The Crimson King, a notorious Immortal King whose fearsome reputation resounds across both the Outer Realms and the Nine Heavens, stands as an undisputed peerless powerhouse!
In the final battle, he was the only one audacious enough to refine an Immortal King to empower himself!
Rumors say he sealed an Immortal King within his Crimson King Furnace, biding his time to devour that king’s Dao fruits—far beyond mere plundering of essence, spirit, and vitality.
This was a being of terrifying ambition, one who sought to shatter the very boundaries of kingship. Otherwise, he would not have fallen into such a deathly state.
His current half-life, half-death existence is because he awaits rebirth through nirvana, striving to break free from old shackles and usher in a glorious new era!
He sought to transcend kingship itself!
The Crimson King’s clan occupied vast stretches of land, spanning majestic mountains and rivers.
Along the way, Shi Hao passed more than one colossal city—each grander than the last, some even surpassing the Imperial Pass in scale, built from the remnants of shattered stars.
Others were forged of metal, suspended in the heavens, shrouded in chaotic mist, suppressing the ancient land and sealing in the immortal aura while drawing in the essence of the cosmos.
Shi Hao pressed onward, arriving at the ancestral lands of the clan.
Here, it was eerily silent. No towering cities, no excavated divine caves—just a small earthen town nestled against a mountain. Were it not for the dense immortal aura, one would never guess this was the Crimson King’s secluded retreat.
An entire epoch had passed, yet there was no sign of him, no movement.
Even his own clan had begun to doubt—would the Crimson King ever emerge again?
An ordinary person could never have reached this place, but Shi Hao was no ordinary man. He had traversed countless perilous lands, evaded the patrols of immortals, and now stood before the Crimson King’s sanctuary.
Another crucial reason was that, after an entire epoch without even a whisper of the Crimson King’s presence, even his own clan had grown numb.
Since ancient times, this place had remained unchanged—day after day, year after year, epoch after epoch. Everyone had grown lax, no longer vigilant in their duties.
Yet, the small earthen town was a forbidden zone. Even the clan’s direct descendants were barred from entering, lest they disturb the Crimson King’s cultivation.
Here, only a handful of attendants remained, tasked with maintaining the aged town.
At the city gates, a few lackadaisical figures stood guard, their spirits dulled by the tedium of their duty.
Guarding this place was mind-numbing—facing the forbidden zone day after day, forbidden from even raising their voices, they could only doze or sit in meditation to pass the time.
Shi Hao slipped into the town unnoticed, moving like a shadow toward the most ancient and imposing mansion. Its outer walls were towering, while inside lay a low stone mountain wreathed in boundless immortal aura.
Legend had it that the Crimson King was in seclusion within a cavern beneath that stone mountain!
Here, Shi Hao grew cautious. After all, this was an Immortal King—even in a death-like slumber, he was likely terrifying beyond measure.
Yet, he couldn’t pass up this opportunity. If he could truly slay the Crimson King, it would be an unparalleled feat, a deed that would shake the ages!
Immortal Kings were nigh impossible to kill. Each was a being capable of overturning worlds, unmatched in might, truly invincible in this realm, their terror spanning the ages!
A single Immortal King could annihilate all life across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—their destructive power was beyond comprehension!
Before the mansion, a creature lay basking lazily in the sun, so indolent it seemed unwilling to move a muscle.
It had already spotted Shi Hao, its eyes widening in surprise. It opened its mouth as if to speak, but then remained motionless, staring at him with an odd expression.
Shi Hao had concealed his true form, his figure blurred, exuding the aura of a supreme being while masking his real cultivation.
Since he had revealed himself, his intent was clear—to capture this creature and extract the secrets of this place. As he advanced, he had already deployed several formation banners, sealing off the area.
A Time Beast?
Shi Hao’s heart skipped a beat. This was the true form of the Crimson King’s lineage—a direct descendant of the clan. Yet, he sensed no immortal aura from it.
He was confident he could obliterate it in a single strike!
Shi Hao closed in, staring down at the Time Beast.
Its body was crimson, with the head of a flood dragon and the body of a lion. But instead of fur or scales, it was covered in crimson bone spikes, hard and gleaming with a cold luster.
This was one of the most terrifying races in history!
Time Beasts, masters of time, were invincible! Since ancient times, no truly effective method had been found to counter them—they were known as the undefeated clan!
Being stared down by a stranger, the Time Beast’s expression turned icy. A faint pressure emanated from it as it spoke coldly, “Who are you?”
“A wandering cultivator. I heard the Crimson King is in seclusion here and came seeking treasures,” Shi Hao replied, his eyes flickering.
“Impudence! This is no place for the likes of you!” the Time Beast growled.
“A forsaken land. The Crimson King likely perished long ago. Your Time Beast clan has long fallen from grace. My own clan has an Immortal King—what’s the harm in taking a look?” Shi Hao said calmly, spinning lies with a straight face.
“The Crimson King’s sanctuary is not for trespassers! Even if you have a supreme expert backing you, they would have to bow and apologize, unable to shield you. Go to my clan and accept death—I’ll grant you a swift end,” the Time Beast hissed.
Though its cultivation wasn’t high, it exuded an air of arrogance, looking down on Shi Hao with disdain.
