Chapter 34: The Azure Emperor

"I miscalculated the time. The Azure Emperor is still in the growth stage and has not yet taken human form!" Luo Yan sat by the Immortal Pool. Inside the pool stood a green tripod, and upon it rested an azure lotus, radiating astonishing Dao rhymes and boundless life force. It was an Undying Immortal Medicine, a treasure that would make countless cultivators green with envy, an object that even the Great Emperors of old would fight over.

However, Luo Yan had no intention of seizing it.

Setting aside whether he would be erased by the laws of the universe for interrupting the Azure Emperor's transformation, he dared not act due to the Azure Emperor's origin, which was deeply tied to that supreme entity.

It was not to be thought of, not to be remembered, not to be spoken of, and not to be chanted.

That entity existed throughout the entirety of history; time and space were meaningless to him, spanning the past, present, and future.

Luo Yan was behaving very cautiously this time. Ever since he had used the Mirror of Time to project a wisp of consciousness belonging to the Empress’s brother, he had not dared to act recklessly in Kunlun, fearing he might provoke the Emperor of Heaven.

In the blink of an eye, three years passed, and then three more.

Finally, the Undying Azure Lotus on the green tripod in the Immortal Pool began to stir.

Countless rays of light ebbed and flowed; the life force of the undying medicine was as brilliant as starlight, and endless manifestations of the Great Dao appeared in the surroundings.

The entire Kunlun range was saturated with the essence of life. Even the White Tiger Undying Medicine emerged, watching the scene in shock, eager to act but ultimately fearful and hesitant.

To renounce eternal life and transform into a cultivator was too difficult a choice.

It dared not approach, for Luo Yan was still here, and it could sense its own origin aura within him. The White Tiger Undying Medicine was deeply wary.

From within that brilliant radiance, a figure stepped out, a phantom of an azure lotus appearing behind him, spanning heaven and earth, bridging the past and the present.

"I have awakened within the azure lotus. In this lifetime, I shall attain the Dao of the Great Emperor. My name is the Azure Emperor."

He had awakened from the Undying Azure Lotus, holding the lotus in his hand—that was his previous life, while the azure figure before him was his present incarnation.

He had severed his past; the Undying Azure Lotus medicine was no longer connected to him.

Luo Yan nodded slightly toward him and then collected the discarded shell of the immortal medicine from the pool. This was a truly complete Undying Immortal Medicine, and Luo Yan had always wanted to obtain one to live a second life.

Even if Luo Yan did not take it, this discarded shell would soon lose its medicinal properties and eventually wither.

"Greetings, Senior!" At this moment, the Azure Emperor was merely a cultivator who had just stepped into the Wheel and Sea realm, his Bitter Sea newly opened.

Although he had been in a state of self-severing, he knew that this unfathomable human cultivator had been guarding him, a monster race cultivator born from the Undying Azure Lotus.

He had no objections to Luo Yan taking his discarded shell; he and the undying medicine were now separate entities.

Luo Yan said softly, "From this day forward, I shall be your guardian. If anyone relies on their strength to bully the weak or uses their seniority to oppress you, I will surely protect your safety!"

The Azure Emperor was the protagonist of this ancient history, an existence recognized by heaven and earth. Even though he had not yet attained the Dao and unified all paths to stand supreme, the consciousness of the world would implicitly accept him.

Luo Yan becoming the Azure Emperor's guardian was, in a sense, in accordance with the will of heaven, and the suppression from the world's consciousness would be much lighter.

The Azure Emperor was startled, but he asked suspiciously, "Does the Senior have some ulterior motive?"

Luo Yan laughed, "Naturally! But rest assured, I mean you no harm. In the future, I will need your help. I am investing in the future you, not the current you."

The Azure Emperor understood immediately and felt a sense of relief.

With his extraordinary background and grand origins, having been an Undying Immortal Medicine in his past life, he was born with keen senses and could naturally feel that this peerless human powerhouse bore no malice.

Luo Yan continued, "This world is not suitable for your cultivation. I will erase the traces of your birth here and take you to a new world to cultivate."

The Azure Emperor replied, "I shall defer to your arrangements, Senior."

"My surname is Luo. You may call me Uncle Luo."

Luo Yan suddenly thought of Ye Fan, ten thousand years later. If, in the future, he were to appear and those ancient Great Emperors were to call him "Uncle Luo," how shocked the world would be!

A figure that spanned the entirety of history...

Luo Yan felt this was a perverse pleasure of his, but it did not hinder him from executing it. After all, who could refuse an "Emperor Cultivation Project"?

Luo Yan immediately set to work erasing the traces of the area, which was far too simple for him.

However, when he went to erase the traces on the green tripod, he suddenly stopped. He possessed an identical green tripod within his own body, brought from ten thousand years in the future, but it could not appear in the world for special reasons; the two tripods could not meet.

In one place, products from different timelines could not coexist.

"Forget it, this object carries a great causal burden. I shall not erase it."

In the end, Luo Yan did not scrub the traces from the tripod, fearing he might provoke the Emperor of Heaven—that person was simply too terrifying!

The Azure Emperor had no objections. After all, having been born on the green tripod, he knew that the object was extraordinary and contained profound secrets.

...

Luo Yan traveled with the Azure Emperor through the starry sky, far away from Earth.

After a long journey, the two finally landed on a planet called the Demon Star. There were no traces of human life here, only demon tribes of various sizes.

The strongest among them were three Demon Sages, who divided the planet into three factions, locked in constant war over resources.

Because of the state of the world and the depletion of the planet, resources were becoming increasingly scarce, and in recent years, the conflicts had intensified and escalated.

The two landed on a remote, low mountain.

"You are a demon cultivator, and since this is a planet ruled by the demon race, it is very suitable as your first stop! Your strength is not yet sufficient; going to human territories would be equivalent to seeking death."

The Azure Emperor nodded slightly and then walked away without hesitation.

"If any old timers move against you, I will come personally."

Luo Yan watched the Azure Emperor’s departing figure and could not help but sigh. He was truly a person destined to attain the Dao of the Great Emperor; even just after being born, he possessed such poise, unperturbed by favor or humiliation.

Withdrawing his gaze, Luo Yan looked at the small mountain and manually molded a dwelling suitable for living.

It was still a modern-style, three-story villa.

The small demons down the mountain, seeing this, assumed a formidable Great Demon had arrived in this desolate place and trembled in fear.

Luo Yan was not a Great Demon, but he was even more terrifying than one.

Entering the villa, Luo Yan took out the Undying Azure Lotus. He first used his magic to seal it and then wrapped an outer layer of Divine Source around it to ensure its medicinal properties would not dissipate.

This was a complete Undying Azure Lotus. Within the lotus were several seeds, and its root system still had a lotus root as thick as an arm.

Luo Yan divided it into three parts: the Undying Azure Lotus seeds, the Undying Azure Lotus root, and the Undying Azure Lotus body.

He replanted the lotus root into the green tripod within his body, hoping that one day it would take root and sprout again. The medicinal efficacy of the lotus root was lower than that of the seeds and the body, but it retained the most primitive essence of the Undying Azure Lotus; in the future, it could sprout and give birth to a new Undying Azure Lotus medicine.

The lotus root was well-preserved, and with Luo Yan sealing its medicinal power in time, its regrowth in the future was inevitable.

The lotus body was the essence of the undying medicine, which Luo Yan kept for his own use. If, in the future, his time was running out and he could not find a suitable solution, he would have no choice but to consume the undying medicine.

The medicinal efficacy of the lotus seeds was discounted significantly; although they were part of the Undying Azure Lotus, their essence had been fully absorbed by the Azure Emperor during his transformation.