Imperial God Emperor

The expression on Ye Qingyu’s face had clearly been expected by the nameless Quasi-emperor, who had been way more shocked than the former when he saw a similar scene upon arriving below the World Tree all those years ago.

Countless years have passed in a flash.

Finally, someone has arrived.

The Quasi-emperor smiled at Ye Qingyu.

It took the latter a long time before he regained his senses from shock.

He still found it hard to believe that the legendary [Longevity Emperor] of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had actually used his own body to nourish the tree.

What could this be for, and why is this tree so important?

Of course, if even the [Longevity Emperor] had used his own body to nourish the tree, then, to some extent, it made sense that this nameless Quasi-emperor would ultimately forgo the choice of making use of the World Tree to become Emperor – there must have been something more important than that.

Ye Qingyu later realized something else.

The Quasi-emperor had disappeared from the [Guanlan Mountain Manor] in Heaven Connect City roughly no more than ten thousand years ago, yet had seen the [Longevity Emperor] under the World Tree. In other words, the [Longevity Emperor] was still alive in the human world less than ten thousand years ago.

Ye Qingyu’s scalp tingled once more as he thought about this.

If spread, this piece of news would definitely shock the world.

After taking successive deep breaths, his train of thought gradually became clear.

“Was it a decree by the [Longevity Emperor] that caused you to forgo becoming Emperor and make this choice instead?”

“It wasn’t a decree but just a request.” The nameless Quasi-emperor smiled. “I had the right to choose for myself.”

Hearing this, Ye Qingyu nodded his head.

Indeed, the [Longevity Emperor] is too great of a character to force this Quasi-emperor to do something against his own will, and must’ve told him some inside information and allowed him to make his own choice. The latter eventually chose to follow him, thereby becoming a provider for this mysterious World Tree as well.

Ye Qingyu's curiosity grew.

What kind of inside information could’ve caused both the [Longevity Emperor] and the nameless Quasi-emperor to make such a huge sacrifice?

“Please explain,” Ye Qingyu respectfully saluted and politely requested.

The Quasi-emperor looked at Ye Qingyu as if looking at his former self. Although this young man had not attained the Quasi-emperor realm and was nowhere near his cultivation of those years ago, he felt that the former possessed intriguing qi essence and aura which were more outstanding than his of back then.

A hint of admiration flashed across his eyes. “Do you know that the Vast Thousand Domains has been destroyed several times?”

“Huh?” Hearing this, Ye Qingyu shook his head astonishedly.

The Quasi-emperor’s expression suggested that he was in a state of recollection. “I offered a similar response when the [Longevity Emperor] asked this question back then. After all, to our knowledge, the history of the Vast Thousand Domains can be traced back to the Archean and Fiendgod Ages, before which primeval beings were dominant. The Fiendgod Age was then followed by the Age of Martial Emperors, and after that was the Post-martial Emperor Age. History is ordered in this way, and there are remains and textual records of every age, thus forming a complete world. However, have you ever wondered what the world was like during the age of primeval beings, which was before the Archean and Fiendgod Ages?”

Ye Qingyu was stunned.

Before the Archean Age?

He had never thought about this question before.

Ever since entering White Deer Academy, he had become like a top which was spun round and round by various matters. The tide of worldly affairs and the web of human relationships had dragged him along without giving him a moment of rest, and so he rarely thought about such things.

However, now that the nameless Quasi-emperor had asked, he became hooked by this question.

Indeed, what was the pre-Archean world like?

It’s said that those primeval beings were born out of universal will and could live for eternity. They possessed matchless strength and invincibility, and were the rulers of this universal void. Even the posterior Fiendgods were their descendants. However, because of mutual killings and other reasons, they gradually disappeared or perished among the long course of history.

It appears that everything in this world is relative and nothing is ever eternal, such that even beings which were born eternal would ultimately die out.

Since those primeval beings were born out of universal will that means that there was already a universe before their time.

If so, what was this universe like back then?

This type of question was way too profound and would probably never be fully answered.

However, the more profound it was, the more one could not help thinking about it.

After pondering for a while, Ye Qingyu felt his mind become confused. Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t know, please explain, ancestor.”

“My reply was like yours.” The Quasi-emperor smiled. “And the answer given to me by the [Longevity Emperor] was only a single word.”

“What word was it?” Ye Qingyuasked.

“Reincarnation.”

“Huh? Reincarnation?”

Ye Qingyu felt perplexed upon hearing the answer, as if he had caught hold of something yet nothing at the same time. This was a specious and paradoxical answer after all.

