Chapter 1081: A Thought Let Go Is Rebirth

Many things in life are difficult precisely because they are hard to let go of. This difficulty in letting go gives rise to obsession, especially when it comes to life and death—one's own and others'. When gripped by such an obsession with life and death, it's hard to release it; hope always lingers in one's heart.

Yet, in many cases, hope doesn't guarantee the absence of despair. Regret, more often than not, is the main theme of this world, for the world is cold, and heaven and earth are indifferent.

Just like the statue of the Sword-Wielding Great Emperor, at the very moment its life force was about to ignite, it collapsed. The oil had run out. It couldn't truly burn, even after the sacrifice of the Demonic Feather Holy Land and the revival of the Profound Genesis Dao Fruit. It was still the same. Only the Empress's voice, brimming with obsession, echoed through the heavens and earth, reverberating across a thousand mountains, filled with deep reluctance. She was a deity, but deities, it seemed, were not omnipotent.

She even bit her tongue, spewing out her divine blood. With a hand seal, she burned it, merging it into the Great Emperor's statue, hoping to help. Xu Qing, too, unhesitatingly chose to do the same, fully releasing his life force and gathering his blood, using his own strength, his own Dao, and all that he possessed to assist the Great Emperor. Even Second Bull sighed lightly and offered his own power.

But the outcome didn't change much. It was as if an unbridgeable chasm separated yin and yang. The collapsing aura on the Great Emperor's statue continued. This resurrection ritual, at this moment, was inevitably heading for failure. Thus, bitterness consumed this entire world.

"How could this be..."

The Empress suddenly looked up, her heart still not giving up. Even though all outcomes pointed to failure, in that instant, the full power of her divine platform erupted. She tried to unleash more of her own power, to reverse everything.

And just as she was about to exhaust herself, an ancient sigh gently echoed within this Dao Fruit world.

"My foolish child."

This familiar voice made Xu Qing's body tremble and his mind ripple, as countless memories from the past flashed before his eyes. The Empress's breathing suddenly quickened; this voice was the source of her humanity. So, both their gazes simultaneously turned towards the Great Emperor's statue.

This statue, which had integrated human memory, mountains and rivers, and destiny as its three souls, and the Human Emperor as its seven ethereal souls, now had its collapsing life aura suddenly pause. Then, its momentum surged again. This time, without any hindrance, it directly returned to its peak. The aura of the Sword-Wielder, the powerful presence of the Great Emperor at his zenith, erupted throughout this entire world.

Heaven and earth changed color, and winds surged. The world trembled, the Holy Land roared, and the Ancient Continent echoed. The statue's body also visibly and rapidly receded, finally turning into flesh and blood, becoming a long-awaited figure.

He opened his eyes. It was the Sword-Wielding Great Emperor.

He stood upon the transparent sea, his figure aged, the aura of death lingering, yet his back was straight and his body was erect. His gaze was gentle as he looked at everything before him, penetrating this realm, passing over the Demonic Feather Holy Land, and looking towards humanity.

He saw the current territories of humanity, saw the figures of its countless citizens, looked at the mountains and rivers, at its destiny, at everything. Everything that had happened in the Ancient Continent after his demise, at this moment, flowed into his mind from the Heavenly Dao and from all living beings. He learned that after his demise, the Holy Land had descended. He learned that after his demise, war had broken out. He learned everything. A sharp, resolute aura also surged forth from him, echoing through heaven and earth, as his perceptions deepened and his understanding grew.

However, Xu Qing and the Empress, standing not far away, now looked at the Great Emperor's figure, and an uncontrollable wave of profound sorrow rose in their hearts. This was because an extreme aura of death permeated the Great Emperor's body. Tears streamed from the Empress's eyes. She knew that she had, after all, failed. The Great Emperor had not been fully revived. The life-generating power from the Dao Fruit, the three souls and seven ethereal souls from humanity, had only allowed him to return for a brief moment. Xu Qing's heart felt constricted; an indescribable emotion filled him with bitterness and emptiness.

"You all..."

On the transparent sea, the Great Emperor gently shook his head. He withdrew his gaze from the world and rested it on the Empress and Xu Qing, his expression softening.

"Xia'er."

As these two words were spoken, the Empress trembled and raised her head. At this moment, she was not a deity, nor an Empress, but the fragile woman who had been saved all those years ago. Her tears still flowed as she looked at the elderly figure before her, like a father, her vision blurred.

"You've done very well, and it's enough," the Great Emperor spoke hoarsely. He stepped forward, stood before the Empress, raised his hand, and stroked her head, his eyes filled with tender affection, as if looking at his own daughter. "It's just that, though you are omniscient, you don't know me completely."

The Great Emperor spoke softly. "The history of humanity only records how my main body perished and how my clone protected the tribe, but it doesn't record the reason. That part was erased by me. The truth is, when I fought against the deity from the central tribe of the Ancient Continent, I resolved the crisis of humanity being enslaved, but the cost was immense. Not only did my main body perish, but even my clone actually perished in that battle as well."

"It was an old friend, who, after my demise, revived me on the battlefield with a Myriad Wondrous Profound Genesis Dao Fruit. That revival failed, yet it also succeeded. It failed because this fruit could only offer a chance for revival, not guarantee it, so my main body didn't successfully return. It succeeded because ultimately, my clone, which had perished along with my main body, revived through this opportunity. Ultimately, I had already used this Myriad Wondrous Profound Genesis Dao Fruit once before. I cannot use it a second time. Therefore, the failure of this revival today, Xia'er, is not your fault."

