The place Qin Hengyu arrived at was beneath the Great Qin Empire.
The burial ground of the Ancestral Emperor.
This was also the resting place that the Ancestral Emperor Great Emperor Qin Ying had prepared for himself. Now it lay beneath the Holy Land. After the Ancestral Emperor’s death, it would sink 5,000 meters into the nether abyss.
The burial ground was almost a replica of the Great Qin Empire.
However, it was filled with densely packed clay figures. Some were alive, some were already dead. All of them had once been subordinates of the Ancestral Emperor.
Unlike the vibrant and flourishing Great Qin Empire above, this place was saturated with deathly aura.
There were various demonic beasts and enemies that had been slain and refined into puppets. A river of mercury coiled through the area, causing the void to tremble and isolating layers of curses.
In their later years, Great Emperors would suffer the endless erosion of darkness.
When Qin Ying had been a youth, he had appeared on an extremely desolate and freezing planet in the western star domain, constantly harassed by enemies from beyond the domain.
He stepped forward, led his people, repelled the invaders, and dispersed part of the darkness.
He unified the entire star domain and joined forces with other Great Emperors to establish the Extraterritorial Great Wall, protecting the human race.
For this,
He earned the respectful title of Ancestral Emperor.
The invasion of darkness had also brought a grave consequence. Spiritual energy within the Dao Domain drained away, the Heavenly Dao was damaged, and for one hundred thousand years no one could ascend to the Great Emperor Realm.
Qin Hengyu had only been released from Divine Source in recent years.
On one hand, the Ancestral Emperor was already beginning to fail. On the other hand, a great era had arrived. If he did not contend for the Royal seat, the future would be unpredictable.
At the center of the burial ground stood an underground palace.
Nine black dragons lay quietly upon the stone floor. Behind them, a bronze carriage pulled a black coffin, as if awaiting awakening once more.
An ancient bronze lamp burned with white candlelight. It was the only light in this dark realm.
The candlelight illuminated the black coffin.
Inside lay an elderly man clad in a black dragon robe. His complexion had withered. Decay and death filled his body, along with the weight of endless years.
Anyone could see that he had grown old.
This was the Ancestral Emperor Great Emperor whom beings across the star domain still speculated about, uncertain whether he had truly died. A living Great Emperor.
Qin Hengyu appeared in the underground palace, standing before the coffin. Looking at the former Ancestral Emperor, now his father in this identity, he felt a surge of emotion.
His body’s instincts stirred something deep in his heart.
It seemed that the Ancestral Emperor had done far too much for him, more than he could repay in a lifetime.
“Father!”
Though he had replaced the original owner of this body, Qin Hengyu still bowed respectfully and addressed this inexpensive father.
“My son, you have finally awakened.”
“One hundred thousand years ago, while I waged war against darkness, they shamelessly crossed the void and ambushed you within your palace chamber, destroying your foundation and fate.”
“I sacrificed the entire clan, yet I still could not defy the heavens to change your destiny. I remained ignorant.”
“Liu Ruyan was never a suitable match. Only because she was a Daughter of Fate did I agree to your request to take her as consort in hopes of altering your fate. The result was never what I wished.”
“I have seen everything you have done these two days. I believe the entire clan can now be entrusted to you.”
“Darkness Domain, you seek to exterminate my lineage of Qin Ying. You shall never succeed. Given time, I will turn your world upside down.”
Qin Ying’s lips did not move. He still lay within the black coffin.
Yet,
Two murky tears appeared at the corners of his eyes.
This alone showed how joyful the Ancestral Emperor truly was. If his body had not truly been failing, he might have already used a secret technique to revive himself and continue serving as Qin Hengyu’s pillar of support.
Qin Hengyu felt sincere gratitude upon hearing these words.
He had never expected such a hidden history.
No wonder, as the son of a Great Emperor, his fate had been so abysmal. He had been plotted against.
Qin Ying did not believe his son had been replaced. He believed he had awakened.
That was good. There was no need to fear his identity being exposed.
“You are my son. There is no need for thanks.”
“In my twilight years, to see you awaken brings me comfort. I have five years of life remaining. I can still lend you strength.”
“If there is anything you require, speak it. Can the fate of Liu Ruyan and Ye Xingchen be used for you?”
Qin Ying spoke of his condition calmly.
The methods of a Great Emperor could not be judged by ordinary logic. Though he lay within the burial ground, he still had full awareness of everything within the Great Qin Empire.
Naturally, he also knew of Qin Hengyu’s method of absorbing fate earlier.
As for how his son had obtained such abilities, he did not dwell on it.
