261: Chapter 261 Xianyang

Xianyang City.

This imperial capital, which once reigned supreme over the world, was now left in a state of deathly silence.

The moment Gao De and Ao Xue stepped through the city gates, it felt as if they had entered another world.

The streets were wide and straight, enough for a hundred horses to march abreast. The shops, markets, and government offices on both sides, though collapsed and dilapidated, still showed glimpses of the prosperity of those years.

Dried bloodstains could be seen everywhere on the stone slabs.

The walls were densely covered with blade marks and sword holes.

Occasionally, skeletons could be seen—some of the Human Race, some of the Yao Race, and some whose race could not be recognized at all. They maintained their postures from just before death; some were still fighting, some were kneeling and wailing, and some were roaring at the sky.

"Here..." Ao Xue's blood-red eyes were full of solemnity, "What exactly happened back then?"

Gao De did not answer.

He just quietly felt the pulsation of the Dao Seed within his Dantian.

The Dao Seed was trembling.

It wasn't fear.

It was resonance.

Resonance with some extremely ancient and powerful existence deep within this dead city.

"Over there." He raised his hand and pointed toward the center of the city.

There, a massive palace stood majestically.

Though more than half of it had collapsed, it still emitted a heart-palpitating pressure.

Xianyang Palace.

The place where the First Emperor ruled the world.

---

In front of Xianyang Palace.

Nine giant pillars that reached the heavens were lined up on the left and right. Each pillar was carved with a giant dragon spiraling upward, its scales lifelike, its dragon eyes seemingly staring at the newcomers.

Beneath the pillars knelt nine skeletons.

All were in the shape of dragons.

Their bodies were golden and a hundred zhang long. Even though they had been dead for ten thousand years, they still emitted a terrifying pressure.

"Nine Rank Five True Dragons..." Ao Xue's voice trembled, "Kneeling here..."

Gao De stepped forward.

He saw that on the forehead of every True Dragon, there was a sword mark.

Killed with a single sword strike.

A person who could make nine Rank Five True Dragons kneel and wait for death without any power to resist—

In the entire Immortal Qin Dynasty, there was only one.

He looked up toward the palace gates.

On the gates, four large characters were carved:

"Mandated by Heaven"

The handwriting was bold and powerful, as if declaring something.

Gao De took a deep breath.

He pushed the door open.

---

Inside the palace, it was a complete mess.

The dragon throne was overturned, the jade steps were shattered, and the curtains had turned to ash.

But the most eye-catching thing was the massive skeleton in the center of the hall.

It was a dragon skeleton.

Its body was pitch black and a thousand zhang long, coiled throughout the entire hall.

Its dragon head was held high, its mouth wide open, as if it had let out one last roar before death.

Its dragon claws were clenched tight, clutching an object—it was a sword, golden all over, with two large characters carved on the blade:

"Tai'a"

Gao De's pupils constricted suddenly.

The taia sword.

The personal sword of the First Emperor.

A Divine Artifact that, according to legend, could sever Karma and cleave through Reincarnation.

And the one holding it—

"This is..." Ao Xue said with a trembling voice, "The First Emperor?"

Gao De did not answer.

He just walked forward.

Approaching that dragon skeleton.

Approaching that taia sword.

Just as he came within ten zhang of the dragon skeleton—

BOOM—!!!

A vast, ancient intent carrying endless majesty surged out from deep within the dragon skeleton!

"Latecomer..."

That voice was like thunder, like heavenly might, making the entire hall tremble!

Ao Xue let out a muffled groan and retreated ten zhang!

Gao De, however, did not retreat a single step.

He simply looked up, meeting the gaze of the dragon skeleton's hollow eye sockets.

Within those sockets, two clusters of golden flames were slowly flickering.

"Rank Five... Dao Seed..." That intent said lowly, "To be able to walk this far, not bad."

"Tell Us—what year and month is it now?"

Gao De was silent for a moment.

"Tens of thousands of years have passed since the Immortal Qin Dynasty," he said. "It is now the Central Continent Calendar, ruled by the Heavenly Dao Alliance."

