Shrouding the Heavens: The Ultimate Daoist Venerable

Chapter 180 The Immortal Emperor
Deep in the universe, a rift suddenly appeared in the void. On the other side of the rift, countless celestial energies swirled, but because the rift was too narrow, only a tiny bit could see through.

Suddenly, a figure fell from it. It was a divine bird, its feathers multicolored and radiant with dazzling celestial light, its tail end adorned with nine brilliantly shining feathers. This was a true phoenix, a celestial spirit from the Immortal Realm.

The phoenix flapped its wings, emitting clear cries like the clashing of jade stones, wanting to return to the world on the other side of the rift, but was blocked by the world's barrier and could not get close.

In the end, it could only watch helplessly as the rift gradually healed, becoming impossible to touch again. It was left in this realm, never to return.

The phoenix transformed into a human, a handsome and valiant young man who appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. Five-colored divine light flowed around him, and almost every inch of his skin radiated astonishing divine brilliance.

He watched with resentment as the rift in the world completely disappeared, muttering to himself, "This is actually a void rift that is rarely seen throughout the ages! If I had known, I shouldn't have come to explore out of curiosity. Now I'm doomed."

However, he then rallied his spirits, thinking that what if it was just a small world within the Immortal Realm, or perhaps just another fragment of the Immortal Realm? In that case, he could treat it as a training opportunity and there was still hope of returning.

But after only slightly sensing this universe, his expression changed drastically, and he couldn't help but say, "Where have I been sent? Is this still the Immortal Realm?"

The scarce and turbid essence of heaven and earth, the imperceptible laws of heaven and earth, and the mortal world devoid of any substances that promote longevity all shattered his illusions.

This is not a celestial realm, but rather a desolate world in the Dharma-ending Age!
Phoenix felt a pang of sorrow, believing she had no way out. Was the unparalleled genius, the one who had never seen a mortal in the history of the Phoenix Clan of the Immortal Realm, the future savior of the Immortal Realm, destined to perish in this lowly, remote corner of the world?

Because the Immortal Realm was shattered, their lineage was severed and their history interrupted. Therefore, this phoenix was unaware that this was the mortal universe, and even more so, the legendary Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. In its eyes, this was simply the most desolate and impoverished place; let alone becoming an immortal, there were probably very few even Supreme Beings here.

Wouldn't he die young in the end?

Fortunately, he was mentally resilient and quickly adjusted his mindset. Since there was no going back, he could only face reality; self-pity wouldn't solve anything.

Moreover, there might be other passages in this world that allow us to return to the Immortal Realm.

Just as the phoenix, having regrouped, was about to explore this world, the void suddenly trembled, and a dimensional gate appeared, sucking him in.

Damn it, is this ever going to end?! Why is it still happening?

Before the phoenix could react, it began another void traversal.

This time, he landed before a celestial mountain shrouded in chaotic energy.

This phoenix that fell from the celestial realm to the mortal world is none other than the immortal emperor of later generations. He is a true phoenix from the celestial realm, completely different from the so-called phoenix descendants in the mortal world.

In the original timeline, he came to the mortal realm from the immortal realm through this void rift, which was during the height of the Heavenly Court's power.

As a true phoenix, the Undying Emperor possessed extraordinary talent, surpassing even the Chaos Body. Consequently, he quickly distinguished himself and became the most dazzling new star in the Heavenly Court.

He joined the Heavenly Court partly for better cultivation, and partly because the Emperor was preparing to attack the Path to Immortality, implementing a grand plan to ascend the entire sect to immortality. For the Undying Emperor, who desperately wanted to return to the Immortal Realm, this was a glimmer of hope after a seemingly hopeless situation. If he could join the Emperor in conquering the Immortal Realm, wouldn't he be able to go home?

So at the beginning, he was indeed wholeheartedly devoted to the Heavenly Court. After all, he didn't really respect others, but he still greatly admired the Emperor.

In such a degenerate age, the Emperor was still able to reach such a level, even establishing such a vast Heavenly Court, refining the immortal artifact, the Origin Cauldron of All Things, in such a harsh environment, and even joining forces with many supreme beings to plan an attack on the path to immortality, leading the entire Heavenly Court to ascend to immortality.

Despite the Emperor's high self-esteem, he wasn't entirely confident he could accomplish these things. Therefore, the Emperor was definitely one of the few people he truly respected.

It was precisely because of this that the immortal emperor, without any disloyal intentions, quickly progressed and reached the state before his ultimate leap. If only he could change eras, he could attain enlightenment in one fell swoop.

The Emperor also highly valued this young man of unknown origin but exceptional talent. He even publicly stated that he wanted the Immortal Emperor to be his successor and become the second ruler of the Heavenly Court.

In this harmonious atmosphere, the Undying Emperor even believed he would soon return to the Immortal Realm, and perhaps even change its landscape. After all, these self-severed Supreme Beings invited out by the Emperor were exceptionally talented, a rarity even in the Immortal Realm. Together with the Emperor, they might truly be able to change the Immortal Realm. After all, the Immortal Realm was now a place of few powerful figures, far removed from its former glory.

But the anomaly still occurred.

When the Kunlun remnants wanted to use the Immortal Emperor to ambush the Emperor, the Immortal Emperor's first reaction was to sternly refuse, and he even wanted to take action directly.

After all, the Heavenly Court didn't have many enemies left at that time, but the Kunlun remnants were definitely one of them. Not only had their supreme ruler been killed, but they had also lost their sacred Kunlun Mountain. In the end, they had no choice but to relocate as a whole clan, not daring to show their faces. This was a blood feud.

Therefore, they are also one of the key targets of the Heavenly Court's crackdown.

However, the Immortal Emperor did not expect that the Eternal Heavenly Venerable and the Underworld Lord were also involved. Of course, this Underworld Lord was actually the Prison Suppressor Emperor in disguise.

After they revealed the clues left by the Emperor, the Undying Emperor had no choice but to accept the fact that the Emperor had never intended to help them become immortals.

Although they anticipated that the Emperor would bring his own loyal followers, the Undying Emperor dared not gamble on whether he was considered a loyal follower by the Emperor. Moreover, he was a true Celestial Phoenix from the Immortal Realm; if the Emperor intended to sacrifice them, he would likely not escape unscathed. Therefore, he also joined the plan to assassinate the Emperor.

In the end, the Emperor did not manage to enter the Immortal Realm. Although his Myriad Origin Cauldron reached another world, the Undying Emperor, who came from the Immortal Realm, naturally knew that it was not the Immortal Realm.

Just when the Emperor was caught in a dilemma, they joined forces to launch an attack and assassinated him.

As the one with the lowest cultivation level among these people, the Undying Emperor secretly activated the immortal bell lent to him by the Kunlun remnants, striking the Emperor Venerable at the crucial moment.

Then, he went into hiding and sealed himself off, thus avoiding the purge that the Emperor would carry out before his faked death.

(End of this chapter)