30: Chapter 30 The Emperor Who Lived a Second Life?

"Precious?" Shen Qingyuan looked down at the Magic Treasures scattered across the ground, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. "I said it already, I am not lacking in Magic Treasures; if they are destroyed, then so be it."

"I will only ask you once." Shen Qingyuan looked at the shivering ball of demonic mist, his tone indifferent. "Submit, or die?"

The old man shuddered all over.

He looked into Shen Qingyuan's eyes.

Those eyes, seemingly lazy and casual, revealed an unquestionable indifference.

It was a condescending gaze from above, as if his life and death were not even worth mentioning in the other's eyes.

This feeling, he had only experienced it from one person—Great Emperor Tun Tian.

At this moment, it was as if he were facing a Great Emperor directly!

The old man was silent for a moment, then finally lowered his head in defeat.

"I... submit."

Shen Qingyuan turned and walked back to the soft couch, lying down lazily with his hands behind his head.

"Qingyue, bring the imperial decree covenant here."

Luo Qingyue was slightly startled, then turned and walked to the stone table, picking up the dark golden scroll with both hands and handing it to Shen Qingyuan.

The moment the old man saw the scroll, his pupils shrank!

That ancient, majestic, and irresistible aura made him instinctively feel a deep sense of fear!

"This... what is this?!"

The old man's voice was trembling, and his form instinctively retreated.

Shen Qingyuan took the imperial decree covenant and unfolded it casually.

The dark golden scroll unfolded; it was blank, with only mysterious and intricate Dao runes slowly circulating, exuding a heart-palpitating pressure.

"The imperial decree covenant."

The old man stared at that dark golden scroll, his blood-red pupils contracting violently.

This scroll before him—it was actually also a Magic Treasure!

And not an ordinary Magic Treasure!

Those circulating Dao runes, that ancient and majestic aura that was almost irresistible, were deeper and more terrifying than any Magic Treasure he had ever seen!

Who exactly is this guy?!

Countless thoughts flashed through the old man's mind, frantically trying to find a reasonable explanation.

An heir of an ancient Great Emperor?

No, that's not right.

When he followed Great Emperor Tun Tian back then, he had seen several children of Great Emperors.

Although those imperial children had outstanding talent and deep foundations, they could at most inherit their father's Magic Treasures.

Like this, casually pulling out over a dozen Magic Treasures—

Even an heir of an ancient Great Emperor could absolutely not do this!

The old man's heart shook, and an even crazier thought surged into his mind—

Could it be... that some ancient Great Emperor has lived a second life?!

Once this idea appeared, it grew wildly like weeds, unable to be suppressed no matter how hard he tried.

Only this could explain it!

Only a Great Emperor himself would have the qualifications and the foundation to possess so many Magic Treasures!

And this dark golden imperial decree covenant before him—

It was likely the supreme treasure refined by this Great Emperor in his previous life!

The more the old man thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and the fear in his heart deepened.

If it really was a Great Emperor living a second life, then the person before him was an existence even more terrifying than Great Emperor Tun Tian.

Following such an existence, this was his honor!

He dared not hesitate any longer; his form twisted, and a pitch-black light drifted out from between his eyebrows.

That was his Origin Divine Soul, the core existence of a Magic Treasure spirit.

That pitch-black Divine Soul plunged fiercely into the imperial decree covenant!

"Hum—!"

The imperial decree covenant suddenly erupted with brilliant golden light!

On the dark golden scroll, those mysterious and intricate Dao runes seemed to come alive, circulating wildly, weaving into a brilliant golden curtain of light in the Void Realm.

The old man's Divine Soul rolled and twisted in the light curtain, being entangled and branded by the golden runes.

A moment later—

The golden light dissipated.

The imperial decree covenant returned to its original appearance; on the dark golden scroll, there was now a pitch-black mark, deeply branded onto the scroll like ink.

And the old man—

No, at this moment he should be called the Demon Swallowing Well spirit.

He lay limp on the ground, the demonic mist around him had thinned by more than half, and his blood-red eyes had become dim and lusterless.

But what shocked him the most was—

He could clearly feel that deep within his Divine Soul, there was an extra golden rune.

That rune exuded an ancient, majestic aura; with just a single thought from Shen Qingyuan, it could make him Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

"This is... the imperial decree covenant?"

