Chapter 223

Chapter 223: The Setting of the Old Era

Deep within Godfall Ridge lay the Bronze Temple.

The heavenly divine patterns had already perished. Upon the temple, the ancient totems grew increasingly indistinct as the power of the seal receded like an ebbing tide.

The man in black knelt just outside the temple, bowing deeply, his expression one of joy.

The fading of the Heavenly Dao’s power meant his Master was soon to be freed.

Inside the hall, countless celestial gold chains lay scattered on the floor. The golden heart floated mid-air, pulsating vigorously. With each beat, it emanated an aura that grew progressively stronger.

"Eleven million, one hundred and fifty-two thousand, nine hundred and thirty-two years…"

"The time passed so swiftly."

Half an incense stick’s time later, a figure emerged from the temple.

This was a youth clad in black, his eyes clear as stars. Not a single mark of time lingered upon his face. Though his features lacked the stunning beauty of Ye Xu, they held an extraordinary cleanness that instantly inspired goodwill, like bathing in a spring breeze.

The youth walked, clumsily tying up his dark hair as he moved.

He regarded the man in black kneeling on the ground. "All these years, you still can’t remember what I told you."

"A subordinate kneeling before his Master is only right and proper," the man in black replied.

"Master, you break free today—why has no one come to stop you?" The man in black voiced his confusion. To ensure the youth’s safe escape today, he had even summoned the human ancestor. Yet the expected obstruction never came.

"He no longer fears me," the youth sighed. "Millions of years have passed. He long ago seized authority. I am nothing but a relic of a fallen dynasty now. Why would he fear me?"

"Moreover, he actually needs me freed. Needs me to help distract those inflexible old fossils."

The youth in black turned his head. The totems upon the Bronze Temple were vanishing.

"Curiously, I grew used to that damned place. Now out here, I feel almost unaccustomed."

"…"

The man in black found no words.

"Starting today, don’t call me Master. Call me Young Master." The youth smiled lightly. "I am still the youth I once was. Unchanged."

"Yes, Master."

"…"

The youth, too weary to correct him again, tilted his head skyward. His gaze pierced through the firmament of the Yuan Realm, seemingly catching a glimpse of the lofty, world-dominating Immortal Realm.

CRACK!

Vaguely, he saw a fissure. Starting from a single corner of the Immortal Realm, it began slowly spreading.

The youth showed no surprise, only a touch of melancholy coloring his expression.

To the Immortal Realm, he had entrusted his ideals and dreams. Yet as of today, everything stood utterly divorced from the future he once envisioned.

"The Old Era is coming to an end."

The black-robed youth sighed deeply, "When I walk out of the sealing place, it will be the moment a new era begins."

His eyes were as bright as stars, "I do have a bit of anticipation."

The two walked out of the sealing place one behind the other.

Rumble!

The Bronze Temple collapsed with a boom, its column shattered, and chaotic energy devoured this space-time, fading into nothingness.

Boom!

In the sky above, raging dragons rolled about, a bolt of thunder suddenly rent the firmament of the Yuan Realm, and a terribly hideous gash appeared on the sky of the Yuan Realm.

In that rent, chaotic energy surged turbulently, nothing material existed within, like the scene at the creation of the heavens and earth, extremely terrifying.

This spectacle shocked all cultivators of the Yuan Realm.

Even Green Robe Drunkard, Meng Changan, the man in black, and the World Master of the Xuankong World stopped fighting hastily, stunned by the abrupt upheaval.

"What… what is that?"

Lian Jiuyou looked up at the scar in the sky in horror. It did not resemble the mark left by a thunderbolt, but rather it seemed like the sky had been torn asunder, leaving a permanent scar.

No one could have imagined that the day of the transformation would be so horrifying.

How could this be a sign of the Yuan Realm’s revival?

It almost looked like an omen before the apocalypse.

Ye Xu also stared in a daze. Never had he heard or sensed from anyone’s words or thoughts that the Yuan Realm had such a shift.

"It’s here!"

Dao King was immensely excited, "The ancestor’s prophecy was indeed not miscalculated."

"The scars of the heavens… the scars of the heavens have descended!"

Lin Qianmo trembled.

"It’s all true! So it’s all true after all."

Duobao Daoist took a deep breath, suppressing the shock and fear in his heart, then closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

"Master, should we go see the commotion?"

The black-robed youth and the man in black walked out of the Bronze Temple and emerged on a mountain range, gazing at the battle scene in the sky. The man in black took the initiative to suggest.

