Chapter 603 - 374: The Heavenly Jade Emperor, a Discourse on True Immortals at the Summit of Cangming

"Fake Immortal? Then is an Earth Immortal a True Immortal?"

Yi Beidou asked calmly.

The Jade Emperor fell silent again.

"Fellow Daoist, please come inside to talk."

After a long pause, the Jade Emperor spoke again.

Yi Beidou nodded slightly. The two Golden Armored Deities rose to their feet and respectfully led the way.

Along the way through the Immortal Palace, Yi Beidou encountered many handmaidens and Daoist Children. All of them were Deities whose bodies had been sculpted into being by the Jade Emperor using Divine Enthronement.

Inside the Immortal Palace, Yi Beidou also saw many interesting things.

Stone tools, bronze artifacts, ironware, a spinning jenny, a steam engine, an antique computer, a car engine...

It was like a museum chronicling the development of human civilization. The Jade Emperor had collected the crowning achievements of every era here, each representing a past he had personally witnessed.

Soon, Yi Beidou arrived at the main hall of the Immortal Palace, the Jade Emperor's residence. A youth with skin like jade and a handsome, androgynous face that made it hard to discern his gender stood before the gates, personally welcoming Yi Beidou.

He was dressed in a rather fashionable set of casual clothes. If not for the immense, irrepressible life force emanating from him, he would have been almost indistinguishable from a modern young man.

"Fellow Daoist, I am Yu Xuzi. I have been waiting for you. Please, come inside."

With a gentle smile, the Jade Emperor clasped his hands in greeting to Yi Beidou and led him into the hall.

The first thing Yi Beidou saw upon entering the hall were walls lined with books. There were ancient, time-worn tomes, oracle bones etched with characters, and modern books with pristine covers.

*Das Kapital*

*Selected Works of Mao Zedong*

...

Next were a series of display cases, inside which floated collectibles emitting a faint glow.

These artifacts were all Void Spirit Treasures, items so rare in the outside world that the Ancient Ones would fight to the death over them.

In the most prominent spot in the room sat a Seal. It emanated an incredibly heavy aura, and as its faint light pulsed, images of mountains, rivers, great oceans, and swirling clouds seemed to shift and cycle within it.

This appeared to be a treasure whose power surpassed even that of a Spirit Treasure.

"Worthy of the one among the seven Root Sources who has been awake the longest."

Yi Beidou said admiringly.

He saw something in the Jade Emperor that set him apart from the other Ancient Ones.

He had never stopped observing, learning, and researching.

The Divine Enthronement technique, the room full of books, and the Seal—crafted with a Spirit Treasure at its core and powered by Immortal Power—all attested to this.

"I have merely wasted several thousand years. It was only with the aid of this Immortal Palace's power that I had more time than others to observe the world."

"But in the end, I took the wrong path, did I not? My thousands of years of Cultivation have been nothing but running in place, much like how ten thousand years of human history pale in comparison to the last two hundred."

"The strength and Divine Powers I once took pride in will soon be surpassed by this new era."

the Jade Emperor lamented.

"You were simply born in the wrong era. If I had been in your position back then, I can't say I would have done any better."

Yi Beidou said.

"You really think so?"

Hearing Yi Beidou's words, the look in the Jade Emperor's eyes changed.

"One's era, one's destiny, one's fate... a person must have the courage to challenge that destiny and break their chains. But they must also acknowledge that 'fate' exists. It is not an excuse to accept the status quo, but a means to better understand oneself."

"You have watched over the mortal world for six thousand years. Surely you have your own insights about this era."

Yi Beidou said with a nod, his eyes full of earnest sincerity.

Even though he now stood at the pinnacle of humankind, possessing the power to overwhelm the world, he still understood clearly that this era had forged him.

In just a few short centuries, ordinary people may not have transcended the limits of their bodies, but they used their intellect to reshape the world, redefine human value, and redefine human strength and dignity.

The belief that man can conquer Heaven—that human strength can overcome all obstacles and create any miracle.

This was the essential, will-driven power that Yi Beidou had drawn from his era. It was the very foundation of his spirit.

Without this foundation, there would be no Heaven-Devouring Demon Flame. There would be no will of "Move Tai Mountain, Yi Beidou." And there would be no man like him, who dared to stand at the world's apex and weigh the Righteous Dharma against calamity.

The era shaped him, and he in turn would reshape the era.

The people give rise to heroes, and heroes in turn change the people.

The higher he ascended, the more clearly Yi Beidou understood this.

If he were placed in the same era and position as the Jade Emperor, he likely wouldn't have done any better than him—or any of the other Ancient Ones, for that matter.

That was an age of ignorance, where everything was like groping in the dark. Human strength had not yet been proven. They believed in the heavens, the earth, and the Gods. When faced with insurmountable problems, it was only natural to seek help from outside forces.

Therefore, even though many Ancient Ones had committed great wrongs throughout the course of history, their actions were limited by the era they lived in. For that reason, Yi Beidou was still willing to give them a chance.

To let go of the past, to integrate into the present, and to let their experience and talent shine anew in this era.

This, too, was a form of atonement.

But many of the Ancient Ones did not understand this simple truth.

"You are right. Humans can conquer mountains and rivers, cross great oceans, delve into the Guixu, and transcend the Cangming..."

"Do you know why Earth Immortals are called Earth Immortals?"

The Jade Emperor muttered to himself, then his eyes suddenly flashed with a brilliant light as he looked at Yi Beidou and asked.

"Oh? I've actually wondered about that myself. Do you know the reason?"