A Will Eternal

The Undying Codex surpassed all other body refinement techniques in this heaven and earth. Similarly, the Live Forever Codex… surpassed all other divine abilities and cultivation practices!

Even someone as confident as the Celestial would have no choice but to stay silent in the face of the Live Forever Codex….

From the Frigid Matriarch and Du Lingfei, it was possible to see how shocking the Live Forever Codex was. Of course, Bai Xiaochun had never fought Du Lingfei, but he was now very familiar with her energy and power.

Now, as the energy of the Live Forever Codex flowed through him, he couldn’t help but gasp. For one thing, the gravekeeper’s words were shocking to the core. In addition to that, though, with the power of the Live Forever Codex inside of him, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that existed in this world suddenly seemed weaker!

In fact, Bai Xiaochun also got the sensation that, with this power, he was like the monarch of all the peoples of this world!

All he had to do was exercise a single thought, and all entities in the world would lend him their cultivation base power!

Although it wouldn’t increase his own cultivation base, it would allow him to crush almost any opponent!

Clearly… neither Du Lingfei nor the Frigid Matriarch had ever cultivated the Live Forever Codex to the point of manifesting a divine ability like this. This… was something that came only if someone mastered the Undying Codex first!

As the gravekeeper had said… before Bai Xiaochun, the only people to have ever cultivated this technique were the Arch-Emperors!

As Bai Xiaochun reeled in mute shock, the gravekeeper continued, his voice weak and hoarse. “There is a second way to leave….”

“And that is with… the battle prowess of a celestial! One wouldn’t need to be a true celestial, but would need power of that level. Someone that powerful could simply destroy the world… and thus leave it!”

Bai Xiaochun only continued to feel more shaken with every moment that passed, to the point where he almost didn’t notice that he had reached the Live Forever Nascent Soul stage.

The third seal appeared, even more resilient than the previous ones, and yet it was also absolutely powerless to prevent itself from being destroyed!

As his cultivation base rose higher and higher, Bai Xiaochun was certain that a mere thought on his part could cause winds to scream in the area, and the sky to grow dim!

The gravekeeper was trembling as his energy faded. He panted for breath as his eyes grew cloudier. And yet, he continued to pour everything he had into Bai Xiaochun, causing his cultivation base to rise higher and higher!

Rumbling sounds could be heard as Bai Xiaochun’s Live Forever Nascent Soul emerged… and began to climb toward the Live Forever Deva realm!

“Both methods involve destroying the world. As for all of the living beings within the world… they would be ejected out into the wider world beyond….” The gravekeeper was weak beyond measure now, but he gritted his teeth and continued with his explanation, as if to provide a defense for everything he had done in his life!

“There are only two options, Bai Xiaochun. So you tell me… could I really just destroy the world to let the Celestial out?!?! As for Ghostmother, she possessed the coordinates to this world all along, which was why she could leave! It would not have been possible for her to take someone as powerful as the Celestial past the world net!

“My mission is still not complete. I must create a celestial via the Undying Live Forever Technique, or perhaps a quasi-celestial. Without that person… how could I possibly agree to destroy the world!?!?”

As his voice echoed out, he began to fade away. Despite how his energy flagged, he gritted his teeth and drew upon his scant remaining cultivation base and life force, as well as the powers of the precious treasure that was Arch-Emperor City, to transform his own energy into Live Forever power that Bai Xiaochun could absorb!

As a result, Bai Xiaochun broke through into the Live Forever Deva realm… a level which surpassed his previous Heaven-Dao level by far!

At this point, the fourth sealing mark of the Live Forever Codex appeared… and was destroyed!

After his breakthrough, the Live Forever power within him continued to surge!

The next watershed mark was… the Live Forever Demigod realm!

“Live Forever Demigod realm… Live Forever Demigod….” The gravekeeper chuckled weakly. Although he was fading away into nothing, he still refused to give up, a fact which was evidenced by the happiness and contentment within his laughter!

