Chapter 601: The Central Emperor Reappears After Nine Thousand Years
Wang Teng, hailed as the Northern Emperor by the young heroes of the Five Great Domains, had almost no one daring to cross blades with him. Everyone who saw him would give him a wide berth.
Now, that monstrous prodigy from the Eastern Wasteland had arrived and nearly killed his younger brother, leaving many astonished.
In the current era, perhaps only that person who could slap a King Body to death with a single palm stroke could contend with Wang Teng. This was the view of many, who called him the Central Emperor.
The Northern Emperor had once used the alias Wolf God, traveling between the Northern Plains and the Eastern Wasteland. By the age of fifteen, he was already undefeated among his peers. After another ten years of accumulation and sedimentation, it was impossible to predict what realm he had reached.
Moreover, everyone knew that he was blessed with the great fortune of heaven and earth, having even obtained the Nine Secrets in his hands. Heaven knows what other ancient arts he might have mastered.
Since entering the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion, no one dared to challenge him, and he had been in secluded cultivation all along, rarely appearing. Even when he did come out, he only went to the secluded cultivation grounds for Great Powers behind the mansion.
As for the Central Emperor, some said he wasn't even from this world. The specifics were unclear to anyone. Strictly speaking, in the current era, there was only one Wang Teng, undefeated among the younger generation.
"Big Brother, you have to avenge me," Wang Chong said, shaking his elder brother's arm. Only at this moment did he act like a child, devoid of his usual ferocity.
"He stole my war chariot, injured me, and showed disrespect to you. You must kill him!" Wang Chong hung onto that arm, refusing to let go.
This was an ancient cave, located within the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion. On ordinary days, no one dared to enter. This was Wang Teng's secluded cultivation ground, regarded as a forbidden zone by other Holy Sons.
Inside the cave dwelling, there were dozens of spiritual herbs, all exceeding ten thousand years in age. In the very center was a Medicine King, its fragrance assailing the senses, its body translucent and shimmering with light.
If anyone came in, they would be greatly shocked, because this Medicine King was one of the six that had emerged from the Immortal Burial Ground, yet it had been transplanted here.
Everything in the cave was very simple, without a trace of luxury. Beside the Medicine King was a Dark Jade bed, upon which Wang Teng sat cross-legged, motionless.
He was heroic and majestic, with black hair cascading down, a face carved like a knife, sword-like brows slanting into his temples. Within his eyes, endless stars were born and extinguished, unfathomably deep, like an ancient emperor reborn.
"Big Brother, why aren't you saying anything? Help me get revenge!" Wang Chong began to act spoiled.
"If you continue like this, you'll end up dead outside sooner or later. Even if I am your elder brother, there's no way to protect you," Wang Teng said calmly.
"Big Brother, how can you say that? Mother said that when we're out in the world, you have to take care of me," Wang Chong said, hugging his arm and wrinkling his nose in dissatisfaction.
"You need to restrain yourself a bit." Wang Teng extended a finger and pressed it against the youth's brow. "I will suppress you for a year. If your temperament isn't tempered, you won't leave seclusion!"
With a single point of his finger, the ancient cave became crystalline. True Dragons, Divine Phoenixes, White Tigers, and Black Tortoises followed in his wake, continuously harmonizing. It was sacred and peaceful, as if a deity had descended.
"Ah, no!" Wang Chong shouted, wanting to flee, but he couldn't struggle free, frozen in place.
He was extremely dejected. "Big Brother, that's a Sacred Body! He's worth you personally killing him."
"So-called physiques mean nothing. In my eyes, there are only the living and the dead. If one hasn't reached Great Accomplishment, they are no different from the masses," Wang Teng said, his expression indifferent.
"You are the number one under heaven, but I, your younger brother, am not. If you don't kill him, he will become a demon in my heart, and I won't be able to cultivate in peace," Wang Chong cried out.
"Go into seclusion properly and reflect for a year!" Wang Teng pointed, and Wang Chong, who was at the Fourth Transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm, had no power to resist. Shouting, he flew backward into a stone chamber. The stone door fell, sealing him inside.
"Wuguli, Jinwuduo, come in."
"Greetings, Master!" Two tall creatures walked in from outside the cave. One was over three meters tall, his entire body shimmering with silver light, covered in scales, with four arms full of power, silver hair draped over his shoulders, and a vertical eye on his forehead.
