Chapter 2552 - 2517: Failed to Prove Emperorship

Great Sun Forbidden Area.

"Heaven and earth are growing ever more turbulent..."

"Is a Contemporary Ancient Emperor about to be born?"

Jiang Ding’s fingertips brushed against a stray strand of sunlight that had chanced to fall into the forbidden area, watching the scenes imprinted upon it, watching this thread of light from its birth to its arrival here, and murmured to himself.

Within these images, the elites slaughtering across the Endless Starry Sky grew ever more cruel and fierce. From time to time there appeared peerless Heavenly Pride that even made his gaze linger—sweeping across a region, their talent and strength surpassing the True God-level Fairies who fought in the Supreme Great Sun Immortal Dynasty’s era for the battle of emperorship, even granting the Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors certain insights.

As the era drew ever nearer, heaven and earth’s shackles upon the emperors of history weakened. Now the Supreme Great Sun Ancient Emperor could already gaze upon portions of the Endless Starry Sky’s Star Domains, silently observing all.

"The inheritors of the Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors—perhaps they are fated to miss the Golden Era’s Contemporary Ancient Emperor?"

Having examined many cases, Jiang Ding arrived at a conclusion.

After countless ages’ passage, when inheritances undergo spontaneous mutation in their transmission, the legacy of the Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors can still give rise to Ancient Emperors—but many experiences demonstrate that this influence persists, even if it is but a faint trace.

Such an influence, for eras outside the Golden Era, might not matter much; one can still be invincible under heaven, and proclaim emperorship in that age.

But within a Golden Era, that slightest influence becomes fatal.

This age has too many Heavenly Pride and paragons, all far too dazzling. Even the faintest gap will endlessly magnify, and in the end all efforts will fail at the verge of success.

"Yet even so, this is not an absolute."

"Perhaps there will be one born who, though Xiantian-flawed, can still reverse-slaughter all elites beneath heaven?"

Jiang Ding murmured: "Besides—does this truly count as an innate flaw? The depth of the Forbidden Area Ancient Emperor’s path lets one hold an immense early advantage, crushing the many elites of grassroots origin. It is merely that the later stages will have an added degree of hardship. This slight hardship may not be something that cannot be flattened by that early advantage."

"Can the inheritor of the Supreme Great Sun Daoist lineage become the Golden Era’s Contemporary Ancient Emperor?"

"If it truly comes to pass, I may lend a hand—after sweeping away all powerful foes beneath heaven, I will then engage him in a battle of life and death, a fight without personal grudges, without hatred; such a battle is not impossible."

Indeed.

The Supreme Great Sun Ancient Emperor was preparing to meddle in the Human World.

The first goal, naturally, was to defeat the contemporary elites and bring forth a Contemporary Ancient Emperor. The second, naturally, was to pave the way once that Ancient Emperor is born—accumulating Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure and stockpiling talent.

The richness of Golden Era resources is beyond question. Even in an era where non-emperor beings cannot command the resources of the entire Starry Sky, ruling merely a single domain can greatly replenish the forbidden area’s foundations.

Second comes the talent reserve, which is likewise crucial to the Supreme Great Sun Daoist. This path demands vast numbers of capable people.

If one waits until the moment of need to cultivate them hastily, it may well delay the opportune time.

At this stage, virtually all the Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors had reached a consensus.

That is: at the instant the Golden Era’s Ancient Emperor is born and attains the path, they shall all revive, advance toward the Eight-character Immortal Scripture, and then defy heaven to live out a second life!

No one spoke aloud, much less formed alliances or plotted together.

Yet many Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors already knew such a thing was bound to occur; beings who declined like the Beidou Ancient Emperor were not rare.

Rumble!

Rumble, rumble...

At this moment, the Endless Starry Sky suddenly quaked without cease. The Three Thousand Great Paths surfaced, interweaving and entangling; the light of billions of Stars shone upon one another. Earth Emergent Golden Lotus rose from the ground, celestial flowers rained in torrents, Immortal Cranes flew across the sky—various omens emerged, violently impacting the Endless Starry Sky.

