Cao Ya shook his head and said, "It wasn't me! To be honest, I haven't even reached the limit of the Quasi-Emperor's Path!"

The assembled heroes were astonished.

In the current universe, is there anyone closer to the path of the Emperor than Supreme Cao Ya?!

Who is that?

"Who are the few who will attain the Dao in the world today?" Ge Hong asked. He pondered for a moment. In terms of realm, the Dao-attaining beings in the myriad realms are indeed ahead of them, having already touched the threshold of proving the Dao.

In addition, his blood energy is also rich, and his Dao heart remains as courageous and diligent as ever, without losing its sharpness.

But isn't Cao Ya the Supreme One just like that?

Ge Hong was puzzled.

Could it be that Supreme Cao Ya saved his body over two hundred thousand years ago, causing it to age prematurely?

One can sense its vast and unfathomable aura, which is as deep as the ocean, and there is no sense of decay whatsoever.

The others were also quite confused.

"In this era, is there any being that is closer to the position of Emperor than you?" the ancient demon asked in surprise.

"You can fight against even the Supreme Beings who have reached the Ascension stage. In ancient times, only beings like the Chaos Body could barely compare."

The old man, the demon, was puzzled.

In the mythological era, there once appeared a chaotic being who, in his unenlightened state, defied the ancient celestial beings, fought to the peak, and made them bleed.

Although that chaotic being ultimately defeated and perished, his legend has been passed down through the ages, and even millions of years later, it still shakes the myriad realms, inspiring awe and admiration from countless cultivators.

Cao Ya's performance went even further, rivaling that of the flawless ancient emperor, making it difficult to distinguish between them.

It's even more terrifying than the Chaos Entity!

While this golden age is rich in various wondrous physiques, the two strongest physiques—the Chaotic Physique and the Innate Sacred Physique—are absent.

No matter how powerful the other cultivators in the universe who are about to attain enlightenment are, they could never compare to Supreme Cao Ya.

"I'm still far from achieving the Emperor's Path... well, I'll just have to cultivate slowly from now on. I'm not confident that I'll be able to attain the Path within the next hundred or thousand years," Cao Ya said.

Seeing the confusion in the crowd, Cao Ya did not bother to explain in detail.

He was only at the eighth level of the Quasi-Emperor realm, not even at the ninth level. Cao Ya figured that his subsequent cultivation would take at least tens of thousands of years; he couldn't possibly leap to the Dao and become an Emperor.

For him, ten thousand years is nothing; his lifespan is infinite. He achieved immortality by relying on the power of other universes.

But it's hard to explain if you say it out loud.

Because in the universe of "Covering the Sky", even the Great Emperor only has a lifespan of ten to twenty thousand years, unless he uses an immortal elixir to prolong his life or lives a second life!

But that's clearly not the case for him.

Anyway, he's strong enough that if he doesn't want to talk, no one can force him to.

Seeing this, the assembled heroes had no choice but to give up.

"The Emperor of the Divine Court is known for his bravery and diligence, and has already bestowed upon himself the title of 'Emperor.' Judging from his appearance, he doesn't seem like a master of the ultimate path!" said the Quasi-Emperor Qiongqi.

"Perhaps it's that old woodcutter? Specializing in one thing to the extreme will naturally lead to enlightenment!" the old madman pondered.

“The Underworld and the Divine Organization also have their peak existences,” Ge Hong said. Ordinary saints might be completely clueless about the depths of such mysterious forces within the myriad realms, but those at the Quasi-Emperor level generally know quite a bit about them and can discern their origins.

“I think it will be that old golden crow,” Cao Ya said with a smile.

"Old Golden Crow? Wasn't he dead long ago?" The Candle Dragon Quasi-Emperor was very surprised. The Golden Crow clan's old quasi-emperor was once a peak existence, with power over the four seas, just like the current Divine Court Emperor. However, he later suffered damage to his Dao foundation and his Immortal Platform during the Nine Heavens Tribulation. After enduring for thousands of years, he finally passed away.

How can a dead man contend for the throne?

"The old Golden Crow did not die; it has lived a second life," Lao Tzu said calmly.

"Having traveled throughout the myriad realms, I was fortunate enough to encounter it. Observing its foundation, it is indeed superior to the Divine Court Emperor, and has the potential to become an emperor." Shakyamuni nodded.

"To gamble with one lifetime, avoiding the gaze of the supreme beings in the forbidden zone, hoping to unexpectedly reach the pinnacle of enlightenment in the second life? That old golden crow truly has great ambition!" the old madman praised.

It should be understood that the second life is difficult, and it is not something that any cultivator can simply wish for and live.

