My ordinary path to immortality shouldn't end here.

Chapter 204 Emperor Heavenly Venerable, *snap*, gone.

Emperor Tianzun's journey to collect the dogs went smoothly. The old Heavenly Venerable knelt down voluntarily, and the First Immortal, after weighing the pros and cons, also chose to side with the Heavenly Being who had developed self-awareness.

Because this Primordial Demon had realized that perhaps the Heavenly Emperor had already begun his scheme a century ago.

The transmission of Taoism by that Taoist Hongshi may not have been entirely accidental.

Now that I think about it, was his friend, Hongshi Daoren, truly in harmony with the Dao of Heaven and Earth, suppressing the primordial Dao of the Great Wilderness?

"Next up is the Primordial Immortal Bai Chi Jing..."

"That's what Emperor Tianzun said."

However, he did not cast his gaze upon this time, because it was not the right time yet. This reincarnation of the Primordial Immortal Power was indeed exceptionally talented!
But it was also too stunning.

Because the First Immortal, as the reincarnation of the Primordial Immortal Power, couldn't even successfully scheme against Bai Chijing.

In particular, the First Immortal's ability to stir the thoughts of all living beings and influence the laws of Heaven caused even him to feel a little uneasy; it truly affected him at that time.

But incredibly, that scheme ultimately failed.

Therefore, Bai Chijing could only be a pawn, and could not be a capable subordinate like the First Immortal.

It's just too uncontrollable.

"After some time, when the path of immortal cultivation... sees more practitioners who are close to the Dao, that will be about right," said Emperor Tianzun. Even he paused for a moment when he mentioned the path of immortal cultivation.

Because this name is just too complicated to describe.

Although the names of the Great Luo Immortal Path System and the Harmony Dao Immortal Path System are simple, the "Immortal Path System" at the end is just an afterthought. The real names are actually "Great Luo" and "Harmony Dao".

Then look at this "Cultivation Path System"—even if you remove the "Cultivation Path System," the first two words really don't have any prestige whatsoever.

However, there was no other way; Bai Chijing was the creator of this system and also its first master.

Therefore, this name has been directly imprinted on heaven and earth, and is closely connected with the ten heavens.

Even Emperor Tianzun, the supreme being of the Zhixuan Heaven, could not change the name of this cultivation system.

Bai Chijing was a temporary name at the time, but later he felt that it was okay to make do with a name, so he didn't change it.

Moreover, cultivation systems are always best kept as simple as possible to avoid attracting profanity.

……

Emperor Tianzun's scheme was kept in suspense because the time was not yet ripe. However, Bai's scheme had reached its time. After collecting enough flesh and blood of the near-Dao Heavenly Venerable, he followed the guidance of First Ling Jia and performed a sacrifice on a simple stone platform.

The stone platform doesn't need to be too fancy; just find a few relatively regular rocks from the mountains.

The entire sacrificial ceremony was not very elaborate.

It evokes a sense of a barbaric era, where a group of uncivilized creatures perform a bloody sacrifice to the heavens.

However, the offerings were quite unusual.

The flesh and blood of the Near-Dao Celestial Venerable, and it did not even come from one.

Thus, they immediately attracted the attention of certain beings in the vast void. This was because there was more than one Banhu who was preparing to take a different path to create the world.

The corpse of Banhu, which had voluntarily left behind, was about to drift over to Zhixuan Tian so that it could receive these flesh and blood offerings.

However, it wasn't that the corpse of Banhu needed these nearby flesh and blood, but rather that it needed this sacrificial ritual.

However, a putrid smell suddenly emanated from the void.

Then, this putrid aura preemptively devoured all the flesh and blood of the Near-Dao Celestial Venerable on the stone platform before Banhu Siwu arrived at Zhixuan Heaven, thus taking over the sacrificial ceremony here.

In an instant, a terrifying aura of decaying corpses erupted between heaven and earth.

In particular, the aura of decaying corpses transformed directly into a jet-black pillar. And as this pillar of decaying corpse aura rose, the rules of the entire Zhixuan Heaven actually changed.

The first to bear the brunt is naturally the Heavenly Emperor in the deepest layer of the sky!
The Emperor Heavenly Venerable, who had previously appeared as an extraordinary and otherworldly being, seemingly able to manipulate all living beings in the world, suddenly exuded a large amount of decaying aura on his body.

As the aura of decay appeared, the Emperor Tianzun, who was originally still a young boy, began to rot.

This sudden turn of events terrified Emperor Tianzun.

