Chapter 275: I Too Can Love the Myriad Beings (3100)

"Just this kind of heretical and unorthodox path..."

The Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu scoffed; what kind of treasure could retain the true spirit of a Supreme Being? In his prime, he was a peak emperor who had seen and experienced it all; what situation had he not witnessed?

If Lin Xian were to produce an immortal artifact comparable to the Desolate Pagoda, claiming it could house a Great Emperor's primordial spirit to slow aging and avoid the erosion of time, Emperor Senior Xuanwu might have been half-believing and half-doubting.

But a netherworld dharma treasure? Forget it; that method is the most useless of all, sitting at the very bottom of the chain of contempt.

Even the immortal path has its hierarchies; the lofty immortals are naturally those like the Red Dust Immortals or Battle Immortals, possessing extraordinary Dao fruits and promising futures; as long as they persist without dying, even Duan De could rely on a Red Dust Immortal Dao fruit to prove the Dao and become an Immortal Emperor.

Next are the True Immortal Dao fruits; although they basically have no chance on the path to becoming an Emperor, proving the Dao to become an Immortal King is still highly probable.

Then come the Human Immortal Dao fruits, belonging to the tier of becoming immortal by consuming elixirs.

As for Ghost Immortals, they possess only the magic power of a True Immortal but lack True Immortal divine abilities; worse still, they have even lost their physical bodies from their past lives, inferior even to Human Immortals, only fit to sit at the same table as Maimed Immortals, and might even be counter-attacked and slain by a contemporary Great Emperor.

Once, a Supreme Being speculated that before the eternal ages, the so-called "counter-attacking an immortal" referred to an Extreme Dao Supreme Being reversing the tide to slay Maimed Immortals and Ghost Immortals, creating a miracle that spanned eternity.

"It cannot retain the living, but it can retain the dead."

"This is the true essence of the... ahem, the Human Emperor Banner!"

Lin Xian spoke with solemnity, slowly lifting the restrictions on the Human Emperor Banner, allowing a wisp of Samsara aura to emanate from it.

In the Shrouding Heavens great universe, netherworld dharma treasures are considered unorthodox, but what does that have to do with a Samsara dharma treasure?

Speaking from the source, the Great Dao of Samsara is the most orthodox and authentic Great Dao within these Myriad Heavens and Worlds.

From the true ruler of the Underworld, a powerhouse above the Sacrificial Dao, to the power of unlimited resurrection on the Plateau of the Uncanny, to the corpse transformation with red hair and the inauspiciousness of bone ash, everything is closely related to Samsara.

Even the ancestral seed that created the Upper Realm is a Lotus of Ten Thousand Calamities and Samsara, rightly hailed as the source of both positive and negative forces.

Whether light or evil, as long as one is a living being within these Myriad Heavens and Worlds, one is inextricably linked to Samsara.

The Human Emperor Banner swayed, draping ten thousand strands of Dao light; the aura of Samsara manifested, and the Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu, nearing Dao transformation, felt himself infinitely close to death, merely one step away from stepping into the eternal world of tranquility.

The dead do not perish; the God of Death lives forever; within the Human Emperor Banner, imprints of true spirits emerged, ungrindable through eternal ages and indestructible through ten thousand tribulations.

"This..."

Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu was stunned; he had truly never witnessed such a scene; how could this be called a netherworld dharma treasure? It was even more heaven-defying than that Connate Nether Treasure of the Underworld.

To think something could actually bear the true spirit of an Ancient Emperor and keep it in the mortal world; even if it were a muddled soul rather than a clear primordial spirit, it was still incredibly heaven-defying.

"It reminds me of a fellow Daoist from the Primordial Ancient Mine," Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu murmured; entering the Human Emperor Banner and transforming into its artifact spirit was a method of longevity.

It was not just Green Emperor who walked this path; the Blood Phoenix Emperor of the Primordial Ancient Mine was also pursuing it, seeking to transform from a human into an immortal artifact, thereby achieving immortality through the eternal ages.

"It is not a fusion, but another method of longevity."

"Does Senior know how Amitabha managed to come back to life?"

Lin Xian smiled slightly and explained: "Bloodline inheritance is the continuation of life; the transmission of belief is the longevity of the spirit; if one does not forget, there will inevitably be an echo."

