The Heavenly Emperor of Chu

Chapter 233 Witnessing the world's splendor and experiencing the full spectrum of human emotions

At the same time, the momentum of the green-clad figure undergoing tribulation also awakened an ancient being.

Deep in the universe, atop a certain sacred mountain.

At the summit, a divine tree, its entire body gleaming gold, grows. It stands about ten feet tall and is roughly the thickness of a water bucket. As the tree sways, a peaceful and sacred power emanates from it, making it truly extraordinary.

On the dense branches of that divine tree, a celestial phoenix perched. The phoenix was covered in five-colored feathers, each one as solid as if cast from celestial gold, indestructible.

At the same time, the celestial phoenix exudes a unique charm, as if it did not come from the mortal world.

This phoenix possessed terrifying power, far surpassing that of ordinary cultivators. At this moment, it perched atop the divine tree, appearing as if a celestial being had descended to the mortal realm.

If any outsider were to enter this place, they would immediately recognize it. This celestial phoenix is ​​none other than the former Celestial Phoenix Emperor; he has not perished and is still alive in the mortal realm.

Chi!
Just then, the immortal phoenix was awakened by a familiar aura. She suddenly opened her eyelids, and two beams of light flashed from her eyes, as if they were the first rays of light to appear after the creation of the world.

"Another immortal spirit?"

The immortal phoenix turned its gaze to the edge of the universe and saw a prodigy dressed in green, who also exuded a similar aura to him.

"It is truly incredible that a celestial being has been born again in the human world in just a few hundred thousand years."

Even in the Immortal Realm, a Celestial Spirit is an extremely rare existence; it might not appear even once every few million years.

The fact that two immortal beings could appear in the mortal realm within a mere few hundred thousand years was astonishing to the Celestial Phoenix.

For a moment, even the Immortal Phoenix doubted who belonged to the Immortal Realm and who belonged to the mortal world.

Suddenly, the fairy phoenix saw the crystal-clear sapling in the green-clad prodigy's hand, and her pupils contracted sharply.

"The Enlightened Ancient Tea Tree? Could this prodigy be the manifestation of the Enlightened Ancient Tea Tree?" the Immortal Phoenix murmured to herself.

He was familiar with that sapling; he had once visited the Immortal Mountain and paid his respects to the Thai King there. Behind the Thai King grew an ancient tea tree that had attained enlightenment, exactly like the sapling in the hands of the green-robed prodigy today.

“That’s right, it’s definitely the transformation of the Enlightened Ancient Tea Tree. Even the leaves on that sapling are exactly the same as the leaves of the Enlightened Ancient Tea Tree.”

Soon, the immortal phoenix fixed its gaze on the leaves of the sapling. These leaves were of various shapes, including weapons such as immortal swords and immortal cauldrons, as well as immortal spirits such as true phoenixes and true dragons, which made him even more certain of his guess.

"This ancient tea tree that has attained enlightenment is truly blessed to be able to accompany a Celestial King. It must have absorbed a great deal of good fortune. Otherwise, it would be almost impossible for a celestial root like itss to take human form." The Celestial Phoenix said with some envy.

Even at the height of the Immortal Realm, a Celestial King is an extraordinary figure, capable of ruling over a vast and boundless universe.

Their physical bodies are immortal, their primordial spirits are indestructible, and even the myriad paths of heaven and earth must retreat before them.

If one can frequently stay by the side of a Celestial King-level being, even weeds can transform into celestial roots, let alone a creative spiritual root of the level of an ancient tea tree that has attained enlightenment.

At the edge of the universe, accompanied by a flash of celestial light, the Boundless Calamity Sea was instantly shattered and never re-formed.

At the same time, the green-clad prodigy grabbed the Heavenly Heart Mark and merged his own Great Dao into it.

In an instant, an extremely powerful Dao hung high in the sky, and a strong killing intent enveloped the universe, allowing people to see a world composed of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The Great Emperor of Enlightenment—this is the title that the Green-Clad Prodigy gave himself.

However, in private, people prefer to call him the Emperor of Slaughter. After all, too many lives have fallen at the hands of this new emperor, and he walks the path of slaughter, naturally inspiring both awe and fear in the world.

There have been many ancient enlightened beings, but in terms of sheer ruthlessness, this prodigy is undoubtedly number one.

Especially after he achieved the ninth level of Quasi-Emperor, wherever he went, he inevitably stirred up a bloodbath and slaughtered countless living beings.

However, he cannot be entirely blamed for all of this. If those people hadn't coveted his physique, attacked and killed him, and even implicated his friends, he probably wouldn't have acted this way.

"Now that he has attained enlightenment, I wonder if he will still cause great slaughter in the mortal realm?" A cultivator looked at the emperor's figure in the borderlands, feeling somewhat worried.

A great emperor who seeks enlightenment through slaughter—no one knows if he is mentally sound; he might just enjoy taking pleasure in killing the world.

"Don't worry! Since he chose to settle everything before attaining enlightenment, it proves that he won't hold onto the past after he attains enlightenment."

“Those who have attained enlightenment throughout history have all possessed great courage and magnanimity. They have the world in their hearts and would not take the initiative to attack those who have not yet attained enlightenment.”

"That's right, that's why the Enlightened Emperor chose to go on a killing spree before attaining enlightenment."