The other was over two meters tall, his entire body flashing with golden light, with a pair of golden divine wings. Every inch of his flesh was densely covered with golden scales, and among his golden hair grew a pair of deer antlers.
"Go and bring me the head of that youth named Ye Fan," Wang Teng said calmly.
"Is it... that Sacred Body? The one everyone is buzzing about, saying that if he grows up, he can suppress the ancient kings," one of the creatures said, startled.
"Why care about another's physique? The strong should be confident, with only 'self' as the sovereign. If one cannot attain the Dao, what does it matter if they are an immortal reincarnated? It's only the difference between the living and the dead."
"Your teachings are correct, Master."
Wang Teng said, "He has cultivated some ancient arts and some forbidden secret techniques, enough to fight against Supreme Elders of the Holy Lands. The two of you go together to ensure there are no mistakes."
"With such strength, one of us would be enough to kill him several times over."
"A lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit. I don't want any accidents. Go, and bring back his head," Wang Teng said coldly.
"Yes!"
The two creatures dared not say anything more and withdrew from the cave, whispering to each other.
"Master's cultivation of that Heavenly Art is almost complete. When it's done, even the Central Emperor won't be his match."
"The Central Emperor isn't even from this world. In a sense, Master is already the number one under heaven."
Within the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion, there were beautiful peaks one after another. Each disciple had a spiritual land, and they usually didn't disturb each other.
"Those are... ancient creatures!"
Someone discovered the two creatures and couldn't help but change color, crying out in surprise from a distance.
"We've long heard that Wang Teng is unfathomable, that he once ventured deep into the Eastern Wasteland's forbidden zones and took ancient creatures as servants. It's true!"
Many people, upon hearing this, watched from afar on the beautiful peaks, all moved and dared not approach.
One golden and one silver rainbow light shot through the air, disappearing beyond the horizon. It took the crowd a long time to come back to their senses, and they became even more reverent of Wang Teng's cave dwelling.
"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, the beginning of heaven and earth; named, the mother of all things..."
Recently, someone had carved a passage at the mountain gate of the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion, causing a great stir. Many people stood before the stone wall, pondering. Even the Great Powers within the mansion had come to see it.
These words were not specific cultivation methods, but merely expounded on the essence of the Dao. Although they contained no secret techniques, they still provoked deep thought.
This incident caused a sensation, spreading to the outside world. Many people marveled and came out of curiosity, believing that there were indeed extraordinary people within the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion, and that their discussions were worth contemplating.
Ye Fan learned of this and rushed over immediately. Activating his divine eyes, he quickly spotted Pang Bo among the crowd, his heart surging with excitement.
He secretly transmitted a message, and then the two left one after another, heading to a secluded place where they met among a stretch of peaks.
Since parting ways in the Eastern Wasteland, they hadn't seen each other for over two years. In such a vast world, where a single region could take ten or twenty years to traverse, being able to reunite was no easy feat.
"That damn Black Emperor teleported me to a godforsaken place, dropping me into a dead volcano..." Pang Bo recounted his experiences, cursing the big black dog repeatedly, full of resentment.
Falling into a volcanic crater was bad enough, but it turned out to be a forbidden zone, covered with endless array patterns. Pang Bo was almost refined into nothing there.
"Was it an ancient cave dwelling? Any treasure?"
"Not a damn thing! It refined eighty jin of my flesh and blood. Don't let me see that dog again, or I'll eat it!"
Pang Bo was trapped there for nearly two years. His only gain was that he had to cultivate day and night to resist the array patterns, or he would have turned to ashes.
"Two and a half years of cultivation, reaching the Fourth Transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm. That's a great gain," Ye Fan said with a smile.
"That damned dog! After I got out, I flew for another half a year before I reached a civilized area from the uninhabited region..."
The two recounted their experiences. Pang Bo naturally knew about Ye Fan's recent encounters. He handed over the God-Slaying Whip, saying, "This treasure is very strange. It can isolate auras. With it on you, you won't have to worry about the top disciple of the Divine Calculator divining your location."
"It has such a wonderful use?" Ye Fan was surprised. Without being polite, he slung the God-Slaying Whip over his back again.
