Chapter 1982 - Empyrean Divine Seal
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Lin Ming trailed off as he spoke to here. He felt that his question had been a little rude, but he was just too curious. He had a faint premonition that the Asura Road Master hadn't yet died, but since the primal god race was on the verge of extinction, why wasn't he concerned about it?
Would he really stare blankly on as his own race slowly declined over time until it was finally destroyed…
"The High Lord, he…" Clear sighed. "Some matters aren't as simple as they seem. The High Lord has some difficulties…"
Clear didn't directly answer Lin Ming's question, but from the implied meaning, the Asura Road Master might really be alive!
Then for all these years, where had he been?
Such a terrifying character. If he had hidden himself in the universe for 10 billion years, Lin Ming would find it a bit unimaginable.
In these 10 billion years, how could he not have revealed a single trace of his presence?
The 33 Heavens had undergone far too many events. These events involved the rise of fall of countless races, including the Asura Road Master's own race, so why had he been blind to all of it?
Moreover… if his lifespan was so long, why would he be so anxious to leave behind his inheritance? This Asura Road and even the Akashic Dream Universe that was formed by the Holy Scripture creator, just what meaning was there in them?
"When Senior Asura created the Asura Road in the past, was it only to choose a successor?"
Lin Ming thought it a bit far-fetched if the Asura Road Master had created such a vast world in order to select a successor.
"The Asura Road is a single chess piece laid down by the High Lord. In short, when you need to know, you will naturally know, but when you have no need to know, asking is useless…"
Ink quietly said, diverting Lin Ming's question.
Lin Ming thought for a moment and then asked, "Then, when Senior says 'need to know', when will that be?"
"You should already know yourself. That is when you can control your own destiny and transform from a chess piece to a chess player."
Clear's words were succinct. Lin Ming sucked in a deep breath. To control his own destiny and become a player in the great game…
The road ahead was still too long…
Seeing Lin Ming's expression, Ink laughed. "There is no need to belittle yourself so much. For you to become a chess piece is already a great accomplishment. The great game that is spread through every universe of the 33 Heavens is far too large, but there aren't actually that many chess pieces. Each person that can be considered a chess piece is an outstanding existence amongst all peerless geniuses. And as for most people, they are not chess pieces at all, but dust that falls on the side of the board…
"Your destiny is incredible. In the last 10 billion years, you are the first one to fully complete the final trial and also the second to collect all three emperor jades. Your future is unimaginable."
"The second? Who was the first?" Lin Ming asked, confused.
Ink said, "The High Lord believed that something called 'fate' existed in the world. That is, when destiny and karma are combined together, 'fate', is the manifestation. The emperor jades of fate only look at one's fate. If one is fated then the emperor jades will naturally reach their hand. The first one to collect the emperor jades was Empyrean Divine Seal from 3.6 billion years ago."
"Empyrean Divine Seal!"
Lin Ming's mind shook. He had been the leader of humanity 3.6 billion years ago. With his strength alone, he was the mythical being who saved the entire Divine Realm. Lin Ming never thought that he would have collected all three emperor jades in the past also!
No wonder Empyrean Divine Seal had created his own Divine Seal Altar. It seemed that he too had seen the main body of the true Divine Seal Altar.
This Divine Seal Altar…
Lin Ming turned and looked at the Divine Seal Altar. More and more, he felt that the Divine Seal Altar was not some ordinary divine tool. As it was placed in the final trial's seventh level, it seemed to be stabilizing the Asura Laws here, faintly gathering the momentum of the world!
Just what profound meaning was there in the Divine Seal Altar being placed here?
Lin Ming didn't ask any more. He knew that once he became a 'chess player' he would naturally learn of the reason.
He only asked, "Seniors, did Empyrean Divine Seal practice the Asura Heavenly Dao in the past? Did he also obtain an Asura Heavenly Dao avatar left behind by the Asura Road Master?"
Clear nodded. "He once practiced it, but the degree to which he did so was far inferior to your accomplishments… in the last 10 billion years, you are the one who has comprehended the Asura Laws to the deepest degree… as for the three avatars, the Asura Road Master refined more than one set in the past…"
Clear's words were fair and reasonable. In these last 10 billion years, there were sure to have been some people who reached the standard set by the Asura Road Master and obtained their own lucky chance.
As for the inheritance left behind by Empyrean Divine Seal, in the past, Lin Ming had only obtained a tiny fragment of the Divine Seal Art and nothing that was related to the Asura Heavenly Dao Laws. This wasn't strange. Lin Ming's own cultivation methods weren't all related to the Asura Heavenly Dao Laws, and in truth wanting to transform the Asura Heavenly Dao Laws and fuse them into one's own techniques and cultivation methods was extremely difficult.
"Seniors, do you perhaps know what happened to Empyrean Divine Seal in the past? For instance… the great calamity of humanity 3.6 billion years ago…"
Lin Ming asked again. Empyrean Divine Seal had gathered all three emperor jades yet he had perished in the great calamity 3.6 billion years ago. This left him sighing deep with emotion.
A character with such a great destiny upon his body, yet he still hadn't been able to defeat the saints?
Upon mentioning Empyrean Divine Seal and the great calamity of humanity 3.6 billion years ago, a look of respect appeared in the eyes of Clear and Ink.