Upon hearing this, the man found it quite reasonable. Throughout history, those who attained enlightenment rarely attacked those who had not yet achieved it, let alone engaged in large-scale slaughter. This was unless they were supreme beings who had fallen into forbidden zones of life, requiring the life essence of all living beings in heaven and earth to fill the cracks on their celestial altars.

"The Great Emperor has disappeared? It seems that he may be cultivating in seclusion somewhere, just like the Origin Emperor, and will not build a large power."

Some powerful figures noticed the disappearance of the Emperor's shadow on the edge of the universe, and there was no sign of the Great Emperor traveling in the mortal realm. They speculated that the new Emperor might have gone to some place to cultivate in seclusion, and most likely would not establish a force to rule the world.

On the other side, after Wu Dao completed his Dao Tribulation, he deliberately concealed his aura and headed towards the direction of the Undying Mountain.

For him, he had already experienced all the joys and sorrows of life, and there was nothing left to cherish.

Before long, a vast expanse of black mountains appeared before Wudao's eyes. Each one was exceptionally majestic, truly a king among mountains and an emperor among peaks.

Outside the black mountains, an ancient figure had long stood there. His hair and beard were all white, and his aura was unfathomable. He was clearly an ancient supreme being.

He was naturally familiar with this figure; it was none other than the Xuanwu Supreme, who had once been dormant in the Undying Mountain and was an extremely ancient Daoist.

"Wu Dao greets Senior Xuanwu." The green-clad figure stopped and cupped his hands in greeting to the Xuanwu Supreme.

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. Now that you have attained enlightenment, we can simply be friends as equals." Xuanwu Ancient Emperor shook his head.

He could sense the terrifying power of the green-clad figure before him; even if he were to recover to his former peak, he would not be a match for this figure.

"As expected of a celestial spirit born from an ancient tea tree that has attained enlightenment, it possesses such great power immediately upon attaining enlightenment, truly stepping into the realm of the Heavenly Emperor." The Xuanwu Ancient Emperor secretly marveled.

For ordinary cultivators to reach the Heavenly Emperor's realm, they need to live for at least four lifetimes, and even those with special bloodlines need three lifetimes.

The fact that the green-clad prodigy achieved such a brilliant Dao fruit in just his first life naturally made the Xuanwu Ancient Emperor extremely envious.

"I wonder what brings Senior Xuanwu here?" Wu Dao's voice was calm, far from the vicious and ruthless person that people imagined.

"His Majesty the King of Thailand asked me to convey a message to you: to see all the splendor of the world and experience all the flavors of life. He looks forward to the day when you achieve immortality in the mortal realm." After saying this, the Ancient Emperor Xuanwu turned and left, leaving only Wudao standing there in a daze.

"To ascend to immortality from the mortal realm? I will accomplish it!"

Wu Dao murmured something, bowed deeply in the direction of the Undying Mountain, and then resolutely left the place.

In the years that followed, Wu Dao followed the instructions of the Thai King, traveling among humans to experience their various lives while also researching the path of reverse transformation.

He had been by the Thai King's side for a long time, so he was naturally very clear about how to become a celestial being. However, knowing and doing are two different things, and he needed to verify it step by step himself.

Whenever he passes through a star system, Wudao makes a point of lingering there to contemplate the changes in the human world and the myriad principles of the universe. If he encounters an ancient star that has produced a Daoist who has attained enlightenment, he will stay there for a relatively longer time to experience their Daoist essence.

Although most of these enlightened beings were not as good as him, those who were able to attain enlightenment were certainly not mediocre. Their paths to enlightenment also had extremely high reference value and were of great significance to enlightenment.

After all, he was an ancient tea tree that had attained enlightenment. Comprehending the myriad paths of heaven and earth was of no difficulty to him. Only the flashes of inspiration from those who had attained enlightenment were things that he was willing to carefully study.

Perhaps he will be able to create a transformative method from these flashes of inspiration.

No matter how strong his own path is, it is still limited. While those who have attained enlightenment may not be as powerful as him, their insights are still profound.

At the same time, during this process, the resentment deep in Wudao's heart was gradually soothed, and his mind became completely calm, allowing him to gradually comprehend the true meaning of the Great Dao of Slaughter.

"Perhaps this is why the Thai King is unwilling to see me and wants me to continue experiencing the joys and sorrows of the mortal world." At this moment, a sense of enlightenment rose in Wudao's heart, and he understood why the Thai King wanted him to stay in the mortal world.

For someone with his innate affinity for the Dao, comprehending the Great Dao is not difficult at all. Even without much cultivation, his Dao cultivation will increase with the passage of time.

However, it would be a grave mistake to think that high cultivation level guarantees success on the path to immortality in the mortal world.

Perhaps in the Immortal Realm, someone with his physique would not only be able to become an immortal, but even a Celestial King would not be difficult for him.

However, the immortals of the mortal world are different. They focus on self-cultivation and need to undergo repeated transformations in the mortal world to generate longevity substances on their own, so that they are not afraid of the ravages of time.

On the road to transformation, one must face the test of life and death, and be in a state of life and death at all times. It is not simply a matter of having high spiritual attainment that one can overcome it.

He requires the transmuter to possess a pure and flawless Dao heart, an indomitable will, and the courage to face death.

These things cannot be obtained through arduous cultivation in the Immortal Mountain. They require the transformative one to experience the mortal world and be tempered in life and death before they can bloom into the most dazzling immortal flower.

Without great courage, wisdom, and perseverance, even a reincarnated immortal king might fail and perish on the path to immortality in the mortal world.

(End of this chapter)