Chapter 137: Defying the Heavens, the Old Self and the New Self

Chapter 137: Defying the Heavens, the Old Self and the New Self

Shaohua’s Dao Body exploded with a thunderous boom, dealing the Immortal Celestial Emperor a devastating blow, both physically and mentally.

The physical damage was self-evident. The explosion of an equally powerful being was terrifying, leaving the Immortal Celestial Emperor severely injured, his life hanging by a thread.

The mental impact was no less significant.

The once-hidden Emperor, who had survived for millions of years and had already ascended to immortality, had been the one he had ambushed. The Immortal Celestial Emperor, who boasted of his immortality, realized he had merely been surviving, while the Emperor had achieved true greatness.

What was even more troubling was the last sentence: "We’ll talk about it next time."

The Immortal Celestial Emperor was filled with dread.

What did this mean?

It meant that the woman was still alive and didn’t mind revealing the Emperor’s attack on her.

She had the power to contend with an ascended Emperor and was unafraid of the consequences of his knowing. She had deliberately revealed the Emperor’s identity to unsettle him, then exploded her Dao Body to retreat, leaving him in a state of confusion.

“Damn it! If this transformation hadn’t been interrupted, I could have advanced further, perhaps even caught up with him,” the Immortal Celestial Emperor cursed inwardly.

The problem wasn’t with him; it was with this flawed world!

Indeed, he was a being from the Immortal Realm, having accidentally fallen through a rare spatial rift during his youth, from the Immortal Realm to the mortal world. He didn’t belong here.

Moreover, he strongly suspected that Wu Shi’s appearance in this world was likely due to the Eastern Emperor sensing something and deliberately trying to obstruct his path.

“Hmph, vicious woman, was this all part of your plan?”

The Immortal Celestial Emperor barely managed to repair his injuries and recalled the shattered remnants of his Heaven Saber, his anger flaring up once again.

Meanwhile, Shaohua’s Dao Body, just before it exploded, had sent away the Unfurling Heaven Bracelet. It happened to encounter Luren, who was lying on a broken star, nearly at death’s door. The bracelet spun and took him along.

Then, it discovered the Immortal Celestial Emperor’s Heaven Saber, which was still entangled with the Verdant Gold Immortal Tear Pagoda. The bracelet emitted a brilliant light and crashed into the Heaven Saber, breaking it into pieces.

At this time, Wu Shi and Wan Qing had already vanquished a stubborn emperor, scattering his remains to the wind, and returned to the Northern Dipper with two immortal artifacts.

“Niece, little Liunian, look what I’ve brought back for you,” Wu Shi chuckled, holding out the shattered head of the Stone Emperor.

Despite being a revered ancient Holy Spirit, he believed it might be of some use to Liunian, who was also a Holy Spirit.

“Thank you,” a gentle voice came from the Nine-Orifice Mystic Rock. A beam of light scanned the Stone Emperor’s immortal platform, examining the lingering traces of his soul, then discarded the head into a cave below.

The cave was the prison of a certain immortal emperor from the Central Continent. After picking up the Stone Emperor’s head, it feigned death, hiding its aura and remaining motionless, fearing the two formidable beings outside.

The two of them still carried the lingering stench of blood and undispersed killing intent, striking fear into all living beings.

Centuries ago, they had captured it from the Qin Mountains using immortal artifacts and imperial weapons. Now, they no longer needed any assistance; either of them could crush it with a single hand.

“Sister is back!” Wan Qing looked toward the sky, his expression slightly excited.

Wu Shi quickly turned around, and even Liunian, who was still in the Stone Womb, directed her spiritual gaze.

“Missed me, kids?” Shaohua’s clear voice echoed, her face adorned with a gentle smile. She wore the Verdant Gold Immortal Tear Pagoda on her head and the Unfurling Heaven Bracelet on her wrist, her flowing robes and graceful demeanor making her seem ethereal.

However, her form appeared somewhat illusory.

“What’s wrong, Sister?” Wu Shi couldn’t help but ask.

“Nothing, this isn’t my true form. This Dao Body’s power is nearly depleted, but it’s enough to speak with you for a while,” Shaohua smiled and casually took out a furnace from the Unfurling Heaven Bracelet.

Inside the Separation Flame Divine Furnace was an ancient Great Sage, his body reduced to half, a divine talisman protecting his life.

“He’s still alive!” Wu Shi was shocked. The star region had been completely destroyed, and those who had gone to observe were mostly dead. It was a miracle that this person had survived.

“This person might have a unique fate, making it hard for him to die,” Shaohua said casually.

Inside the Verdant Gold Immortal Tear Pagoda was another person, the former Great Sage of Yaochi, who had lived a second life after consuming the Immortality Pill and had followed and protected Wu Shi, now a Quasi-Emperor.

Shaohua cast a spell to stabilize his shaken divine soul and waved the Verdant Gold Immortal Tear Pagoda away. The Separation Flame Divine Furnace and the Void Formation Pattern also flew off on their own.

