Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

"How is this possible! I have lived through dozens of eras and know perfectly well whether this world has any Dao essence. Why has it become so rich now? Where exactly has it changed!" Emperor Haotian exclaimed in disbelief.

With such profound Daoist essence, even a pile of cow dung or dog excrement could become a Great Emperor if bathed in it for a long time.

At that time, everyone will truly be like a dragon, and emperors will be as insignificant as dogs; emperors will be everywhere.

"Tell me, what exactly happened in this world after I broke through and left? Why is the Dao essence so dense?" Emperor Haotian looked at Demon Buddha Ning Xiu and asked him very bluntly.

"Come down and we'll talk." Demon Buddha Ning Xiu reached out and pulled, trying to forcibly drag Haotian Emperor down from the sky.

Even if the other party is a famous emperor from dozens of eras ago, things are not what they used to be, no matter how famous you were in the past.

But now, if it's a dragon, you have to cling to it; if it's a tiger, you have to lie low.

The name of this era is Ningxiu.

A tremendous suction force pulled on the body of the Heavenly Emperor, forcibly dragging him toward the ground. The Heavenly Emperor had originally sneered, intending to use force against force to send the Demon Buddha Ning Xiu flying.

But in an instant, his eyes changed slightly, because he realized that the power of Demon Buddha Ning Xiu was in no way inferior to his own, and might even be superior.

"How is this possible!" Emperor Haotian exclaimed in shock.

Before breaking through the boundary, he was already the strongest in this realm. After breaking through the boundary, he traveled in Hongyu for many years, hunting extraterrestrial demons, absorbing Dao essence, increasing his strength, and his realm leaped forward.

This progress is absolutely terrifying, far, far faster than that of the emperors who remain in this world.

But now, the Emperor in front of him is not inferior to him in any way in terms of strength, and may even be far superior.

What exactly is the basis for this strength?

The Jade Emperor was utterly shocked. What had happened during the days he was away from the realm?

"You, the Great Emperor, are far stronger than the other Great Emperors," said Demon Buddha Ning Xiu calmly.

The gazes directed at Emperor Haotian were filled with indifference. There had been far too many emperors of his strength in this world over the years, so there was nothing to boast about.

"Uh!" The Jade Emperor was about to do something when he suddenly felt his body stiffen. He was being controlled by an invisible force, making him unable to move.

During his years in the outer realms, the Jade Emperor had encountered many powerful and dangerous opponents, but he had never seen anyone who could control himself like this.

This unseen opponent is absolutely terrifying in strength.

“You have the aura of an extraterrestrial demon on you.”

In the void, a faint yet extremely majestic voice slowly emanated, instantly causing a cataclysmic change in the heavens and earth, even the surface of the Gray Sea underwent a dramatic transformation, with towering waves crashing against the shore.

A figure slowly emerged from nowhere, its eyes coldly fixed on the Jade Emperor.

At this moment, the Jade Emperor sensed a desperate fear from the depths of his soul, as if he were facing a natural enemy, even if he only glanced at that person.

He felt he could die at that guy's hands at any moment, if the guy wanted to.

"Ning Xiu!"

The moment he saw that figure appear, the Evil Dragon King exclaimed in surprise.

Since Ning Xiu helped many Celestials become Great Emperors, he has mysteriously disappeared. Many people are looking forward to his reappearance, so now everyone in Celestial City is a follower of Ning Xiu.

Seeing Ning Xiu reappear after so many years, everyone was instantly excited.

That person, that person is back.

Demon Buddha Ning Xiu and Heavenly Monarch Ning Xiu's expressions trembled slightly. As Ning Xiu's external avatars, they could immediately sense an extremely terrifying power continuously surging into their bodies, making them stronger.

This is Ning Xiu's second advancement in realm after disappearing for so many years, and as the main body, he will naturally feed back these powers to his external avatar.

"Who are you? After I left, someone like you actually appeared in this realm," the Jade Emperor asked, unconvinced.

As an emperor, he naturally possessed his own pride. Even when crushed by Ning Xiu, he had no intention of yielding.

Despite the fear, I still have to be stubborn.

"You don't need to know." Ning Xiu reached out and clenched his fist, and Haotian Emperor's face instantly became extremely distorted, with veins bulging, before he finally exploded and died.

An emperor capable of breaking through boundaries died so easily and without any resistance at Ning Xiu's hands.

The emperors still in the Celestial City were all speechless with shock upon witnessing this scene.

During the two years Ning Xiu disappeared, he seemed to have become even stronger, reaching a level that no one could have imagined.

Killing a powerful emperor and incorporating him into one's own Rebirth Pagoda is a way to quickly enhance one's own strength.

In order to prepare for the possible arrival of ancient immortals in the future, Ning Xiu tried every possible means to increase his strength.

If one day, there are ten thousand Great Emperors in the Pagoda of Rebirth that can be summoned, then Ning Xiu will be able to rule an entire realm without even lifting a finger.

"How many Great Emperors are there in this world now?" Ning Xiu asked the Evil Dragon King after landing.

“In the past two years, for some reason, there have been more and more people entering the Heavenly Dao Realm of the Great Emperor Path, and no more Heavenly Human Path has been added. It is truly a case that everyone in this world is like a dragon.” The Evil Dragon King immediately said.

Although the reason is unknown, it is likely due to Ning Xiu. He was able to make all the Celestials of Celestial City become Great Emperors, so naturally he could also make those in the Harmonious Heaven Dao Realm become Great Emperors.

"Very good." Ning Xiu nodded in satisfaction. The more beings who become Great Emperors, the greater the power they can unite to fight against the ancient immortals.