With moves like those of the old Golden Crow, it would be easy for him to die, with no chance of a second chance.

All I can say is that he gambled his life and his path, and won the first half!

"The Supreme Being of the Forbidden Zone, who attacks and kills powerful Quasi-Emperors from all walks of life, erases their bodies, and consumes their flesh and life energy, is a disaster for a peak Quasi-Emperor that is no less than the Tribulation of the Great Emperor! In fact, since entering the seventh level of the Quasi-Emperor realm, this kind of disaster has happened more than once!" The Victorious Fighting Buddha sighed.

The assembled heroes all sighed upon hearing this.

The Age of Myths Begins...

Or, to be more precise, ever since the existence of forbidden zones, every generation of supreme cultivators, in addition to their own extraordinary strength and ability to defeat heroes from all realms, must also possess a long-term vision and foresight, use various schemes to avoid the supreme beings of the forbidden zones, overcome several quasi-emperor tribulations, and even pass the great emperor tribulation in order to reach the pinnacle!

Any wrong step could lead to utter ruin!

He spent his entire life cultivating himself, only to benefit others; he was devoured by the Supreme Being and died a tragic death.

Before attaining enlightenment, even the strongest quasi-emperor could not defeat a supreme being.

Leaving aside those who have attained the status of Emperor or Sovereign and merged with the Heavenly Heart Imprint, one must at least be an unconventional Dao achiever with a Great Accomplished Holy Body or a Great Accomplished Hegemonic Body to be comparable to a Supreme Being.

Ancient emperors and desolate great emperors, every one of them went through this process.

Otherwise, how could those who have reached the pinnacle of power dominate an era and look down upon all the heavens throughout the ages?!

After drinking for a while, the heroes dispersed, some going off to explore the stars together, others going into seclusion.

Cao Ya is the latter. He continues to cultivate diligently, hoping to improve his realm and attain the ninth level of Quasi-Emperor, standing at the highest level below the Dao!

At the same time, the body rests and recovers from its injuries, replenishing the deficiency of blood and qi. Energy surges forth, like a funnel, pouring down.

"Phew~~"

Suddenly, a streak of light flew in from the sky and plunged into the energy storm.

Cao Ya paused for a moment, opened his eyes, opened his hand, and with a snap, a large seal landed in his palm.

"The ancient seal of the Taiyin Emperor?" Cao Ya was slightly surprised. Why was this imperial seal directed at him?

"Ah, I almost forgot! My foundation, the Taiyin Sword Manual that I obtained by chance, was created by a disciple personally taught by the Taiyin Holy Emperor. So, in that sense, I am also related to the Taiyin Human Emperor, and can be considered a successor from a different generation." Cao Ya patted his head.

With a thought, the Blue-Gold Divine Sword appeared, floating side by side in the void with the Taiyin Imperial Seal, rising and falling in the imperial aura. Its terrifying power was faintly visible, ready to be released at any moment and crush the great star.

"The only regret is that my Blue Gold Divine Sword is complete, but it lacks the inscription of the Emperor's Way, while the Human Emperor Seal, which has the Emperor's Way, is missing a piece."

Honestly, I've been using Yeguo Reading to read and follow my favorite books lately. It has easy source switching, multiple reading voice options, and is compatible with both Android and Apple devices. (yeguoyuedu)

As Cao Ya spoke, he suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"That's truly insatiable greed!"

He shook his head. To obtain a Holy Emperor's Seal for no reason was already a great stroke of luck.

To ask for more is simply greed.

"Once I attain enlightenment, I will seek out immortal gold and divine materials to complete the Human Emperor Seal, and incidentally upgrade my divine sword to the level of a true Emperor-grade weapon," Cao Ya murmured. With his current combat strength, the Blue-Gold Divine Sword was indeed somewhat lacking.

Although Eternal Blue Gold is a divine gold and extremely precious, it has always been the material used to forge imperial weapons and artifacts.

However, no matter how precious the divine material is, without the imprint of the Great Dao, it is still lacking and cannot reach the peak!

Cao Ya was deeply moved by the Taiyin Holy Emperor Ancient Dao contained within the Human Emperor Seal. He gained new insights into the Emperor's Dao and witnessed the profound mysteries of the Quasi-Emperor's Ninth Heaven. He began to create his own scripture and incantation for the "Death Qi Sword Canon".

Cao Ya's foundation lies in the "Death Qi Sword Manual," which he created after reaching the Quasi-Emperor realm.

If he attains enlightenment in the future, it will be his imperial law!

