The Heavenly Emperor of Chu

Chapter 221 The Prodigies' Mental Breakdown

"Emperor Xuan Chen may not leave any offspring; your hopes are destined to be dashed," someone sighed.

"Oh? What's the reason for that?"

"Brother Dao, please enlighten us."

Hearing that person's words immediately piqued the curiosity of some people, who then asked him for his opinion.

"Do you know why Emperor Xuanchen has almost never shown his face in public after attaining enlightenment?"

Everyone shook their heads upon hearing this, and opinions on the matter varied widely. Some said that Emperor Xuanchen was single-mindedly pursuing the Dao, hoping to ascend to immortality in the mortal world like his ancestor. Others said that Emperor Xuanchen was indifferent to fame and fortune and disliked the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

"In the first life of Emperor Xuanchen, he met a woman. The two were a perfect match, a match made in heaven."

"At that time, Emperor Xuanchen was in a state of frustration and disappointment after failing to break through to the Extreme Dao Realm. Although he had a beautiful woman by his side, he neglected her feelings and was single-mindedly focused on proving himself as an emperor. Afterwards, he decisively bid farewell to his beautiful woman and returned to the Chu family to cultivate in seclusion for thousands of years. He successfully transformed into the Overlord Immortal Body and proved himself to be an Extreme Dao Realm expert in one fell swoop."

"But when he returned, he found that the beauty of his youth had long since passed away, leaving only a desolate mound of earth and endless regret."

Everyone sighed upon hearing this, never expecting that Emperor Xuan Chen had such a past.

"If that's really the case, Emperor Xuanchen probably won't have any offspring," someone sighed.

The Overlord Immortal Body is too mysterious. Although several versions have appeared, no one has ever seen the Overlord Immortal Body truly in action, which has aroused endless imagination among people.

Emperor Xuan Chen, heartbroken by love, will most likely not leave any offspring. By the time someone cultivates the Overlord Immortal Body in the next life, a long period of time will probably have passed.

boom!
An unparalleled imperial might erupted from the ancient star Tianji, instantly sweeping across the entire human realm. The previously crumbling Heavenly Heart Mark immediately stabilized, and peace was restored to the human world once again.

Not long after, news spread from the Chu family that Emperor Xuan Chen had survived a second life thanks to the elixir of immortality, or more accurately, his third. His first two lives were the Overlord Body and the Overlord Immortal Body, respectively, and he did not take the elixir of immortality. Afterward, the human realm returned to peace once again.

During the years when the Great Emperor ruled the world, the ancient planets of the human realm maintained a state of tranquility, with almost no fighting.

As always, Emperor Xuan Chen almost never manifested himself in the outside world. Even among the high-ranking members of the Chu family, only a handful of people were qualified to see him.

Xuan Chen was unwilling to focus his energy on the outside world. The Heavenly Emperor Scripture contained several methods of transformation. If he could comprehend them thoroughly, he would likely live several more lives and might even have a chance to become a Mortal Immortal and turn back time.

Therefore, after he attained enlightenment, he almost always secluded himself in the Chu family to study the transformation method in the Heavenly Emperor Scripture.

In the Heavenly Emperor Scripture, besides the body transforming into a tyrant immortal, there are also several methods of reversing life, such as the Chaotic Body, Silkworm Molting, Yin Yin Yang Rebirth, and Rebirth from Fire.

Xuan Chen's first elimination was the "Chaotic Body". The reason was simple: the situation of the Mountain and River Emperor was similar to his. He also proved his Dao with the second incarnation of the Overlord Immortal Body. He devoted all his time in both incarnations to the Chaotic Body.

Unfortunately, even after tens of thousands of years of painstaking research, he still failed to transform into a Chaos Body. Learning from the example of the Mountain and River Emperor, Xuan Chen naturally wouldn't repeat the same mistake.

The remaining transformation methods are equally profound, but not as complex as the Chaos Body; they are just relatively more dangerous.

After much deliberation, Xuan Chen decided to focus on rebirth from the ashes and the principle of Yin giving rise to Yang, with the Chaotic Body as a secondary option.

He planned to live out his fourth and fifth lives using the first two methods, then live out his sixth life using the Chaotic Body, and finally use the silkworm molting method to transcend the cage and live out his seventh life.

"As expected of the Emperor Ancestor, he truly left us, his descendants, a path to immortality."

The five methods of transformation were all personally tested by the Supreme Heavenly Emperor and were accurate.

If someone can complete all five transformation methods, it almost means they have reached the end of the path to immortality in the mortal world. They only need to undergo two more transformations to become an immortal in the mortal world.

This is a truly viable path, a guiding light in the darkness, clearing away the fog ahead for Xuan Chen.

In particular, the transformation methods recorded inside saved Xuan Chen a lot of time and eliminated some wrong directions.

For a great emperor, time is never enough. He must find the right path within a limited time, put it into practice, and create a transformative method; time is of the essence.

Even for Xuan Chen, the methods in the Heavenly Emperor Scripture can only serve as a reference. He needs to create his own method of transformation in order to have any chance of success.

In the years that followed, Xuan Chen devoted almost all his energy to rebirth from the ashes and the transformation of Yin into Yang.

Both of these methods of transformation emphasize seeking life amidst death, requiring practitioners to have great courage, boldness, and perseverance, and to forge ahead relentlessly in order to survive desperate situations and live a life of resilience.

Once you begin to doubt your own heart, or your beliefs are not firm enough, you will face death and destruction in an instant.

