"Ghost Emperor?" Why are you asking about him? The old sweeper put down his broom and looked at Long Chen.
Long Chen didn't hide anything and directly recounted the events from the Seventh Branch's heavenly tribulation to the old man, and also mentioned the ghost ship incident.
The old man pondered for a moment and said, "The Ghost Emperor is the ruler of the Ghost Path, commanding all beings of the Ghost Path and the strongest existence in the Ghost Path."
The origin of the Ghost Emperor is a mystery. Some say he was a being from the Chaos Era, who gradually cultivated and eventually became the master of the Ghost Path.
Others say it is the product of the resentment formed by the deaths of all living beings over billions of years, enduring as long as heaven and earth, immortal and indestructible. "
Long Chen was startled; it was the first time he had heard of such a terrifying existence—a species from the Chaos Era? Immortal and undying?
"Why would such a terrifying existence leave a mark on me?" Long Chen exclaimed in surprise.
"Because he encountered an even more terrifying being, fought against him, shattered the flesh spirit, and severed his primordial spirit. Even an immortal being was severely weakened.
To quickly recover, his subordinates secretly select powerful geniuses and plant the Ghost Emperor mark on them.
When these prodigies grow to a certain level and are devoured by inner demons, they become Ghost Emperor puppets and eventually return to the Ghost Realm, becoming part of the Ghost Emperor's body.
Unlike others, others are all planted, but you are the Ghost Emperor mark formed by your own karma. "The old man replied.
"Having my body shattered by an even more terrifying existence and severing my primordial spirit?" Long Chen's heart raced wildly. What kind of being could defeat the Lord of the Ghost Path?
"You're so smart, you should be able to guess." The old man smiled faintly.
Suddenly, Long Chen felt his breathing stop, and with a face full of shock, he said, "Could it be ...?"
"Cause and effect are sometimes extremely mysterious. No one can explain for sure. Although the Ghost Emperor claims to be immortal, he is not absolute.
If the Lord of the Nine Stars had possessed the Chaos Artifact back then, the Ghost Emperor would have already perished. In all the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, only the most primal chaotic power of the Chaos Artifact could have killed him.
The Lord of the Nine Stars had left him deeply resentful, and after that battle, he never uttered a sound again.
And you, as the successor of the Nine Stars, crashed into the ghost ship bearing his soul imprint, ultimately forming the Ghost Emperor's mark.
But you don't need to worry. Until you reach the Realm King realm, he won't notice you, because there are just too many Ghost Emperor marks. Unless he collects the net, you'll always be safe. The old man said.
Only now did Long Chen realize how terrifying the master of the Nine-Star Overbearing Body Technique was. Even the Lord of the Ghost Path had been slain by him, and Long Chen's heart remained restless for a long time.
"Senior, the Lord of the Nine Stars is so powerful—why did he still fall?" Long Chen couldn't help but ask.
"That's something you, as the successor of the Nine Stars, need to find out for yourself. All I can tell you is that nothing is more dangerous in the world than the human heart." After saying this, the old man lowered his head and continued sweeping the floor.
Long Chen knew the old man didn't want to continue. Clearly, he knew a lot, but this was all he could say.
Having cultivated all the way to today, Long Chen also knew how terrifying this so-called karma was. One must be cautious with words and actions; otherwise, without a guard on the tongue, it is easy to harm others. Therefore, even the strong must have a sense of reverence.
After a conversation with the old man, Long Chen realized just how vast and terrifying this world truly was.
However, he also felt a bit uneasy. The Lord of the Nine Stars had nearly killed the Ghost Emperor, yet he had modified the technique he created. The road ahead was long, and he could only find ways to move forward on his own. The pressure was beyond words.
At the same time, based on bits and pieces in his mind and the clues he has experienced, he deduces that the road ahead will not be peaceful.
However, the immense pressure only fueled Long Chen's boundless fighting spirit.
"Life is like an ant, with lofty ambitions; fate is as thin as paper, but one should maintain an unyielding heart. My fate is to be in my own hands; I want to walk my own path. Long Chen clenched his fists. He knew he had been swept into a massive vortex, now approaching its center.
He still has time now; he needs to become stronger and accumulate more cards to face future challenges.
Back at the Seventh Branch, everyone except Bai Shishi was unconscious. The academy elders had been extremely busy these days, constantly feeding medicine to the disciples—all soul-calming liquids.
Because many people, after enduring immense pain, their bodies can hold up, but their souls cannot bear it and become insane.
On Soul Night, they heal wounded souls while asleep, while elders perform soul arts to enter their dreams and guide their souls, preventing them from developing inner demons.
Long Chen returned to his realm chamber and took out five lotus seeds from the Demon-Eye Water Lily. These were fourth-tier Demon-Eye Water Lilies, the same level as Long Chen's.
He took out the pill furnace and carefully refined it into medicinal powder. Long Chen didn't dare use the Demon Moon Furnace, but instead used the Moon Melting Star Furnace, because the Moon Furnace had more experience, was more reliable, and had a lower failure rate.
This time, Long Chen was going to refine the Purple Que Pill. Just these materials alone were priceless, especially the spiritual herbs produced by some demon beasts and spirit beasts, which couldn't be cultivated. So Long Chen couldn't afford to waste them recklessly and recklessly like before.
Demon Dragon Eye, Blood Bat Fang, Deep Sea Snake Gallbladder, Sable Essence Blood ...—each rare medicine was continuously extracted from its essence. Long Chen focused his entire focus, not daring to be careless.
Just refining the medicine took Long Chen a whole day. Because his spiritual power was too concentrated and the pressure was too great, he rested for an hour before starting the pill refining.
The five-colored powder of the Demon-Eyed Water Lily was the first to be placed into the alchemy furnace. It was the main medicine, and all the medicines had to be under its control.
As the flames rose, a series of rare medicines merged into the furnace, and colorful clouds appeared inside. At the same time, the runes on the furnace began to light up automatically.
"Such terrifying power—the pill furnace's self-defense runes are forced to activate." Long Chen's heart tightened. This was just the beginning, yet the pill furnace suddenly became alert and automatically activated its defenses.
As the powder gradually merged into the pill furnace, the multicolored radiance began to stir, constantly crashing against the furnace.
Fortunately, this pill furnace wasn't an ordinary furnace, but a Heavenly Night Furnace. If it had been the ordinary royal pill furnace from before, Long Chen might have given up on it.
This had only just begun, and there was already such a commotion. If the pill furnace wasn't strong enough, it simply couldn't withstand it.
"Rumble rumble... When
nearly a thousand kinds of pills were thrown into the furnace, the five-colored radiance inside condensed into five torrents, like a giant dragon rolling and crashing madly, causing the furnace to roar and explode.
"Now there's something to play with."
Long Chen felt the overwhelming power inside the furnace, growing both nervous and excited.