The Heavenly Emperor of Chu

Chapter 257 I have a friend

The sun rises in the east, and the moon sets in the west.

Human life is ever-changing, and in the blink of an eye, another ten thousand years have passed.

The suppression of the Western Emperor's Great Dao dissipated, and heaven and earth no longer prevented people from making further progress, ushering in a brand new era.

Countless prodigies emerged from ancient life-bearing planets, embarking on the ancient star road and initiating the Great Dao competition.

Deep in the universe, a radiant purple star hangs in the sky.

This is the Ziwei Ancient Star, a renowned imperial star in the human realm and one of the birthplaces of the human race.

Especially in the ancient times, the human race was weak and bullied by the powerful races of heaven and earth, becoming food for the beast. During the most difficult years for the human race, two Dao Prodigies were born in succession on the ancient star Ziwei.

The emergence of the two Holy Emperors, Taiyin and Taiyang, greatly improved the status of the human race and prevented it from further decline.

After their deaths, the two major religions of Taiyin and Taiyang took over the heavy responsibility of the two holy emperors, protecting the human race through a long period of time and preventing it from completely sinking into ruin.

Millions of years later, the Supreme Heavenly Emperor attained enlightenment, ushering in the Ancient Era, and the entire world entered a new era.

To date, nearly 90% of the beings who attained enlightenment in the ancient era originated from the human race, making it far more glorious than the mythological era.

The ancient star Ziwei also regained its vitality in the ancient era. As one of the ancestral lands of the human race, the ancient star Ziwei has mysteriously carried a large part of the human race's fortune, giving birth to countless powerful individuals.

The only drawback is that, in the ancient era, the Purple Star has yet to produce a new emperor.

On the ancient star of Ziwei, there is a lineage with a style of doing things that is completely different from others—the Way of Human Desire.

Legend has it that the founder of the Human Desire Path once participated in the struggle for the Emperor's Path, but unfortunately, he could not continue after reaching the Great Sage realm.

Disheartened, the Great Sage returned to the ancient star of Ziwei and founded the Path of Human Desire.

The path of human desire is unique in its practice, which uses special interactions between men and women to promote spiritual cultivation. It emphasizes that human desire is a natural part of existence and should be guided and utilized rationally. It involves cultivating oneself amidst the myriad desires of the mortal world, stimulating human desires, and thereby promoting spiritual practice.

However, the reputation of the Human Desire Path on the ancient star of Ziwei is not good; it is basically in a situation where everyone hates it.

Since the establishment of the Human Desire Path, the holy maidens of the various holy lands of the Purple Star Ancient Star have been subjected to numerous mistreatments, making the lords of those holy lands grit their teeth in hatred.

Unfortunately, the Human Desire Path is a single lineage, and it doesn't even have a mountain gate or a residence, so the lords of those holy lands have nowhere to vent their anger.

A secluded sacred mountain.

There is a Taoist temple on the mountain. The temple is very simple, but it is famous in the surrounding area, especially for those who come to the temple to pray for a child. It is said that their prayers are almost always answered.

Not only was it famous among mortals, but even some cultivators had heard of the reputation of the Temple of Seeking Children.

Even some low-level cultivators traveled great distances to the Seeking a Child Temple to pray for a child, and most of them got their wish.

The Taoist temple was unusually quiet today, with only an old man and a young man remaining.

The old man was dressed in a faded Taoist robe. Although his hair was white, his skin was as smooth as a baby's. He held a whisk in his hand and had an air of otherworldly grace. He was clearly a person of the "righteous path".

The other was a young man in his early twenties, exceptionally handsome, especially his eyes, which were bright and radiant, like the morning sun.

The young man had a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, his expression nonchalant. "Old man, what did you call me here for today? Are you going to move us again?"

The young man spoke dismissively, showing no respect whatsoever for the Taoist priest before him, who exuded an air of otherworldly wisdom. Ever since he could remember, the old Taoist had led him on a life of constant hiding and wandering. At first, he had thought he was the son of some noble family, which was why he had attracted the pursuit of so many powerful figures.

As the young man grew up, he realized that he had become the most notorious successor of the Human Desire Path on the Purple Star Ancient Star.

Because of the old Taoist priest, he, a virgin, was also slandered by various forces, and was given all sorts of names such as lecherous demon and lecherous scoundrel. Many goddesses and saints despised him.

The young man had tried to escape quietly, but the old Taoist would appear in front of him in no time. After this happened many times, the young man stopped struggling.

"Hengyu, the battle for the Emperor's Path has begun!" The old Taoist ignored the young man's attitude; his expression was serious as he stared intently at the handsome man before him.

“You are the most talented successor since the establishment of the Human Desire Path. Even the founder of the Human Desire Path back then was far inferior to you.”

"Perhaps in this era, you will suppress all heroes and become the new human emperor."

"The ancient star Ziwei is too small. If you continue to live here, you will bury your talents. The world is vast. You should not stay here. Go out and fight, go out and kill. One day, you will become a trendsetter of this era." The old Taoist's eyes darted around, as if he saw a glimpse of the future in the young man's figure.

The young man was taken aback. He had originally thought that the old Taoist had summoned him because their whereabouts had been exposed and they had to move to a different location.

