Talisman Emperor

Epilogue 2 – The Ant Exalt (Part 4/4)

Bang!

The sound of a terrifying collision surged through the world, and it seemed like an intense battle was going on.

The little ant was suddenly jolted awake and saw the verdant tree was in fierce battle with a god in an area not too far away from it.

That god had 3 heads, 6 arms, a body that was 3km tall, and enormous brass bell sized eyes that flowed with terrifying silver bolts of electricity. The god’s roars shook the sky and shattered the shatters, and it was ferocious and terrifying to the extreme.

It was a Yazi!

It was a god that was a ferocious beast Yazi, and he was skilled in all sorts of supreme Divine Abilities like the Heavenly Transformation, the Deity Transformation, Starshatter Roar. Its divine might was simply peerless!

At this moment, the verdant tree was clearly in imminent danger when facing the Yazi’s attacks. The verdant tree’s branches and leaves were being blasted apart successively, and it was inferior in comparison to the Yazi.

“Ancestor Yazi, we’re both beings born from within the Chaos, and there’s no enmity between us. So why are you acting like this towards me?” The verdant tree shouted in a low voice.

“This is destiny. I intend to forge a supreme sword to pass down to my Yazi Clan and guarantee its prosperity. Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to succeed, and it’s because the forging of that sword requires a Chaos Spirit.” Ancestor Yazi spoke indifferently. “So, I’ve come to capture you, refine your spirit, and fuse it into the sword so that I may forge it successfully.”

“You intend to kill me just to forge a sword?” The verdant tree was furious.

“No, it’s for my inheritance. My Yazi Clan thirsts for battle like madmen, and we love swords like it’s our lives itself. Only by leaving behind a sword as a heirloom would my Yazi Clan be able to survive eternally through the ages and possess everlasting brilliance.”

As he spoke, Ancestor Yazi suddenly shouted as he clenched his hand towards the space in front of him.

Crack!

He actually crushed apart a branch on the verdant tree and transformed it into powder.

The verdant tree suddenly started trembling violently while its aura grew weak and chaotic. Obviously, it wasn’t able to hold on much longer.

“How laughable! It’s just a sword! How could it possibly allow your Yazi clan to exist for eternity? That’s simply absurd!” The verdant tree howled. “Come! My life is right here. Come and take it if you have the ability!”

Swish!

A myriad of clear and glistening branches soared into the sky like Divine Chains or Order, and they were covered by a profound and obscure aura of the Dao as they crushed through the sky and rained down towards Ancestor Yazi.

“Alright! Then I’ll fulfil your wish!”

Clang!

Ancestor Yazi stretched out his hand and grasped, and then a divine sword that was suffused by light golden brilliance soared into the sky. It was like a brilliant sun had ascended into the air, and it illuminated the world!

The fierce battle continued, and it caused an area of over 10,000km to be covered in chaos and disorder. The sky was collapsing, the ground was sinking, the stars were falling, and even the Grand Dao was crumbling. All things were being transformed into scorched earth and ruins.

He wants to forge a sword!?

That fellow wants to kill Dark Parasol just to forge a sword?Dammit! The little ant had witnessed all of it, and it was instantly exasperated to the point that even its eyes had turned red.

It somehow found the strength to suddenly leap up into the air!

Yes, at this moment, the little ant had miraculously flown up into the air!

At the moment its life was at its end, it had encountered Dark Parasol, and they’d spoken about everything like they were friends.

Dark Parasol hadn’t looked down upon it because it was just a lowly and tiny ant, and Dark Parasol had even given it a huge amount of encouragement and comfort.

It was friendship that the little ant had never experienced in the past.

Since it left its nest, it had lived a life of being ridiculed and looked down upon. It was trampled on and scorned incessantly, and it had always been walking all by itself through the boundless world.

It had no friends.

Even if its heart was filled with endless pain and the sense of defeat, it could only endure all of it by itself.