“Bai Xiaochun, I will use my last bit of energy… to push you into the Live Forever Demigod realm!

“I only regret that I cannot use the power of this world to push your Undying Live Forever Technique all the way into the true Celestial Realm…. I suppose… that a quasi-celestial will still do!” Laughing contentedly, he performed an incantation gesture with his left hand and pointed out.

“Arch-Emperor Treasure!”

All of Arch-Emperor City began to tremble, filling the hearts of the people inside it with shock. That included the Grand Heavenmaster, the Arch-Emperor, and the four heavenly kings, as well as the heavenly dukes and marquises!

Even more shocking was that all of the heavenly marquis pagodas and heavenly duke pagodas… simultaneously collapsed!!

A shocking energy burst into the third portion of the city, pouring into the gravekeeper and then passing through him into Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun felt like his mind was being struck by lightning, and he could barely breathe. Massive amounts of energy pushed into him, causing his Live Forever power to climb higher and higher. In the blink of an eye, he went from the early Deva Realm to the great circle!

Then, the Live Forever power converged and prepared for a final assault!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

Bai Xiaochun felt like the world was spinning. Crashing booms filled him with heaven-rending, earth-crushing intensity as his cultivation base… broke through again!!

The Live Forever Demigod!!

This was the final level of the Live Forever Codex!

The final sealing mark of the Live Forever Codex appeared, and was crushed with impunity! Bai Xiaochun trembled as every portion of his body seemed to link to each other perfectly!

The time had come for the gravekeeper to meet his ultimate end; his right hand was already transforming into ash. The magical power of Arch-Emperor Dynasty seemed incapable of fully transforming into Live Forever power….

Bai Xiaochun’s place in the Live Forever Codex was equivalent to the early Demigod Realm, and seemed incapable of progressing further. However, things were not over yet. It was at this point that Bai Xiaochun’s demigod cultivation base began to fuse with his Undying Codex fleshly body!

When that fusion was finished, the Undying Live Forever Technique would be whole!

If he had achieved all of this by normal cultivation, there would have been no need to fuse them. That process would have occurred naturally along the way. But now… a proper fusion was vitally important!

Bai Xiaochun trembled violently, a look of fear flickering on his face as he sat there cross-legged, incapable of moving. He was fully concentrated on fusing the complete Undying Live Forever Technique, to the point where his consciousness began to fade. The Undying Live Forever Technique became like a vortex trying to suck him into it, to completely transform him, to make him… the ultimate successor of the Undying Live Forever Technique!

He was not an Arch-Emperor… he surpassed the Arch-Emperors!

As his consciousness faded, his heart filled with complicated emotions. At that point, he looked over at the gravekeeper, and noticed that the man was smiling.

As he smiled, the gravekeeper began to fade away as surely as if some huge hand were erasing him out of existence.

“Mission… accomplished….” he murmured. Looking at Bai Xiaochun for the final time, he clasped hands in respect.

He felt guilty about what he had done to Bai Xiaochun, but not guilty about his overall success. He knew that the day would soon come when Daoist Heavenspan realized the truth about how to leave the world. At that time, a deadly battle would surely take place, which would end in the destruction of the world.

The gravekeeper’s mission had been to ensure that, before the world ended, a celestial appeared who had cultivated the Undying Live Forever Technique to completion. Or at the very least… a quasi-celestial.

He couldn’t stop Daoist Heavenspan, but he could ensure that such a quasi-celestial appeared before the end of the world. It was all to simply accomplish his mission.

To do that, he would use anyone and everyone in any way he could….

He clasped hands respectfully, and bowed. It was a bow he never rose up from. Bai Xiaochun watched as he transformed completely into ash.

A long moment passed. Bai Xiaochun was wrapped up in the Undying Live Forever Technique, and yet, he still managed to murmur, “I still… hate you!”