Perfection: The Eastern Emperor Bell manifests, I am the Golden Crow Heavenly Emperor

Chapter 74 Even the Fallen Emperor Era is Gone

"Your Majesty wishes to witness the fall of the Emperor, but are you aware of the perils involved? That space-time has long been frozen, filled with ominous and eerie atmospheres, and even more so with unimaginable karmic backlash. Those who do not possess great karma, great perseverance, and great fortune will face certain death if they step into it."

Lu Xuan calmly picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and felt the sweet dew of the Dao dissolve in his body, nourishing his soul.

He put down his teacup and met the gaze of the Lord of the Forbidden Zone.

"The road ahead is blocked, and only danger can break the deadlock. Since I have come here, I have already made preparations."

He paused, then took out the bronze fragment from the Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King and placed it on the stone table.

"This object originates from the Fallen Emperor. It bears a trace of my aura."

The Lord of the Forbidden Zone's gaze fell upon the bronze fragment, and for the first time, his gentle and peaceful eyes showed a noticeable fluctuation.

He extended his slightly ethereal finger, gently touched the fragment, and closed his eyes to sense it.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a hint of understanding and a deeper curiosity flashing in them.

"As expected... the aura of the same origin, though weak, is essentially the same."

He looked at Lu Xuan, his tone tinged with inquiry, "Interesting. Your Majesty's origins seem to be more...extraordinary than I imagined. This ancient history seems to have already left your mark."

He didn't press Lu Xuan about his specific background; at their level, some secrets were tacitly understood.

"Since Your Majesty bears such karmic burdens and has this connection with the Emperor's Fall, perhaps... you truly have a sliver of qualification to peer into that forbidden space-time."

"The Lord of the Forbidden Zone spoke slowly."

“I can guide you and open that long-sealed passage. But whether you can reach it, what you can see inside, and whether you can return all depend on your own destiny.”

"That's enough. Thank you, fellow Daoist," Lu Xuan said solemnly.

The Lord of the Forbidden Zone rose, his white robes fluttering, and walked towards the ancient, vigorous tree, gently placing his palm on its trunk.

"This tree is an anchor of time and space, rooted in eternity, connecting some long-forgotten nodes."

He explained softly, and the seemingly peaceful aura around him suddenly became ethereal and lofty.

A strange spatial and temporal law emanated from his body, resonating with the ancient tree.

The entire pristine land began to tremble slightly. The clear lake surface was no longer calm, and what was reflected was no longer the sky, but countless fragmented and flowing light and shadow of time and space, as if thousands of worlds were being born and dying within it.

The branches and leaves of the ancient tree rustled without wind, a sound that seemed to come from the distant past, containing the power of time.

A hazy portal of light, constructed from countless spacetime runes, slowly appeared before the ancient tree.

Beyond the portal lay an indescribably twisted passage, where shattered stars, overturned palaces, and a pervasive dark blood mist were vaguely visible...

That is the rift leading to the era of the fallen emperor!
"The passage is open, Your Majesty, please."

The Lord of the Forbidden Zone turned to the side and spoke to Lu Xuan, his figure seemingly becoming more ethereal due to the opening of the passage.

Lu Xuan stood up, bowed to the Lord of the Forbidden Zone once more, and then looked firmly at the chaotic scene behind the gate of light.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took a step forward, his body shrouded in chaotic energy, the phantom of the Chaos Bell floating above his head, and resolutely stepped into the passage leading to the mystery of eternity!

The moment his figure disappeared, the portal shook violently and then closed.

The island in the lake returned to tranquility, as if nothing had ever happened. The Lord of the Forbidden Zone, standing alone beneath a tree, gazed at the spot where Lu Xuan had vanished, and murmured softly, a mixture of anticipation and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both anticipation and reflection):

"A seeker of the Way who transcends time and space... I hope you can bring back different answers and unravel some of the mysteries of this fallen emperor's tragedy."

His figure appeared even more solitary and detached in the breeze.

Stepping through the portal of light felt like traversing an ancient barrier; the surrounding scenery instantly became bizarre and surreal, and the sense of time and space became completely chaotic.

The anticipated fierce confrontation or vast ancient history did not immediately unfold; instead, a profound sense of desolation and bleakness permeated the very marrow of the soul.

Lu Xuan steadied himself, and the chaotic energy flowed naturally to protect himself and resist the omnipresent sorrow and chaotic laws that seemed capable of eroding eternity.

He looked up and his heart sank.

What lay before me was not the complete world I had imagined, but an endless, shattered void.

In the void, countless enormous... tombs floated.

These graves come in all shapes and sizes; some resemble collapsed mountains, others like overturned stars, and still others contain the unimaginably large skeletons of living beings, piled up and sealed by some unknown force.

They float silently, without any markings or offerings, only bearing the marks and scars of time, exuding an intense and pervasive aura of death and closure.

Each large tomb seems to bury an era, a giant, and a glorious yet tragic past.

The laws here are permeated with the connotations of "ending" and "burial," and even the chaotic energy seems somewhat stagnant here.

"The Era of Imperial Decline... Is this the scene of Imperial Decline?"

Lu Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.

This space-time is less an era and more a vast collective cemetery, burying countless earth-shattering beings.

Without pausing, he followed the faint guidance emanating from the bronze fragment in his arms and the resonance of his own shared aura, heading deeper into the cemetery.

The footsteps fall into nothingness, yet seem to tread on the dust of history, silent, yet heavy.

After traveling for an unknown amount of time and passing through countless silent tombs, the scenery ahead finally changed.

At the center of the countless graves, an ancient cave appeared.

The ancient cave did not exist on the actual earth, but was suspended in the void, its entrance deep and dark, as if connected to the source of the universe.

In stark contrast to the surrounding stillness, thick chaotic energy and dazzling fairy mist were continuously spewing out from the cave entrance!

The chaotic energy was incomparably pure, far surpassing the outside world, as if it were the origin at the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth.

The ethereal mist, brimming with vitality and ineffable fragments of the Great Dao, makes one feel an advancement in their cultivation with just a breath.

These two forces, which should be opposing forces, blend perfectly here, forming a strange balance that transforms into a bizarre and colorful glow, illuminating the core of this desolate cemetery.

This ancient cave is like the only source of life in this land of death, and also like the final resting place of all secrets.

However, what really caught Lu Xuan's attention was the scene outside the ancient cave.

At the edge of that billowing chaotic immortal mist, dozens of figures could be vaguely discerned!
These figures are not physical entities, but rather projections that transcend time and space. Their clothing, aura, and Daoist charm are out of place in this era of imperial decline, and are closer to the "modern" world where Lu Xuan is!
They surrounded the ancient cave, each exuding a powerful aura, at least at the True Immortal level, with some even reaching the Immortal King level!

(End of this chapter)