Cang Xiong smiled faintly. "That's not bad either. An old bag of bones like me dragging down a young Monarch with the potential to Prove the Dao and Become Emperor is quite a bargain."
It was clear that he truly viewed life and death with indifference, profound indifference...
The 1st Imperial Envoy was immediately rendered speechless, his expression turning extremely ugly.
He naturally couldn't possibly risk his life like Cang Xiong. He still had much of his lifespan left, not even half spent. Why would he be foolish enough to fight to the death with a madman who had little time left?
With a cold snort, the 1st Imperial Envoy turned to leave. "Old man, you win. This time, I miscalculated."
Cang Xiong smiled again. "It wasn't a miscalculation. We could very well continue for another round."
The 1st Imperial Envoy choked, not daring to speak again.
Ye Chen, however, narrowed his eyes coldly. "1st Imperial Envoy, did I say you could leave?"
The imposing might of a Monarch surged from his body in waves. Simultaneously, light flickered at the center of his brow, his Great Emperor Reincarnation Body ready to be summoned at any moment.
The manifestation of two Monarch-level combatants, not to mention a supreme treasure like the Emperor Star, meant that dealing with the 1st Imperial Envoy, or even suppressing him, was hardly an issue.
The 1st Imperial Envoy's eyes widened, almost roaring in fury.
An old Monarch was one thing—an Eternal Emperor, a Great Emperor who had achieved the Dao through an alternative path. But now, a newly ascended Monarch dared to provoke him like this? It was simply unacceptable.
Yet, he had no choice but to accept it.
Facing two Monarchs simultaneously, he truly had no confidence, especially with Cang Xiong's formidable power making him deeply apprehensive. Moreover, the tenacity of one who had achieved Monarchhood through physical body cultivation surpassed that of an ordinary Monarch.
Boom—
Not even daring to utter a final threat, the 1st Imperial Envoy snorted coldly, turned, and vanished into the void.
Ye Chen wanted to give chase, but Cang Xiong stopped him. "Do not pursue a desperate foe. Besides, he is not so easy to kill. If truly pushed to that point, it might provoke an even more terrifying existence."
An even more terrifying existence? Could it be...
Ye Chen looked at Cang Xiong in shock.
Cang Xiong merely shook his head slightly at him, saying nothing more.
"Senior, since you have become an Eternal Emperor, why have you not Proved the Dao and Become an Emperor?" After a moment of silence, Ye Chen couldn't help but ask.
An Eternal Emperor possessed boundless potential; Proving the Dao and Becoming an Emperor was inevitable, not a mere two or three out of ten chance. Even though Cang Xiong was aged and frail, with withered blood energy and one foot in the grave, he still had over a fifty percent chance of success.
For no other reason than this: such was the nature of an Eternal Emperor, so heaven-defying.
Cang Xiong smiled faintly. "I am old, frail, with one foot in the coffin. How could I Prove the Dao and Become an Emperor like this?"
Ye Chen frowned, about to speak, but then he jolted with sudden understanding of the meaning beneath Cang Xiong's words.
It wasn't that he couldn't Prove the Dao and Become an Emperor, but that he couldn't become the strongest Emperor, a colossus from antiquity.
He harbored immense ambition. He didn't merely wish to become a Supreme One; his ambition was to, upon entering the Emperor's domain, directly achieve the status of a colossus from antiquity, a titan spanning Ten Thousand Ancient Times.
One had to admit, this was a ruthless individual. But he indeed possessed such qualifications.
All Eternal Emperors had the qualification to charge towards becoming a colossus from antiquity, their potential far surpassing that of ordinary Monarchs.
Even if they Proved the Dao and Became Emperors, they would be kings among the Supreme Ones.
But clearly, as an Eternal Emperor, Cang Xiong didn't just want to be a king among the Supreme; he wanted to become a peerless titan overlooking all ages, suppressing the myriad heavens, peerless for his generation.
