Chapter 570 - 340: Human Emperor Tripod, Boundless Sea of Merit, The Great Battle Concludes

They were like three Divine Spirits being born into the world, immeasurably majestic and filled with a sacred aura.

This was the Taoist Sect’s strongest Divine Technique. It was as if three versions of him had appeared, each divine phantom possessing the same strength as his true self.p>The three divine phantoms each formed a Hand Seal and blasted it toward the Eternal Emperor.

They intercepted the attack meant for Lu Mingyuan.

Bai Ze rode the wind, as if carried by a gentle breeze, and quickly arrived at Lu Mingyuan’s side.

The verdant light from just a moment ago was clearly his doing.

"This Luminous Pearl seems to be of great use?"

Bai Ze asked with a smile, staring at the Jade Blood Night Pearl in Lu Mingyuan’s palm.

"This item originally belonged to the Eternal Emperor. It does not belong to this era, which is why it can suppress the Power of the Evil God."

Lu Mingyuan explained.

"I see. If that’s the case, then things are simple."

Bai Ze nodded, then looked at Lu Mingyuan and said with a gentle smile:

"Have you considered my proposal?"

"I have. I plan to destroy the Ascension Platform," Lu Mingyuan said, his gaze firm.

’If the appearance of the Ascension Platform will allow the Divine Beings to descend upon the Mortal World again, then isn’t it better to just destroy the last one?’

Bai Ze looked somewhat surprised, then laughed out loud.

"Countless people who obtain an Ascension Platform only think of achieving the Dao and attaining Immortal Ascension, undergoing the Feathered Transformation for their own benefit. If you truly have such courage, it is rare indeed. You’ve chosen what seems to be an impossible path among many."

Lu Mingyuan said lightly, "This world doesn’t need any Divine Beings. The Human Race is enough on its own."

"The Ascension Platform is a Divine Artifact. Destroying it will not be easy. Although you’ve broken through to the Martial Saint realm, you still don’t have the power to destroy it," Bai Ze said with a smile.

"That is a problem for later. The most urgent task now is to completely obliterate this Evil God."

As Lu Mingyuan spoke, he took out a Magical Treasure.

A Bronze Tripod.

The moment Bai Ze saw this item, his expression was one of surprise, mixed with a trace of complexity.

It was as if he had seen this object somewhere in the long river of time.p>Lu Mingyuan caressed the body of the tripod with his palm, feeling the powerful fluctuations of energy emanating from within. ’As expected of a Celestial Destiny Divine Artifact, the Human Emperor Tripod.’

He slit his wrist, and the Holy Blood in his body flowed ceaselessly into the Human Emperor Tripod.

The Human Emperor Tripod was a Magical Treasure bestowed by the Celestial Dao when the Human Race’s first Celestial Destiny Dynasty of the Middle Ages, the Eternal Immortal Dynasty, was established. It was a National Guardian Divine Artifact.

It was used to worship ancestral Heroic Spirits and offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, bearing the Empire’s National Fortune.

Its surface was verdant, covered in a layer of bronze patina, yet the ancient inscriptions upon it were still clearly visible.

At the same time, Lu Mingyuan pressed both palms against the tripod’s body. He mobilized the last vestiges of Holy Qi in his body—depleted by the Nineteen Forms—and continuously poured it into the tripod. He proclaimed to the heavens, "The Celestial Dao is constant, but human life is not! Today, I, Lu Mingyuan of the Great Yan Dynasty, borrow the power of the Human Race’s ancient sages to suppress the Divine Beings who loom above!"

SHHHH—

On the Human Emperor Tripod, golden, ancient characters flickered to life. The golden light spread across the Ascension Mountain Peak, so brilliant it forced the Eternal Emperor to squeeze his eyes shut.

The Human Emperor Tripod lifted off the ground and levitated a thousand feet into the air.

The next moment, the nature’s spiritual energy on the battlefield began to boil.

Wisps of Blood Qi rose from the earth, rushing into the sky and transforming into a crimson cloud of blood that enveloped the Human Emperor Tripod.

A mournful dirge echoed between heaven and earth, as if billions of spirits were weeping.

It was as if the ancestors of the Human Race who had died on this very land had truly responded, sacrificing their power to the Human Emperor Tripod.

"Look! What is that!"

"Why does the Treasure Tripod in Lu Mingyuan’s hands give us such a feeling of kinship?"

"This mighty presence... could it be the long-lost Human Emperor Tripod from the Middle Ages!"

On the ground, all the Human Race Cultivators showed expressions of immense joy. Some of the older Cultivators shot out beams of Spiritual Qi, injecting them into the massive Human Emperor Tripod in the void.

Seeing this, many other Cultivators followed suit.

They poured their power into the tripod.

The Eternal Emperor, entangled in battle with the Yuqing Ancestor Master, sensed that things were turning against him. He hurriedly brought out the Demon Tower, mobilizing the Demonic Qi in his body and frantically pouring it in.

A vast wave of Venerable Power erupted once more.

The phantom of the Demon God Dharma Aspect coiled in the sky, fierce and domineering!

