Page 1051

A child who looks a few months old, floating in the air through Elemental Power, stands there facing one of the world’s strongest King Level figures, with an aura comparable to Emperor Xiang.

Although there was no deliberate oppression of aura, the basic deference from the inherent difference in Life Level was still present, yet in the child’s eyes, there was apprehension but no fear.

There was a kind of confidence only possessed by those of high status, and it was the confidence of a highly successful ruler.

"Impressive courage!" The Emperor laughed and said: "What conditions do you seek?"

"The fate of Chen Qing is unknown, and the matters he cooperated with me on will soon be exposed. There are not many who would tolerate me, but you are one of them."

"Oh?" The Emperor raised an eyebrow, completely unexpected that this was the request.

"As a Reincarnator, you wish to take refuge with me?"

"It’s a choice made out of necessity. If one could achieve success and fame, does it matter whom they take refuge with? If we talk about not of my kind... those from the guilds, which of them... still qualifies as human?"

He had seen too much in the intelligence reports.

Players, who acted as demons in this world, were able to reach the pinnacle; they probably didn’t even realize how many humans they had consumed.

Consuming NPC humans without a psychological barrier, so would there be a psychological barrier eating compatriots from Digital City?

Essentially... they are no longer the same kind...

"Interesting..." The Emperor nodded: "I will agree to your request. If the intelligence you provide is true and valuable, I will provide you this way out. If Chen Qing is dead, you can come to me at any time."

"Thank you, Your Majesty..." Zhang Zhengyuan bowed slightly.

"Speak..."

"This most top ancient force wasn’t supposed to make its move yet.

Usually, it relies on smaller factions for support, and it would be ideal to prepare the corresponding materials, resurrecting them one by one for the most perfect revival.

However, perfection often does not exist, and things don’t always go so smoothly.

Previously, there was an incident where the Heavenly Palace was unprepared and forcibly opened Tianmen, absorbing many followers.

Although initially it was a loss, they managed to recoup much later on with various methods, at least preserving the things that should belong to the last Era. "

"Heavenly Palace?" Upon hearing this, the Emperor glanced outside the Imperial Palace where a dazzling golden light shone above the sky: "You are referring to that?"

"Yes... Heavenly Palace, the first great ancient force among the Four Major Guilds to be conquered by the players.

.. that is, the Reincarnators as Your Majesty mentioned.

There has been a saying since ancient times about transforming into an Immortal through dissolution of the physical form.

When all things reach their physical limits and their functions decline, some beings can only wait to die, while others are different.

Through certain Dharmas, they can transform into another form of life. "

"Opening the Heavenly Gate is one of the earliest notions of immortality. It is said that once one’s understanding of self is recognized by the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Gate will open, allowing you to ascend the Ladder to Heaven. If you can climb it, you can Ascend to Immortality!"

"Your Majesty has also heard of this legend... Tianmen, huh..." The Emperor said with a cold laugh: "Is it real?"

"Half true, half false."

"What do you mean by half true, half false?" The Emperor asked, amused.

"The real part is that indeed, ascending the Ladder to Heaven can lead to Immortality.

The so-called Immortals are those who have been absorbed into the Heavenly Palace in the form of Spiritual Bodies, becoming the lowest level Ghost Immortals.

Afterwards, with opportunity, they may cultivate Pure Yang and have a chance to become true Immortals of the Heavenly Palace. "

"However, inside the Heavenly Palace, it’s akin to a breeding ground for parasites; out of a million, barely one truly climbs out. Heavenly Palace... the name is indeed well-chosen..."

"I’m afraid it’s more than that, isn’t it?" The Emperor sneered: "All beings ascend the Ladder to Heaven, only spiritual bodies enter the Heavenly Palace, what about the flesh body?"

"Your Majesty is indeed wise..." Zhang Zhengyuan looked at the other party.

It was said that even the Shenwu Guild had suffered a setback at the hands of this Emperor, losing many things, even the Thousand Mechanism Eye.

