The Dao of Reincarnation (249-250) (Patreon)

Chapter 249: Transcendence (Part 5)

The inner disciple of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect died. He was killed by Ning Changqing.

A faint trace of surprise appeared on Ning Changqing's face. He buried the corpse of the inner disciple with his own hands.

"Immortal spirit... how interesting."

In Ning Changqing's memory, immortal spirits had always stood high above all existence. Yet now, within the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect, even ordinary disciples treated that being with extreme reverence. Merely mentioning his name was enough to drive them into a frenzied state, forcing them to fight with their last breath. Even though such resistance was ultimately meaningless.

"Does the young master also take an interest in that immortal spirit?"

The woman following behind Ning Changqing asked softly. She had also heard of the legends surrounding the immortal spirit of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect.

That immortal spirit had defeated multiple supreme prodigies in succession. Even the unparalleled genius of the Phoenix Clan, one who carried the bloodline of the Phoenix Ancestor, had been defeated and willingly became his mount.

The Crown Prince of the Azure Heaven Ancient Dragon Clan had been nailed down with a single strike. The Innate Holy Spirit of the Primordial Dao Domain had not even dared to fight; his Dao heart shattered in fear. Too many monstrous prodigies across the ages had been defeated by that immortal spirit.

Di Chen. A name bearing the title "Emperor." One of a kind throughout the ages.

Ning Changqing nodded slightly.

"An immortal spirit is a being that stands above all things. To them, all living beings are no different from ants. They would not even spare them a second glance. Such existences are inherently solitary. But the disciples of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect treat that immortal spirit with utmost reverence. Perhaps that immortal spirit possesses human nature."

Ning Changqing murmured softly.

"I wonder what kind of change would cause an immortal spirit to develop humanity... I would very much like to capture him and study him."

A being feared and avoided by all prodigies of the myriad races was now being spoken of as something to be captured and studied. If the world heard such words, they would likely think Ning Changqing was insane.

Yet the woman behind him believed every word without hesitation. In her eyes, everything he said was truth. Perhaps... he truly had the ability to capture the immortal spirit of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect for study.

...

Su Chen knew nothing of this. And even if he did, he would not be angry. He would probably be quite pleased instead. Unfortunately, he remained unaware.

Behind Su Chen, countless prodigies followed him. There were Phoenix bloodline heirs, Qilin Emperor Sons, peerless great demons, and unrivaled ruthless geniuses.

These so-called invincible prodigies all willingly bowed their heads before a single figure, becoming mounts, carriage bearers, or mere background figures among the crowd.

Su Chen began to lecture the Dao across the starry sky. Whether they were disciples of great sects or ordinary mortals, all were allowed to listen to his teachings. Phenomena descended without end. Though he had not yet become Emperor, his figure had already become the center of heaven and earth, overlooking all ages.

Humans, demons, devils, holy spirits—geniuses of all races gathered together to listen to his sermon.

"Our master truly lives up to being the number one of all ages."

"Preaching to all beings, dispersing the Dao to all beings—this is the act of a Dao Ancestor, a blessing left to all living spirits."

"This is true greatness of heart, true invincibility. Even the term ‘Emperor potential' feels far too shallow to describe him..."

"Throughout history, no one has ever done such a thing. One man has elevated the prosperity of all races. Even without becoming Emperor, he is already revered by all beings."

"The immortal spirit has appeared. The mandate of heaven has been set."

"..."

Su Chen did not withhold anything. Even though among these listeners were future challengers, hostile descendants of opposing factions, and competing prodigies. He did not care in the slightest. He demonstrated his Dao openly, allowing all beings to comprehend it.

In truth, across all eras, no inheritance—regardless of its strength—would ever be easily shared. Many would rather let their lineage die out than pass it on. Yet Su Chen did the opposite. He allowed all beings to comprehend it freely.

Looking across history, not even Emperors had ever possessed such magnanimity. He did not care whether living beings gained enlightenment. What he cared about was that the beings of this world were simply too mediocre.

...

Ning Changqing continued to grind through battles and level up. His strength had become even more unfathomable. None of the opponents he encountered could withstand even a single exchange. It was not that his enemies were too weak. It was that he was simply too strong. At least, that was what Ning Changqing believed.

Within Emperor City, a major incident caused the entire city to tremble. A nobody from an unknown background had actually crippled a true disciple of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect in a single battle. The Myriad Laws Emperor Sect... was the very same sect as that legendary figure.

It was the force that made all prodigies of the myriad races bow their heads in submission. Yet that unknown young man had even dared to claim he would capture Di Chen alive. In the eyes of other factions' geniuses, this was no different from courting death and digging one's own grave.