"Tens of thousands of years..." That intent murmured, "So much time has actually passed..."

It paused.

"Latecomer, do you know who We are?"

Gao De nodded.

"The First Emperor," he said. "And also—the Ancestral Dragon."

"The ancestor of the Dragon Clan."

That intent fell silent.

Then, it laughed.

The laughter was desolate, carrying endless exhaustion.

"Good eyes," it said. "We are indeed the Ancestral Dragon."

"Also the First Emperor of the Immortal Qin Dynasty."

"And even more—"

It paused.

"In this world, the first existence to attempt to prove the Dao through strength and achieve Immortal Ascension through the luck of a dynasty."

Gao De's heart shook.

Proving the Dao through strength.

Immortal Ascension through the luck of a dynasty.

That was a legendary method of Immortal Ascension—not relying on bitter cultivation or enlightenment, but using the Qi and Luck of a nation to forcibly break through the barrier between heaven and man, becoming an immortal on the spot.

Throughout history, countless people had tried it.

No one had ever succeeded.

Because that required—true Heavenly Mandate.

"Did you... succeed?" Gao De asked.

The Ancestral Dragon was silent.

After a long while, it said lowly:

"One step short."

"Just one step short."

"At the very moment We were about to succeed—"

The golden flames in its eyes suddenly flared up!

The flames were full of anger and resentment!

"The Outer Realm Demonic Entitiess descended."

---

Outer Realm Demonic Entitiess.

When these two words were uttered by the Ancestral Dragon, the temperature of the entire hall suddenly dropped.

Ao Xue's blood-red eyes narrowed: "Outer Realm Demonic Entitiess? What are those?"

The Ancestral Dragon did not answer directly.

It just raised a dragon claw and gave a light wave.

Within the Void Realm, an image emerged—

It was the Immortal Qin Dynasty from ten thousand years ago.

Xianyang City was as prosperous as a tapestry, with ten thousand nations coming to pay homage.

The First Emperor stood atop Xianyang Palace, surrounded by tens of thousands of golden rays, holding the Immortal Ascension Ceremony.

The Luck of the world converged upon him alone.

His aura was climbing frantically!

Rank Five Peak—Half-step Rank Six—The threshold of Rank Six—

Just as he was about to take that final step—

The sky split open.

A massive rift stretched across the Nine Heavens.

Endless black gas poured out from the rift.

That black gas was deeper than the Nine Netherworlds and colder than the Guixu Abyss.

From within the black gas, countless hideous figures swarmed out—

Those were the Outer Realm Demonic Entitiess.

They had no fixed form; some were like giant insects, some like monstrous birds, and some like monsters formed from countless tangled tentacles.

They had only one goal—

Xianyang.

The First Emperor.

And the Ancestral Dragon who was about to achieve Immortal Ascension.

"That day," the Ancestral Dragon's voice was low and desolate, "We finally understood why, throughout history, no one has ever been able to achieve Immortal Ascension through the luck of a dynasty."

"It wasn't because this method was unfeasible."

"But because—"

"The Heavenly Dao would not allow it."

"For the Human Race to achieve Immortal Ascension is already Heaven-Defying."

"For the Dragon Clan to achieve Immortal Ascension is even more of a taboo."

"And We were both."

"So, the moment the Heavenly Dao sensed We were about to succeed—"

"It opened the Extraterrestrial Gate."

"And drew in the demons."

In the image, a great war broke out.

Countless Immortal Qin experts soared into the sky to face the demons.

Nine Rank Five True Dragons led an army of ten million from the Dragon Clan to defend Xianyang to the death.

The First Emperor himself held the taia sword, slaying countless demons.

But there were too many of them.

Infinite and endless.

They could not be finished.

They could not be exterminated.

Ultimately—

The nine True Dragons exhausted their strength and died, kneeling outside the palace gates.

The army of ten million from the Dragon Clan was completely annihilated.

Countless Immortal Qin experts perished together with the demons.

