413: Chapter 413 Resurrection (31)

"Heaven's Mandate... it has left me."

"Like a child who has found its true master, it is joyful and exuberant, without a hint of lingering regret."

"It just threw itself into that man's embrace."

"Yun..."

...

I knelt in the deathly silent Void Realm, feeling the power within my body rapidly draining away, feeling myself become nothing.

That Imperial Dao power, which just moments ago made me feel like I could control the entire Universe and dominate the life and death of Myriad Things Born, was now heartlessly abandoning me.

The Imperial Might dissipated, and the Dao Fruit grew dim.

The heavens heart imprint on my forehead no longer shone.

The roaring and worship of the Myriad Daos around me fell into a deathly silence.

All the light converged upon that person, while I, Ancient Path One, became the most ridiculous background in this starry sky—a lowly clown serving as a foil to his Supreme glory.

Why?

I don't understand.

I am the one chosen by Heaven's Mandate in this era.

I am the one destined to rule over all under heaven.

...

My name is Ancient Path One.

I was born into the Ancient Family, the top remnant clan of a Great Emperor above the Nine Heavens.

My parents were a pair of Supreme Dao Companions who once drew the attention of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths; they were peerless figures, existences that countless people looked up to.

I have been bathed in glory since birth, Awakening the Qiankun Sacred Body, known as one of the ten Great Saint Bodies.

In the Spirit King Realm, I gained the recognition of the Great Emperor Legacy that had been sealed by my Family for countless ages.

While traveling abroad, I happened upon another Great Emperor's complete Legacy within an ancient ruin.

Carrying two Imperial Dao Legacies, my life should have been a smooth path, a legend that suppressed all eternity.

I did it.

I swept through all the Prodigies of my generation and stepped onto that Ancient Starry Road stained with blood and glory.

There, I remained undefeated as well.

I suppressed all who were defiant and crushed all opponents; at the end of the Ancient Road, bathed in the radiance of the Heavenly Dao, I condensed that unique 'heavens heart imprint' which represents the Luck of the era.

When I emerged from the Ancient Road, I was already a Five Lotus Saint King, surpassing all of my generation.

Everyone said that in this era, if I did not ascend to the emperor seat, who would?

Yes, I must ascend to the emperor seat.

I have a reason why I must become an Emperor.

During that ancient Boundary Sea tide that swept through the Nine Heavens, my parents—those two peerless Supremes—stepped into that Forbidden Land where even Great Emperors might perish, all to seek a certain truth.

They never returned.

Before leaving, my father sealed my young self away; his eyes, always full of majesty, were filled with reluctance and resolve.

"Path One, wait for us to return."

My mother gently stroked my face, her voice carrying a hint of sadness she couldn't hide.

"Take good care of your younger brother."

I waited.

I waited for endless ages within the Divine Source.

Time flowed on, and the world changed; my Ancient Family, this glorious Family that had once produced a Great Emperor, also began to decline. Its Prodigies were sparse, and it no longer held its former glory.

I was forced to be awakened from my Seal.

I carried the hope of the entire Family, the heavy burden of restoring our prestige.

The Family Elders stroked my head and said my talent was rare in all eternity, that I was the hope for the Ancient Family's revival.

But in the deepest part of my heart, I had only one obsession.

To prove my Dao and become an Emperor, then step into the Boundary Sea to find my parents.

Even though the ancient records in the Family had long hinted at the answer, and even though my reason told me the hope was incredibly slim, I still wanted to go to the end of that sea and see for myself, even if it was just to find a trace of their existence.

I must become an Emperor.

Not just for my parents.

But even more so for my younger brother.

Like me, he possessed extraordinary natural talent; in my eyes, his talent even exceeded mine—he was the true chosen one.

However, during that sealing process, an accident occurred.

Something went wrong with his Seal, and his Divine Soul fell into eternal silence. Unless a Great Emperor of the current age intervened to guide him with Supreme power, he would never see the light of day, forever trapped within that cold Divine Source.

I promised my mother I would take good care of him.

This was my promise as an Elder brother.

Therefore, I must become an Emperor, and I inevitably would.

I had always been full of confidence in this.

My talent, my Legacies, and my Luck all indicated that I would be the sole protagonist of this era.

Until I met that person...

Yun.

He was too strong.

Strong beyond reason, strong beyond common sense.

I couldn't understand how such a terrifying, unfathomable Prodigy could suddenly appear in this era.

Later, I learned that he was actually a Supreme who had achieved reverse life from the ancient era.

An old monster who should have been buried in the dust of history.

I came to terms with it; losing to a former Supreme—especially one who had suppressed a Dark Turmoil—was not shameful.

But I was not resigned.

On what grounds?

Why should someone who doesn't belong to this era be able to bypass the rules of the Heavenly Dao to compete with me for the sole emperor seat?

This is my era!

This should be the era of Ancient Path One!

In the name of my Family, I took the lead and united all the Immortal Dao Lineages, laying an inescapable net in an attempt to intercept and kill him before he could prove his Dao.

We failed.

Using that inconceivable 'immortality' characteristic and his crushing combat power, he tore through our proud alliance and trampled the dignity of all participants under his feet.

Now, in the struggle to prove the Dao, I have also lost.

Heaven's Mandate has also abandoned me.

I carried too much.

The revival of my Family.

The disappearance of my parents.

My brother's future.

Everything has vanished like a bubble with the departure of Heaven's Mandate.

Everything I have is gone.

In the struggle for the Emperor's position, I failed.

I lost everything.

"I want to be an Emperor..."

I knelt in the void, my consciousness beginning to blur, unconsciously murmuring.

"I must become an Emperor..."

Just as my Divine Soul was about to dissipate and my Dao Heart and Dao Fruit were about to collapse.

An unfamiliar voice rang out in my mind.

It carried a magic that could bewitch people's hearts.

"You were meant to become an Emperor; it was the destiny of this era."

My body jolted violently.

Who?

Who is speaking?

The voice ignored my confusion and continued to echo in my mind.

"But who knew there would be such an anomaly, achieving reverse life from the ancient times and breaking it all."

My breathing became rapid, and my eyes were bloodshot.

Yes.

It was his fault.

If not for him, I would have already received the worship of the Myriad Daos and ruled over all under heaven.

If not for him, I would have already embarked on the journey to find my parents.

If not for him, my brother would be about to regain his life.

It was he who ruined everything for me.

The voice seemed to see through my thoughts, carrying a faint, indistinct smile.

"The position of Great Emperor should rightfully belong to you."

Right!

The position of Great Emperor should have been mine! It should rightfully be mine!

Why!

Why did it turn out like this!

I am not resigned!

The resentment and unwillingness in my heart erupted at this moment, completely consuming my reason.

"Do you crave power..."

"Endless... power that sweeps through everything?"

The voice rang out again, filled with fatal temptation.

Crave?

Of course I crave it!

I dream of having the power to flatten everything, to ruthlessly trample that man who took everything from me under my feet!

"I can give you power."

The voice was like a devil's whisper, echoing in my ears and taking root in the depths of my Divine Soul.

"I want..."

"I want... power..."

"No matter what the price!"

"I need power..."

"I need to take back everything that belongs to me!"