Within the dim Mingxu void and the Great Dao itself, a single crown slowly condensed.

Someone was proclaiming emperorship!

Ten million years after the Emperor Road opened, finally someone had defeated the elites of the Endless Starry Sky and begun the path to emperorship, and his momentum far surpassed the former Beidou Saintess!

A clarion cry!

With a long screech, a blazing golden phantom emerged in the Starry Sky.

Within those layer upon layer of Great Dao and the Emperor Crown that was condensing, there was, surprisingly, a Three-legged Golden Crow that seemed intent on burning out all heavenly Stars!

He descended in the Golden Era, using Divine Fire to incinerate the elites upon the Emperor Road, invincible all the way; his aptitude and talent were rarely seen since antiquity. At last he had arrived at today, startling powerful beings of countless races; numerous slumbering Ancient Emperors were shaken within, waking one after another from their sleep, watching the Starry Sky with deep apprehension.

Could it be that the Golden Crow Immortal Clan would leap past the True Dragon and True Phoenix, the Star Sky Human Race, and other Starry Sky overlords, seizing the initiative in this Golden Era?

It was common knowledge that Golden Era Great Emperors were almost the ones most likely to become Immortal in this age!

How could this not shake all hearts?

Perhaps from this day forth, the Golden Crow Immortal Clan between heaven and earth would fully overshadow the many overlord races, becoming a solitary, superior tier of existence, worshiped by all living beings.

Yet those whose spirits trembled, even to the point of shock, were solely the Ancient Emperors of history.

The Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors, by contrast, reacted calmly, each deducing the Heavenly Dao and the future, turning a blind eye to such a scene, as though there were no surprise at all.

Within the Great Sun Forbidden Area, the Supreme Great Sun Ancient Emperor did cast his gaze there, carefully comprehending the Golden Crow Immortal Clan’s Sun Dao, gathering all manner of Immortal Path data.

"A Cross Immortal Scripture?"

"His talent is somewhat mediocre. The Great Dao and laws of the Golden Era are too heavy; the Cross Immortal Scripture cannot bear the crown of this age."

Jiang Ding said calmly.

The Golden Era’s Great Emperor must be a Forbidden Area Ancient Emperor!

This is not merely a demand of talent, but a demand of heaven and earth themselves. Without the Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors’ Original Ancient Talisman, one simply cannot bear the weight of this era’s Emperor’s Crown.

And Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors—cannot be mass-produced, not even in a Golden Era.

One must wait until a qualified person appears, and one who, at birth, already attains the status of Forbidden Area Ancient Emperor. The existence of such a person is subject to sheer randomness; even in a Golden Era, such a figure is not guaranteed. Time must be allowed to pass, and from innumerable variables and contingencies there will emerge such a Heavenly Pride.

The destiny of the Golden Crow True Fairy had long since been seen through by many Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors.

He was indeed stunningly gifted—before truly attaining the path he had already brushed the border of the Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors. After attaining the path, he would assuredly advance rapidly to Forbidden Area Ancient Emperor, fully worthy of the title of Golden Era peerless Heavenly Pride who carved his way out over the corpses of countless elites.

But it was not enough.

Not enough is not enough. Though he was already sufficiently astounding, there was still quite a large gap between him and one who attains the path as a Forbidden Area Ancient Emperor at once.

How large was this gap?

So large that none of the Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors had made any preparation for the Golden Crow’s attainment, just as no one would laboriously marshal vast manpower and resources for something whose probability was zero.

Crack!

Crack, crack, crack...

"No!"

"Impossible... no..."

Under the gaze of many Forbidden Area Ancient Emperors, a wail echoed from the Endless Starry Sky. The crown that had nearly finished condensing above the blazing Great Sun-like Golden Crow shattered. The entire Three-legged Golden Crow was torn limb from limb, blown apart into countless heavenly flames that fell to the Human World, forming seas of magma upon the earth that would never cool.