The Little Stone Emperor's Return

The ten stone carvings melted, and the old Taoist swept his gaze around with gravity. His sudden movement drew Xiao Chen and Keke's attention. At the same time, a long howl burst from the little stone emperor at the center of the great tomb—a cry that pierced the clouds, split the sun, and tore the heavens.

“No need to doubt—it is I speaking with you through divine consciousness. Or rather, I am speaking with myself.”

“What do you want to do?” The old Taoist could not remain calm.

“Do you still not understand? There is no division between you and me. You should ask yourself what you want to do—what you should do.” The little stone emperor's voice was somewhat cold.

At this moment, Xiao Chen finally confirmed: the old Taoist was the new-born body of the little stone emperor! The stone raven's instinct was completely correct.

“I am you, you are I. I am the little stone emperor, who once defeated all opponents under heaven.” The old Taoist muttered to himself, then, as if struck by sudden enlightenment, two dazzling streams of golden light shot from his eyes, seeming to connect all memories in an instant.

He calmed down immediately, regaining his former aura of transcendent wisdom, a man of the Dao with a celestial bone. Then he stepped forward with firm resolve.

In that moment, the old Taoist became one with heaven and earth. Each step he took resonated with the rhythm of the Dao, his wide sleeves fluttering like a celestial immortal rising above the mundane world, as if ascending to the heavens.

Before him, within the seven great tombs, the half-flesh, half-stone body shared his features, but its temperament was vastly different—like an emperor who ruled the world, his aura dazzling and soul-shaking. The mere breath that flowed from him was enough to inspire terror. Overwhelming waves of power rolled out, blotting out the sky and covering the earth—truly divine might overshadowing the world, like a sovereign looking down on all creation.

Two identical beings, two utterly different temperaments—yet they were one. The old Taoist was the new-born body of the little stone emperor.

“I have waited for you for a billion years. Welcome back!”

“Eons pass in a flash, a mere snap of the fingers.”

The old Taoist hesitated not at all, striding resolutely to the center of the seven great tombs. In that instant, he erupted with boundless radiance, colliding with the half-flesh, half-stone body.

“Boom!”

The seven great tombs shook, and beams of light shot forth from all directions, surging toward the two figures at the center.

“The little stone emperor! Your new body is here as well.” The seven stone kings were both startled and enraged, but they could not change what was happening, for they could not break free from the tombs. The forty-nine great formations could suppress them for ten thousand years or more.

Blinding light covered the entire area. The whole tomb ground of the little stone emperor undulated like a vast ocean. Even those who had not entered this place felt waves of terrifying aura.

In that moment, the old Taoist merged with the half-flesh, half-stone body—they became one!

It was a profoundly mysterious process. Drops of blood spattered, flakes of stone flaked off, and the sounds of bones snapping and reconnecting set one's teeth on edge—crack, crack, crack.

On the central earth, a sun-like star blazed with radiance as the little stone emperor and the old Taoist underwent the fusion and transformation of stone and flesh, of blood and bone.

In the distance, Xiao Chen was deeply shaken. He wanted to leave this place but could not, for the forty-nine great formations covered the entire region.

“Ya ya…” Keke muttered, the little thing also a bit afraid. It sensed an incomparably powerful aura, stronger than any cultivator it had ever seen.

“Bang!”

With a final earth-shaking roar, the two bodies completely merged. At least seventy percent of the body was now flesh and blood, with less than thirty percent remaining stone. This was not the superficial flesh-and-blood state of the stone raven—it was a true transformation from the inside out, not a mere surface phenomenon.

An extremely terrifying aura instantly erupted. The little stone emperor's power surged to a level that made one shudder. The seven stone kings in the great tombs all fell silent; none continued to rage or roar. They sensed the threat of death.

In that moment, the powerful aura from this region spread like a tsunami across the Heavenly Realm, shaking all who sensed it. When it became known that it originated from the little stone emperor's tomb, all the great powers of the Heavenly Realm and a few ancient recluses opened their eyes in shock, staring toward this place. They recalled certain ancient matters and changed expression in unison.

They knew what had happened!

In the past, the little stone emperor's death had been the most suspicious. In that era, after the great war of the primordial age, none of the surviving powerhouses could threaten him. Yet he had fallen at his very peak, like the sun at high noon, leaving all in disbelief.

“He is still alive!”

“I never imagined he had such bold vision. Perhaps all the heavens and myriad worlds will be turned upside down again.”

“It is truly something to anticipate. Perhaps he can truly open a brand new world of cultivation.”

“In the primordial age, stars shone bright and experts were as numerous as forests. The little stone emperor, as a survivor of that era, truly lives up to his reputation.”