Its five fingers were long and slender, its bone spurs menacing, and its aura shot straight to the heavens.

The Evil Eye Heaven-Reaching Tower, as enormous as a mountain peak, began to spin rapidly and shot toward the Human Emperor Tripod.

At the same time, the Human Emperor Tripod also shook violently. It pressed downward, releasing a five-colored divine light of merit. This Merit Power, unique to the Celestial Dao, collided with the Evil Eye Heaven-Reaching Tower, actually suppressing the Demon God’s Power and sending the tower flying backward.

The Eternal Emperor stared at the retreating Evil Eye Heaven-Reaching Tower with a look of disbelief. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.

The Human Emperor Tripod and the Evil Eye Heaven-Reaching Tower struck the Eternal Emperor at the same time, slamming him deep into the ground.

Countless fissures spread across the earth. A large swath of the mountain peak and ancient city ruins crumbled.

At that moment, the entire world fell silent. Countless pairs of eyes stared at the part of the world that had been shattered by the Human Emperor Tripod and the Evil Eye Heaven-Reaching Tower.

Lu Mingyuan gritted his teeth and held on, suppressing his injuries and the feeling of weakness to keep himself standing straight.

Then, he shot out the Jade Blood Night Pearl.

It plunged into the ground, aiming straight for the Eternal Emperor’s chest.

"You can’t do this..."

"I can grant you power comparable to the Divine Beings. How about we make a deal..."

"What’s the use in killing me? It’s just a matter of whether it happens sooner or later..."

The residual Demonic Qi and its demonic voice echoed by his ears, pulling at Lu Mingyuan’s heartstrings.

But in the end, he was not affected.

He drove the Jade Blood Night Pearl into the Eternal Emperor’s body.

DONG!

The moment the pearl was slammed into the chest, a terrifying shockwave sent Lu Mingyuan flying.

"AHHH!"

A bloodcurdling, ghostly scream erupted from the Eternal Emperor’s mouth as his dark pupils began to change color.

The Demonic Qi dispersed and reconverged, over and over, completely unstable.

The Eternal Emperor’s aura instantly weakened, his previous might gone.

Bai Ze and the Yuqing Ancestor Master gathered in the sky above, gazing down at the Eternal Emperor below.

「In the blink of an eye.」

A column of Demonic Qi shot into the sky, pouring out of the Eternal Emperor’s eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. It formed a massive shadow that was neither human nor ghost.

This great shadow seemed to be that of a man.

"Kun character. Suppress."

Without a second word, the Yuqing Ancestor Master formed a seal with his left hand. He unleashed a current of circulating yin and yang energy, creating a Drawing Prison that trapped the massive shadow within a small pocket of space.

The now-uncontrolled Evil Eye Heaven-Reaching Tower tumbled from the sky. Midway down, its thousands of evil eyes blinked. Seeing their master trapped, they showed no hesitation, and the tower quickly transformed into a black shadow that vanished into the heavens.

Lu Mingyuan helped the Eternal Emperor’s body up and took out a Healing Elixir, intending to place it in his mouth, but a large hand stopped him.

It was the Eternal Emperor, who had regained consciousness. However, his pupils had already grown dim. He didn’t have much time left.

"My fate is sealed... It’s useless."

"As expected... it still requires the blood of a Celestial Mandate Emperor to truly control the Human Emperor Tripod. This Flesh Body of mine... is still not as good... as it was back then."

Even though he was about to die, the Eternal Emperor showed little fear. A faint smile even hung on his lips.

Lu Mingyuan was silent.

"For ten thousand years, I... had intended to clean up this mess myself. I never expected that in the end, the one to do it... would be you."

After saying this, the Eternal Emperor’s eyes slowly closed, and his voice grew fainter.

"Protect... the Human Race."

After the Eternal Emperor lost all signs of life, a sense of guilt rose in Lu Mingyuan’s heart, and he let out a deep sigh.

’His feelings were actually quite complicated.’

’At first, the Eternal Emperor hadn’t paid him any mind at all.’

’He even wanted to use me as a vessel for his resurrection, but it wasn’t convenient. Later, when I barged into the Bronze Coffin Hall, he attacked without restraint.’

’Looking at it now, one of the reasons he wanted to take over my body was undoubtedly to turn the tide himself.’

’This leader of the Human Race from ten thousand years ago.’

’He possessed enough courage and power, but ultimately, he was not a person of this era. He could only fade away with the times and return to the dust.’

Yun Qinghe, who had appeared at his side at some point, said slowly, "His Eternal Emperor’s Decree is a symbol of immortality. As long as the wind still flows between heaven and earth, perhaps he can be resurrected in another hundred thousand years?"

"Let’s take his body back. We’ll give him a grand burial with the rites befitting an Emperor."

Lu Mingyuan stood up. He looked up at the imprisoned phantom of the Demon Emperor, then turned his gaze to the Yuqing Ancestor Master and Bai Ze. "Seniors, I want to know the truth."

"About the gods of the Old Celestial Court, the Sub-Saints, the Buddhas, the Taiqing Ancestral Master... where did they all go?"

...