If anyone is afraid of death and doesn't want to fight against the ancient immortals, Ning Xiu wouldn't mind letting them stay in his battle domain after they die to continue fighting against the ancient immortals.

"You've all been waiting for me here, that's kind of you. Now you can all leave. I'm going to check out other places. If anything happens, just call my name and I'll appear."

As soon as Ning Xiu finished speaking, his figure disappeared from the spot, and no one knew where he went.

"This..." The Evil Dragon King was stunned. Ning Xiu's appearance and disappearance were too unpredictable. He had just appeared, and now where was he going?

……

What lies above the Great Emperor is unknown to all the powerful beings in this world. Only Ning Xiu, after comprehending the Evil Heavenly Passage, learned the secret that had been sealed away by that ancient immortal.

That is to attain the Dao. In the outer realms, many things emit Dao essence. Living beings absorb the Dao essence and cultivate themselves through the cycle of Qi until one day they can automatically emit Dao essence from their bodies. This is considered the first step to becoming immortal.

Extraterrestrial demons, being common monsters in the outer realms, are unable to even absorb Dao essence.

That enormous stone tablet is a being that exists outside the realm.

The Dao essence it exudes is terrifying to an unimaginable degree; in fact, Xie Tiantong originated from this stone tablet.

From a human perspective, our understanding of living beings is somewhat limited.

It is not only beings with thoughts and the ability to act that are called living beings. In the outer realms, there are countless kinds of living beings like the stone tablet.

With the help of the Dao essence emanating from the stone tablet, Ning Xiu's strength has now reached a terrifying level, making him undoubtedly the number one person in this world.

However, having never fought against that ancient immortal, Ning Xiu dared not say that he was definitely a match for him.

They sped along at breakneck speed, and a day later...

It took the Evil Dragon King several months to travel from the Great Shang Dynasty to Burial Sea Ridge, but for Ning Xiu, it wouldn't take him more than a day to reach any part of this world.

The vast territory of the Shang Dynasty.

After the Yin tide was dispelled by the Yang energy triggered by Ning Xiu, the world gradually began to return to normal.

Many wealthy merchants and ordinary people have already begun to migrate back to their original homes, because no matter how good the environment in Zhongzhou is, it can't compare to the hometown where they grew up.

"They're back! They're back from fishing!"

Near the small fishing village, a group of villagers stood on the dock where fishing boats were moored, calling out joyfully.

On the distant horizon, wooden boats were slowly approaching, and on the decks of the fishing boats, many men with tanned skin were waving and greeting them.

Among the crowd, a girl with wheat-colored skin and delicate features was quite delighted. She had a braid with several red strings hanging from it, making her quite conspicuous in the crowd.

Beside a wooden house not far away, a figure stood quietly, looking tenderly at the girl in the crowd.

“Shuang’er…” Ning Xiu sighed with mixed feelings.

He came from this fishing village and had never had any contact with this girl named Shuang'er since he was a child. After Ning Xiu left the fishing village and was sent to the Champion Camp by his parents, he never saw this girl again.

However, in the illusion created by the Heavenly Father summoned by the Tribulus Clan, Ning Xiu truly experienced the feeling of growing up with Shuang'er.

The two were childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were little. After more than ten years of getting along, they even got married. It would be absolutely impossible for them not to have feelings for each other.

Even though the Shuang'er in that illusion was fake, Ning Xiu still reserved a place for her in his heart.

Just like falling in love with a fictional character in a dream, Ning Xiu now feels very conflicted.

Should I go find Shuang'er and guide her onto the path of cultivation?

Even if they had never met before, they would definitely develop feelings for each other during the long cultivation process.

The fishing boats slowly approached the shore. A young man who looked about two or three years older than Ning Xiu jumped off one of the boats. Shuang'er, who was in the crowd, saw him and immediately ran over happily like a deer, throwing herself into his arms.

The young man also affectionately stroked Shuang'er's back.

Ning Xiu's expression changed drastically, and he stood there stunned.

Indeed, at Shuang'er's age, she should have been married long ago in the fishing village.

Unless they are women working in the Demon Subduing Bureau, in the Great Shang Dynasty, young girls generally reach marriageable age at sixteen.

“You’re finally back. The tide had only just passed when you went out to sea. I was so worried. I was afraid you’d lost your way at sea and I’d be left a widow,” Shuang’er said anxiously.

"Don't worry, I'm back safe and sound," the young man said with a simple and honest smile.

...

Ning Xiu turned and left, for the illusion created by the image of the Heavenly Father had indeed greatly affected his heart.

One was the greatest emperor of the time, and the other was an ordinary fisherwoman.

He and Shuang'er were complete strangers. Without the presence of the Heavenly Father, Ning Xiu would never have had any contact with Shuang'er in his life.

Shuang'er will die of old age a hundred years later and turn into a handful of yellow earth.

Ning Xiu, on the other hand, could live for countless eras, or even be immortal.

As Ning Xiu walked further and further away, wisps of purple mist continuously emanated from his body, and these wisps of mist constantly transformed into various forms of Shuang'er.

Whether it's laughter and joy, playful anger and coquettishness, or tears of grievance, all of these are moments from Ning Xiu and Shuang'er's life together in the illusion.

"Brother Ash, we're already married, and I'll be your bride from now on."

"Brother Ashu, once we've saved enough money, should we go to the city and buy a house? It's not right to live in this village forever."

“Brother Ash, I think you get really tired every time you go out to sea to fish. Why don’t you find another way to make a living someday?”

……

Different twins chattered around Ning Xiu, and the more Ning Xiu listened, the more his brows furrowed.

Logically speaking, at my current level, I shouldn't have any inner demons. Even if I feel lost or disappointed, I should be able to maintain absolute control over my mind and remain calm.