Chapter 1585: The body is mortal, the spirit divine

"To be precise, it's a place for nurturing corpses. You are not them; you are merely Shennong, Huangdi, Laozi, and Siddhartha!"

The Reincarnation Sovereign's eyes held a terrifying chill deep within as he fixed his gaze on the four figures. His expression then became somewhat complex, and he fell silent for a long time, lost in thought.

"Please turn back, Benefactor," Siddhartha said.

"Monk, do you truly believe you can stop me?" the Lord of Reincarnation roared, his expression utterly ruthless.

If word of this spread, it would surely shake the cosmos. Siddhartha was a figure of immense power, a Quasi-Emperor over two millennia ago, having mastered profound creation, yet the Lord of Reincarnation held him in utter contempt. In this world, only an Ancient Supreme Being would dare to act this way, treating a peerless figure like Siddhartha as nothing, simply because they are too powerful.

"Then try to attack," someone said calmly.

"Do you think a few Great Emperor array patterns and an Emperor weapon can defend this ancient star?" the Reincarnation Sovereign scoffed. "I control reincarnation, and I am an Emperor. How can mere formations stop me? I have personally drawn Dao patterns of this caliber."

The Reincarnation Sovereign spoke coldly as he stepped forward, causing the heavens to tremble instantly. Strands of grand Dao aura spread, surging towards Hangu Pass, threatening to shatter the area.

"Unfortunately, you are no longer a true Emperor or Monarch," came a voice from the city gate tower. Several transcendent figures, fearless and detached from the mortal world, jointly activated an Emperor weapon, unleashing a blazing light. Simultaneously, several Great Emperor array patterns revived, sweeping out destructive light across immense distances.

"Boom!"

The universe trembled as immortal light surged, vast as an ocean, colliding with the Reincarnation Sovereign. A terrifying Dao resonance thundered throughout the area.

Finally, as all the light receded, the Reincarnation Sovereign's expression became utterly cold, and his eyes grew even more hollow, as if they sought to devour all beings in the cosmos.

His attack failed to penetrate. After all, there were several astonishing Emperor formations here, including peerless heavenly formations created by the Grouping Character Secret Art, and immortal formations personally laid by the Emperor Lord. Breaking through them would be anything but easy. Ultimately, he was not a true Emperor or Monarch. Unless he instantly elevated himself back to his peak from eons ago, paying such a price would mean he would hardly survive the battle, making it a complete loss.

The Reincarnation Sovereign circled Hangu Pass, attempting to breach the formations. However, this was not his area of expertise; his achievements in array arts were merely what was expected of a Great Emperor, not those of a true master of Dao patterns. In truth, at the Great Emperor realm, one could shatter the heavens with a mere finger, rendering specific methods unnecessary. However, his current state was not at its peak. Facing several grand formations like these, he found it impossible to break through quickly.

"There's no time left," the Reincarnation Sovereign muttered to himself. "To stave off aging, I need hundreds of billions, perhaps even trillions, of living beings. Wasting time here trying to break these formations would not be worth the cost."

Of course, he was still very unwilling. At the very least, those four individuals were supreme tonics; how many Quasi-Emperors could one hope to find in the mortal world? But if he truly wanted to force his way in, the cost would be far too immense!

"This star is a place for nurturing spirits, possessing ninety-nine dragon mountains from the mythological era. No wonder it could give birth to an immortal cauldron. Similarly, it can also nurture corpses; those buried here can prematurely form the reincarnation mark in the shortest time." The Lord of Reincarnation said eerily, his eyes flickering erratically as he gazed at the ancient star, his expression utterly cold.

This was absolutely world-shattering news; even a hint of it would be enough to shock the entire cosmos and cause all heavens and myriad realms to tremble. It was simply too astonishing!