The old man muttered to himself, his eyes full of horror.

He had lived for thirty thousand years and had seen countless contract-type Magic Treasures, but he had never seen such an overbearing, such an irresistible contract!

That binding force acted directly on the Origin of his Divine Soul; even if he tried his best, he could not shake it in the slightest.

Even—

He could feel that even if he were lucky enough to break through the limits of a Magic Treasure spirit in the future and achieve a higher Realm, this contract would not disappear.

It would be like a great mountain, forever pressing down on him.

Shen Qingyuan glanced at the Demon Swallowing Well spirit lying on the ground, raised his hand and grabbed; the Spiritual Qi in the courtyard gathered, turning into a stream of spiritual liquid, which he then injected into the spirit's body.

The old man's previously fading form immediately solidified.

Seeing that Shen Qingyuan had made him recover by more than half with a casual wave, the old man was even more convinced that the Honorable One before him was an ancient Great Emperor!

The old man hurriedly climbed up, bowing and scraping: "Thank you, Honorable One! Thank you, Honorable One!"

Shen Qingyuan glanced at him: "Call me Young Master from now on."

"Yes, yes, yes! Young Master!" The old man hurriedly changed his address, the fawning expression on his face even thicker than before.

Shen Qingyuan raised an eyebrow: "Now, tell me properly, what is your deal? What is the deal with Great Emperor Tun Tian, and where did all those Great Emperors go?"

"Yes, Honorable One." The old man nodded repeatedly. "This lowly one is the spirit of the Demon Swallowing Well, bestowed the name Tun Xuan by the Great Emperor."

Tun Xuan recalled the past events. "Great Emperor Tun Tian sealed that Blood Demon Ancestor in the Demon Swallowing Well, but that old demon wanted to bewitch me, and in the end, he was devoured by me, and I became like this because of it."

Luo Qingyue's tea-brewing action paused slightly, and a strange look flashed in her cold, clear eyes.

She had felt very strange just now; as a Magic Treasure spirit, he seemed like one from the Demonic Path, which was truly bizarre.

So it was because he had devoured the Divine Soul of an old demon!

"Thirty thousand years ago, this world had Great Emperors."

Tun Xuan continued, his tone carrying a bit of nostalgia. "I followed Great Emperor Tun Tian back then and witnessed the glory of that era with my own eyes. The Great Emperor suppressed the world for an age, all races submitted, and across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, none dared to disobey."

"Great Emperor Tun Tian... what kind of person was he?" Luo Qingyue rarely spoke; her voice was clear and light, but carried a hint of curiosity.

A complex light flashed in Tun Xuan's eyes. He was silent for a moment before slowly saying: "Great Emperor Tun Tian... was very strong. Strong to the point that all the Prodigies of that era despaired."

"He came from humble beginnings, lost his father and mother in childhood, started with an incomplete Cultivation Technique, and fought his way up against the heavens, suppressing all opponents of that era."

"After he became a Great Emperor, he did something even more earth-shattering—"

Tun Xuan paused, a flash of fanaticism in his eyes: "He refined one of the heavenly palaces from the Nine Heavens Palace, merged it into himself, and pioneered a path of cultivation unprecedented in history."

"The Nine Heavens Palace?" Shen Qingyuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That is a relic from the ancient era." Tun Xuan explained. "Legend has it that when the world first opened, the Nine Heavens Palace floated above the Nine Heavens, and each level of the palace contained a trace of the Dao Origin. If one could refine it, one could obtain incredible power."

"Great Emperor Tun Tian refined one of them, his strength skyrocketed, and he even touched the threshold beyond the Great Emperor."

"Beyond the Great Emperor?" The teapot in Luo Qingyue's hand paused slightly, and a trace of shock flashed in her eyes.

In this world, the Great Emperor is the Peak.

Beyond the Great Emperor... what kind of Realm is that?

"What kind of Realm lies beyond the Great Emperor, I do not know either." Tun Xuan said, enunciating each word, his tone full of awe. "That is a legendary Realm; throughout history, no one has ever stepped foot in it."

"Great Emperor Tun Tian... touched that Realm?"

Tun Xuan shook his head and gave a bitter smile: "He touched it, but only touched it. He spent his whole life, but could not truly take that step."

"Why?" Shen Qingyuan asked.