Chapter 40: Am I a War Immortal?

The movement of the Imperial Weapon caused a massive uproar among the high-level members of Yaoguang, sparking waves of intense discussion.

However, in the end, nothing significant happened, and the storm eventually subsided.

After all, Qin Sheng was only in the Four Poles Realm, and the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron had merely shown some unusual activity; it was not as exaggerated as a spontaneous revival of a deity.

Hand the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron to Qin Sheng? Or perhaps hang him from the cauldron and constantly attempt to communicate with it?

Both were clearly impossible.

It could only be said that, starting from today, the high-level members of the Sacred Ground would pay more attention to Qin Sheng, granting him better treatment to aid his growth.

For Qin Sheng, this was a good thing, as he was receiving actual benefits.

Seven days later, Qin Sheng left Dragon-Pattern Peak and arrived at a floating island.

Hundreds or even thousands of mortals were waiting on this island, passing through an immortal gate one by one to have their physical conditions checked.

In the center of the island stood a bright, shimmering platform of mysterious jade.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Qin."

The Yaoguang disciples guarding the area bowed to Qin Sheng one after another, treating him with great reverence.

The things Qin Sheng had done appeared like myths to the ordinary disciples.

"When will the Domain Gate be opened?" Qin Sheng asked a disciple.

His deal with Duan De was set in the Northern Region. It had been some time since he left the Great Emperor's Dojo, so the rogue Taoist must have made some gains by now.

Yaoguang was located in the Southern Region of the Desolate Wasteland, separated from the Northern Region—where the Jiang Family and Yaochi were located—by countless billions of miles.

Never mind mortals; even for cultivators, crossing such a distance by flying would take a considerable amount of time.

However, by sketching Dao patterns and erecting a Domain Gate, one could traverse endless space instantly to arrive at a destination.

Of course, only a great sect like Yaoguang possessed the capability to establish such high-level Domain Gates.

"Once these mortals have finished their inspections, Supreme Elder Zhang will open the gate."

Qin Sheng looked at the thousands of mortals and asked, "What are these mortals doing in the Northern Region?"

"Mining Source Stones."

The disciple explained, "The Northern Region is sparsely populated and serves as the home turf for other Sacred Grounds and great families. Therefore, the Sacred Grounds and families of our Southern Region bring people here to transport them there for mining and resource extraction."

Mining...

Qin Sheng vaguely remembered that in the original plot, when Ye Fan first arrived in the Northern Region, he also worked as a miner.

So what if one became a Heavenly Emperor?

Even "ascending" from the Southern Region to the Northern Region meant mining. If you didn't get stung to death by the poisonous insects in the mines, you could consider yourself lucky, Ye Heavenly Emperor.

"Among mortals, there are legends that the Northern Region is a land of abundance, filled with gold everywhere, where one can strike it rich just by walking a few steps, and even the air is sweet."

A Yaoguang disciple shook his head with a smile. "What an unrealistic dream."

"Our Yaoguang Sacred Ground is relatively decent; we recruit miners voluntarily and provide them with settlement fees and wages," someone else added.

"Some smaller sects aren't so particular; they just kidnap people directly."

As they spoke, all the mortals had passed through the immortal gate, and an old man with white hair and beard appeared on the mysterious jade platform.

This was a Supreme Elder of Yaoguang, surnamed Zhang.

He gathered all the mortals and then spoke

"Any disciples intending to go to the Northern Region, come to the jade platform."

Dozens of Yaoguang disciples stepped forward. Supreme Elder Zhang's gaze swept across them, lingering on Qin Sheng for a moment longer.

"Are you Qin Sheng?"

"Reporting to the Supreme Elder, this disciple is indeed Qin Sheng."

Supreme Elder Zhang nodded. "You are quite capable. The Northern Region is a chaotic land; be careful once you arrive, but do not tarnish the prestige of our Yaoguang."

Without waiting for Qin Sheng to respond, he activated the jade platform to open the Domain Gate.

With a flash of light, everyone vanished.

On Dragon-Pattern Peak, the Peak Master withdrew his gaze, which had been fixed on Qin Sheng, and sighed softly.

"With his departure, I wonder how many more people will suffer."

This disciple was too reckless; his demonic nature was far too heavy.

***

Absolute silence and void, darkness and displacement—Qin Sheng and the others had entered the void.

It felt as if time no longer flowed here; it seemed like an instant, yet also like eternity.

The void split open, and Qin Sheng and the others saw light again, arriving in a brand-new world.