The difficulty of these two methods varies from person to person. For those with a firm resolve, it's as easy as taking candy from a baby. But for those whose faith is not strong enough, it's a death sentence, with no chance of survival.

Time flies, and another 25,000 years have passed.

In a small building of the Chu family, an old man in blue robes with white hair and beard was studying a book of immortal gold. Although his face was old, he was full of energy and spirit, and was obviously not yet at the end of his life.

After a long while, the old man in blue robes put down the immortal golden book in his hand and looked out at the boundless starry river. "Twenty-five thousand years have passed since I took the elixir of immortality. Is this life finally coming to an end?"

Xuan Chen's mind sank as he looked into his body. His once surging blood and qi were gradually depleting, his flesh and blood were dimming, and the wheel of life was filled with the marks of time, leaving only a tiny, insignificant trace.

"He can probably live for another thousand years or so."

Xuan Chen roughly estimated that his lifespan was about the same as in his previous life. After all, he had survived this life using the elixir of immortality, so it was normal that his lifespan hadn't changed much.

"It's time for a transformation."

The old man in blue muttered to himself, then his figure walked deeper into the Chu family compound, gradually disappearing into the night.

The human realm.

Fifty thousand years have passed since Xuan Chen attained enlightenment. The world has undergone countless changes, but the Great Dao above the Nine Heavens remains unbreakable, blocking all the geniuses and preventing them from taking the final step.

One day, an aura of Dao transformation came from the heavens, and the Heavenly Heart Mark began to become unstable.

In an instant, the once peaceful human world seemed to have been thrown in by a huge rock, and immediately began to "boil".

Countless people looked up, their excitement overflowing. Some even celebrated with joy, for the reign of Emperor Xuan Chen was finally coming to an end.

This emperor, the second in history to attain the Dao with the Overlord Immortal Body, finally reached the end of his life after living for 50,000 years.

His time in this world was far too long; if it were an ordinary enlightened being, he would have been replaced at least twice.

The last one to live this long was the Immortal Phoenix Emperor, whose extraordinary lifespan of 100,000 years outlived a large number of geniuses.

At this moment, people were extremely fortunate that Emperor Xuanchen was not proving the Dao in his first life; otherwise, they might have had to wait for a long time.

But soon, their smiles faded.

Although the Heavenly Heart Mark above the Nine Heavens collapsed, it still clung to life, never dissipating, giving people an ominous feeling.

Especially as time went by, this uneasy atmosphere became more and more solid, making every contemporary prodigy feel uneasy.

About a thousand years later, the Heavenly Heart Mark had almost collapsed by two-thirds, but it was still firm, proving that Emperor Xuan Chen had not completely passed away.

"This...this isn't right. A thousand years have passed, how come the Heavenly Heart Mark hasn't completely collapsed yet?" A prodigy looked up at the sky, his unease growing heavier.

Such a situation is extremely rare. The collapse of the Heavenly Heart Mark proves that the state of the enlightened one has deteriorated to the extreme, and at most, one can only maintain it for a few decades or a hundred years.

However, Emperor Xuanchen stubbornly endured for a thousand years, refusing to completely pass away.

"Could it be that Emperor Xuan Chen is going to live a fourth life?"

Upon hearing this, the faces of the world's most outstanding talents changed drastically. If Emperor Xuan Chen truly lived to live a fourth life, then his lifespan in his next life would increase dramatically, reaching at least 30,000 years, and his time in this world would rival that of Emperor Xian Huang.

Most importantly, once Emperor Xuanchen truly lives out his fourth life, his strength will also make a significant improvement. In the next tribulation of attaining enlightenment, they will face the tribulation mark of an emperor who has lived for four lifetimes, greatly increasing the difficulty of attaining enlightenment.

"Emperor Xuan Chen, hurry up and pass away! What will we do if you live to be reincarnated four times?" A contemporary prodigy looked towards the direction of the Tianji Ancient Star and his mentality collapsed.

Ever since the Immortal Phoenix Emperor, the difficulty of attaining enlightenment has been steadily increasing. Just when we finally reached the point where there were two relatively weaker emperors, the Overlord Immortal Body suddenly appeared.

If Emperor Xuanchen only lived to be the third time, they could barely accept it, as at least a few were confident that they could withstand the onslaught of the tribulation mark.

But if Emperor Xuan Chen were to live to a fourth life, then all would be lost. No one in this world is confident that they can withstand the onslaught of the tribulation mark of a fourth-generation emperor.

Time passed by, second by second. The many prodigies looked toward the location of the ancient star Tianji, their expressions frozen in shock. It was no exaggeration to say that every second felt like an eternity.

Unfortunately, what they feared most came to pass.

About a hundred years later, a towering crimson pillar rose from the ancient star Tianji, instantly illuminating the entire human realm in crimson. Its supreme power was unparalleled in the universe, making all living beings in the world suffocate.

The heavens and earth resounded in unison, and strange phenomena arose, celebrating the return of a great emperor who defied the heavens and was given a second life.

Each and every one of these events proves that Emperor Xuan Chen has surpassed his ancestor, the one who brought mountains and rivers together, and has lived out his fourth life.

Tianji Ancient Star.

A young figure emerged from the depths of the Chu family. His face was heroic, and an intense aura of supreme power emanated from him, shaking the heavens and earth.

Just then, a ray of divine light suddenly entered the valiant man's brow.

(End of this chapter)