came to his senses.

"Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist! May I ask how you should address me?" Immortal Phoenix cupped her hands in greeting to the old man.

As the saying goes, even a seventh-rank official is inferior to a prime minister, let alone someone under the patronage of the Heavenly Emperor.

"This old man is Xuanwu. Your Majesty, you are too kind. Let us go see His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor first!"

Seeing this, the fairy nodded slightly, and then the two disappeared into the vast black mountain, one after the other.

Within the Immortal Mountain range stretches a majestic mountain range, each exceptionally grand. Numerous ancient medicinal herbs grow within it, and many rare and exotic beasts inhabit this place, making it a first-class blessed land in the human realm.

These black mountains are also engraved with layers upon layers of imperial array patterns. Even if a Dao Proving cultivator were to break in, they would most likely have to pay a price to escape.

"This is truly a rare divine land. If one could live here for a long time, even an ultimate supreme being could live a little longer." The Immortal Phoenix looked at the Undying Mountain, which was filled with divine light, and a hint of envy appeared in her eyes.

He could sense that deep within the Undying Mountain, there was indeed a faint trace of longevity substance that could allow beings of the highest level to live for a longer period of time.

Such a place is extremely rare, even in the vast world.

"This is all thanks to the Heavenly Emperor. If the Heavenly Emperor hadn't given back to the human realm back then, the Undying Mountain wouldn't have undergone such an amazing transformation," the Xuanwu Ancient Emperor said with a smile.

"Giving back to the human realm? The Heavenly Emperor has truly reached the level of a Celestial King."

The Immortal Phoenix felt a tremor in its heart. Although it had not yet been born when the human world underwent a great change, it still sensed the changes in the world. Otherwise, it would probably have taken more than 100,000 years to be born smoothly.

He had previously suspected that it was the Immortal King's feedback, but he had never been certain until today when the Xuanwu Ancient Emperor said it. Only then did the Immortal Phoenix confirm that the Taiyi Heavenly Emperor had indeed reached the Immortal King level.

"A Celestial King! Even in the Celestial Realm, he is an extraordinary being. For an ordinary True Immortal, it is more difficult than for a mortal to ascend to heaven. I never thought that a being in the Human Realm would have the opportunity to meet a Celestial King."

A hint of joy appeared in the eyes of the immortal phoenix. To have an audience with the immortal king was a great opportunity even for a true immortal, let alone for him.

If he could get a word or two of advice, it might save him from taking many detours. Thinking of this, Xianhuang's steps became lighter.

Before long, the two arrived at a sacred mountain deep within the Undying Mountains. At the summit of that sacred mountain stood an ancient tree about ten feet tall and as thick as a water bucket. The leaves of this ancient tree were very peculiar, with various shapes; some resembled weapons, some resembled celestial spirits, and some even resembled immortals.

The entire mountaintop is enveloped by a unique avenue, which instantly relaxes the mind.

Near the ancient tea tree of enlightenment, a figure shrouded in golden light sat cross-legged. When the immortal phoenix looked at it, she felt that the figure before her was like the Great Dao itself, and endless mysteries surged into her heart.

At the same time, Xianhuang also felt a strange sense of familiarity with this figure.

"Xuanwu greets the Heavenly Emperor!"

"The Celestial Phoenix greets the Heavenly Emperor!"

The two bowed slightly, paying their respects to the figure before them.

Wow!
In an instant, the figure shrouded in golden light opened its eyelids, and the entire world seemed to come alive, with all things bowing down.

"No gift!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the two of them involuntarily stood up, as if it were the proper thing to do. When the Immortal Phoenix reacted, her eyes were filled with shock, while the Ancient Emperor Xuanwu was already used to it and slowly retreated from the divine mountain.

"Little Phoenix, you have indeed lived up to my expectations and have successfully embarked on the right path," the hazy golden figure said.

"My lord?"

The Immortal Phoenix didn't pay attention to the way the figure was addressed, but instead noticed the sentence that followed. Judging from the tone, the hazy figure in front of her didn't seem to be the true form of the Supreme Heavenly Emperor.

“Little Phoenix, I am not the true form of the Heavenly Emperor Taiyi, but his golden body of faith, watching over the mortal realm on behalf of His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor. You may call me Emperor Taiyi.”

"Before he left, the Heavenly Emperor gave me a special instruction: if any Dao-proving beings in the human realm were to live out their third life on their own, I should offer them guidance as appropriate, so that they would not go astray."

"Little Phoenix, I have high hopes for you. You have three chances to ask questions, so don't waste this opportunity. Please be careful."

After the King finished speaking, his eyelids drooped, awaiting the Empress's question.

As Chu Tianshu's idol, the Thai King possesses almost all of Chu Tianshu's cultivation experience, making him more than capable of guiding beings in the human realm.

If it were an ordinary person who had lived through three lifetimes to attain enlightenment, the Thai king would only give him one chance to ask questions. However, the Celestial Phoenix had indeed been of considerable help to Chu Tianshu; he had comprehended the method for his fifth incarnation's transformation from the Celestial Phoenix egg.

Furthermore, after Chu Tianshu purified the bloodline of the Phoenix Egg, it had transformed into a celestial spirit with extraordinary potential and the hope of traversing the mortal path to immortality. This is why the Thai Emperor favored it so much.

"Three chances?"

Immortal Phoenix was overjoyed. Although the person in front of her was not the true form of the Supreme Heavenly Emperor, his strength had reached an incredible level, which would surely benefit her greatly.

This was a rare and precious opportunity. The Immortal Phoenix was extremely rare. After a long while, he finally asked his first question.

"Your Majesty, how does one attain the status of a mortal immortal?"

After asking her question, Xianhuang looked on with bright eyes, waiting for the Thai King's response.

More than 200,000 years ago, someone asked the Heavenly Emperor Taiyi how to become an immortal, but the Heavenly Emperor Taiyi's answer was too general and incomprehensible to the world.

At this moment, the immortal phoenix is ​​walking on the mortal immortal path. Although there is a lighthouse in front of her, the road ahead is pitch black, and she could easily fall down if she is not careful.

As the first being to successfully traverse the mortal path to immortality, the Supreme Heavenly Emperor must have his own unique perspective on this path, which may illuminate his way forward.

"Through life after life, you will transform, progressing from simple to complex and then back to simple again. By understanding the great secrets of physique, you will naturally be able to become a mortal immortal." The Emperor's voice was not loud, but every word was profound, as if each profound truth was imprinted in the mind of the Immortal Phoenix.

A true word is passed on, and a thousand volumes of books are falsely passed on.

Immortal Phoenix's eyes lit up instantly, and the fog before him dissipated. In the dim light, he seemed to see a thorny path.

Just this one sentence was enough to make the Immortal Phoenix exclaim that the trip was worthwhile, and she couldn't wait to go back to seclusion and research her own path to immortality in the mortal world.

But Xianhuang quickly calmed down. He still had two more opportunities to ask questions, but he didn't know what to ask for the time being.

The opportunity was too rare for him to waste on some meaningless questions, and for a moment, Xianhuang was extremely conflicted.

However, he seemed to realize something soon and quickly stood up and bowed again.

"Your Majesty, may I ask you about these two questions later?"

After saying that, Xianhuang looked nervously at the hazy figure in front of her.

It wasn't that he had no doubts, but rather that he was confident he could eventually resolve the issue. In that case, he might as well try to save the opportunity for later.

Even immortal beings find it extremely difficult to pay homage to a Celestial King, let alone have the opportunity to learn from him. Such an opportunity may not come again in the future.

(End of this chapter)