On this day, all the great powers of the Heavenly Realm learned of this earth-shattering news. But none approached, none interfered. The bearers of the stone corpse, the whetstone beast, and the seven kings of the hanging void had all entered and not yet emerged. Everyone knew they had likely run into great trouble, and whether they would survive was uncertain.

From this situation, it seemed that the little stone emperor's strength was even more terrifying than they had imagined!

His past and present bodies merging was not a simple superposition. It inherited the supreme combat power of yesteryear while undergoing an entirely new transformation—a fresh opportunity to shed the stone body and be reborn in flesh and blood.

“Hoo—”

A fierce gale shattered the sky. The little stone emperor reached out an arm, tearing open the tomb world he had created, and plunged his hand into the vast Heavenly Realm, grasping for the sun star that hung high in the sky.

The sun star of the Heavenly Realm was incomparable to those of other worlds. The Heavenly Realm was the center of all worlds. The sun star was of paramount importance and could not be lost. Since ancient times, countless layers of formations had been laid upon it to ensure it would not be caught up in the great battles of the Heavenly Realm's experts.

But in that moment, a heaven-covering great hand reached into the high sky, enveloping the sun star. Instantly, the entire Heavenly Realm plunged into darkness.

All beings were alarmed—this had never happened since the primordial age. The whole land fell into utter darkness. Every living creature looked up to the heavens.

In the boundless darkness, the sun star was seized by a giant hand. Only faint rays of light filtered through the gaps between the fingers, outlining a terrifying silhouette of that enormous palm.

This was an event without precedent. The Heavenly Realm was the center of myriad worlds, and the sun star was of such importance that even a stone king would find it truly difficult to strike it down.

But at this moment, everything was overturned. That great hand pulled the sun star down.

All who witnessed it saw this unforgettable sight!

The terrifying arm was rooted in the earth of the Heavenly Realm, thick and boundless, as if it were formed from billions of primordial demonic mountains piled together, like an infinite ancestral dragon twisted into one. The giant demonic hand seized the sun star and slowly withdrew, the arm that connected heaven and earth descending back into the depths of the earth.

This scene was too震撼. The bright world suddenly darkened; the sun star that even a stone king could not strike down was plucked down by a giant demonic hand.

The Heavenly Realm's sun! It no longer existed, taken away by an incomprehensible divine power. The earth fell into darkness, and billions of beings trembled in fear.

All the great powers naturally knew this was the doing of the little stone emperor. Every one of them felt dread. This enemy who had made his name in the primordial age was too terrifying. What did he intend? Was he establishing his authority, telling the world that he had returned?

Within the little stone emperor's tomb, the sun star transformed into a circular disk, suspended above the seven great tombs.

“Having slumbered for a billion years, my original stone body was too cold and dark. I need the origin of this sun star to draw out the yin aura.”

In the distance, Xiao Chen's heart ran cold. He naturally knew that this solar star was extraordinary. To have it seized so easily was truly terrifying.

Keke also whooshed onto Xiao Chen's shoulder. The little thing was very nervous, a bit afraid.

“Beings of the Heavenly Realm, I grant you nine new suns.” The little stone emperor waved his hand lightly, summoning nine great stars from beyond the heavens, arranging them in the sky of the Heavenly Realm.

“You have also cultivated the Heavenly Stele Profound Art. I permit you to sit to one side and listen to the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.” The little stone emperor glanced coldly at Xiao Chen.

With that, he sat down cross-legged and said in a low voice: “Borrowing the refined bodies and minds of you kings—if I succeed, I will open a brand new world for you, a gate to unimaginable realms!”

The seven great tombs shook, and light soared into the sky. The seven kings all roared as the tombs extracted their sovereign divine power—it was as if they were being refined! The seven kings had no choice but to resist, to avoid the dire situation of annihilation. This was an outright extraction of divine power, forcing the seven kings to radiate their brilliance.

In the end, seven streams of power, vast as oceans, shot forth, all converging on the cross-legged figure at the center. Boundless radiance flooded that place as the little stone emperor refined his body using the seven kings.

At the same time, all manner of celestial tones sounded, and the great Dao rhythms of the seven kings manifested above the seven great tombs, interweaving with the Dao resonance of the seven corpses.

This was an immense opportunity. Xiao Chen sat cross-legged, absorbing all kinds of great Dao imprints, listening to all manner of ultimate principles. Keke was also very serious, imitating Xiao Chen's posture, sitting beside him and earnestly beginning her own experience and enlightenment.

On the earth of the Heavenly Realm, green withered and flourished; small lakes dried and refilled. The years passed silently—a hundred years flashed by.

The ancient land of the little stone emperor's tomb became a forbidden zone. No one approached. Even the fiercest beasts gave it a wide berth. Day after day, year after year, the oppressive aura grew stronger, like a giant swiftly maturing. All could sense that the divine might here was growing daily.

