Chapter 954: I Stand at the Peak of the World, Asking the Immortal

Yu Liuchen, once a Divine Platform, arrived at Wanggu Continent, following Can Mian, and once displayed an unparalleled demeanor.

As a Divine Platform, countless gods would prostrate and tremble before him.

Even the flawless would, if he wished, naturally develop flaws, inviting tribulation.

Because he was tribulation itself.

All beings were even more susceptible to his power.

So, in the beginning, his divine name was enough to make Wanggu tremble, and countless gods looked up in awe!

And he originally had the qualification to reach the peak of Divine Platform, even to challenge true gods!

But all this changed when a middle-aged figure, carrying a seven-foot bronze sword, arrived from the horizon and entered his divine domain!

In that battle, if he hadn't self-destructed his divine domain at the critical moment, he might have already perished!

Although he escaped by doing so, he was severely wounded, and his Divine Platform shattered into pieces!

Afterward, he could only hide, constantly sleeping, daring not to appear in the world. Even he, who had no emotional fluctuations, felt fear towards that sword-bearing figure!

It was the instinct of life.

Countless years ago, this fear had taken deep root, and his cultivation ultimately could not recover due to the presence of a heart tribulation.

Therefore, after fully comprehending the impending tribulation of the Sword-Wielding Emperor, he chose to come here!

He intended to oversee their final journey!

Yet, when the words were spoken, they became "to observe the final journey." Ultimately, he harbored extreme reverence for the only Emperor who, with his awe-inspiring combat power back then, chose to remain after all other Wanggu powerhouses had left.

He understood that with the other party's peak power back then, although not a Summer Immortal, he had enough qualifications to establish a sanctuary beyond the heavens!

From then on, to a certain extent, he could have been said to live a carefree life, free from the entanglements of this mortal world!

But to everyone's surprise, the other party chose to stay and protect humanity!

In this world permeated by deities, he remained for countless millennia!

Humanity has thus survived to this day!

It can be said that without this Emperor, humanity might no longer exist!

Even if they still reproduced, they would have certainly disintegrated, scattered into countless subordinate, minor clans of other races, and would absolutely not have retained a large human domain.

During this period, many deities were slain by this Emperor.

But the cost was equally immense; his main body had already died in battle and perished, with only one struggling clone remaining.

"Sword-Wielding Emperor, you are the most respected cultivator on this Wanggu Continent, without exception."

Yu Liuchen's gaze followed the vast sword energy path beneath his feet, looking towards the Sword-Wielding Palace. His sight could penetrate the barriers, seeing the figure sitting cross-legged in the secret chamber!

This was currently the only Emperor in the cultivator system of the entire Wanggu world.

"However, do you truly still possess the strength for one sword strike now?"

Yu Liuchen, covered in a blood-red robe that spread across the land, his body radiating monstrous bloody light, stood between heaven and earth like the master of the cosmos.

As these words were spoken, his aura also rose dramatically!

The wind surged, and the entire sky turned blood-red!

At this moment, the sea of fire, the night, including the sun, moon, and stars, all dimmed, his aura becoming the sole presence.

He slowly lifted his foot, a sea of blood seemed to erupt in his eyes, and his robe spread out, as if to envelop the entire human imperial capital beneath its blood-red folds as he stepped.

But just then, the human race's protective grand array suddenly rumbled, its fierce fluctuations forming a powerful counterattack.

This was the operating principle of the human grand array: it would generate different levels of resistance based on the intensity of the invasion.

Now facing the highest level of crisis, the grand array's burst of power also surpassed everything, reaching its extreme.

Suddenly, a blinding light flashed, containing countless runic symbols!

A light shield formed by the human array instantly appeared, blocking Yu Liuchen's advance.

Moreover, within this array, stars flashed, a total of forty-nine of them.

Those were all Suns of Dawn.

These were all the Suns of Dawn currently possessed by humanity.

After enduring countless tribulations, humanity could no longer claim to have much foundation; their greatest assets, aside from the Sword-Wielding Emperor, were only these Suns of Dawn.

Their fluctuations caused the world to change color, but Yu Liuchen merely smiled!

"It seems you truly have no strength for one sword strike left."

After speaking, as if without hesitation, his lifted right foot was about to land on the sword energy path ahead, and the next instant, a roar came from the blood-red sky.

With a tearing sound, the blood-red sky was ripped open, and the seven-clawed golden dragon, the Heavenly Dao of humanity, roared as it flew across the firmament!

Then, its body shone with brilliant light, like a golden sun rising in the blood-red sky.

The moment the light fell upon the imperial capital, the human Heavenly Dao flickered and soared straight towards the imperial palace.

Its target was surprisingly the Emperor's statue on the imperial palace square, within the area covered by its shadow, where purple smoke now rose.

As it became ethereal, a misty aura appeared, and a great bell emerged from thin air within it, suspended in the middle of the square.

That was the Immortal Inquiry Bell.

