Chapter 274

"Seeing how heartbroken Xiao Guai is crying, stop teasing him."

Xiao Guai is naturally clever and lively, giving off a sturdy, wholesome impression; when he cries now, his endearing appearance is enough to make even the Yaochi Holy Maiden feel reluctant.

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Yang Zhu nods, then gently strokes Xiao Guai's head: "Don't cry, just follow me."

The little guy's tears stopped instantly; after a chuckle and a silly laugh, his eyes lit up as he stared at the countless treasures around him.

Whoosh!

He gulped down more than a dozen celestial treasures in one bite, and the half‑meter‑high divine source—he swallowed seven pieces in a single mouthful—only then did he let out a satisfied ya‑ya cry.

No wonder it's a species that can evolve into a Divine Silkworm Emperor—its appetite is truly huge!

Limitless Daoist, treasure.

Heavenly Prince, Saint, seal.

Yang Zhu continues studying the jade box, quickly arriving at this result, which further shows how extraordinary the contents are.

Since we've come all this way, he is determined to obtain this item; he immediately summons everyone and gives a few simple instructions.

Yue Er, Jade Pond, Queen Mother.

Xiao Hei, Daoist priest, twelve Half‑Saints, a Half‑Saint, a Saint.

Undying Heavenly Emperor, Saint's seal.

Great Emperor's resting palace.

Great Emperor's resting palace, teleportation array.

Jade Pond.

Holy Maiden of Jade Pond, Jade Pond.

Having arranged everything, Yang Zhu comes to sit cross-legged near the jade box, his mind quickly calming.

Various methods and secret techniques are employed, beginning to deduce and unravel those profound and obscure taboo runes, like drawing silk from a cocoon, gradually dissolving each fine thread……

Undying Heavenly Emperor, immortal treasures.

Holy land.

In the black mountain's interior, all is silent; only Yang Zhu sits cross-legged, continually attempting to break the seal.

Chaos, purple aura, divine rules, Dao traces.

Yang Zhu never stops, fully focused; behind him a brilliant expanse appears, like a river of stars, countless stars shining, all swirling around him……

A brilliant little figure of purple‑gold.

Then the little figure grabs the jade box, dashes out in a puff, places the item in Yang Zhu's palm, and with a flash disappears into his brow.

Undying old thief.

Undying Divine Phoenix bloodline, Saint bloodline.

This was carefully arranged to prevent the item from falling into others' hands.

Over the past half month, breaking the seal has consumed much of Yang Zhu's energy, but fortunately he finally succeeded.

Formation patterns.

Half a day later, he arrives at a place hundreds of thousands of li outside Undying Mountain, where he finally attempts to open the jade box.

Boom!

Seven‑colored immortal radiance.

Ancient Emperor's aura, Ancient Emperor, Imperial Dao laws, Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, myriad races.

Just a wisp of the leaking aura makes heaven and earth tremble, and the mountains within hundreds of thousands of miles instantly turn to dust.

Black robe, Imperial Dao laws.

Undying Heavenly Emperor's essence blood.

Even Yang Zhu is shocked; he never expected the jade box to contain the essence blood of the Undying Heavenly Emperor.

Ancient Emperor's essence blood.

Deities.

Ancient Saint spirits.

Jade box, Purple Mountain.

Clang!

Vast hall, Beginningless Bell, jade box, Imperial Dao seal.

Thus, accidents can be avoided; otherwise, with Yang Zhu's current cultivation, he would still be unable to suppress the ancient emperor's essence blood.

Ee‑ya……

Xiao Guai hides behind Yang Zhu, cautiously poking out his head to carefully survey the surroundings.

Divine Silkworm Princess.

Divine Land, Divine Silkworm Ridge, Primeval Imperial Clan.

Ancient Emperor, imperial clan, primeval creatures.

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Purple‑haired man.

Human Imperial Son.

Saint Body Dao Fetus.

"I want to see the Divine Silkworm Princess; please pass along the word." Yang Zhu gets straight to the point.

"Alright, please wait a moment; I'll go deliver the message."

This old man possessed half-saint cultivation, yet he dared not be negligent in the slightest, being extremely courteous and respectful.

Gazing at the vast Northern Dipper today, who would dare to slight or neglect the Beginningless Emperor's Son?