Decades later, roughly a century after the Dark Ages and turmoil, Cao Ya suddenly received a message that the Great Accomplished Holy Body, which covered the Nine Netherworlds, was decaying and no longer wished to live, and was about to pass away.

A century later, he left Feixian Star for the first time and headed to Beidou.

Outside the desolate forbidden land, the Great Accomplished Holy Body looked old, and Gai Jiuyou was also hunched over. The two had lost all life force and were only holding on with their last bit of strength. They could die at any moment.

Ye Fan, Hei Huang, Ji Zi, Jiang Taixu, the Holy Prince, and others, including Xia Jiuyou and Ji Ziyue, were also present, their expressions sorrowful, and the atmosphere was somber.

"Supreme Cao Ya".

After exchanging greetings, Cao Ya frowned slightly and asked, "You have received the power of the ancient emperor's mandate, so you shouldn't only be able to live for a hundred years. A thousand years might be too long, but three to five hundred years should be enough to get by, right? Why have you only lived for a little over a hundred years...?"

“We have lived long enough, fought against the flawless ancient emperor, and quelled the dark turmoil. There is really no reason for us to continue to eke out a living,” Gai Jiuyou said calmly, his face showing no fear of death.

"Is it really a good thing to live forever but lose loved ones?" The Great Accomplished Holy Body's eyes were deep, as if he could see through the river of time and return to the ancient times.

That was the era in which he was born, grew up, and rose to prominence; that was where he truly belonged!

Relatives, friends, and confidantes all passed away in that era. Hundreds of thousands of years of immortality is actually just hundreds of thousands of years of torment.

The reason I persevered was because I was worried that when the Immortal Path opened in the future, the Supreme Being would start a turmoil and slaughter all living beings.

The universe still needs their power!

Now, more than a century after the turmoil subsided, that spirit has been broken, and it can no longer hold on.

If they hadn't received the mandate of the ancient emperor, they would have passed away a hundred years earlier, returning to dust.

Looking at the Great Accomplished Holy Body and Gai Jiuyou, Cao Ya remained silent.

He knew that the two people in front of him had died of their souls, and even if he fought the ancient emperor again and refined his life energy, he could not prolong their lives.

Moreover, neither of them would accept it.

For them, continuing to live is a form of torture and torment.

Only death brings liberation.

“I can go and search for the Divine Source. Neither of you has attained the Dao yet, so you can use the Divine Source to slumber,” Ye Fan said, still reluctant to send away these two elders who were like his seniors.

An unconventional cultivator, who has never merged with the Heavenly Heart Mark, can use the Divine Source to seal himself and traverse countless ages.

Even if the demand is extremely high!

But Ye Fan cultivated the "Source Book" to its peak, and could travel all over the world to find a vast amount of divine sources of heaven and earth.

"I can't do it!" The Great Accomplished Holy Body shook his head. He had used too many methods to survive to this day, and in the end, he only managed to survive with the help of the Ruthless Great Emperor.

The divine power had no effect on him anymore.

Gai Jiuyou, however, was unwilling to use such methods and kept them sealed away.

Otherwise, he could have simply fallen into slumber thousands of years ago, waiting for the Golden Age after the Azure Emperor's Dao traces had completely dissipated before being unsealed.

“No need,” Gai Jiuyou said calmly. “Death is not the end, but a new beginning.”

"Those supreme emperors have been asleep for millions of years, and almost all their relatives and friends have passed away. Don't they regret it?" The Great Accomplished Holy Body said, sitting down cross-legged on the spot. The Great Dao trembled, and the energy in his body began to return to the void of heaven and earth, bringing a massive amount of divine energy to the newly born Beidou Ancient Star, allowing the broken earth to recover, grass and trees to grow, and mountains and rivers to become beautiful.

Even an ancient star can benefit greatly from the legacy left behind by an unconventional enlightened being after death.

"Having traversed the universe and fought against the Supreme Being, I have no regrets in this life! Haha, let's rest! Let's rest!" Gai Jiuyou laughed, his voice still echoing, but he had already lost his breath and departed, just like the Great Perfection Holy Body, nourishing the ancient star of the Big Dipper, making his energy more than one level abundant.

Their belongings have long been given to their successors or disciples, or cast into the cosmos, to be left to those destined to receive them.

After the transformation vanished, there were no remains of flesh or blood.

They left cleanly and decisively, with a carefree and elegant air.

Those present were deeply saddened, and many shed tears.

Cao Ya sighed, knowing that with his lifespan, he might have to say goodbye to countless old friends in the future.