This bell was rumored to originate from the era of Ancient Emperor Xuanyou, existing between Yin and Yang, only manifesting at sunrise.

It could not be moved; the entire imperial capital was one entity, or more precisely, it was a part of the human imperial palace, having witnessed the growth of successive Human Emperors.

Its purpose was to verify one's heart.

Since ancient times, occasionally when a minister's words were doubted by others, they would strike the Immortal Inquiry Bell to prove their true intentions. The previous Ning Yan used this bell to verify his heart.

Apart from this function, the bell had no other effects for countless years.

Gradually, too many humans neglected it, regarding it merely as a mysterious ancient artifact and a symbol!

Until today, until the human Heavenly Dao revived, until its figure rushed into the Immortal Inquiry Bell, the bell violently shook, as if awakening from a long slumber!

The totems of mountains, rivers, and all living beings carved upon it all came alive, flowing across the bell's surface, emitting dazzling light that illuminated the heavens and earth, while a dense aura of primordial wildness also rose from within the Immortal Inquiry Bell!

The sky churned, blood energy exploded, and the cosmos inverted!

Within this aura, there was also an astonishing imperial qi—a manifestation of a vast will transcending heaven and earth, a crystallization of boundless domineering intent that suppressed all ages, an endowment from Wanggu Continent's inherent resonant Dao, and furthermore, the aura of an ancient emperor.

But it was not Xuanyou, as the world believed.

This aura was even more ancient.

Xuanyou was not the first Ancient Emperor of Wanggu.

Before him, there were several Ancient Emperors in Wanggu, whether it was the Ancient Spirit Emperor or emperors who emerged from other races to unify Wanggu!

And at the very source, in myths and legends, after the Summer Immortal ascended back then, he personally appointed the first Ancient Emperor of Wanggu Continent.

This Ancient Emperor was human.

This bell originated from him.

Thus, as this aura emerged, heaven and earth trembled, and Wanggu was shaken.

Yu Liuchen's expression also suddenly changed, and his lifted foot paused!

The next instant, the Immortal Inquiry Bell swayed in mid-air, and an ancient chime resonated from antiquity, the river of time flowing into the present, into heaven and earth.

Its sound was ancient, yet it also contained a hint of sorrow, as if calling out, as if asking the departed Immortals, "When will you return?"

It was precisely: "As the bell tolls, heaven and earth are desolate; I, in the mortal realm, ask when the Immortals will return."

Yu Liuchen's expression drastically changed, his entire body shook, and the blood-red robe covering him cracked audibly in thousands of places under the bell's chime.

It was a shocking sight!

His lifted foot also retracted at this moment, and his body retreated ten zhang.

"What is this?"

Even the omniscience of a Divine Platform could not encompass the Immortal Inquiry Bell.

It seemed to be hidden in the annals of time, concealed beyond perception, just like him, only appearing at the moment of solar and lunar convergence!

Not only was Yu Liuchen stunned speechless, but at this moment, the God of Burning Fire, the God of Night, and the three gods of Sun, Moon, and Stars also felt turmoil within their hearts!

Humanity indeed had little hidden power remaining. However, a deeper foundation, one that predated the Sword-Wielding Emperor, had been concealed since before Ancient Emperor Xuanyou's time!

It had remained hidden until today, reviving under an inexplicable opportunity.

The Empress's expression remained calm!

The Emperor offered no response!

As for Yu Liuchen, almost the instant his heart stirred, the Immortal Inquiry Bell floating in mid-air above the imperial palace vibrated again, sending forth its second chime!

A mighty sound echoed through heaven and earth: "Time passes, all things journey; I, in my homeland, ask how desolate the Immortals are."

Yu Liuchen's entire body trembled violently, his expression changing even more drastically. The wounds on his chest instantly ripped open, his old injuries surprisingly re-aggravated by the bell's chime.

His body involuntarily retreated another step, this time a hundred zhang.

Then, the Immortal Inquiry Bell blazed with brilliant light, and its majestic yet sorrowful chime sounded for the third time!

As if asking one last question: "The path to Immortal Mountains is long, life boundless; I, at the world's peak, ask where the immortal path lies!"

Yu Liuchen's soul was shaken, and his body directly disintegrated under the bell's chime. Although it instantly reformed, he retreated again and again!

Not until he had retreated a thousand zhang did he stabilize his body and stare fixedly at the bell!

The will contained within this chime was terrifying to the extreme; it was the desire to seek the Dao, the ambition to find Immortals.

It seemed that someone, long ago, as the supreme peak of Wanggu and with unparalleled cultivation, had struck this bell to inquire of Immortals!

And Yu Liuchen knew very well that just three chimes had reduced him to this state!

Therefore, he could imagine that if there were a fourth chime, the injuries he had painstakingly recovered from over countless years would likely fully revert to their original severe state.

However, for such a terrifying object, he didn't believe striking it came without a cost, and that cost must be immense.

Therefore, whether the bell could be struck again was unknown, but he dared not gamble.

