Chapter 399: 【Converting the Son of Heaven】

Imperial weapons in the mortal world are finite. Why do the Desolate Ancient aristocratic families stand high above? Beyond their Sages, their most powerful foundation is their extreme-path weapons, which can ensure the survival of their lineage for over a hundred thousand years.

Even if they encounter a Dark Turmoil, with one or two Supremes emerging, a family possessing an imperial weapon has the ability to protect itself.

Every Supreme who has slashed themselves is a master of time management; they will pick the soft persimmons to squeeze and will not specifically gnaw on the hard bone of an imperial weapon.

The consequence of losing an imperial weapon is like the Sun Divine Dynasty and the Lunar Divine Dynasty—without ultimate military deterrence, any Quasi-Emperor could pose a threat of annihilation.

The Feng family is hailed as the oldest Holy Land in the Eastern Wasteland, with a heritage of a million years. Although Sages have emerged in every generation, their imperial weapon was shattered during the last Dark Turmoil.

Where did Lin Xian get this imperial weapon?

For a time, the Sages of the major imperial lineages let their imaginations run wild, casting their gazes toward the Sage of the Yaoguang Holy Land behind Lin Xian, a terrifying thought taking root in their minds.

Could it be that the ancestor of the Feng family, like that ruthless woman, is still alive?

Others might not know the origin of the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron, but they certainly did. The talk of twenty-eight generations of Sages forging it continuously until the imperial weapon was born—that kind of story might fool organizations that haven't produced a Great Emperor, but not them.

Those of them who have produced Great Emperors have had far more than twenty-eight generations of Sages. During their peak, Imperial Sons emerged one after another, and Imperial Grandsons were endless, all of them Quasi-Emperors. Yet, even with such scale, they hadn't forged a second imperial weapon.

The imperial weapon of the Yaoguang Holy Land was the handiwork of the Ruthless Empress in the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land.

"Holy Master, how did you do it?"

Ye Fan's expression changed. Could Lin Xian have taken advantage of everyone's distraction to go to the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land and ask the Empress to repair the Fuxi imperial weapon? But the extreme-path aura flowing over it didn't resemble the Ruthless Empress at all.

The two imperial weapons of the Ruthless lineage both possess distinct characteristics, nurturing the power of ascension, with a sense of being transcendent and refined.

The extreme-path power flowing over the Fuxi Dragon Stele, however, was ancient, grand, and carried a vast, desolate sense of time that compelled one to worship; it was not the same extreme-path law.

"You honor me as your Holy Master, and I am very happy, but I am very displeased with the tone you used just now, Buddha-Ancestor."

Lin Xian spoke indifferently. Behind him, the imperial throne rose step by step, towering above all other Emperors. He looked down at Ye Fan and said, "If Tianxuan does not respect me, I will go to the Feng family. At worst, I will reenact the old events of the Southern Region and ascend Mount Sumeru once more."

Chaos energy flowed, and a green lotus bloomed upon the imperial throne. Lin Xian sat upon the lotus platform, looking solemn and dignified, and with a flash of brilliant Buddha-light, a pestle for subduing demons flew over.

In an instant, Lin Xian gained three votes, standing on equal footing with Ye Fan.

"The Green Cauldron belongs to the Heavenly Court; I should get another vote," Ye Fan said, suddenly anxious. If the Innate Holy Body Dao Fetus fell into Lin Xian's hands, he would surely incite the son to beat the father—he knew Lin Xian too well.

"The ownership of the Green Cauldron lies with the Heavenly Court; the Heavenly Emperor only has the right to use it."

Lin Xian emphasized once again that the Heavenly Court serves all living beings and is a public instrument of the universe, and in turn, he added a vote for himself.

"Lin Holy Master, by what right do you add a vote for yourself?" Ye Fan sneered. "So much for being a public instrument of the universe!"

"Goodness, goodness."

Lin Xian chanted a Buddha-name and said righteously, "The Buddha is also one of the sentient beings with feelings. What, are you not convinced?"

Beyond the Heavenly Court's Green Cauldron, there was also the Swallowing Heaven Demon Jar, an imperial weapon jointly managed by the four lineages of the Ruthless Empress, which also belonged to the public.

Ye Fan had just tried to use it in the name of the Tianxuan Holy Master, only to be vetoed by Lin Xian in the name of the Swallowing Heaven Dao Master.

"Lin Holy Master, you are ruthless!" Ye Fan gritted his teeth and then sought votes from the Central Plains Dynasty.

"It's a pity the Sun Tower is unwilling to come out, and the Human Emperor Seal should be on the Flying Immortal Star. I'll have Tingting go over there later."