The little ant had thought that such was its fate. But when it encountered Dark Parasol, it suddenly noticed that even an ant could possess true friendship!

At that moment, it felt that it could die without any regrets.

However, life was always so unpredictable. It hadn’t just survived; it had even started to try comprehending the Grand Dao after receiving Dark Parasol’s guidance.

A few hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye.

It saw the marks of the Dao, it comprehended the aura of the Dao, and it finally found a path of cultivation that belonged to it.

However, the heavens always played tricks on everyone. The moment it comprehended the Dao and awakened just happened to be the moment that Dark Parasol’s life was threatened!

How could the little ant not be infuriated by this?

Swoosh!

It soared into the air while the feelers on its head swept towards the side.

Swoosh!

A strand of green and hazy light actually flew out from them. It was extremely wide, and it was like a blade that had a very sharp edge.

It was clearly an extremely tiny and lowly being, but when it attacked at this moment, it actually revealed an indescribable powerful and arrogant bearing.

“Eh!” Ancestor Yazi clawed casually and crushed that attack into powder. However, he couldn’t help but feel quite surprised when he noticed that it was actually a tiny ant which had executed that attack.

It seemed to be very difficult to imagine that a lowly, tiny, and ordinary ant could execute such an attack.

Even ants can cultivate? It was utterly unimaginable to Ancestor Yazi.

Swoosh!

However, the little ant had attacked once more before Ancestor Yazi could even recover from his shock. A ray of green and hazy light shot over while emanating a surging aura.

Dark Parasol couldn’t help but feel gratified upon witnessing this scene.

However, before Dark Parasol could even feel happy, it saw the little ant’s attack being instantly destroyed by Ancestor Yazi, and even the little ant itself was held between the tips of Ancestor Yazi’s fingers.

“It really is an ordinary ant, but it’s able to cultivate now. How truly inconceivable. Unfortunately, since you’ve chosen to be my enemy, then you can just die!” Ancestor Yazi glanced at the little ant, and then the surprise in his eyes vanished and was replaced by indifference.

“NO!!!” Dark Parasol’s furious roar reverberated through the sky, and it charged madly at Ancestor Yazi.

Bang!

However, it was obvious that Dark Parasol’s attack was a step too slow. The little ant’s body was instantly crushed apart at the tips of Ancestor Yazi’s fingers, and then he flicked lightly, causing the little ant’s figure which was about to be crushing into powder to fly up into the clouds.

Swish!

A green rain of light drizzled down, and it carried the little ant’s body back.

However, when it saw that the little ant’s vitality was completely obliterated and was impossible to revive, Dark Parasol was instantly sad and furious to the extreme.

“AH!!!” Dark Parasol roared furiously while boundless sorrow filled its heart. Strands of blood started seeping out of its entire body, and they simply seemed like streams of blood red tears.

“It was just a lowly ant, yet you actually took it to be a close friend. How laughable.” Ancestor Yazi spoke with disdain while his face was covered in indifference.

“I’ll kill you!” Dark Parasol roared loudly as it waved the myriad of verdant branches throughout its body. It disregarded everything as it attacked, and it simply seemed like it had gone mad.

“Kill me? What high sounding sentiments! I’ll refine you into the spirit of my sword right now!” Ancestor Yazi flicked the divine sword in his hand, and it swished forward with all-powerful might and traversed layers of space as it slashed down towards Dark Parasol.

Bang!

Verdant branches were blasted into pieces and crumbled. Dark Parasol really seemed to be unable to resist such terrifying attacks.

Perhaps it would follow in the little ant’s footsteps in a while.

However, right at this instant, a strand of green suddenly flew up into the air, and it obstructed the path of that all-powerful attack.

Bang!

A terrifying sound of collision resounded.

Ancestor Yazi’s attack had actually been stopped.

At this moment, even Dark Parasol couldn’t help but be stunned, and it was even unable to avoid feeling quite dazed when it noticed that the one who had blocked off this attack was actually the little ant who’d clearly perished.

