Chapter 1 The Beginning
Above the river of time, Ye Ling sat cross-legged in the void, his brow furrowed.
Around him, a multitude of runes floated, exuding an incredibly terrifying aura.
Each rune's aura was no less than Ye Ling's own!
The Soul Suppressing Sword hovered before Ye Ling, transmitting rune knowledge to him as it spoke, "The secret manual we are imparting to you is called the 'Ancient Spirit Codex.' It was created by the patriarch of the Ancient Spirit Clan, who was also one of the three Creation Gods, the Evil Emperor. The runes you saw in the canyon earlier are the power contained within this 'Ancient Spirit Codex.'"
"However, your current realm is too low, and you cannot comprehend most of the divine abilities within the 'Ancient Spirit Codex.' What you need to do now is to use the 'Ancient Spirit Codex' to understand the meaning of each rune."
"Once you understand these runes and can wield them at will, you will become a Spirit Emperor."
Ye Ling's eyes were tightly shut as he arduously received the knowledge transmitted by the Soul Suppressing Sword. He asked, "What is a Spirit Emperor?"
The Soul Suppressing Sword replied, "Well... how should I put it? It's equivalent to another path of cultivation, completely different from your current cultivation system."
Ye Ling then asked, "Doesn't that mean I have to start all over again?"
The Soul Suppressing Sword responded, "Not necessarily. The path of runes can be cultivated alongside your current path. You don't need to abandon your current cultivation. However, while you are receiving this knowledge, we will also explain the cultivation realms to you. Teaching a novice is truly arduous."
"Please enlighten me." Ye Ling, without any pretense of his status as the Supreme of the Eastern Profound Continent, humbly sought guidance from the Soul Suppressing Sword.
Although Ye Ling had already reached the pinnacle of the Eastern Profound Continent, compared to the Soul Suppressing Sword, he could only be considered a novice.
At this moment, Ye Ling had become a diligent and eager student.
The Soul Suppressing Sword said, "Let's start from your current realm... Above your realm, there are five more realms: Dao Lord, Dao Master, Dao God, Dao Extreme, and Supreme."
"Before my former master sealed the Three Thousand Great Worlds, Supreme was basically the limit of the universe, the strongest of the strongest."
Ye Ling asked, "Compared to these realms, where does the Spirit Emperor you mentioned rank?"
The Soul Suppressing Sword replied, "It ranks in none of them. Spirit Emperor is a realm above Supreme."
"Above Supreme?"
Upon hearing the Soul Suppressing Sword's words, Ye Ling was greatly astonished. His mind reeled for a moment, and he almost severed his connection with the Soul Suppressing Sword.
"Hey, kid! Focus! If the knowledge transmission goes wrong and fries your brain, it'll be over!"
"Sorry, continue..." Ye Ling quickly stabilized his spirit and signaled the Soul Suppressing Sword to continue.
Seeing that its connection with Ye Ling had stabilized, the Soul Suppressing Sword continued, "In reality, Supreme is pretty much the end of cultivation. To break through further, one needs external forces, such as obtaining a Seed of Chaos to break through to Heavenly Void Emperor, or mastering fundamental laws to become an Unsurpassed Immortal. There is another method... which is to master runes and become a Spirit Emperor."
"In this universe sealed by the Creation Gods, there are no Seeds of Chaos, and the fundamental laws cannot be perceived. Moreover, due to the blockade from the outer realms, the spiritual energy within is nearly depleted. It is already remarkable that you have cultivated to Dao Sovereign."
"Therefore, we can only take a different approach: let you first master runes and become a Spirit Emperor. Once you break through the blockade of the outer realms, we will then reinforce your cultivation and elevate your realm to Supreme."
"At that time, you can first comprehend any one of the four fundamental laws to become an Unsurpassed Immortal, then find a way to obtain a Seed of Chaos to become a Heavenly Void Emperor. After that, we can basically walk sideways in the outer realms."
Ye Ling asked again, "Is it really possible to directly surpass Supreme by comprehending runes at the Dao Sovereign realm?"
The gap in realms was truly immense, and Ye Ling felt it was somewhat unrealistic.
The Soul Suppressing Sword said, "Whether it's possible or not, it has to be done. This is the only way you can break through the blockade of the outer realms. If you can't do it, then we all wait to die!"
"When our strength is depleted and you can't resist the invasion of outer demons, this last sanctuary will fall!"
Ye Ling replied, "In other words, I must simultaneously become a Spirit Emperor, a Heavenly Void Emperor, and an Unsurpassed Immortal to save this universe?"
"No... that would only mean you have the ability to protect yourself. To enter the true battlefield, you will need to continue advancing."
Ye Ling: "..."
Ye Ling found the words of the Soul Suppressing Sword to be too distant!
However, just from the realms mentioned by the Soul Suppressing Sword, Ye Ling had already sensed the vastness of the outer world.
Perhaps endless wonders awaited him there.
A longing for the outer realms involuntarily arose in Ye Ling's heart.
After being at the top for too long, one always craved new challenges.
However, the Soul Suppressing Sword's words quickly pulled Ye Ling back to reality: "What we've discussed is too far off for you. Moreover, you still have the inheritance of the Creation Gods. Leaving the universe now is like walking around as a roast pig sprinkled with spices. So, it's best to cultivate diligently within the universe and talk about other things once you can protect yourself."
"Although this will be much slower, it is safer."
"I understand that myself, but thank you for the reminder." Ye Ling replied. After he had fully accepted the Soul Suppressing Sword's inheritance, the surrounding runes all dissipated.
He opened his eyes slightly and was about to thank the Soul Suppressing Sword when he saw that the rust on the Soul Suppressing Sword's surface had increased significantly!
Seeing the change in the Soul Suppressing Sword, Ye Ling's eyes flickered slightly, and he quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing... transmitting the complete 'Ancient Spirit Codex' to you consumed some spiritual energy. We need to rest for a while..." As soon as the Soul Suppressing Sword finished speaking, it transformed into a beam of light and drilled into Ye Ling's body, disappearing.
"Soul Suppressing?" Ye Ling called out again, unable to sense the Soul Suppressing Sword's aura.
Unfortunately, Ye Ling received no response. Soul Suppressing had once again disappeared.
Ye Ling searched for the Soul Suppressing Sword within his body with his divine soul for a moment but could not find any trace of it. He could only sigh, shake his head, and bitterly laugh, "This guy... he said he would guide me, but after giving me a secret manual, he disappeared. Is this how teachers act?"
Although Ye Ling said this, in his heart, he truly regarded Soul Suppressing as his teacher.
Previously, on the Eastern Profound Continent, Xuan Xiao had been his first teacher, guiding him on his cultivation path and allowing him to become the Supreme of the Eastern Profound.
This time, Soul Suppressing had given him the 'Ancient Spirit Codex,' illuminating his path forward.
Now that the path ahead was no longer shrouded in mist, Ye Ling's eyes held no more confusion.
"It's just a Spirit Emperor..." Ye Ling recalled the contents of the 'Ancient Spirit Codex' that flashed through his mind. A large number of runes condensed around him.
Although the runes evolving around Ye Ling still had some distance from those carved on the canyon walls, they already possessed a divine aura, far stronger than the simplified runes Ye Ling had comprehended himself before!
If the Soul Suppressing Sword could see the runes Ye Ling was using now, it would likely be astonished to the point of dropping its jaw!
To grasp the fundamentals of runes in such a short time, such talent was truly terrifying!
A new Creation God... was beginning to take shape!
Ye Ling looked at the runes before him, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
He looked down at the river of time, and his figure gradually dissipated.
"It won't be long before I break through and show you!"