Lin Xian muttered to himself, casting a glance at the central hall with slight regret. The Myriad Dragon Bell had fled into the Primordial Ancient Mine, the Ancient Imperial Daughter was not there, and the Divine Iron Rod had followed the Fighting Victorious Buddha on an expedition to Mount Sumeru, meaning the Divine Silkworm Armor had no familiar face to bring it in, missing several opportunities to lobby for votes.

The extreme-path imperial weapons of the Ancient Clan lineage were all absent—seemingly a coincidence.

In essence, however, it was the rift between the Human Clan and the Ancient Clan.

The Human Imperial Dynasties and the Demon Imperial Lineages had formed a tacit understanding, silently excluding the Ancient Clan, keeping them away from the Zishan resolutions and preventing them from learning the core secrets of the Innate Holy Body Dao Fetus.

Letting the Ancient Clan truly integrate into the Heavenly Court was a long and arduous task, far beyond what could be achieved by winning over a few Ancient Clans or Ancestor Kings.

"Another great purge is needed. We must both erase the brand of the Undying Emperor from the Ancient Clan and wake up the Human Clan, letting them understand that in this Dark Turmoil, relying solely on imperial weapons will not be enough to survive."

"Because the number of Supremes descending on the Path to Immortality will not be just one or two. Five or six is the baseline, and seven or eight wouldn't be surprising; it is very likely that over a dozen will emerge together."

Lin Xian pondered this, his gaze shifting toward the Yaoguang side. The Innate Holy Body Dao Fetus was gestating, and there was still some time before its true birth. The other imperial lineages were basically running along for the ride, satisfied just to build a bond of goodwill.

Only those with the strength to compete for the right to mentor the Innate Holy Body Dao Fetus were the Yaoguang, Zishan, Tianxuan, and the Heavenly Court.

As long as one side showed an advantage, the other imperial lineages would follow suit.

In the end, after Ye Fan and Lin Xian bickered and the Black Dog stirred up trouble from time to time, everyone took a step back and reached a compromise.

"How about Zixia Fairy nurtures the fetus in Zishan, with the Black Dog as the nutritionist?"

Lin Xian pondered, "The Fifth Generation Source Heaven Ancestor, Zhang Lin, has been freed, but he cannot leave Zishan; if he leaves the Beginningless Bell, he will encounter ominousness in his later years."

"How about letting him take charge of the teaching? While guiding the Source Arts, he can also let the Innate Holy Body Dao Fetus study the red hair and ominousness from a young age to crack the Seal of Reincarnation."

"Furthermore, Yang Yi, the Yaoguang Holy Maiden from ten thousand years ago, will also stay in Zishan to teach Zixia and her child the Western Queen's scriptures, how about that?"

Zhang Lin was Ye Fan's ancestor, and Yang Yi came from the Yaoguang lineage; both had deep ties to the Innate Holy Body Dao Fetus.

Aside from the Black Dog still clamoring to be the child's teacher, everyone else felt this was a reasonable arrangement.

"Clang!"

The long-silent Beginningless Bell rang, and the spirit emitted a sound: "Agreed. As a successor of the Great Emperor, he will eventually have to face the Underworld."

Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle; studying the Source Arts and the Seal of Reincarnation left by the Underworld Emperor would be of great benefit in the future.

With the Beginningless Bell in agreement, the Black Dog was forced to compromise, though it still grumbled indignantly:

"I am a peerless Demon Sage, why won't you let me teach?"

Everyone rolled their eyes in unison. The Black Dog's cultivation and vision were beyond reproach; before slashing itself, it had fought the Fighting Victorious Buddha, so it was at least a Great Sage.

It was just that its dog-like character was on par with Duan De's.

"Where has Old Gu gone? Why is he dropping the ball at such a critical moment?" The Black Dog sighed repeatedly, very unwilling, circling around Zishan.

Gu Tian Shu, the Human Great Sage—mentioning this name made the God Wang Jiang Taixu raise an eyebrow. He had lived a second life partly due to the tempering from this Great Sage; otherwise, he would have died in Zishan like his predecessors long ago.

It was just that Gu Tian Shu was truly unreliable and had been missing ever since. If Lin Xian's group hadn't arrived at Zishan, Jiang Taixu would have been on the verge of dying of old age.

"Clang!"

The Beginningless Bell rang again. Lin Xian initiated the second proposal, speaking solemnly: "How is the conversion of the Son of Heaven going?"

"The Beginningless Great Emperor and the Undying Emperor are clashing on the Path to Immortality, suffering immensely."

"If we can research the mysteries of the Undying Emperor's bloodline and find the weaknesses of the Undying Immortal Phoenix, we can support the Beginningless Great Emperor."

"A little more advantage is a little more chance of survival."

"Let us win an opportunity for the Beginningless Great Emperor to strike!"

(End of chapter)