“The [Longevity Emperor] said that there was another period of civilization, history, and incomparable prosperity in the Vast Thousand Domains before the Archean Age, forming a near-perfect world. However, that civilization would ultimately be destroyed,” the Quasi-emperor explained slowly.

Ye Qingyu understood at once.

Reincarnation.

This is what reincarnation means.

The [Longevity Emperor’s] meaning is very simple. The reincarnation he spoke about was neither about life and death nor soul and body, but rather about the destruction and rebirth of civilization. After the end of one age of civilization, a new civilization would be born sometime among the long period of dreariness.

Since it was reincarnation, it certainly did not take place only twice.

Instead, it repeated ceaselessly.

The emergence, development, and prosperity of each specific civilization eventually ended in destruction.

Ye Qingyu suddenly felt somewhat enlightened.

During this instant, he felt as if he was a person standing beside the long and torrential river of history while watching the surging of waves, every one of which represented an age. As for the lofty Martial Emperors, they were each merely a water droplet which splashed highest, brightest, and most unconventionally among a wave. However, no matter how bright and high they were splashed, they ultimately were unable to escape from the surging torrent, while the wave would eventually dissipate, for even the highest of waves had their periods of calm.

Such enlightenment caused Ye Qingyu to be shaken to the core irresistibly.

At the same time, a strange change was brewing and happening in Ye Qingyu's body. In particular, the mysterious powers of faith and belief he had gathered recently began to change qualitatively, as though they had been ignited.

This kind of change was acutely picked up by the nameless Quasi-emperor.

A hint of astonishment flashed across his face, to be followed by an unmistakable delight.

Ye Qingyu came to his senses a moment later.

As he recovered from that heart-stirring feeling, he felt clear and bright like never before, as if a layer of callus which had wrapped around his body since birth had just been removed, causing his spirit to be purified and sublimated.

“Wonderful. I’d never thought that your power of understanding would be this high.” The Quasi-emperor nodded and smiled. “I’d once seen a chap in the Li family of the Ming Domain who could be said to be divine in talent and peerless in comprehension, yet he was inferior to you. People used to say that listening to Dao in the mornings would enable one to gain Dao and advance in cultivation. You, on the other hand, have evolved and attained the foundation of the Peerless Emperor Way just by hearing the words of the [Longevity Emperor].”

It was only now that Ye Qingyu understood that his earlier comprehension was the foundation of the Emperor Way, and he thus became excited at once.

However, he was more concerned about the secret that the nameless Quasi-emperor was about to talk about.

The Quasi-emperor continued, “The [Longevity Emperor] said that the reincarnation of this kind of civilization isn’t voluntary, but forced and passive instead. No matter the extent to which civilization propagates and evolves, it would eventually be destroyed and everything would return to zero before beginning anew. The Vast Thousand Domains can be likened to an enormous leek field. When the leeks have ripened, they would be harvested. Subsequent batches would also be harvested when they’ve ripened…”

Compared to the explanation of reincarnation, this leek field analogy was much more cruel and frightening.

Ye Qingyu could not help asking, “Harvest? Who does the harvesting?”

The Quasi-emperor’s expression immediately turned grim. “Darkness.”

“Darkness?” Ye Qingyu blurted. “The Dark Realm? Or the dark camp?”

“Huh? To think you know about these too.” The Quasi-emperor appeared surprised for a moment before smiling again. “Indeed, given your current cultivation and strength, it’s not much of a surprise that you would know a few secrets regarding this matter. I’m certain that you possess a fair amount of prestige and status in the Vast Thousand Domains. However, what you know is only the tip of the iceberg. True darkness frightens and cannot be stopped by even Martial Emperors. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to make civilization go through reincarnation to be destroyed and harvested time and again.”

Ye Qingyu's jaw dropped.

Even Martial Emperors would be frightened?

Is that even possible?

Martial Emperors are the peaks of this world who bear the mandate of heaven and whose words are the law. How can they be afraid of the Dark Realm?

The explanation nearly inverted Ye Qingyu's long-held understanding of this world.

“If this isn’t so, why do you think the [Longevity Emperor], as well as the [Drifting Cloud Emperor] and the [Sea Sand Emperor], were defeated and forced to retreat into secret planning, and didn’t mind sacrificing themselves to nourish this tree?” The Quasi-emperor sighed, “In this world, even the so-called eternal primeval beings and the Fiendgods would eventually perish, let alone the Martial Emperors. Do you really think that no Martial Emperor-level experts like those of this era emerged among those extremely prosperous, powerful, and terrifying civilizations? The civilizations they belonged to were ultimately reincarnated and harvested.”