Destiny is ashes

Chapter 1076 A Boring Cycle

"very successful."

A mysterious figure, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Xuan Mingyu, emerged from the void. He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with golden light, then casually wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before slowly straightening up: "My purpose is actually quite simple. I just want to see Anjing's true strength with my own eyes, investigate the background of that little candle dragon from the Great Wilderness Realm, confirm the condition of the remains of the first imperial court's bloodline, and... verify some information about the 'Holy Ancestor'."

"These core objectives have all been achieved, and the plan has been quite successful."

Although his form was illusory, seemingly a kind of divine incarnation technique, Xuan Mingyu's physical body was clearly substantial, only unlike that of an ordinary person, not normal flesh and blood.

Compared to the 'Little Emperor' in Xuantian Palace, Xuan Mingyu's eyes were darker and more weary. He seemed less like a young man and more like a cunning old man, perhaps even weary of his calculations.

His injuries were rapidly healing by absorbing the energy of the surrounding Netherworld Sea, and he regained his composure: "An Jing has already attained the Three Immortal Realms, or even the Four Immortal Realms, and he also cultivates Immortal Martial Arts with the Mandate of Heaven. He even created the Feathered Ascension Path. He is simply a grandmaster who has unified the three schools. Even I am slightly inferior to him in creating cultivation techniques. It is truly inexplicable. Heaven has shown him favoritism."

"The Four Immortals' Deeds?"

Hearing this, even the usually jovial King Zhong was stunned. Faced with such news, even the most eccentric person had to think for a moment: "There's such nonsense? Did the Heavenly Dao bestow an empowerment?"

"No, I think he cultivated it himself. His proficiency is as if he has cultivated it for several lifetimes. Even though I also have the magic of immortality, there are still different levels among immortalities."

Xuan Mingyu frankly admitted the gap between himself and An Jing. Martial artists do not deceive themselves; if you can't beat them, you can't beat them.

But even after admitting it, his tone remained calm: "However, this was also within my expectations. The 'Seven Calamities' is beyond everyone's imagination... Hey, this time, it's probably not a 'measurable calamity,' but an 'immeasurable calamity'!"

"As for that Little Candle Dragon, I thought that by joining forces with her, I could force An Jing to reveal his true trump card, but I never expected that it wouldn't work! It can only be said that the destiny of the Great Wilderness Realm has not yet been transferred to Little Candle Dragon. She is not yet in her complete form and is a little weak."

"Where is the Holy Ancestor?"

The Loyal King stepped forward, handed Xuan Mingyu a bottle of pills, and then cast a spell to shield the two of them from their auras. He raised a black umbrella to cover his tears.

The two walked stealthily through the dark underworld, and the Loyal King's tone became serious: "The blood of the first emperor, Your Majesty, what have you gained?"

“It only proves that things are even worse.” Xuan Mingyu shook his head: “From the very beginning, before the Holy Ancestor attained enlightenment, the Heavenly Demon had already infiltrated the roots of my Imperial Court. The Holy Ancestor’s followers, brothers and friends probably all controlled the Heavenly Demon for their own use. It is almost impossible to rebel against the Holy Ancestor from this perspective.”

"As for the Holy Ancestor's mark, it was actually better than I thought. At that time, he was most likely still a pure martial artist, not an emperor or the master of the Heavenly Sect. His thoughts and ideas were more upright. It can only be said that time is a great demon in the human world, capable of distorting and reversing all beliefs."

“But it’s not bad either.” Xuan Mingyu smiled. “Although it is likely to be completely different from later generations, I have seen through the Holy Ancestor’s way of thinking… and his martial arts foundation.”

"Although I am not An Jing, who can break through the marks of all the Heavenly Venerables, I can still glean a flaw from the mark left by the Holy Ancestor. This is a small matter that I can handle."

“It’s not just that,” said the Loyal King. “This is just official business. I think His Majesty’s trip to Zhaolin Realm this time was more driven by personal motives.”

"Yes."

Xuan Mingyu calmly said, "In the process, I can also get rid of Fa Zichen. My friend is the only one who knows my true destiny and the whole plan. Keeping him around is ultimately a hidden danger."

The smile on the Prince of Zhong's face widened, and he clapped his hands in praise: "Killing several birds with one stone, Your Majesty's strategy is indeed flawless. However, that ancestral dragon scale..."

"If the Ancestral Dragon Scale can be taken to the Great Wilderness Realm by that little Candle Dragon, it would actually be a good thing." Xuan Mingyu's thoughts were crystal clear, as if he had everything under control: "The essence of the Ancestral Dragon is the foundation of Huai Xu, and it is impossible for it to truly leave. A Dao-Merging Supreme can have infinite clones and go anywhere, but its essence determines that it cannot truly 'detach'. The problems in the Great Wilderness Realm cannot be solved by adding a wisp of the Ancestral Dragon's essence."

"But the 'foundation' of that essence is very important to me. The Ancestral Dragon represents a part of Huai Xu, and I can use this cause and effect to establish an anchor point in the 'outside world'. If things don't go well in the future, I can transfer my essence to the Great Wilderness, or even to a more distant unknown place, thus having a way out."

