Sweeping across the heavens, starting with the first emperor of the ancient times.

"Later..." Shenqi Nian's brows furrowed, as if trying hard to recall, but only a blur and a sharp pain remained.

"A terrible thing happened... I can't remember it clearly, I only remember boundless anger, resentment, and the thought of going home. When I woke up again, I was drifting in the starry sky, I didn't know the year, I only knew that I wanted to go home..."

Jiang Hao nodded, knowing that it would be difficult to obtain the full picture from the divine revelation alone. He turned his gaze to the stone coffin and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Senior Holy Emperor, may I have a look inside the coffin? Perhaps I can find some clues."

This time, the deity did not refuse.

He carefully placed the stone coffin flat on the ground under the ancient Fusang tree, his withered hand stroking the sun god pattern on the coffin lid, a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

Then, he slowly pushed the coffin lid open.

"rumble."

The moment the coffin lid was removed, it was as if a real sun burst forth from inside the coffin!

Unimaginable divine power of the sun surged into the sky, its blazing golden light illuminating the entire Valley of Tang as if it were daytime, and its terrifying aura caused the void to twist and crack!

If Jiang Hao hadn't been prepared and used the laws of the Emperor's Way to firmly seal it off, such a commotion would have been enough to alarm the entire Ziwei Star Region.

The scene inside the coffin came into view.

There was no immortal imperial body as expected.

Only a thin, almost transparent human skin lay flat at the bottom of the coffin.

The human skin was stained with traces of dried, yet still faintly exuding the aura of imperial power, golden bloodstains that told of the past tragedy.

"Where is the Holy Emperor's...body?!"

The Sun Emperor God was taken aback at first, but then he saw that there was only a human skin in the coffin, and boundless anger and killing intent erupted.

"Who? Who disturbed the Holy Emperor's coffin?! Who stole the Holy Emperor's remains?"

His eyes instantly turned bloodshot, the remaining imperial laws surged wildly, his hempen robes billowed, and a terrifying pressure caused Tang Valley to tremble, even the ancient Fusang tree seemed to weep. That rage and grief almost overwhelmed his last remaining sanity.

Jiang Hao had anticipated this, and with a wave of his hand, chaotic energy spread out, suppressing the aura of the divine will erupting once again.

He stared intently at the human skin inside the coffin, his gaze deep and thoughtful, and slowly said:

"Please calm down, senior."

He sensed it carefully for a moment and said in a deep voice:

"The stone tower is somewhat damaged, but its spirituality remains intact, and it has been guarding this place all along. If it is truly a supreme being from a forbidden zone who launched a dark upheaval to plunder the origin of the imperial path, they would never let go of this flawless imperial artifact. Moreover, the contingency plan set up by the Holy Emperor is extraordinary. To be able to launch a sneak attack at the critical moment of his transformation and steal the imperial body without the stone tower's intelligence... Such methods are not something an ordinary supreme being could do."

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Hao's eyes:

"I'm afraid the one who made the move is an even stronger being, and they have an extremely good understanding of the Holy Emperor's transformation method and the arrangements made for Tang Valley."

The god's killing intent slowly receded, but his deep-seated hatred and sorrow only deepened.

He looked at the human skin in the coffin, his body slightly hunched, as if he had aged ten thousand years in an instant.

Jiang Hao stepped forward and solemnly promised:

"Please rest assured, Holy Emperor. Now that I am aware of this matter, I will not ignore it. No matter who is behind it, I will investigate thoroughly and bring justice to the Holy Emperor. Anyone who dares to disturb the remains of the ancestors of the human race will not escape punishment."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the majesty and determination of an emperor, resounding powerfully and echoing throughout Tang Valley.

Upon hearing this, the deity slowly turned around, bowed deeply to Jiang Hao, and remained there for a long time.

"The emperors of later generations... I cannot express my gratitude enough. If the Holy Emperor knew that the human race had produced another emperor like you, he would be gratified even in the afterlife."

Jiang Hao lifted him up with an invisible force:

"Senior, there's no need for that. This is simply my duty as a junior."

The deity straightened up, his eyes no longer filled with violence, but only with a sense of relief, peace, and exhaustion.

The deity stopped speaking, but silently walked to the ancient Fusang tree, leaned against the trunk, and slowly sat down.

He gently held the stone coffin, now containing only a human skin, in his arms as if it were the most precious treasure.

His figure began to become transparent, and specks of golden light drifted out from his body.

He merged into the air of Yudani, into the branches and leaves of the ancient Fusang tree, returning to this homeland he had been determined to return to for eternity.

The deity wished to transform into the Dao.

Just as the deity sat down embracing the stone coffin, his form began to become transparent, and specks of light scattered, about to completely dissipate into nothingness.

"Wait a minute!"

A slightly hurried yet steady voice rang out. The sun stone tower in Jiang Hao's hand flashed with light, and a phantom dressed in a blue robe quickly materialized—it was the tower spirit deity.

His face was filled with anxiety as he cried out to the deity, "Old friend, do not give up!"

The process of the deity transforming into a Dao paused slightly. Looking up at the tower spirit, a hint of doubt and sorrow appeared in his eyes: "Stone Tower...you..."

The tower spirit floated forward, his expression sorrowful yet carrying a long-suppressed anger. He turned to Jiang Hao, cupped his hands, and said:

"Your Majesty, I was sensing everything from the outside world while inside the tower, and my mind was in turmoil. There are some things I must say!"

Jiang Hao nodded: "Fellow Daoist, please speak."

The tower spirit took a deep breath, its illusory form trembling slightly, clearly indicating its agitation:

"Regarding the great battle in the Holy Emperor's later years... Although I lost some memories after being severely injured, upon waking up, combining the remaining traces with the last trace of the Holy Emperor's will that he left me with, I am now 80-90% certain who the murderer is!"

Upon hearing this, the deity's eyes flashed with a terrifying light, and he hissed:

"Who is it? Tell me!"

The tower spirit uttered each word slowly and deliberately, revealing that domineering and ancient name: "It is the Eastern Emperor!"

"Donghuang?" The deity was taken aback at first, then the boundless hatred and killing intent that Jiang Hao had suppressed surged up uncontrollably again, almost materializing.

"It was him! It was him! I should have realized that besides him, who else could know so much about the Holy Emperor's plans and launch a sneak attack at that moment!"

Jiang Hao was not too surprised that Donghuang was still alive.

At his level, he had long understood that those ancient emperors who truly reached the pinnacle all possessed extraordinary abilities and had their own escape routes.

The so-called passing away or dying is often just a facade. Especially for a powerful being like Donghuang, who almost unified the ancient world, how could he possibly perish so easily?

"Donghuang..."

As Jiang Hao slowly uttered the name, a wealth of information and rumors about this ancient giant naturally surfaced in his mind.

He looked at the tower spirit and said, "Fellow Daoist, tell me in detail what you know, especially about the origins of the Eastern Emperor."

The tower spirit deity composed himself and said in a deep voice, "The Great Emperor must also know that the Eastern Emperor is not a creature native to our myriad realms."

Jiang Hao nodded: "I've heard a little about it. It's rumored that he fell into this world from a mysterious rift."

"Exactly!" the tower spirit said solemnly.

"Based on the Holy Emperor's deductions after exploring ancient texts and communicating with some extremely ancient beings, that rift... is very likely connected to the legendary realm beyond the heavens, said to be the Immortal Realm, and the Eastern Emperor's true form is a real Golden Crow!"

The mention of the Golden Crow caused a deep sense of dread to flash in the eyes of both the Tower Spirit and the Deity.