Strangely enough, there were still some brainless immortal sects protecting that reckless youth, causing many forces that intended to capture him and curry favor with the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect to suffer setbacks.

As for those factions, Ning Changqing did not care in the slightest. He had already laid down an earth-shaking killing formation. As long as that so-called immortal spirit dared to come, he would not escape from his grasp.

He intended to tame the immortal spirit and turn him into a war general under his command, to accompany him on the path toward transcendence.

...

"Emperor Son... Emperor Son... something terrible has happened!"

Su Chen opened his eyes. His aura was as vast as the starry sky, deep and boundless. Sitting within the ancient land, he resembled a blazing sun suspended in the heavens.

A true disciple of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect rushed in hastily.

Su Chen: "..."

The disciple forced a bitter smile.

"Emperor Son, a madman has killed four direct disciples of our sect's elder lineage in succession. Even Senior Brother Wan was slain by him. Now that man is publicly declaring that he will capture you alive and study the secrets of the immortal spirit."

The world manifested behind Su Chen abruptly shattered. Beneath him, several terrifying auras that had been in meditation all awoke at once. They turned their gazes toward the true disciple.

"What kind of ignorant fool dares to speak so arrogantly? To show disrespect toward our master? Allow me to kill him!"

A golden giant spoke, killing intent erupting. Within his body flowed the ancient bloodline of the Golden Emperor Clan, allowing him to erupt with dozens of times his normal combat strength for a short period. He had once believed himself invincible among those of the same realm.

Yet after meeting Su Chen, he finally understood what true invincibility and true grandeur meant. He had been completely subdued by Su Chen's bearing and willingly became a follower on the path toward transcendence.

Now, someone actually dared to insult the god he revered in his heart. Not only the Golden Emperor Clan descendant, but all the prodigies with supreme bloodlines, supreme physiques, and supreme talent were filled with rage.

In their hearts, Su Chen was nothing less than a divine existence. Anyone who showed him disrespect would die.

The true disciple of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect was instantly locked down by countless terrifying gazes. Each of those auras belonged to beings capable of destroying entire clans or wiping out sacred orthodoxies if they were released into the outside world.

Su Chen raised his hand, stopping his agitated followers. He then looked at the true disciple.

"Tell me everything that happened in detail."

Chapter 250: Transcendence (Part 6)

Su Chen now understood the full story. His expression remained calm as still water, yet a strange feeling stirred in his heart.

A genius from a small, insignificant place had suddenly awakened, then fought his way upward with unstoppable momentum. No, that wasn't quite right.

After a moment of thought, Su Chen realized the truth. This person had moved in secrecy, possessing extraordinary talent and repeatedly displaying bizarre, unpredictable techniques.

The script felt oddly familiar.

"Was he like Xiao Sha, someone who reincarnated from the future? Or a powerful expert who chose to cultivate anew?"

Su Chen calculated the timeline. Ever since he achieved the Double Kill accomplishment, he had not encountered such a pure Child of Destiny.

Throughout history, every great Emperor could be considered a figure of immense fortune, a destined son of their era.

Yet in Su Chen's eyes, they still fell slightly short compared to a true, unadulterated Child of Destiny. It was this pure flavor that truly piqued his interest. He had a strong premonition that this time he had hooked a truly remarkable big fish.

"So you're saying that Ning Changqing is waiting for me in Emperor City right now?"

Emperor City was the domain of one of the current great Emperors. As the anomalous phenomena around Su Chen gradually faded, the peerless prodigies surrounding him fell into silence. A terrifying thought surfaced in their minds.

Could it be… that their Master intended to act personally?

The mere possibility left them deeply shaken. These supreme geniuses, each the pinnacle of their respective clans and orthodoxies, knew better than anyone the terrifying depth of their Master's power. A trivial matter like this could easily be handled by any one of them, yet it had directly alarmed their Master.

"Lead the way," Su Chen said.

His words snapped the stunned crowd back to their senses and filled the true disciples of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect with wild joy. With the Emperor Son taking action personally, they would surely avenge their fallen martial brothers and sisters!

...

The starry sky trembled, and Emperor City stirred, all because of a single piece of news. The Immortal Spirit of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect was coming to Emperor City!

Countless factions watched with schadenfreude.

"That kid can provoke anyone he wants, yet he chose to offend that person from the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect."

"Even the countless geniuses of this era willingly submit to him, but this fellow still dares to speak arrogantly. If not for the protection of so many major orthodoxies, he would have been killed long ago."

