115: Chapter 115 Small Goals, Big Goals

At the very moment he completely finished this transformation from Chaos to mortality.

Hmmm!

A supremely grand and lofty Dao sound resonated.

That sound was filled with pure joy and elation, as if welcoming the return of a supreme existence.

All the myriad daos of heaven and earth resonated excitedly, the Origin of the Great Dao also rippled slightly, sprinkling down endless auspicious rays of light and petals of Dao principles.

All the slumbering Forbidden Zone Supreme Beings were startled awake in shock.

All living beings across the myriad realms, regardless of where they were, felt something in their hearts at this moment, and unanimously turned their gazes towards the direction of the Ziwei Ancient Star.

Though they could not see a specific figure, they seemed to glimpse the vague outline of a terrifyingly powerful being beyond description and comprehension.

Endless immortal light and auspicious colors erupted. In the center of that brilliant, blazing, and extreme sea of light, a figure slowly rose.

It was a young man in his twenties, with long black hair flowing with a stellar luster, naturally cascading over his flawless physique.

His entire body was shrouded in hazy immortal radiance, every wisp of light containing vast life essence.

He stood atop the dome of heaven, his gaze calmly lowered, yet naturally exuding an aura that transcended All Realms.

The Chaos Emperor had successfully broken free from the shackles of the cycle of life and death, stepping into an unprecedented new life, having lived out his third lifetime.

The Dao resonance emanating from his body was so vast that merely the aura naturally radiating from him caused the myriad heavenly Daos to continuously echo.

The entire world was shocked; all living beings looked up in awe.

The legend they thought was about to fall had returned in such a mind-shattering way.

The current Chaos Emperor was terrifyingly boundless, his qi and blood immeasurable, like a boundless ocean.

His figure stood above the Nine Heavens, looking down upon the myriad realms.

This shocked the world, and everyone was in an uproar.

"Is this... the Chaos Emperor?"

"This feeling... is completely different. He seems even more terrifying. Has he transformed for another lifetime?"

"Just how far... has he gone?"

"It's been about 70,000 years of the Chaos Era, right? He's still moving forward, is there no end?"

Endless shock, reverence, and deep confusion reverberated in the hearts of all living beings.

They did not understand why the Chaos Emperor could keep growing stronger.

Especially the Forbidden Zone Supreme Beings; everyone is a proven Daoist, so why can you, Chaos, be so exaggerated? Have you no Bottlenecks?

Isn't the third lifetime a major hurdle? Why does it not feel like one on you?

Everyone is at the Peak of the human realm, so why is the gap so vast?

The Forbidden Zone Supreme Beings were puzzled and confused...

...

The so-called Chaos Era is a method of chronology spontaneously adopted by many forces across the myriad realms since the day the Chaos Emperor Jiang Hao proved his Dao.

Because Jiang Hao's achievements shook past and present, his strength was unfathomable, and his time in the world was long, his influence was immense.

Over time, this calendar that took his Dao-proving as year zero came to be widely used in many occasions recording major events and ancient agreements, becoming a recognized temporal benchmark in the Universe.

As for the existence that caused all these ripples, he was merely slowly opening his eyes deep within the Chaos Cavern Abode.

The third lifetime, accomplished.

"Returning to simplicity and authenticity... this is it." Jiang Hao murmured to himself, his voice echoing in the silent cavern abode.

He gently clenched his fist, able to feel the infinite Divine Power within his own body.

"The third lifetime indeed brings immense enhancement."

He could feel that this enhancement was much greater than the previous one, truly giving a sense of metamorphosis.

Jiang Hao stood up and walked out of the cavern abode with steady steps, arriving at that familiar small courtyard.

The stone table and stools remained, the ancient tree in the corner brimming with vitality.

Hot water poured into the pot, the tea leaves unfurled, and a delicate fragrance wafted upward.

Jiang Hao poured a cup for himself. He took a small sip, allowing the faint bitterness and sweet aftertaste to dissolve on his tongue, his thoughts also beginning to flow slowly.

Over seventy thousand years had passed.

From an ordinary worker struggling to make a living to the current Chaos Emperor, standing at the absolute Peak of the Universe, having undergone three lifetimes of transformation.

The span of this path was so vast that sometimes even he himself felt a bit dazed recalling it, as if in a grand dream.