“Hmm?” Ancestor Yazi’s expression changed. He clearly remembered that his attack had destroyed the little ant’s vitality. How could that ant have come back to life?

There was a faint green glow around the little ant. Its tiny and lowly figure was covered in injuries, and it seemed like it would shatter at any moment.

However, the little ant stood stubbornly before Dark Parasol. Even though it was tiny, it actually emanated the imposing aura of one who could hold back an army.

“Move aside! Quickly! You’ll really die if you continue doing this! Wouldn’t the Grand Dao you’ve comprehended with great difficulty be wasted if that happens?” Dark Parasol spoke anxiously.

“What’s the point of possessing this path towards the Dao if I can’t help a friend in a life and death battle?” The little ant spoke calmly.

“That....” Dark Parasol was instantly moved by these words, and a strand of indescribable emotions covered him. A friend? He would rather abandon his path towards the Dao for the sake of a friend....

“Hmph! You’re courting death! I’ll fulfil both of your wishes and send you to hell right now!” Ancestor Yazi’s face fell, and he charged forward with sword in hand.

Swoosh!

A ray of light shot into the sky, threw the sky into disorder, destroyed all things before it, and traversed numerous spatial barriers. It was simply unstoppable.

“To the death!” The little ant soared into the air with a firm and calm expression. It had forgotten life and death, and its heart was completely clear.

“To the death!” Dark Parasol felt like its entire body was burning, and it couldn’t be bothered about anything else!

Bang!

However, reality was a cruel thing. Even if they’d disregarded their lives, they were undoubtedly like eggs smashing against a rock when facing Ancestor Yazi.

That really was how reality was. All of their hopes, fervor, and conviction were like bubbles that couldn’t withstand a single blow when standing before absolute strength.

Dark Parasol was the first to suffer defeat. Its thigh and sturdy trunk had a horrifying gash from Ancestor Yazi’s sword, and it was on the verge of being chopped into two. Besides that, its branches were almost destroyed, and its vitality was on the verge of running dry.

The little ant was the second to suffer defeat. It was blasted flying, and its tiny figure was smashed forcefully up into the clouds.

It was truly too tiny like a grain of sand amidst the clouds, and it was really nothing worth mention.

“Now, I’ll refine you to forge this sword of mine!” Ancestor Yazi gazed at Dark Parasol with an icy cold expression as he walked over.

“Even my friend is gone. There is no joy left in life, so death is nothing to fear....” Dark Parasol muttered in a calm yet despaired voice.

It gazed towards the distant sky yet wasn’t able to see the little ant’s figure, and it couldn’t help but feel bitterness spread throughout its heart. It thought to itself. Once I die, perhaps I’ll be able to be reunited with it again. That would be nice.

However, right at this moment, a voice suddenly resounded as if it came from the horizon.

“Dao!”

The voice was so weak and was on the verge of being drowned out by the wind, yet it caused Dark Parasol’s heart to tremble, and it made Ancestor Yazi’s eyes suddenly narrow.

“Dao!!” That voice resounded again, and it had become grand. It shook the clouds apart as it resounded through the sky!

Walker.... A wisp of hope suddenly arose in Dark Parasol’s dejected heart. Walker isn’t dead!

Ancestor Yazi swiftly raised his head while seeming to be filled with disbelief.

That extremely ordinary and lowly ant actually survived 2 lethal attacks from me in succession?

How could this be possible!?

“DAO!!” That voice resounded once more. This time, it reverberated through the world like a thunderclap, and it rumbled throughout the surroundings like the rumbling of the Dao itself.

Swoosh!

At the same time, an ant appeared. It was so tiny, yet a beam of light it held in its hand tore the sky open and struck numerous stars down!

That beam of light was extremely dazzling and brilliant.

At this moment, Ancestor Yazi actually felt unprecedented terror for no rhyme or reason.

What energy is that?

Pu!

