Chapter 537: 536. Chapter 531: Crisis

536. Chapter 531: Crisis

Another month passed; Ding Huan's cultivation was nearing the third layer of Immortal King when the sect cave's seals were tapped again.

Ding Huan sent out his spiritual sense and saw a middle-aged male cultivator standing at the cave entrance, with Qi Ning behind him.

Seeing the middle-aged man's cultivation was at the mid-stage of Immortal Emperor, Ding Huan guessed this must be Qian Chuchì.

He opened the seals and bowed: "Are you Qian, the head of the Ten Thousand Realms Trading Association?"

Qian Chuchì quickly returned the bow: "It is I, Qian. I humbly greet the Great Immortal Inspector. I apologize for keeping you waiting—it fills me with dread."

Qian Chuchì had accelerated his journey upon learning Ding Huan waited for him on Luxing Immortal Continent, even using his own teleportation talisman.

"Head Qian, you're too courteous. Let's sit and talk," Ding Huan said. This time, he planned to leave Luxing Immortal Continent—he had two urgent places to go.

The first was Earth.

He must return to Earth; without returning, a thorn would remain in his heart.

The master of the hide scroll hidden within the ten-thousand-year-old cypress on Earth needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

In his subconscious, delaying this matter would make him regret it.

And this perception was growing stronger.

The second was Changyi Continent.

He would go to Changyi Continent to avenge his past-life self.

"Great Immortal Inspector, I have an urgent matter to report," Qian Chuchì said, not leading Ding Huan toward the guest hall but speaking with evident urgency.

Ding Huan frowned: "What is it?"

Qian Chuchì steadied his emotions: "I received word that the Pangu Great World has suffered an incident..."

At these words, Ding Huan's expression immediately turned grave.

He wondered how the Pangu Great World could possibly have suffered an incident.

When he left the Pangu Great World, the demon, devil, and god clans had all been wiped out.

As for the Wu clan, they hid in the Chaos Zone and dared not emerge.

Logically, Brother Xingpan should have already launched a grand unification war against the Chaos Zone.

The dragon clan had even submitted to humanity; humanity's Immortal Court reigned supreme in the Pangu Great World—how could anything have gone wrong?

Qian Chuchì said:

"My information is that Jia Buqin of the Gu Jia clan sought to trouble you, and ended up chasing you into the Pangu Great World.

Jia Buqin's actions enraged Emperor Brother Xingpan, who led over twenty Immortal Emperor elites and killed Jia Buqin outside Shenshen City."

Qi Ning beside him exhaled in relief.

With Jia Buqin dead, the Gu Jia clan posed no further threat.

"Yet at this very moment, someone openly came to rescue the God Clan's Heavenly Emperor, Feng Huan..."

Hearing this, Ding Huan was startled.

Was there such a foolhardy hero?

Emperor Brother Xingpan, leading over twenty Immortal Emperor elites, had just killed Jia Buqin outside Shenshen City—and someone dared rescue Feng Huan there?

"You say outside Shenshen City, with Emperor Brother Xingpan and over twenty Immortal Emperor elites present, someone still dared rescue Feng Huan's Primordial Spirit?"

Ding Huan asked again, uncertain.

It wasn't that he disbelieved—it was simply too absurd.

Qian Chuchì nodded: "Absolutely certain. The Ten Thousand Realms Trading Association's intelligence has never been wrong. And many witnesses saw it happen.

Feng Huan was nailed outside Shenshen City by your own hand. When someone dared rescue him, Emperor Brother Xingpan flew into a rage and immediately moved to capture the madman.

But Emperor Brother Xingpan was gravely wounded, his physical body shattered, leaving only his Primordial Spirit to flee. At least half of the other Immortal Emperors were killed.

Had the attacker not been in a hurry to save Feng Huan, not a single Immortal Emperor of humanity's Immortal Court would have survived."

Not only Ding Huan, but Qi Ning too felt a chill run down their scalp.

Ding Huan's strength she had witnessed firsthand.

Even Ding Huan himself could not withstand an attack from twenty Immortal Emperors.

No matter how potent his poison, he could not poison over twenty Immortal Emperors at once—before all were poisoned, they would have surrounded and killed him.

What kind of place was the Pangu Great World? How terrifying?

According to Head Qian, that man hadn't used poison—he had slain humanity's Immortal Emperor elites directly with divine arts.

How could such a powerful being exist?

Ding Huan was equally stunned.

One man facing over twenty Immortal Emperor elites, including Heavenly Emperors and Great Emperors—some at late or peak Immortal Emperor stages.

He had slain over half in one go, and still hadn't pursued the rest—if he had, they'd all have been wiped out.

With such power, could he be someone from a higher realm?

The thought of someone descending from a higher realm made Ding Huan increasingly uneasy.

Unlike others, he possessed too many rare treasures, many of which were already exposed.

His cultivation technique was also unique, and he bore heavy karmic ties to the hide scroll.

"How is the Immortal Court?" After over a dozen breaths passed, Ding Huan asked again.

Qian Chuchì replied: "It's strange—the man didn't attack the Immortal Court. After taking Feng Huan, he vanished."

Ding Huan suddenly felt a surge of crisis.

"Do you have any image of him?" Ding Huan asked, though inwardly he knew he could no longer proceed to Changyi Continent.

He needed to accelerate his cultivation.

Qian Chuchì pulled out a crystal ball and handed it to Ding Huan: "This is what our Ten Thousand Realms Trading Tower obtained."

Ding Huan grabbed the crystal ball, swept his divine sense into it, and froze in shock.

Scarab?

How is this possible?

