Chapter 374: Chapter 95: If the Heaven Has Sentiments, Even the Heaven Would Age
Dan pills entered his body, and the Emperor’s physique straightened up immediately. The Precelestial Five Elements Qi surged from every acupoint throughout his body, and his stooped form straightened up at once. A vast, ocean-like breath welled up from him, wave after wave, reaching every corner, filling the Imperial City, and even hitting the barriers at all sides.
"Boom!"
It was like thunder, or the roaring of great waves, and the Emperor’s breath actually formed a tangible impact, causing the light curtain to shake unstoppably.
That majestic breath, which dominated everything, made the entire Imperial City fall into a deathly silence. Except for those of the third grade or higher, there was no one who could move.
An already formidable power scaled new heights; his Qi Mechanism filled every inch of space, leading one to wonder whether even the Five Vile Qi could exist within the Imperial City.
This was the strength of the Emperor.
Previously, Jiang Li had suspected the nature of the Emperor Dao Fruit, guessing that this Dao Fruit was similar to that of an Earth Deity, and that Great Zhou was the Emperor’s Divine Domain. Now, it seemed that this conjecture was somewhat credible.
Just take the Emperor’s current Qi Mechanism, for instance - in terms of sheer power, not Mo Yiling, Tianxuan, nor the Mo Sect Master combined could match him.
As long as he stood within the borders of Great Zhou, he was one of the strongest under the heavens. As long as he was in the Imperial City, he stood on invincible ground; even if the Sect Leader were to return, he probably couldn’t defeat him.
With such power, it was no wonder that for 800 years, no Emperor of Great Zhou had died a violent death.
As long as the Emperor didn’t court death, then apart from dying of old age, he wouldn’t die.
Now, Jiang Li was growing more and more suspicious of whether the Jiang Family Master had rebelled. Unless he advanced to the second grade, he definitely couldn’t hope to oppose the Emperor within the Divine Capital.
"Immortality Elixir..."
The Immortal Queen, holding the Plain Cloud Realm Flag and relying on the power of the Second Grade Daoist Artifact, was not afraid of this energy. The tall and majestic woman looked at the Emperor, who was gradually becoming younger, and couldn’t help but reveal a look of joy, "It’s done."
Seeing the Emperor like this, she was truly certain the Immortality Elixir had been successfully refined.
With this, the Immortal Queen was just one step away from her promotion.
At the moment, holding the Plain Cloud Realm Flag, she could even feel the Dao Fruit within resonating with her own.
As for the Emperor, it was an ecstasy akin to rebirth. His aged body stood upright, and the deep wrinkles on his face that could trap mosquitoes were smoothed out as his skin regained its tautness.
It was as if time was flowing backward, from old age back to middle age, and further back to youth.
In a blink of an eye, the Emperor became a young man in his early twenties, a handsome youth. His nose was straight and prominent, his eyes were bright and full of spirit; he had the vigor of youth and yet carried the domineering air of having immense authority over life and death, and the transcendent aura of someone who dominated all under heaven.
Faced with this, the likes of Tianxuan and others couldn’t even begin to intervene.
Not to mention the Immortal Queen holding the Plain Cloud Realm Flag by his side - even if they could attack the Emperor directly, they would likely fail to succeed.
The Emperor in his prime was just too powerful.
"Longevity...," Tianxuan sighed softly, looking down at the figure in the Underground Palace, his tone inexplicable, "He really made it."
Inside the Void Illusion Realm, Jiang Li was watching this scene, but his thoughts differed from Tianxuan, "Not necessarily."
"Hm?"
Tianxuan turned to the side, his gaze piercing through illusion and reality, and saw his disciple inside the Void Illusion Realm.
"The Heavenly Punishment is yet to come; it’s not good to judge if he has succeeded, and..." Jiang Li looked towards the east, "Zhang Zhixuan has yet to make a move."
Tianxuan and Jiang Li had seen Ji Jiji and knew if the Emperor succeeded, he would face Heavenly Punishment again, but Zhang Zhixuan didn’t know that.
Logically, Zhang Zhixuan should have acted when the Immortality Elixir was revealed, but so far, there was no sign of the Taiping Sect Hierarch taking any action.
He, a third grad, was merely an observer.
Could this mean—Zhang Zhixuan determined that the Emperor couldn’t achieve longevity?
"If that’s so..." Jiang Li looked down, "Zhang Zhixuan might have ties with Ji Jiji, because..."
"Heaven, if you have affection, you too would age." Jiang Li murmured softly.
In the next moment, right after he finished speaking, the Emperor’s body began to experience changes again.
The rejuvenated face matured rapidly, the appearance of a twenty-year-old speeding through time, aging year by year.
Thirty, forty, fifty years old!
His black and lustrous hair began to show the color of frost again, and fine lines quietly emerged around his eyes.
And the Emperor’s changes did not stop there.
"Stop!"
The Emperor, seeing what was happening, turned pale and couldn’t help but to use his Dao Fruit Divine Skills, "I command you to stop."
He tried to order his body with the Oral Heavenly Constitution but couldn’t prevent his physique from aging again.
Fifty-five, sixty, seventy years old!
The youth and time that had been reclaimed were once again taken away, and his straightened body quietly stooped again.
Time left its traces on him once more.
"The Emperor, the Son of Heaven, whose Dao Fruit comes from Heaven, whose power comes from Heaven, then would he also inherit the vulnerability of Heaven?" Jiang Li watched the Emperor’s changes and slowly said, "Heaven, if you have affection, you too would age. Perhaps the reason the Emperor lost the ’Longevity and Eternal Prosperity’ Divine Skills was not because he was immoral, nor because he wasn’t in harmony with the Emperor Dao Fruit, but because he had a human heart, filled with human emotions."
"So, even if he replenished his lifespan again and again, even if he replenished enormous amounts of vitality, even truly making himself immortal, it would be useless. If we’re talking about immortality, who can compare to the everlasting Heaven?"
And for this very reason, the Heavenly Incarnation said it was impossible for the Emperor to succeed, and why the Heavenly Punishment did not come.
As Jiang Li was speaking, the time the Emperor had regained was once again taken away in its entirety; he became decrepit, even older than before. His weakening presence made one wonder if without his immense power supporting him, would the Emperor kick the bucket instantly.