"Farewell, seniors!" Ye Fan, Ji Zi, Jiang Taixu, and the others, with tears in their eyes, respectfully bowed and bid farewell to the Great Accomplished Holy Body and Gai Jiuyou.

Soon, the Beidou cultivators who noticed the commotion all rushed to the outside of the desolate ancient forbidden area to offer sacrifices.

Their contributions during the dark and turbulent times have not been forgotten; they are all etched in our hearts!

Upon hearing the news, all races in the world rushed to the scene to engage in fierce battles and offer sacrifices!

May all spirits see him off!

For the next century, the atmosphere in the heavens and the earth remained somber, and that mournful sound lingered.

The golden age did not return.

All the prodigies are silently cultivating themselves, comprehending the imperial scriptures, fusing the methods of various schools of thought, and creating their own unique path to the Great Dao.

Over the past century, Cao Ya has made progress, breaking through to the ninth level of Quasi-Emperor.

His "Deathly Sword Manual" has finally reached the pinnacle below the Emperor's Path!

However, Cao Ya knew that, given his circumstances, it would be impossible for him to complete and leap out of this final step in less than ten thousand years.

Because of the power of various systems, he had exhausted all his influence, and every step forward after that was extremely difficult!

Realizing this, Cao Ya simply came out of seclusion, since the long period of seclusion and arduous cultivation had lost much of its meaning.

"roar!

!

On the ancient star of immortals, a new generation rises, saints emerge, roar across mountains and rivers, vying for the position of Great Saint!

Most of the older generation of strong figures lived in seclusion, occasionally visiting each other or holding sermons to teach and guide the younger generation without discrimination.

Cao Ya participated in one of their events and learned about the situation in the world from them. Two hundred years later, the sorrow gradually subsided, and the scenes of the golden age slowly began to return.

“Probably in another hundred years, the struggle for imperial power will rise again!” Ge Hong speculated.

"Supreme Cao Ya, did you encounter any difficulties upon emerging from seclusion, or do you have something to do?" asked Quasi-Emperor Zhulong.

Cao Ya put down his wine glass, raised his head, and his gaze seemed to pierce through nothingness, landing directly on the Big Dipper.

"Several hundred years later, the second path to immortality will open. Although it may not be as powerful as the Big Dipper, there will likely be quite a few supreme beings emerging from it."

"We need to give it a try, see if it works..."

Cao Ya's last unfinished words were "pacify the restricted area!"

However, Ge Hong, Zhulong Quasi-Emperor, and Qiongqi Quasi-Emperor all understood that meaning, and they looked at each other in astonishment.

"Isn't this too risky? There are still many supreme beings in the Northern Dipper Forbidden Zone!" The Victorious Fighting Buddha frowned.

He settled here decades ago, immersing himself in the study of Buddhism. Occasionally, he would discuss magic and techniques with many fellow practitioners, from which he benefited greatly and found great contentment.

"It's just a try. If it doesn't work out, I'll leave," Cao Ya said softly, picking up his wine glass, drinking it all in one gulp, and bidding farewell to everyone.

"Wishing you a triumphant return!" The heroes raised their glasses.

Cao Ya laughed loudly, and with a wave of his hand, he tore through the void. His aura spread and shook the heavens. He made no attempt to conceal his fighting spirit and forcefully arrived at Beidou!

At this moment, the entire realm trembled, and countless cultivators' expressions changed drastically, filled with astonishment.

"This is... Supreme Cao Ya?! What is he going to do??"

"The direction that Supreme Cao Ya went is... the Burial Emperor Star!"

The cultivators were stunned, and an unbelievable thought echoed in their minds.

"Could it be that Supreme Cao Ya, after recovering from his injuries, intends to sweep through each forbidden zone one by one, completely extinguishing the Dark Turmoil before it even erupts?"

None of the cultivators could believe this guess.

After all, none of the many great emperors throughout history have been able to do it, let alone Cao Ya, who has not yet attained the Dao and become an emperor.

But there is no other reason besides this explanation.

Furthermore, recalling the battle scene from two hundred years ago, it seems that Cao Ya Supreme was no less than the flawless ancient emperor!

"Perhaps, there really is a chance..."

Countless creatures' eyes lit up with excitement.

Some of the great saints and quasi-emperors, either with the aid of imperial weapons or by relying on supreme divine arts, illuminated the heavens and saw the scene of the Big Dipper.

In the scene, there is an ordinary-looking figure in a simple Taoist robe, with a divine sword forged from eternal blue gold hanging at his waist. On the other side of his waist, there is an ancient seal with a hidden imperial aura, which people are also familiar with.

"The Taiyin Human Emperor Seal?!"