The silver moon shone high in the sky, its pure, bright light spilling over the mortal world.
The mountain spring was crystal clear, gradually reflecting Sen Yue's face.
Sen Yue had the appearance of a young man. He wore a Purple Gold Daoist Robe, his posture erect. His white hair was draped casually over his shoulders, cascading like a waterfall.
His eyes were as deep as an ancient well.
At this moment, he was cultivating a Dream Dao technique.
A thought stirred in his mind. Inspiration flared, and he began to conjure a sweet dream.
SPLASH...
Before his eyes, the calm spring water began to tremble violently. It spun madly, as if it were a vortex absorbing everything in the world.
But in reality, the mountainside was perfectly still. Nothing had changed.
A cool breeze blew past, and a flickering reflection danced in his eyes.
...
"Brother, Brother, don't I look pretty today?"
An eight-year-old Sen Wei put her hands on her hips and bounced over to Sen Yue, eagerly showing off her new year's clothes.
The robes were Frost White, purer than snow, interwoven with crimson bird banners that shimmered and shone like divine immortal raiment.
The already cherubic Sen Wei looked even more adorable, like a Spirit Child from the Immortal Realm.
"Haha, you look beautiful, beautiful." Sen Yue laughed, scooping up his little sister and spinning her around and around.
As his sister's bell-like laughter filled the air, the happy times slowly slipped away.
Nearby, their mother and father would watch them with smiles on their faces.
As for his other sister, Sen Hui, she would cling tightly to their aunt's leg, leaning back slightly to gaze up at them.
Unlike the other Great Saints of the Mystic Domain, who had three wives and four concubines and maintained vast harems, his father, the Sub-Venerable Han Wu, was cautious with his affections. With only one wife and one concubine, he was considered an oddity by the other Great Saints, who saw it as a form of ascetic cultivation.
Because of this, his father was extremely dedicated to the education and nurturing of each of his children.
When he didn't want to enter the mortal world, his father let him roam free in the mountains, carefree and at one with nature.
When he wanted to begin his journey of cultivation, his father found the best Longevity Dao Scripture to build his foundation and expended great energy to baptize him.
He knew that his own talent and hard work were indispensable in allowing him to reach the realm of a Young Venerable.
But his father's support was just as important.
In fact, this was the single biggest factor that created the vast gap between him and people like Su Dao and Light Phoenix.
Until...
SPLASH...
The mountain spring began to spin once more, surging and churning like crashing waves against a shore, like roiling clouds, sending up countless droplets of water.
Each droplet projected fragmented images, narrating Sen Yue's decisions.
...
"The long-cherished dream of our ancestors?"
"To be comparable to the Thunder Saint Venerable, on par with the Eternal Life Daoist Venerable, and equal to the Heaven-Devouring Demon Emperor?"
He was fifteen that year, on the verge of Enlightenment.
On the eve of his Enlightenment, under the watchful eyes of the numerous elders of the Sen clan, Sen Yue underwent a trial.
At that moment, under his father's protection, Sen Yue did not have to give an immediate answer.
From then on, he became a free spirit, wandering among the mountains and ridges, utterly unrestrained.
The sky that year was almost always azure. Clear days were common, sometimes graced by divine light and rainbow-colored clouds.
And his companions were flocks of mortal white cranes.
Together they skimmed across the water's surface, darted through the forest, and dove from high in the sky.
He was happy.
Extremely happy.
But happiness always feels fleeting.
While pain is heart-wrenching and unforgettable.
The years are merciless, cutting down all in their path.
The white cranes by his side fell to the paws of bears, were lost in the jaws of tigers, or met their end in the mouths of sharks.
The first time this happened, he was heartbroken, but he could just barely manage to console himself.
Because he knew how powerful his father, Sub-Venerable Han Wu, was.
It was safe to say that he would likely never face such a situation in his own life.
However, as one old crane after another reached the end of its life before his very eyes, withering away...
His heart fell into turmoil.
Especially when a white crane he had raised from a hatchling finally perished, its gaze lingering on him, full of reluctance to part.
In that moment, he panicked.
He had a sudden realization. Before the long blade of the merciless years, it didn't matter if you were a world-shaking hero or peerlessly magnificent.
In the end, you were nothing more than a handful of yellow earth, scattering in the wind.
This was true for the highest Venerables and the lowest ants.
No one could escape. Everyone had to face death!
Unless...
'The Immortal Realm!' Sen Yue's gaze grew profound.
The Immortal Realm—or perhaps, immortality—was the panacea his soul was searching for.
From that moment on, a black fog began to form in the depths of his heart.
Finally, under the watchful eyes of the clan elders, he resolutely accepted his responsibility.
He would walk the path of an emperor, a path different from his father's.
The immortal crane was him!
The Evil Dragon was him!
He had always been himself, Sen Yue!
But as he walked this path, he gradually discovered: "Every emperor is a solitary ruler. The more brilliant and ambitious, the younger and stronger they are, the truer this becomes."
...
...
The mountain spring no longer rippled or spun. It was calm once more.
Sen Yue lowered his gaze, silently staring at the water's surface.
He saw his reflection, he saw the carefree immortal crane, and he also saw the dark Evil Dragon lurking beneath it.
Sen Yue murmured, "Am I a solitary ruler?"
Before long, his eyes became cold and determined once more.
BANG! A cloud of pink mist formed, illusory and dreamlike. It seemed to reflect all the beauty in the world, allowing everyone to see what their hearts desired.
This pink mist spread rapidly, soon filling the entire mountainside in a bizarre spectacle.
The Mystical Skill of Sweet Dreams, mastered!
The next moment, Sen Yue clasped his hands behind his back and gazed toward the distant sky.
The figure of the Great Sun Dragon Lady was the first to appear in his mind.
As contemporary Young Venerables and the chosen ones of their respective domains, they both carried far too many burdens.
Neither could afford to lose. Neither could bear the cost of defeat!
If either of them failed in this competition, all their accumulated progress would be wiped clean.
Starting over from scratch?
It wasn't that they lacked the courage to start again.
But on the path of cultivation, the fight was often for that single, fleeting opportunity.
Once missed, it was gone forever.
Especially with new-generation figures like the Kunpeng Ancestor and the White Tiger Demon Lord silently watching their backs.
'The Kunpeng Ancestor...' Sen Yue's gaze deepened.
In that moment, he made a decision.
After his sister Sen Wei returned, he would impart the "One Aperture, Two Aspects" technique to Fang Yang.
Doing so would benefit Fang Yang, and it would benefit him as well.
He could continue to keep Fang Yang within his sphere of control.
Fang Yang could become his foremost general, following him on campaigns in every direction, capable of even shifting the tide of battle within the dreamscape.
The reason he considered waiting until his sister Sen Wei returned before bestowing the "One Aperture, Two Aspects" technique upon Fang Yang... was because without Sen Wei, he would have no one under his command to act as a check against Fang Yang.
'I can't possibly be expected to enter the field myself, can I?'
'What kind of emperor personally steps into the fray to fight his own subordinate?'
Of course, he could also use his other sister, Sen Hui, to restrain Fang Yang.
But doing so would only sow dissent, provoke Fang Yang's hatred, and put his sister Sen Hui in an awkward position.
Even his father, Han Wu, would be disappointed in him.
"I am definitely not a solitary ruler."
Sen Yue's eyes were resolute as he reaffirmed his answer.
He would fight his way into the Immortal Realm and become an Immortal Ancestor.
One day, if he became an Immortal Emperor, he would sever this river of time and drink from it with his royal court for all of eternity!
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter