Eternal Heavenly Emperor

"What Origin are you talking about? Explain it clearly," Chu Hao urged.

After thinking for a while, Fat Cat said, "Back then, the Great Emperor entered the Origin Land of Fire and, after enduring untold hardships, obtained a strand of the Fire Origin's power. In theory, obtaining a strand of Origin power means one has the qualifications to become an Eternal Heavenly Emperor."

"However, the Great Emperor was also wounded by the laws within the secret realm. At the time, he thought it healed, but when he was making his breakthrough to become a Heavenly Emperor, the injury suddenly flared up, causing him to fail at the last moment."

"After the fall of the Great Emperor, the Fire Origin has been passed down through the bloodline of He Family's descendants, but it wasn't until your generation that it finally took effect."

"However, that strand of Origin was already half-depleted by the Great Emperor during his attempt to ascend to Heavenly Emperor. With this Origin, you can at most reach the Great Emperor's heights. To break through the shackles and become an Eternal Heavenly Emperor, you must acquire even more Origin power."

Upon hearing this, Chu Hao couldn't help saying, "This is so important, how could you not have told me until now?"

"Heh heh, isn't it because the matter was too significant?" Fat Cat chuckled dryly.

Chu Hao pondered and said, "Can't I break through to become an Eternal Heavenly Emperor just with my own understanding?"

"No can do!" Fat Cat shook its head, "The Eternal Heavenly Emperor transcends the laws and becomes a part of heaven and earth. This isn't something you can achieve simply by comprehending the laws; you must grasp the Origin power."

Chu Hao said, "So what you're saying is, if I want to become an Eternal Heavenly Emperor, I absolutely have to go to the Tianhe Secret Realm?"

"Absolutely!" said Fat Cat energetically, dancing with its paws in the air, "You still have some of the Fire Origin in you, which can resonate with the Origin of Water, dramatically increasing your chances of finding it compared to others."

"You make it sound like I just have to go there and bend over to pick up treasure. Who knows if someone's waiting behind to attack me unexpectedly," Chu Hao retorted.

"You're so dirty!" Fat Cat replied disdainfully.

…

Since the trip to the secret realm was set, the next day Chu Hao went to inform Lan Ran, who was thrilled with his decision.

Only then did Chu Hao learn that the Tianhe Secret Realm had actually opened ten years ago, attracting a large number of powerful individuals. As they explored the realm, they seemed to have triggered some mechanism that fully opened the secret realm.

- Before, only Domain Lords had the qualifications to enter, but now the restrictions of realm had been lifted. Moreover, many areas that were previously inaccessible can now be entered.

That's why they said the secret realm was fully open now.

Chu Hao was startled. Could it be that the Thousand Flowers Domain Master went to the Tianhe Secret Realm ten years ago? And that was why there had been no response from the Eight Cloud Star King and the others who had been dead for three years; he had thought that the vastness of the Star Universe was to blame for the delay in message transmission.

The Ancient Academy was neither supportive nor opposed to exploring secret realms. It simply meant, if you go, you're on your own, but the academy wouldn't provide any special care.

Lan Ran made his moves and pulled in many people, like Tai Ruoying, Wang Ying - all of whom had stepped into the ranks of Star Masters - and others like Zhi Qishui, Feng Qian, Yang Tian, some still at the peak of Star Masters, while others had stepped into King of Stars.

They agreed to set off in three days.

After informing his family, Chu Hao patiently waited.

His cultivation had now reached the peak of Star Master, and he could soon integrate Level Four Laws to advance to King of Stars. At this point, he was not in a rush anymore. He turned back to consolidate his foundation to prevent any problems.

After all, he had risen too quickly at the Star Master level, and he needed to firm up his foundation to prevent major issues when attempting higher realms later on.

And if he encountered formidable enemies like Domain Lords or Realm Masters, he could use tribulations to turn the tables on his adversaries by dragging them into the Heavenly Tribulations as well. How terrifying would the Domain Lord Tribulation or Realm Master Tribulation, magnified by his demonic capabilities, become?

To have anyone targeted doom them, even an Immortal Emperor would have to call him 'father.'

So not advancing to King of Stars now was a calculated decision by Chu Hao, giving him an extra card up his sleeve, and the power to fight even against Realm Masters and Great Emperors.

Three days later, the group set off.

The team was large, including youngsters like Zhi Qishui and Shui Wujun and familiar faces such as Lan Ran and Tai Ruofeng. In total, there were about a hundred people, with the highest realm being a Second Tier King of Stars and the lowest having stepped into Star Masters.

Overall, this team was extremely formidable.

"Granduncle!"

"Second Uncle!"

When they saw Chu Hao, both Zhi Qishui and Shui Wujun paid their respects with formality.

"Pfft!" Hearing these titles, Lan Ran and the others burst into laughter.

What's going on? How did Chu Hao become an elder to these two?

"Hahahaha, Zhi Qishui, have you regressed the more you live? Even if you've never defeated this Human, there's no need to call him an elder, right?" taunted a King of Stars, who was a rival of Zhi Qishui. The difference in strength between the two was minimal. Although Zhi Qishui became a King of Stars before him, he was only two months behind. To them, with their extended lifespans, two months was insignificant.

