"Emperor Haotian? Reveal my true form?"
Xu Ying blinked, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Emperor Ai, you actually saw through me? Very well, since you have seen through me, We shall hide it from you no longer. That is right! I am the very first Immortal Emperor of the human race—Emperor Haotian!"
Nan Ziyan had originally been breaking out in a cold sweat for Xu Ying's sake. But the moment the Last Lord of Ziwei uttered the name Emperor Haotian, he froze completely, staring blankly at Xu Ying in the desperate hope that Xu Ying would deny it.
He had never expected Xu Ying to admit on the spot to being Emperor Haotian, which left him utterly stunned.
The Last Lord of Ziwei was taken aback as well. Looking at Xu Ying with deep suspicion, he probed, "You're not even going to refute it?"
Xu Ying declared with supreme arrogance, "Why should We bother refuting it? We led the human race out of an era of demon oppression and dominion. We are the first Immortal Emperor, well deserving of the title! Even if you treacherous scoundrels usurped Our imperial throne, and even though Our body died, Dao vanished, and form and spirit were utterly annihilated, We could still turn the tables in the face of adversity and orchestrate such a brilliant scheme! Having pulled off such a masterpiece, why shouldn't We proclaim it aloud? If kept bottled up inside, wouldn't it go unappreciated by all?"
With his hands clasped behind his back, he strode over to the Last Lord of Ziwei's side and said, "We perished during the era of Emperor Taihao. Back then, We spread the Taiyi Inborn Technique into the world. After who knows how many tens of thousands of years, it was passed down to the Xu family, and tens of thousands of years later, We reincarnated as a son of the Xu family."
The Last Lord of Ziwei knitted his brows slightly.
Xu Ying continued, "We also deliberately left behind the ancestral method of the six secret depositories as a medicinal catalyst. Then, We created the Ten Cave-Heavens Comprehension Method and intentionally leaked it to the Demon Ancestor, just as We purposely leaked Our comprehension of the Emerald Rock to you, Emperor Ai. We set this grand game long ago, and all of you were trapped inside it. Even the likes of Taiqing, Yuxu, and the Void Emperor were caught in My calculations!"
Hearing this, the Last Lord of Ziwei's brow furrowed even deeper.
Xu Ying went on, "We reincarnated as Xu Ying, played Ourselves to death, and suffered torment for forty to fifty thousand years until, in this lifetime, We could finally bear it no longer. Thus, We sought out the contingencies We left behind, obtained the heritages of Taiqing, Yuxu, the Void Emperor, and the others, and refined six Immortal Realm cave-heavens. We won the Demon Ancestor's recognition, learned the Ten Cave-Heavens Comprehension Method We had left with him, and obtained the Emerald Rock Inscriptions as well."
The Last Lord of Ziwei caught his drift.
Xu Ying said leisurely, "And then I came to you, winning your admiration, Emperor Ai, so that you would personally pass down your Emerald Rock comprehension to me. In this way, I could cultivate the Taiyi Cave-Heaven and summon the Taiyi Cave Abyss in one fell swoop!"
Nan Ziyan fumed with rage. "Xu! To think you were such a conniving schemer! I truly misjudged you!"
The Last Lord of Ziwei raised a hand to stay his anger, chuckling softly. "Ziyan, he is merely defending himself."
Xu Ying gave a low grunt. "When I, Emperor Haotian, do things, why should I ever defend Myself? Why should I explain Myself to anyone?"
The Last Lord of Ziwei said, "If you truly were Emperor Haotian, why would you go through such an enormous, roundabout detour? Wouldn't it have been enough to simply pass down your ancient art directly to yourself? Why bother guiding and manipulating the Dao Ancestor, the Demon Ancestor, and Me? The more mighty figures you pull in, the more flaws your scheme exposes."
Xu Ying smiled faintly. "So you're saying I am not Emperor Haotian?"
"You are not Emperor Haotian," said the Last Lord of Ziwei.
Xu Ying asked, "Since I am not Emperor Haotian, why did you demand that I reveal my true form just now, Emperor Ai?"