"With the blessing of the power of faith, those who have passed away may yet return."

"The Undying Daoist!" A glint of sharp light suddenly burst forth in Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu's eyes; while other forbidden lands might not know the background of the Undying Daoist, how could he, as an Ancient Emperor from the early Ancient Times and the Supreme Being Senior Xuanwu of the Undying Mountain, possibly not know?

Having been roommates with the Undying Daoist for over a million years, even the most dull-witted person would have noticed some clues.

The Undying Daoist and Amitabha; these two divine selves had verified the miracle; if there is one, and there is two, could there be a three?

"Is the Undying Daoist the Heavenly Emperor, or is Amitabha still that same person from the past?"

Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu couldn't help but murmur, a strange light blooming in his eyes; although he had seen through life and death, he still maintained his exploration of the path to immortality and his curiosity about longevity.

Seeing through life and death is not the same as wanting to die; if one can live, who would willingly choose to die?

"In the next life, if you believe, it exists; if you do not, it does not; as the years drift by, two identical flowers will eventually appear in the world; after a thousand years of looking back, one flower withers while another blooms."

Lin Xian answered Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu with this most classic phrase.

If you believe, it exists; if you do not, it does not.

In fact, beyond the method of the divine self, Lin Xian had another speculation: the possession technique of the Carefree Heavenly Master.

If the original body used the possession technique to possess its own divine self, could it achieve living another life and restoring its peak vitality?

This method of longevity, Lin Xian planned to attempt in the future.

However, Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu had no time left; the power of faith and the Human Emperor Banner were his final opportunity.

"If you believe, it exists; if you do not, it does not."

Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu's expression moved; after pondering for a long time, he sighed softly: "I am content; from a situation of certain death with no hope of survival, to nine deaths and one life, there is ultimately a sliver of a chance."

"This sliver of a chance was not given by our Heavenly Court," Lin Xian smiled. "It was fought for by Senior Senior Xuanwu himself."

"How so?" Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu glanced at the Senior Xuanwu Immortal Medicine, where Little Nan Nan was playing joyfully, while the Big Black Dog had also abandoned Lin Xian to lurk nearby, eyeing it greedily.

"Does the Heavenly Court have other conditions? If there truly is Samsara, this immortal medicine might not be impossible to give to you."

Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu reached out and grabbed the Senior Xuanwu Immortal Medicine into his palm to observe it up close.

It was a turtle with a dragon's head, possessing roots and stems; as it struggled, it scattered crystal-clear light, and the fragrance of the medicine wafted into the nose.

Consuming it could grant ten thousand years of life; even just smelling it made Lin Xian feel his blood boiling and his lifespan extended by several years.

This was a divine object that extended life!

If Lin Xian cultivated to become a Great Sage in the future and then consumed this divine medicine, he could live another life, possessing a lifespan comparable to a Perfected Saint Body.

With ten thousand years of cultivation, even a pig demon Great Sage could break through the barrier to become a Quasi-Emperor.

Under coercion, Supreme Beings would also offer inducements.

However, Lin Xian took a deep breath and did not give a direct answer; instead, he changed the subject: "It is not that the Heavenly Court has conditions, but that the myriad living beings will not agree."

"The myriad living beings, the Heavenly Court..." Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu seemed to grasp something, sensing the relationship between the two.

"There must be great merit for the Heavenly Court to have a reason to promote the faith of Senior Xuanwu," Lin Xian said with an open and sincere expression. "Whether it is 'if one does not forget, there will inevitably be an echo,' living in the hearts of the myriad beings, or forging a divine self in anticipation of a similar flower blooming in the future."

"All of these require the power of faith, and a vast amount of it."

"This magnitude of faith power requires either radiating across the entire great universe for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, influencing all races under heaven, or, like Amitabha and the Boundless Heavenly Master, establishing a lineage, painstakingly managing a region, focusing missionary work on several major star domains, and accumulating over hundreds of thousands of years."

"May I ask, Senior, do you still have a lineage?"

Bloodline and spirit must proceed together; without successors, an ancestor's desire to return is nothing but an illusion.