Shennong, Huangdi, and Laozi's bodies had extraordinary origins. It was only because they were buried here that they formed reincarnation marks, and their corpses re-birthed sentience. Long ago, Ye Fan had already speculated on Laozi's origins. Legend had it that he was washed out of a mountain flood, born with white hair and a white beard, an ancient corpse that had gained a "spirit." Emperor Hengyu was similar; after his death, he was buried on Earth, and a "new spirit" was nurtured within his corpse, even though it was no longer himself.

The Void Great Emperor's case was more complex. Buried in the cosmos, his coffin once fell to Earth, where it also nurtured a corpse into a spirit, leaving behind the name Huangdi. Later, he opened the coffin and departed. He was often confined to his coffin because his physical body had immense injuries. Although a new consciousness had formed, making him a completely new person, the body remained, bearing hidden injuries from past bloody battles across the eight barren lands. It required the divine ancient coffin to suppress and nourish it, and even needed to be baptized with the essence blood of former enemies. After all, it was still an Emperor's body!

In summary, they were no longer the Great Emperors and Celestial Venerables of the past; their ties with the mythological era and primordial ages had long been severed. They were all new individual lives. In a sense, the Void Great Emperor and the Celestial Venerables of the mythological era could never truly reappear! These were merely their physical bodies, not the true individuals of the past. The years had passed, their primordial spirits had perished, and the "consciousness" born from them was entirely different; only their forms remained. Although these individuals acquired scriptures, notes, and imprints from the ancient coffins and relics of their former lives, it was still impossible for them to awaken the so-called past. There was simply no possibility of a "previous life" reappearing.

"You are, ultimately, not you. Everything has scattered with the wind; time is truly too ruthless!" The Reincarnation Sovereign gave them a final cold glance, then chose to depart without a forceful attack. In fact, if he had truly engaged in a head-on confrontation, he would most likely have suffered a bitter defeat there!

The Lord of Reincarnation, carrying an overwhelming aura that made the stars tremble, took one step and vanished directly into the depths of the cosmos. The next moment, following ancient memories, he ascended to a source of life and massacred an entire ancient star, blood overwhelming the heavens.

The Dark Turmoil continued, and no one could stop it. It would be useless unless a true Great Emperor revived. Although Shennong, Huangdi, and Laozi had reached the pinnacle of Quasi-Emperors, theoretically possessing the power to fight, if they truly attempted to stop a peerless Supreme Being from feeding, they would only suffer a bitter defeat. On Earth, there were several Emperor formations, sufficient for defense but lacking in offensive power—a helpless reality. The Dark Era had begun and would continue. No one could stop it; even if Great Emperors revived, a mere one or two would be powerless to reverse the situation.

In another part of the cosmos, an earth-shattering battle erupted on the ancestral star of the Heaven-Overturning Overlord Body. No one could have imagined that the Heaven-Abandoning Supreme Being would meet an opponent. He massacred this star, seeking to obtain sufficient powerful life energy. The inhabitants here were strong, with no shortage of Saints. But right from the start, they roared in unison, calling upon their ancient ancestors and praying for the return of the ancient Great Accomplishment Overlord Body to save them from peril.

This was the ancestral star of Overlord Bodies, though not all life forms on it were Overlord Bodies; rather, it was home to a large number of their descendants. True Overlord Bodies, like Sacred Bodies, only appeared once every many years. However, this star collectively revered Overlord Bodies, and from a mysterious ancestral cave, a peerless might erupted. A huge immortal source flew out, then burst open, stopping the tragic scene of blood flowing and corpses floating across the land. A Great Accomplishment Overlord Body was alive, self-sealed within the source, having never achieved the Dao, thus never needing to 'cut himself down.' Truly worthy of being the Sacred Body's nemesis, he could even challenge a Supreme Being!

