My Longevity Simulation

Chapter 1251: The Holy Emperor Steps Across Du'e

Under the dual enhancement of the Flowing Light Armor and the Seven-Colored Jade Void Glimmering Light, his speed had reached an unbelievable level.

Even though he flew so ostentatiously, radiating seven-colored brilliance all over his body, his speed was simply too fast. Not a single cultivator in the entire Nine Mountain Prefecture could detect him.

Not even the Dao Integration guardian of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.

At first Ou Shangtian was still somewhat cautious, but after confirming that no one could sense him, he gradually relaxed.

He even felt a thrill of being able to do whatever he wanted.

“Refreshing! Truly refreshing!”

In the vast Nine Mountain Prefecture, he had flown back and forth several times in the time it takes to breathe. The feeling of riding the wind and lightning left Ou Shangtian somewhat intoxicated.

At the same time, he could not help feeling puzzled: “Just by flying around like this nonstop, can I really lure that Stone Tablet out?”

“Is it really that mysterious? With my speed, could it be that he cannot even find me?”

Just as Ou Shangtian’s thoughts began to wander, an inexplicable sense of crisis suddenly rose in his heart.

A scene suddenly surged into his mind.

The sky and earth suddenly darkened.

As if bound by some invisible force, no matter how he flew, he could not escape the range of the darkness.

In despair, his body could only slowly slide toward the center of the darkness.

“!”

Ou Shangtian’s heart shook violently.

He knew this was the spontaneous warning from his other companion strange object besides the Kun-Qian Bone Hand: the Book of Ten Thousand Deaths.

“What the hell is this thing? The Stone Tablet?”

The foreseen scene made Ou Shangtian’s hair stand on end. Without hesitation, he detonated one of the formation crowns he had prepared long ago.

In an instant, countless formations were deployed, protecting Ou Shangtian at the center.

Only then did the illusory scene from the Book of Ten Thousand Deaths slowly dissipate.

But the sense of crisis in Ou Shangtian’s heart did not fade. As the one who had set up the formations, he could clearly feel that the hundreds of thousands of formations he had personally arranged around him were disappearing at an unbelievable speed.

Yet from beginning to end, he had not seen the person breaking the formations. It was as if something was silently devouring them.

The horror in his heart grew even stronger. While the protective formations were still effective, Ou Shangtian threw several more formation crowns around him.

Layers of formations spread out one after another, and a blurry figure slowly revealed its form.

Ou Shangtian did not dare to look any longer.

“Earth veins!”

With a silent shout in his heart, Ou Shangtian plunged straight from the sky into the ground.

He vanished in an instant.

Yet the countless formations he left behind were strangely compressed into solid book-page-like entities and all slowly floated toward the suddenly appearing figure.

The figure gradually revealed its true appearance: a scholar-like figure with a very conspicuous stone tablet on his back.

Every time he received a book page and finished reading it, the page disappeared from his hand with a flash of fluorescent light, as if it had been imprinted onto the stone tablet.

The scholar was not in a hurry to chase the fleeing Ou Shangtian. Instead, he unhurriedly read through all the book pages in his hand.

His originally calm face gradually showed a frown.

“When did formations in the Xuanhuang Realm develop to such a level?”

“That light of the world…”

“Could it be an outsider?”

All the pages in his hand vanished. The scholar glanced toward the position where he sensed Ou Shangtian was located.

“What fast speed. He even has the Earth Vein Ancient Tree as a helper.”

The scholar reviewed the Stone Tablet’s recent records.

He found no related entries.

“More and more external prefectures are appearing. Even the Stone Tablet that claims to know everything is gradually failing to live up to its name.”

“Carefree, you were right. Nothing is truly eternal. Not even immortals, and not even the power we Longevity Immortal beings take pride in.”

Although the matter clearly carried the scent of a conspiracy, as if deliberately trying to lure him over, the Stone Tablet felt no fear in his heart.

Instead, he felt even more curiosity.

With one step, he arrived at the previous location of Ou Shangtian.

However, Ou Shangtian seemed to have prepared in advance and had already slipped into the earth veins one step ahead.

The earth veins surged and roared. Even the Stone Tablet found it difficult to locate a single ant within them.

Yet the Stone Tablet was not anxious. He knew the other party would inevitably appear again, so he simply waited in place.

“Interesting. It seems the person behind this understands me somewhat.”

There was no anger at being toyed with. Instead, a faint smile appeared on the Stone Tablet’s face.

