Eternal Heavenly Emperor

"Is that the Secret of Eternal Life?" Chu Hao asked, pointing at the World Tree.

"By refining a stellar into the Dantian and replacing it, one can harness the power of a star and the Might of the Laws, becoming equivalent to a Star Master level existence," Luo Qingyan explained. "At the same time, your life becomes connected to the World Tree; as long as the World Tree lives, you too can live forever."

So, that was how the secret of eternal life worked.

In theory, since the World Tree was immortal, refining a star and connecting with the World Tree naturally granted immortality too. However, the World Tree had its natural enemies, and should it ever be destroyed, those connected to it would die as well.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned red with envy, becoming a Star Master by refining a single star, although it meant losing one's Dantian and the inability to progress further, was still incredibly impressive. Of course, this also meant their lives were tied to the fate of the World Tree, which wasn't easily destroyed, right?

But what use was their envy? Would Luo Qingyan really let them refine a Stellar Fruit from the World Tree?

Chu Hao was shocked, however; the World Tree was one of the most powerful entities in the universe, the only one of its kind when the heavens and earth first opened, nurturing all stars. Now, someone had planted it here—what kind of being was the master of the Nether Palace?

"No, this isn't the complete World Tree." Fat Cat suddenly shook its head and said, "This is just one of the World Tree's branches!"

Luo Qingyan was surprised and asked, "Have you seen the real World Tree?"

"Of course!" Fat Cat proudly declared; it had once followed the Great Emperor of He Family and had also chased after the real World Tree.

Chu Hao finally felt relief. If a being had managed to domesticate the World Tree itself, that would've been astounding. Yet, possessing a branch of the World Tree implied that the master of the Nether Palace was also tremendously powerful.

Wait, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he blurted out, "If refining a star can turn you into a Star Master with an unlimited lifespan, what about refining a branch of the World Tree?"

Suddenly, the entire place fell silent.

"You know too much!" Luo Qingyan said, glaring at Chu Hao viciously.

Chu Hao raised his hands and said, "Then let's pretend I never said anything."

Luo Qingyan cracked a smile and said, "Even if you know, what can you do about it? Well, you've seen enough, now get out!" With a wave of her right hand, everyone felt a blur before their eyes as they were all simultaneously blasted out of the Nether Palace.

Clearly, despite her casual tone, she was quite irked and had expelled them all in her annoyance.

Chu Hao was stunned. Could it be that the master of the Nether Palace had been refining the World Tree's branch all along? If successful, could he gain endless life? The master of the Nether Palace was definitely of Great Emperor level, and with endless life, he could truly be a kind of Eternal Heavenly Emperor!

However, even just a branch of the World Tree was not so easily refined. The Nether Palace had existed for who knows how many years, yet no one had ever seen its master, evidently still not yet successful.

If an Immortal Emperor were to emerge... the heavens and earth would surely change colors.

What surprised Chu Hao was that the master of the Nether Palace had reigned supreme in the world before even the birth of the Great Emperor of the He Family; and yet, while the Great Emperor had perished a million years ago, the master of the Nether Palace was still alive—his lifespan was unbelievably long.

This must be related to the World Tree and also to the Laws practiced by the master of the Nether Palace; otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to reach such an incredible extent.

"Alright, disperse, everyone go back to your own affairs," Luo Qingyan waved her hand and said, with a swipe of her hand, the gates of the Nether Palace immediately closed and vanished from sight.

The Dragon Crown Prince, Jing Tianhai, and Sha Tongtian also appeared, expelled at the same time. Seeing Xiang Wushuang and Feng Piaoling in their current states, all but the Dragon Crown Prince showed expressions of surprise and anger.

Despite being rulers of an alien race, one had become a mount and the other a caged bird—what a disgrace!

But most people still showed expressions of regret because they had just missed a chance at eternal life.

"Xiang Wushuang, Feng Piaoling, what's going on here?" Jing Tianhai couldn't help but angrily ask.

"Don't be impulsive!" the Dragon Crown Prince immediately said, noticing something odd about Luo Qingyan; neither Xiang Wushuang nor Feng Piaoling were likely there by choice. If it were just Xiang Wushuang, it might be understandable as perhaps he was lured by her beauty, but with Feng Piaoling involved as well, something was amiss.

The Nether Palace was already quite mysterious, possessing an Undead Army of War God level, which was a terrifying force, and Luo Qingyan apparently had come from there—able to shut the Nether Palace, wasn't that telling enough?

Since she could close it, naturally, she could also open it. Imagine waves of undead troops, each one at the level of a War God, with leaders even surpassing that. If she summoned this army... who on Sky Martial Star could stand against it now?

Under the strong interference of the Dragon Crown Prince, the aliens made no further moves, merely dispersed.

Chu Hao smiled and said, "Then we should also take our leave."