But to his surprise, the old Taoist told him that he could leave on his own.

Overwhelmed with mixed emotions, the young man had not thought of escaping this place for a single day since realizing he had become the successor of the legendary Path of Human Desire. However, the old Taoist's cultivation was too high; all his tricks were seen through, leaving him a self-deceiving clown.

"Old man, have you offended some powerful force and are you trying to make me run away so you can escape unscathed?" The young man's eyes showed a hint of suspicion.

He had experienced this countless times, so he was very skeptical of the old man's intentions.

"Sigh! It's rare for an old man like me to speak the truth. Believe it or not, it's up to you." The old Taoist shook his head, waved his whisk, and ignored the young man, returning to his Taoist temple on his own.

Jiang Hengyu stood in front of the Taoist temple for a long time, then bowed deeply to the temple before turning and leaving.

Not long after, a notorious prodigy appeared on the ancient starry road. He acted strangely, targeting beautiful female cultivators, using sweet words or coercion and enticement.

He would do everything in his power to obtain any cultivator who was good-looking.

In a short time, countless goddesses and saints fell victim to his cruelty and were subjected to all kinds of humiliation.

The actions of that prodigy naturally attracted the hostility of countless people, and he was ganged up on and beaten by many other prodigies.

This exorcism lasted for over a thousand years before the world finally managed to kill the lecherous demon in a desperate place.

Several hundred years later, a peerless genius suddenly appeared in the world. He held a Fire Furnace and used the supreme fire method to suppress everything, ending the battle for the Great Emperor.

Rumble!
Boundless dark clouds gathered at the edge of the universe, and an aura of destruction pressed down on the hearts of people.

A crimson figure stood at the edge of the universe, his aura vast and his power terrifying, like an unparalleled emperor.

"The struggle for the throne has ended, and a new era is about to begin. If nothing unexpected happens, the new emperor will rule the world for 20,000 years."

Although the competition for the Emperor's Path was fierce, the final victor's physique was not particularly outstanding. After attaining the Dao, his lifespan should be just over ten thousand years, and even after two lifetimes, it would only be a little over twenty thousand years.

Among those who have attained enlightenment throughout history, this lifespan is only considered passable, and the chances of achieving immortality in the mortal world are slim.

"Hmm, why do I feel like I've seen the figure undergoing tribulation somewhere before?" Someone looked at the figure undergoing tribulation at the edge of the universe and felt like they had seen him somewhere before.

"Fellow Daoist, do you feel the same way? I thought I was the only one who felt a sense of déjà vu." Another powerful figure chimed in.

"Yes, I feel the same way!"

Another prodigy spoke up, also feeling that the figure of the person undergoing tribulation was very familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

On the edge of the universe, swirling clouds of calamity rolled across the sky, and bolts of world-destroying divine lightning descended, striking the crimson figure below with immense force, as if even heaven and earth would be shattered.

The person undergoing tribulation, however, remained unhurried, summoning the Divine Furnace of Departing Fire in his hand and unleashing an unparalleled divine power that dyed the entire universe crimson.

The vast aftershocks spread from the edge of the universe, turning into ripples that shook the world.

As the crimson figure continued to unleash the Divine Furnace of Departing Fire, demonstrating his Dao and Dharma, someone finally noticed something amiss.

"He is a successor of the Path of Human Desire! The person undergoing tribulation is a successor of the Path of Human Desire!" Someone recognized the origin of the person undergoing tribulation, and their expression immediately changed drastically, with disbelief in their eyes.

Hundreds of years ago, the successor of the Human Desire Path was besieged and killed by many geniuses because of his notorious reputation, and died in a desolate place in the starry sky.

But who would have thought that not only did he not perish, but he also used this opportunity to escape his predicament and participate in the struggle for the Emperor's Road with a brand new identity, and most importantly, he achieved the final victory.

"What? The person undergoing tribulation is the successor of the Path of Human Desire? That's impossible!"

"Wasn't he dead? How did he come back to life?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could someone as exceptionally talented as me be inferior to a mere thief?"

In an instant, the entire human realm was in an uproar. Who would have thought that the ultimate victor in the struggle for the Emperor's Path would be the successor of the Human Desire Path, whom they had always looked down upon? How could they possibly accept this?
No matter how much people deny it, the facts are undeniable and leave no room for doubt.

"Hmph! Nonsense! The successor of the Path of Human Desire is clearly dead. The new emperor is a genius of unparalleled talent, with the ambition to swallow the heavens and the earth and the heart to encompass the four seas. How could he possibly be the successor of the Path of Human Desire? It's clearly you people who are jealous of the new emperor, making far-fetched connections and smearing him!"

Someone stepped forward, his face righteous and awe-inspiring, and denounced the crowd for their wolfish ambitions and their audacity in slandering the current emperor.

Soon, some people realized what was going on and joined the previous prodigy in condemning the ignorance of the world, saying that some people, unable to compete with the new emperor, had pinned the label of the successor of the Way of Human Desire on the new emperor, and their intentions were despicable.

In an instant, the entire world's discourse shifted, with tearful accounts declaring it a conspiracy, a deliberate attempt to smear the new emperor's image to achieve an unbelievable goal.

As for the truth of the matter, no one dared to investigate further.

(End of this chapter)