In this manner, the Stone Tablet was gradually drawn to a quiet mountain Daoist temple.

Ou Shangtian no longer fled. Instead, he stood respectfully behind a majestic figure.

The Stone Tablet’s gaze shifted from Ou Shangtian to this figure.

After observing for a moment, the smile at the corner of the stone tablet’s mouth finally disappeared.

In its place appeared a trace of puzzlement and solemnity.

The person before him gave him a feeling that was both somewhat familiar and carried a faint sense of danger.

“I cannot sense the aura of body and Dao united. Is he not in the Longevity Immortal realm? Or, like me, does he practice the ancient method of Longevity?” The stone tablet pondered silently.

“Standing like this, aren’t you tired? Come in and sit for a while.” After a brief standoff, Li Ping spoke first.

With just one sentence, he broke the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere.

It did not feel like enemies meeting, but rather like old friends reuniting and greeting each other familiarly.

A strange feeling arose in the Stone Tablet’s heart.

Still, he replied softly: “Alright.”

He followed Li Ping into the Daoist temple below.

Passing through the temple, Li Ping did not stop but continued walking to the edge of a small pond behind it.

“How long has Fellow Daoist been carrying that Stone Tablet on your back?” Li Ping asked.

The Stone Tablet was slightly startled, but he did not hide it and answered: “Thirty-six thousand nine hundred and forty-two years.”

“Thirty-six thousand nine hundred and forty-two years.” Li Ping repeated the number.

“It sounds like a very long time. Yet it is only a little over thirty thousand years. Compared to the lifespan of the Xuanhuang Realm, it is insignificant. Not to mention the Star Sea beyond the Xuanhuang Realm.” Li Ping said with some emotion.

The Stone Tablet agreed: “Yes, thirty thousand years pass in the blink of an eye. For heaven and earth itself, it may be nothing. But for an ordinary person like me, it has truly been quite long.”

“Ordinary person…” Ou Shangtian could not help muttering softly at this moment.

Li Ping smiled: “Shangtian, do not be rude. This senior is right. He is indeed just an ordinary person.”

Ou Shangtian dared not disobey the Holy Emperor and quickly bowed to the Stone Tablet in apology.

The Stone Tablet did not take offense at all. Instead, he stared straight at Li Ping: “You… seem to know me quite well?”

Li Ping did not admit it: “It is only that I feel some empathy.”

“I am also just an ordinary person, bearing a destined mission.”

Upon hearing these words, Ou Shangtian lowered his head even further, afraid of showing even the slightest abnormality.

The Stone Tablet, however, fell into thought and continued to examine Li Ping carefully.

That tall and sturdy figure was different from ordinary cultivators.

The several strands of aura entwined around him were all extremely profound, making the Stone Tablet dare not underestimate him.

“Fellow Daoist lured me here. What is your purpose? Could it be simply to chat for a few words?” In the end, the Stone Tablet asked directly, ending the exchange of veiled words between them.

“I am here to help Fellow Daoist achieve liberation.” Li Ping said in a deep voice.

These straightforward words caused Ou Shangtian to raise his head, a flash of excitement in his eyes.

The Stone Tablet narrowed his eyes and grew wary.

“It seems Fellow Daoist has misunderstood me. I truly wish to help you achieve liberation.” A trace of disappointment appeared in Li Ping’s tone.

The Faceless Holy Emperor pointed around him.

“Could it be that Fellow Daoist has not noticed anything unusual here?”

Upon hearing this, the stone tablet finally shifted his attention from the Faceless Holy Emperor to the surroundings.

After looking around, his gaze finally settled on the calm little pond.

Although the pond appeared ordinary with no obvious mysteries, instinct told the Stone Tablet that some secret must be hidden here.

The Stone Tablet walked slowly to the edge of the pond. The clear pool water reflected the appearance of a scholar, causing him to pause slightly.

He then shook his head, and in an instant his appearance changed completely.

“I am somewhat curious what you originally looked like.” The Faceless Holy Emperor Li Ping said from behind him.

“Heh, even I can barely remember anymore.” The Stone Tablet smiled self-mockingly.

He then began to observe the pond seriously.

The pool water was not deep. A single glance revealed everything.

“Hmm?”

The Stone Tablet observed for a long time but could not find the pond’s secret. He could not help doubting his own judgment.

He turned his head to look at Li Ping.

Li Ping did not explain. Instead, he suddenly asked with deeper meaning: “Before the great calamity of the Xuanhuang Realm, many immortal treasures existed in the world. Now, more than ten thousand years have passed, and these treasures have long since vanished without trace. The existence of immortal artifacts has become legend, and even casual conversations among cultivators rarely mention them.”