"Fine, I haven't been able to breathe freely in a long time, so I'll go around with you," Luo Qingyan said lightly.

This was a witch, and Chu Hao dared not let her follow him; wasn't this asking for trouble?

He quickly said, "It's inappropriate for men and women to have too much contact, let's not, shall we? I don't want people to gossip about you and tarnish your reputation."

"Who dares talk, I'll just pull out their tongue, and that will settle it!" Luo Qingyan said with a faint smile, and glancing at a certain part of Chu Hao, she added, "Or maybe, I should castrate you. That would solve the problem too."

"Just kidding, stay as long as you want, who are we kidding here!" Chu Hao immediately said righteously.

He dared not gamble that the witch would hesitate to act, especially since it concerned his future happiness.

Luo Qingyan smiled, sitting gracefully atop the War Elephant, looking as gentle as a lady.

"My father once predicted that I would be awakened prematurely by someone; it's a calamity destined for me. If I can withstand it, then after my father refines the World Tree, he will become the strongest Immortal Emperor. But if I fail, and encounter a deadly calamity before his achievement, I will perish," she stated.

"My father said that the only way to avert this fate is to rely on that person. Although being with him will lead to great disasters, surviving against all odds is my only hope."

"This boy indeed has a contrary fate: mastering the Three Phases Technique, obtaining the Heaven Devouring Beast as his Dharma Aspect, and possibly possessing the Fire Origin Secret Treasure, he is favored by heaven and earth to turn calamities into blessings," she noted.

"Damn it, I actually have to follow such a brat!"

Inwardly she muttered, unable to help but slap Xiang Wushuang's head and pluck Feng Piaoling's feathers, causing both to curse their bad luck, unaware of what they had done to offend the witch.

"Are we heading back to the academy now?" Su Wanyue asked.

Chu Hao responded with a broad smile, "No, let's go to the Spirit Spring Sect first!"

He was now a Ninth Tier War Emperor. Even the Dragon Crown Prince, a fifth-tier War Emperor, was no match for him, so naturally, he was confident in his odds against War Emperor Kongming. After enduring that old bastard for so long, it was time to go back and teach him a lesson.

Yun Cai immediately expressed support, saying, "Yes, let's kill that old bastard."

"Hahaha, exactly!" Chu Hao laughed out loud, and with a thought, the Heaven Devouring Beast's clone submerged, sinking like an iron ox into water, rapidly plunging into the earth at an astonishing speed.

The Heaven Devouring Beast was as heavy as a star. Unless it exerted force to stay afloat, no ground could bear such weight and it would naturally sink to the bottom.

Since obtaining this clone, Chu Hao had learned something: if the Heaven Devouring Beast hid deep underground, it could enter a state similar to hibernation. Right now, it had no planets to devour, so it couldn't afford to waste energy—considering he had just "revived," being absolutely weak, wasting energy would cause the condition of this clone to continue to decline.

Only when he later opens the heavens and his main body becomes a War God, could he then take the clone into the universe to devour several lifeless planets, which would naturally boost his strength significantly.

Gu Fei and Duanmu Changtian did not accompany them, but Yan Feixue was very intrigued by Luo Qingyan, and followed them all the way, subtly flattering Luo Qingyan, trying to form a good relationship with her.

However, despite looking young, Luo Qingyan had a keen and sharp perspective. She took in all of Yan Feixue's flattery but did not show any signs of reciprocation, leaving Yan Feixue extremely frustrated.

"The Heaven-Sealing Great Array on Sky Martial Star is about to activate. Are those from the Ancient Times planning to come out anytime soon?" Chu Hao suddenly said to Yan Feixue.

"I don't understand what you mean," Yan Feixue feigned ignorance.

Chu Hao chuckled and said, "At this point, what's the point of hiding the truth?"

Yan Feixue gave a wry smile and said, "I thought I'd hidden it pretty well."

"If your strength weren't so strong, you might have been able to keep it hidden, but looking across the world, only a few powers could have nurtured someone like you. Yet you do not belong to any of these powers; you must have come from Ancient Times, especially since you're not the first," Chu Hao laughed.

Yan Feixue sighed and admitted, "The world's environment is recovering, and more people should be waking up. However, most people had left before the Great Emperor sealed the heavens. Those who remained were not really strong forces; it's impossible for people like us to defend against outsiders from beyond the heavens."

Chu Hao indeed harbored such hopes and let out a sigh. Then, turning to Luo Qingyan, he said, "You probably don't know the current situation of Sky Martial Star," and explained to her the attempts by the Great Emperor of He Family to become the Heavenly Emperor and the ensuing sealing.

"This darn kid is indeed my disaster star!" Luo Qingyan thought to herself. Then she rolled her eyes dramatically, knowing that if a large number of Star Masters or stronger invaders knew about her identity, she would definitely become a target like Chu Hao.

Being an offspring of a Great Emperor didn't help either. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)