The safest method of resurrection involves having bloodline descendants to accumulate fragments of the Great Dao, having faith condense a divine self, and ideally, the original body still being alive.

"A lineage? Although I am a transformed Senior Xuanwu, I am also of the Holy Spirit race."

Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu shook his head, gazing into the Undying Mountain at an ancient cave, and murmured: "Descendants? Probably only those few remain."

"Then, Senior will need a vast wave of faith, an unprecedented amount of vow power, and an unparalleled persistence of memory."

Lin Xian spoke with profound meaning: "Only by taking root completely in the hearts of the myriad beings, combined with the Heavenly Court sparing no effort in promotion, is success possible."

"For example?" Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu turned to look back, his eyes deep; knowing that since Lin Xian raised the point, he must have an idea, and he had already guessed part of it.

"For instance, resisting the Dark Turmoil."

Lin Xian lowered his voice: "This era is extraordinary; the Path to Immortality will open; if successful, everyone will be happy; if it fails, it will be more than just a Dark Turmoil—it will be a Dark Apocalypse."

"Risk and opportunity coexist; a massive crisis accompanies fanatical faith."

"Do you know what you are saying?" Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu laughed, pointing at Lin Xian, and said to the Battle-Victorious Buddha: "Discussing the quelling of the Dark Turmoil with a Supreme Being of a forbidden zone in the Undying Mountain; even a Human Great Emperor would not be so arrogant."

"Excellent, excellent," the Battle-Victorious Buddha, having heard much today, found his Dao heart already calm as still water; he merely pressed his palms together and said: "One cannot discuss this with a Supreme Being of a forbidden zone, but in a few hundred years, once Senior Senior Xuanwu has undergone Dao transformation, he will no longer be a Supreme Being of a forbidden zone."

"At that time, the various affairs of the mortal world and the grievances of the forbidden zones will have nothing to do with Senior; when a person dies, debts are cleared, and karma is settled."

"What a fine 'karma is settled'! The Battle-Victorious Sacred Ape of the Ancient Times, who feared neither heaven nor earth, has entered the Buddhist sect and actually learned to speak with flowers blooming from his tongue," Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu laughed loudly, standing with hands clasped behind his back, gazing up at the blue sky, his eyes filled with vicissitudes, before finally letting out a long sigh: "The Ancient Times... we cannot return to them."

In an instant, Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu recalled his eventful years, fighting bloodily on the path to becoming an Emperor, laughing and crying together with his wife, friends, and enemies, until all joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, were composed into a resounding war song amidst the great era.

And he ultimately achieved the Dao, underwent tribulation to become an Emperor, bathing in supreme glory.

Over the span of more than thirty thousand years, he once ruled over the world, guarding the great universe, protecting the myriad spirits, worshipped by all living beings in the world; his brilliance illuminated the annals of history, and he was revered as a god by all races under heaven.

During his reign, a Dark Turmoil occurred once, but it was ultimately forced back by Emperor Senior Xuanwu; all races enjoyed peace, and he fulfilled all responsibilities of a Great Dao powerhouse, much like the Great Emperor of the Desolate Ancient times today.

But what happened later? Was it the passing of friends and family that chilled his Dao heart, or was it the desire for longevity that made him disregard everything, or perhaps the fear of aging and declining strength that drove him into the forbidden zone?

Ultimately, an emperor slashed himself once, becoming the Supreme Being of the Undying Mountain.

Although he never launched a Dark Turmoil, relying on his Senior Xuanwu talents and the Undying Immortal Medicine to endure, he created his unique Turtle Breath Method of Longevity to reduce the consumption of vitality.

Yet, he no longer guarded the universe or protected the myriad races; the Senior Xuanwu who was once full of passion and love disappeared, replaced by a true dragon in the nine heavens, coldly overlooking the myriad beings, witnessing one Dark Turmoil after another, allowing the Supreme Beings of the Undying Mountain to bathe the universe in blood while he remained unmoved.

Indifferent for eternal ages, guarding bitterly for a lifetime, at the very end of his life, on the edge of Dao transformation, his Dao heart quietly stirred.

"In this life..."

Ancient Emperor Senior Xuanwu suddenly turned around, his gaze firm and his voice calm: "I too can love the myriad beings."

(End of Chapter)