Chapter 1652: Sect Master's Coffin

When that familiar old man appeared before them, Li Luo couldn't stop himself from tearing up. There was a lot he wanted to say to his grandfather, but he was far too overwhelmed to speak.

The old man seemed to see through his thoughts as a slight smile surfaced on his stern features. He took two steps forward and lightly patted Li Luo's shoulder.

"It's only been a few years, but the little kids have become Transcendent Dukes. That's great, you're much better than your dad. Qing'e, the two of you put all of those so-called geniuses in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li to shame."

Li Luo quickly dabbed at the corners of his eyes as he looked at the familiar and kind face.

He asked, "Grandpa, now that you're a Heavenly Emperor, why didn't you change to a more youthful appearance?"

Li Jingzhe didn't seem to mind the question. "I am an old man. Why should I change my appearance? I don't have to act like our ancestor with his strange personality."

Li Luo smiled upon hearing this. Ancestor Li Jun had lived for thousands of years, yet he maintained the appearance of a handsome youth. Thinking back, that did seem a little showy.

When Li Jingzhe reached the Heavenly Emperor Stage, his personality had changed a little, as seen by the fact that he dared to tease Li Jun.

"Alright, let's first settle the things here," Li Jingzhe said.

"I'll have to trouble you again, Grandpa."

Li Luo scratched his head with a look of embarrassment. It seemed as though every time Li Jingzhe showed up, it was to clean up the mess he made.

"We're family, there's nothing to worry about. If it weren't for the two of you, perhaps I would never have been able to reach the Heavenly Emperor Stage. I would've had to rely on my old bones, which were bereft of any potential," Li Jingzhe said with a grin.

With his potential and foundation, the Heavenly Emperor stage would have been unattainable unless he encountered a miraculous opportunity. He had chosen to sacrifice himself in the World's End River Treasure Domain, igniting his Crowns in the process.

That was the end of the line as far as he was concerned, but Li Luo had made use of the mystical powers of the Absolute Resonance Halo in combination with his Heavenly Thunder Bamboo resonance to find a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

Most importantly, the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo's rebirth had been aided by both the Absolute Resonance Seed and the Genesis Seed. Such exceptionally beneficial conditions were probably never seen in the history of the world. Despite ending up right on the cusp of death, he was able to rebuild his foundation and take the next step, reaching a realm he had never even dared to dream about.

Looking at the end result, the risk he had taken was worth it. Li Jingzhe had never anticipated that the doomed scenario of igniting his Crowns would lead to this grand opportunity.

"Congratulations, Lineage Chief Jingzhe, for ascending to the Heavenly Emperor Stage. The ten divine continents will have yet another guardian to watch over them." Heavenly Emperor Jiang was the first to voice out his congratulations.

This sudden development was undoubtedly a good thing for them. Heavenly Emperors were the strongest existences in the world, and every additional one would bolster the overall strength of the divine continents significantly.

That said, he was extremely surprised by Li Jingzhe's sudden emergence. As far as he was aware, the ones who were closest to stepping into the Heavenly Emperor Stage should have been the Academic Federation's Radiant King Qi Huang or Wang Xuanjin. Otherwise, it would have been one of the veteran Triple Crowned Kings who had spent years battling within the Nobles' Battlefield.

In the end, all expectations had been subverted, and Li Jingzhe had taken the lead to reach this realm. Heavenly Emperor Jiang could only sigh. The Lineage Chief of the Dragon's Fang Lineage was truly a blessed and lucky individual.

Next, Heavenly Emperor Zhang's crisp laugh rang out. "On behalf of Golden Dragon Mountain, congratulations, Lineage Chief Jingzhe. If Li Jun knew of this, he would undoubtedly be overjoyed."

Li Jingzhe clasped his hands towards them. "Thank you, my Heavenly Emperor friends, for protecting my descendants."

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He had heard of their names before but had never seen them. Who would have expected that he would be at the same stage when they finally met?

The two Heavenly Emperors returned the greetings.

The situation had reversed with Li Jingzhe reaching the Heavenly Emperor Stage. The Asura Arm Grand Devil King could no longer capture the Pill Saint, Li Luo, and Jiang Qing'e with just its own strength. Furthermore, as time passed, the two Grand Devil Kings' power would wane as the world would reject their existence, driving them out.

Heavenly Emperor Jiang turned his attention towards the bronze mask.

"Heavenly Emperor Yin, it looks like you're out of moves now," he calmly said.

Both sides now had equal strength, and as time passed, they would only gain the advantage.

The white flames within the sockets of Heavenly Emperor Yin's mask flickered as he ignored Heavenly Emperor Jiang. Instead, he turned his gaze towards the Pill Saint and indifferently asked, "Rainbow Butterfly, are you truly unwilling to hand the Windflame resonance over?"

The Pill Saint's gaze was cold. "Fraternizing with the Others is already a crime worthy of being nailed to the Sacred Void Resonance Sect's Pillar of Shame. You should be celebrating the fact that I've not recovered my peak strength. Otherwise, I would clean house on behalf of the sect!"

"Clean house? Ha." Heavenly Emperor Yin let out a mocking laugh.

Behind him, a rift opened up within the void, and an endless black aura surged out. This was accompanied by an oppressive pressure that caused a solemn expression to emerge on Heavenly Emperor Jiang's face.

Following which, a mysterious black coffin appeared before them. It emanated the aura of death and decay, and its presence caused all the Heavenly Emperors to feel as though the Authority they controlled had turned sluggish.

Shock arose within their hearts. Just what was inside it that was capable of influencing their Authorities?

Li Luo's expression changed as he had seen this object before. It was one of the largest secrets of the Origin Reversion Institute, and it possessed incredible power.

"That's the black coffin that the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor took out in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda," he remarked.

However, at this point, he noticed that the Pill Saint's body was trembling as she stared at the coffin in a daze. She couldn't help but blurt out her thoughts. "Is that coffin... the one that was supposed to contain the Sect Master's body?"

These words instantly caused the world to shake. Everyone's vision blurred, as though they were transported through the ancient river of time, finally having a chance to peek at its secrets. Everyone's expressions changed, including those of the Heavenly Emperors.

None of them were capable of staying calm.

They all knew that if the Pill Saint was referring to the Legendary Sect Master of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect! That esteemed individual had slaughtered his way into the Shadow World with his sect in tow, almost ending the chaos that had plagued the world for countless years.

Li Luo's scalp turned numb as he stared at the coffin in shock and fright. If this was true, then were the remains of that particular Sect Master in the coffin? Or could it be that the Sect Master had never perished? Perhaps he had managed to survive within the coffin through some unique method?

Heavenly Emperor Yin's voice boomed righteously through the silence. "Rainbow Butterfly, the Sect Master's coffin is before you. Do you still dare to disobey him? Everything I'm doing is according to the Sect Master's Sacred Commandment. Hand the windflame resonance over immediately!"

The Pill Saint glared at the coffin as she bit her lip with her pearly white teeth, causing them to bleed.

"Is the Sect Master truly within the coffin? Yin Qingkun, do you think I don't know anything?" she asked hoarsely

The white flames that represented Heavenly Emperor Yin's eyes burned with even greater intensity.

"Oh?"

The Pill Saint tightly clenched her fists as her entire body shook.

"Yin Qingkun, no matter what is in that coffin, I am certain of one thing. That is definitely not the Sect Master," she said in a grim tone.