That is the Beginningless Emperor's Child, the Heavenly Prince who kills at his word, and he is adorned with multiple Extreme Dao Imperial Arms; even the Ancient Royal Clan, upon seeing him, must yield three points and dare not provoke him lightly.

"An Emperor's Son has come; I don't know what business he has."

Not long after, the Silkworm Princess and a group of ancient kings came out personally to greet him, clearly placing great importance on Yang Zhu's arrival.

"A little fellow wants to see you."

At those words, Xiao Guai transformed into a streak of rosy light and shot out, throwing himself into the Silkworm Princess's arms, then burst into loud wails.

"It... is you!"

Upon seeing Xiao Guai clearly, the Silkworm Princess's startled pupils contracted; a moment later, her clear, cold eyes filled with affection, and she gently stroked Xiao Guai in her embrace.

"Don't cry, don't cry—I thought back then you... none of that matters anymore, as long as you're alive." Her voice was soft; this proud princess rarely showed such a gentle side.

"Ee-ya ee-ya..."

Xiao Guai kept recounting his past ordeals, full of resentment and sorrow, his tears hardly ceasing.

"Thank you, thank you for protecting the little one so well."

After hearing the Silkworm's full account, the Silkworm Princess's expression turned solemn, and she expressed her thanks to Yang Zhu.

"Xiao Guai chose to follow me from the start; I will naturally not mistreat him." Yang Zhu said.

"Xiao Guai... what a lovely name."

Upon hearing the Silkworm's present name, the Silkworm Princess's lovely eyes brightened, and she lightly tapped Xiao Guai's forehead with her jade finger.

Xiao Guai giggled incessantly, then ran back to Yang Zhu's side, eager to get close to him, as if wanting to lead him somewhere.

The Silkworm Princess and the Ancient Royal Clan of Silkworm Ridge said nothing on the matter, simply letting the two head deeper into Silkworm Ridge.

Guided by Xiao Guai, Yang Zhu finally reached a cave abode.

It resembled a massive chunk of divine source hollowed out, every facet crystal clear, with abundant divine light and rich vital essence.

The stone walls, like divine source, were also special, as if mixed with some strange substance, faintly... exuding the aura of Ancient Emperor Dao Marks! "This is actually the Silkworm Emperor's former retreat."

According to Xiao Guai, this was once where the Silkworm Emperor comprehended the Dao; he himself used to cultivate and gain insight here year after year, but later an accident happened.

"Ah!"

Having said that, Xiao Guai spread his wings and circled; his gorgeous afterimages fell like specks of starlight, soon resonating with the Ancient Emperor Dao Marks on the stone wall, causing them all to flare up.

"Ancient Emperor Laws—grasping even a bit will surely bring great reward."

Any Imperial Dao Laws or patterns are worth studying and comprehending.

Silkworms, like Holy Spirits, are immensely powerful and terrifying; once they become emperors, they far surpass ordinary Ancient Emperors and Great Emperors.

As a Silkworm who proved the Dao, the Silkworm Emperor is invincible under the nine heavens and ten earths, unrivaled in the world; his Dao and his law naturally hold endless profundities.

Yang Zhu sat cross-legged on the jade-like stone seat, eyes closed, his body crystalline, slowly absorbing the Imperial Dao Marks around him.

In Yang Zhu's mind, endless chaos intertwined, as if he were at the dawn of the universe; yin and yang cycled, giving birth to Primordial Purple Qi.

In his perception, those Imperial Dao Marks seemed to come alive; he could faintly see a mighty figure who once stood here in seclusion.

Thereafter, that figure continually etched his Dao and law into this void.

Although Yang Zhu could not make out the Silkworm Emperor's face, he could deduce the various secret techniques and Ancient Emperor Laws he used.

Just as when he was in the Bronze Immortal Palace, from a single 'immortal' character he gained insight as if a year had blossomed.

Such a method of tracing origins and exposing illusion—likely only the Beginningless Scripture can achieve it; only the words 'defying heaven' can describe it!

Xiao Guai, meanwhile, stood quietly aside, returned to his former state, and began to comprehend this place's Dao and Principle.

Both remained immersed therein; in the blink of an eye, two months passed.