Last time, the Scarab coveted his billion-year Fire Marrow Pool, and he was only at the late Stage of Supreme Immortal of the Luo Heaven.

Even if the Scarab's cultivation speed were fastest, he could at most reach the late Stage of Immortal King—how could he possibly fight twenty-plus Immortal Emperors?

Even if all these Immortal Emperors were illusions, they were still higher than the Immortal King tier.

Besides, everyone ascended within the Pangu Great World; none could be higher than the others.

He didn't believe anyone else had cultivated the Great Universe Art—the Great Universe Art fused all cosmic laws, and it was his own self-created Dao technique.

Ding Huan furrowed his brows; he truly couldn't understand.

Possession?

No, even if someone possessed the Scarab, they couldn't defeat twenty-plus Immortal Emperors—unless a being from a higher realm had possessed the Scarab.

"This is a combat crystal ball acquired by my Ten Thousand Realms Guild, though somewhat blurry," Director Qian Chuchi saw Ding Huan frowning in silence and pulled out another crystal ball, handing it to Ding Huan.

"Thank you." Ding Huan was just about to ask about this—Director Qian Chuchi had anticipated it. He took the crystal ball and sent his divine sense onto it.

A familiar sensation surged in his heart.

That divine technique…

No, how could the Scarab use a spear?

Nine divine techniques?

Ding Huan finally realized—it was the Nine Divine Techniques.

He only realized it after a delay because after obtaining the Nine Divine Techniques, he had shattered and rebuilt.

Though he still used the names of the Nine Divine Techniques, the Spear Dao was no longer the original Nine Spear Methods.

Except for the Soul-Shattering Spear, which had not yet broken free from the Nine Divine Techniques, his later techniques—Annihilation, Thousand Snowdrifts, and Starfall Sky—were all derived from his own battlefield experiences.

Familiar Dao resonance techniques, familiar spear artifacts…

Two words appeared in Ding Huan's mind: Skin Scroll.

Ding Huan took a deep breath; no matter whether the one scheming against him was one of his past lives, he was certain the owner of the Skin Scroll likely realized they could no longer rely on him.

It must have been when he burned his own divine soul in the Ash Sea, forcibly peeling away the Skin Scroll, then using the Dao Vein to completely incinerate it—that's when the one behind the Skin Scroll decided to change targets.

Ding Huan sneered inwardly.

The Skin Scroll's owner chose him not just for his talent, but for his innate endurance and perseverance, rooted deep in his bones.

The choice was correct—choosing the best.

But he was too rigid, too uncontrollable; upon discovering the Skin Scroll's conspiracy, he preferred to burn his own soul rather than be controlled by it.

This made the Skin Scroll's owner realize he had exceeded their control.

So the Skin Scroll's owner chose a second target: the Scarab, Zuo Shanwei.

Originally, the Skin Scroll's owner had sent out five Skin Scrolls across the boundless universe; it goes without saying that Zuo Shanwei found the second one.

This Scarab, Zuo Shanwei, didn't have his luck—he never received a reminder or intervention from the Dao Ancestor.

So after obtaining the Skin Scroll, Zuo Shanwei ascended to the Immortal King realm without any precautions.

Upon reaching the Immortal King realm, Zuo Shanwei fully merged with the Skin Scroll's Daoic essence.

Ding Huan didn't even know whether the current Zuo Shanwei was the Scarab himself or the Skin Scroll's owner.

But even if Zuo Shanwei still retained his own consciousness, being targeted by the Skin Scroll's owner would be more than enough to doom him.

Ding Huan forced his mind to calm down.

He knew this wasn't the time to gloat.

Whether it was Zuo Shanwei or the Skin Scroll's owner, neither cared about controlling the Pangu Great World—they cared only about stepping onto higher Dao levels.

Zuo Shanwei's ability to fight twenty-plus Immortal Emperors alone proved that after merging with the Skin Scroll's Daoic essence, his cultivation had skyrocketed.

He likely had comprehended the true realm between Immortal King and Immortal Emperor.

In the Pangu Great World, there were no heavenly laws governing the gap between Immortal King and Immortal Emperor—but such obstacles meant nothing to the Skin Scroll's Daoic essence.

The Skin Scroll's owner would surely help Zuo Shanwei fill this gap in Daoic resonance, enabling him to successfully ascend to that realm.

What kind of being was the Skin Scroll's owner?

An ancient powerhouse—his relics, techniques, and even cultivation methods were the pinnacle of the universe.

If Zuo Shanwei truly stepped beyond the Immortal King realm, his power would surge wildly; combined with his techniques and abilities, defeating twenty-plus Immortal Emperors wouldn't be strange at all.

Another puzzle: given Zuo Shanwei's nature, he would never have saved Feng Huan.

His saving Feng Huan was definitely for some other reason.

The key question now: where would Zuo Shanwei go next? What would he do?

This guy had no interest in controlling the Pangu Great World, and now that he'd merged with the Skin Scroll, the only possibility was to wildly increase his power.

So would Zuo Shanwei, like him, choose to leave the Pangu Great World and head to a higher realm?

No—he would go to Earth.

Once he realized this, Ding Huan felt a chill crawl up his spine.

He was certain his guess was correct: no matter who now controlled Zuo Shanwei's consciousness, the first thing he would do was go to Earth to find the ancient Bo tree.

He couldn't stay in the Pangu Great World—he had to return to Earth before the Scarab did and destroy it all.

Otherwise, he would be hunted forever, reliving the tragedy of his past life.

Given what he had obtained and the cultivation art he practiced, it would be strange if the Skin Scroll's owner spared him—and Zuo Shanwei the Scarab certainly wouldn't spare him either.