Chen Xia's body contained a small inner world, so he was extremely sensitive to the revival of spiritual energy.
He immediately felt the revival of the Great Death Realm, and as the spiritual energy increased, another phenomenon appeared.
The dim stars began to shine!
"When I was young, I heard a legend that when people die, they would become stars hanging in the sky, shining continuously to allow people on the ground to see them."
"When I was little, I wondered that if other people's mothers died, would I be able to see other people's mothers hanging in the sky."
"Um, off topic, I didn't believe this legend at the time."
"But now I do," Chen Xia said with a smile, pointing at the shining stars overhead.
Big Yellow Dog nodded, pondered for a moment, and asked back.
"So the question is, whose mother is this star?"
"Good question," Chen Xia nodded, glanced around, and finally stopped at Wang Yangzi.
"Why are you looking at me? It's not my mother," Wang Yangzi hurriedly shook his head, but soon felt something was wrong. Frowning, he asked back,
"Why does it have to be someone's mother?"
His words pierced through Chen Xia's words, and silence fell over them.
After half a beat of silence.
Chen Xia patted his sleeve, looking at the increasing bright stars on the horizon, and said,
"The Great Death Realm is coming back to life."
"Defying the will of heaven," Big Yellow Dog commented.
"Shall we bring it down?" Chen Xia asked.
Wang Yangzi frowned. "If they really are other cultivators transformed, it would be a bit rude and might incur heavenly wrath and grievances."
Chen Xia shook his head confidently and smiled,
"Don't worry, I'll say I'm sorry."
Wang Yangzi pursed his lips and opened them as if he had a lot to say, but didn't say anything. He could only shake his head, at a complete loss for words.
The stars in the sky kept rising, heading towards the highest point of the Great Death Realm.
The stars did not affect the Great Death Realm coming back to life. They were just a manifestation, like the waves when the sea rises. Without the waves, the sea level would still rise.
Chen Xia frowned, feeling they must figure out a way. Otherwise would they just wait helplessly?
Big Yellow Dog was also deep in thought while his paws kept forming hand seals to take measurements because his paws were a bit short, so he formed them quite abstractly.
Chen Xia frowned at the side trying to understand but eventually shook his head and muttered,
"What are you doing hand seals for?"
He couldn't understand.
Wang Yangzi didn't dare watch, afraid of being accused of secretly learning divine skills, so he could only stare straight ahead.
"Old Wang," Chen Xia suddenly glanced at Wang Yangzi and asked, "Have you been back to my place since I left?"
"No, but I did take a mental projection to look once," Wang Yangzi replied.
"Um," Chen Xia nodded, then tilted his head and continued to ask,
"Did you see Old Zhang, that old man in the hut? How is he?"
Wang Yangzi recalled and said, "He's fine, no change, just older, but that's the natural cycle of heaven's way, so it's not bad."
Chen Xia rubbed his nose and nodded, "There's nothing bad about it. Who doesn't go through birth, aging, sickness and death?"
"That's right, who doesn't go through birth, aging, sickness and death," Wang Yangzi agreed.
Big Yellow Dog looked at Chen Xia.
"I hope Old Zhang will still be alive when we return to the realm, at least so I can send him off myself. Otherwise I'd only be able to go to his grave," Chen Xia said with a sigh.
Big Yellow Dog shook his head. "This kid really causes people to worry. To make me, a yellow-haired one,3 send off a white-haired one4, he really is an unfilial friend."
Wang Yangzi was taken aback and deeply frowned, not sure for a moment whether they were talking about the same person.
One could only say Zhang Daoming was doomed to suffer misfortune after meeting Big Yellow Dog.
Chen Xia put his hands behind his back, not wanting to think about these worries, in case they affected his mind lake and made his inner demons stronger.
Hands behind his back, he started taking a stroll around the little star, slowly worrying.
Xu Zhen was still worried about Great Sage Chen Xi and had no smile on her face. She really couldn't smile.
Chen Xia also didn't know what to do. All the comforting words were useless. He could only hope none of the bright stars in the sky was Great Sage Chen Xi.