A hundred years passed in haste. Xiao Chen did not move, his body covered with dust. He never once opened his eyes. The celestial tones never faded, always echoing in his ears. The great Dao principles were arrayed before him. To miss such an opportunity would be to betray the fortune the little stone emperor had given him.

Little Keke, who loved cleanliness, remained spotless, white as jade. Though naturally lively, it sat in bitter contemplation. During this time, it opened Paradise Lost, allowing the Little Defiant Dragon, Sha Polang, the three skeletons, Tianwaitian, and Qingqing—who had merged with the dream flower—to also hear these celestial principles.

Time flowed like a shuttle; stars shifted. Nine suns could not withstand the dense spiritual energy of the Heavenly Realm and four had already fallen. Empires rose and fell. Ten thousand years passed in a flash.

Great lakes dried into valleys. High mountains collapsed into rocky woodlands. Mighty rivers changed course, flowing thousands of miles away. Plains split open, becoming deep ravines and abysses.

The seas changed, and mulberry fields turned to dust. Ten thousand years—a mere number to read, but enough for countless events to unfold. A mortal life is but a hundred years; in old age, one may sigh at the length of that time, but it is sufficient for many things.

Ten thousand years of time, passing away. One can imagine the tremendous changes, can understand the desolation of the ancient sun sinking westward.

As the ages receded and the years shifted, Xiao Chen's body was thick with dust, his hair disheveled, his face grimy. The king's divine city, five feet square, encircled him. Besides the thick layer of dirt, his skin was covered with a crust of stone, like stone armor, impenetrable, dotted with faint, shimmering points of light.

This was a rare sight. It seemed he was walking the Stone Man path, undergoing nirvana in a demonic city, but the divine city did not completely cover him, nor did it extinguish his flesh and blood vitality. The king's divine city, formed from many fused primordial demonic cities, was now ancient and plain, all its former divine light turned inward, like an old building on display. The immense power it concealed also lay dormant, serving merely as an ancient altar supporting Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen's skin had ultimately petrified—perhaps he was walking the Stone Man path, but it was certainly not the traditional Stone Man path. Beneath the stone shell was crystalline flesh and blood, flowing with mysterious radiance, filled with powerful energy fluctuations. But this was sealed within by the stone armor.

Nor was this the Upper Ancestral God path—or at least not its pure form. For ten thousand years, he had listened to the king's great Dao. All manner of ultimate principles had echoed in his ears. He had gained unimaginable harvests. Touching the divine rhythm of the Dao, grasping eternity, he carved out his own unique path—though it might not yet be broad before the king's great Dao, it was nonetheless a path he had blazed himself.

For ten thousand years, Xiao Chen had been undergoing subtle transformation. He had begun to truly explore his own Dao path.

As for Keke, it was likewise undergoing a wondrous change. The little thing grew increasingly transcendent, untouched by dust, radiating spiritual energy—almost as if it were the incarnation of Dao rhythm. But occasionally, when it woke decades or centuries later and opened its eyes, those pure, mischievous looks proved that its temperament had never changed.

Within Paradise Lost, everyone had changed in their own ways. Especially Qingqing, merged with the dream flower. She withered and bloomed anew, undergoing many mysterious transformations.

“Boom!”

Today, the seven great tombs suddenly collapsed simultaneously, and the seven kings burst forth. At the same time, the little stone emperor at the center abruptly opened his eyes. An aura vast as the sea covered heaven and earth. Two sharp, soul-stirring gazes—even the seven kings dared not meet them.

In the sky, seven demon stars fell into the little stone emperor's left palm, and the stone mirror rotated slowly above his head.

He slowly rose, his eyes coldly sweeping over the seven faces. The seven kings around him could not meet his gaze and were forced to lower their heads. They did not wish to do so, but could not withstand the oppressive pressure—they had to bow. This was a terrifying thing: a stone king had lowered his proud head!

The little stone emperor's stone body had completely shed away; his flesh-and-blood rebirth was complete. In that moment, he became the incarnation of the great Dao of heaven and earth, reaching the realm of perfection.

One glance spanned ten thousand years! The flow of his gaze turned the world to emptiness.

Like ten thousand years flowing past, like a great world collapsing in destruction—his eyes were terrifying. Without any movement, he stood there silently, forcing the seven kings to be utterly still. The vast aura, like a sea, spread across the earth of the Heavenly Realm.

From this center outward, all living beings on the primordial earth fell silent. Even the great powers and ancient fossils lost their voices, their hearts filled with shock.

In that moment, the little stone emperor was the sole being in heaven and earth!

The light of the sun star and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth all paled before him. He seemed to have become the only existence.

“Crack, crack, crack…”

Suddenly, a sound came from the little stone emperor's brow. A trickle of blood flowed down, and then bloody lines appeared all over his body.