Chapter 416: The Story of the Emperors
Chapter 416: The Story of the Emperors
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
All along, Li Qingshan never forgot his original intention. He began his rise because of wiping the Stele Forest, and even though other things might have triggered his Maxed-Level Comprehension skill later on, he never forgot his roots.
Li Qingshan naturally had a fondness for inscriptions. Among the five Emperor tombstones here, they were the ones from which he had gained the most profound and powerful insights in his entire life.
Li Qingshan believed that he would definitely gain something from them.
Li Qingshan first stood in front of the tombstone of the Gouchen Emperor.
Li Qingshan had personally witnessed the death of the Gouchen Emperor, so he was very curious about what was inside this grand tomb.
He began wiping earnestly.
Li Qingshan still held a deep respect for the Gouchen Emperor. Just based on his choice to whale fall at the last moment, benefiting the world, it was clear that the Gouchen Emperor was different from the Ziwei Emperor and the Jade Emperor.
So Li Qingshan wiped the tombstone of the Gouchen Emperor meticulously and attentively.
He believed that since the Emperors had left their tombs in this mysterious Emperor Space, there must be a reason.
Li Qingshan wiped with great seriousness, completely focused. Soon, a line of text appeared before him.
[Your serious wiping activated Maxed-Level Comprehension, and you’ve comprehended the Stele World.]
Li Qingshan felt joy in his heart. It had been a long time since he last comprehended the Stele World, and it was the Stele World of the Gouchen Emperor this time, which must be very wonderful.
He wanted to know what the Gouchen Emperor was doing when he erected this tombstone.
Before Li Qingshan’s eyes, a world appeared.
Originally, this world was just a spatial pocket, hidden in the void, unnoticed by anyone. But now, with Li Qingshan’s Maxed-Level Comprehension skill, this spatial pocket expanded rapidly before his eyes, covering his entire field of vision.
With a movement of his primordial spirit, Li Qingshan jumped out and entered this mysterious world, where he saw countless changes in time and space.
The vicissitudes of life, the passage of time.
This world was originally desolate, perhaps after a great battle, desolate and devoid of life, until one day, five young people arrived.
These five young people were extraordinary, their eyes shining brightly as they looked down upon this desolate world, feeling a myriad of emotions.
“I didn’t expect the Emperor Space of the Ancient Celestial Court to change like this.”
“Yeah, the Emperor Space of the Ancient Celestial Court used to be able to accommodate a person from the Immortal Plane and allow them to comprehend the rules. I didn’t expect that after a great battle, the Ancient Celestial Court would be torn apart.”
“We didn’t overthrow the Ancient Celestial Court. It was their own internal mistakes that consumed too much power, which is regrettable. We just happened to pick up the pieces.”
“Rumor has it that the Emperor Space of the Ancient Celestial Court is a seed of a real world. I wonder if it’s true or not?”
“You’re just talking about rumors. Even if it is a seed of the real world, it’s useless. We’re just small Emperors. How can we hatch a real world?”
The five young people each spoke their minds, saying what was in their hearts, all seen by Li Qingshan.
“So these are the five Emperors of the new Celestial Court. Sure enough, when they came to the Emperor Space, they abandoned the Changsheng Emperor because they discovered that the Changsheng Emperor was a puppet.” Li Qingshan suddenly realized.
At this moment, the five Emperors were still intimate brothers, sharing common ideals, and they had achieved them. Their relationship was very good.
This wasn’t the later period where they appeared harmonious but were actually drifting apart.
The Gouchen Emperor recorded this moment, probably also to cherish the memory of his former brothers.
“This world had many secrets, only to be known by breaking through as Emperors,” declared the Demon Emperor, his ambition soaring.
“Having ideals is good, but ideals and reality often have a big gap. During the peak of the Ancient Celestial Court, with thousands of Emperors, they were so powerful it was frightening. If they hadn’t insisted on breaking through the dam, countless Emperors wouldn’t have fallen, and we wouldn’t have had the chance. Next, we should focus on managing this new Celestial Court properly. That’s the way forward,” countered the Jade Emperor, shaking his head.
“Are we going to hide in this false Immortal Plane all our lives, just being happy rice bugs?” frowned the Zhenwu Emperor.
“If you say being a rice bug is happiness, then why not be one?” shrugged the Jade Emperor.
“This whole thing is wrong. What we should do is surpass the Ancient Celestial Court, not become it. If we wanted to become the Ancient Celestial Court, then why overthrow it? After all the hardships, in the end, we’re just becoming someone else, not surpassing,” added the Gouchen Emperor.
“But you should know that in the Ancient Celestial Court, none of the thousands of Emperors succeeded. We’re only five, plus that puppet from outside, making six Emperors. Breaking through as an Emperor in this world is getting harder and harder. To become an Emperor, we must cherish it,” explained the Ziwei Emperor.
“Just because one Emperor limits your thinking?” angrily retorted the Demon Emperor, his temper explosive as always.
“Before doing anything, you should think carefully whether it’s feasible. In this broken Immortal Plane, can you break through as an Emperor and enter the next realm?” retorted the Ziwei Emperor coldly, equally unyielding.