"Boom!"

That day, Silkworm Ridge saw a Colorful Divine Waterfall surge, illuminating heaven and earth; its tremor could be felt for tens of thousands of li around.

The colorful ribbons hung like the Heavenly River, endless and vast, thicker than mountains, reaching at least ten thousand zhang! Terrifying pressure swept the ten directions, shattering the heavenly dome and forming a chasm linking to the horizon, within which black light burst forth toward the unknown cosmos! "The Silkworm Emperor's untransmittable technique!"

An elder ancestral king in Silkworm Ridge cried out, saying this secret art can only be comprehended through bloodline or Dao nature.

Over the years, aside from the Silkworm Daoist of Ancient Emperor bloodline, no one could comprehend that supreme forbidden secret technique.

Even the Silkworm Princess, after secluding herself here for over a hundred years, could only leave in regret; one can imagine how difficult it is.

"Hum!"

The Ancient Emperor Dao Patterns around Silkworm Ridge flared to life, flashing across the sky and fortifying this heaven and earth; otherwise, the Colorful Divine Waterfall would eventually tear it apart into fragments, reducing it to ashes.

The Ancient Emperor Formation here was bewildering, isolating all fluctuations, so the outside world could neither sense nor probe them.

Deep in Silkworm Ridge, Yang Zhu stood before the stone wall, withdrew the secret technique; all visions faded, and silence returned.

"This is an invincible Dao—with me invincible, all under heaven revere it."

Yang Zhu gained much insight, developing many different views on the Dao.

Not only did he grasp the Silkworm Emperor's supreme secret technique, his cultivation rose continuously from the Third Immortal Second Layer to the Fifth Layer Stage.

Much of this achievement stemmed from his comprehension of the Ancient Emperor Secret Technique.

Silkworm Metamorphosis normally takes millions of years; the required time is extremely long, but once successful it is absolutely far stronger than ordinary Ancient Emperors! Having been nourished by heaven and earth for millions of years, their understanding of the cosmic order differs, so their Dao and law are necessarily unlike the ordinary.

After Yang Zhu finished, Xiao Guai remained immersed in that state; his already brilliant feathers grew even more dazzling, veiled in dense ancient runes.

After half a month, Xiao Guai suddenly opened his eyes, and then the Colorful Divine Waterfall surged through the clouds again...

"Ee-ya!"

Xiao Guai is very happy, cheering and leaping; in his past life he spent years seeking insight with no result.

In the end, he nearly deviated into madness, which caused problems in his cultivation.

"It's time to leave."

Since leaving Undying Mountain, three months have passed; now the Yaochi Grand Gathering has just ended, the myriad races should be fairly harmonious, so Yang Zhu need not worry overly.

Little guy, take good care of yourself.

Before leaving, the Divine Silkworm Princess again gently rubbed Xiao Guai's head, her voice soft as she gave her instructions.

"Please take care of Xiao Guai."

Finally she looked at Yang Zhu; in fact, she herself was no different from wanting to keep the Divine Silkworm by her side, but she also knew that letting the little guy follow the Imperial Son would definitely bring more benefits.

"Really, elbowing outward..."

Moreover, most importantly, Xiao Guai had made up her mind to follow Yang Zhu, and she couldn't do anything about it...

"Sure."

Yang Zhu nodded in agreement, took Xiao Guai and crossed over, finally returning to the God Soil Small World.

As soon as he returned, he felt something different, many powerful auras had appeared.

"Imperial Son, you're back!"

Twelve Half-Saints... to be precise, twelve Saints came out; after three months apart, they had all broken through to become Saints! Before being suppressed into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, they were already Great Saint-level great demons, and for cultivation they already had their own Dao.

Now, with the Undying Heavenly Emperor's Immortal Treasure left behind and the help of the Enlightenment Tea Tree, their cultivation naturally recovered extremely quickly!

"What about Xiao Hei and the others?"

"You previously told them that near the Grand Mystery Sect there are Underworld people lying low; they returned not long ago and first went to investigate."

The twelve Saints now have considerable strength, yet they remain respectful toward Yang Zhu, just as before.

Just thinking about the Seven Imperial Weapons makes anyone's hair stand on end.

(End of chapter)