“Does Fellow Daoist know anything about the whereabouts of these immortal treasures?”

The Stone Tablet’s expression remained unchanged: “Immortal artifacts? I have never cared about…”

Halfway through his sentence, he seemed to realize something and suddenly looked at the Fishing Pond again.

After pondering for a moment, his appearance changed once more.

An old fisherman wearing a straw raincoat and carrying a fish basket instantly appeared before Li Ping.

Green light flashed in his hand. The fisherman-form Stone Tablet cast out his fishing rod.

In the next moment, his body stiffened violently.

Without reeling in the line, the Stone Tablet stood motionless in place, as if frozen in ice.

Only after a long time did he take a step back and break free from the illusion before his eyes.

“What was that?” The Stone Tablet stared straight at Li Ping.

“What do you mean ‘what was that’?” The Holy Emperor asked knowingly.

“The fish pond? The starry sky?” The Stone Tablet pressed further.

Li Ping shook his head slightly: “That is the Bait.”

“Bait?” The Stone Tablet was momentarily stunned.

“The angler may also be angled.” Li Ping’s tone turned cold.

“Even if Fellow Daoist remains unmoved upon seeing treasures from the entire starry sky, what if it involves the path to your liberation? Could you still stay so calm?” Li Ping’s voice was faint.

The Stone Tablet had lived in the Xuanhuang Realm for far too long and had witnessed too many things.

After hearing Li Ping’s words and pondering for a moment, he quickly understood the meaning.

“With the immortal path severed, the star sea outside the Xuanhuang Realm should have long become ruins. Unless…” A flash of realization appeared in the Stone Tablet’s eyes.

“Why, do you also wish to go out and take a look?” Li Ping asked.

The Stone Tablet denied it: “Matters of the world are largely the same. Even in another world, what difference would it make? I only wish to remove the heavy stone on my back and sleep soundly for once.”

He returned the topic to the Fishing Pond: “I do not know when this thing arrived in the Xuanhuang Realm. But it can be confirmed that it was after the great calamity.”

“More precisely, after the Immortal Ancestor reappeared and established the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.”

The Holy Emperor spoke even more clearly: “In other words, this Fishing Pond was most likely implanted into the Xuanhuang Realm together with fragments from other immortal cultivation realms.”

“That should be the case… However, treasures of the immortal path have already transcended our understanding. One cannot be certain.” The Stone Tablet left some room in his words.

“The path of liberation you mentioned, is it to make me bite this bait?” The Stone Tablet looked at the Holy Emperor with a somewhat strange expression.

Li Ping replied frankly: “Exactly. Does Fellow Daoist not feel endless suffering? You are fused with the Genesis Stone Tablet. Across the entire world, I believe only immortal path treasures that surpass the power limit of the immortal cultivation realm can separate you from the stone tablet.”

“As for what fate awaits after being hooked away by the power behind the Fishing Pond, that is something I cannot guarantee.”

The Stone Tablet very much wanted to say: I have no grudge against you, so why harm me?

But the words reached his lips and stopped.

It was obvious that this Faceless Venerable harbored no malice. Otherwise, he would not have revealed the entire plan openly.

On the contrary, the Stone Tablet felt that the person before him was quite sincere.

Moreover, a certain familiar aura emanating from the other party’s body gave him an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

“I am simply tired of living and wish to shed this burden. It is not that I do not want to live.” The Stone Tablet politely declined the Holy Emperor’s kindness.

“If Fellow Daoist is merely troubled by the endless stream of information constantly emerging from the Genesis Stone Tablet, then the matter is actually easy to handle.” Only now did Li Ping reveal his true intention.

“Oh?” The Stone Tablet’s eyes clearly carried doubt.

“Does Fellow Daoist recognize this object?” Li Ping stretched out his hand. A brilliant blue crystal floated quietly in his palm.

“The Dao Deviation Stone. Of course I know it. You mean to…” The Stone Tablet shook his head.

“To be honest, in order to relieve the pain, I have tried various methods. I have also attempted the Dao Transformation Divine Art from the Taiyan Sect. However, the Genesis Stone Tablet is the embodiment of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao’s authority. The Heavenly Dao stands high above and looks down on all things. After fusing with me, it can no longer accommodate anything else.”

“That was in the past. Times have changed.” Li Ping directly interrupted the Stone Tablet.