"It's been ten years since we last saw him in action. His strength must be even more unfathomable now."

"..."

Inside Emperor City, numerous forces openly mocked and ridiculed Ning Changqing.

If not for the many powerful orthodoxies shielding him, how could he have survived until now? A single spit from each of the forces backing that person from the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect would have been enough to drown him.

Ning Changqing paid no attention to their mockery.

Why would a true expert care about the opinions of ants?

He had slain Immortal Spirits before.

The forces behind Ning Changqing merely sneered.

"An Immortal Spirit may be strong… but at most, it only possesses limitless potential. Behind this one stands a true… Emperor!"

No one was a fool. They all understood the might of the Myriad Laws Emperor Sect's chosen one. Yet no matter how powerful he was, he could not compare to the background of the person before them. In their eyes, those who were mocking right now were the real fools.

The final outcome was certain: Lord Changqing would win. They believed it without the slightest doubt.

"He's here!"

Everyone looked up toward the starry sky above Emperor City.

A flawless sea of flames manifested as a majestic phoenix appeared, pulling a grand war chariot. Behind the chariot followed numerous figures that seemed both divine and demonic.

Inside the chariot sat a handsome young man, his features as exquisite as carved jade. Not a single trace of aura leaked from him, yet he felt like the sovereign of heaven and earth itself.

The young man opened his eyes. Stars and galaxies rose and fell within them, the great Dao taking shape.

Su Chen studied this Child of Destiny. Ning Changqing studied Su Chen in return.

A spark of delight appeared in Su Chen's eyes. The same delight shone in Ning Changqing's.

Su Chen wondered what kind of cheat this Child of Destiny possessed. He noticed that Ning Changqing's eyes carried a profound weariness far beyond his apparent age—an aura that belonged to an ancient era.

Yes… Su Chen was now certain that Ning Changqing was an ancient powerhouse who had chosen to cultivate anew. This kind of ancient vicissitude was something Su Chen knew all too well.

For such a being from a bygone epoch to appear in this great era, a massive secret must lie hidden behind it. Otherwise, no expert from the distant past would have the ability to cross countless ages and revive in the present day—unless they were something as broken as the Spirit Divine King.

Ning Changqing's delight stemmed from the fact that this Immortal Spirit carried an aura that did not belong to this world.

That's right… An aura not of this world could only come from beyond it—the ultimate path that countless great Emperors had pursued throughout history.

Transcendence!

A genuine opportunity for transcendence had just landed right in front of him. Even though Ning Changqing had once been the foremost Heavenly Venerate of the Mythical Era and had seen it all, even after reincarnating from the end of that era into the new one, he could not suppress the surge of joy in this moment. It felt as if a pie had fallen from the sky and struck him squarely on the head.

He firmly resolved to capture Su Chen alive. The secret of transcendence might very well lie within reach!

Ning Changqing suppressed his excitement, stood with his hands behind his back atop the vast starry sky, and looked at Su Chen.

"Your talent is excellent. Are you willing to follow me? In this life, I can grant you the opportunity to achieve transcendence."

Su Chen's expression turned extremely strange.

Had this guy lost his mind? A mere Saint actually thought he could act like a supreme Emperor? Even supreme Emperors were not untouchable—Su Chen had already killed two of them.

Without another word, Su Chen slapped down with his palm.

A massive hand descended, covering the entire Emperor City.

Ning Changqing stood firm like an immovable sacred mountain. Beneath his feet, layers of killing formations surged to life.

"That's… a damaged Emperor Array!"

"No wonder this boy was so confident. He had already set up a damaged Emperor Array here in advance. Even a Quasi-Emperor who stepped inside would likely perish in blood!"

"What a cunning and insidious tactic! What kind of genius relies on external objects like this?"

"..."

Ning Changqing sneered inwardly.

As long as he won, any method was a good method.

In his previous life, he had risen from obscurity to become the supreme Heavenly Venerate by relying on all kinds of means. Only the victor had the right to speak of the future.

The killing array he had prepared would draw blood from anyone short of a current great Emperor. Even Quasi-Emperors would struggle, let alone a mere Great Saint.

The first layer shattered.

Ning Changqing remained calm. If the opponent could not even break the first layer of the damaged Emperor Array, then he was unworthy of being called an Immortal Spirit.

The fourth layer shattered.

Ning Changqing rarely offered a word of praise. "As expected of an Immortal Spirit, one who comes from above the heavens."

The seventh layer shattered.

Ning Changqing's brow finally furrowed.

This Immortal Spirit was rather ferocious.

The ninth layer shattered.

The aloof, transcendent expression on Ning Changqing's face changed drastically.