252: Chapter 252 The Return of the Creation Emperor

"Good." Jiang Hao waved his hand, collecting Emperor Yuan's light-shadow into his sleeve. "Then you shall stay in the Heavenly Court for now!"

Yuan Dao, within the spatial pocket of Jiang Hao's sleeve, said respectfully, "As the Heavenly Emperor commands. I am endlessly grateful!"

Inside the sleeve, Emperor Yuan, sensing the vast, starry, and tranquil aura around him, finally relaxed his tightly wound spirit. This time, he had truly cheated death.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hao's interest was piqued. This Emperor Yuan was quite the convenient research material that had delivered himself to his doorstep.

"An Immortal Artifact Transforming into a Divine Embryo. Interesting."

Three thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Hao opened his eyes from his state of deduction. With a wave of his hand, a jade-green light-shadow flew out from his sleeve.

The light-shadow coalesced in the air, manifesting the form of Emperor Yuan. His body remained semi-transparent, but it was much more substantial than three thousand years ago, and the flickering had lessened.

Emperor Yuan assessed his own state, a look of pleasant surprise appearing on his face:

"Heavenly Emperor, I feel my consciousness is much clearer! That groggy feeling of being assimilated by the gourd has lessened considerably!"

Jiang Hao nodded. "There's been some progress in the research. I used a portion of the Immortal Dao essence refined from the immortal corpse, combined with the Immortal Artifact, to slowly nurture your gourd's original form, guiding its transformation towards an Immortal Artifact."

The progress of this research endeavor wasn't particularly fast. In truth, with Jiang Hao's strength and various treasures, making the immortal-slaying gourd into an Immortal Artifact wouldn't be too difficult.

But this immortal-slaying gourd contained Emperor Yuan's Primordial Spirit; it couldn't be treated as a conventional weapon.

He couldn't use overly violent methods, fearing harm to Emperor Yuan's Primordial Spirit. They could only proceed slowly.

Fortunately, the results were good. The situation had stabilized, and there were already some achievements.

Emperor Yuan bowed deeply. "That is more than enough. I am already endlessly grateful. If not for the Heavenly Emperor's aid, I'm afraid I would have completely turned into an artifact spirit by now, forgetting who I was."

Jiang Hao waved his hand. "No need for formalities. This research is helpful to me as well."

Jiang Hao looked at Yuan Dao's semi-transparent body, thinking to himself.

This state of a Primordial Spirit being deeply entangled with a weapon was exceedingly rare throughout eternity. Studying it for these three thousand years had given him new insights into weapon spiritualization and the evolution of sentience.

This Emperor Yuan, this 'phoenix chick,' was quite good. He had dug his own pit, yet provided Jiang Hao with precious research material.

Without him actively delivering himself, Jiang Hao truly wouldn't have thought to research this direction, nor would he have had the research material.

"Maintain this state for now, continue the nurturing," Jiang Hao said. "When the time is ripe, I will attempt the next step."

"Yes, as the Heavenly Emperor commands!" Emperor Yuan respectfully complied. Now, he trusted Jiang Hao one hundred percent.

At that moment, a strange fluctuation suddenly emanated from the depths of the cosmos.

The fluctuation did not originate from any living being but from the Great Dao itself.

The myriad daos of heaven and earth began to resonate autonomously, producing pleasing Dao sounds. Countless auspicious phenomena manifested across the starry sky.

Immortal phoenixes danced, divine lotuses bloomed, and auspicious radiance flowed in thousands of streams.

The spiritual energy of the entire Origin Realm became several degrees more active.

"This is..." Sensing the fluctuation, Emperor Yuan was taken aback. "An omen of a Great Perfection Saint Spirit's emergence?"

Jiang Hao also sensed it. His gaze turned towards the direction of the fluctuation—the Primordial Ancient Star.

The corner of Jiang Hao's mouth lifted slightly into a smile. "Oh? I didn't expect her to return so quickly. Excellent!"

Emperor Yuan was puzzled. "Heavenly Emperor, do you know which Saint Spirit this is?"

"An old acquaintance." Jiang Hao stood up and said to Emperor Yuan, "Come with me to take a look."

With that, his sleeve billowed, enveloping Emperor Yuan as they transformed into a streak of light, instantly traversing endless Star Domains and appearing in the starry space outside the Primordial Ancient Star.

