215: The legacy of the Green Emperor

Lin Jingyu, bearing the pressure of an ancient will that even God Lords dreaded, struggled to fly towards the towering source of azure light at the center of the bronze continent.

The closer he got, the stronger the sense of resonance became, and the azure feather in his hand even grew warm, as if it wanted to fly out of his grasp.

Finally, he passed through the last turbulent spatial-temporal current, and the scene before him suddenly opened up.

The source of the azure light was not some world-shattering Divine Artifact or Secret Realm, but rather... a dilapidated azure stone palace.

Most of the stone palace had collapsed, buried by massive bronze fragments, with only a small portion of the hall exposed. Its style was ancient and rustic, filled with the marks of time.

The vast azure light emanated from deep within the stone palace.

In front of the stone palace, on a relatively flat clearing, there were already visitors.

They were not enemies, but three men and one woman.

Leading them was a middle-aged man in a moon-white robe with a gentle, jade-like countenance. His aura was as profound as the sea, with subtle spatial-temporal ripples naturally emanating around him, as if he existed independently of this chaotic space-time. The feeling he gave Lin Jingyu was no less than that of the gray-robed God Lord from before, even more profound and unfathomable! He was clearly a true God Lord-level existence!

Behind him stood three people.

One was a cold-faced young man in black carrying an ancient sword, another was a refined scholar in a green robe holding a jade ruler, and the third was a stunningly beautiful woman in a colorful feathered dress.

The auras of these three were interconnected, and their Laws were perfectly integrated. They were clearly Peak High-ranking God Venerable powerhouses, and their Foundations were incredibly solid, far surpassing the Copper Mountain Divine Venerable or those from the Shadow Divine Court he had encountered previously.

All four of them exuded a grand, righteous, and peaceful aura, completely out of place with the Chaos and destruction of the Eternal Ruins, yet they miraculously maintained a tranquil and harmonious area here.

When Lin Jingyu appeared, all four gazes turned towards him simultaneously.

The three Divine Venerables showed a hint of surprise and scrutiny in their eyes, clearly discerning that although Lin Jingyu's Realm was also that of a High-ranking God Venerable, the terrifying power contained within his body startled them.

Especially the lingering injuries and bloodstains on his fists, all indicated that he had just gone through a fierce battle.

The leading God Lord in the moon-white robe fixed his gaze on the azure feather in Lin Jingyu's hand, and a hint of understanding and faint recollection flashed in his gentle eyes.

"Young friend, there's no need to be nervous," he spoke first, his voice gentle and possessing a calming power. "I am the Time-Space God Lord, in charge of a portion of the spatial-temporal order in the Nine Heavens Divine Domain. These three are my followers: Sword Venerable, Ruler Venerable, and Feather Venerable. We are not here for you, but rather, we sensed an anomaly in the Azure Emperor's relic hall and came specifically to investigate."

Azure Emperor? Lin Jingyu's heart stirred, and he looked at the feather in his hand.

Could Qing Li's father be this Azure Emperor? Wasn't it Heavenly Punishment? Forget it, it's too complicated... The Time-Space God Lord seemed to see through his thoughts and nodded slightly: "It seems you indeed have a connection with Fellow Daoist Azure Emperor. He is an old friend of mine, and also one of the original creators of the Nine Heavens Divine Domain, with a heart for all living beings, but alas..."

His words carried a hint of regret, "Back then, in order to seek the secret of eternity, he ventured into this place and has been missing ever since, leaving only a wisp of his aura Incarnation outside to arrange contingencies."

He scanned Lin Jingyu with his gaze: "Since you could obtain his token and come here, it is fate. Did a Shadow God Lord Incarnation just attack you?"

Lin Jingyu's vigilance slightly decreased but did not completely relax. He nodded: "Just drove one away."

As soon as these words were spoken, the three Divine Venerable followers all showed expressions of disbelief.

Sword Venerable spoke coldly: "Although the Shadow God Lord is only a Low-ranking God Lord, his Incarnation is by no means something a Divine Venerable can contend with! Your Excellency's words are a bit..."

Before he could finish, the Time-Space God Lord raised his hand to interrupt him, looking at Lin Jingyu, his eyes filled with even deeper admiration: "Chaos Divine Demon Body, cultivating both the Great Dao of Strength and the Great Dao of Chaos... no wonder. Fellow Daoist Azure Emperor indeed left a surprising glimmer of hope. Young friend, you are excellent."

