Chapter 4: Prologue (4)

Zenith Heaven Emperor continues to cultivate his cultivation technique during his Profound Sage stage, focusing specifically on the Eight Chapter, which includes the powerful Death Scripture. This Scripture contains the four formidable techniques Death Soul, Death Record, and Death Seal, as well as the Death Chapter.

Despite their ominous names, the specifics of these techniques remain a mystery to all except for the most knowledgeable cultivators. Zenith Heaven Emperor keeps his cultivation methods close to his chest, and none dare to pry too deeply into his affairs, fearing what happens if they offend him. Nevertheless, rumors swirl about the immense power that these techniques can unleash, with some even speculating that they can be used to bring back the dead or to wipe entire armies from existence.

Death Soul allows Zenith Heaven Emperor to create three separate souls that can be hidden. These souls act as a protection against death, making it impossible for the user to be killed as long as any of the three souls exist. However, this protection does not grant eternal life, as the user can still die of old age. The only ways to kill the user of the Death Soul art are by finding and destroying the three souls or waiting for the user to die of old age.

The Death Seal is another powerful technique within the Death Scripture. Once completed, any injury suffered by the user's body is redirected to the Death Seal, where it is transformed into Death Qi. The amount of Death Qi generated and stored is directly proportional to the severity of the injury suffered, making the user's body more resilient to what injured them. However, there is a limit to this technique, as injuries that are too severe can leave lasting damage that is difficult to heal, though the user can still be revived.

Finally, the Death Chapter is a technique that requires a massive amount of Death Qi to be used. It allows the practitioner to use this energy to reanimate and control corpses and remains of anything that was previously alive. These reanimated corpses become known as death soldiers and can be hidden in the practitioner's shadows. This technique works similarly to the powers of the Shadow Monarch in Solo Leveling.

Zenith Heaven Emperor's cultivation of the Death Scripture has led him to reach the peak of the eighth stage, and he is now preparing to face the tribulation to reach the ninth stage. With the power of the Death Scripture at his disposal, he is confident in his ability to survive the notorious tribulation that lies ahead.

As he faces the Transforming Mortality into Immortality wave of the tribulation, Zenith Heaven Emperor uses the techniques he learned from the Death Scripture to instantly pass it.

Moving on to the fourth wave of the tribulation, known as the Tribulation of A Thousand Days, Zenith Heaven Emperor finds it too boring to endure and begins sleeping for the rest of the tribulation. However, even in his sleep, he continues to harvest a high amount of Death Qi from the lightning of the tribulation, using it to further strengthen his cultivation.

Moving on to the fourth wave of the tribulation, known as the Tribulation of A Thousand Days, Zenith Heaven Emperor finds it too boring to endure and begins sleeping for the rest of the tribulation. Passively, his body harvests a high amount of Death Qi from the tribulation lightning, due to it being too weak to hurt him at all. While this feat may seem ridiculous to others, it is a testament to Zenith Heaven Emperor's strength and mastery of his cultivation technique.

It is worth noting that the power of Zenith Heaven Emperor's tribulation is many times stronger than even the most powerful of all, Purple Night Divine Thunder. This lightning only appears when one with the potential to bear the Mandate of Heaven is present. Having a tribulation many times stronger than even that makes Zenith Heaven Emperor's tribulation all the more remarkable.

His actions during this tribulation have angered the Heavens, and in response, they sent down a powerful Heavenly Punishment to get rid of Zenith Heaven Emperor once and for all. Despite the danger, he remained unfazed and looked at the Heavenly Punishment with disdain. He endured it with ease, even mocking it and declaring that it was nothing much. This feat is something that no cultivator has ever achieved before him, as everyone else's life was extinguished before they could even kneel to heaven!

After that, there is little to no doubt that he will emerge victorious from his journey to the pinnacle of cultivation. As long as he doesn't sell his position like his father, it is certain that he will be the next person to ascend to heaven.

Zenith Heaven Emperor had been eagerly looking forward to meeting Song ONE and his group ever since he reincarnated. He had always been fond of the character of Song ONE and had enjoyed every moment he appeared when he read the novel in his previous life. So, when fate brought them together, it felt like a dream come true.

As he cultivated and progressed through the stages, he waited patiently for the right time. He knew that he couldn't approach them with a cultivation level too far below theirs, so he continued to work hard until he reached the Ninth Stage.

Finally, the fateful day arrived. Zenith Heaven Emperor met Song ONE and his group at a gathering of cultivators. As soon as he saw them, he knew that he had made the right decision. They were just as he had imagined, funny, carefree and full of life.

He introduced himself as a talented cultivator and quickly became friends with the group. They would spend hours talking, practicing techniques and playing pranks together with 'Blockhead' Song. Zenith Heaven Emperor had never been happier. Despite his prestigious background as a Crown Prince, Zenith Heaven Emperor kept his true identity a secret from them, wanting to be seen as just another talented cultivator among them.

During this time, he would practice the Ninth chapter of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, which the Fate Scripture was part of. He found that practicing with his new friends made the process much more enjoyable. The group included the notorious prankster 'Blockhead' Song, 'Primogenitor of the Dragon's' White Dragon and the 'Empress of the Nacre Lake' Cheng Lin.

But the most beloved memories he had were the pranks he played together with Song ONE. Zenith Heaven Emperor had always been a serious person, but with Song ONE and his group, he was able to let loose and have fun. He would never forget the time they convinced a group of cultivators that they were being attacked by a fierce monster, only for it to turn out to be a harmless rabbit. Or the time they swapped out a cultivator's tea with vinegar, much to their dismay.

As a Tribulation Immortal, he practices the ninth chapter of his Heaven Devouring Battle Law, which includes the Fate Scripture. With this powerful technique, he is able to control fate itself, perfectly arranging it to his liking. The Fate Scripture allows him to pry into the fate of others and even change it, manipulating the paths that all living beings must follow in their lives.

The Fate Scripture teaches that fate itself is the power of certainty, while luck is uncertainty. It is said that only with enough luck can one counter fate. Fate represent inevitability and certainty, it must be experienced. Meanwhile, Luck introduces variations and variability to this trajectory, thus making them deviate from their fated road.

If one has enough luck, one can go against fate, or even completely escaping it. The only known person to have done it in the original is White, who is lucky enough to randomly encounter meteorites with resources that land next to him.

However, it is important to note that the Fate Scripture teaches the nature of fate itself. All living beings have certain paths in life that they must follow, and the Fate Scripture does not grant the power to completely alter these paths. Rather, it allows the user to nudge fate in a certain direction, influencing the outcome of events without completely upending the natural order of things.

Through his mastery of the Fate Scripture, Zenith Heaven Emperor is able to exercise immense control over the world around him, manipulating the threads of fate to achieve his goals and overcome his enemies, but he mostly uses it to make his daily life more interesting.