Because of his origins and realm, his body is flawless and impervious to all magic. Not to mention such corrupt and vile methods, even if some near-Dao Celestial Venerables were to strike him with all their might, they would not be able to harm him.

But now, the moment this putrefactive poison appeared, the speed of decay was beyond his imagination.

Even someone of his level couldn't react in time.

"This kind of putrefactive poison should not exist in the world!" Emperor Tianzun roared in horror and anger. He never imagined that after scheming for so long and enduring so much hardship, he would face decay and collapse after only a little over a hundred years of being born.

Then, the Heavenly Emperor's form began to grow larger, as he intended to use immense divine power to reduce the area of ​​decay and then instantly eliminate it.

And this method indeed succeeded.

However, as a giant appeared in the world of Zhixuan Heaven, the power of the Heavenly Emperor began to spread throughout the four continents. At this moment, even mortals could see the figure of this giant.

Then, the creatures of the four continents began to be affected.

This being is even stronger than the First Immortal, so its influence on the beings of the four continents is naturally more terrifying.

However, something strange happened.

When all living beings on the four continents begin to lose their self-awareness, these mortal beings begin to undergo strange changes to varying degrees.

In a remote mountain village, a couple was constantly sighing and lamenting over the increased taxes this year, their faces filled with sorrow. The taxes had increased by 10%, which meant that their food supply for the winter was gone, and the family of four faced the prospect of freezing and starving to death.

Their son and daughter, influenced by their parents' emotions, appeared somewhat uneasy. Their faces, gaunt from lack of food and clothing, were filled with bewilderment.

Children from poor families learn to be independent early, and these two children, while learning how to survive, also unexpectedly became precocious, beginning to realize some of the rules of society.

Therefore, their current confusion stems from seeing their own future.

The best outcome for them in the future would be the same as their parents: the man would become a tenant farmer, working the land for the landlord, and would grow old prematurely due to the wind and sun; the woman would marry a husband who also made a living by farming, and would be covered with the marks of hard work.

Suddenly, the family of four froze, and as a dark mist filled the dilapidated courtyard where they lived, they instantly lost all signs of life.

However, they are still in this courtyard.

At this moment, the sorrow and confusion on the faces of the four disappeared, replaced by an indifference that seemed almost like a rule.

Because they became the first strange beings to merge with the rules when the laws of nature changed—the Bitter Tax Monsters.

They all retain their past memories, and even their souls remain unchanged. However, due to the influence of the rules, it will take them at least a thousand years to regain their former emotions. But the strange changes occurring among the beings of the four continents are not entirely the same.

Only a very small number of beings can directly merge with the rules and transform into something bizarre. Most living beings, however, have their lifespan changed from a physical lifespan to a yin lifespan, continuing to live in that yin form.

When the Yin Shou appears on a living person, it will inevitably cause some strange changes to that person, such as the five fingers of the hand transforming into a ghostly creature—the Ghost Hand.

For example, a person's eyes undergo a strange transformation, becoming ghost eyes.

It's like everyone is controlling a ghost.

However, because they do not have a lifespan in the mortal realm and only in the yin realm, the appearance of ghosts in their bodies does not have a significant impact on these people.

The remaining creatures are those that have not yet been affected.

They all have immortals presiding over them.

Therefore, they all reacted immediately to the sudden change in the celestial order. However, after leaving behind protective measures, these immortals unanimously sealed themselves away.

Although the Heavenly Dao underwent a transformation when the Emperor revealed his true form, allowing all living beings to see it, thus exempting him from some of the effects, the original Dao-Merging Immortal Path system became unusable after the transformation.

These immortals all followed the path of immortality, and therefore, after using their cultivation, they inevitably suffered backlash and had to seclude themselves from the world.

For a time, only those who had not yet attained immortality remained in the world.

"How is this going?"

In the realm of immortals, the disciples were filled with dread. They gazed up at the colossal figure, their faces pale and their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Although the vicissitudes of the heavens had exempted them from losing their self-awareness, directly witnessing the true form of the Heavenly Emperor still placed immense pressure on these mortal beings, nearly causing them to lose control of their cultivation.

"Don't look anymore!" Soon, someone noticed this and spoke up to warn them.

"What did the patriarchs say?"

"After the patriarch left behind the barrier to block those dark black mists, he sealed himself off. And it wasn't just our patriarch who did this; the patriarchs of other immortal sects, such as Shangyou Mountain and Baizushi Mountain, did the same."

"Why?"

"Because Heaven and Earth no longer allow the old laws to exist, we all need to cultivate the new laws?"

"A new law?" A disciple of the immortal sect asked blankly.