Unfortunately, although Cang Xiong was an Eternal Emperor, wanting to charge towards becoming a colossus from antiquity was difficult. As he said, his aged frailty and withered blood energy formed an insurmountable heavenly barrier, preventing him from achieving the status of a colossus from antiquity.
Cang Xiong sighed softly. "My accumulation is sufficient. An epoch's worth of accumulation allows me to charge towards that realm. Once I break through, I could become a peerless existence. Unfortunately, my body does not permit it. I can only linger on like this."
His words carried a faint sense of melancholy.
It was precisely this profound accumulation, the accumulation to charge towards becoming a colossus from antiquity, that prevented him from Proving the Dao and Becoming an Emperor. Because once he did, it would be a charge towards becoming a colossus from antiquity, not simply achieving the status of a Supreme One.
For Cang Xiong, Proving the Dao and Becoming an Emperor wasn't difficult; he was confident he could survive the great tribulation. But becoming a colossus from antiquity was different. That tribulation was beyond imagination. In his sunset years, aged and frail, it was utterly impossible for him to survive such a terrifying tribulation. Without a doubt, once he attempted to Prove the Dao, he would die.
Ye Chen's heart trembled. Beneath that withered body lay such an invincible soul.
Unfortunately, without becoming a Supreme One, one ultimately could not withstand the erosion of time, could not exist eternally.
On the other hand, one could only say that Cang Xiong's ambition in his youth was too great, absolutely arrogant, believing that if he didn't Prove the Dao and Become an Emperor, then fine, but once he did, he must become the Supreme among Supreme Ones, a peerless titan.
Suddenly, Ye Chen gave a bitter laugh. If only the fruit of the Immortal Emperor Medicine hadn't been given to the Profound God Great Emperor, he could have given it to Cang Xiong, allowing him to live a second life with brimming blood energy, granting him sufficient strength to charge towards becoming a colossus from antiquity.
Of course, there were no 'if only's.
Cang Xiong, however, viewed it with equanimity. "It's fine. This old man just occasionally grumbles. Having lived for such a long time is enough. It's just a pity... if only that fellow Wuxiang were still alive."
Back when Ye Chen left the Ultimate Ancient Path, the Sovereign of Formlessness had not yet fully revived, and much information between the two great ancient paths had not been exchanged. Therefore, Cang Xiong was unaware that the Sovereign of Formlessness had revived.
"Senior, Sovereign Wuxiang has revived—" Ye Chen explained some matters concerning the Sovereign of Formlessness.
Cang Xiong was silent for a moment, then smiled. "Truly worthy of being the number one on the Ultimate Ancient Path back then. He alone suppressed everyone, including me, including Dao Shishi, and that fellow Asura. No one could rival him. Revived, he is indeed just as invincible—not a Supreme One, yet possessing true power to rival one. Even as fellow Eternal Emperors, in our youth, I and Dao Shishi admit we were no match for him."
Indeed, the Sovereign of Formlessness had stepped onto the Eternal Path during the Ancient Monarch period, while Cang Xiong and Dao Shishi had stepped onto it during the Monarch period. The earlier one stepped onto the Eternal Path, the greater their strength.
Then, he looked at Ye Chen seriously. "Little friend, your potential is even greater than Wuxiang's. You are one who stepped onto the Eternal Path as a Quasi-Sovereign. At the levels of Ancient Monarch and Monarch, you will be more powerful than this old man and Wuxiang. But your Chaos Great Dao has never been Proved and Become an Emperor by anyone throughout history, so you must be extremely cautious."
"This junior understands!" Ye Chen said. "Senior, why not go to the Origin Ancient Path? There are many colossi from antiquity there, no shortage of Immortal Emperor Medicine, and there is the Alchemy Emperor. He can refine heaven-defying Emperor Pills. Having you live a second life would not be a problem."
He truly did not wish to see this old senior, with the potential to charge towards becoming a colossus from antiquity, meet his end like this. The Origin Ancient Path was a place full of possibilities.
Cang Xiong smiled faintly. "We'll see."