Chapter 1029: One Thought of Letting Go is Rebirth

Many things in life are difficult precisely because they are hard to let go.

Because one cannot let go, obsessions arise.

Especially regarding life and death.

One's own, and others'.

And being obsessed with life and death, it is hard to speak of letting go; there is always hope in the heart.

But... many things, just because there is hope, does not mean there is no despair.

Regret, in many times, is the main melody of this world.

Because the world is cold, because heaven and earth are indifferent.

Just like, at the moment the fire of life on the Sword-Wielding Great Emperor's statue was about to be ignited, it collapsed.

The lamp oil was exhausted.

It could not truly burn.

Even if the Moyu Holy Land was sacrificed.

Even if the Nourishing Dao Fruit was revived.

It remained the same.

Only the voice from the Empress, filled with obsession and echoing between this heaven and earth, became the echo of a thousand mountains, revealing deep unwillingness.

She was a God, but Gods... were clearly not omnipotent either.

She even bit her tongue and sprayed her own divine blood.

Using divine blood to become vitality.

While forming hand seals, he burns his essence, merging it into the Emperor's statue, intending to assist.

Even Xu Qing, without hesitation, chose to do the same, fully dispersing his own vitality, gathering his own blood, using his own power, his own Dao, and everything he had, to assist the Great Emperor.

Even Chen Erniu sighed lightly and sent out his own power.

But the ending... did not change much.

It was as if a chasm existed, separating yin and yang.

The collapsing aura on the Great Emperor's statue continued.

This resurrection ritual, at this moment, was inevitably heading toward failure.

Thus, bitterness became the entirety of this world.

"How could it be like this..."

The Empress raised her head suddenly. Her heart still had not given up, even though all endings pointed to failure, but at this instant, the might of her God Platform erupted fully.

Attempting to stimulate more of her own power to reverse everything.

And just at the moment she was about to overdraw everything, a vicissitudinous sigh echoed gently within this Dao Fruit world.

"Foolish child."

This familiar voice made Xu Qing's body shake, his heart fluctuating, and countless memories from his past surfaced before his eyes.

As for the Empress, her breathing became rapid suddenly; this voice was the source of her humanity.

Thus, both of their gazes looked simultaneously toward the Great Emperor's statue.

This statue, which had used the Human Race's memories, mountains, rivers, and fate as three souls, and Human Emperors as seven spirits, and had been merged and blessed, now had its collapsing life aura suddenly pause.

Subsequently, the momentum rose again.

This time, without the slightest obstruction, it directly reached the peak again. The aura belonging to the Sword-Wielder, the momentum belonging to the Great Emperor's peak, erupted in this entire world.

Heaven and earth changed color, winds rose and clouds surged.

The world trembled, the Holy Land rumbled, and the Wanggu Continent echoed as well.

And the statue's body also visibly and rapidly shed its form, finally becoming flesh and blood, becoming a long-lost figure.

He opened his eyes.

The Sword-Wielding Great Emperor.

He stood on the transparent sea, his figure although aged, and although the aura of death lingered, his spine was straight, his body upright.

His gaze carried gentleness, gazing at everything before him, piercing through this world, passing over the Moyu Holy Land, looking... at the Human Race.

He looked at the Human Race's current territory, looked at the figures of the people within the Human Race, looked at the mountains and rivers, looked at the fate, looked at everything.

Everything that happened in Wanggu after his fall, at this moment, from the Heavenly Dao, from all living beings, poured into his heart and mind.

He knew that after he fell, the Holy Lands descended.

He knew that after he fell, war erupted.

He knew everything.

A trace of sharpness also rose suddenly upon him along with his perception and understanding, resounding through heaven and earth.

Only... Xu Qing and the Empress not far away, looking at the Great Emperor's figure, could not control the deep sorrow rising in their hearts.

Because... the Great Emperor's body was permeated with extreme death aura.

Tears flowed from the Empress's eyes.

She knew that she... had ultimately failed.

The Great Emperor had not been completely resurrected; the nourishing power from the Dao Fruit and the three souls and seven spirits of the Human Race only allowed him a brief return.

Xu Qing's heart felt as if it were being gripped; an indescribable emotion made his heart bitter and empty.

"You all..."

On the transparent sea, the Great Emperor shook his head gently, withdrawing his gaze from the world, letting it fall upon the Empress and Xu Qing, his expression becoming gentle.

"Xia'er."

Following these two words, the Empress raised her head trembling.

At this moment, she was not a God, not an Empress, but that fragile woman who had been saved back then.

Her tears continued to flow, looking at the old man's figure like a father before her, her vision blurred.

"You have done very well, and it is enough."

The Great Emperor spoke hoarsely, walked a step, stood before the Empress, raised his hand to touch the Empress's head, his eyes revealing love, as if looking at his own daughter.

"Only... although you know everything, you do not know me."

The Great Emperor said softly.

"The history of the Human Race only recorded that after my main body fell, I used a clone to protect the tribe; it did not record the reason. That part was erased by me."

"The truth is, back then I fought with a God of that tribe in the middle of Wanggu, resolving the danger of the Human Race being enslaved, but the price was great. Not only did the main body fall, but even my clone... actually fell in that battle too."

"It was an old friend who, after I fell, used a Myriad Wonder Nourishing Dao Fruit on the battlefield to revive me."

"That resurrection failed, but it also succeeded."

"Failure was because this fruit only gives a chance for resurrection, not a certainty, so my main body did not successfully return."

"Success was because, in the end, my clone, which fell with the main body, used this opportunity to revive."

"In the final analysis, this Myriad Wonder Nourishing Dao Fruit, I had already used once back then."

"I cannot use it a second time."

