King Ming, Who Existed Before the Forbidden Epoch—Perhaps an Old Acquaintance
King Ming, Who Existed Before the Forbidden Epoch—Perhaps an Old Acquaintance
This region was filled with vast, boundless Chaos Mist, falling in clusters one after another, then drifting and flowing without end.
The sky above was bleak and desolate, like a land where all life had been extinguished.
A grand and boundless complex of palaces rose from the ground, standing erect in the depths of this region, radiating a brilliance that Illuminated the Skies.
Even if a True Immortal came to this place, they would feel their body about to burst apart, collapsing and annihilating beneath this aura.
“The Source World of ancient legend has opened its gates once more. The one from within the cycle of reincarnation has walked out from that path, and is now in the Western Immortal Domain.”
“I am far from being his match, and I fear unforeseen mishaps. I hope you, Qianbei, will emerge into the world to hold the line for us, lest this person escape.”
The Profound Earth Immortal King adopted the posture of a junior, carrying a measure of humility and reverence as he descended upon this region, speaking toward the vast palace complex before him.
As an Immortal King of the Other Domain, he considered himself peerless in the current age, able to look down upon all living beings, seated at the very apex of the heavens, indifferent to everything. A million years passed like flowing water before his eyes, never stirring a ripple.
Yet before the existence dwelling within this palace complex, the Profound Earth Immortal King kept his posture extremely low, observing the rites of a junior.
Though they were both Immortal Kings, the gap in their Dao Mastery and cultivation was enormous—a chasm as vast as a ravine, nearly impossible to cross.
To him, back when he was still a mere insignificant cultivator, this Qianbei had already been an Immortal King, holding sway over the illusory rise and fall of all living beings, over the sinking and floating of billions of star domains.
So many years had passed, and he too had risen from that insignificant cultivator of the past to become a lofty Immortal King.
Yet before such a senior, he remained humble and reverent, knowing full well that if the other party wished to erase him, it would be effortless.
This was the terrifying, heaven-spanning gulf in cultivation realm and Dao Mastery—one that could not be crossed for now.
Of course, within the vast and boundless Other Domain, there were quite a few ancient existences like the one before him. However, they were far too mysterious; even as an Immortal King, he could not ascertain or know the locations where they slumbered in seclusion.
Some of those ancient existences had even lived through the upheavals of other True Worlds. Some had existed since the very birth of the Mountains and Oceans True World, while others came from other worlds, having survived the Great Tribulation and fled to this world, choosing to hide away from the world.
In short, within this vast and limitless universe of the Other Domain, even the Profound Earth Immortal King dared not act too arrogantly, fearing he might provoke those old monsters who had lived for countless epochs.
The Immortal King realm was not the endpoint of cultivation. In fact, there remained an extremely long road ahead before reaching the supremacy he knew of.
Boom!
And as the Profound Earth Immortal King’s words fell, this region filled with boundless Chaos Mist suddenly erupted with world-shaking commotion.
The heavens rumbled and trembled, and the surrounding stars all quivered and rustled, as if about to fall.
A terrifying sound of breathing echoed within the hearts and minds of all the cultivators and living beings in the surroundings, as though heaven and earth themselves could not bear it.
“Who has awakened me?”
The other Immortal Kings who had rushed over upon hearing the news were also greatly astonished upon arriving here, and then their attitudes all turned respectful.
Even that Immortal King who was incomparably proud and aloof, with black wings growing from his back, reined in his aura and behaved with deference here.
This universe was vast indeed, and accommodating the aura and Dao of a single Immortal King was already quite difficult. Yet at this moment, there was no collision between them—only an inconceivable tranquility.
“Greetings, Qianbei.”
These Immortal Kings all understood what this place signified. Before this one being, they were all juniors without exception, their cultivation and Dao arts absolutely far inferior to his.
Though they were all within the Immortal King domain, determining a victor between them was difficult. But these veteran Immortal Kings were different—their mastery over the Dao and the Source far exceeded the others’ comprehension.
“The Source World of ancient legend has reappeared...”
A murmuring, aged voice echoed through this place, and then the dense mist parted.
A stooped figure clad in black robes appeared, his features obscured by mist, impossible to see clearly.
Yet his surroundings were permeated by a terrifying aura that made even the Great Dao rumble, as if this stretch of heaven and earth could hardly bear his presence.
“Reporting to King Ming Qianbei, it is exactly so. A million years ago, when we conquered the Western Immortal Domain, we attempted to locate the entrance to that world, but we failed.”
“We never imagined that in recent days, that gateway would manifest once more, its radiance covering all directions. From within it walked a King who seems to have come from the cycle of reincarnation—young beyond measure. I am not his match.”
The Profound Earth Immortal King spoke, his words respectful, briefly recounting the matter—including how his Dharma Body had been destroyed by a single sword strike from the other party.
Had he not withdrawn his divine sense in time, he would likely have suffered considerable injury.
“A King who walked out of the cycle of reincarnation...”
The old man named King Ming suddenly shot two terrifying sword gleams from his eyes, as if they would split the universe itself.
His heart surged with turmoil, no longer able to maintain its former calm.
He had never imagined that in this life, he would encounter a being from within the cycle of reincarnation—perhaps even an old acquaintance he had met in days gone by.
King Ming spoke slowly, then swept his great sleeve. The universe before him roared and was torn directly open. He strode forward, heading toward the Immortal Domain.
Hearing these words, the Profound Earth Immortal King and the others all felt their hearts surge, knowing that this Qianbei had existed since before the Forbidden Epoch. They followed behind him—a full four Immortal Kings in tow.