Ink said, "Divine Seal was an extraordinary figure and he arrived just in time to meet the troubled times of the great calamity. He cultivated to the realm of upper True Divinity, and if he were able to break past the boundaries of True Divinity he might have become a character on the same level as the High Lord."
Ink's words gave Empyrean Divine Seal an incredibly high appraisal. In ancient times, although upper True Divinities were rare, there was still a considerable number when they accumulated over time.
But, none of these upper True Divinities had finally been able to break through the shackles of True Divinity. Yet Ink had said that Empyrean Divine Seal had a chance of breaking past that barrier; that was absolutely a terrifying appraisal!
"But what a pity, in this great calamity that should have been a tempering experience for Empyrean Divine Seal, an anomaly appeared. The saint race's Saint Sovereign joined forces with the abyssal Famine. The Famine of the past was far more terrifying than the Famine of today. Although Divine Seal was formidable, it was still difficult for him to face the multiple True Divinities of the saint race as well as Famine which was equal to an extreme True Divinity.
"In truth, Empyrean Divine Seal once had an escape route he could have taken. That was… to abandon humanity and leave the Divine Realm, going to the Asura Road or some other world. With Divine Seal's strength, it would have been difficult for the saints to do anything to him. However… the choice he made was to fight for the human race. In the end, he managed to unite all the Empyreans of humanity together, and burned away the fires of his life to seal away Famine's soul as well as killing off the True Divinities of the saints…"
Ink's description of history was brief, but Lin Ming could still imagine just how cold and tragic that war had been 3.6 billion years ago. In that war, Empyrean Divine Seal had sacrificed himself for the sake of the human race.
Lin Ming felt nothing but the deepest respect to him for doing so.
The inheritances of humanity. Through the blood and sacrifice of those like Empyrean Divine Seal, Empyrean Primordius, and the countless unknown Empyreans, the inheritances of humanity managed to continue onwards…
If it weren't for them, it would have been impossible for Lin Ming to grow to where he was now. Even if he obtained the Magic Cube and ascended to the Divine Realm, all he would have discovered was a human race in decline, with nothing but a crowd of mortals barely trying to maintain a living. In such a broken world, where would Lin Ming go to seek inheritances and resources?
Lin Ming silently engraved all these words in his mind. Just as he wanted to say something else, a sudden thought lit up in his mind.
What Ink had said just now…
"He managed to unite all the Empyreans of humanity together, and burned away the fires of his life to seal away Famine's soul as well as killing off the True Divinities of the saints…"
Seal away Famine's soul!?
Lin Ming suddenly recalled that in the past, there had been the mysterious Divine Seal Array that was hidden deep beneath Immemorial Imperial City.
If it hadn't been for Fishy, it would have been impossible for Lin Ming to find this array formation.
Ancient Elysium Seal, Divine Seal Array…
Then, what was sealed within the Divine Seal Array was Famine's soul!?
When Lin Ming had seen that ancient array in the past, he had already found it strange. Just what sort of character had Empyrean Divine Seal been? The sealing array he personally laid down, just how powerful would it be?
In addition, there was the Ancient Elysium Seal that had suppressed the seal for 3.6 billion years. Just what existence was able to live on beneath such a terrifying suppression seal for 3.6 billion years?
And from the words of the Ancient Elysium Seal's artifact spirit, and the tone with which it spoke, it seemed that it would have to continue suppressing the seal. The artifact spirit had even needed to use all sorts of arcane techniques to extend its life…
If what was sealed beneath was that thing which possessed an unimaginably vast life force, which had a lifespan beyond comprehension, the abyssal demon Famine, then everything could be explained!
Thinking of this, Lin Ming's thoughts began to race.
The Good Fortune Saint Sovereign was able to recklessly control Famine, even using all sorts of matter, energy, and divine souls to fatten up the creature. He was also able to split off Famine's flesh and blood and use it as a tool.
And all of this was possible because Famine's soul had been sealed away!
Without a soul, Famine was nothing but a big ball of meat with instinct. In addition to the fact that the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign possessed the Grandmist Spirit Bead, he could do as he pleased with it.
If he found some way to control Famine's soul…
Just what would that be like?
The words that Clear and Ink spoke had given Lin Ming an extremely important piece of information!
In order to confirm this, Lin Ming asked, "Seniors, since you know about that war, do you know about the weapon that Empyrean Divine Seal used in the past, the Ancient Elysium Seal? And did Empyrean Divine Seal use this spirit treasure to seal away Famine's soul?"
"Ancient Elysium Seal…" Ink thought for a moment before saying, "The Ancient Elysium Seal and Divine Seal Altar were two items forged with materials that Divine Seal had obtained from the final trial in the past. These two items were Divine Seal's most important magic tools. But, the Divine Seal Altar was shattered into pieces during the great calamity, and in order to finally seal away Famine's soul, what he used was the Ancient Elysium Seal…"
Ink and Clear seemed to have a deep understanding of Empyrean Divine Seal. This was likely because Empyrean Divine Seal was the only other person to have obtained all three emperor jades of fate. Because of this, everything about him was paid attention to by the guardian clan of the Asura Road.