Chapter 156: The Eldest Senior Brother of Luodi Mountain (Twenty-One)

Su Chen's heart pounded.
He had been careless.
The fallen Ancient God Clan, hidden within the Ancient God's Dead Land, actually harbored such a terrifying figure.
The Desolate Ruins Emperor had been defeated by him, sustaining Dao wounds, and ultimately perished.
Su Chen wondered if the white-haired old man before him was exaggerating.
The Desolate Ruins Emperor had personally killed a flawless emperor; among the emperors of the ancient era, his strength should have been formidable. For him to be defeated by someone else, sustaining Dao wounds, and perish sounded too far-fetched!
However, Su Chen knew that someone who could retain a remnant soul from the ancient era to the present, whose strength was unknown, must possess unimaginable methods and be extremely dangerous!
The white-haired old man noticed Su Chen's apprehension and disbelief, his eyes darkening as if lost in memories.
"I sense the aura of the End of Days on you. You've been there, and even brought back an item?"
The white-haired elder waved his hand, and a bronze oil lamp flew from Su Chen's body, landing in the elder's hand.
Su Chen felt a sense of impending doom.
However, he knew that even if the old man before him was a remnant soul, he might not be able to defeat him. He could only ask, "The End of Days? Senior, you've been there?"
Unable to defeat him, and unable to escape, Su Chen calmed himself, intending to extract some clues from this ancient being.
The white-haired elder sighed, "The Land of the End... it holds the most terrifying secrets of the world. Countless brilliant figures have sought its secrets, only to die there. Even a Great Emperor is not qualified to explore its mysteries."
"Everyone who has been there carries a curse. Their bodies will endure, but their souls will gradually decay. When their souls perish, their bodies will return to the Land of the End."
Su Chen's eyes flickered, and he humbly inquired, "Senior, is there a way to escape the curse?"
He didn't want his body to return to that hellish place after death.
The white-haired elder shook his head.
"This is an inevitable end. Even a Great Emperor cannot escape the curse there."
Su Chen's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.
The white-haired elder comforted him, "However, if you choose to perish with your soul when your lifespan is nearing its end, your body will not be able to return to that place."
Su Chen's deadened heart was revived.
As the two conversed, countless ancient totems suddenly appeared on an island, constructing an ancient divine kingdom. Within this kingdom resided terrifying, god-like beings, their heads crowned with primordial chaos, their feet treading upon countless paths.
The white-haired elder praised, "You want him to bear destiny and prove his Dao through destiny? Not a bad idea."
Su Chen felt this old fellow was truly unfathomable, worthy of being a cunning old fox who had lived for two eras.
The white-haired elder turned and continued, "This experiment was conducted by me in the ancient era, but unfortunately, it failed in the end. The trajectory of each Great Emperor is unrepeatable. No matter how later generations resemble them, they will never surpass them. A path once trodden cannot be trodden a second time, just as in the long river of time, there will never be a second you."
"The emperors say that to become an emperor, talent, fortune, and temperament are indispensable, but there is another point: the choice of path. Once it is wrong, no matter how amazing you are, you cannot become an emperor!"
In this era, among billions of geniuses, only one can become an Emperor. How cruel is that?
Su Chen experienced a great era.
Countless people possessed the potential to become Emperors.
Yet, only one person actually achieved it.
What disappointed Su Chen was that artificially created chosen ones had no hope of becoming Emperors.
However, there was still an effect. At least Lin Changsheng's pursuit of the Dao, honed through various experiences, was enough to propel him to the ranks of the universe's top powerhouses. Living a life without regrets seemed like a good choice.
Su Chen thought to himself.
Su Chen spent another ten years in the Ancient God's Dead Land, exchanging ideas with the God Emperor. Only after Lin Changsheng emerged from seclusion did he prepare to leave the Ancient God's Dead Land.
Before leaving, the God Emperor gave Su Chen one last piece of advice:
"The current Emperor's aura is too overwhelming. The supreme beings in the forbidden zones won't tolerate it for long. The universe will soon face turmoil."
Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
Moreover, these were former emperors, invincible for an era; facing certain death, they would surely choose to fight to the death.
Su Chen left.
The universe was about to face a catastrophe.
Without an imperial weapon to protect it, Luodi Mountain could not remain uninvolved.
Several days later,
Lin Changsheng also left the Ancient God's Dead Land.
He trained for another thirty years before finally arriving at Luodi Mountain.
Lin Changsheng saw his parents, Su Chen and Lin Wantang, whom he had searched for for decades.
Lin Wantang wept.
Su Chen asked, "Changsheng, do you resent your father?"
Lin Changsheng replied, "I did feel hatred then, but not anymore."
Su Chen asked, "Why?"
Lin Changsheng calmly replied, "If you hadn't arranged it this way, Father, perhaps I would be the successor of Luodi Mountain, the center of attention. I would have been invincible since birth, arrogant and disdainful of everyone. Perhaps I would have been invincible for an era, just like you. However, I would have carried too much burden, making it suffocating. That's not the life I want."
"Father, although you didn't leave me anything material, you gave me the power of choice, boundless freedom. I would have met many people, close friends, a loving partner, and the desire to grow stronger step by step. These are things I would never have experienced if I stayed on Luodi Mountain."
"Moreover, Father, you have never let me suffer any injustice."
Su Chen seemed touched.
"Tomorrow I will announce your identity,"
Su Chen spoke.
Lin Changsheng refused, saying, "The identity of the successor of Luodi Mountain is noble, but it's not what I want. It's a cage."
Su Chen's expression was a mixture of surprise and joy.
Lin Changsheng walked away on his own path.
Lin Wantang was reluctant to part.
Lin Changsheng left Luodi Mountain.
He relinquished his status as the successor of Luodi Mountain.
He conquered the starry sky, explored numerous secret realms, and witnessed the wonders of the world.
This was the freedom he desired.
Su Chen, on the other hand, remained on Luodi Mountain to continue his cultivation.
Time flew by, and three thousand years passed.
The starry sky trembled.
In this era, Saint Kings were rare; anyone breaking through to the Great Saint realm was enough to cause a sensation.
"It's him, Saint King Changsheng! He's actually breaking through to the Great Saint realm!"
Overwhelming calamities engulfed the star field; the stronger the suppression of the Great Emperor, the stronger the trials that all beings had to endure to break through.
Su Chen, who had been in seclusion for three thousand years, opened his eyes and saw waves of energy attacking Lin Changsheng.
He stretched out a hand, conjuring a small jade sword in it, which then split into twelve.
“Go!”
The twelve jade swords vanished into the void.
Within a star field.
The great enemy who had intended to ambush Lin Changsheng suddenly looked terrified.
In the void, twelve sword energies appeared, annihilating everything, causing the starry sea to rise and fall.