The Last Lord of Ziwei's expression flushed green and red by turns, shifting erratically.
Nan Ziyan read his mood and barked, "Xu Ying! You ruffled the dragon's scales today—that is a capital offense! However, considering you still have your uses, your execution will be recorded for now, and your crimes will be answered for in the future!"
His words struck precisely the right chord with the Last Lord of Ziwei. The Last Lord's complexion softened slightly as he asked, "If you aren't Emperor Haotian, then who is?"
Xu Ying pondered for a moment. "Is it possible that Emperor Haotian has nothing to do with this at all?"
The Last Lord of Ziwei sneered. "Emperor Haotian was the human race's first Immortal Emperor, the one who overthrew the oppression and dominion of the demons! He was a genius endowed by heaven, deciphering the Emerald Rock Inscriptions and guiding countless practitioners of future generations. Even though he was overthrown by Emperor Taihao, I still believe he could turn the tables against all odds, lay down layer upon layer of contingencies, and stage a comeback!"
Xu Ying was surprised. "Emperor Ai, as the sixth Immortal Emperor, your abilities ought to surpass the five emperors before you. Why do you hold Emperor Haotian in such high esteem?"
The Last Lord of Ziwei's expression turned solemn. "Though my prowess exceeded theirs, I surpassed them only because I was born later. Had I lived in the same era as Emperor Haotian, I would never have harbored treacherous ambitions; I could only have bowed my head and served beneath his banner. His grandeur and vision were far beyond what I could match."
Hearing this, Xu Ying could not help feeling a sense of yearning. He shook his head. "It is a pity I was born too late to ever behold that Immortal Emperor."
Then he steered the topic back. "Is it possible that none of this has anything to do with Emperor Haotian, and that it is all merely a string of coincidences? Scheming against me is one thing—after all, I am merely a nobody. But who could scheme against those Dao Ancestors and the Demon Ancestor? Who could scheme against Your Majesty, Emperor Ai, without alerting you in the slightest? In this world, there is absolutely no one capable of such miraculous foresight."
"Not necessarily."
Emerging from his earlier embarrassment, the Last Lord of Ziwei mused, "Scheming against them seems impossible, but they are not nearly as formidable as you imagine. Dao Ancestors like Taiqing and Yuxu long ago departed this world; only their Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirits remained behind, and their strength is hardly overwhelming. The Demon Ancestor barely clings to life, and I am reduced to a mere wisp of a remnant soul. None among us are truly invincible beings. If it were Emperor Haotian, he certainly could have schemed against them!"
Xu Ying chuckled. "Yet Emperor Haotian would have had no need to go to such extraordinary lengths, deploying a whole sequence of maneuvers and spending six hundred thousand years setting up a game just so I could summon the Taiyi Cave Abyss. Emperor Haotian could have summoned the Taiyi Cave Abyss himself."
The moment he said this, the Last Lord of Ziwei fell completely silent.
After a long while, the Last Lord muttered, "A single coincidence is one thing, but a whole chain of coincidences concentrated on one person must have something wrong behind it. Yet if it isn't Emperor Haotian, who could it be?"
Xu Ying's heart stirred at those words. *Could someone really be scheming against me?*
*If someone is truly scheming against me, they must have left behind clues. And that clue would be the Ten Cave-Heavens Comprehension Method,* Xu Ying thought to himself.
The Last Lord of Ziwei suddenly smiled. "You are right. There is no such miraculous foresight in this world, and certainly no one capable of scheming against Us. Most likely, all of this is mere coincidence. The real world is far more bizarre than that."
His expression softened as he said, "Now that you have cultivated the Taiyi Cave Abyss, the most urgent matter before us is breaking the Immortal Dao seals of the Ziwei Ancestral Court."
Xu Ying looked up at the Immortal Dao seals hanging in the sky. "With my current attainment, I fear I still cannot unseal..."
Mid-sentence, he suddenly broke off, his gaze going blank.
The Last Lord of Ziwei watched his face closely, noting his reaction, and chuckled. "Emperor Haotian's *Taiyi Enlightenment* could be called the progenitor of many Dao methods. Even in today's Immortal Realm, the arts of many great figures originated from *Taiyi Enlightenment*. You have already comprehended the contents of *Taiyi Enlightenment*, haven't you?"
Xu Ying did not know whether what he had comprehended was indeed the *Taiyi Enlightenment* the Last Lord spoke of. But looking at the Immortal Dao rune seals in the sky, he suddenly realized that understanding the meanings hidden within them was not nearly as difficult as he had imagined.
And yet, he had only obtained the portions Emperor Haotian had deciphered from the Emerald Rock Inscriptions—portions that accounted for less than a third of the entire stone!
Furthermore, what Emperor Haotian had deciphered was merely the easiest material to understand; the remaining undeciphered contents were bound to be far more profound.
Composing himself, Xu Ying stepped forward to face the first sealing rune guarding the imperial mausoleum.
The Last Lord of Ziwei stepped back, and Nan Ziyan hurriedly followed him. The two soon retreated to the foot of Mount Qian.
Nan Ziyan asked, "Your Majesty, can Young Master Xu truly undo these Immortal Dao seals?"
"I do not know," the Last Lord replied.
Nan Ziyan froze.
The Last Lord looked toward Mount Qian and murmured, "However, he is my only remaining hope. I can only place my faith in him and pray that he succeeds!"
Xu Ying stopped before the first sealing rune and stood motionless.
Plucking up his courage, Nan Ziyan ventured, "Your Majesty said just now that no one could scheme against you. This disciple believes that statement is not quite right. If no one could scheme against Your Majesty, then Your Majesty would not have died..."
Purple mist billowed around the Last Lord of Ziwei, and his gaze bore chillingly into the youth.
Nan Ziyan dropped his head at once. "This disciple knows his fault."
The Last Lord of Ziwei snorted, flicking his sleeve. "Enough, We absolve you of your crime. You are right. There truly are those who could scheme against Us, and there truly are those capable of laying out a scheme spanning tens of thousands of years—even scheming against the old fogies of the Ancestral Court and using their hands to recreate the Taiyi Cave Abyss through Xu Ying."
A shiver ran through Nan Ziyan's heart.
The Last Lord of Ziwei remarked calmly, "One coincidence is chance; two coincidences are luck; three coincidences make certainty. The coincidences gathered upon Xu Ying number no fewer than ten. It is evident that someone must be using him in an attempt to locate the Taiyi Cave Abyss and claim it for themselves."
Nan Ziyan said anxiously, "Then isn't Young Master Xu in grave danger?"
Purple energy swirled within the Last Lord's eyes. "Once he rescues My corpse, We will warn him not to lightly deploy the Taiyi Cave Abyss. We will also help him blind that grand schemer, preventing them from divining whether Xu Ying has found the Taiyi Cave Abyss."
His bearing turned arrogant once more. "While I was dead, scheming against Me was fine. But as long as We are resurrected, We will still be an emperor who bestrides eternity! How could We tolerate being toyed with?"
Nan Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief. "Your Majesty, just who left these Immortal Dao runes behind? What was their cultivation?"
The Last Lord of Ziwei gazed toward the myriad Immortal Dao rune seals across the sky and said leisurely, "In the past, we called that realm Great Luo Golden Immortal, the Great Luo Wondrous Realm. But after attaining the Dao, they called themselves Supremes. The ones who left behind these Immortal Dao runes were beings of that Supreme stature."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Xu Ying suddenly strode forward, approaching the Supreme rune. His hands danced, and from his fingertips flowed Immortal Dao runes that linked with the Supreme rune like living threads woven from the Immortal Dao!
The Last Lord of Ziwei's heart leaped into his throat, and he clenched his fists involuntarily.
That was a Supreme rune. If Xu Ying triggered its power and caused it to erupt, it would obliterate him in an instant.
Yet strangely enough, though Xu Ying's Dao patterns connected with the Supreme rune, they did not ignite its power. The Supreme rune remained utterly undisturbed, as if Xu Ying's Dao patterns were simply an intrinsic part of itself.