At this moment, the Primordial Ancient Star was enveloped by vast Creation Qi.

The entire Ancient Star's earth veins were glowing. Countless plants and trees grew wildly. Withered wood met spring, and old wells gushed with fresh water.

All living beings on the Ancient Star, whether human or of other races, felt their bodies invigorated. Some Cultivators stuck at Bottlenecks even broke through on the spot.

In the starry sky, a blurry figure was slowly solidifying.

It was the outline of a woman, composed of the purest Creation Great Dao runes, radiating an extremely dense life force and the flawless, complete Dao charm of a Saint Spirit.

The figure grew clearer and clearer.

Finally, a woman dressed in a cyan palace gown, her temperament gentle yet carrying authority, fully manifested in the starry sky.

She opened her eyes. In their depths, the phenomenon of the flow of creation seemed to flash.

"Yun Li." Jiang Hao looked at the woman and spoke softly.

Yun Li, or rather, the Creation Emperor, heard the voice and turned to look.

When she saw Jiang Hao, a flash of pleasant surprise appeared in her eyes, quickly turning into a brilliant smile.

"Heavenly Emperor!" Yun Li took a step forward, arriving before Jiang Hao. She looked him up and down, her tone filled with emotion. "I truly never thought I would see you again. It's wonderful."

The path of transformation was fraught with danger. Every successful transformation and the chance to see an old friend was a cause for joy.

Jiang Hao also smiled faintly and said, "It seems you have successfully walked this Path of the Creation Saint Spirit."

Jiang Hao was also happy that an old acquaintance could return safely.

Yun Li nodded, her eyes holding memories. "Yes, this time was truly not easy. I feigned death for transformation, sealing myself within a Creation Source Stone.

I experienced years of slumber and reconstruction. Several times during the process, I nearly dissipated, completely turning into a mindless Saint Spirit. Fortunately, I persevered in the end."

Yun Li looked at Jiang Hao seriously. "If not for the Great Emperor's guidance back then, teaching me the method of transforming into a Saint Spirit and providing various pointers on cultivation details, I absolutely could not have succeeded. I will remember this kindness, Yun Li."

Jiang Hao waved his hand. "The path was one you walked yourself. Your success proves your Dao Heart is sufficiently firm and that you have reached the pinnacle of the Creation Great Dao."

Yun Li smiled. Her gaze fell upon the semi-transparent person beside Jiang Hao, who exuded an aura of a jade-green gourd.

She looked carefully for a few moments, her eyes revealing confusion. "And this is...? His condition, how..."

She had never seen this person before, but she could sense the Emperor-level aura within him, knowing he was a figure of Great Emperor caliber.

But how did a Great Emperor-level figure end up in this state, neither fully human nor fully artifact?

Hearing this, Jiang Hao gave a simple introduction: "This is a newly ascended Great Emperor, named Emperor Yuan. He wanted to walk the path of longevity through merging his Primordial Spirit with a weapon. The result was him refining himself into this state. I am currently researching him."

After listening, Yun Li's eyes widened slightly, her expression utterly stunned.

Merging his Primordial Spirit with an Emperor's weapon for longevity?

What a shocking idea!

She didn't understand it, but she was greatly shocked!

The Creation Emperor looked at Emperor Yuan, then at Jiang Hao. After a long moment, she finally uttered, "Fellow Daoist, what an... idea."

The words were tactful, but the peculiarity and shock in her eyes were unmistakable.

Emperor Yuan, standing to the side, smiled awkwardly; even his semi-transparent face showed embarrassment.

He also knew how outrageous his actions were. But what's done is done. What could he do?

He could only offer an awkward yet polite smile!

Yun Li gave a light cough, composing her expression. She nodded to Emperor Yuan. "To walk a path different from others also takes courage. I wish you an early escape from your predicament, Fellow Daoist."

"Thank you for your auspicious words, Creation Emperor." Emperor Yuan clasped his hands, inwardly sighing bitterly.

After a brief exchange, the three of them returned together to the Heavenly Court.

Along the way, Yun Li learned from Jiang Hao and Emperor Yuan about the events that had transpired over the last hundred thousand plus years.

She learned about Jiang Hao opening the ascension passage, the flight of the many Emperors, the invasion of the Otherworldly True Immortals, and Jiang Hao slaying an immortal...