The Dao of Reincarnation (220-221) (Patreon)

Chapter 220: The Undying Nether Emperor (Part 1)

Inside the Reverse Fate Space.

Su Chen felt a trace of daze. In this life, he had reigned for a full one hundred thousand years. He had stood at the pinnacle of the universe, suppressing all opposition. Myriad races revered him as they watched him clear away countless obstacles. Even on the verge of death, he had still managed to lure out a formidable old enemy.

That foe was the Eternal Light Supreme. Long ago, when Su Chen had attained the Dao through the Killing God Demon Embryo, this being had gravely wounded him and devoured part of his flesh. Later, when the Spirit Divine King appeared, the Supreme struck once more. He was an extremely dangerous figure whose traces Su Chen had never found despite searching every forbidden zone. Only after Su Chen's death did the Supreme dare to show himself.

Unfortunately for him, Su Chen had left behind one final trap inside the Emperor's Tomb. He drew out the old monster who had hidden for countless eras, sealed him within the tomb, and perished together with him.

[In your fourteenth life, you were born into a Great Emperor clan. From a young age, your talent was unmatched. You possessed the Flying Immortal Dao Body, the Myriad Laws Heavenly Eyes, and the Emperor Destiny. Your cultivation speed defied the heavens, and the Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion even paid a heavy price to peer into fate. You were hailed as one destined to attain the Dao.]

[In your youth, you displayed unparalleled grace and power. You defeated numerous heavenly prodigies and took them as followers. Your name as the Emperor Son of the Ye Clan spread across myriad races. Even terrifying existences grew wary of you and tried to eliminate you early, yet you turned every crisis into fortune.]

[Upon returning to the Ye Clan, you focused on cultivation. Before the age of thirty, you became a Saint, shattering the fastest cultivation record since the ancient era. Leading your followers, you stepped onto the Emperor Path.]

[On the Emperor Path, you swept through all opposition without meeting a single worthy foe. Even the powerhouses deep within the path who had severed their own cultivation were slain by you. Using that momentum, you established the Myriad Laws Hall, a new force on the Emperor Path. In merely three thousand years, you fought your way to its deepest reaches.]

[There, the most supreme forbidden prodigies of the universe gathered. They feared your rise and ambushed you. In the end, you carved out your own unique path amid that great battle, slaughtered your enemies, and entered the Ancient Emperor Realm in search of opportunities, laying the foundation for your undefeated legend.]

[Inside the Ancient Emperor Realm, you sought fortunes and schemed against countless heroes. You used a devilish woman to divert everyone's attention. After the Emperor Path closed, you returned to the Ye Clan to continue your cultivation. There, you met an old acquaintance—Fang Bubai. Yet he had already grown old. The sight of an aged Great Emperor filled you with deep wariness. In the end, he chose not to act against you. You watched him leave, desperately seeking a path of transcendence, only to fall in the attempt. Another former acquaintance had departed.]

[When the Emperor fell, a dark turmoil suddenly erupted and lasted for centuries, bringing untold suffering to all living beings. You sought a sliver of Emperor opportunity and entered seclusion. However, the Eternal Light Supreme learned that his heir had died by your hand. At any cost, he sought revenge. You were forced to emerge and meet him in battle.]

[Wearing the Ye Clan's Hundred Battles Golden Armor and wielding the Flying Immortal Tower, along with two flawless Emperor weapons and your perfected Flying Immortal Dao Body, you were strong enough to contend with a Supreme. You pushed the Eternal Light Supreme to his ultimate sublimation. Though heavily wounded, you did not die. Instead, you took the final step, shattering the heavens' suppression and Reverse Fate to become an Emperor.]

[Your prepared contingencies helped you withstand your enemies. Countless heroes and old friends perished in that unprecedented catastrophe. No other race wished to see the human race produce another Great Emperor.]

[Yet in the end, you charged into the long river of time. Your body underwent a transformation. At the brink of life and death, the Myriad Laws Emperor Scripture took shape, and your physique evolved once more. You fought and killed five Great Emperor imprints. Fearless of death, you seized that final chance and slew them all, becoming a true Great Emperor. Then you settled the scores with your past enemies.]

[You slaughtered the Supremes, destroyed the Myriad Dragon Cave, erased the remnant souls of former Great Emperors, and suppressed the Divine Clan. Your name as a Great Emperor shook the world. Myriad races revered you and dared not offend you. You stepped into forbidden zones and left your footprints across the entire universe.]

[You were simply too invincible—and too lonely. Over the long years, you watched old friends age and die one after another, or personally sealed them away. You understood that even a Great Emperor was merely the starting point of the martial path. Thus, you began making arrangements and seeking greater opportunities. You uncovered many hidden truths and watched the rise and fall of races across ten thousand eras.]

