With that, Cheng Hao put away the pagoda and the crimson spear, and then picked Bai Xiaochun up with one hand as he prepared to return to the River-Defying Sect and continue his secluded meditation.
However, it was at this moment that … an ancient sigh suddenly rang out from the void of Heaven and Earth!
As the windstorms spun and rumbled, a black-robed figure walked out from the void. His face couldn't be seen clearly, but anyone who laid eyes on him would feel as if he had been there for countless years. It was as if this black-robed man had traveled through time and space to arrive here from an unknown period of time.
"Grandpa Gravekeeper!" he said, his eyes widening.
When Cheng Hao saw who it was, his expression turned very serious. This was the Hell-Emperor of the Arch-Emperor Realm, and the gravekeeper of the Arch-Emperor's gravekeeper. He had lived for countless years, and had countless tricks up his sleeve. Furthermore, he could control the energy of heaven and earth in this world. Although Cheng Hao felt that he was a bit stronger than him, he still didn't want to make a move against him for no good reason.
"Hell-Emperor, what business do you have with me?"
Walking out of the void, the Emperor of the Underworld gently pressed his right hand into the void. There was no wind at all, and there was no smoke or fire. However, at that moment, the entire world was completely silent.
The Heavens were no longer seething, and the sea of bones was no longer trembling. Even the tempest around the Emperor of the Hell-World calmed down. The tempest faded away, and the souls in the sea of bones no longer seethed with rage. Instead, they prostrated themselves toward the Emperor of the Hell-World. In the blink of an eye, all of the countless souls prostrated themselves in worship.
The Hell-Emperor didn't say anything. He simply waved his hand, causing an enormous Underworld River to appear in the sky. Waves surged out of the Underworld River, sweeping across the world. The countless souls in the sea of bones rose up into the air, like stars returning to their stars as they poured toward the Underworld River.
As the millions upon millions of souls were absorbed by the Underworld River, the Hell-Emperor took a step forward, hovering in the middle of the gray sea.
"Did you take Ghostmother?"
Compared to the last time they met, the Emperor of the Underworld seemed to have aged even more. His hoarse voice carried a hint of lethargy, as if he didn't have much time left.
"I've already taken care of Ghostmother and her clone, Gongsun Wan 'er. From now on, the only person you'll have to deal with is Daoist Heavenspan. I don't want to get involved in your grudge!"
The Underworld Emperor remained silent, as if he was considering whether Cheng Hao's words were true or not. His figure stood in the Underworld River, rising and falling with the gray waves, giving off an unusually illusory feeling.
"Forget it. Fellow Daoist, you are stronger than me. If you want to, it is not impossible for you to destroy this world." With a sigh, the figure of the Emperor of the Underworld dissipated along with the gradually illusory Underworld River, leaving only a leisurely voice in the void.
"I only hope that Fellow Daoist can give face to Xiaochun and treat the living beings of this world kindly."
Looking at the Emperor of the Underworld's disappearing figure and the dim Netherworld River in the Void, Cheng Hao stood in mid-air and secretly pondered the meaning of the Emperor of the Underworld's words.
"Give face to Xiaochun?" Right now, Bai Xiaochun doesn't have that kind of face. Does that mean the Xiaochun the Emperor of the Underworld is talking about is the future Bai Xiaochun? Or could it be that this old fogey is using his longevity divine ability to see a glimpse of the future? "
After a moment of silence, Cheng Hao shook his head and decided not to dwell on the matter. Things like the past and the future were very mysterious. Unless one could control the river of time, there was no way to understand the principles behind them.
Cheng Hao released the bone lizard battleship, and the two of them sat down on the deck. Then, under Cheng Hao's control, the battleship began to sail in the direction of the River-Defying Sect.
"Senior," he said, "why does the Celestial from Heavenspan Island want to make an enemy of Grandpa Hell-Emperor? Isn't the point of cultivation to live forever? Isn't it to live a better life? At their level, what's there to fight about? "
Bai Xiaochun really didn't understand. In terms of strength, the two of them could crush everything under heaven. Other than the two of them, no one could threaten them. In terms of authority, one of them was the Celestial, who controlled the lands of Heavenspan. The other was the Hell-Emperor, who controlled the Underworld River, and was worshipped by millions upon millions of living beings. Wouldn't it be better to live a comfortable life? Why fight to the death?
"Heh heh. It's not that hard to understand." Cheng Hao lazily looked up at the starry night sky. At some point, a cup of tea had appeared in his hand, which he took a sip of.
"Xiaochun," he said, "if one day you reached the peak of this world, but didn't leave, your cultivation base would be stuck. Would you ever want to leave this world and see the outside world?"
"I don't think I'd want to … live a comfortable life as a local tyrant. I even have a few beautiful women to keep me company. Why would I want to go out and suffer?"
SPLAT!
Cheng Hao spat out a mouthful of tea and shook his head speechlessly. He had forgotten that Bai Xiaochun wasn't some Long Aotian type of main character with great ambitions. He didn't have the desire to conquer everything in his path.
"Uh, maybe I didn't explain things clearly enough. Let me put it this way. If you don't leave this world, then you won't be able to break through to the Celestial Realm. And if you can't do that, then your lifespan will be limited. You'll have to watch yourself die in this cage of heaven and earth. Don't you feel bad about that? Don't you want to leave?"
"Can't I live forever without becoming a celestial?" Bai Xiaochun immediately got nervous at the mention of longevity. Then, a conflicted expression appeared on his face, as if he were trying to decide what to do.
"Um … for the sake of living forever, I think I should leave, right?"
"That's right. For the sake of living forever, Daoist Heavenspan wants to leave. But there's a problem. Your grandpa the Hell-Emperor doesn't want Daoist Heavenspan to leave." Cheng Hao took a sip of tea, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
If he were Daoist Heavenspan, and someone dared to stand in his way, wouldn't he go crazy?
"Why? If the Celestial wants to leave, Grandpa Hell-Emperor can just let him go. What's the point of enmity? " An unsightly expression could be seen on his face. If he wanted to leave in the future, would Grandpa Hell-Emperor stop him?
"That's the crux of the problem. Let's not talk about the Hell-Emperor's mission. If Daoist Heavenspan wants to leave this world, he has to open the Worldgate. Once that happens, powerful experts from the Outside will be able to enter this world at will. When that happens, the living beings of this world will become slaves. That's something the Hell-Emperor doesn't want to see! "
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