A golden, thousand-zhang figure clad in imperial robes and a crown materialized above the imperial palace. With a single glance, it surveyed the entirety of the Great Han dynasty!
"Drip..."
"Drip..."
"Drip..."
...
Golden blood seeped from the limbs of this golden pygmy and dripped onto the heart within Yang Hao's chest.
"Gulp..."
"Hoo..."
In an instant, boundless vitality surged like an ocean from the heart, rapidly irrigating the myriad blood vessels of his body.
"Crack..."
The withered physique gradually began to stir. The cracked skin gradually regained its color.
"Boom!"
A thunderclap erupted within his body, no less potent than the divine thunder of the Nine Heavens.
The thousand-zhang golden figure gradually shrank until it vanished above the imperial palace.
"Break!"
Yang Hao roared, expelling a stream of turbid, ink-black qi into the void. He opened his mouth and let out a cry, his body like a vast furnace capable of containing all the primal energy in the world.
"Clang..."
"Clang..."
"Clang..."
The nine cauldrons of imperial destiny vibrated, and streams of dense primal energy shot into the secret chamber where Yang Hao resided.
Suddenly, golden dragons coursed through Yang Hao's eyes. His heart within his body gradually disappeared, replaced by the golden pygmy. Waves of vast, potent qi and blood flowed from this golden pygmy to all parts of his body!
"Poof..."
A crisp sound echoed softly as Yang Hao's internal primal energy surged like a tidal wave. Within a few breaths, he advanced to the first layer of the Creation Realm!
Upon entering the Creation Realm, one gains a lifespan of ten thousand years!
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for forging the Great Emperor Golden Body, possessing the potential for imperial achievements!"
"Ding! Main quest activated: The Desolate Realm, one of the six continents of the Eastern Desolation, is the place of exile for the Myriad Beast Realm, and the most barren of the six realms. The host shall annex the vast territories of the six realms, forming the foundation of an imperial dynasty!"
"Ding! Main quest reward: Achieve imperial status, promote to an imperial dynasty, reward three opportunities to summon ancient heroes!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for forging the Great Emperor Golden Body. All summoned heroes have had their cultivation levels increased by five minor realms. All summoned soldiers have had their cultivation levels increased by three minor realms!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for breaking through to the Creation Realm, advancing by one major realm. All summoned heroes have had their cultivation levels increased by two minor realms!"
Summoned soldiers have also had their cultivation levels increased by two minor realms, which means they have reached the Divine Mansion Realm!
Yang Hao smiled faintly. Forging the Great Emperor Golden Body not only allowed him to break through to the Creation Realm but also provided a terrifying boost to the cultivation levels of his summoned heroes!
In a single day, he advanced by a total of seven minor realms!
He Yuanqing and Liang Shittai, in particular, had already broken through to the Nirvana Realm. Now, with an advancement of seven minor realms, they instantly reached the eighth layer of Nirvana, just one step away from forging the Nine Revolutions Nirvana Golden Body!
"System, open my detailed information!"
Yang Hao walked out of the secret chamber and instructed the system.
"Ding!"
"Master of the Samsara Profound Yellow Tower: Yang Hao."
"Cultivation: Creation Layer One!"
"Cultivation Technique: Vast Universe Azure Emperor Scripture."
"Forged the Great Emperor Golden Body, possessing the potential for imperial achievements!"
"Faith Points: Twenty Million, Slaughter Points: Twenty Million, Samsara Power: Two Hundred Thousand."
"Summoned Heroes: Heaven Transformation Realm Layer Eight: Zhu Sheng, Wu Yong, Wan Mizhai (Grade Eight Alchemist), Bao Zheng, Yuwen Kai, Wei Zhongxian, Di Renjie!"
"Creation Realm Layer Three: Liao Hua, Zhou Yuji, Gao Shun, Jing Ke, Mao Xiang, Zhang Jiao, Changsun Wuji, Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling!"
