From the whispers of ages past, a grand design unfurled, born from the mournful hearts of the Requiem Clan’s fallen prodigy. He, who once guided me to the celestial heights of a Grand Empyrean, sought my aid as recompense.

When the previous Celestial Emperor returned to the void and you ascended the throne, the former Imperial Sage sought me out. Following the ancient blueprint of his ancestors, he orchestrated our union, begetting a daughter.

This child, though her mortal coil was woven from the threads of the Immortal Continent, bore the soul of the Requiem people. Such a thing should have been impossible, for the ancestral seals laid by the First Immortal were of immense power.

But the First Immortal has long since passed, and his seals have weakened with the eons. Moreover, the Requiem prodigy, in his ambitious plan, decreed that the entire Requiem Clan must sacrifice their souls, merging them into a single entity to contend with the weakening seals.

Down through the ages, the Requiem numbers dwindled, a testament to this sacrifice. Until this generation, only two remained… For countless millennia, the spirits of the departed Requiem had been gathered, employing their clan’s unique arts to form a protective barrier within the soul of this child, whom you know as Hai Zi.

Her ability to leave the Ancestral City without succumbing to its power is due to her mortal form, yes, but also to the protection afforded by the countless spirits of the Requiem dwelling within her soul.

The entire Requiem Clan spent countless ages to achieve this within Hai Zi, making her truly unique!” Lord Jiu spoke calmly, unveiling the intricacies of the long history before the Celestial Emperor.

“Because she is your daughter, you will lend her your unwavering support! Perhaps even become the Sacred Father of the Requiem, earning the reverence once reserved for the First Immortal himself… The Requiem have paid a heavy price to unseal the prison…” The Celestial Emperor sighed, his expression a tapestry of complex emotions.

“Besides Hai Zi, the last of the Requiem was the Imperial Sage, now departed… In truth, you could have chosen not to break the Requiem seals. However, the ancestors of the Requiem foretold your desire for the First Immortal’s inheritance. Driven by the pressure of us four Grand Empyreans, you would not relinquish it, but instead gamble everything on a desperate venture!”

The key to this “design” lies in the Requiem Clan’s seals within the First Immortal’s skull. Therefore, a vessel was needed, someone susceptible to possession, to be drawn into the First Immortal’s skull.

Hence, Wang Lin is paramount!”

The Celestial Emperor paused, a bitter smile playing on his lips as he gazed at Lord Jiu and Hai Zi Empyrean behind him.

“So, had I not insisted on breaking the seal, but instead allowed the First Immortal’s skull to remain immersed within the forbidden palace, abandoning the chance to inherit his power, your entire plan would have crumbled?”

“Nay!” It was Hai Zi who spoke, her voice now imbued with a strange power, her countenance serene as she looked upon the Celestial Emperor.

“Had you forsaken the chance to inherit the First Immortal’s power, the secret weapon the Requiem Clan had prepared for generations would be unleashed! Across the Immortal Continent’s seventy-two provinces, every spirit shrine would heed our call!

All these shrines have been preparing the awakening of the spirit within each province, that their awakening shall shake the seal set by the First Immortal, so only he can suppress them, thus if you chose not to inherit him. then the Immortal Clan will fall, but once you seek to inherit him. then you must undo the clans seal within the skull. Hai Zi spoke softly.

“As with the Green Scorpion Shrine…” The Celestial Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

Hai Zi nodded.

“Dao Yi, Wu Feng, you two are also aware of all this?” The Celestial Emperor turned his gaze to Dao Yi and Wu Feng.

“Lord Jiu Empyrean approached me, revealing the Requiem Clan’s plan without reservation. However, he did not speak of Wang Lin. Only now do I understand his significance, that Wang Lin is the key to this design!” Dao Yi frowned, his voice heavy with thought.

Wu Feng remained silent for a moment before nodding.

The Celestial Emperor laughed, but it was a hollow sound. His gaze swept across to the Twin Empyreans.

“And you, Twin… do you know of this plan?”

The Twin Empyreans, formed from the fusion of two young girls, remained placid, seemingly uninterested in the unfolding events. She glanced at the Celestial Emperor.

“This one knows nothing, nor desires to know. This one came only to take Wang Lin! Whoever stands in my way, be it you or Lord Jiu, shall become my foe!”

“Wang… Wang Xiao… the Imperial Sage’s possession was successful, which means he has fallen! Surely, you have all been watching his actions within the Cave World.” The Celestial Emperor’s eyes gleamed.

“The Requiem Clan’s First Immortal only foretold a vague timeframe for someone to emerge from the Cave World. He could not determine which Cave World, nor pinpoint the individual. We could only wait.” Lord Jiu shook his head.

“The Requiem prodigy created the Grand Soul Sect on the Heavenly Bull Continent, surely with the expectation that Wang Lin would appear there, thus initiating the first step of his plan to approach Wang Lin!” The Celestial Emperor, ever sharp of mind, immediately identified the crucial link.