Dao patterns and runes clearly belonged to two entirely different systems, yet in Xu Ying's hands, they seamlessly merged!
Xu Ying's figure moved forward slowly, touching the Supreme rune. He eased his way into it and glided through with deliberate slowness.
The Last Lord of Ziwei and Nan Ziyan held their breath. Xu Ying seemed to blend entirely with the Supreme rune, gliding smoothly inside, then leisurely stepping out of it, parting ways without a disturbance.
The Last Lord was dumbfounded. "What kind of preposterous method is that?"
Unable to make sense of it, Nan Ziyan asked hurriedly, "Your Majesty, how did Young Master Xu crack it?"
Collecting himself, the Last Lord wore an odd expression. "He didn't crack the Supreme rune. Instead, he aligned with it, adding a few things to it."
Nan Ziyan was still baffled.
The Last Lord explained, "Suppose the Supreme rune is a doorless room. Rather than hammering his way through to break the seal, he harmonized his Dao patterns with the room. Once merged, he became part of the wall, and he simply walked straight through it."
Nan Ziyan roughly understood.
Cracking a Supreme rune was far too troublesome; it meant pitting one's intellect against that of a Supreme and unraveling their wisdom. Setting aside whether Xu Ying had such capability, even if he did, the time required would be terrifyingly long.
Xu Ying had previously tried to crack the Imperial Monarch's Immortal Dao rune seal, and he knew intimately that a contest of intellect swallowed massive amounts of time—and time was precisely what they lacked.
Thus, he chose not to crack it, but to merge with it.
All he needed was to comprehend the principles and wisdom contained within the Supreme rune, express its contents through his Dao patterns, and blend into it until there was no distinction between self and seal.
Then, he could simply pass through the Supreme rune imitated by his own Dao patterns, without worrying in the least about triggering its destructive force.
He could not break these seals, but understanding the Supreme runes was far simpler. After all, the insights behind these Supreme runes often originated from *Taiyi Enlightenment* as well.
Even if he encountered runes that did not stem from *Taiyi Enlightenment*, he could bypass them and find an opening through others.
There were far too many seals here. While they appeared impenetrable, the sheer excess of seals actually created instability. Different seals occupied different pockets of space, and there was bound to be a path leading straight into Mount Qian's imperial tomb!
Xu Ying pressed deeper and deeper, his figure gradually vanishing from the sight of the Last Lord of Ziwei and Nan Ziyan.
The Last Lord and the others waited silently outside. A long time passed, yet Xu Ying did not return. Another two days went by, and Xu Ying seemed to have vanished into thin air inside the imperial mausoleum.
Another half a month passed, and still Xu Ying did not emerge.
"Could Young Master Xu have died inside the tomb?" Nan Ziyan asked, fraught with anxiety.
The Last Lord of Ziwei said, "He isn't dead. Not a single one of those Immortal Dao rune seals has erupted with power. He is still infiltrating, only his pace is growing slower. It may be that the deeper seals are stronger and far harder to comprehend."
A full month passed, and the imperial mausoleum of Mount Qian remained dead silent.
The silence inside the tomb was terrifying.
The Last Lord of Ziwei grew restless, pacing back and forth. He even risked danger to approach the entrance of his own tomb, gazing at the shimmering mouth of the cavern. Several times he nearly charged inside, only to stop himself at the last moment.
"Those Supreme seals still haven't reacted, which means his infiltration is going smoothly. A disturbance would mean danger! I must endure... I must endure..."
Just then, the light at the entrance of the imperial tomb rippled slightly.
The Last Lord of Ziwei looked eagerly toward the depths of the tomb. There, he faintly made out a silhouette wrapped in chains, carrying a radiant, golden imperial coffin on his back, walking out step by step along the tomb corridor!
Inside that dazzling imperial coffin lay the corpse of the Last Lord of Ziwei himself, its outer surface plastered with talismans as if suppressing an ancient, millennium-old cadaver!
Chapter 497