Chapter 3

The disciples of Flame Dragon Valley did not know that the Old Sage was now filled with excitement and unease.

— To take a descendant of an emperor as a disciple, and even this emperor was the first one to open the heavens and earth, the creator of martial arts, what a great honor it would be for him!

It would be enough to make his name go down in history, to be remembered forever!

"The Myriad Dao Sect and the Benevolent Heart Sword Hall will surely want to find this child as well; we must hurry!" The Old Sage urged, then added, "No, I must go in person. Those old immortals might disregard their status and personally intervene, and if that happens, my disciple might be forcibly taken away."

Everyone was stunned. Are you still a Sage?

When a Sage wants to take a disciple, wouldn't all the talented people in the world eagerly come forward?

But this one, he even felt that sending someone to guide the disciple wasn't safe enough, fearing that the disciple might be intercepted, and decided to go in person.

Sigh, how envious of that young man who just awakened the emperor's dharma image!

But at this moment, another anomaly appeared in the world.

Another golden lotus bloomed, forming a twin flower with the one that had already bloomed.

The dharma materialized, entwining around the lotus, within reach.

What!

Ordinary martial artists were just amazed, but the Kings and Sages were so excited they almost fainted.

The dharma of heaven and earth!

If they could absorb and refine these dharmas, they would surely advance further.

The Old Sage of Flame Dragon Valley was already stunned. Two golden lotuses blooming together, what did this mean?

Another descendant of an emperor awakened a dharma image?

How coincidental!

"This person, I must take as a disciple too!" After a brief pause, the Old Sage shouted loudly.

Just as his shout echoed, a third golden lotus appeared in the sky.

Three lotuses stood side by side, each wave sending out countless dharma fragments, infinitely profound.

This!

The Old Sage's lips moved, as if he had lost the ability to speak.

This was a Sage, one who could pluck the stars with his hands and crush the nine netherworlds with his feet, who wouldn't even frown if the sky fell before him, but now he was completely stunned.

The third one!

The third descendant of an emperor!

"Three... I want them all!"

Boom!

A fourth golden lotus bloomed, also entwined with countless dharma fragments. These fragments intertwined and even evolved into various secret techniques. Many geniuses immediately sat down to ponder these dharmas, and even a small understanding would benefit them for life!

The Old Sage was completely speechless. Was there a fourth descendant of an emperor, and did they also awaken a dharma image so coincidentally?

How could there be such a coincidence!

But could there be any other explanation?

The Old Sage was stunned, for the first time realizing how ignorant he had been for thousands of years.

But was the shock over?

How could it be!

The fifth, sixth... ninth golden lotus bloomed one after another, and for a moment, the sky was completely covered by nine golden lotuses. The dharma fragments intertwined, evolving into countless profound techniques, with mysterious sounds echoing.

The Old Sage: "..."

...

Similar scenes were happening simultaneously in the Myriad Dao Sect, the Heavenly Demon Sect, and other top forces in the Nine Provinces. Old monsters who hadn't appeared for hundreds of years reappeared, flying out of their seclusion like meteors.

This day, the world was shaken!

However, as the instigator of it all, Ye Yan was incredibly calm.

— The first emperor of the world, a supreme being who had lived nine lives, what could move him?

"Return!"

He lightly shouted, and the nine golden lotuses in the sky immediately flew down, shrinking rapidly as they flew. When they reached him, they were only three inches tall, and the nine lotuses had merged into one, forming a strange lotus that was neither jade nor gold.

"Each life cultivated the myriad dao, and the nine lives merged, the myriad dao became one, which is the Great Dao!"

The Great Dao transcends the Heavenly Dao.

To make a comparison, the Heavenly Dao is like an emperor, naturally commanding the world with absolute authority, but the emperor will die and be replaced, while the Great Dao is the essence of the world, eternal and unchanging.

The Heavenly Dao is capricious, but the Great Dao is eternal.

But only those at the level of an emperor can touch the Heavenly Dao, so who can glimpse the Great Dao hidden beneath it? Even a being like Ye Yan, who lived nine lives and finally anchored his soul to the Great Dao, only then had some understanding.

The nine golden lotuses of the myriad dao merged into the Great Dao lotus, which swiftly entered Ye Yan's body, rooted in his dantian, gently swaying, infinitely profound.

Dharma image, formed!

If anyone saw this scene, they would be shocked to the core, completely disbelieving their eyes!

A dharma image is either inherited through bloodline, awakened later in life, or formed after reaching the third rank. How could it be created before reaching the ninth rank?

For others, it's impossible, but for a former emperor, it's effortless.

"Next is the physical body." Ye Yan murmured.

A dharma image can accelerate cultivation and enhance combat power, but it doesn't improve the defense of the physical body—although a dharma image can also defend, it requires active use and cannot provide passive defense.

But can a martial artist guarantee that every enemy will attack from the front and not ambush them?

Therefore, the strength of the physical body is very important, ensuring that even if ambushed and hit, there is still the power to counterattack, or even remain unharmed.

"Divine and demonic beings are naturally endowed with powerful physiques, with the invincible Black Tortoise for defense, the peerless White Tiger for attack, and the Crimson Phoenix that can be reborn from fire!" Ye Yan counted the top physiques in the world, "In the past, I killed all the top divine and demonic beings, extracting their essence and integrating it into the human race, making the physiques a legacy that can be inherited through bloodline."

"However, divine and demonic beings are nurtured by heaven and earth, so their physiques are also granted by heaven. Ultimately, it all comes down to one fundamental word: Dao!"

"In this life, I will extract the essence of the Great Dao to forge my body!"

"Come!"

He lightly shouted, and instantly, fragments invisible to the naked eye from the world flew toward him. At the same time, a layer of black clouds covered the sky above Stone County, with terrifying lightning surging in the clouds, forming the shapes of true dragons. Thunder rumbled continuously, as if heaven was enraged and about to unleash a thunderous punishment.

All the strong in the Nine Provinces were shocked. They could clearly sense the dharma of heaven and earth condensing, preparing to unleash a terrifying strike!

Who in the world could withstand it?

Even a Sage would be instantly killed!

Who committed such a heinous act that heaven would unleash the supreme thunder punishment to erase them?

Ordinary people couldn't sense this, remaining oblivious, but animals were sensitive. Countless birds took flight, and countless fierce beasts cowered, as if the end of the world had arrived.

Ye Yan looked at the sky and shook his head: "I have already scattered my cultivation from nine lives to you. What's the harm in extracting some of your essence of the Great Dao in this life? Why be so petty?"

If anyone heard these words, even a Sage would tremble!

The essence of the Great Dao!

What does this mean?

If anyone could completely seize the essence of the Great Dao, wouldn't they be able to replace heaven?

A single thought would be the will of heaven, the dharma, and the Heavenly Dao!

No wonder heaven wanted to erase Ye Yan with thunder punishment; he was vying for control of the world with heaven!