That beam of light descended. Ancestor Yazi’s head was chopped off, his 3km tall figure swiftly collapsed into pieces, and he was transformed into powder.

He hadn’t even been able to react, and even at the moment of his death, he hadn’t been able to figure out what had happened. He’d just taken his extreme terror with him as he died.

Clang!

The divine sword in his hand fell down and stabbed itself into the ground, and it droned and trembled as if it was crying in sorrow.

At the same time, the clouds were split apart as a ray of light that illuminated the world descended. A little ant was bathed in divine radiance as it walked down like a god.

Its voice rumbled like thunder. “Creation, I created my own Dao and formed my own path. So what if I’m an ant? Creation is for all, and all things are part of the Dao, so how could there be a difference between lowly and noble? How could there be a shackle of high and low?”

Its voice surged through the surroundings.

Dark Parasol couldn’t help but roar with laughter when it heard this grand voice and witnessed this scene. “Walker, you’ve gained enlightenment! You’re enlightened!”

...

A thousand years later, Dark Parasol comprehended its own heart and comprehended the profundities of the Self. Its body was like a pillar which could support the heavens, and it transformed into an eternally brilliant bridge between the Immortal Dimension and Mortal Dimension whose brilliance shone throughout the ancient times.

The world called it the Divine Dark Parasol Tree.

The little ant grasped Creation and utilized the divine sword of Ancestor Yazi to forge the Heavenly Sword of Creation. After that, it traveled through the myriad of worlds in the ancient times with that sword in hand and never experienced a single loss.

The world respected it as the Ant Exalt, and it was praised for generations to come.

...

Mount Blossom.

A grey robed man sat casually on the ground as he gazed at the empty platform here which was covered in dust. He couldn’t help but be dazed by this sight. Because never had he imagined that Qing Xiao’zi would have actually passed away after just a little over 1,000 years.

“That day, you said that I was like a bug of the summer, and it would be impossible for me to lay eyes on the Grand Dao in my lifetime.... But what about you? Aren’t you a bug of the summer in this path towards the Grand Dao? You were born on the path yet died on the path, and you weren’t able to lay eyes on the true secrets of eternal life. Forget it, I won’t make a fuss about it with someone dead like you. Have a drink.” The grey robed man sighed as he withdrew a wine jug, and then he poured a cup of strong wine on the deathly silent and empty platform.

“Oh! That’s some good wine!” Suddenly a voice resounded, and then a mighty and imposing figure appeared out of thin air.

“Hmm?” The grey robed man raised his eyes, and he couldn’t help but be stunned and experienced slight disbelief when he saw the appearance of that figure.

“Have you forgotten me, little ant?” The man grinned.

“You.... Didn’t you die at the hands of those gods?” The grey robed man was stunned.

“HAHAHA! How could those worthless dogs kill me? If I were so easy to be killed, then the energy of Samsara would truly be too weak.” The man roared with laughter, and then he sat down before the grey robed man and said, “You really have surprised me, little ant. You were actually able to comprehend and establish a Grand Dao of Creation on your own. Amazing! Truly amazing!”

The grey robed man smiled and said, “Why speak so much about all of that?”

The man said, “Then what do you want to do?”

“Drink?”

“Alright!”

“Until we drop?”

“As you wish!”

“Hahaha!”

...

A very long time later, a man in green clothes arrived at the Dark Reverie with a handsome youth. He strode through the Dark Parasol’s Abyss before finally stopping before an expanse of ruins.

“This is where the Ant Exalt comprehended the Dao. As a lowly being, it rose up during the brilliant years of the ancient times when the gods vied for supremacy. The profundities of Creation it created itself shook the world and reigned supreme above the sages of the world. Who could have imagined that it had merely been an extremely ordinary ant when it left its nest all those years ago?” The green clothed man spoke softly. “Pu’er, you must remember this. Even the lowly may shine forever like the sun and exist for eternity with persistence.”

The handsome youth by his side nodded.