Chapter 1698: Origin of the Azure Emperor

Corpses lay like a sea in the burial ground. A magnificent palace stood grandly above it, radiating majesty. A fleshy orb was locked in a stalemate with the Bell of Wu Shi, about to be pulled into another realm.

Unexpectedly, a Primordial Azure Lotus suddenly appeared, shimmering with strings of runes like brilliant, crystal-clear immortal ribbons. As they cascaded down, the strange aura of the place diminished.

Everyone except Ye Fan and Shan Huang retreated, unable to withstand the majesty. Trembling with fear, they fell to their knees.

Even Shan Huang couldn't bear it. His body shook as he stumbled back step by step. The Primordial Divine Lotus, radiating supreme power, had revived itself.

The lotus in Ye Fan's hand resonated, emitting a dazzling shower of light. It broke free from his grasp, flew out, and merged with the giant azure lotus, becoming one.

It transformed into an imprint, deeply etched onto the main lotus, vibrant with a moist, bluish-green hue.

Everything happened too suddenly for anyone to react. Without the Azure Lotus's protection, Ye Fan immediately felt a suffocating pressure, as if mountains and seas were pressing down on him, or as if a Great Emperor was standing there, looking down.

With a hum, the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron flew out from between his brows, hovering above his head. Inside its mouth, a vast expanse of primordial chaos churned, then cascaded out in ten thousand waterfall-like streams of Mother Qi.

The oppressive feeling instantly vanished. Ye Fan's forehead glowed as he channeled his power. The cauldron above his head expanded, forming a protective field that drew in Shan Huang and the other great demons, sheltering them beneath.

"What is that?" The others were puzzled. Having been suppressed for over two thousand years, they knew little about the outside world.

"The Azure Emperor's weapon!" Ye Fan replied.

"What, *him*? I know!" They weren't far removed from events of ten thousand years ago; some of their masters had even sought audience with the Demon Emperor in his later years.

This naturally shocked them. The true Great Emperor of the Demon Race, how powerful he was back then! He broke the curse that prevented anyone from achieving enlightenment after the Desolate Era, reigned over the Nine Heavens, rewrote legends, and shook the past, present, and future.

"Greetings, Azure Emperor!"

Many among them were great demons. With sincere reverence for the Azure Emperor, they knelt in the void, performing a solemn bow.

Once they calmed down, they were also astonished by the mystery of Ye Fan's cauldron. Its ability to block the oppressive aura of an ancient Great Emperor's weapon was too terrifying, defying common sense.

Ye Fan understood why it was possible. First, the cauldron itself was extraordinary. Second, the law runes of the Immortal Bell had been copied and outlined, and now resided within the cauldron, naturally granting it immeasurable power.

The enormous Primordial Azure Lotus shrank to human height, then flashed into the palace, sweeping towards the fleshy orb with ten thousand feet of azure light.

Seeing this, Ye Fan was startled. He rapidly retreated with everyone, moving far from the battlefield, reaching a place beyond the reach of the magnificent palace.

Clearly, this wasn't enough. The next moment, Ye Fan tore through the void, traversed realms, broke through this dimension, and arrived in the vast star field, escaping the "One Realm Mausoleum."

Yinghuo (Mars) appeared to be merely a planet, but in reality, it sealed off a realm. At this moment, vast fluctuations erupted from within. Ye Fan stood above, looking down with a worried expression, glancing at the nearby pale blue star.

In that instant, he raised his hand, plucked a star from the cosmos, refined it to replace Yinghuo, and then, with a sweep of his sleeve, took the planet Yinghuo away.

Shan Huang, the Hundred-Legged Heavenly Worm, and the others were scared out of their wits. This planet was currently a great graveyard that could devour gods. Carrying it with them was practically seeking death, as there were imperial-level experts inside.

Ye Fan remained silent. With the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron above his head, he leaped across hundreds of star systems, heading towards the edge of the universe.

Starlight flowed backward. He succeeded. Although terrifying fluctuations spread during this process, Yinghuo did not disintegrate until he cast the star into a desolate dead zone.

The duration was not long, but Shan Huang and the others were drenched in sweat, as if soaked by rain. Every one of them was exhausted.

Death was not terrifying; what was terrifying was the torment of being alive. In that brief moment, it was like dancing on a knife's edge, constantly on the verge of being pierced, bloody and with bone-chilling pain.

A blinding beam of light shot up from within Yinghuo, piercing the realm barrier. One could see an Azure Lotus sweeping over the fleshy orb, driving it towards another realm.

Then, the divine sound of a great bell shook the eternal star rivers. Its lingering resonance echoed throughout the starry sky. At this moment, some peerless masters were greatly astonished, as if they sensed something profound.

The Bell of Wu Shi awakened, its mouth glowing, primordial chaos surging, intending to draw the fleshy orb inside and take it along.

At the same moment, the fleshy orb also revived, erupting with a brilliant light from within. Five colors illuminated the universe, and ten lights streaked across the starry sky. It was too terrifying; this was an incomparably dreadful aura.

Ye Fan and the others retreated further, defending themselves with the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron, watching nervously from the Milky Way. This was truly a battle and confrontation rarely seen in eons.

"That Azure Lotus is not as simple as just an Emperor's artifact. No wonder it remained undamaged during the Dark Turmoil back then. When the small lotus merged with it just now, it gained a lifelike vitality, as if the Azure Emperor himself had been reborn!"

Ye Fan's gaze intensified as he stared in surprise. Some things defied common sense. The Azure Emperor's demise ten thousand years ago was already somewhat strange, but now it seemed even more questionable.