For several eras, this was the first monarch of the Central Plains that had slipped from control, truly extraordinary. ..."

"The process of ascending the Ladder to Heaven is actually a method that consumes lifeblood. With each step taken, a portion of lifeblood drops away. Even at the King Level, one would be reduced to bones after completing the climb, the essence of one’s lifeblood thoroughly depleted on the Ladder to Heaven, serving to rejuvenate the vital energy of the immortals in the Heavenly Palace. "

"If one can reach the latter half of the climb, and catch the eye of someone within the Heavenly Palace, there’s a chance for one’s spiritual body to transform into a Ghost Immortal. If not seen as worthy, then it’s merely giving one’s flesh and blood away for nothing."

"Ha... I knew it, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world." The Emperor chuckled and said: "All the secret teachings of various families have recorded this matter, I’m afraid when the Tianmen opens again, there will be many who can’t resist trying."

"Of course..." Zhang Zhengyuan nodded: "Both the Human Race and the demons will remember this event. Once the Heavenly Palace opens, those beings desperate to evolve will swarm towards it without hesitation, as it’s their only chance to change their fundamental nature."

"Especially those demons with powerful bloodlines, as they have ancestors who became immortals of the Heavenly Palace. When their primogenitors become powerful, they too sense it, akin to an invisible faith. Humans may still harbor doubts, but those demons... almost believe it without question!"

"But are there still demons in this world?" The Emperor frowned.

"There are..." Zhang Zhengyuan sighed: "Your Majesty’s gaze is still only on this Land of Divine Continent where spiritual energy is scarce, of course, not here.

But beyond the void, there are many more demons.

With each era, they return not only for the temptation of human flesh but mainly in search of the path to evolution. "

"The upper limit of demons is fixed. No matter what race you are, wherever your purest-blooded ancestor has reached, it’s almost impossible for you to exceed. But if you can enter any one of the Four Major Guilds, there is a chance to reshape your own bloodline!"

"In that case..." The Emperor frowned: "Why not resurrect earlier? With such a method to attract demons, wouldn’t an earlier resurrection allow those under their control to be revived sooner?"

"It’s not the same..." Zhang Zhengyuan sighed: "The Four Major Guilds have too many high-level lives to sustain. Actually, it’s already quite difficult to maintain.

The earlier the resurrection, the greater the consumption.

The spiritual energy of the Mortal World has not yet recovered, relying solely on the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Palace.

An early resurrection would mean nothing is left to nurture those high-level immortals. "

"Only when spiritual energy is fully restored can consumption be minimized. After all, both the Heavenly Palace and the Buddha Kingdom have their competitors. The more resources saved, the more confident they will be in later competitions. Moreover, regarding attracting demons, it’s akin to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. "

"How so?" The Emperor asked curiously.

"Take the Heavenly Palace as an example, if a demon successfully ascends the ladder, there’s a chance of ascending to immortality.

This is a legacy passed down by bloodline through generations.

The Heavenly Palace would not be so ruthless to eliminate all.

Among those ascending demons, at least a fraction of the exceptional beings will still be taken into the Palace. "

"But if resurrected prematurely, the spiritual energy within the Heavenly Palace is already barely sufficient, where can they spare more to nurture newcomers?"

"What you mean is..."

"Yes, an early resurrection would turn that Ladder of the Heavenly Palace into a pure trap to collect flesh and blood.

If this generation of demons fails to become immortal, then the bloodline-memory passed to the next generation will change and the credibility built over generations would be completely depleted. "

"Thus, by the time the next Ladder to Heaven opens, not to say that absolutely no demons would come, but at least there would be a significant decrease.

Too great a decrease in demons in the early stages is extremely disadvantageous for the next resurrection.

Only the Buddha Kingdom of the era before last has done such a thing as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs! "

"I see..." The Emperor suddenly understood: "I see!"

But if it’s such a dangerous move, why do all forces employ it? Could there be something that compels them to such an extent?