[In the end, you grew old. You could not live a second life. With a calm expression, you accepted life and death without obsession. You built the Emperor's Tomb and buried your body within it. However, you left behind many contingencies. After your death, you eliminated a Supreme who had hidden for countless ages.]

[This life of yours was legendary. The myriad races sang your praises. You reigned unrivaled over the universe for one hundred thousand years. Your name became one of the most dazzling in history. Even countless eras later, your name and deeds still echoed throughout the world.]

[Evaluation: Two Stars (Gold)]

[Reward: 200000 Reverse Fate Points]

The golden light on the Reverse Fate Scripture shone even brighter this time.

A Great Emperor who had stood alone above the universe…

"Even a Great Emperor is only worth two hundred thousand Reverse Fate Points?"

In this life, he had spent one hundred and fifty thousand Reverse Fate Points. Su Chen could sense that in this world, earning a high score was becoming increasingly difficult. No matter how much he influenced a single universe, the Reverse Fate Points he could obtain seemed to have reached a limit. If he continued to spend everything each time, he would only fall into an endless cycle.

He needed to accumulate Reverse Fate Points. Su Chen believed that beyond this universe, there were existences far more powerful than a Great Emperor. The immortal tree in the Jade Pool Sacred Land was proof enough.

His score had nearly reached its peak. Su Chen began considering how to maximize his Reverse Fate Points.

Going all in was definitely not an option. Becoming a Great Emperor life after life without a powerful talent to break through the realm barrier would ultimately lead to nothing. It would only worsen the vicious cycle. He could only focus on strengthening one particular talent.

Talent… In the previous life, his Flying Immortal Dao Body had allowed him to reach the Great Emperor realm, but his comprehension had fallen short. He couldn't live a second life, let alone surpass the ancient and modern Great Emperors to achieve transcendence. Even if he raised his talent to two hundred thousand Reverse Fate Points, it might make him stronger, but it still wouldn't let him break through.

Background… He might reincarnate into the Upper Realm, but… as a useless young master of an immortal clan?

No. Su Chen felt that he would most likely be casually tossed by a powerful Upper Realm clan into some minor universe. He might enjoy wealth and status, but he would never achieve transcendence. He might even lose his Reverse Fate Points and have to start over—a completely losing deal.

The only choice that offered steady gains without risk was comprehension. With superior comprehension, he could perfect his own path. Even if his talent was lacking, he could create the Myriad Laws Emperor Scripture and forge the Myriad Laws Dao Body, suppressing all enemies!

Without talent, background would only become a burden.

Su Chen made his decision.

Talent: 1

Comprehension: 100,000

Background: 1

Dao Heart: 50,000

Fifteenth life, begin.

...

Deep within a dense forest, Su Chen opened his eyes and looked around. He quickly discovered something very unpleasant. He seemed… to no longer be human!

This was no joke. He really wasn't human anymore. A pair of pitch-black wings caught his attention.

Su Chen flew to a nearby water surface and looked at his reflection.

"I seem… to have become a crow?"

Chapter 221: The Undying Nether Emperor (Part 2)

Su Chen's mood was extremely dark right now. Yet no one could tell, because his entire body was pitch black. This was the first time in his countless lives.

"Whatever… so be it…"

Su Chen stared at his reflection on the water's surface and reluctantly accepted the reality that he had reincarnated as an ordinary crow. He, who had once been an invincible Great Emperor sweeping through an entire era as a human, had now been reborn as a plain crow.

Hell-level difficulty.

Fortunately, he had obtained countless secret scriptures from various races in the past, including Emperor-level ones. Even as an ordinary crow, he still had a chance to defy the heavens.

Su Chen searched through his mind. The Myriad Laws Emperor Scripture was no longer viable; restarting the human path was impossible. The human body was nurtured by heaven and earth, allowing gradual transformation from mortal to Myriad Laws Dao Body. The demon race, however, relied heavily on bloodline. The difference was like night and day. In his current situation, obtaining cultivation resources was out of the question. Survival came first.

He suddenly recalled that he had once slain a True Phoenix and comprehended an incomplete Nirvana Scripture from it. This was now the most suitable path for him. As long as he could undergo repeated nirvanas and transformations, he would eventually become a True Phoenix—or even surpass it to become an ultimate being. The prerequisite was perfecting the Nirvana Scripture.

The comprehension gained from investing one hundred thousand Reverse Fate Points would not disappoint him.

Su Chen began cultivating. But before half a day had passed, he discovered a serious problem. He currently had no cultivation base at all and needed the flesh and blood of living creatures to sustain his energy. After just starting the Nirvana Scripture, his demand for energy had grown enormous.