"Perhaps I can go to other worlds, try the path of immortality, or find other ways to achieve the Dao. That would be better than struggling in this stagnant pool."

Xuan Mingyu's gaze became distant: "But if it doesn't work out, it doesn't matter."

“An Jing’s actions are unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated. He actually managed to revive the Ancestral Dragon Saint Venerable… Now that the Heavenly Demons are suppressed, they have no chance to raise the price.”

"so."

He looked at the Loyal King and calmly asked, "Are you sure about this?" "Yes, I am." The Loyal King's smile faded, and he bowed, saying, "The Heavenly Mother Palace did indeed use a drop of blood left behind by Brother Jing, which was transformed into that phantom and sent into the Zhaolin Realm. As expected, An Jing and Xuan Mingjing... already know about the late Emperor and Jing's plans and difficulties, and naturally also know about the Holy Ancestor's intention to resurrect."

“This is a good thing.” Upon hearing this, Xuan Mingyu showed no concern but instead chuckled: “This is a hidden trick left behind by Uncle Jingwang back then. He foresaw that he might die, so he left this foreshadowing, either to help me or to help Mingjing. And Tianmu Palace is happy to use this to divert attention and hide its true intentions.”

Other minor sects may not know this, but as the nominal 'leader' of the Heavenly Sect and the Xuan Tian Emperor of the Great Chen Dynasty, Xuan Mingyu knows information that many others do not.

After the first generation leader of the Divine One Sect was suppressed by the Heavenly Mother Palace, he transformed into an endless sea of ​​blood in the Netherworld of the Crimson Spirit Conquest State, containing hundreds of billions of all kinds of creatures and monsters. Warriors of the Heavenly Mother Palace must first be tested and tempered within it before they can venture out.

Because the Heavenly Mother Palace's techniques do not have any real 'killing methods', the Heavenly Mother Palace warriors need to create them themselves.

Creation requires materials, and the entire Blood Sea Demon Sect is 'materials' that the Heavenly Mother Palace specially reserved for its own use.

Xuan Mingyu had no doubt that if the new leader of the Divine One Sect truly attained enlightenment, he would be seized and refined by the Heavenly Mother Palace the instant he achieved his goal. This Blood Sea Calamity was originally an excellent opportunity for them to strengthen themselves, but unfortunately... it was nipped in the bud by the Ancestral Dragon far too quickly.

However, the Blood Sea Calamity disappeared too quickly. If it had lasted longer, the Heavenly Mother Palace could have grown to a level comparable to the Upper Mystic Sect by taking advantage of this great calamity!
Xuanming Jing, as an individual, was warning the Great Chen Dynasty, which knew this, not to interfere, as this was their opportunity to achieve enlightenment.

Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful.

Very well, it didn't work.

"Now that the Anjing Order has been restored, at least for our era, there will be complete peace and stability for the next thousand years."

The Loyal King sighed, but his tone was somewhat suggestive: "Does His Majesty's plan need to change? In my opinion, Anjing, Princess Mingjing, along with my brother's phantom and that True Lord Chaowu, are probably all after the Holy Ancestor."

"With them around, the Holy Ancestor's underhanded tactics probably won't be able to cause any trouble."

"Of course we'll continue to push forward."

Xuan Mingyu said, "In the end, even without the Holy Ancestor, there are still the Grand Tutor and the Commander-in-Chief; even without these two, there are still my uncles and great-uncles; even if they were all gone, what in this world could we find peace of mind?"

"In my opinion, given An Jing's abilities, if our Great Chen doesn't surrender willingly like Butian Mountain did back then, we'll probably be destroyed by him at the end of this era."

“A boring cycle.” He scoffed. “I came here to transcend this cycle, and I’m willing to do anything for it.”

"Including killing one's own friends."

Xuan Mingyu turned his head to look at the Prince Zhong, who was smiling as he asked the question, and said in a deep voice, "Otherwise what?"

"Your Majesty is truly heartless."

The Prince of Zhong laughed heartily and said, "Fa Zichen was the first friend you truly made, and the only person you truly acknowledged. He even helped you refine your plan. Your Majesty, if you can bring yourself to do this, aren't you afraid that I might betray you one day?"

“You are the Loyal King.” Xuan Mingyu’s answer was simple and direct: “You are loyal to the ‘King’… After I leave, the position of Emperor Xuantian will naturally be yours. Although I still don’t know why you want that tattered, smelly chair, it will be yours.”

"Oh." Upon hearing this, the Prince of Zhong shook his head listlessly. "I just wanted to test whether that chair was comfortable to sit in."

He grinned, revealing a genuine smile: "If I could, I'd like to piss on that chair in front of the whole world... and see what everyone's reaction would be."

Such vulgar, even treasonous, words would likely have caused any emperor to frown or even fly into a rage.

But Xuan Mingyu didn't care at all; he even raised an eyebrow with interest.

“I see,” he said softly. “That’s quite interesting.”

"At least, it's much more interesting than fighting over the chair itself."

(End of this chapter)