Wherever they passed, several layers of the very earth were scraped away in the truest sense, leaving only a devastated, barren dead land utterly depleted of spiritual energy.
The news swept through the Immortal Domain once more like the most terrifying storm, making every faction fall silent with fear.
Ruthless!
Too ruthless!
This was not only vengeance for the three fallen Immortal Kings, but also the sternest warning to every potential enemy in the Immortal Domain—offend the Golden Crow Clan, offend him, Lu Xuan, and not only would you die, even the foundation your lineage had passed down for countless generations would be uprooted entirely, leaving not a single blade of grass behind!
When Lu Xuan returned to the Golden Crow ancestral land with terrifying resources sufficient to rebuild dozens of top-tier great sects,
the clan leader and the elders stared at the nearly overflowing treasure light, all of them dumbstruck and unable to speak for a long while.
“Immortal King… this… this…”
Clan Leader Jin Qing’s voice was trembling. The harvest was simply too astonishing.
Lu Xuan handed most of the resources over to them, keeping only a few of the highest-grade items—objects containing traces of chaos energy or useful for his comprehension of the Great Dao.
“Use these resources to rebuild the ancestral land and nurture the clansmen.”
He gave the order in a calm tone.
“My Golden Crow Clan shall take this as an opportunity to return to its peak, and even… surpass antiquity!”
He gazed into the distance, his eyes deep.
Ransacking lineages and exterminating clans was only the beginning.
Next, he would use these resources to swiftly raise his own strength and that of his clan, so as to face future challenges that might come from the Realm Sea, or even other unknown domains.
The structure of the Immortal Domain had been completely changed because of him, while his own campaign had only just begun.
With thunderous methods, Lu Xuan had not only slain three great Immortal Kings, but had also plundered clean the foundation lands they had managed for countless epochs.
The news that he had truly “left not even the ground behind” was like a chaotic storm sweeping across the heavens. The shock and terror it brought were far more intense than the fall of the three Immortal Kings itself.
Those Immortal Kings who had originally still been communicating in secret, weighing gains and losses, and even feeling some grief at the death of their own kind, collectively fell into a long silence after learning the detailed intelligence that the lineages of the three great Immortal Kings had been completely emptied, with even their spiritual veins and earth dug away.
Within Pan King’s dao field, that old Immortal King, always so steady, quietly left a faint crack on the warm jade ruyi he had rubbed in his hand for countless years.
He looked into the void, and only after a long while did he let out a drawn-out sigh.
“…Ruthless, decisive, leaving no room at all. This act did not merely plunder resources; it completely severed any future possibility of the three lineages of Ao Sheng, Taishi, and Yuanchu rising from the ashes. That Golden Crow Immortal King… what is fearsome about him is not merely his strength. His temperament is even more like cold iron and solid ice—unshakable.”
Perhaps in his heart, he had once entertained a sliver of thought about joining forces with other Immortal Kings and using the name of the Immortal Domain’s justice to impose a slight check on him. At this moment, that thought had completely vanished like smoke.
To make an enemy of such an existence carried too great a price, and no meaning whatsoever.
In the star domain where Hunyuan Immortal King resided, thunder had rumbled ceaselessly these past few days, revealing the extreme unrest of its master’s state of mind.
However, anger was anger; Hunyuan Immortal King took no substantive action at all.
He even strictly ordered the forces under his command to restrain all conduct in the near future. In particular, businesses that had once cooperated closely with those three Immortal Kings were to immediately cut ties, prepare generous gifts, and look for an opportunity to show goodwill to the Golden Crow Clan.
Before absolute violence, so-called “Immortal King dignity” appeared pale and powerless.
After hearing the news, Qingwei Immortal King stood alone beside the Jade Pool for an entire day.
In her mind, Lu Xuan’s indifferent gaze and the Chaos Bell’s terrifying might that disregarded everything played over and over again.
“He is establishing his authority, and also… clearing the field.”
Qingwei Immortal King murmured to herself.
“With the harshest means, he is telling every faction in the Immortal Domain that the old order has been broken. The new order will be written by his will. Those who submit may not necessarily prosper, but those who defy him… will surely perish.”
She hesitated no longer. Personally, she selected an unprecedentedly lavish gift, which even included a “Qingwei Immortal Lotus” she had nurtured for several epochs, and ordered her trusted subordinates to deliver it to the Golden Crow ancestral court with the grandest etiquette and the greatest speed.
She realized that in dealing with such a neighbor, one either became his enemy, or else completely lowered one’s posture and attempted to establish at least a superficial harmony.
Qingmu Immortal King and Xuangui Immortal King gathered once more. Looking at each other, the two could only smile bitterly.
“Now, who would still dare say that he is merely heavy with killing intent?”
Qingmu Immortal King shook his head.
“This is digging out the roots and cutting off the source, leaving no future trouble behind. His way of doing things is entirely different from the Immortal Domain’s tradition, which has continued for countless epochs, of ‘always leaving a way out.’”
