Chapter 1347: Historical Traces

Realizing the might and terror of the Outer Heavens, Red Emperor traveled through time and space to find a path for humanity's survival. He discovered this very place. However, at that time, Red Emperor was critically wounded by this dangerous, chaotic space and was on the verge of death. Therefore, he transformed into the Hanging Realm, releasing his indestructible divine consciousness to notify his people.

The Hanging Realm is merely on the periphery of this chaotic space, whereas Exalted Heavenly Venerate is now trapped in its center.

Exalted Heavenly Venerate looked around, frowning deeply. He had initially thought Moon Heavenly Venerate had merely banished him to the depths of the universe, but he never expected to be sent to a place he had neither visited nor even heard of before. The space here was disorienting. He stood in a peculiar spacetime where there was no distinction between up and down, or left and right. Other spaces drifted by nearby, eliciting a gasp of astonishment from Exalted Heavenly Venerate. His body was distorted by the space, coiling like a massive python, stretched for thousands of miles. Only after that particular spatial anomaly drifted past did he return to his normal form.

"I must leave this place, no matter what!"

As he was about to take a step, an octagonal cone-shaped space descended from above him, causing Exalted Heavenly Venerate immediate and intense pain. He saw himself split into eight bodies! Eight complete bodies, each with its own complete primordial spirit, yet pain emanated from every single one of them!

"Nothing strange in this world can harm a Heavenly Venerate!"

He forcefully activated his cultivation, rejoining his bodies, and then began walking aimlessly, leaning on the Primeval Wood. Suddenly, he saw the back of his own head. This was the effect of another space. He not only saw the back of his head but also his internal organs, his brain, and even the waves of thought within his mind—a consciousness as vast as the universe, with countless thoughts shining like a starry sky! His body seemed to have no boundaries; its interior was immensely vast.

"Nothing can trap a Heavenly Venerate, or trap me!"

He elevated his cultivation to its peak, and his body returned to normal. Along the way, he encountered countless bizarre phenomena, yet this spatial labyrinth seemed to have no end, no destination.

Exalted Heavenly Venerate calmed his mind, then suddenly activated the Primeval Wood. Its leaves flew up, drifting into the peculiar spatial fragments. The Primeval Wood's roots extended in all directions. This very tree, which had supported the myriad heavens and realms in the Primeval Realm, showed no diminution of power even here. This was Exalted Heavenly Venerate's capital for surviving and leaving this place. No matter how complex this chaotic space, this place of banishment, he was certain he could escape!

At this moment, he suddenly felt the Primeval Wood's roots touch something solid, stirring a slight tremor in his heart. He followed the Primeval Wood's roots, encountering various bizarre incidents along the way that several times almost led to his demise in this chaotic space. However, being a powerful Heavenly Venerate, he persevered.

He arrived at the spot where the Primeval Wood's roots had touched. It was a patch of land, not fully destroyed, measuring only about thirty to fifty miles in circumference. It floated in this chaotic space, persistently un-shattered. A sorrowful aura of death permeated that land. Even the roots of the Primeval Wood withered abruptly upon reaching it. Exalted Heavenly Venerate sensed that this sorrow was not left by a deity, but by the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth—the lamentation of the Grand Dao as it died.

He withdrew the Primeval Wood and carefully descended onto this incredibly ancient land, trying his utmost to suppress the fear in his heart. The aura of the Grand Dao's death here instilled fear in him; even as Primeval, one of the Five Grand Primordials, his heart couldn't help but be filled with dread. Yet, as a former Heavenly Emperor and now a Heavenly Venerate, he forcibly suppressed his fear, overcame his inner demons, and continued to search for the secrets of this place. The pathos of this Grand Dao caused his own Dao Heart to feel sorrow, and unconsciously, tears welled in his eyes. And this fear of the Grand Dao also instilled fear in him, making him tremble and tread as if on thin ice.

Finally, Exalted Heavenly Venerate saw the source of the Grand Dao's sorrow and fear: an incredibly ancient, massive tree with an astonishing canopy. However, it was completely devoid of leaves and branches, leaving only dry, gnarled limbs, trunk, and body. It had been uprooted and lay tilted on the ground, its roots completely withered. Countless branches were broken, and the black, withered twigs looked as though they would shatter with a mere touch. Yet, to Exalted Heavenly Venerate's alarm, even in its current state, this tree was still protecting the land! The reason this land survived in the chaotic space, spared from destruction by the bizarre spatial fragments, was precisely due to the influence of this withered tree!

"Is there a sacred tree more powerful than the Primeval Wood?"

He composed himself. Then he noticed a shriveled, wrinkled fruit hanging on one of the branches. The fruit was dark, covered in numerous indiscernible patterns. Exalted Heavenly Venerate stared in disbelief. He had seen this kind of fruit before! This was a Dao Fruit!

When Grand Emperor imprinted his divine consciousness into the Ultimate Void, the Grand Dao formed the Grand Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness. At that time, Exalted Heavenly Venerate was still Primeval, nominally Grand Emperor's adopted son! Primeval witnessed an extremely sacred scene: the formation of the Grand Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness, and within it, Grand Emperor's Grand Dao transforming into a Dao Tree. The Dao Tree took root and sprouted, extending branches, slowly growing into a towering giant that overshadowed the Grand Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness! Furthermore, Primeval also saw Grand Emperor's Grand Dao of Divine Consciousness blossom into Dao Flowers on the tree and bear Dao Fruits. Although it was just an unripe fruit, it still brought him unparalleled shock!

And this withered tree before him was clearly also a Dao Tree imprinted into the Ultimate Void by an immensely powerful being! That shriveled, wrinkled fruit was the Dao Fruit of that being!

"No! This isn't right!" Exalted Heavenly Venerate, unable to suppress the shock in his heart, exclaimed, "Grand Emperor is the only being who could imprint his Grand Dao into the Ultimate Void; no one else could accomplish that! In the Ultimate Void, there is only his Grand Luo Heaven of Divine Consciousness. How could there be a second person who imprinted the void and bore a Dao Fruit before Grand Emperor?"

This Dao Fruit should have been a mature one, and even though it was shriveled and withered, it was still much larger than Grand Emperor's Dao Fruit. The silent, unannounced death of such a being here sent shivers down his spine. Exalted Heavenly Venerate composed himself and walked towards the Dao Fruit.

Youdu.

Earth Lord and Void Heavenly Venerate's divine artifact, Imperial Heavenly Venerate, stood in confrontation. Void Heavenly Venerate had evidently detected anomalies in Youdu and, realizing an opportunity to deal with Earth Lord, thus commanded Imperial Heavenly Venerate. Soul Heavenly Venerate saw this from afar and frowned. Qin Mu chuckled, "We now also have an Imperial Heavenly Venerate divine artifact; there's nothing more to fear from Void Heavenly Venerate." Soul Heavenly Venerate affirmed this, peeling off the yellow paper from Exalted Heavenly Venerate's Imperial Heavenly Venerate divine artifact and taking control of it. This artifact grew progressively larger and taller, becoming comparable to Void Heavenly Venerate's Imperial Heavenly Venerate.

Upon seeing this, Void Heavenly Venerate immediately reined in his aura. Soul Heavenly Venerate was about to destroy her Imperial Heavenly Venerate divine artifact when Earth Lord's grand voice resonated, "Benevolent Sage King, there's no need for that."