Ma Xiaohong was carefree and without worries. She had nothing tying her down. Her only tie was Chen Xia, Xu Zhen counted as half, unless Chen Xia and Xu Zhen were in danger, otherwise Ma Xiaohong would surely flee when asked to fight, and slip away when summoned.
Of the original nine Great Sages, five remained. They sat guarding the little star, not daring to leave, relying on Big Yellow Dog's protection.
This situation continued for a long time.
In the 600th year, there was a change.
The Ash Emperor's body condensed from the star river of the Dead Sea showed changes. Bright lights appeared in his pitch-black eyes. If you looked closely, you would find those lights were made up of countless stars!
The Ash Emperor's remains stood tall between the stars, as high as heaven and earth itself. Taking a step that crossed most of the starry sky.
Standing a million miles5 apart from Big Yellow Dog!
Although it was a million miles, the Ash Emperor's remains were so gigantic that one eye surpassed ten thousand little stars.
Some of the Great Sages suddenly lowered their heads, their gaze wavering.
Beneath the little star, an enormous hand had already emerged. Compared to it, the little star was merely the size of sand grains.
"A lone ghost without a place to go, can't even speak yet dares to show off before me?" Big Yellow Dog disdainfully said. Still sitting atop the little star, his body didn't even stand up. He just raised a paw and pushed forward.
The sky split open an enormous portal. A hand stretched out from inside the portal, ground away heaven and earth, pressing down directly on the Ash Emperor's skull, smashing into the entire realm.
Boom!
The Ash Emperor's remains fell. The entire realm trembled. Countless spatial cracks ripped open, disturbing the spiritual energy.
The big hand pressing the Ash Emperor's skull didn't let go. Instead, it grasped the skull tighter and tighter. The sounds of stars being crushed emanated as cracks appeared on the skull, spreading like a spider web.
Big Yellow Dog got up and strode into heaven. His figure growing taller and larger.
A thousand feet, ten thousand feet, as large as the galaxy, as tall as heaven and earth.
He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ash Emperor. Without using any techniques, his Imperial realm true body wrestled fiercely. His every move contained the most terrifying killing moves that shattered space, crushed stars, and shook realms. Splitting open the heavens with one hand!
The Great Sages on the little star watched with mouths agape. Realizing now that when Big Yellow Dog fought them previously, he had held back considerably. They were grateful for Big Yellow Dog's mercy in not killing them.
Wang Yangzi exclaimed, "An earth-shattering battle between Imperial realms!"
Chen Xia shook his head. "It would be better if it wasn't a dog. This big yellow dog becoming so huge just doesn't look elegant."
Only he dared speak like that.
But it really wasn't elegant.
There were definitely more spectators than just them. Most cultivators in the Great Death Realm also witnessed it, though they didn't know who to support at the moment.
Neither side looked like good news.
Especially that big yellow dog, too damn abstract. What kind of Imperial Dog was this?
The wrestle between heaven and earth continued.
Big Yellow Dog kept the upper hand all along, pressing the Ash Emperor's remains and beating him, almost crushing the remains completely.
Its eyes suddenly flashed, staring straight at the horizon.
There was an old Daoist there, with the large character “One”6 written on his pitch-black Daoist robe.
The Old Daoist’s twelve young attendants!
Big Yellow Dog's expression changed. Pointing to the sky, he used his external power. The originally sealed Great Death Realm tore open a tiny gap.
Heavenly light shone through.
"Long time no see," Big Yellow Dog grinned.
His body erupted with divine light. Taking a step that spanned across the entire starry sky as if grasping all the stars in an embrace.
Head raised high, standing tall above the highest heaven, overlooking sun, moon and milky way.
An Imperial Lord still needed to prove the Dao.
Wandering alone for tens of millions of years, experiencing endless long years, observing the myriad heavens and gazing at the billion realms. He had now become enlightened and proved the Dao.
The overbearing Dao of Heaven and Earth!
He was no longer Big Yellow Dog or a quasi-emperor.
But the Vast Emperor whose head wore the crown of highest heaven, overlooking the vastness!