In those years,
To repel the darkness, countless scriptures had been used to cleanse his body, and innumerable treasures had nourished him.
Now that he had awakened, it was not strange that he would occasionally gain new insights.
“Father, Liu Ruyan and Ye Xingchen are not urgent. My current Heavenly Fate is extremely poor. When extremes are reached, reversal follows. I am prone to backlash from fate.”
“I wonder if there are corpses of prodigies here that I can devour to gradually improve my bloodline aptitude and fate.”
Qin Hengyu did not hide his intentions.
The Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art required corpses.
As long as he obtained the corpses of prodigies, each absorption would be precise. Once his fate and strength improved, he could act more freely.
For now, it was better to remain cautious.
“Corpses of prodigies?”
“Within this burial ground, what I lack the least are corpses of prodigies.”
As Qin Ying’s words fell, more candle flames lit up within the underground palace, illuminating one lifelike clay figure after another.
Beneath each clay figure lay a corpse pit.
These corpses were like trophies, placed here and sealed within Divine Source. It was a display of overwhelming wealth.
It was not difficult to understand.
Even after death, powerful cultivators retained traces of life force and spiritual power within their bodies. For someone half-dead, such remnants had miraculous effects.
As a Great Emperor, it was not strange for Qin Ying to prepare such resources in his own tomb.
Of course, every corpse he collected belonged to his enemies.
To feast upon the flesh of invaders and drink their blood was nothing unusual.
Seeing this scene, Qin Hengyu’s eyes grew moist.
My Great Emperor father!
He had originally planned to seek opportunities to kill and gather such resources himself. Now, ready-made resources lay before him.
“Father, please hold on. Once your son grows stronger, I will surely extend your life. I wish to contend for the heavens together with you!”
Qin Hengyu could not help speaking boldly.
This inexpensive father was truly someone he wanted to save.
“Choose for yourself.”
Even with eyes and lips unmoving, Qin Ying’s mouth seemed to curl faintly upward.
He had only five years left.
No matter how fast Qin Hengyu grew, it would be impossible to surpass death in that time. But having such intent was enough.
At the same time, Qin Hengyu had another need.
Cultivation scriptures.
Before he could speak, Qin Ying said, “Since my son has already broken through to the 1st stage Spirit Manifestation Realm, you may cultivate this scripture.”
Immediately, a golden page appeared before Qin Hengyu.
From his current situation, Qin Ying knew his fate was extremely poor, severely affecting his cultivation. Even if supreme techniques were placed before him, they would appear like incomprehensible heavenly texts.
What could be done?
Only enlightenment.
Qin Hengyu directly used one enlightenment opportunity. In an instant, the scripture before his eyes became clear.
The Sun True Scripture.
Qin Hengyu stared at those four words in slight shock.
Starting with a Great Emperor-level scripture?
His father, as a Great Emperor, possessed the Ancestral Emperor Scripture. It was not strange that he also had another supreme scripture.
The Sun True Scripture originally required a Solar Sacred Physique to cultivate. However, at the Spirit Manifestation Realm, cultivating only one portion did not demand such strict conditions.
The Sun True Scripture could refine one’s divine sense to be like the sun itself, seizing the creation of heaven and earth.
At the Spirit Manifestation Realm, it could even generate extraordinary phenomena. It was said that nine blazing suns could form above the heavenly palace.
Merely relying on that phenomenon, enemies who approached would have their blood evaporated, turning into dried corpses.
Terrifying beyond measure.
Using the Eye of Destiny, Qin Hengyu examined the corpses of various prodigies within the corpse pits, planning to absorb them gradually from weak to strong.
At the same time, he began cultivating the Sun True Scripture.
1st stage Spirit Manifestation Realm!
2nd stage Spirit Manifestation Realm!
3rd stage Spirit Manifestation Realm!
As time passed, Qin Hengyu’s cultivation realm steadily rose.
However, because his fate was only white, even with the Sun True Scripture, cultivation still felt extraordinarily difficult.
…
Elsewhere, 5,000 meters outside the Great Qin Empire, in the desolate wilderness.
After being tended to by Liu Ruyan for some time, Ye Xingchen finally awakened.
At that moment, members of the Liu family surrounded Ye Xingchen and Liu Ruyan, their eyes filled with resentment and contempt, as if they wished to cut the two of them into a thousand pieces with their gaze alone.
It was the existence of these two that had changed the fate of the Liu family.
For a moment, the Liu family did not know where to go.
“Slap!”
Patriarch Liu Zheng’an, unable to suppress his anger, stepped forward and struck Liu Ruyan across the face.