The First Emperor stood atop Xianyang Palace, covered in blood, looking around with his sword—

By his side, not a single soldier or officer remained.

And the demons were still swarming in.

"We knew We had lost," the Ancestral Dragon said softly, "lost to Heaven."

"Lost to this world's fear of 'taboos'."

"But We were not resigned."

"We used Our final strength to Seal the Extraterrestrial Gate above Xianyang."

"And suppressed all the remaining demons beneath Xianyang City."

"Then—"

It looked down at its own broken dragon skeleton.

"We sat here and waited."

"Waiting for a person."

"A person who could walk this far."

"A person who could complete the unfinished business for Us."

It raised its head and looked toward Gao De.

In those golden eyes, there was expectation, scrutiny, and also a faint—

"You are that person."

Gao De was silent.

After a long while, he asked: "You have waited for me for ten thousand years; what do you want me to do?"

The Ancestral Dragon laughed.

"It's very simple," it said. "Inherit everything of Ours."

"Inherit Our Dragon Clan Bloodline."

"Inherit Our taia sword."

"Inherit Our—Dao."

It paused.

"Then, go to the Extraterrestrial Realm for Us."

"See where those demons came from for Us."

"Ask that Heavenly Dao for Us—on what grounds does it forbid Us from achieving Immortal Ascension!"

The last sentence was like a thunderclap!

The entire hall shook violently!

Around Gao De, Chaos Lightning involuntarily surged out, creating a certain resonance with the Ancestral Dragon's majesty!

The Dao Seed in his Dantian pulsated frantically!

That pulsation told him—

What the Ancestral Dragon said was true.

The one it was waiting for was indeed him.

What it wanted to give was exactly what he needed—

That final wisp of Great Dao power.

A strand of the complete Great Dao.

"Inherit you..." Gao De said lowly, "How do I inherit?"

The Ancestral Dragon raised a dragon claw.

The taia sword slowly flew up, hovering in front of Gao De.

"Grasp it," the Ancestral Dragon said. "If you can withstand Our Dragon Soul, you will be Our successor."

"If you cannot—"

It paused.

"Then be buried here along with this sword."

Gao De looked at the golden divine sword before him.

A faint golden light flowed over the blade, and countless fine patterns were faintly visible on the edge—those were the traces of Karma, the imprints of Reincarnation, and the folds of space-time.

The taia sword.

It could sever Karma and cleave through Reincarnation.

He reached out.

He grasped the hilt.

BOOM—!!!

In that instant, countless images flooded into his mind!

He saw—

The moment the Ancestral Dragon attempted Immortal Ascension ten thousand years ago.

He saw the sky split, saw the demons, and saw that tragic and extreme great war.

He saw the nine True Dragons die kneeling, saw the ten million members of the Dragon Clan vanish into ash, and saw the First Emperor standing with his sword upon the ruins, facing the endless demons alone.

He saw that in the Ancestral Dragon's golden eyes before death—

There was no fear.

Only lack of resignation.

Only anger.

Only—

"We are not convinced."

Then, the images shattered.

Gao De opened his eyes.

He was still holding the taia sword.

The blade was vibrating gently.

It created a strange resonance with the Dao Seed in his Dantian.

That resonance told him—

He had caught it.

He had withstood the Ancestral Dragon's Dragon Soul.

He was—the successor.

The Ancestral Dragon looked at him, a flash of relief in its eyes.

"Good," it said. "We have waited for ten thousand years and finally found one who is qualified."

It raised its dragon claw and lightly tapped the air.

A golden light surged from its forehead, slowly injecting into Gao De's body.

Within that light was contained the Great Dao power the Ancestral Dragon had cultivated throughout its life—

Karma.

Reincarnation.

Space-time.

And—

A strand of the complete Great Dao.

Gao De's entire body shook violently!

The golden light flooded into his Dantian, merging with his Dao Seed!

The Dao Seed spun frantically, absorbing it madly!

Seven wisps of Great Dao power—complete!

Then—

BOOM—!!!

The Dao Seed shattered!

No.

It wasn't shattering.

It was—transformation!