As for Luren, he wouldn’t die for now, and she didn’t have the time or energy to save him. She believed Wu Shi and Wan Qing could save him.

Then, Shaohua’s illusory form leaned against the Nine-Orifice Mystic Rock, caressing the Unfurling Heaven Bracelet on her hand, and began to speak to Wu Shi and Wan Qing, who were sitting on the ground.

“First, the Immortal Celestial Emperor is still alive, though severely injured. To be honest, I didn’t expect him to be reborn in this lifetime and to have achieved enlightenment before you two.”

“This makes things more interesting. If it was just the two of us fighting from the beginning, it would be too dull,” Wan Qing said sincerely.

“That old bird has only reclaimed his former enlightenment. Sister, don’t worry; let him gloat for a few days, and I’ll take his place!”

Wu Shi was full of confidence, showing no signs of despair over the Immortal Celestial Emperor’s head start in achieving enlightenment and obtaining the Heaven’s Heart Mark.

Who said that once someone achieved enlightenment, no one else could?

Since Sister had broken the ancient constraints of the Great Dao and the rule that imperial descendants couldn’t achieve enlightenment, he could do the same.

Why wait for a future life when he could defy the heavens now?

“It’s good that you have this confidence. The Immortal Celestial Emperor blocking your path might not be a bad thing. In the worst case, you can shatter all the Dao and break his Heaven’s Heart Mark,” Shaohua encouraged.

This was one of the reasons she hadn’t fought the Immortal Celestial Emperor to the death. She couldn’t solve every problem for them, no matter how unexpected it was.

Was she supposed to pamper them like flowers in a greenhouse?

That wasn’t what she wanted. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have placed Wu Shi and Wan Qing in the same lifetime to compete.

Leaving the Immortal Celestial Emperor alive would give them a clear and immediate goal, fully unleashing their potential.

“I can already imagine standing atop all the Dao, with that old bird’s Heaven’s Heart Mark under my feet. Just thinking about it makes my heart race,” Wu Shi laughed heartily.

Wan Qing couldn’t stand Wu Shi’s foolish laughter and turned to inquire about their sister’s condition, having not seen her for centuries and unable to find any trace of her in the universe.

“My true form is fine. I’ve successfully lived out my seventh existence, but there were some unexpected issues, and I can’t leave for now,” Shaohua said.

“Seventh existence?!” Wu Shi couldn’t help but draw in a deep breath of the essence of heaven and earth.

“What kind of issues?” Wan Qing frowned, wondering if it was related to the Emperor’s attack.

Their concerns were different.

Wu Shi couldn’t help but worry about his sister, but he had too much faith in her. He believed everything was fine and that it was just a minor issue.

“You should know what it means to count to seven,” Shaohua said calmly.

Wu Shi and Wan Qing nodded.

Numbers start with one, stand with three, form with five, and flourish with seven, reaching their peak at nine.

This was indeed reflected in Shaohua’s life. In her first existence, she had crossed over and failed to achieve enlightenment, but after a significant transformation, she truly rose to prominence.

In her third existence, though it lasted only ten thousand years, she enlightened herself to her Dao and the path she must take, establishing her Great Dao and embarking on a unique journey.

In her fifth existence, she intended to retrain and find a new path to enlightenment, but fate had other plans. She struggled for nearly twenty thousand years, eventually evolving a rudimentary Dao seed from her hardships.

In her seventh existence, she observed the Chaotic Azure Lotus, breaking free from her constraints, and transformed herself into a Dao seed, buried within the Nine-Dragon Coffin. She nurtured new life within her decaying body, using her old self as nourishment.

This was an experiment, using her original self as sustenance to cultivate a new self, like a seed taking root in her old self and Dao seed.

When the new self fully formed with a new soul, new flesh, and a new Dao seed, she would live another life and become even stronger.

In the past, she had considered this, and others had done similar things. The ruthless one had transformed a demon womb into a divine womb, cutting ties with the past and living a new life.

To live her seventh existence, Shaohua condensed a pure essence from her entire being and fused it with her Dao seed, hiding it within her decaying body.

At this time, her original body was still intact, her original soul hadn’t dispersed, and her essential powers hadn’t been lost. Even another rudimentary Dao seed had taken over her old body.

The new self was in hiding, while the old self was still present.

Shaohua had intended to use the old self as nourishment, transforming the decaying flesh and soul into fertile soil to cultivate a new self, thus living her seventh existence.

But during the transformation, she suddenly felt a disturbance in her old body. The decaying old soul was crying out.

Was the new self truly her, and was the old self not her?

This realization pained her deeply. It was like killing herself, which was too cruel and too tragic. Both were part of her, and she couldn’t let the old self wither and die.

This went against her principles!

This led to another important question.

The old self was undoubtedly her, but the transformation brought unpredictable changes, and the new self might not be entirely her.

If she hadn’t thought about it, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But the moment she did, it became a significant issue.

At her level, any doubt could cause a world of difference.

In her consciousness, deep within her body, the old self was rejecting the new self, attempting a form of “self-rescue.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end