This was a bloody life-and-death struggle. Both fought ferociously, rushing into outer space and destroying an unknown number of stars. They battled all the way, fighting deep into the cosmos. This Heaven-Overturning Overlord Body was peerlessly brave and mighty; though covered in blood, he managed to inflict injuries upon the Heaven-Abandoning Supreme Being. No one had expected that an Ancient Supreme Being would actually meet an opponent in the current era, a revelation that shook the cosmos and instilled hope in people. In another region, a Great Accomplishment Sacred Body was locked in a life-and-death struggle with the Longevity Celestial Venerable, their battle splattering blood across the cosmos. The appearance of another Great Accomplishment Overlord Body in this region was truly a pleasant surprise, greatly exhilarating many.

"Force me to return to my peak, and you will have no path to survival!" the Heaven-Abandoning Supreme Being roared. With a sweep of his hand, a galaxy shattered, an unknown number of stars turning to dust, and the endless starry sky in the cosmos dimmed. His methods were terrifying; he could undoubtedly destroy worlds with ease!

"If you do that, you'll surely die after a bloody battle!" the Great Accomplishment Overlord Body declared, utterly fearless.

The great battle did not cease; it continued on.

"If this continues, the ancestral star of Overlord Bodies still won't be saved," the Heaven-Abandoning Supreme Being said coldly. "Even if I don't descend there, several other Supreme Beings will go to massacre the cosmos!" The Great Accomplishment Overlord Body remained silent, but his attacks did not cease. "Your lifespan will also dry up," the Heaven-Abandoning Supreme Being continued. "If you wish to survive, I am your senior; my path of yesterday is your tomorrow!" The Old Overlord attacked even more frantically, fighting until the Heaven-Abandoning Supreme Being coughed up mouthfuls of blood. Although he himself was nearly split in half, he grew braver with each exchange.

In the cosmos, after some powerful Saints became aware of the situation, they all began to pray, hoping that both the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body and the Heaven-Overturning Overlord Body would survive and defeat their opponents, thereby bringing hope for an end to the Dark Turmoil.

However, after a bloody struggle, everything changed! In the end, the Heaven-Overturning Overlord Body and the Heaven-Abandoning Supreme Being stood side by side, surprisingly reconciled, no longer locked in a desperate struggle. The Heaven-Abandoning Supreme Being did not return to the Overlord Body's ancestral star but began his journey, continuing to massacre other ancient life-bearing lands to acquire the vital essence needed to prevent his own aging. And the Heaven-Overturning Overlord Body also took action, massacring ancient stars and conquering the cosmos; he became yet another source of the Dark Turmoil! This effectively meant one more Ancient Supreme Being, a change that was suffocating and despair-inducing! He did not slaughter his own ancestral land but ruthlessly conquered his ancient domain to obtain what he needed, delay aging, and enter his second hibernation of life.

The disaster was so terrifying, becoming increasingly despair-inducing, with no glimmer of light whatsoever.

"Quasi-Emperor Mingde has perished, fallen in battle beyond the domain, his life essence seized by an Ancient Supreme Being!"

Bad news spread everywhere; there was no hope at all. All was darkness before their eyes and in their ears as the cosmos was massacred, for Supreme Beings were almost impossible to contend with. The Light-Dark Supreme Being descended upon the Ziwei Starfield. With a mere gesture, billions of living beings instantly perished, their life essence absorbed by him with an open mouth. As all beings cried out helplessly and miserably, they continuously shouted the name of the Solar Saint Sovereign, for it was on this star that he had achieved the Dao and subsequently reigned over the cosmos.

And the result was truly miraculous! The Eye of the North Sea exploded, and a coffin flew out. A stone tower trembled, emitting ten thousand feet of light! The divine spirit of the past had long been obliterated and no longer existed. But after the ancient coffin burst open, a human skin, bearing the bloodstains of the Solar Saint Sovereign, surprisingly swelled up. It transformed into a human figure, as if revived, awakened by the will of all beings. Holding an Emperor Pagoda, it appeared to reign over the world, charging directly towards the Light-Dark Supreme Being.