The Stone Tablet was slightly stunned.

“Moreover, I can help you.”

As these words were spoken, the aura around the Faceless Holy Emperor changed.

Above the Daoist temple, wind and clouds gathered. A strange rhythm appeared out of nowhere and resonated with the Holy Emperor.

The familiar and intimate feeling in the Stone Tablet’s heart grew even stronger.

“You are…?!”

Even though he had lived for tens of thousands of years, he could not help but cry out in shock at this moment.

“The Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang?!”

But he quickly denied it himself: “No, that is impossible. Moreover…”

The Stone Tablet raised his head and gazed at the sky. His expression shifted from shock to solemnity.

The authority controlled by the Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang was independent from the Genesis Stone Tablet yet stood above it.

Although the Stone Tablet still recorded his deeds, only a few vague lines remained, giving merely the roughest outline.

But at this moment, sensing the aura on the Faceless Holy Emperor, it was clearly different from the records of the Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang.

“The Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang controls the Nine Heavens Dao. Although he has countless connections with the Heavenly Dao, he is more like a separate individual. With certain blessings, he can command the laws of the Heavenly Dao as easily as moving his own arm. But this person before me.”

An idea suddenly arose in the Stone Tablet’s mind.

“Heavenly Dao incarnation?”

Although it seemed somewhat unbelievable, this was the most reasonable explanation.

Li Ping seemed to sense what the Stone Tablet was thinking and no longer displayed his connection with the Heavenly Dao.

He also did not explain directly.

Instead, he returned to the previous topic: “With the Dao Deviation Stone to help you share and organize the events occurring in the Xuanhuang Realm, it should ease your burden somewhat.”

“But relying on the Dao Deviation Stone alone is not enough.”

The Stone Tablet’s gaze sharpened slightly as he waited for the other party’s next words.

“The Du'e Sect. Fellow Daoist should not be unfamiliar with it.” Li Ping asked.

Upon hearing these three words, the Stone Tablet’s expression turned slightly unpleasant.

“The World-Observing Divine Eye of the Du'e Sect shares the same effect as the Genesis Stone Tablet. Combined with the endless paper figures, that Du'e Book can similarly record everything it monitors.”

“The Du'e Book together with the Dao Deviation Stone should be able to roughly offset the side effects of the Genesis Stone Tablet. As for the rest, with the resilient will you have cultivated over tens of thousands of years, handling it should not be a big problem.” The Faceless Holy Emperor said slowly.

The Stone Tablet fell silent, inwardly considering the feasibility of the other party’s suggestion.

“First, the quality of this Dao Deviation Stone in your hand is somewhat insufficient…” After a moment, the Stone Tablet spoke.

“No problem. I can find a better one.” The Holy Emperor stated directly.

The Stone Tablet paused, then continued: “Second, the Du'e Sect once angered the Immortal Ancestor. The entire sect was sealed and has vanished into seclusion. Because of the cultivation method they practice, Eternal Aeon of Tribulation, they can even interfere with the perception of heaven and earth. Moreover, since it was the Immortal Ancestor who acted.”

“I know where they are hiding.” The Holy Emperor said calmly.

The Stone Tablet was stunned.

“It seems this person is even stronger than I imagined.”

Since the other party had spoken to this extent, the Stone Tablet naturally would not remain hesitant.

“Please lend me your assistance.” He said sincerely.

Li Ping had been waiting for exactly these words.

“Follow me.”

His figure flickered and in an instant appeared at the edge of the sky.

The Stone Tablet followed in one step.

Leaving behind a bewildered Ou Shangtian.

He had not heard the conversation between the Holy Emperor and the Stone Tablet.

Ever since Li Ping pointed toward the Fishing Pond, Ou Shangtian had lost all perception of these two powerhouses.

Only now, as they left one after the other.

“Master was supposed to deal with that Stone Tablet, right? Why didn’t they fight?”

“Could it be that, just like the Earth Vein Ancient Tree, he will also join our Holy Dynasty?”

Ou Shangtian suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.

At this moment, Li Ping and the Stone Tablet had already arrived outside the Du'e Sect, at the seal left by the Inni Ancestor.

Watching Li Ping skillfully dispel the Immortal Ancestor's seal, more and more doubts arose in the Stone Tablet's heart.

“This is a seal left by the Immortal Ancestor. Even a Heavenly Dao incarnation should not be able to crack it so easily, right?”

“Or has the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, after so many years, recovered to the point where it can contend with the Immortal Ancestor?”