They were the undisputed overlords of the current Other Domain, each ruling over several universes, with countless billions of clansmen behind them, having established themselves as Royal Families, lofty above all.
In terms of status, they were the masters of Royal Families. In this era, their lifespans could be described as endless, and they could look down upon the rise and fall of epochs. Yet today, they had all mobilized together, heading toward the Immortal Domain, tearing open the Great Dao between universes.
This matter caused enormous waves in the Other Domain, and every Royal Family dispatched True Immortals to follow behind, charging together toward the Western Immortal Domain.
Meanwhile, in the Western Immortal Domain, the turmoil had still not subsided.
All the Other Domain cultivators and beings who had descended before the Heavenly Ancient City trembled with fear, not daring to move in the slightest.
Having personally witnessed Gu Changge’s cold-blooded cruelty, even True Immortals felt their courage freeze, not daring to act rashly.
On the contrary, many descendants of the Immortal Domain felt tremendously excited. Seeing with their own eyes the Other Domain’s people in such terror and unease, their hearts swelled with satisfaction.
All this time, the descendants of the Immortal Domain had been hiding in every direction, fearing discovery by the Other Domain’s beings. After that great war a million years ago, the Western Immortal Domain could be said to have completely fallen apart.
By now, cultivators of the Sacred Emperor Realm had gone extinct, to say nothing of True Daoists and True Immortals.
The vast majority of the experts from back then had fled to the other Immortal Domains. The Western Immortal Domain had become an abandoned wasteland, occupied by the various races of the Other Domain.
Once upon a time, the Western Immortal Domain had been prosperous to the extreme, with countless races standing side by side. Under the rule of an Immortal King, it had been full of vitality, peaceful and serene.
That catastrophe a million years ago destroyed the Western Immortal Domain and shattered all that tranquility, reducing every descendant of the Immortal Domain to a rat scurrying across the street, fleeing in all directions.
Many of the people could only retreat to remote mountains and wilderness, eking out a meager existence there.
“I wonder which Immortal King of old this Daren is.”
“Even that Immortal King of the Other Domain was frightened away. His power is absolutely unfathomable.”
“The Source World is incomparably mysterious. Perhaps besides this Daren, there are other experts as well.”
“If they all appear, they can definitely drive out all the Other Domain’s beings.”
“The day the Western Immortal Domain returns to its former prosperity and peace is within sight.”
At this moment, many descendants of the Immortal Domain could not help but envision such a scene, their hearts surging uncontrollably with excitement.
Gu Changge listened to the discussions of these Immortal Domain descendants, his expression incomparably calm, without the slightest ripple.
He quietly gazed toward the sky domains. He could sense vast fluctuations descending from distant regions.
However, they were not coming from the direction of the Other Domain, but from the Immortal Domains in other directions.
“The other Immortal Domains should still have Immortal Kings.”
“They must have sensed the disturbance here and want to come take a look.”
The Big Red Bird could not help but speak up. Although he had once existed merely as Gu Xianer’s Artifact Spirit, that did not mean he lacked experience.
One had to know that back when he was the Heaven-Slashing Sword, the Immortal Kings he had cut down were simply too numerous to count.
Gu Changge nodded, the corners of his mouth suddenly revealing a faint, barely perceptible smile as he said, “Speaking of which, it’s rather laughable. They only dare to show themselves at a time like this. Ordinarily, even knowing full well that the many descendants of this domain were being slaughtered by the Other Domain’s beings, they only dared to hide within their own Practice Grounds and territories.”
“This is what the Immortal Kings of the current Immortal Domain amount to.” He shook his head lightly, without anger—he simply found it rather amusing.
This was the Immortal Domain that Gu Qingyi had always wanted to protect and shelter.
Only, as of now, Gu Changge still did not know where Gu Qingyi was.
As the Original Soul of the Mountains and Oceans True World, one could say that the many races of this world—including the Immortal Domain and the Other Domain—had all been born and nurtured under her witness and watch.
As the Original Soul of this world, the meaning of her existence was actually no different from that of the Heavenly Path. It was just that the form of an Original Soul meant she had developed a will, and could come into this world in the form of a living being.
The slaughter and warfare between the Other Domain and the Immortal Domain was just like the existence of Yin and Yang, of the void and the real—it was the fate ordained by the Heavenly Path, serving to mutually diminish and constrain each other, maintaining balance.
However, as the Original Soul, Gu Qingyi clearly showed favoritism toward the Immortal Domain’s side.
Yet the Immortal Domain’s side had clearly not improved under her favoritism and protection. On the contrary, its internal strife was quite severe.
Otherwise, how would these five Immortal Domains have come to be?
If there hadn’t been so much infighting, how could the Other Domain have defeated them one by one?
Granted, on the Other Domain’s side, some races and beings had secretly colluded with existences from other True Worlds, or had connections with the Source World.
But in just a million years, the Immortal Domain had already declined to this state, now even inferior to the Upper Realm.
Gu Changge thought of the decision Gu Qingyi had discussed with him back then, and could only sigh softly in his heart.
As the Demon Lord, he had stood on the opposite side of the Immortal Domain, single-handedly shattering the heavens. Though there was the intention of coordinating with Gu Qingyi’s scheme, how could there not also be a bit of his own selfish desire mixed in?
This decayed and ruined Immortal Domain—if it perished sooner, perhaps it could give birth to new vitality.
In that case, before the next Great War Against Heaven descended, perhaps one or two Anomalies could be born.
And those one or two Anomalies might just be able to help with his plans.