Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 520: Chapter 525: Immortal Corpse

The name ‘Ruthless One’ has shaken the ages—an awe-inspiring title for an unparalleled figure in all of history. Yet, this very individual was dismembered. It is a truth no one dares to believe.

What terrifying entity could have done this? The Ruthless Great Emperor represented the supreme, his combat power unmatched through the ages, yet he met such an end!

“There were only a few fragments of the corpse, yet the killing intent pierced through ages. I believe that besides the Ruthless Great Emperor, who once drenched the world in blood, no other corpse could possess such a piercing aura,” Nangong Zheng said.

They had all been stunned at the time. After careful analysis, they believed it to be the flesh of an ancient Great Emperor, perhaps even the enigmatic “Immortal.”

At that time, everyone was terrified to the extreme. An Immortal or an ancient Great Emperor dismembered—who could have been responsible?

They searched carefully and finally discovered a ghostly imprint—neither crying nor laughing, a mixture of sorrow and sunlight. It was incredibly vivid, traversing the Ancient Desolation to reach directly into people’s hearts.

It was the mark of the Ruthless Great Emperor from over two hundred thousand years ago!

“It’s just an imprint. Perhaps the Ruthless Great Emperor himself struck down that existence and left his mark there,” someone suggested.

Nangong Zheng shook his head. “We searched thoroughly and found imprints in multiple locations. It’s clear the Ruthless Great Emperor lived there for a time.”

Body fragments were scattered around the place where the Ruthless Great Emperor had meditated. Various signs indicated that his physical body had been dismembered while he was in seclusion.

“Are you really… certain… it was the Ruthless Great Emperor?” someone’s voice nearly trembled.

Who on earth could have accomplished such a thing? Everyone felt their scalps tingle. Could a Great Emperor truly have an enemy? Impossible!

“I am certain it was the Ruthless Great Emperor because we also found traces of the Undying Divine Medicine he planted,” Nangong Zheng said.

“What?!” many exclaimed.

Every Great Emperor planted an Undying Divine Medicine; their identities could often be determined by these plants alone.

“Did you obtain the Undying Divine Medicine?”

“Is it that legendary Immortal Treasure?”

Everyone was breathing heavily, almost forgetting about the life and death of the Ruthless Great Emperor, all eyes fixed on Nangong Zheng.

The ancient Great Emperors had passed away, but the Undying Divine Medicines they planted still existed in the world. These were the rarest of divine relics, coveted by everyone.

This was especially true for the Overlords present, many of whom were approaching two thousand years of age. Their lifespans were dwindling, and they were nearing their period of decline.

“So many years have passed. The Ruthless Great Emperor is long gone. How could his Undying Divine Medicine possibly still be there? It would have flown away long ago,” Nangong Zheng said, shaking his head and shattering their fantasies.

They only found the depression where an Undying Divine Medicine had once taken root. Faint wisps of its aura remained, but nothing else.

“The Ruthless Great Emperor was indeed dismembered…”

“Even the Undying Divine Medicine he planted has been confirmed. It must have been him, without a doubt!”

No one was unshaken, no one was not aghast; their faces were all etched with astonishment. This was like a fantastical tale, difficult to believe.

The Ruthless One, a figure who shook ages past and present, had met such a dim end, unacknowledged. To die by unknown hands was truly a tragedy.

“Even ancient Great Emperors met such fates… It’s truly terrifying…”

“Are you certain that was the aura of the True Dragon Immortal Medicine?” someone, still skeptical, asked for confirmation once more.

“Yes,” Nangong Zheng nodded.

The Ruthless Great Emperor’s Undying Divine Medicine was one he had personally ventured deep into the seven Ancient Desolation Forbidden Lands to obtain. It was as precious as the Beginningless Great Emperor’s Undying Phoenix Medicine.

Ye Fan’s heart trembled. So it was the True Dragon Divine Medicine! It actually once belonged to the Ruthless Great Emperor! He was dumbfounded.

Because he had seen that divine medicine before; it was currently here in the Northern Region!

He, Pang Bo, and Tu Fei had ventured deep into the Ice Field and seen it in the subterranean Myriad Dragon Nest. Back then, the True Dragon Immortal Medicine was dormant, and he had been a hair’s breadth from seizing it.

I actually had such an intersection with the Ruthless Great Emperor, almost obtaining his Undying Divine Medicine! Ye Fan sighed inwardly.

Suddenly, he recalled everything in the Myriad Dragon Nest. Besides many rare and precious Divine Source Blocks, he had also seen an ancient coffin drifting there!

The Beginningless Great Emperor had been there. There was an ancient five-colored altar, yet he had not chosen the Myriad Dragon Nest. Instead, he went to Purple Mountain, leaving everything in the Nest untouched.

Ye Fan shivered and chose not to dwell on it further, quickly returning his thoughts to the present.

“Everyone,” Nangong Zheng spoke again, “perhaps we’ve all fallen into a misconception. Ancient Great Emperors had no rivals, especially the Ruthless One. How could he possibly be dismembered by another?”

“What do you mean by that?” many asked, puzzled.

“Don’t forget the Ruthless One’s history. After he proved his Dao, he created the Immortal Heavenly Technique in his later years!” Nangong Zheng looked towards several Sacred Masters and said, “Actually, to solve this mystery, you few only need to speak the truth.”

Everyone was startled. Following his gaze, they realized those individuals had significant backgrounds; behind them stood the most powerful Sacred Lands in the Eastern Wastelands.

The Jiang Family, Jade Lake, Ji Family, and Flickering Light—these Four Great Sacred Lands all possessed Extreme Dao Holy Weapons. Even if other ancient inheritances were to perish, they could protect themselves.

Three of these families had ancestors who had proven the Dao to become Great Emperors. Their legacies were considered the most unfathomable, and people did not know what these three ancient Great Emperors had left behind for them.

“I am not the only person to have emerged alive from the Bronze Immortal Palace. Long ago, others managed it too…” Nangong Zheng said softly, a hint of reminiscence in his voice.

Suddenly, people recalled a legend: countless ages ago, someone had brought an Immortal Corpse out from the bronze palace, only to die immediately after emerging.

Legend had it that the Immortal Corpse was divided among several Great Sacred Lands. It could be said this was concrete proof that Immortals existed in the world!

However, the Great Sacred Lands vigorously denied it, all claiming they had never seen an Immortal Corpse and that it was all just rumors.

“Countless tens of thousands of years have passed. Surely, the Sacred Masters can speak of it now?” Nangong Zheng said.

“Indeed. Your Sacred Lands have gained sufficient benefits and have long since assimilated them. There’s no harm in disclosing it now.”

“It’s time the truth was revealed.”

Various extraordinary individuals and unique talents from all sides spoke up, demanding the truth be made public.

That was an instance of contact with an Immortal. Although the Great Sacred Lands were tight-lipped and denied it, everyone knew they had obtained the Immortal Corpse.

“That was seventy thousand years ago. Since all fellow Daoists wish to know, we might as well speak of it,” the Queen Mother of the West from Jade Lake said.

“Initially, we truly believed it to be an Immortal Corpse, but later discovered we were perhaps mistaken…” the Ji Family Sacred Master said.

Back then, a total of six Great Sacred Lands had divided the Immortal Corpse. Besides these four families, there was also the Wind Clan, one of the oldest extant clans in the Eastern Wastelands, and the Celestial Jade Sacred Land, which had perished six thousand years ago.

A peerless master had emerged alive, carrying out a dismembered and extremely incomplete corpse that exuded a world-ending killing intent!

That cultivator, seventy thousand years ago, had been an unrivaled force in the Eastern Wastelands. Some said he had already become an existence comparable to the Ancient Saints. Yet, after carrying out the corpse, he turned into a bloody pulp.

“Now, thinking about it carefully, that must have been the corpse of a Great Emperor…” Several Sacred Masters sighed. It could be inferred that their families had obtained immense benefits from it; a Great Emperor’s remains could be used to refine Extreme Dao Holy Weapons.

They had divided a fresh, vibrant corpse—it must have been a priceless treasure. No wonder they had denied it so vehemently at the time. Such a massive Immortal Burial would take a long time to digest.

The Queen Mother of the West, the Sacred Master of the Jiang Clan, and others detailed the descriptions of the ‘Immortal Corpse’ recorded in their respective ancient books. Comparing these with what Nangong Zheng had described, people were astonished to realize a fact: the so-called Immortal Corpse was most likely the Ruthless One!

“Many crucial parts were missing. We only divided about a third of the corpse…”

“Based on the severance marks on the corpse, I believe the Ruthless Great Emperor was truly terrifying. He most likely wanted to live a third, perhaps even a fourth, lifetime!” Nangong Zheng’s words were world-shaking.

The Ruthless One initially created the Heaven-Devouring Demon Technique, slaughtered countless kings, and ascended to become a Great Emperor by treading on the bones of innumerable prodigies—an act truly detrimental to cosmic harmony.

However, he astonished all ages by creating the Immortal Heavenly Technique in his later years. He shed his Demon Body, birthed a Divine Embryo, and severed all karmic ties from his past.

Moreover, through this, he lived an entire second life—an incredibly long span of years!