He paused, his expression slightly solemn: "The Shadow has coveted the 'heart of chaos' left by the Azure Emperor for a long time. Having just retreated, he will certainly not give up. His true body is probably already on its way. This place is not suitable for prolonged stay."

Feather Venerable spoke with a clear voice: "God Lord, since this Fellow Daoist is connected to the Azure Emperor, why don't we join forces to open the Azure Emperor's relic hall first and obtain its Legacy? That would be better than leaving it to that Shadow scoundrel!"

Ruler Venerable also stroked his ruler and nodded: "That is precisely right. The Azure Emperor's Legacy must not fall into the hands of evildoers."

The Time-Space God Lord looked at Lin Jingyu, his gaze gentle: "What do you think, young friend? The Azure Emperor's relic hall has its Restrictions, requiring his token and a specific method to open it. Although we have the method, we lack the token. How about we cooperate, each taking what we need?"

Lin Jingyu's gaze swept over the four of them. His intuition told him that these people had no ill intentions for now, and their goal was consistent. His injuries were not yet healed, and facing the impending true body of the Shadow God Lord alone would indeed be immensely stressful.

"Alright," he said concisely. "How do we cooperate?"

"Good!" The Time-Space God Lord smiled. "Please, young friend, place the Azure Emperor's token near the hall door and inject power. We will simultaneously activate the secret method passed down by the Azure Emperor, working from both inside and out to open the door."

Lin Jingyu complied, holding the glowing azure feather, and walked towards the only relatively intact massive hall door of the dilapidated stone palace.

When he pressed the feather against the cold hall door and injected his Divine Power, the ancient runes on the door instantly lit up!

At the same time, the Time-Space God Lord formed hand seals, and a magical incantation filled with vitality and temporal aura struck the hall door. Behind him, Sword, Ruler, and Feather Venerables also acted simultaneously, three different torrents of Divine Power merging into the Time-Space God Lord's incantation.

Buzz—!

The hall door vibrated violently, the runes on it moving as if alive, emitting a deafening roar!

The towering azure light suddenly converged, all gathering on the hall door!

Crack... Boom!

The azure hall door, sealed for countless millennia, slowly opened a crack inwards!

An aura far more ancient, pure, and containing infinite vitality and creative power than even the heart of chaos, rushed out from the crack!

Just taking one breath, Lin Jingyu felt that the injuries he sustained from fighting the God Lord Incarnation instantly recovered by more than half! His Chaos Divine Demon Body even conveyed a hungry craving!

Just as the hall door was about to fully open!

"Hmph! Time-Space! Do you intend to monopolize the Azure Emperor's Legacy?!"

A cold roar tore through the Void Realm!

The gray-robed God Lord who had retreated earlier—the Shadow God Lord—had returned!

And this time, his aura was even more terrifying, as if he brought with him the oppressive shadows of the entire starfield!

His true body was about to descend!

Not only that, another powerful God Lord aura, filled with destruction and deathly stillness, erupted almost simultaneously from another direction, locking onto this location!

"Destruction God Lord?! You've come too!" The Time-Space God Lord's expression darkened.

The Shadow God Lord actually found a helper!

"Young friend! You go in first! Obtain the Azure Emperor's core Legacy! We'll handle the outside!" The Time-Space God Lord made a decisive decision, shouting at Lin Jingyu, while simultaneously flicking his sleeve. A gentle spatial-temporal force enveloped Lin Jingyu, instantly sending him into the newly opened crack of the hall door!

"Time-Space! You seek death!" The Shadow God Lord's roar came through.

"Form the array! Engage the enemy!" The Time-Space God Lord's voice was steady. He and his three Divine Venerable followers instantly set up a spatial-temporal sword array. Brilliant spatial-temporal Laws and sword light soared into the sky, meeting the overwhelming shadows and destructive power!

Rumble!!!

A God Lord-level battle instantly erupted outside the Azure Emperor's relic hall! The aftermath impacted the bronze continent, as if to tear this ancient land completely apart!

Meanwhile, Lin Jingyu, who had been sent inside the hall, found himself in a completely different world.

Inside the hall was not the imagined palace, but an boundless azure starfield.

At the center of the starfield, a giant, emerald-like, crystal-clear heart floated, slowly beating!

Each beat stirred the rhythm of the entire starfield, emitting boundless life and creative power!

The Azure Emperor's Heart?! Or rather... the heart of chaos?!

Beneath that azure heart, a blurred, azure-robed phantom made of light and shadow sat cross-legged, its appearance somewhat similar to Qing Li's, watching him with a gentle smile.

"Latercomer, you have finally arrived..."