131: Chapter 131 Azure Emperor: Finally, someone has arrived!

The interior of the Desolate Tower was not a cramped space.

After Chu Tianjiao stepped through that portal, the world before him suddenly opened up.

This was a vast and boundless world. Above, the sun, moon, and stars slowly rotated; below, mountains and rivers stretched across the landscape. In the distance, lakes like mirrors reflected the firmament; nearby, plants were withered, and ruins could be seen everywhere.

He stood in this world, quietly sensing it.

The air was thick with the aura of the Desolate Ancient era, an aura even older than the era he currently lived in. Time seemed to slow down here, its flow completely different from the outside world.

Chu Tianjiao walked forward.

Everything he saw along the way was in ruins. The once-majestic palaces were now mere wreckage; the once-flowing spiritual springs had long since dried up. Massive cracks were visible everywhere on the ground, and traces of shattered Dao Laws lingered in the Void Realm.

An unimaginable battle had once taken place here.

Or rather, this had once been a battlefield where someone attempted to open up a new world.

Chu Tianjiao continued onward.

He passed through ruins and crossed withered mountains, finally reaching the deepest part of this world.

Then, he stopped.

There, an azure lotus was rooted in the center of the world.

It was massive, each leaf the size of a small hill. As it swayed gently, Chaos Qi permeated the air, carving out Small Worlds within the Void Realm. Some of those worlds had just formed, some were already shattered, and some were still evolving.

But this azure lotus had already withered.

Most of its branches and leaves had wilted, with only a few green leaves barely holding on. Those green leaves were covered in cracks, as if they would crumble at any moment. The entire azure lotus emitted a decaying aura, the rot of a life reaching its end.

Yet even so, it still radiated a majesty that could crush the ages.

That was the aura of a Great Emperor, the Peak of an era.

At the top of the azure lotus sat a middle-aged Taoist.

He had a lean, scholarly face, with an innate indifference between his brows. His gaze was incredibly deep, as if it contained the birth and death of the Universe and saw through all things in the world. He sat there quietly, without any aura leaking out, yet his presence could not be ignored.

But he was covered in blood.

His Taoist robes were stained red, and his body was covered in terrifying cracks. Those cracks spread from his brow all the way to his feet, dense and shocking to behold. He looked like a piece of porcelain about to shatter into countless pieces.

Azure Emperor.

Chu Tianjiao watched him quietly, and he watched Chu Tianjiao quietly in return.

Neither of them spoke.

After a long time, the corner of the Azure Emperor's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a tired and sentimental smile.

"I didn't expect that I would live to see a descendant enter."

His voice was soft, yet it rang out clearly in this dead and silent world. It carried exhaustion, relief, and a faint trace of gratification.

Chu Tianjiao flew up, reached the top of the azure lotus, and landed before him.

He looked at the middle-aged Taoist before him, whose lamp was running out of oil. There was no pity in his eyes, only an indescribable complexity.

"I also didn't expect a descendant could be reckless to this extent."

He spoke, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and sentimentality.

"To be honest, even in my day, I wouldn't have dared to claim I could evolve the Immortal Realm. For a descendant like you to dare make such a decision..."

He reached out and gave a thumbs-up.

"You're the man."

The Azure Emperor was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

The smile was faint, but it carried an indescribable sense of relief.

"Descendant?"

He looked at Chu Tianjiao, a flash of thought crossing his eyes.

"You call me a descendant... It seems you are some Senior."

Chu Tianjiao did not deny it, simply watching him quietly.

The Azure Emperor withdrew his gaze and looked out at this dead and silent world.

"If one doesn't take a risk, how can they know it's impossible?"

His voice was calm, as if he were recounting something perfectly ordinary.

"The path is broken. The way forward is gone; if I want to forge a path myself, I can only try."

Hearing this, Chu Tianjiao couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Couldn't you have just entered the Immortal Realm back then?"

He looked at the Azure Emperor, his tone laced with exasperation.

"The Immortal Realm was open to you back then, but you were too suspicious to enter. You just had to come into this Desolate Tower to tinker with some Immortal Realm."

He paused and continued.

"To be honest, even I wouldn't dare say I could tinker together an Immortal Realm. You aren't even an Immortal, yet you want to evolve the Immortal Realm?"

As the Azure Emperor listened, there was no anger on his face, only a faint complexity.

"The fact that you aren't dead is also because you are too Heaven-Defying." Chu Tianjiao looked at the dense cracks on his body. "To think you could hold on until I returned."

The Azure Emperor fell silent.

After a long while, the Azure Emperor looked up at Chu Tianjiao.

"It seems you know a lot about me."

There was a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Might I know Senior's great name?"

Chu Tianjiao sat cross-legged opposite him.

"Chu Tianjiao."

He paused and added.

"Of course, you can also call me Jiaoheng."

Hearing this name, the Azure Emperor was stunned for a moment.

Jiaoheng?

He scrutinized the young man before him as countless ancient records flashed through his mind.

Those records were too distant, so distant that no one believed they were real anymore. But he was the Azure Emperor, an existence standing at the Peak of the human path; he had read too many ancient books and knew too many secrets.

"Great Emperor Jiaoheng?"

His voice carried a hint of surprise.

"That mysterious Great Emperor who legend says ended the Forbidden Zones?"

Chu Tianjiao laughed upon hearing this.

"With enough time, anything can become a legend."

He did not deny it.

A flash of shock appeared in the Azure Emperor's eyes.

He hadn't expected that the name which only existed in legends, the figure regarded as a myth by countless people, actually existed and was sitting right in front of him.

"You've achieved Immortal Ascension?!"

His voice carried a hint of excitement.

"If Great Emperor Jiaoheng truly achieved Immortal Ascension, then it meant... the path was not broken!"

Chu Tianjiao looked at his excited state and shook his head.

"If you had entered the Immortal Realm back then, you might have already achieved Immortal Ascension."

Hearing this, the excitement on the Azure Emperor's face turned to embarrassment.

"The events of back then..."

He paused and smiled bitterly.

"You aren't in my position, so you don't understand how I felt."

Chu Tianjiao was taken aback for a moment.

Then, he understood.

Yes, he had always been looking at the Azure Emperor from a God's perspective. He had read the original work, knew the Immortal Realm would open for the Azure Emperor, and knew the Azure Emperor had missed the opportunity.

But the Azure Emperor didn't know.

From the Azure Emperor's perspective, the Immortal Realm was a legendary existence, ethereal and illusory. But the Desolate Tower was right before his eyes, real and tangible. Should he choose a visible path or gamble on an invisible one?

Anyone would have hesitated.

"It was my fault then."

Chu Tianjiao said softly.

"I truly didn't consider your situation at the time."

The Azure Emperor looked at him, a flash of gratitude in his eyes.

He said nothing more.

The two of them just sat there quietly.