In simple terms, the mighty Great Emperor reincarnated was about to starve to death.

Su Chen set out in search of food. Ordinary insects could fill his stomach, but they provided pathetically little energy. Without spiritual items or good talent, cultivation would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

"I remember… there's a small sect less than fifty kilometers from here that grows spiritual rice."

Spiritual rice was used to replenish the qi and blood of ordinary martial artists and slightly boost their cultivation speed. It contained trace amounts of spiritual energy.

Su Chen could not remember how long it had been since he last saw spiritual rice. In recent lives, his starting point had grown higher and higher, and he had never lacked cultivation resources or divine herbs. But those days were gone. Right now, if he did not eat some spiritual rice, he would not be able to cultivate at all.

...

My name is Chen Tianyi.

I am just an ordinary young cultivator of the Green Mist Sect. My talent is neither good nor bad. At twenty-five years old, I barely broke through to the Spirit Gathering realm. Thanks to arrangements by my family elders, I secured a comfortable job—guarding the sect's spiritual rice fields.

It was leisurely, safe, and came with a salary. To Chen Tianyi, it was the perfect laid-back life he had always dreamed of.

Of course, that was what he used to think. Now, he realized just how naïve he had been.

"Damn crow! Don't you dare run!"

Chen Tianyi glared furiously at the crow stealing spiritual rice again. He was grinding his teeth in anger. This was the thirtieth day this month… Yes, the crow came once every single day. If this continued, the spiritual rice would be completely eaten, and he would be unable to turn in the required amount. The consequences would be severe!

Chen Tianyi gathered his energy and unleashed a barrage of attacks toward the crow. Yet every strike missed by a hair's breadth. This only fueled his rage. Shouting in fury, he chased after the crow.

He, Chen Tianyi, refused to be toyed with by a mere ordinary crow. He had to defend his dignity!

"What a petty guy. It's just a bit of spiritual rice, yet he's chasing me so relentlessly."

Su Chen flew in a circle, his beak never stopping as he muttered. Chen Tianyi could not understand the cawing, but he took it as provocation.

Chen Tianyi made up his mind. Today, he would kill this crow no matter what. He chased Su Chen madly, even when the crow flew out of the Green Mist Sect. Without hesitation, Chen Tianyi followed right out of the sect's boundaries.

"Isn't that… Chen Tianyi from the Chen family? Wasn't he assigned to guard the spiritual rice fields? Why is he here?"

"Looks like Chen Tianyi is chasing something. Is that a crow?"

"..."

The gatekeeping disciples of the Green Mist Sect watched in confusion.

Chasing after the sect goddess was something they could understand… but Chen Tianyi was chasing a crow with such relentless passion. Truly, the world was in moral decline!

By evening, Chen Tianyi collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted. He could not run another step.

Deep doubt filled his heart. As a Spirit Gathering realm cultivator, he was no weakling—even in the towns at the foot of the mountain, he would be considered skilled. Yet he could not do anything to a mere ordinary crow. If it had been a demon beast, he could have accepted it, but this was just a plain crow!

Worse, he could not report this to the sect. How could he say the spiritual rice had been eaten by an ordinary crow? That he, Chen Tianyi, could not even handle a single crow?

No. He would rather die than lose that kind of face.

"Arghhhhh!!! Damn crow! I will never rest until I kill you!!!"

A flock of crows startled and flew up from the forest. Then everything fell silent.

Chen Tianyi suddenly realized something. He had broken through—from the first level of Spirit Gathering to the second. Though it was only a small step, he had only reached the first level less than two months ago.

"Could it be… that I am actually a peerless genius?"

Chen Tianyi had a sudden epiphany. He would cultivate diligently from now on and make that damn crow pay!

What Chen Tianyi did not know was that the "damn crow" he cursed was perched on a tall tree, watching his every move with great interest.

"His comprehension is truly poor… but there is still a tiny bit," Su Chen commented.

He could have shaken off Chen Tianyi at any time. But he had not.

After eating spiritual rice for an entire month, Su Chen decided to grant Chen Tianyi a stroke of good fortune. He had been deliberately demonstrating a cultivation method. Even if Chen Tianyi only comprehended a tiny fragment of it, becoming a sovereign would no longer be an issue. This was his compensation for a month of stolen spiritual rice.

Watching Chen Tianyi leave with a foolish grin on his face, Su Chen's body began to change. His pitch-black feathers gleamed like black iron, sharp enough to easily slice through branches.

After one full month, he had finally become a demon beast. Although he was only at the lowest level—with strength equivalent to the first layer of Spirit Awakening—he could now hunt ordinary wild beasts and even some weaker demon beasts.