Looking at the scene before him, Qin Sheng was speechless.

The land was desolate and dead. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but reddish-brown soil and rocks, barren without a single speck of greenery.

This was a dead land, almost devoid of life.

Gold everywhere? Sweet and free air?

Although Qin Sheng had long known the truth, he still wanted to say that this was nothing more than a propaganda scam.

"Qin Sheng, are you going to the Source Mines?" Supreme Elder Zhang looked over.

Qin Sheng shook his head. "Reporting to the Elder, I plan to go to the Divine City for training."

He was a free agent with no sect missions, so he could go wherever he pleased.

"Very well, go then. Be careful of everything."

Supreme Elder Zhang led the group away into the Source Stone mining area shrouded by Dao patterns. Qin Sheng identified his direction and left alone.

The Northern Region was vast, but unfortunately, it was sparsely populated; one could travel thousands of miles without seeing a single village.

As a divine rainbow streaked across the sky, Qin Sheng looked down at the unchanging desolation below and sighed inwardly.

"The Battle Saint Emperor was truly a powerhouse."

In the Primordial Era, the Northern Region had actually been very fertile, with green mountains, clear waters, and gathered divine essence—it was truly brimming with life.

Unfortunately, the failure of the last Emperor of the Primordial Era to transform into a Battle Immortal, and his subsequent passing in the Northern Region, triggered a massive upheaval of heaven and earth, ending the Primordial Era.

Not only did it plunge the Shrouding the Heavens universe into a long period of Dao hardship, but it also turned the Northern Region into the godforsaken wasteland it was today.

"Battle Immortal..."

Thinking of this path, Qin Sheng couldn't help but shake his head.

"The Battle Saint Emperor's combat power was indeed extraordinary among Great Emperors, a standout among them, but the path of the Battle Immortal is a dead end."

"Even a child cannot transform into a Battle Immortal, let alone the Battle Saint Emperor."

Was the Battle Saint Emperor somehow more of a genius and more powerful than Shi Hao?

That was naturally impossible.

If you don't have the ability to transform into a Battle Immortal, you know it.

However, Qin Sheng understood the Battle Saint Emperor.

In the era of Dharma Decline, there was no path ahead. No one knew which way was right, so one could only use their life to practice the Dao.

Especially in the era of the Battle Saint Emperor, neither the Emperor Venerable nor the Undying Heavenly Emperor could guarantee that their mortal immortal paths would succeed.

The Battle Saint Emperor went for it; even if he failed, it was better than dying without having tried anything.

Besides, the Saint Emperor was different from the "idea man" Green Emperor.

The former was driven by necessity, having truly run out of options, leaving him no choice but to select the most violent path: the Battle Immortal.

As for the Green Emperor...

I wish him success.

"The mortal immortal path requires surviving nine lifetimes to transform into an immortal, yet a Battle Immortal seeks to break all shackles in the era of Dharma Decline using supreme combat power, ascending to immortality in one or two lifetimes."

"To complete someone else's nine-lifetime journey in a single lifetime, just how strong must one's combat power be to achieve that?"

"At the very least, one would need the combat power to strike down a flawless True Immortal during the Great Emperor stage, right?"

"Humanity ultimately has its limits, unless someone can rely solely on themselves without external aid to increase their combat power by a thousand or ten thousand times on top of the level of a Heavenly Emperor..."

As Qin Sheng thought of this, he suddenly stopped. It felt as if a divine thunderclap of creation had exploded in his mind.

If a Heavenly Emperor who lived to a second lifetime and saw their combat power climb to its absolute peak were to increase their strength by another thousand or ten thousand times—or even more—on their own foundation, could they succeed in becoming a Battle Immortal?

Did such a person exist in the Shrouding the Heavens world?

Previously, absolutely not. Even looking across the Chaotic and Immortal Eras, no one could have achieved it.

But would there be someone in the future?

Qin Sheng raised his hand and clenched it into a fist, surging power churning within his body.

"Perhaps there will be."

Qin Sheng realized with a sudden shock that, given his own conditions, he might be able to walk a path that no one before him had ever trodden, and no one after him would ever follow.

The wind of the Northern Region blew past, whistling like the sighs of an ancient Saint Emperor.

A Battle Immortal... is not necessarily impossible!

"Thinking about it seriously, the path of the Battle Immortal is actually the one that best fits the Shrouding the Heavens world."

If a path cannot be walked, use your fists to break it open!