Chapter 423: Die or Become Heaven?

Aside from Sui Ren Shi, Fu Xi, and Nü Wa, Chinese mythology likely harbors even more transcendent beings.

“The reason the Four Great Mythologies are called such is surely due to the number of these transcendent beings,” the First Immortal Sovereign of Jiuzhou mused, thinking of the transcendent numbers in Chinese mythology.

It is well known that in the cultivation world, for a faction to grow strong, besides fresh blood, it requires one crucial condition: depth of heritage.

The strength and quantity of this heritage determine a faction’s status and power.

Transcendent beings are the supreme combat force of the Primordial Battlefield, the standard by which the might of a mythology is measured in the Initial Realm.

The stronger and more numerous the transcendent beings in a mythology, the greater its status and power.

The Four Great Mythologies earn their title, stand apart from all other mythologies of the Initial Realm, hold unshakable status, and remain beyond reach—undoubtedly due to the disparity in transcendent numbers.

Gao Xiang Hong couldn’t help recalling the words the Demon Lord and Void Lord had brought back from the altar.

The ancient Babylonian mythology that nearly destroyed Earth was ruled by Hades, whose power should be at the Supreme level.

Recall that Hades is one of the Twelve Olympians of Greek mythology, ranked among the top three in status and power, and second only to Zeus, the King of Gods, equal in stature to Poseidon.

None of the other Twelve Olympians could match Hades.

Yet this one of the Twelve Olympians, Hades, possessed Supreme power—but did not reach Transcendent.

It is safe to guess that among the third-generation Twelve Olympians, only Zeus reached Transcendent; the rest likely remained at Supreme, some possibly not even Immortal.

Of course, this does not mean Greek mythology had only one Transcendent—don’t forget the first and second generations of the Twelve Olympians.

But even combining all three generations, the number of Transcendents was likely small—perhaps three or four.

Greek mythology may have three or four Transcendents, while Chinese mythology alone boasts three: Sui Ren Shi, Fu Xi, and Nü Wa—let alone Huang Di, Yan Di, and other ancient figures whose renown rivals that of Fu Xi and Sui Ren Shi.

The number of Transcendents in the Four Great Mythologies far exceeds that of other mythologies.

“Oracle bone script—the oldest Chinese writing—could it truly have been left behind by Sui Ren Shi the Transcendent, or Fu Xi the Transcendent, or Nü Wa the Transcendent?”

Curious, Gao Xiang Hong turned his gaze to the Heavenly Stele.

Since the emergence of the Transcendent phenomenon, he himself had become one, and Gao Xiang Hong had extensively studied the history of lifeforms, their lineages, and other knowledge, with a special focus on Chinese mythology and history.

Becoming Transcendent brought not only changes to power and physique, but also enhanced mental capacity and learning ability—he absorbed knowledge effortlessly.

Soon…

“…a deception… an ancient deception…

Dead… my mythology is dead… die or become Heaven…

We who feared men, even in death remain men, fighting the Chaos Era… buried here, was our fate sealed?”

Deception?

Does it refer to the game between Him and another player, or between His predecessor and another player?

What is the Chaos Era?

Gao Xiang Hong and the other two stared blankly—they had never heard of the Chaos Era.

Could it be an era even older than the Tai Chu Era?

Another possibility: the Chaos Era might simply be another name for the Tai Chu Era.

Names like Tai Chu, Tai Gu, and Shang Gu were all bestowed by later generations; people of the Tai Gu Era never called their own time “Tai Gu,” just as modern people don’t call their era “Tai Gu.”

They simply call it “modern.”

But their attention was not on this—they fixated on another phrase.

“Die or become Heaven?”

Gao Xiang Hong murmured softly—he had heard of becoming Heaven before.

When the River of Time first appeared, seven Transcendents from the future arrived; fortunately, the First Holy Spirit intervened and protected them as they stepped into the past.

He still remembered: those seven Transcendents from the future called themselves “Heaven.”

Is the “become Heaven” inscribed on the Heavenly Stele the same as what those seven Transcendents meant?

If so, does that mean the past side also had “Heaven”?

No!

Perhaps it wasn’t that the past side had “Heaven”—but that those “Heavens” were the same as the future side’s “Heavens.”

This passage on the Heavenly Stele sent chills down their spines and gave them headaches—it was too fragmented, revealing only the writer’s fury.

Someone must have betrayed!

All three of the First Immortal Sovereign of Jiuzhou’s party felt this instinctively.

The most chilling phrase was “die or become Heaven”—they thought of the seven Transcendents from the future who had stormed up, calling themselves “Heaven.” Were those seven future Transcendents truly from the future?

Perhaps they chose to become Heaven to avoid death.

And the one who carved the Heavenly Stele might have been among those who refused to become Heaven—hence his mythology perished, and he erected this stele.

They had gained some information—but the mist grew thicker.

This Transcendent who carved the Heavenly Stele was entangled in that game—the game tied to becoming “Heaven.” Was this the reason for the game’s conflict?

“Wait, this is…”

Suddenly—

Tian Xie Sword Immortal, while observing the Heavenly Stele’s inscriptions with Gao Xiang Hong, searched for other peculiarities, glanced behind the stele, and gasped.

The Heavenly Stele was enormous—tall as a building.

Standing before it, they had not noticed its rear.

Now, looking back, Tian Xie Sword Immortal saw a tomb behind the stele.

The tomb was smaller than the surrounding graves, appearing desolate and ruined—just a mound, with a broken, weathered tombstone.

Yet it was precisely this small, broken tomb that startled Tian Xie Sword Immortal.

Worldly aura—he felt an ancient, primordial world-energy emanating from this tiny, ruined tomb.

As if the Chaos had just begun, heaven and earth barely opened.

This tomb was not built of earth or stone—it was built from a world itself.

Gasp!

Upon hearing the truth of the tomb from Tian Xie Sword Immortal, Gao Xiang Hong sucked in a sharp breath.

My heavens!

To use an entire world as a grave—what a monumental act! The legendary “heaven as blanket, earth as bed.”

Crucially, this world was not an ordinary world—it was born from Chaos, not artificially created.

Transcendent!

Only a Transcendent could use a world born from Chaos as a grave.

“Sigh, the characters on the tombstone are blurred and worn,” the First Immortal Sovereign of Jiuzhou said, gazing at the tombstone—its inscriptions had faded over eons, and a large portion was missing.

Even so, they were certain: this small, ruined tomb was none other than the grave of the Transcendent who carved the Heavenly Stele.

“A Transcendent’s tomb—if this became known, how many demons and gods would go mad for it?” Gao Xiang Hong sighed.

He faintly understood why the Hangu Pass was a graveyard—not only because the dead wished to continue guarding the Imperial Pass, but also because they sought peace in death.

Those who fought on the Primordial Battlefield were at least Demons and Gods—beings powerful enough to drive others mad; let alone Immortals, Immortals of the Unending, or Supremes. If their tombs were known, countless beings would seek them out.

……