Xuangui Immortal King wiped away the blood that had once again spilled from the corner of his mouth due to forceful divination, and said hoarsely, “His Dao is tyrannical beyond compare and permits no objection. The Immortal Domain… must grow accustomed to this change. Send the order: all of our clan’s businesses outside, if they encounter the Golden Crow Clan, are to yield in every case and must not give rise to any conflict.”
An invisible chill spread through the hearts of all Immortal Kings.
They truly realized that this Golden Crow Immortal King not only possessed strength beyond comprehension, but that his methods were utterly without taboo, entirely unbound by any unspoken rules.
In dealing with him, all past experience was invalid. They had to exercise the utmost caution.
And in the deeper reaches of the Immortal Domain, some giants whose existence even Immortal Kings usually found difficult to sense also cast a trace of attention toward this commotion.
In a certain secret realm through which a tributary of the River of Time flowed, a blurry figure slowly condensed. His aura had merged with the entire secret realm, as though he himself were the rules.
“Chaos energy… weak, but of an extremely high essence. That bell is interesting.”
The blurry figure murmured to himself.
“That little fellow of the Golden Crow Clan has stirred up quite a commotion. It seems the Immortal Domain, which has been silent for too long, needs some new variables to stir it. Let us see how far he can go.”
The figure immediately dispersed and had no intention of intervening at all. He seemed more like an observer.
Deep within another ancient forbidden zone, two points of scarlet light lit up, like a sleeping colossal beast opening its eyes.
“Plunder… devour… grow… A familiar path, yet somewhat different.”
A hoarse voice like grinding metal echoed through the forbidden zone.
“On him, there is the scent of a ‘variable.’ Send the order: seal the forbidden zone for the time being and do not make contact with him. Wait until his origins are clear.”
These ancient giants had survived for who knew how many epochs and had witnessed far too many rises and falls.
Lu Xuan’s appearance and his actions, though astonishing, were still not enough to make them immediately react violently.
More than anything, they observed with a transcendent attitude, evaluating the impact this “variable” might have on the Immortal Domain and even the broader heaven and earth.
What they were paying attention to was that unknown bell, as well as the power system contained within Lu Xuan himself.
Among the lowest-level cultivators, the legend of the Golden Crow Immortal King Lu Xuan became increasingly miraculous.
“Have you heard? Immortal King Lu Xuan didn’t just behead the three great Immortal Kings—he even wiped out their lairs! They say that now, outside Immortal King Ao Sheng’s home, there’s only a huge pit left. Even the ground was taken away by the Immortal King with supreme divine abilities!”
“More than the ground! I heard that the Taichu Immortal Light in the Taishi Immortal Dynasty had its foundation extracted! Immortal King Yuanchu’s Chaos Cave Abode was dug out directly!”
“My heavens! This is what a truly ruthless person is! If he doesn’t act, that’s one thing, but the moment he does, he makes you become history completely!”
“From now on, who in the Immortal Domain would dare refuse to submit? Immortal King Lu Xuan’s words become law. If he says he will destroy your lineage, he absolutely won’t leave even a single blade of grass!”
Fear and worship intertwined, and Lu Xuan’s mighty name spread and solidified among the lower ranks in an almost savage manner.
Many rogue cultivators and minor factions even began to enshrine portraits of Lu Xuan, regarding him as both a baleful god and a protective deity, praying that they would never provoke this existence of dreadful ferocity.
After experiencing its initial deathly silence, shock, and panic, the Immortal Domain began to be forced to accept a new reality—an unstoppable new era, one guided in large part by the will of the Golden Crow Immortal King Lu Xuan, had already descended.
All factions, regardless of size and regardless of what thoughts they harbored, had no choice but to begin adjusting their strategies, carefully searching for a path to survival and development beneath the shadow of this newly risen overlord.
And the instigator of all this was, at this moment, sitting upon the massive resources obtained through ransacking those lineages, planning the next path for the Golden Crow Clan and for himself.
In the depths of the Golden Crow ancestral court, at the core of the newly born Fusang divine tree.
Within an independent space-time Lu Xuan had reopened using the aura of the Chaos Bell combined with True Solar Fire.
This place seemed to have returned to the origin point of the universe. There was no above or below, no four directions, no past or future—only endless currents of chaos slowly rotating.
At the center, a simple dark-yellow bronze bell hovered silently, letting down billions upon billions of strands of chaos energy containing Great Dao runes, firmly stabilizing this space-time and isolating it from all outside prying and interference.
Lu Xuan sat cross-legged beneath the Chaos Bell, solemn and dignified.
Before him floated three of the most dazzling balls of light—precisely the Immortal King source cores left behind after Ao Sheng, Taishi, and Yuanchu had been refined.
Aside from these, there were also rare treasures plundered from the treasuries of the three great Immortal Kings’ lineages, treasures most beneficial to his cultivation at his current stage.
Chaos Stones, Taichu Immortal Light essence, Yuanchu Mother Qi, ten-thousand-year Solar Essence Crystals, and even several bone fragments and jade slips recording ancient incomplete scriptures.
He did not rush to absorb these resources that would make anyone’s eyes redden with envy, but first sensed them carefully with his divine sense.