"Are these people competing for fragments of rules?" the black-robed youth inquired.

The man in black nodded.

"That yellow-robed man and that female immortal truly want to seize the fragments of rules. As for the person of the Da Meng Clan and Ji clan, they have just stepped out of the seal and are guarding the fragments of rules."

"Why didn’t you take action?" the black-robed youth frowned, querying with a stern look, "You seem to have forgotten my words again."

"I dare not, master."

The man in black broke out in cold sweat, knelt down, and explained, "I wished to wait for you to escape safely, then deal with those two troublemakers."

"However, that yellow-robed man has ties with Burial Soil. Burial Soil intends to ally with you, master. Shouldn’t we grant Burial Soil some face and spare him?"

"Handle it as you see fit." the black-robed youth spoke lightly.

"Yes."

The man in black instantly understood.

Boom!

While Green Robe Drunkard, Meng Changan, the man in yellow, and the World Master of the Xuankong World were fiercely battling as true immortals, the Creation spiritual embryo controlled by Nangong Zhandao could only act in a supporting role from the sidelines.

Immortals were everlasting, making it nearly impossible for true immortals of the same realm to kill each other.

The four of them fought for a long time with no victor, and the situation reached a stalemate.

Meanwhile, the fragments of rules continued to integrate into the Yuan Realm, and the revival of spiritual energy grew increasingly profound.

Suddenly, a strand of dark light descended. A terrifying force pressed down, forcing Meng Changan, Green Robe Drunkard, the man in yellow, and the World Master of the Xuankong World back a step.

"An even more formidable one has arrived?"

Everyone stared wide-eyed.

Compared to the four true immortals, this man in black was clearly on a different level.

"Immortal King?"

Duobao Daoist’s expression changed, "How could someone this strong exist in the lower realms?"

"Esteemed senior, do you also seek to seize the fragments of rules?" The man in yellow gasped in shock, immediately bowing respectfully.

Green Robe Drunkard and Meng Changan tensed as if facing a mortal enemy.

If this person also aimed to take the fragments of rules, they would stand no chance.

"The Yuan Realm belongs to its own people. Outsiders shall not interfere."

The man in black stated frostily.

Swoosh!

His gaze fixed upon the World Master of the Xuankong World. In that instant, she felt her Great Dao suppressed. Her magical power was entirely sealed, making her incapable of any movement.

Disaster! He intends to kill me, a chill shot through her heart.

"Today, I shall execute one true immortal. Let it serve as a lesson for future generations."

The man in black’s voice echoed across the entire Yuan Realm.

Boom!

His enormous hand descended. An immortal king’s domain enveloped the World Master of the Xuankong World. The Path of Oblivion instantly devoured the female immortal.

"No!"

The World Master was filled with unprecedented terror. Her sword path, hailed as eternal and indestructible, was completely ground to dust under the suppression of the Path of Oblivion. She had no power to resist at all.

The disparity in their strength was too vast.

One was a true immortal; the other, an immortal king.

Drastically different.

Master!

Su Miao Zhen’s pupils contracted violently. Her heart screamed, yet she dared not utter a sound.

If she cried out, she would likely be implicated and face punishment.

She could only forcibly endure her grief, burying everything deep within her heart.

Crackle!

In moments, the World Master of the Xuankong World was utterly refined into ash, vanishing like smoke.

Killing the chicken to scare the monkey.

A stir rippled through the crowd!

Countless cultivators shuddered with fear. A true immortal, an existence coeval with heaven and earth itself, had just been subdued right before their very eyes!

The man in yellow felt a chill creep up his scalp. Trembling uncontrollably, he knelt on the ground, all traces of an immortal’s pride vanquished. "Thank you for sparing me, esteemed senior! Thank you for your mercy…"

The man in black cast him a fleeting glance, not deigning another word.

The sole reason he hadn’t killed him was out of respect for Burial Soil.

After subduing the World Master of the Xuankong World, the man in black channeled his magic. With a surge of great magic, he propelled the fragments of rules towards the Yuan Realm, ensuring their complete fusion with it.

His task complete, the man in black vanished without a trace.

Green Robe Drunkard and Meng Changan remained rooted where they stood, dumbstruck.

"Do such beings truly exist in this world?"

They exchanged incredulous looks, immense relief washing over them. Thank heavens they hadn’t been the ones coveting the fragments of rules; otherwise, their fate might well have mirrored that of the World Master of the Xuankong World.

Still, a question lingered unresolved for them both: Why had the man in black spared the man in yellow?

Perhaps that fellow… had connections?