A Pitiful End
A Quasi-Immortal Emperor, once towering above all living beings, unrivaled across the myriad realms, met such a desolate demise here.
He had only sought to quell the great dark upheaval, to bring peace to the other side of the Boundary Sea. Yet, after crossing the sea, he himself fell before achieving his goal.
A tragic fate—to perish before fulfilling one’s mission. Pitiable, lamentable, and heartbreaking.
Once renowned through the ages, shaking the past and illuminating the present, even he could not defy destiny.
“Willow God!”
The dead could not be revived. Shi Hao could not change that. All he could do was protect those still alive. He strode forward.
The Dao flames of the Quasi-Immortal Emperor flickered, sheltering the foot-tall willow tree, long fallen into slumber from grievous injuries.
“Hmm?” Shi Hao was startled.
The burning remnants of the corpse and the leaping flames of the Great Dao radiated an intense resistance, repelling all foreign objects. The pressure of a Quasi-Immortal Emperor emanated from them—no wonder they could shield the Willow God from destruction.
“Struggling to save yourself, yet still dreaming of rescuing others? After this, another Emperor’s flame will join this place,” the gray-haired man sneered.
“Who are you? Why do this? What benefit does unleashing the dark upheaval bring you?” Shi Hao turned and roared, his chest burning with fury, ready to erupt.
“Cang Emperor!”
The gray-haired man declared his title, his eyes cold and indifferent. He offered no further explanation about the so-called dark upheaval.
“A defeated foe—do you think you can stop me?” Shi Hao shouted. He had already defeated the Cang Emperor and refused to believe this man alone could have slain the Quasi-Immortal Emperor from the Era of Fallen Emperors.
Gazing at the faint footprints on the dam and the burning remains before him, he sighed softly. A pioneer had met such a wretched end here.
The twilight was stained with blood, like the sorrowful clouds of the apocalypse.
The earth stretched endlessly, vast and boundless.
At the horizon’s edge, a violet-golden path emerged, rumbling as golden lotuses bloomed beneath it and divine birds danced in the air. The heavens and earth trembled.
A figure appeared, clad in a violet-gold crown, his face also tinged with violet-gold. Tall and imposing, he was a terrifying being whose mere presence suffocated all around him.
Around him, the imprints of countless heavens manifested, swirling in his orbit.
A Quasi-Immortal Emperor had arrived—so abruptly!
“Cang Emperor, you’ve encountered resistance and still haven’t resolved it?” the newcomer spoke, his voice booming, shattering time and space, carrying the weight of epochs as if echoing from billions of years past.
“Hong Emperor, you’ve come,” the gray-haired man said, gazing at the tall figure crowned in violet-gold—this being revered as the Hong Emperor.
The Hong Emperor, wreathed in boundless violet qi, stood upon a path woven from Dao symbols, overlooking the vast expanse of time. When his eyes shifted, the river of time manifested.
His aura was overwhelming. The breath from his nostrils alone cracked the starry cosmos. He seemed not of this world—his mere presence threatened to annihilate all.
“Sleeping through the ages, only to wake to another Emperor in the world? A pity. Ignorant of the heavenly secrets, stubbornly clinging to folly—he must be sent on his way.” The Hong Emperor was even more domineering, his cold gaze fixed upon Shi Hao.
Shi Hao sighed softly. He had known this ultimate land could not be so simple. If only the gray-haired man—the Cang Emperor—stood against him, he would have nothing to fear, having already defeated him.
But now, another Quasi-Immortal Emperor had arrived. Another Emperor! Across countless epochs, not a single one had been seen in the foreign realm or the Boundary Sea. Yet here, two such beings stood.
No wonder the Emperor from the Era of Fallen Emperors, who had emerged from the Immortal Domain, had met his end here. Facing two Emperors, even he could not prevail.
At this level, all were Quasi-Immortal Emperors. Who could truly surpass another?
Even if Shi Hao had gained the upper hand, defeating the Cang Emperor and cracking the gray-haired man’s brow, he could not be certain he was truly superior. Another battle would demand untold effort.
Quasi-Immortal Emperors were the mightiest beings since antiquity. How many had emerged across the epochs?
Even peerless Immortal Kings were unworthy of laying eyes upon them. Countless beings had crossed the sea, yet none had reached this place in life!
If the protagonists of the ages were few, they were all here now.
Shi Hao’s expression darkened. Quasi-Immortal Emperors stood as his equals, yet two opposed him. Could he prevail?
The lesson was clear—the nameless being from the Era of Fallen Emperors, whose remains still burned before him.
“Why? The other side of the Boundary Sea and this place have never interfered with each other. We should coexist peacefully. You, so transcendent—why bring such calamity?” Shi Hao demanded.
“Have we? You misunderstand. We merely summon our subjects. Those fated are guided here,” the Cang Emperor replied, his gray hair loose, his golden pupils gleaming.
Shi Hao glared. Summoning subjects required unleashing the dark upheaval? How many cultivators had perished, their true spirits extinguished? Even mortals were not spared, transformed into dark creatures.
Shi Hao knew the root cause must lie in this realm—unimaginably different from the foreign side of the Boundary Sea.
“You’ve never understood the relationship between the other side of the Boundary Sea and this world,” the Hong Emperor said coldly.
“But you need not know now.” His killing intent surged, resolved to eliminate Shi Hao, this unprecedented threat of the ages.
Clang!
Above Shi Hao’s head, the Pool of Laws manifested. In his hand, a radiant immortal sword gleamed, illuminating eternity, slicing through time itself.
Beside him, a bone crown and a jade-white bone staff hovered, both radiating the dazzling light of a Quasi-Immortal Emperor.
These were two Origin Artifacts, the very ones that had birthed the Burial Clans and the dark evolvers of the foreign realm.
“These are our tokens, forged into artifacts, carrying our origin. They shape all creation, yet you’ve claimed them. Truly, you are an anomaly—no ordinary foe.”
The Hong Emperor, wreathed in violet mist, grew even more imposing. With a mere glance, the heavens cracked, and cosmic stars turned to dust.
He admitted it openly—these Origin Artifacts were his creation, influencing the other side of the Boundary Sea.
“The origin power failed to assimilate you. You are indeed a variable,” the Cang Emperor agreed.
“Yu Emperor, come swiftly! Eliminate this anomaly!” At that moment, the Hong Emperor commanded, his violet qi flooding billions of miles, engulfing the heavens.
His killing intent was overwhelming, surpassing even the gray-haired Cang Emperor’s.
From the depths of the ultimate ancient land, blinding light erupted—sacred, resplendent, illuminating eternity, tearing through the river of time. Imperial majesty descended.
“You disturb my slumber!”
A deep voice shook the cosmos.
Then, a peerless being emerged. An ancient war chariot, dazzling and radiant, its brilliance suppressing the four poles of heaven and earth.
The chariot rumbled, drawn by nine primordial beasts, charging forth with terrifying speed.
Each beast exuded boundless pressure, their horns savage, scales glinting. They resembled true dragons, yet were not—belonging to races never before seen.
The nine beasts trod upon the river of time, bearing the nine-colored immortal metal chariot into battle.
Upon the chariot, imperial might erupted. A sacred rain of light scattered, and an Emperor rose, gazing down upon them.
He bore a pair of holy wings, his entire being radiating perfection—the pinnacle of evolution.
A Quasi-Immortal Emperor!
Even Shi Hao inhaled sharply. The situation was dire. How could he withstand this?
This was not the Immortal Domain, nor the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Once, he had been the supreme being, sweeping through all realms, unmatched beneath the heavens.
Here, the Quasi-Immortal Emperors he faced were his equals—the few who had risen across countless epochs, standing at the apex.
They were beings of the same kind!
Three such foes against him—how could he resist?
“No protagonist reigns eternally. You may be the anomaly of this epoch, but against three of your kind, what can you do? Defy the heavens?” The Yu Emperor’s voice was icy, domineering.
Standing upon the chariot, he held an imperial spear, its tip dripping with blood—crimson and glaring, the blood of a Quasi-Immortal Emperor. He pointed it at Shi Hao.
Shi Hao’s pupils contracted. He sensed a familiar aura—the Quasi-Immortal Emperor of the Era of Fallen Emperors, who had crossed the sea alone, slain by these three. The blood on that spear was his.
“Fallen Emperor, oh Fallen Emperor!”
Shi Hao lamented. Truly, it was the Era of Fallen Emperors. That epoch had seen a Quasi-Immortal Emperor perish. Now, would it be his turn?
The final battle had come. The situation was far worse than he had imagined. He faced a life-and-death calamity!
“I wish to know—where are those you summoned before?” Shi Hao did not attack immediately, striving to remain composed.
“Someone you care about?” The gray-haired Cang Emperor asked. At their level, no words were needed to discern Shi Hao’s concern.
“Yes.”
Shi Hao nodded, hiding nothing. He longed to see those from his past.
Boom!
Suddenly, the Cang Emperor tore open the void. In the distance, a massive palace appeared—one of the Summoning Ancient Halls, linked to the exit of the dark prisons.
Row upon row of cages emerged within the hall’s passage, floating above the river of time, exuding thick dark energy.
By now, Shi Hao’s divine sense had reached unimaginable heights. With a single thought, he could scan millions of miles.
Even events across realms could not elude him for long.
Now, focusing his search, he sought the auras of those he knew.
He found one!
With a thunderous crash, his divine will forced open a prison. Inside, a woman’s soul flickered weakly, barely conscious.
She took human form—slender, graceful, her face blank. After nearly two million years in darkness, she had lost herself, unaware of her identity or location.
“Awaken!”
Shi Hao’s voice thundered, his supreme power shielding her soul, pulling her free.
Huo Ling’er stirred. Seeing the distant figure, though only a soul, she felt tears welling, her voice choked with sobs.
She had seen him again—truly seen him!
“Shi Hao… is it really you?” She wept, her face etched with sorrow and longing, reaching out as if fearing he would vanish.
“It’s me. I’ve come to take you home.” As a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, Shi Hao remained unshaken even if mountains crumbled before him. Yet now, his heart ached.
This was the love of his youth, lingering still. Even at his pinnacle, his emotions had not faded—they remained!
Huo Ling’er’s vision blurred with tears. Once, beneath the fire mulberry trees, she had waited year after year, never seeing his return. Then, one day, the world changed—Sin Province was seized by a giant hand.
Now, how many years had she spent in the dark prison? Lost, her memories faded, yet she had been awakened to see him again.
“I promised—even if you were gone, I would shatter the cycle to see you again!” Shi Hao declared.
“I knew… you would come.” Huo Ling’er smiled through her tears, crystalline drops falling.
“I’ll take you away,” Shi Hao said.
“Who can you take?” The Hong Emperor’s voice was icy.
“All of them!” Shi Hao roared, searching now for Meng Tianzheng, hoping to see this mentor-like figure.
Boom!
But then, the Hong Emperor struck. A massive hand descended toward Huo Ling’er—merciless, cold, seeking to erase her soul imprint.
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