He was the only individual known to have created two ancient scriptures, an achievement that felt almost illusory and unreal to others.

“The world speaks of the Bronze Immortal Palace as a terrifying place, a graveyard for peerless masters. Yet, from what I’ve seen, the Ruthless One actually secluded himself there for a period…” Nangong Zheng’s words were stunning.

He and those living fossils had observed carefully, concluding that the Ruthless One had lived there for a very long time. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to plant an Undying Divine Medicine within the bronze palace.

“We believe he was there cultivating the Immortal Heavenly Technique, attempting to shed his old body and once again transform, birthing a new Divine Embryo!”

“What?!” Everyone gasped, their eyes wide with horror.

“Mortals cannot defy Heaven. He once transformed, creating a Divine Embryo through the Immortal Heavenly Technique, and lived two lifetimes as a Great Emperor. This alone is comparable to the feats recorded in divine chronicles. It’s impossible for him to have lived yet another life!”

To live an additional lifetime is more difficult than ascending to the Immortal Realm; that belongs to the domain of deities. Even having created the Immortal Heavenly Technique, one could only undergo such a transformation once.

It was like possessing an Undying Divine Medicine: every Great Emperor planted one, but it could only extend their life for one additional lifetime. A second time, it would not have nearly as much effect.

“He proved his Dao with the Heaven-Devouring Demon Technique—a glorious first life. Then, he transformed using the Immortal Heavenly Technique to create a Divine Embryo, living a second life. He used an Undying Divine Medicine to extend his life into a third… Heavens!”

Someone couldn’t help but exclaim, because according to Nangong Zheng’s theory, if the Ruthless Great Emperor were to transform a Divine Embryo once more, he could potentially live a fourth lifetime!

Ye Fan’s heart thumped wildly. If calculated this way, the Ruthless One would have lived for a terrifyingly long time!

Beside him, the Monkey almost leaped up. His own father had dominated the Immemorial Times, yet even the esteemed Fighting Sacred Emperor had only lived one additional life by relying on an Undying Divine Peach Medicine.

Indeed, the old Sacred Emperor had not managed to live two full lifetimes. A problem occurred during his Enlightenment, and he nearly perished, his Dao on the verge of dissipating. It was an Immortal Medicine that saved his life, allowing him to complete that single lifespan.

Living a long time doesn’t necessarily mean one’s combat power is the greatest in history. The Monkey consoled himself this way; his father had not lived long but was universally acknowledged as invincible.

“If the Ruthless One lived for four lifetimes, he must have encountered Great Emperors from later eras!” someone suddenly cried out.

“He might have even met more than one later Great Emperor!”

Everyone was stunned. Contemplating this, it was too shocking, simply unbelievable.

Never in the same era had two Great Emperors appeared. They could only admire each other across the gulf of time and space, evaluating one another through the long river of years.

“We do not know how many lifetimes the Ruthless One lived. However, a problem definitely occurred during his final attempt to transform and birth a Divine Embryo…” Nangong Zheng stated his final deduction.

He and some living fossil-level figures had carefully examined the evidence, believing that the Ruthless One had entered a death seclusion there. Ultimately, he failed when success was within reach; his supreme Emperor Body exploded. It was unknown, however, if the Divine Embryo had successfully transformed.

The realization that “the Ruthless One, to live another life, dismembered himself…” sent shudders through the crowd.

“There are still people here among us who have entered the Bronze Immortal Palace,” Nangong Zheng said.

“What?”

“Who?”

Everyone was greatly surprised, looking at one another.

“Beyond the Grand Dao within the Bronze Immortal Palace lies a very mysterious world. We did not reach its end, so we don’t know if the Ruthless One ever stood there.”

At this point, Nangong Zheng looked at Ye Fan and smiled, “Young friend, you must have entered the Bronze Immortal Palace, haven’t you?”

“What, it’s him?” Everyone was surprised.

None of the Saint Heirs or sacred ladies could enter; they could only stand at the entrance of the great hall, all of them astonished and regretful.

And within the Heaven Temple, the many extraordinary individuals and eccentric masters all fixed their gazes on Ye Fan. Even the various Sacred Masters revealed peculiar expressions.

“Young friend, your Origin Qi foundation, you must have obtained it from the Bronze Immortal Palace, correct?” Nangong Zheng asked.

“Yes,” Ye Fan nodded calmly.

As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar erupted. Amidst the clamor, people expressed their shock, never having imagined he had obtained a Great Emperor’s exclusive holy relic from the bronze palace.

“Young friend, do you realize that you have formed a significant karmic connection with the Ruthless One? The Origin Qi foundation was something he sought out.”