If he won the gamble, in his current state, he had no confidence facing the Sword-Wielding Emperor!

If he lost, he would have even less confidence!

So, he fell silent!

And the bell, at this moment, vibrated again in mid-air, as if truly about to sound a fourth chime.

Seeing this, Yu Liuchen suddenly spoke.

"This Venerable One is merely here to observe today!"

As the words left his mouth, the Immortal Inquiry Bell paused in mid-air!

The next instant, a cold voice came from within the Sword-Wielding Palace!

"Scram!"

With that single word, heaven and earth shattered!

It was not directed only at Yu Liuchen but echoed across the sky, thundering in all directions, shattering the cosmos like divine thunder, forming rolling tidal waves that swept through and cleansed the firmament.

Instantly, numerous divine thoughts from various factions, which had descended here by various means to observe the Human Emperor's ascension to godhood, vanished and chose to depart.

Whether the Sword-Wielding Emperor of humanity truly possessed the strength for one sword strike or not, they dared not gamble.

And the astonishing bell caused even more concern among all parties!

As for Yu Liuchen, his gaze fixed on the Sword-Wielding Palace!

A few breaths later, his body blurred and finally vanished from heaven and earth!

He too chose to leave.

The divine fire of the Ancient Emperor Star grew even stronger!

At the same time, in the northern part of Fenghai Commandery, within the Saint Lan Great Domain, extremely far from the human imperial capital's great domain.

That plain was swept by wind and snow, and amidst the goose-feather-like snow, an earth-shattering gigantic pillar could be seen, standing on the ice plain. Numerous tents surrounded it, forming a gathering place resembling a city.

That pillar was precisely the Grand Beginning Severing Abyssal Pillar!

A small portion of it was submerged underground!

That was a mysterious ghost cave!

At the end of the underground cavern, a colossal eye existed.

This eye was now closed and motionless.

Above the eye, a pentagonal wooden house was suspended, held by five iron chains connected to the surrounding rock walls!

At the five corners of the wooden house were the five elemental entrances!

Inside the house, a lamp was lit!

That was a Soul Lamp!

Through the paper window and its cracks, a woman in a red bridal gown could be seen sitting silently.

She seemed like a mortal, with no cultivation fluctuations within her body, nor any trace of divine aura.

As for her appearance, it wasn't clear, but through the shadow on the paper window, one could see that she had spat out three mouthfuls of blood in this short time.

Her blood, strangely, turned into paper money, drifting out of the house and dispersing upwards within the ghost cave, causing countless bizarre entities to scramble and devour it.

The timing of her blood spat coincided with the three chimes of the Immortal Inquiry Bell in the human imperial palace.

"The transaction is complete!"

"But it is not yet time for me to depart," the woman murmured softly after a moment, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.

Then, a song, seemingly eternal to this place, continued to drift forth.

"Past lives do not come, future lives are always present, severing lovesickness to paint dust! This life lingers, the rest of life buried, who waits in the cycle of rebirth?" As the song continued, the five elemental skeletal figures outside the pentagonal wooden house began to sway!

At the same time, a similar chanting resonated within the Heaven-Swallowing Domain!

In a short time, under Zhuzhao's invasion, as the sky was generally enveloped by Zhuzhao's divine domain, the beings of the Heaven-Swallowing Great Domain had already been blood-sacrificed.

Whether cultivators, mortals, or any race!

This was Zhuzhao's full power unleashed, the first complete descent of all the Purple-Green Crown Prince's concealed power!

Thus, the death brought to this great domain was like swift lightning and inevitable.

Consequently, countless skeletal remains and masses of flesh spread across this land, centered around the Heaven-Swallowing Imperial Palace!

Blood stained the soil, and spirits of the deceased permeated all directions!

And the slaughter continued!

But these killings were no longer the main point!

At this moment, atop the Heaven-Swallowing Imperial Palace, permeated with blood and skeletal remains, a grand ceremony was underway!

The colossal sphere of flesh from the divine domain floated in mid-air.

Around it were five vortices, and within each vortex sat a skeletal figure, cross-legged—these were the Heaven-Swallowing Emperors of successive generations!

Looking around, this scene was astonishingly identical to the ceremony currently unfolding in the human imperial capital.

Both featured an imperial capital and an imperial palace, with a sphere of flesh like an Ancient Emperor Star, and skeletal remains in the vortices like successive Human Emperors.

Furthermore, an illusory projection, covering the heavens and earth, manifested here!

Within the projection, it was clearly the scene of the current Human Emperor of humanity ascending to godhood.

Everything here was arranged to overlap.

From all directions, countless Zhuzhao cultivators, along with mysterious black-robed figures, knelt in worship, their white light intensely fervent!

Chanting also echoed!

"The Extreme Yang Qi of the Two Poles merges with the Ancient God's Eye, becoming starlight that shines upon Wanggu! The souls of the four directions of the Netherworld drink the water of time, creating ancient dreams that awaken this morning!"