He had attained the invincible position of Great Emperor, subdued the Forbidden Zones, ordered the heavens and earth, and initiated a golden age. Step by step, he had changed this world far too much.

Putting down the teacup, Jiang Hao's gaze turned towards the boundless starry sky, his eyes distant yet firm.

He recalled the sole remaining human skin of the Sun Saint Emperor, the lingering thoughts of the Taiyin Human Emperor before his dissipation, the final farewells of old friends like Battle Saint Venerable and Feng Wu before they sealed themselves away.

He recalled Yun Li's resolute back as she feigned death for transformation, and Heavenly Venerable Lingbao's calm 'see you later' as he journeyed through the starry sky.

On the path of longevity, fellow travelers grew fewer and fewer.

But Jiang Hao did not harbor much sorrow in his heart.

At his level, he had long since seen through the nature of the passage of time and the changing of human affairs.

Loneliness was inevitable, but his Dao Heart had thus grown ever firmer.

"My path is still long." Jiang Hao murmured to himself.

He clearly knew what he wanted to do.

The first grand ambition was to traverse the path of the Mortal Immortal and truly become an immortal.

This was not merely an increase in power but a complete leap in the level of life itself.

The success of the third lifetime gave him a clearer grasp of the fourth, the fifth... and even the final transformation.

This path was difficult, but he had confidence.

The second grand ambition was to figure out what exactly happened in the Chaotic Ancient Era.

What kind of enemy did that supreme existence who founded the entire cultivation system encounter?

Where are those enemies now? And where did that existence himself go?

Jiang Hao had an intuition that such a figure should not have perished so easily.

After all, even many fallen immortals or beings close to immortality could transform into undying medicines to remain in the world.

How could the existence who founded the Secret Realm Method, with achievements shaking past and present, simply vanish?

"He should still be alive." Jiang Hao looked at the starry sky, his eyes profound. "But his situation... is probably not good."

Otherwise, why would the Chaotic Ancient Heavenly Court have become that ruined wasteland?

Why did the otherworldly Tianzun slain by Heavenly Venerable Lingbao back then carry that strange aura full of erosion and pollution?

As for small goals, they were to integrate this world and elevate the overall strength of the entire world.

And then go see other worlds.

But elevating this world could not rely on him alone.

Jiang Hao understood clearly that relying on a single person, no matter how strong, one's energy was limited.

To deal with crises that might appear in the future, to explore broader worlds, a truly powerful, unified force was needed as a backbone and platform.

"The Heavenly Court..." he softly uttered these two words.

He thought of the Heavenly Court established by Dao Zun in the Mythological Era, and the ruins of that Heavenly Emperor from the Chaotic Ancient Era.

Different eras, different people, yet they all made similar choices.

This was no coincidence.

The Heavenly Court Jiang Hao wanted to establish was not a tool for rule and oppression.

It should be a center for Dao Law inheritance, a cornerstone for maintaining order, a platform for civilization to converge, and a fortress for jointly defending against external enemies.

"In my name, I establish the Heavenly Court." Jiang Hao stood up, his robes billowing without wind.

"Not to rule over all beings, but to guard the flame of this world, to open the path for those who come after, and also... to confront the possible shadows from beyond the heavens."

This decision stemmed both from public-mindedness—to consolidate strength and face potential extraterrestrial threats in the future—

and from private motives—to provide a better environment and assistance for his own exploration of higher paths.

Establishing the Heavenly Court was only one step; more important was that plan. Unfortunately, that plan was difficult and would require continuous progress and refinement to have a chance.

With a thought, Jiang Hao turned his hand and took out three ancient, simple great cauldrons.

These were precisely the final three of the nine cauldrons—the Underworld Cauldron, the Star Cauldron, and the Source Cauldron.

Over the years, he had long since refined and completed them, only waiting for a suitable time and place to position them.

Now, the time had come.

"First, go place these last three cauldrons." Jiang Hao took a step forward, and his figure vanished from the courtyard.

First stop: the formless void of the Path of Reincarnation.

This was not a specific location, but a conceptual place naturally formed by the Laws of the Universe.

Of course, this world had no place of Reincarnation or concept of Reincarnation and rebirth.

This 'Reincarnation' was merely a concept.

With the transcendent understanding of the world's Origin granted by his third lifetime, Jiang Hao captured its trace.

He placed the Underworld Cauldron at the core of this void.

The great cauldron slowly sank in.