The Azure Emperor's true form emitted a towering, dazzling emerald light. With a spread of its jade-green leaves, it opened up the eternal azure sky, shattering the vast firmament. Nothing could oppose it.

Characters leaped out one after another, forming little Qilins and Vermillion Birds. This script was very peculiar, with each character being a transformed divine beast, possessing a world-shattering, domineering power.

These were demon race runes, representing the Azure Emperor's Dao. They now materialized as Dao laws, surging out to suppress the fleshy orb.

Like celestial blades unsheathed, five streams of immortal light flew out from the fleshy orb. Each resonated with a clear, metallic clang. Upon closer inspection, they were actually five feathers, eerie yet beautiful, brilliant and dazzling.

They possessed unparalleled power, grinding away the myriad runes that the Primordial Azure Lotus manifested. Their might was world-shattering!

Even Ye Fan, who had experienced and personally participated in the Dark Turmoil, felt a tremor in his heart. The fleshy orb had only displayed a fraction of its power and already resisted an Emperor's artifact.

However, the Primordial Azure Lotus was truly extraordinary, unlike other Emperor's artifacts. With a mighty tremor, it created heaven and earth, sweeping forcefully, breaking through the feathers and striking the fleshy orb.

"What is that?!" Shan Huang, a quasi-Emperor, exclaimed in shock.

On the Azure Lotus, a universe faintly appeared. A lotus seed within it evolved, opening up a true cosmos, capable of confronting any powerful being in this universe.

"Is that the Azure Emperor's origin? Is it truly a lotus seed from before the creation of heaven and earth?!"

"That's defying the heavens too much!"

A group of great demons were all stunned. The Azure Emperor's weapon, unleashing its power, seemed more like a Great Emperor than a mere artifact. It swept over the fleshy orb, making it tremble violently.

"A single lotus in the eternal azure sky, a lotus seed from the primordial chaos before creation... could the legend be true?" Shan Huang's face was incredibly pale as he murmured to himself.

Seeing him like this, Ye Fan's heart stirred. According to other demons, Shan Huang was originally an ordinary old rooster who accidentally stumbled into an immortal's cave, eventually attaining enlightenment and becoming a quasi-Emperor. He was truly extraordinary and perhaps knew unknown secrets.

"Did you think of something?"

"Yes." Shan Huang nodded and said, "I did enter a cave back then, presumably a remnant from the distant mythological era. My greatest gain there was consuming fragments of a Nine-Turn Immortal Pill."

As soon as he mentioned this, everyone was stunned. What kind of thing was that? It could extend a Great Emperor's life for another epoch, even after all other divine marrow and ancient medicines had been consumed and had no further effect.

"I read several fragmented scriptures there, and one of the notebooks contained treatises on divine medicines. According to it, every immortal medicine is a miracle, containing the greatest secrets of this heaven and earth."

"What are you trying to say?" Long Que, being impatient, quickly asked.

"The owner of the notebook discussed several immortal medicines and also mentioned an immortal lotus that he pursued for most of his life but never obtained."

"Don't tell me... you're saying the Azure Emperor is that lotus, and like the Undying Phoenix Medicine and True Dragon Divine Medicine, they are all immortal medicines?!" Ye Fan reacted quickly, asking this.

"Yes, according to the records, there was an immortal medicine called the Undying Lotus in the mythical era. However, it underwent nirvana, transformed into a seed like the Qilin Divine Medicine, and disappeared. The owner of that cave pursued it for most of his life but never found it, which was a great regret."

The Azure Emperor is an undying immortal medicine?!

This left everyone dumbfounded. If true, it would be universe-shattering news, breaking a common understanding that immortal medicines cannot cultivate. The long-held belief was shattered!

"How could he cultivate?!" Everyone found it hard to believe.

Immortal medicines cannot cultivate human forms or break free from the shackles of order; this has been an unchanging consensus throughout history. Yet, it was overturned—one actually achieved the Dao.

Ye Fan thought of many things. That lotus from the mythical era underwent nirvana, its seed falling into an immortal pond and taking root on green copper. Perhaps this was one of the reasons for its ultimate success against the heavens.

However, once it broke free, it also lost the ability to live forever. There are gains and losses.

"Boom!"

The Azure Lotus struck the fleshy orb directly. A fierce collision ensued between them, with azure light clashing against the five-colored feathers.

Suddenly, the bell rang again!

A phantom appeared on the Bell of Wu Shi, and an aura of desolation and dominance instantly swept across the edge of the universe.

A figure, with his back to all beings, sat cross-legged there, exuding an ineffable aura. Nothing could obstruct his presence. His posture was grand, his hair thick and flowing, and in his stillness, there was also a hint of loneliness.

"Is that... Great Emperor Wu Shi?" The thirteen great demons trembled, their voices shaking.

The Azure Lotus also shuddered, propping open the planet Yinghuo, gathering the essence of the ten heavens and eight directions, erupting with brilliant light, and sweeping towards the fleshy orb.

The five-colored feathers rang with a metallic clang, transforming into immortal swords that slashed. The nearby star fields silently annihilated, collapsing rapidly!

If not for Ye Fan's cauldron protection, everyone around him, except Shan Huang, would have been reduced to bloody mist.

"Clang!"

Another bell chime rang. The figure on the Primordial Bell became clearer. The great bell, for the first time, erupted, no longer silent. Its mouth expanded, swallowing the fleshy orb. Primordial mist swirled around it, making it mysterious and hazy.

An overwhelming aura surged forth. The Immortal Realm seemed to be torn open. The great bell, dragging the fleshy orb, entered another realm. From beginning to end, the majestic figure on the Bell of Wu Shi never turned around, departing with his back to all beings.