“Even if I know I’ll die, I won’t hesitate. If I don’t do anything, there’s no hope,” asserted the Zhenwu Emperor coldly.
Tensions rose instantly. The Jade Emperor and the Ziwei Emperor stood on one side, while the Demon Emperor and the Zhenwu Emperor stood on the other. Only the Gouchen Emperor was torn between them.
Both sides were his good brothers, close as kin. He really didn’t want to take sides; he just wanted things to go on like this, with deep brotherly affection.
But his idea was as fragile as a fairy tale, unable to withstand scrutiny.
In reality, the Demon Emperor and the Zhenwu Emperor were willing to sacrifice their lives for their ideals, while the Ziwei Emperor and the Jade Emperor represented another side.
They all believed they were right, sticking to their own beliefs.
“Alright, let’s not argue anymore. Coming to the Emperor Space, let’s think about how to build it up,” intervened the Gouchen Emperor as a peacemaker.
“No need to build. This Emperor Space has already been destroyed and needs a long period of recovery, perhaps millions of years, to return to its original state. So we can’t follow the Ancient Celestial Court’s example and use this Emperor Space as a place to cultivate Immortal Emperors,” stated the Jade Emperor, pointing out the reality.
The other four Emperors fell silent, looking at the ravaged Emperor Space, knowing that what the Jade Emperor said was true.
“I wonder if in our lifetime, we’ll see the Emperor Space restored to its original state,” sighed the Demon Emperor.
“In that case, why don’t we leave our tombs here, leaving behind our most precious belongings inside, and come back later to see?” happily proposed the Gouchen Emperor.
The other four Emperors remained silent, looking at the Gouchen Emperor, then suddenly smiled and agreed in unison, “Alright, it’s little brother’s proposal. Let’s leave our tombs here.”
“Everyone is bound to die eventually, and Emperors are no exception. If we can be buried together with our brothers after death, that would be great,” mused the Jade Emperor.
“Yeah, brothers in life, brothers in death,” laughed the Demon Emperor, looking at the Jade Emperor, letting go of the previous conflict.
Now, they still believed that ideals were above all else. After the argument, they could let it go.
But the Gouchen Emperor, watching from the sidelines, felt infinitely desolate in his heart.
Perhaps this was the last bit of brotherly affection.
After the tombstones of the five brothers were erected, each of them left behind their most precious belongings inside.
Then, the scene stopped abruptly.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes, his primordial spirit returning to his body, feeling dazed as he looked at the tombstone of the Gouchen Emperor.
He left a memory in this tombstone, a beautiful memory of the five brothers’ final moments.
To him, this memory was the most precious thing.
“I wonder what the most precious thing is to the other four Emperors,” Li Qingshan sighed. Although now the Emperors of the Celestial Court were falling apart, with some dead and others asleep, they had been truly sincere in the beginning.
Li Qingshan stood up, leaving the tombstone of the Gouchen Emperor and approaching the tombstone of the Jade Emperor.
Patriarch Zhang said that the Jade Emperor was sentimental in his later years, stopping the reform of the Celestial Court and initiating a model where descendants of the Emperor Clan managed the Celestial Court. It could be said that he single-handedly brought about the end of the Celestial Court.
But the Jade Emperor in his youth, just seen, didn’t seem like that kind of person.
Could it be that once a person grew old, their temperament would really change drastically, as if they had been possessed and their soul changed?
Puzzled, Li Qingshan began to wipe the Jade Emperor’s stele.
He wiped it very seriously.
[Your serious wiping activated Maxed-Level Comprehension, and you’ve comprehended the Chaos physique!]
A line of words appeared in front of Li Qingshan’s eyes. He was so shocked that his eyes widened in disbelief.
“Chaos physique. The Jade Emperor actually left his own physique in this great tomb. This is very damaging to his vitality,” Li Qingshan said in surprise.
Li Qingshan had guessed before that the Jade Emperor’s physique was the Chaos Physique.
The greatest effect of the Chaos Physique is to absorb others’ energy, primordial spirit, and Great Paths…
Chaos can contain all energy, which is why the Jade Emperor rose so quickly.
But leaving behind a Chaos Physique would cause immense damage to the Jade Emperor.
Yet, because of a word from the Gouchen Emperor, he left behind the most precious thing without hesitation.
This left Li Qingshan sighing endlessly.
As the youngest of the brothers, the Gouchen Emperor was deeply loved by his older brothers, and their final tenderness was abundant.
Unfortunately, the Gouchen Emperor probably didn’t know that the Jade Emperor had left such a valuable Chaos Physique in the tomb. Now, it was benefiting Li Qingshan instead.
Li Qingshan silently took the Jade Emperor’s Chaos Physique, but didn’t absorb it immediately; instead, he stored it in his sea of consciousness.
He looked at the other three tombs.
The Demon Emperor!
The Zhenwu Emperor!
The Ziwei Emperor!
What would they leave behind as the most precious thing because of the Gouchen Emperor’s words?
Li Qingshan was very curious.