He thought for a moment, then took out all his treasures. First, he gave Pang Bo the wooden board carved from the Enlightenment Ancient Tree, along with a few stone nails.
"Sitting on it to cultivate doubles the results. This was the divine coffin built by the Immortal Emperor to preserve his immortality."
"Is this that ancient sage?" Pang Bo was astonished. Seeing Ye Fan's pile of treasures, he was especially shocked by the Divine Source block sealing an old man.
"What exactly is inside the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion?"
"There might really be a path leading to the outer realms. I've been investigating recently. Maybe we can go home from there."
Ye Fan gave the Nine Divine Weapons to Pang Bo, saying, "You don't have a suitable weapon. Keep these for self-preservation. But don't let that unscrupulous Taoist know."
"I don't need these. Your situation is precarious. These nine weapons will be of great use to you," Pang Bo refused.
"I prepared these for you. The Nine Divine Weapons, combined with your Demon Emperor Nine Slashes, are the perfect match. Don't worry, I still have suitable weapons to use."
Ye Fan was indeed worried about Pang Bo's safety. Last time, Liu Yiyi was captured. If he hadn't carefully planned and used his tribulation at the critical moment to kill everyone, she would have surely died.
He vaguely felt that an "old acquaintance" was likely behind it. Although many had died that day, the true culprit had never been found.
Ye Fan told all this to Pang Bo. The two pondered for a long time, feeling it was necessary to be on guard. That "old acquaintance" could be quite dangerous.
Although he had given away the Nine Divine Weapons, Ye Fan's cauldron had already interwoven with laws and was quite useful. Moreover, he still had a gourd, seized from the Holy Son of the Zi Mansion. Even the gourd stopper could emit chaotic light, suggesting it might be a King-rank weapon.
The two talked a lot. Now that Ye Fan had the God-Slaying Whip to isolate his aura, he didn't have to worry about being tracked.
From Pang Bo, he learned much about the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion. There might be a path leading to the outer realms, which excited him the most.
Additionally, he learned more about the powerful experts.
Some believed that besides Wang Teng and the Central Emperor, a Southern Demon and a mysterious expert from Mount Sumeru should be added. Unfortunately, those two were hard to meet, and not many agreed.
"Ye Zi, let's focus on cultivation first. We've only cultivated for a few years, so there's a big gap compared to others. Some people you just have to accept. Do you know who the Central Emperor is?"
"Who?" Ye Fan was puzzled.
"He's not from this era. His name is Xiang Yufei."
"That sounds familiar..." Suddenly, Ye Fan's eyes widened as he remembered.
When he had looted Duan De, he had found a Longevity Lock on him. It was made from the leftover material used by the Buddha to forge the Demon-Subduing Pestle, later crafted into a life-protecting divine lock by several Arhats. Its last owner was Xiang Yufei.
Nine thousand years ago, a peerless genius had appeared in the Central Province, named Xiang Yufei. At just nineteen years old, he had become a Lord-rank figure, sweeping all before him, born with the bearing of an ancient Great Emperor.
Unfortunately, heaven was jealous of his talent. He died young at the age of twenty, and even the Longevity Lock couldn't extend his life.
Legend had it that at the last moment, Xiang Yufei had himself buried in an ice coffin, sleeping on a snowy peak, hoping to avoid death and be resurrected later.
Nine thousand years had passed. Duan De had even stolen the Longevity Lock from his body. How could he have come back to life?
"Are you sure the Central Emperor is Xiang Yufei?"
"Precisely, it's Xiang Yufei at twenty years old. Over nine thousand years have passed, but time hasn't left a single mark on him!"
"How is that possible?!" Ye Fan was shocked. Not long ago, he had lamented heaven's jealousy of talent, feeling sorry for that person. But now, he had been reborn into the world.
"The Central Emperor is indeed Xiang Yufei from nine thousand years ago. No mistake!" Pang Bo was absolutely certain, revealing some secrets. It was all the work of the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion.
Although the Extraordinary Scholars Mansion had been closed for ten thousand years, they hadn't been completely uninvolved during that time. They had done many things.
"Why did they do this?" Ye Fan didn't understand.
"Because at that time, the Demon Emperor had only been dead for a thousand years. Even with the bearing of a Great Emperor, Xiang Yufei couldn't attain the Dao and become an emperor in that special period. He needed to wait it out."