The Great Emperor spoke softly, his words slow, to soothe Li Xia's emotions. He didn't want this child, whom he had saved, to live with lifelong regret over failing to revive him. So, he wanted to explain the reason, to let her know that it wasn't her fault, and that she had already done well enough.

The Empress bit her lower lip, listening silently to everything. The Great Emperor sighed gently, again stroked the Empress's head, then looked at Xu Qing, whose expression was bitter.

"Xu Qing, you haven't disappointed me either."

Xu Qing lowered his head, his sorrow deepening, and bowed deeply.

The Great Emperor smiled. He looked at the Empress and Xu Qing before him. These were the successors he had chosen; one inherited his cultivation, the other inherited his Imperial Sword. He was pleased and satisfied with both of them; he had no regrets. The only thing was that he still had some lingering concern for humanity—concern for the tribe he had protected his entire life.

"I already know what happened. This Dao Fruit, though it couldn't fully revive me, ultimately allowed me a brief return. And this returned body of mine is no longer bound by the star ring's shackles, returning to the peak of my life. This is very good."

The Great Emperor smiled. It had been a very, very long time since he felt this sense of ease, recalling that he only felt this way when his main body was still alive. In his later years, he had been constantly plagued by injuries, spending most of his time in slumber. Even when he awakened and took action, he bore the fatigue of his soul. Moreover, he couldn't wield his sword freely and without restraint. He had to be careful, to restrain himself, to ensure he could always reserve his last sword strike. This was even more exhausting for him. Even in his final battle, he wished to fight freely, but he no longer possessed the capacity, so he still felt regret in his heart. Protection and responsibility, like a great mountain, had weighed on him his entire life. If possible, he wanted to truly fight freely just once, like when he was young.

"So, in this final time..."

The Great Emperor smiled, raising his right hand and pointing at the Ancient Emperor Star in mid-air. Under this gesture, the Ancient Emperor Star immediately roared, trembling as it fully erupted and continuously rotated, directly revealing the bone cauldron that had been swallowed and sealed within it. The lid of the bone cauldron also opened. A distorted figure, Ming Yan, shot out from within.

The moment he appeared, his expression was ferocious, and he was about to speak, but in the next instant, his face greatly changed. He stared abruptly at the Sword-Wielding Great Emperor, his pupils instantly contracting, and the hairs on his entire body stood on end. Even with his current combat power, after sensing the Sword-Wielding Great Emperor, an extreme sense of danger still arose within him.

"He's clearly not Immortal Xia, yet why does he give me such a strong, such a terrifying feeling!"

Ming Yan's scalp tingled, and his body abruptly retreated, about to flee from here. But it was too late. The Great Emperor's calm gaze fell upon him. A supreme sword qi, amidst a roar that spread throughout the world, suddenly erupted from within Ming Yan's physical body. Ming Yan was horrified and unable to suppress it. In the next instant, sword qi soared into the sky, shattering the clouds. That was the Imperial Sword!

This sword shone, emanating a power that made Ming Yan lose himself, and instantly descended. It didn't cut; instead, it hung above Ming Yan's crown, touching his physical body. Ming Yan's whole body trembled. A terrifying force, like a surging wave, swept from within the sword, rushing into his physical body like an avalanche, heavily striking his soul.

"This is power comparable to Immortal Xia!" This was Ming Yan's last conscious thought, then his soul shattered, forcibly shaken out of his physical body by this power. Before it could re-coalesce, the Great Emperor raised his hand and grabbed. Instantly, Ming Yan's perception turned black as he was seized by that hand.

The Great Emperor waved his hand, giving the soul to the Empress. "This soul is quite good. It has absorbed a lot of karma from Xu Qing's physical body. You can use it for future sacrifices." The Great Emperor smiled, flicked his sleeve, and returned the physical body to Xu Qing.

"Xu Qing, your current body possesses immortal essence, and this body contains divine treasure. From now on, you will walk the path of both immortal and god. I haven't walked this path, but it seems limitless. So, it's good. Both paths are different: one is the extreme of immortals, the other the extreme of gods. For the latter, as long as you successfully comprehend divine authority, you can instantly ignite your divine flame and achieve godhood, most likely becoming a powerful god."

Seeing his divine body return, Xu Qing put it away and looked at the Great Emperor, his sorrow deepening. He owed the Great Emperor too much.

"Don't look so sad, both of you. I'm very happy. So, next, Xia'er, Xu Qing, are you two willing to accompany this old man on a journey through the world with my sword?" The Great Emperor smiled.

The Empress took a deep breath and nodded forcefully. Xu Qing's gaze was equally firm; he bowed deeply. "I am willing to accompany you, Senior!"

The Great Emperor laughed heartily, waved his large hand, and the heavens opened, the Demonic Feather Holy Land rumbling. Then, taking Xu Qing and the Empress, his two successors, he left Demonic Feather in one step, streaked across the sky, and at astonishing speed, headed towards the three Holy Lands above the Blazing Moon Profound Heaven Clan.

"I have a sword that can cleave the heavens and split the earth!" The Great Emperor's heroic declaration resonated throughout the Ancient Continent.

At this moment, on the Ancient Continent, some extremely ancient gods slowly opened their eyes from their slumber, gazing afar at the familiar figure in the sky. This included Yu Liuchen. Vaguely, they seemed to see the young man from tens of thousands of years ago, who traveled the world with his sword, fighting gods as a war god.

"Sword-Wielder..."