“But I wonder, did the Grand Soul Sect’s ancestor foresee that Wang Lin would be so thoroughly manipulated, only to die within this forbidden palace, becoming the sacrifice for the Requiem Clan’s unsealing?”

“Lord Jiu, you have used Wang Lin, even employing him to draw out the Twin Empyreans. Otherwise, you three could not have forced me to choose to forcefully inherit the powers of the Immortal Ancestor!

You have used the Underworld Dao Sovereign, and even those lesser Daos, even me, even the Immortal Continent’s seventy-two spirits shrines! I do not believe your only aim is for the Requiem Clan, even if she is your daughter!” The Celestial Emperor’s voice echoed like thunder.

“And you two, Dao Yi, Wu Feng. The power that you have to come here, and the fact that you were swayed by Jiu Emperor must be for such high price that there is an ulterior motive, too!”

“By revealing the truth to me, you are clearly intending for me to see the situation clearly, for you undoubtedly have further matters you wish for me to assist with!”
“You, Gemini, have gained nothing, only to be puppets of the Eternal Emperor and the Tribe of Mourning!” Even in this dire moment, the Immortal Emperor sought to sway her with words, hoping for Gemini’s aid.

Gemini remained silent, for with her bodies now rejoined, the truth was starkly clear.

“Immortal Emperor, we do not wish to slay thee. With thy ancestral blood, cleave the head of the Immortal Ancestor. Then shall you remain Emperor, still the Great Celestial Venerate!” intoned the Eternal Emperor, his voice devoid of malice, yet chillingly resolute. “Refuse, and we shall tear the power of thy blood from thy slain form to achieve the same end!”

“Gemini, the Immortal Ancestor’s eyes, being of one essence, if claimed and forged into a relic, will mend the rifts of thy reincarnation, granting thee even greater power! Further, it will grant thee ease of division and reunion, instead of the constant drain of Violet Wiederforce required to maintain thy joined form!”

“Wu Feng,” the Eternal Emperor continued, “the Immortal Ancestor’s ears hear the whispers of the Dao, the turning of the Celestial Gang Laws. I pledge them to thee, to infuse thy Dao and sense the pinnacle of Martial Arts!”

“Dao Yi, the Immortal Ancestor’s skull, born of nothingness, has gathered the distilled essence of his power across ages. Take it, as promised, and attain the harmony of form and spirit!”

“As for me,” the Eternal Emperor’s gaze turned sharp and venomous upon the Immortal Emperor, “I seek the Immortal Ancestor’s brain. It is of great use to me. As for the Immortal Ancestor’s cultivation… we shall divide it amongst us!”

“So, you know of the Immortal Ancestor’s dying curse!” The Immortal Emperor’s face darkened.

“I sought answers for years, and at last, uncovered an artifact which confirmed the truth of this ancient legend. Upon the death of the Immortal Ancestor, his body becomes cursed. All who attempt to destroy it shall perish…”

“Unless his descendant, through the bloodline, commits patricide, accepting the curse and forever severing the ancestral bloodline. Only then can it be broken! Immortal Emperor, you have no choice. You will endure the curse, and though the Eight Extremes title may end with you, the Immortal Ancestor has been dead for eons, his shadow clinging to the Immortal Clan. It is time for change!”

“Refuse, and you shall perish here and now! Were it not for the fear of the shift in power amongst the ancient clans that your death would bring, I would not have stooped to bargain with you.”

“The choice is yours.” The Eternal Emperor’s voice was like ice.

The Immortal Emperor remained silent.

Deep within the dim, right eye of the ancestral skull upon the earth, Wang Lin’s eyes flickered, his aura perfectly concealed. He heard all that transpired, all the twists and turns of this imperial audience. While he had surmised some of it, he had not foreseen all.

“The Azure Bull Daoist of the Great Soul Sect told me long ago to visit the tallest tower of the Great Soul Sect in three centuries… There, the founder of the Great Soul Sect left something for me…” Wang Lin’s thoughts were troubled. “What has the proud son of the Tribe of Mourning left for me, after manipulating me into breaking the seals of his clan?”

“He appeared in the Heavenly Bull Continent, establishing the Great Soul Sect to await me… Perhaps in his calculations, I was meant to die… But if he truly foresaw my demise within this palace, why would he leave a gift within that topmost tower, and speak of three centuries hence?”

“You used me, plotted my every step… You could foresee my arrival, and thus must also have foreseen my nature. I will not let this pass!” Wang Lin brooded, his heart heavy with silent vows. Suddenly, a tremor shook the very earth. The Immortal Ancestor’s head was being lifted from the ground, ascending towards the heavens.

It was the Immortal Emperor. After a long, agonizing silence, he seemed to have made his choice. With a sweeping gesture, he raised the Immortal Ancestor’s head into the sky!