Chapter 156: The Eldest Senior Brother of Falling Emperor Mountain (21) |
Su Chen's heart pounded violently. He had been careless. In the declining Ancient Divine Race, within the Ancient God Death Ground, such a terrifying figure was still hidden. The Desolate Ruins Great Emperor had been defeated by him, left with dao injuries, and ultimately perished.
Su Chen wondered whether the white-haired old man was boasting. The Desolate Ruins Great Emperor had personally slain a flawless Emperor in the past. Among the emperors of the ancient era, his strength should have ranked near the top. Being defeated by someone else and suffering fatal Dao injuries sounded far too absurd.
Yet Su Chen understood that anyone capable of preserving a remnant soul from the ancient era until now possessed unfathomable methods and represented an extreme danger, regardless of their current strength.
The white-haired old man noticed Su Chen's wariness and disbelief. His eyes grew distant, as if lost in distant memories.
"This Emperor senses the aura of the Final Land on you. You have been there and even brought out an item?"
With a wave of his hand, the bronze oil lamp flew out from Su Chen's body and landed in the old man's palm.
Su Chen immediately became alert.
Still, he knew that even if the old man before him was only a remnant soul, he might not be able to defeat him. He could only say, "The Final Land? Senior has been there as well?"
Unable to win or escape, Su Chen calmed his mind and decided to extract some information from this ancient being.
Su Chen's eyes flickered with interest. He asked humbly, "Does Senior have a way to break this curse?"
He had no desire for his body to return to that dreadful place after death.
The white-haired old man shook his head.
"This is an inescapable fate. Even beings at the Great Emperor level cannot escape the curse of that place."
Su Chen's heart sank.
The old man consoled him, "However, if you choose to destroy your soul completely when your lifespan nears its end, your body will not return there."
Su Chen's despair lifted once more.
While the two conversed, countless ancient totems suddenly appeared on a distant island, forming an ancient divine kingdom. Terrifying god-like beings resided within it, their heads supporting the heavens and their feet treading upon ten thousand daos.
The white-haired old man praised, "You want him to bear the fate of the era and prove the Dao through destiny? Not a bad idea."
Su Chen felt that this old fellow was truly unfathomable. No wonder he was an old schemer who had lived through two eras.
The white-haired old man turned back and continued, "This Emperor conducted similar experiments back in the ancient era, but they all ended in failure. Every Great Emperor's path is unique and cannot be replicated. No matter how closely later generations imitate the roads they walked, they will never surpass them. A path once taken cannot be walked a second time, just as a second 'you' will never appear in the long river of time.
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"The emperors all say that to become an Emperor, talent, luck, and character are indispensable. Yet there is one more crucial factor: the choice of path. Once that choice is wrong, no matter how dazzling you are, you will never become an Emperor!"
In the current era, among trillions upon trillions of prodigies, only one could become an Emperor. How cruel was that?
Su Chen had lived through a great era. Too many people had possessed the potential to become Emperors. Yet in the end, only one had succeeded.
What disappointed Su Chen was that artificially created children of destiny had no hope of becoming Emperors.
Still, the approach had its merits. At the very least, the dao-seeking heart that Lin Changsheng had forged through his various experiences was strong enough to let him reach the peak of the universe. Living a full life without regrets seemed like a decent outcome as well.
Su Chen thought to himself.
Su Chen stayed in the Ancient God Death Ground and conversed with the Divine Emperor for another ten years. Only after Lin Changsheng emerged from his seclusion did he prepare to leave.
Before departing, the Divine Emperor gave Su Chen one final piece of advice.
"The Great Emperor of this era possesses too overwhelming a momentum. The supremes in the forbidden zones will not tolerate it for much longer. The universe will soon face a great upheaval."
Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
All the more so for a group of former Great Emperors who had once been invincible in their era. When facing death, they would surely choose to fight with everything they had.
Su Chen left.
The universe was about to usher in a great catastrophe.
Falling Emperor Mountain had no Emperor Weapon to guard it and could not remain uninvolved.
Several days later.
Lin Changsheng also left the Ancient God Death Ground. He spent another thirty years tempering himself before finally returning to Falling Emperor Mountain. There, he met the parents he had been searching for bitterly over the decades—Su Chen and Lin Wantang.
Lin Wantang's eyes filled with tears.
Su Chen simply asked, "Changsheng, do you resent your father?"
Lin Changsheng replied, "I did feel resentment at first, but later I stopped."
Su Chen asked, "Why?"
Lin Changsheng answered calmly, "If Father had not arranged things this way, I would have been the heir of Falling Emperor Mountain, the center of all attention. From the moment I was born, I would have faced no rivals and grown arrogant. I might have become unrivaled in an era like you, Father. But I would have carried too many burdens on my shoulders, burdens that would have suffocated me. That is not the life I wanted.
"Although Father left me nothing material, you gave me the right to choose. You gave me the vast freedom of the open sky and wide seas. I have met many people, made true friends, found a lover I cherish, and felt the desire to grow stronger step by step. These are things I would never have experienced if I had remained on Falling Emperor Mountain.
"Moreover, Father has never let me suffer any real grievances."
Su Chen felt a stir in his heart.
"Tomorrow, I will announce your identity," he said.
Lin Changsheng refused. "The identity of Falling Emperor Mountain's heir is noble, but it is not what I want. It is a cage."
Su Chen's expression showed both surprise and delight.
Lin Changsheng had truly forged his own path.
Lin Wantang watched him with reluctance.
Yet Lin Changsheng still left Falling Emperor Mountain. He gave up the position of heir to Falling Emperor Mountain. He would roam the starry sky, explore countless secret realms, and witness the wonders of the world. This was the freedom he desired.
Su Chen remained on Falling Emperor Mountain and continued his cultivation.
Time flew by. Three thousand years passed.
The starry sky trembled.
In this era, Saint Kings were rare. Anyone breaking through to the Great Saint realm was enough to cause a sensation.
"It's him—Lin Changsheng! He is actually attempting to break through to the Great Saint realm!"
Catastrophic tribulation flooded the star domain. The stronger the suppression from the Great Emperor, the harsher the trial one had to endure when breaking through.
Su Chen, who had been in seclusion for three thousand years, opened his eyes. He saw waves of hostile auras surging toward Lin Changsheng.
He extended one hand and condensed a small, exquisite jade sword in his palm. The jade sword split into twelve.
"Go."
The twelve jade swords vanished into the void.
In a distant star domain, the powerful enemies who had intended to launch a sneak attack on Lin Changsheng suddenly showed expressions of terror. Twelve streaks of sword qi appeared in the void, annihilating everything in their path as the sea of stars rose and fell.