"So, today's failure of resurrection, Xia'er, has nothing to do with you."

The Great Emperor spoke softly, his speech slow, soothing Li Xia's emotions; he did not want this child he had saved to regret her whole life because of the failure to resurrect him.

So, he wanted to tell the reason, he wanted to let the other party know it was not her fault, she had already done well enough.

The Empress bit her lower lip, listening silently to all this.

The Great Emperor sighed lightly, touched the Empress's head again, and then looked at Xu Qing, whose expression was bitter.

"Xu Qing, you did not disappoint me either."

Xu Qing lowered his head, the sorrow in his heart growing thicker, and he bowed deeply.

The Great Emperor smiled.

He looked at the Empress and Xu Qing before him; these were the successors he had chosen, one inheriting his cultivation, one inheriting his Emperor Sword.

For these two, he was satisfied, and fulfilled, with no regrets.

Only... he still had some concerns for the Human Race.

Concerned for this tribe he had protected for a lifetime.

"I already know the matter."

"This Dao Fruit, although it cannot revive me, still gave me a brief return."

"And let this returning body of mine no longer be shackled by star rings, returning to the peak of life."

"This is very good."

The Great Emperor smiled.

He had not felt this relaxed for a very, very long time; recalling it, it seemed only when his main body was still there did he have such feelings.

And in his later years, he had always remained in injury, with sleep occupying the majority of his time.

Even when awake, even when striking, it was while enduring the exhaustion of his soul.

And, he could not slash his sword heartily.

He had to be cautious, to restrain himself, so that he could always retain the final sword.

This, to him, was even more exhausting.

Even in the final battle back then, he wanted to be hearty, but he no longer possessed the ability, so in his heart, there was still regret.

Protection and responsibility, like a great mountain, pressed upon him for a lifetime.

If possible, he wanted to be truly hearty once, like in his youth.

"Then, in this final time..."

The Great Emperor smiled, his right hand raised and pointed toward the Ancient Emperor Star in mid-air.

Under this point, the Ancient Emperor Star rumbled suddenly, trembling as it erupted fully, and rotated continuously, directly revealing the bone cauldron that had been swallowed and sealed within.

The lid of the bone cauldron was also opened.

A distorted figure rushed out from within; it was exactly the Nether Flame.

The moment he appeared, his expression was ferocious, just about to speak, but the next instant his expression changed drastically, staring fiercely at the Sword-Wielding Great Emperor, his pupils shrinking instantly, all the hairs on his body standing on end.

Even with his current combat power, after sensing the Sword-Wielding Great Emperor, an extreme danger appeared.

"Clearly not Xia Xian, but why does the feeling he gives me... feel so strong, so terrifying!"

The Nether Flame's scalp went numb, his body retreated fiercely, intending to escape from here.

But it was too late.

The Great Emperor's calm gaze fell upon him.

A peerless sword aura, amidst the whistling sound that spread through the world, erupted suddenly from within the physical body where the Nether Flame resided.

The Nether Flame was shocked and unable to suppress it; the next instant, the sword aura shot into the sky, shattering the clouds.

That was... the Emperor Sword!

This sword shone, emitting might that made the Nether Flame lose his focus, and it fell instantly.

It did not slash, but hung over the Nether Flame's crown, touching his physical body.

The Nether Flame shook all over; a power that terrified him swept across like a great wave from the sword body, rushing into his physical body like a mountain-toppling sea, fiercely slapping his soul.

"This is power comparable to Xia Xian!!"

This was the Nether Flame's final consciousness, then his soul collapsed, being forcefully shaken out of his physical body by this power.

Before he could gather again, the Great Emperor raised his hand and grabbed; immediately, the Nether Flame's perception turned pitch black, being grabbed by that hand.

The Great Emperor waved his hand, giving the soul to the Empress.

"This soul is quite good, having absorbed quite a bit of karma from Xu Qing's physical body; you can use it for future sacrifices."

The Great Emperor smiled, flicked his sleeve, and returned the physical body to Xu Qing.

"Xu Qing, your current body has immortal essence, and this body has divine treasures; from now on, walk the path of both immortal and divine. This path I have not walked, but looking at it, it seems infinite."

"So it is also good. Both walk different paths, one is Immortal Extreme, one is Divine Extreme. The latter, as long as the divine power perception is successful, you can instantly ignite the divine fire, achieve Godhood, and it is highly likely to be a strong God."

Seeing the divine body return, Xu Qing took it back, looking at the Great Emperor, the sorrow in his heart growing thicker.

He owed the Great Emperor too much.

"You two don't have to have such expressions, I am very happy. Then next, Xia'er, Xu Qing, are you two willing to accompany this old man to walk the world with sword in hand!"

The Great Emperor laughed.

The Empress took a deep breath and nodded forcefully.

Xu Qing also had a firm gaze and bowed deeply.

"Willing to accompany you, Senior!"

The Great Emperor laughed heartily, waved his large hand, heaven opened, and the Moyu Holy Land rumbled.

Subsequently, taking Xu Qing and the Empress, his two successors, he left Moyu in one step, cutting through the long sky, and with astonishing speed, headed toward the three Holy Lands above the Yanyue Xuantian Race.

"I have a sword, that can slash heaven, that can open earth!"

The Great Emperor's heroic words resonated throughout Wanggu.

At this moment, on the Wanggu Continent, some extremely ancient Gods slowly opened their eyes from their slumber, gazing from afar at that figure they were familiar with in the firmament.

Including Yu Liuchen.

Vaguely, they seemed to see the young figure from tens of thousands of years ago, walking the world with sword in hand, fighting Gods with his own body.

"Sword-Wielder..."