In the darkness, where subtle expressions were indiscernible, the young Meng Tianzheng, clad in tattered golden battle armor stained with blood, moved slowly, dragging a True Immortal into a pitch-black, terrifying abyss where even a raised hand would vanish from sight.
“Ah—”
The True Immortal let out a shrill, blood-curdling scream, as if facing the most horrifying ordeal imaginable. It was shocking—such a spine-chilling shriek from a being of his stature.
After all, he was a True Immortal!
Deep in the cold, dark void of the cosmos, faintly visible, the True Immortal brandished his black-gold immortal whip, attempting to repel his foe and dispel the eerie, ominous force.
But it was futile. He seemed to weaken abruptly, his cries growing feeble, barely audible, his struggles powerless.
What was happening? The powerhouse from the Forbidden Zone felt his hair stand on end, never having encountered such terror before. A sense of overwhelming crisis gripped him.
The crippled Immortal staggered backward, his face deathly pale, as if plummeting into the abyss of hell. The experience made him tremble, his spirit and body taut with dread.
This feeling was all too familiar—like the time when he and three other True Immortals had faced the Kun Peng, grievously wounded after its battle with the foreign realm’s powerhouses. Back then, they had barely survived, managing to plant the Immortal-Severing Curse, but at the cost of near annihilation. Only the life-saving elixirs brought from the Immortal Domain had spared them, though they had lingered on the brink of death ever since.
“Boom!”
Not far away, the mysterious powerhouse from the Forbidden Zone struck, his palm descending like a cataclysm, shattering heaven and earth, turning the dark cosmos into a wasteland of annihilation.
The stars in this region had long since been reduced to cosmic dust, and now the shockwaves surged outward, engulfing even more distant starfields.
Amid the terrifying beams of light, the sea of stars ignited, the entire galaxy turning into a blazing inferno as celestial bodies exploded one after another, consumed by the apocalyptic strike.
It was a scene of unimaginable horror—with a mere gesture, an entire starfield was obliterated, reduced to nothingness.
After a fleeting brilliance, boundless darkness remained, the region now a wasteland of destruction, leaving only drifting ashes in the void.
Yet, at the heart of the storm was Meng Tianzheng. The dazzling destruction had merely been the periphery—the true devastation was centered on him!
The crippled Immortal clenched his fists, staring intently into the cosmic depths.
To his dismay, Meng Tianzheng still stood there, his gaze icy as he turned to look back, locking onto the Immortal powerhouse from the Forbidden Zone.
Meanwhile, the Immortal Domain’s warrior wielding the black-gold whip had fallen silent, dragged by Meng Tianzheng into the dark portal.
It was as if that portal led to another great world, akin to the gates of the Immortal Domain itself!
Just like that, he was gone, vanished without a trace.
Then, a pale hand reached out from the darkness, grasping toward the powerhouse from the Forbidden Zone.
“Roar!”
The powerhouse bellowed, summoning all his strength, drawing a radiant blade that split the cosmos with its brilliance. He sought to slay the Grand Elder!
The dazzling light illuminated the scene, revealing the Grand Elder shrouded in black mist, his aura ominous, his skin pale as jade.
His expression remained unreadable, only his deep, fathomless eyes gleaming with divine light. With a resounding *snap*, he seized the blade—and then the arm of the Forbidden Zone’s powerhouse. Darkness surged, the radiance extinguished, and the mighty being was dragged away.
“Ah—!”
The crippled Immortal screamed, his courage shattered. Two True Immortals, just like that—gone! Who was this man? What was his origin?
He turned and fled, his soul nearly leaving his body, desperate to escape.
Yet, he had no confidence. Half-crippled, far weaker than the two who had fallen, he feared being seized mid-flight.
But to his surprise, the darkness behind him remained silent. The figure had taken the two powerhouses and spared him no further attention.
Shi Hao’s eyes brimmed with tears as he witnessed it all. That was truly the Grand Elder—he had seen him again!
“Senior!” His voice trembled with emotion, a mix of excitement and sorrow, as he stepped forward, yearning to draw closer.
In the battle of old, Meng Tianzheng had sacrificed himself, fighting valiantly at the frontier, slaying an Undying Being despite the odds. In an era where immortality was unattainable, he had broken through mid-battle, ascending to the Immortal Realm. But his wounds had been too severe, leaving him no time to stabilize. That day, he had battled formidable foes and resisted the ominous forces, only to depart after the final clash.
Now, Meng Tianzheng turned to look at Shi Hao, a flicker of emotion in his eyes—but soon, his pupils darkened into endless voids. He turned away, never to look back again.
It was just like the final battle at the frontier—victorious, yet doomed. With boundless dark mist swirling around him, he had walked alone into the cosmic abyss.
And now, history repeated itself.
Shi Hao stood frozen, reaching out helplessly before letting his arm drop, tears streaming down his face. The Grand Elder—forever the Grand Elder! He was truly gone, his light extinguished after that battle, forever lost to the darkness.
“Grand Elder!” Shi Hao roared.
Deep in the cosmos, a door stood—pitch-black, swallowing all light. Meng Tianzheng, his heroic bearing undimmed but his eyes now hollow and black, stepped resolutely through it, never to return.
He was truly gone.