“If the Crimson King himself said that, it might carry weight. But you? Daring to command the world?” Shi Hao scoffed.
Then, he lunged forward, his hand glowing faint gold as he reached for the crimson beast.
Whoosh!
The Time Beast was astonishing. Though its cultivation wasn’t profound, it dodged Shi Hao’s grasp amidst swirling fragments of time.
Shi Hao was stunned.
At his current level—having already ascended to immortality in the mortal world—how could a creature weaker than him evade his strike?
Even more shocking, the Time Beast broke through his formation’s seal, darting straight for the stone mountain in the mansion!
Shi Hao’s heart sank. He had been careless, not using his immortal power. If the beast escaped the formation’s bounds, everything would be exposed.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, he spat out a streak of sword light, radiant as a river of stars, infused with immortal energy. It tore through the void, slashing toward the beast.
Splat!
Blood sprayed as Shi Hao channeled his supreme power, condensing primordial essence into an immortal sword that severed half the Time Beast’s body.
“Roar—!” The beast let out a furious howl, its body twisting as time itself seemed to warp around it. Wrapped in tangible strands of years, it leaped out of the formation and vanished into the stone mountain.
In the blink of an eye, it was gone!
This was bizarre. The Time Beast’s cultivation was lacking—it hadn’t even entered the immortal realm—yet it had escaped. Shi Hao’s expression darkened.
Swish!
He collected the beast’s severed lower half, intending to study its time-based laws. Of course, he’d eventually roast and eat it—this wasn’t his first time. He’d once slain the Crimson King’s descendant, Chi Meng Hong.
Boom!
The stone mountain trembled, erupting with dense chaotic mist. Immortal energy surged violently as the mountain shook.
Shi Hao’s face paled. He longed to charge in, but knew the alarm had been raised. Even if the Crimson King was half-dead, once disturbed, killing him would be near impossible.
This was the Time Beast’s ancestral land, layered with formations and guarded by countless experts. A battle here would draw the attention of other clans’ supreme powerhouses.
Frowning, Shi Hao retreated at lightning speed. Behind him, a terrifying aura spread as a fiery immortal furnace materialized in the sky—the Crimson King Furnace, a relic that had once sealed and refined an Immortal King!
With a mere shake, stars plummeted, crushing mountains!
Then, two withered figures in gray robes appeared in the heavens. With a single breath, they swallowed countless celestial bodies, refining them into essence that flowed into their bodies.
These were the Crimson King’s two ancient servants, who had slumbered with him for eons. Now, they had been awakened!
Shi Hao took a single step, traversing vast distances with immortal power, fleeing the Time Beast clan’s territory.
Had he not achieved immortality, escape would have been impossible. The furnace would have pinned him down, and the two servants would have caught him.
“I must act swiftly—rescue Huo Ling’er and return to the Three Thousand Provinces,” Shi Hao muttered. Delays could bring unforeseen complications.
He was relieved he’d been cautious, claiming to hail from another immortal clan. Otherwise, his identity would have been exposed.
Still, it wouldn’t be long before traces emerged.
That Time Beast was no ordinary creature—it had roused the Crimson King from his nirvana, prompting him to summon the furnace. This was alarming!
“If its cultivation had been higher, I’d have thought it was the Crimson King himself!” Shi Hao mused.
He sped deeper into the Outer Realms, seeking the location of the long-lost Sin Province—where Huo Ling’er would be.
Returning to familiar lands, Shi Hao felt a pang of nostalgia. Once a prisoner, his life at others’ mercy, now he strode freely, a force to be reckoned with.
Soon, he learned Sin Province’s whereabouts—no secret, for the Immortal King An Lan had once gone mad, reaching across realms at great cost to seize it.
Now, Sin Province lay in the central region, guarded by multiple Immortal Kings—An Lan, Yu Tuo, and the ancient, terrifying Wu Shang, who had endured countless epochs!
Shi Hao wondered—what lay beneath Sin Province? What had the Outer Realms sought? Had they succeeded?
As he approached, the entire Outer Realms erupted in upheaval, far beyond his expectations.
The Crimson King’s clan had gone berserk, mobilizing armies to threaten all clans!
Every imperial clan received warnings, ordered to investigate their renowned geniuses and experts, to give the Crimson King’s lineage an answer.
An answer to what? The clans were baffled.
For the Time Beasts to rage so fiercely, threatening war, something monumental must have occurred.
What could provoke an imperial clan to such extremes? None could fathom.
Had the Crimson King Furnace been stolen? Impossible!
“Report all prominent experts and audacious talents absent from your clans!” the Crimson King’s immortal-level experts demanded, threatening all factions.
Two days later, Shi Hao learned the Outer Realms had been shaken to its core—by him!
“All I did was chop up a Time Beast. Why such madness? Threatening all imperial clans, risking war?” Shi Hao was puzzled.
Was that beast the Crimson King’s secret offspring?
“If I’d slain the Crimson King, this reaction would make sense. But that’s impossible—he’s not that weak. A near miss!” Shi Hao sighed.
He regretted failing to breach the mountain, foiled by that damned Time Beast.
“What rotten luck. I really wish I’d slain the Crimson King!”
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