"Creation Realm Layer Eight: Cheng Yaojin, Lu Kang, Shan Xiongxin, Zhang Han, Yuan Tiangang, Qi Jiguang, Meng Tian, Yuchi Gong, Shi Wansui, Yao Li, Wang Baobao, Li Si, Lu Junyi, Sun Simiao (Grade Nine Alchemist), Han Qughu, Qin Qiong, Chen Tang, Gan Ning, Ying Bu, Li Wenzhong, Li Bai, Ji Youyu, Xu Huang, Zhou Tai, Gongsun Zan, Zhang Liao, Gao Ying, Cen Peng, Wang Yue, Fu Hao, Hua Mulan, Liang Hongyu!"
"Nirvana Realm: Gao Changgong (Two), Ma Yuan (Three), Han Shizhong (Five), Dugu Xin (Six), Guo Xin (Six), He Yuanqing (Eight), Liang Shittai (Eight)!"
"Ding! Main quest: The Desolate Realm, one of the six continents of the Eastern Desolation, is the place of exile for the Myriad Beast Realm, and the most barren of the six realms. The host shall annex the vast territories of the six realms, forming the foundation of an imperial dynasty!"
"Ding! Successful reward: Three opportunities to summon ancient heroes!"
...
A few days later, in the Military Affairs Department of the Great Han's Chang'an City.
"Human Emperor, this is a battle report from General Meng Tian. The Qiongqi Legion captured the Serpent God Temple two days ago and slew the chieftain of the Serpent Tail Great Serpent tribe. However, the intelligence indicates that the Serpent Tail Great Serpent chieftain, by borrowing the shed skin of the Serpent Tail Demon Ancestor, advanced to the Nirvana Realm!"
"Nirvana Realm?"
Yang Hao smiled faintly. With the heroes advancing five minor realms, the current strength of the Great Han, excluding the Nine Nether Desolate Domain which still required some effort, could easily overwhelm the other three domains.
"Human Emperor!"
Changsun Wuji put down his brush and held a memorial. "This is a battle report from the Rending Heaven Tortoise Legion. The Rending Heaven Tortoise Legion has successfully occupied the Blood Feather Palace and exterminated the entire Blood Feather Crane tribe. However, within the palace, they discovered the lifelong essence of the Blood Feather Crane's past demon ancestors, which can bring about great efficacy to martial artists!"
"General Gao Changgong has specifically brought this matter to your attention, requesting the Human Emperor's decision!"
"Human Emperor, Generals He Yuanqing and Liang Shittai have returned!"
Wei Zhongxian entered softly and said respectfully.
"Oh!"
Yang Hao's face lit up with joy. "Have them come in!"
"Your subject, He Yuanqing, and Liang Shittai, pay respects to the Human Emperor!"
"Rise quickly, how was it?"
Li Si, Changsun Wuji, and others also looked over anxiously.
"Human Emperor, your subjects are incompetent. We did not find General Xu Chu!"
He Yuanqing lowered his head, filled with remorse.
"No discovery?"
"Then who obtained the Nine Revolutions Nirvana Golden Body from the Far North?"
Yang Hao felt a pang of disappointment. This trip to the Far North had yielded no sign of Xu Chu, and this only lead had been broken.
"Human Emperor, the Far North..."
"Five Yang Venerable?"
"God Nurturing Realm?"
"Cultivation technique is incomplete?"
"Myriad Beast Realm?"
"Fire Cloud Cave?"
"Li Si, a few days ago, you broke through to the Nirvana Realm. Did you enter the realm of life and death?"
Yang Hao frowned. This Five Yang Venerable possessed immense power, using the entire Desolate Realm as a pond to draw in heavenly prodigies from myriad tribes, to become his vessels for a second life!
It was likely that the Human Martial Emperor of a million years ago, due to a mistake in his cultivation, was harmed by this Five Yang Venerable's cultivation technique. The imperial palace was a secret treasure used by the Martial Emperor to suppress the remnant soul of the Five Yang Venerable.
However, as time passed, subsequent emperors forgot about it, or perhaps the Martial Emperor never informed his descendants, and it gradually became a secret hoard.
In that case, the Nine Nether Desolate Lord was indeed a formidable individual, capable of breaking through to the peak of Nirvana and forging the Nine Revolutions Nirvana Golden Body using an incomplete and fragmented cultivation technique.
"No!"
Li Si shook his head.