The shattered Dao Seed reconsolidated, turning into a brand-new, golden—

Dragon Pearl.

Larger, brighter, and more powerful than before.

Within the Dragon Pearl, a spiraling dragon shadow was faintly visible.

That was him.

And also the Ancestral Dragon.

It was his own Dao.

And also the Ancestral Dragon's Legacy.

"Congratulations." The Ancestral Dragon's voice had become extremely weak, "From this day forth, you are Our successor."

"The new—Ancestral Dragon."

Gao De opened his eyes.

He looked at the golden Dragon Pearl in his hand.

Feeling the majestic power contained within it.

Rank Five Early Stage—stabilized.

Rank Five Middle Stage—threshold.

Only one step away.

Only one battle away.

Only away from—

Going to the Extraterrestrial Realm.

He looked up toward the Ancestral Dragon.

The thousand-zhang dragon skeleton was slowly dissipating.

Golden light was peeling off from it bit by bit, turning into countless specks of light that drifted into the Void Realm.

"Our time... has come." The Ancestral Dragon said softly, "Latecomer, remember Our words."

"The Extraterrestrial Gate is right above Xianyang."

"The demons are suppressed beneath the city."

"But the Seal will not last much longer."

"If one day the Seal breaks—"

"The Outer Realm Demonic Entitiess will descend once more."

"At that time, you will be the only hope for this world."

Gao De was silent.

After a long while, he asked: "Do you regret it?"

The Ancestral Dragon was startled.

"Regret what?"

"Regret taking this path," Gao De said. "Achieving Immortal Ascension through the luck of a dynasty, drawing in the demon invasion, causing the collapse of the Immortal Qin Dynasty, and leading to the deaths of countless people because of you."

"Do you regret it?"

The Ancestral Dragon was silent.

Then, it laughed.

The smile was desolate yet relieved.

"Regret?" it said softly, "We have never regretted it."

"We were just not resigned."

"Not resigned to losing to Heaven."

"Not resigned to letting those who followed Us die in vain."

"But regret—"

It shook its head.

"No regret."

"Because that was Our Dao."

"The path We chose for Ourselves."

"If it couldn't be traversed, that was fate."

"But whether to walk it or not was Our choice."

It looked at Gao De.

"Latecomer, remember—"

"No matter which path you take, there will be a price."

"But as long as you do not regret it—"

"Then walk it to the very end."

As the words fell.

The Ancestral Dragon's remains completely shattered.

Turning into countless golden specks of light that drifted into the Void Realm.

Xianyang Palace returned to silence.

Gao De stood in place, holding the taia sword, looking at the drifting golden light.

He remained silent for a long time.

Ao Xue walked to his side and did not speak.

She just quietly accompanied him.

After a long while.

Gao De raised his head.

"Let's go," he said.

Ao Xue asked: "Where to?"

Gao De looked out of the hall.

He looked toward the sky above Xianyang City.

There, a massive rift stretched across the Nine Heavens.

Though it had been sealed, it still emitted a heart-palpitating aura.

The Extraterrestrial Gate.

"First, consolidate the Realm," he said. "And then—"

He paused.

"Go to the Extraterrestrial Realm."

"Go see where those demons actually come from."

"Go ask that Heavenly Dao—"

"On what grounds does it forbid us from achieving Immortal Ascension."

He gripped the taia sword tightly.

Golden light surged from the blade, merging with the Chaos Lightning around him.

Within that light was his own Dao.

And also the Legacy of the Ancestral Dragon.

The joint will of the new Ancestral Dragon and the old Ancestral Dragon—

A shared will.

Ao Xue looked at his profile.

On that face, there was no longer the caution of the past, nor the calculations of before.

There was only a kind of—

Serenity.

A serenity that came after seeing through everything.

She suddenly smiled.

"Okay," she said.

"Wherever you go, I go."

Gao De turned to look at her.

He also smiled.

"Then let's go."

The two walked side by side out of Xianyang Palace.

Toward that Extraterrestrial Gate.

Toward that unknown—

Future.