Zhi Qishui immediately showed anger and said, "Weng Xingwei, dare you insult my Granduncle?"

The crowd was astonished; Zhi Qishui was showing such respect for Chu Hao, not prioritizing himself but instead Chu Hao. It seemed excessive to treat Chu Hao with such regard, even though Chu Hao's combat power was indeed monstrous and he had reached the level of a King of Stars; but to this extent?

Weng Xingwei sneered, "So what?"

"Alright, alright, everyone's here to compete for opportunities, why let a trivial matter cause a falling out? How about we make peace in my honor, and shake hands?" Feng Qian stepped in to mediate.

"Hehe, Taoist Brother Feng's face is naturally to be given due respect," Weng Xingwei said indifferently, since he anyway had nothing to lose.

"Not possible, he insulted my master's uncle, he must make an apology to my master's uncle. Otherwise, during this exploration of the secret realm, it's either him or me!" Zhi Qishui was relentless.

What a joke, that master's uncle's welcoming gift alone was staggering, and to think this master easily annihilated twelve High Tier Star Kings—how terrifying a strength was that? Zhi Qishui now revered Chu Hao exceedingly.

"Apologize?" Weng Xingwei scoffed, "Me, bowing to a Star Master, isn't that a joke? Tell me, if the King of Stars apologizes to a Star Master, would there still be any justice in this world?"

"Weng Xingwei, fight me!" Zhi Qishui immediately shouted, his Second Tier Laws stirring, forming torrents behind him, his aura astonishing.

"As if I'd be scared!" Weng Xingwei naturally would not cower; he and his opponent had been old rivals since their time at the Ancient Academy, always competing, and they knew each other's combat power inside out.

"There's no need to stoop to his level!" Chu Hao spoke up; since Zhi Qishui was clashing with the other over him, he naturally wouldn't stand idly by.

"Yes, Master's Uncle!" Zhi Qishui immediately said respectfully, standing with his hands down by his sides as if he were facing a revered teacher, prompting murmurs of amazement from everyone.

Chu Hao addressed Weng Xingwei, "Are you very unsatisfied with me?"

"What do you think?" Weng Xingwei retorted coldly. He, too, had witnessed the fight between Chu Hao and Zhi Qishui, and although he admitted Chu Hao was strong, he wasn't to the point of evoking his awe. What's more, as a Star King he had absolute control over a Star Master—how could such a sense of superiority be easily relinquished?

Chu Hao lifted his right hand, "Then face a palm strike from me. If you can withstand it, we'll act as if nothing happened. But if you can't, heh, I reckon you won't have the capability to go on any exploration of the secret realm anymore. Just lie down and heal your injuries."

"Human Race, you are too arrogant!" Weng Xingwei said menacingly, his anger flaring.

A Star Master actually telling a Star King that they might be unable to withstand his attack?

What a joke, how humiliating that was for him!

Chu Hao, however, seemed unconcerned as he pushed his right hand forward toward Weng Xingwei.

The movement seemed casual, as if it had no power at all.

"Hmph, and I thought it was something impressive," Weng Xingwei scoffed, slapping his palm forward towards Chu Hao.

Buzz!

Chu Hao's palm suddenly vanished and then reappeared right in front of Weng Xingwei, now transformed into a mountainous-sized giant fist wreathed in dense Divine Patterns.

"Damn!"

"Level Four Laws!"

"How many Laws are there?!"

The crowd was immediately filled with exclamations, many among them Kings of Stars, inherently familiar with Level Four Laws, and able to recognize them at once.

A Star Master wielding Level Four Laws was already beyond belief, but even more astounding was the sheer number of Laws Chu Hao was using—at least two thousand.

This was just too exaggerated. For context, the strongest among them was only a Second Tier King of Stars with a little over four hundred Laws, a power formidable enough to easily suppress newly-advanced Star Kings like Zhi Qishui and Weng Xingwei.

Chu Hao possessed over two thousand Level Four Laws, an overwhelming terror. Weng Xingwei was doomed.

They could see it, and his opponent Weng Xingwei, even more aware, felt a shock of great terror. He then understood why Zhi Qishui held Chu Hao in such awe—over two thousand Level Four Laws, enough to not just be a master's uncle, but a grandmaster with room to spare!

He could only muster all his strength to operate his own Laws, aiming not to do harm, but merely to block this attack, trusting that since Chu Hao said he would strike only once, he truly would not strike a second time.

But how could he ever block this palm?

One Law short could mean an immense gap in combat power, let alone the gulf of two thousand Laws?

Thump!

A palm struck, and Weng Xingwei was instantly sent flying, his body becoming Shattered, disintegrating into a cloud of blood and flesh.

Thankfully, Kings of Stars were not so easily killed. Weng Xingwei quickly reconstituted his body, but with a complexion uglier than ever; his Origin had suffered grievous damage. Without years of dedicated recuperation, his Origin would not likely recover.

Not daring to utter a squeak, he turned tail to leave immediately.

Only then did the audience start recovering from their shock, looking towards Chu Hao with intense respect and awe.

The combat power of a High Tier King of Stars!

Zhi Qishui and Shui Wujun were also immensely shaken. Though they had heard from Red River Star King of Chu Hao's power, hearing was one thing and seeing was another—the shock was incomparable. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for your favorite, your monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)