“Ao Sheng’s source is tyrannical and sharp, containing the Dragon-Form Path of Slaughter, leaning more toward the condensation of power and laws… Taishi’s source is ethereal and transcendent, aligning with the Dao of the Immortal Domain’s beginning, emphasizing evolution and transformation… Yuanchu’s source is the most ancient and profound, carrying the meaning of chaos before it was clear, with the most solid foundation…”
He was like the most masterful craftsman, examining the characteristics of his materials.
“My Dao is rooted in the inheritance of Donghuang Taiyi, fusing this world’s true meaning of the sun with the laws of chaos. Though these Immortal King sources follow different paths, they are all the condensation of their lifelong Dao fruits and contain their deepest understandings and imprints of the Great Dao. If I absorb them directly, I can indeed rapidly increase my magic power, but they will inevitably be impure, and may even affect my own path through their lingering Dao resonance.”
With a thought from Lu Xuan, the Chaos Bell above his head trembled lightly.
“Om—”
Bell waves rippled out like invisible Dao fire, beginning to burn and temper the three masses of Immortal King source.
Under the mighty power of the Chaos Bell, the personal Dao resonance imprints and divine ability brands belonging to Ao Sheng, Taishi, and Yuanchu were stripped away bit by bit, erased, and transformed into the purest Great Dao nourishment and life essence.
As for the relatively pure law comprehensions contained within—regarding power, evolution, chaos, and so on—they were preserved, as though the dross had been removed to retain the essence.
At the same time, divine materials such as the Chaos Stones and Taichu Immortal Light were also drawn by the power of the Chaos Bell, melting one after another and turning into streams of source energy of various colors, yet all likewise containing innate Dao principles. They slowly merged with the three tempered masses of Immortal King source.
This process was slow and meticulous, requiring tremendous patience and precise control over power.
Only a supreme treasure such as the Chaos Bell, capable of stabilizing earth, water, fire, and wind and combing through the myriad Daos, could accomplish it so effortlessly.
Time lost all meaning within this independent space-time.
After who knew how long, the three masses of Immortal King source and the many divine materials were finally thoroughly smelted into a mass of chaos source liquid the size of a human head, interwoven in the colors of chaos and red-gold. Within it, countless miniature stars seemed to be born and extinguished, while Great Dao runes rose and sank.
This mass of source liquid no longer carried any imprint of its former masters, leaving only the most fundamental law power and life energy. Its quality was so high that it far surpassed the scope of what ordinary Immortal Kings could come into contact with.
Lu Xuan opened his mouth and inhaled. That mass of chaos source liquid turned into a streak of light and entered his body.
“Boom!”
A tremendous sound exploded within him!
Energy so vast it was unimaginable instantly swept through his limbs and bones, washing over every inch of flesh and every strand of his divine soul.
His Golden Crow Immortal King body burst forth with boundless light. Great Dao divine patterns naturally appeared upon his bones, and his blood surged like a roaring river of stars.
His consciousness, meanwhile, sank into an even deeper level of Great Dao comprehension.
The ancient scriptures of Donghuang Taiyi’s inheritance flowed through his heart, mutually verifying and fusing with this world’s solar laws.
From Ao Sheng’s source, he absorbed a profound understanding of the condensation of power. From Taishi’s source, he comprehended even more wondrous applications of law evolution. From Yuanchu’s source, he deepened his recognition of the essence of chaos…
The Chaos Bell hovered above his primordial spirit, trembling faintly. The sun, moon, stars, earth, water, fire, wind, and myriad races of the primordial wilderness manifested on the bell’s wall seemed to come alive, directly presenting all kinds of Great Dao mysteries before his “eyes” and accelerating his comprehension.
This was an all-encompassing improvement and transformation.
His magic power grew wildly, like streams merging into great rivers, and great rivers surging into the sea, vast and boundless.
The barriers of the Immortal King realm were being assailed continuously, expanding toward even greater depths.
His control over the Dao of the Sun grew increasingly subtle and precise. With a thought, he could evolve the birth and death of suns and manipulate the source of stars. The quality of his true fire faintly carried the terrifying aura of chaos burning the heavens.
His understanding of chaos also deepened day by day. The chaos energy coiling around him was no longer merely a means of defense or attack; it began to evolve earth, water, fire, and wind, simulating the scene of splitting heaven from earth, as though within his body, a newly born chaos world was being nurtured.
More importantly, he was perfectly fusing Donghuang Taiyi’s inheritance with this world’s cultivation system, walking a path that belonged uniquely to him.
This path possessed both the supreme conception and control over chaos of Taiyi’s inheritance, while also being deeply rooted in this world’s Great Dao rules. Its future was boundless.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Lu Xuan slowly opened his eyes.
In his pupils, his left eye shone with a blazing great sun, while his right eye held the rise and fall of chaos. As they opened and closed, it was as if the scene of the universe’s first creation flashed past.
The aura around him had become even deeper and more restrained, but the pressure faintly emanating from him was even more terrifying than when he had slain the three kings before!
Although he had yet to break through to the next major realm, his foundation had already been consolidated to a horrifying degree. Within the Immortal King realm, it would likely be difficult to find an opponent for him.