“No one knows where he went during that half epoch, or what he experienced. When he walked out from the depths of the Realm Sea once more, his aura had already undergone an earth-shaking transformation! It was no longer the sharp edge of one who had only just entered the Immortal King realm, but the might of an Immortal King titan—unfathomable, standing above ordinary giants!”
“And the first thing he did after his return was… settle accounts!”
Immortal King Randeng’s tone carried a trace of awe.
“Relying on some inconceivable tracking method, he followed ancient lines of karma and found, one by one, the twenty-some Dark Immortal Kings who had taken part in surrounding and killing him back then, as well as those Dark Immortal Kings who had later attacked him, or who were directly connected to the destruction of the Xuanhuang Great Realm!”
“That was not battle. It was… slaughter!”
A flicker of lingering fear passed through Immortal King Randeng’s eyes.
“With absolute, crushing power, he suppressed and killed those Dark Immortal Kings whose hands were drenched in blood, one after another! No matter what corner they hid in, no matter what faction they attached themselves to, none could escape his pursuit. During that period, the dark camp of the Realm Sea was shaken by it; for a time, even the slightest rustle of wind made them panic!”
“He trod upon the corpses and bones of countless Dark Immortal Kings to forge his dread renown! And he made all the heavens and myriad realms remember that solitary, proud figure who came from the long-vanished Xuanhuang Great Realm, bearing a blood feud as deep as the sea.”
When Immortal King Randeng finished speaking, the bamboo sea fell into silence.
Only the flame of the azure lamp burned quietly, as though offering sacrifice to the departed Xuanhuang Great Realm, and as though reflecting that nameless quasi-Immortal Emperor’s lonely and resolute road of vengeance.
Lu Xuan remained wordless for a long time, waves surging in his heart.
He had not expected that quasi-Immortal Emperor, whose strength reached the heavens, to have such a tragic and magnificent past.
The sacrifice and entrustment of an entire great realm, the heaven-defying talent that allowed him to attain the Immortal King realm in six hundred thousand years, half an epoch of silence and transformation, the bloody reckoning after his return… all of it outlined an unparalleled figure who was incomparably complex, powerful, and suffused with tragedy.
“To bear the grief of an entire realm, to shoulder a blood feud as deep as the sea… his Dao was destined to be accompanied by conquest and destruction.”
Lu Xuan slowly spoke, his tone carrying a trace of understanding and complexity.
It was as if he could sense the endless pain and resolution hidden deep within that nameless quasi-Immortal Emperor’s cold gaze.
Immortal King Randeng nodded.
“His very existence is the sharpest accusation against, and counterattack toward, the source of darkness. It is just that… this road is far too lonely, and far too brutal. The power he commands also seems, because of that extreme hatred and will for destruction, to lean toward the end and toward annihilation.”
Lu Xuan was silent.
He pursued the Great Dao and also had his own convictions and karma, but compared with everything that nameless quasi-Immortal Emperor bore, it seemed different.
The appearance of this quasi-Immortal Emperor had not only resolved the siege at Emperor Fall, but had also given him a deeper understanding of the cruelty of the Realm Sea, his hatred of the darkness, and the many possible paths of the strong.
“Many thanks, fellow Daoist, for clearing up my doubts.”
Lu Xuan offered solemn thanks. To him, this hidden history was of immeasurable value.
Immortal King Randeng smiled faintly, the lamp flame swaying.
“Karma intertwines; all is fate. Fellow Daoist Lu Xuan, your road also lies ahead.”
Their conversation continued, but the topic had already turned to the even more profound Great Dao and secret histories of antiquity.
The path ahead seemed, because of this piece of history, to have become clearer, and also… heavier.
This deep conversation with Immortal King Randeng about the nameless quasi-Immortal Emperor gave Lu Xuan a deeper understanding of the Realm Sea’s cruelty and the obsessions of certain existences.
And during the days he spent as a guest in the Primordial Ancient Realm, Immortal King Randeng did not keep things to himself. He arranged for him to discuss and exchange the Dao with several other renowned Immortal King fellow Daoists within the ancient realm.
On this day, the place of Dao discussion was set within a secret realm of the ancient realm known as the Source of Ten Thousand Laws.
This place was where the Great Dao of the Primordial Ancient Realm manifested. There were waterfalls cascading down, but their water was not water; it was formed from countless tiny Great Dao runes. There were wondrous flowers in bloom, but their fragrance was not fragrance; to smell it could calm the mind and aid in comprehending the Dao.
Aside from the host, Immortal King Randeng, three Immortal Kings of extraordinary bearing were present.
The first was a middle-aged Daoist wearing a purple star-patterned Daoist robe. His face was ancient and plain, and faint bolts of lightning were born and extinguished around him.
He was Immortal King Zixiao, who held authority over thunder punishment in the Primordial Ancient Realm. His temperament was upright and unyielding, and his Dao arts were known for their ferocity and speed.
The second was a woman wearing a long emerald-green dress, her hair coiled high, her gentle bearing carrying vigorous vitality.
She was Immortal King Zhenmu, an innate spiritual root of the ancient realm that had attained the Dao. She was skilled in life, creation, and Yimu divine abilities; her path was similar to that of Immortal King Qingmu, whom Lu Xuan had met in the Realm Sea, yet each had their own emphasis.
The third was a burly man with a towering build, clad in crimson scale armor, a single horn growing from his forehead, his aura scorching and tyrannical.
He was Dragon King Chiyang, possessing the bloodlines of a true dragon and some kind of innate fire spirit. His temperament was bold and straightforward, and he held part of the ancient realm’s solar authority, faintly resonating with Lu Xuan’s Golden Crow origin.
“Fellow Daoist Lu Xuan, these few are all pillars of my ancient realm, each with unique attainments upon their respective Great Daos.”
As the host, Immortal King Randeng introduced them with a smile.
Lu Xuan cupped his hands in greeting. “Fellow Daoist Zixiao, Fellow Daoist Zhenmu, Fellow Daoist Chiyang, a pleasure.”
The three Immortal Kings also returned the courtesy one after another, their gazes carrying curiosity and scrutiny toward this newly risen “Chaos War Immortal.”
At the beginning of the Dao discussion, Immortal King Zixiao was the first to speak. His voice was like the first rumble of thunder, striking straight to the core. “Fellow Daoist Lu Xuan proved your Dao through battle, with chaos as your foundation. Presumably, your attainments in the arts of attack and slaughter are profound. As I observe your aura, within your battle intent lies the opportunity of destruction and creation. I wonder, compared with my ‘Zixiao Divine Thunder,’ which is stronger and which is weaker?” His words were direct, carrying the sharpness unique to cultivators of the thunder arts.
Lu Xuan smiled calmly. “The Zixiao Divine Thunder enacts punishment on behalf of Heaven. It is peerlessly fierce, and is where the righteous qi of heaven and earth converges. As for Lu’s Dao, chaos encompasses all; battle intent arises from the heart, destruction is its function, creation is its body, and its aim is transcendence, not merely punishing evil. Our Daos differ, so it is hard to speak of strength or weakness. Only verification can tell.”
With that, he brought two fingers together like a sword. A wisp of chaotic qi coiled around his fingertip. It was not an attack, but evolved into a miniature chaotic universe, within which earth, water, fire, and wind surged, as though reenacting the scene of opening the heavens. Though it had no imposing momentum, every Immortal King present could sense the terrifying potential and Great Dao profundity contained within.
Immortal King Zixiao’s gaze focused, and he nodded.
“What fine intent of chaos and creation! Fellow Daoist, what a realm you have attained! Now, behold my thunder art!”
He pointed with two fingers, and in the void, a strand of purple lightning as fine as a hair was born. Yet that lightning seemed to contain a supreme will to judge all spirits and destroy wickedness. Its condensation and purity had reached the extreme.
Two completely different Dao rhymes collided and merged soundlessly in the void. There was no eruption of energy, only the mutual probing and understanding of Great Dao laws.
A moment later, Immortal King Zixiao withdrew the lightning and sighed in admiration. “Fellow Daoist’s Dao is vast and magnificent. In the depth of foundation, I am inferior. In attack and slaughter, perhaps we could contend, but in scope, the difference between high and low is already clear.”
Then, Immortal King Zhenmu spoke gently.