However, some disciples of the immortal sects reacted quickly: "Could it be the path of immortal cultivation created by the Primordial Celestial Venerable Bai Chijing?"

"That's right. The patriarch sealed himself off so that he could switch cultivation. The patriarch said that, apart from the spiritual energy drawn down from the tenth heaven, the spiritual energy in the world has been completely dissipated under the impact of those black mists."

"This is that..." Upon hearing this, an impatient disciple of the immortal sect immediately wanted to say whether it was the Primordial Celestial Venerable who had done this, but before he could finish speaking, he realized his mistake and quickly shut up.

After all, the biggest beneficiary of an event is often the mastermind behind it.

While this impatient disciple of the immortal sect was able to react, others might not. Thus, a person of considerable prestige within the immortal sect spoke up: "Fellow disciples, please be careful with your words. The name of the Heavenly Venerable is not something we can discuss."

“Exactly, if we really can’t help but say it, then let’s say we were born to be revered instead…” a disciple from a celestial sect responded.

Born to be a supreme being—this was the only impression mortals had of Bai Chijing after he ascended to the throne. After all, the time since the birth of this Primordial Celestial Venerable was too short. Some people with ordinary talents might still be struggling to break through in the lower realms of external things, while this Primordial Celestial Venerable had already directly ascended to the throne as a near-Dao Immortal.

It's so fast that there's not even time for anyone to cling to its leg.

"So, is this upheaval in the world truly caused by this predestined senior who was born to be a supreme being?"

“How could we possibly know this! Moreover, even our patriarchs might not know about this matter…” a disciple of the immortal sect said.

Then the others who heard this fell silent.

……

At this moment, not only were the immortals in the mortal realm curious about this matter, but also those near-Dao Heavenly Venerables in the Immortal Cave high in the heavens.

Although the Immortal Cave, which occupied 98% of the Immortal Path, was denied, it was still a place that could accommodate many near-Dao Celestial Venerables.

At this moment, the Immortal Cave still hangs high in the sky.

However, compared to the past, there is a noticeable lack of immortal fortune in this Immortal Cave.

"What's happening to Heaven?"

When the Celestial Venerable of the Near-Dao spoke, it was clear that at the level of the Immortal of the Near-Dao, the generation of spiritual energy was effortless. Furthermore, they had already begun their cultivation transformation. Although they had not yet formed their own lineage of destiny, they were all at the level of the tenth heaven. Therefore, the impact of this upheaval on them was practically nonexistent.

"This Emperor Celestial Venerable's current situation is not good!" This was what a Near-Dao Celestial Venerable saw when he saw that although the rotten parts of that huge figure had been cut off, new rotten parts had appeared. Unlike before, when the rot was on the outside, this time the rot was on the inside.

"Corrupting from within, Emperor Tianzun is doomed to die. Even if he manages to escape death, he will no longer bear the name of Emperor Tianzun..."

One of the Heavenly Venerables who had seen the future of the Heavenly Venerable Emperor shook his head.

And it wasn't just this near-Dao Celestial Venerable who saw it; more than a hundred near-Dao Celestial Venerables of Zhixuan Heaven had already foreseen the future of the Heavenly Realm of Zhixuan Heaven.

This is something they shouldn't have been able to see.

However, they all saw it now, which meant that Emperor Tianzun had begun to lose himself.

This left the group of near-Dao Heavenly Venerables who knew the Mysterious Heaven in a state of bewilderment and uncertainty.

They were unsure whether this strange change would affect them. Furthermore, the change was so sudden that they had no idea what was happening.

Although the Celestial Venerable of the Near Path can foresee the future and thus make perfect plans, this foresight often fails when facing someone of the same realm.

Furthermore, some matters concerning Banhu are difficult for even those near-immortals to discern.

After all, Banhu created the world, and they were all born from within the world, so Banhu's existence can be considered their "parent".

At this moment, Emperor Tianzun also realized this, but he had no time to care about it.

Because with each act of cutting away the rotting flesh from his body, a portion of his self-awareness would disappear. Therefore, when the decay emerged from within, although Emperor Tianzun still had a trace of his true spirit unaffected, he had already begun to drift into a daze.

He could barely maintain his self-awareness with this last bit of his true spirit, and then he began to search for the reason.

Emperor Tianzun was, after all, the supreme being of the Mysterious Heaven.

Although self-awareness arises at this time, and thus manifests in the world, the Way of Heaven is the Way of Heaven. Even if it transforms into the Way of Man, the foundation of the Way of Heaven remains.

So, after searching so diligently, Emperor Tianzun actually found it.

"White Thief, you deserve to die!"

(End of this chapter)