“Epoch after epoch, who watches from above the river of time, coldly observing the rise and fall of mortal realms, the turning of great eras? If reincarnation exists, when will you awaken? When shall we meet again?”
Shi Hao’s heart ached as he lamented the Grand Elder’s fate, filled with unwillingness, longing to reverse it—yet powerless.
Epoch after epoch—if reincarnation was real, would the Grand Elder awaken after countless millennia? And who would remain then? Who would remember?
Shi Hao left, returning to the Three Thousand Provinces. He did not assault the Immortal Palace again, having already tested the waters—someone from the Immortal Domain sought to capture him, even mobilizing forces from the Forbidden Zones!
This was a bleak era, a cruel time for Shi Hao. A single misstep could mean his death.
He had to grow stronger—strong enough that none would dare challenge him, strong enough to defy all injustice, strong enough to stand unshaken in this world.
Recalling the prophecies some had spoken of, glimpses of the future, he steeled himself.
“Slay until none dare claim supremacy. If this is the Great Reckoning, then let it be merciless to the end!”
Shi Hao wandered alone to the Immortal Tomb, visiting his grandfather and A’Man. The curse’s power still raged here, impervious to ordinary beings.
The two still slumbered!
Unharmed, shielded by the tomb’s aura, their foundations remained intact despite the Heavenly Decree’s blade.
This place was terrifying—a path for the return of a certain powerhouse or lineage. Those who dared participate in the Great Reckoning were beyond mortal comprehension.
Even the erosion of the End of Law could not breach this place. The Immortal Tomb stood unshaken.
Shi Hao departed, secluding himself in the Ninth Heaven for three years, silently enduring the upheavals of the End of Law. It was perilous—the Heavenly Will’s forge seemed fixated on him, seeking to refine him into pure Dao.
Yet he endured. Three years of meditation honed his cultivation, propelling him to greater heights within the Supreme Realm.
Given time, he would undoubtedly reach the late-stage Supreme Realm.
But he frowned, sensing instability. His rushed ascension to Supreme had left his foundation unsteady, and now unease gnawed at him.
Even Jin Taijun had once mocked him, saying he was not a true Supreme. There was truth in her words.
“It’s time to return to the Lower Realm. I must resolve my lingering flaws.”
He had waited three years to avoid the Immortal Palace’s ambush, testing their resolve. Now, the trap had faded.
*Whoosh!*
He traversed the Cross Yin-Yang Land, descending to the Lower Realm.
No ambush awaited him. Years had passed, and the path was quiet.
The Lower Realm, now barren of spiritual energy, had also entered the End of Law—and more severely so!
In the Forbidden Zone, Shi Hao glimpsed the half-white skull and heard the sigh of the Forbidden Zone’s master, but he did not linger, hastening onward.
Urgency drove him toward the Wasteland, back to Stone Village.
At his current level, a single step spanned starfields. In an instant, he arrived.
Standing atop a mountain, he gazed at Stone Village and exhaled in relief. Peace reigned there—laughter, shouts, children playing with young beasts. No misfortune had befallen them.
Approaching, the Divine Tree glowed, and spirit herbs thrived. Though the End of Law had come here too, it was far milder than elsewhere.
He saw the nine dragon bones and the bronze coffin behind the village, seemingly suppressing the End of Law’s devastation, warding off its erosion.
“Indeed, immortal artifacts and indestructible relics have their uses. Some beings can endure longer because of them,” Shi Hao mused.
The old village chief, Shi Yunfeng, was unharmed, though wrinkles had deepened on his brow, and streaks of white had returned to his once-blackened hair.
Shi Hao felt some relief. If even the eldest among them remained in good health, the others would fare well.
None here had lived for millions of years—no sudden withering of lifespans would occur.
Moreover, with the Nine Dragons Coffin’s immortal power anchoring the village, the deterioration was kept at bay.
“Uncle!”
“Big Brother!”
A group of youths rushed forward, overjoyed to see Shi Hao. They had feared for him during the End of Law’s arrival.
“You’ve been gone so long—these brats were worried sick!” The Crimson Bird flapped over.
“Heh, I’ve been training them hard. None have regressed—all are improving!” The Black Tortoise poked its head out, boasting.
“Uncle, what’s happening in the Upper Realm? When do we strike back?” a beautiful girl asked.
Some were born and raised in Stone Village; others were descendants of the Seven Frontier Kings, brought back by Shi Hao from Imperial Pass. Now, all were grown.
“The so-called frontier, the so-called Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—they seem small now. The battles ahead will have no borders, stretching endlessly. The Foreign Realm, the Land of Darkness, even the Immortal Domain—all may become our battlegrounds! So you must grow stronger, keep pace with me. One day, we will fight until the heavens tremble, the stars reverse, and the world turns upside down!” Shi Hao declared.
“What happened?” The Golden Lion approached. Though it still schemed to escape its mount’s fate, even it was stunned.
The others gasped. One day, even the Immortal Domain might be conquered?
“Nothing. Focus on training, on cultivation!” Shi Hao said.
“We’ve been training hard—we’re ready!”
Shi Hao pondered, then nodded. “Good. Then I’ll take you somewhere now to test your progress. Real combat is the best training.”
“Where?” Excited, some clenched their fists, eager to leave the wilderness.
“The Hundred Shattered Mountains—or the Western Tomb Realm!” Shi Hao said.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage