Chapter 241

Immortal Realm?

The Beast God Realm has never had legends of "ascension"; in a world where the highest possible attainment is only Cave Truth, "Immortal" is an extremely unfamiliar word—perhaps only the Beast Gods and this realm's Hun Tian Yi can understand its meaning.

Yet now, spoken by Xu Xing, at the instant they heard it, they understood the word's meaning.

An Immortal is a great being equal to the present Beast Gods.

And the Beast Gods are humanity's greatest and most terrifying enemies.

Though only fragments remain, they fully comprehend just how terrifying the Beast Gods' power is.

On the day it attained Dao, all human beings above the Void Return realm perished in an instant.

Except for 【Xi】, not a single trace of Dao essence remained.

Afterward, it didn't even need to act directly—merely its woven "Dao Net" forced humanity to take refuge beneath 【Xi】's Dao essence radiance, leaving only four Void Return cultivators today.

The Immortal Realm is a world where such beings as the Beast Gods reside—and not just one.

The four were shaken; finally, the woman of the 【Fu Mu】 lineage spoke: "The Immortal Realm… so you…"

"It may be hard for you to understand, put this way," Xu Xing said calmly.

Hum~

They felt all scenes peeling away, rising higher.

Around them, an eternal silence spread—a dark void.

Before them, an endless, boundless river surged, without beginning or end.

The booming sound of its waters resembled countless sword cultivators clashing in Dao debate, waves crashing as if countless long swords unsheathed, striking the high heavens.

From ancient to modern times, all sword Dao—light and heavy, simple and profound—unfolded and manifested within it.

The next instant.

Boom—boom—boom!

The eternal void seemed to tremble; that boundless, endless river, already at an extreme height, rose even higher.

The world's sword Dao continuously evolved, yet within less than a blink, it all retracted.

The river transformed into a sword, falling into the palm of a vast, boundless being.

The blade's radiance illuminated all directions, as if severing all things; the myriad Dao and methods, eternal and ancient, trembled beneath its supreme sharpness.

The towering figure holding the sword looked down with lowered eyes.

The four were seized with terror; their vast magic power and peerless physical bodies lost all effect in that instant.

Not even a trace of resistance arose—they were like meat on a chopping block, utterly at the mercy of others.

Finally, the gaze settled; the four nearly suffocated.

"How?" The voice remained as calm as ever.

Without sound or sign, all they had seen vanished without warning.

Crimson-gold light swirled, dazzling and endless; the four were dazed, still unable to return from the vision.

Master Jianzu…

This true Immortal before them bore the title Master Jianzu!

Though they were Void Return cultivators, their mouths felt dry, and not a single word could escape.

Xu Xing did not urge them.

In most cases, hearing is not as powerful as seeing.

What they had just witnessed directly was worth more than a thousand words.

"Master Jianzu…?" The voice trembled slightly.

It was the Void Return cultivator of the 【Fu Guang】 lineage.

A golden dot on his brow, face like polished jade, sword-like brows and starlit eyes, clad in a golden-white outer robe, his bearing utterly majestic.

Yet now his face was ashen.

"Correct."

Then Xu Xing raised his hand; a brilliant, radiant "light" slowly descended from the omnipresent crimson-gold radiance.

Bright as morning aurora, illuminating myriad directions.

An infinitely tiny point, yet seemingly containing all things—its light purged filth and evil, cleansed wickedness—【Xi】's remaining trace, purest of the pure Dao essence.

It is also the only hope in this realm to ascend beyond Void Return.

Left by a top-tier Cave Truth, its power could even propel a Void Return cultivator directly to the Tong Xuan level—but no further.

After all, 【Xi】 detected and countered at the final moment; achieving this much is already quite remarkable.

"Come, let's go out for a walk. You've hidden here so long—I'm sure you're tired of it."

Xu Xing rose, and the four's gazes remained fixed on the brilliant light point hovering in his hand.

"What exactly are you going to do?"

Asked the woman of the 【Fu Mu】 lineage.

"I am also human," Xu Xing's reply was simple.

He raised his hand again; the brilliant light point rose, returning along the omnipresent crimson-gold radiance to its original position.

"… "

The four fell silent, clearly still hesitant.

!. Read

Though this Master Jianzu seemed to harbor no ill intent, he had appeared so suddenly…

"Besides, no matter what I intend to do, you can't stop me, can you?" Xu Xing smiled.

"… "

Indeed, this is an undeniable fact.

The abilities displayed by this Master Jianzu are completely beyond their capacity to resist.

In the end, the four still obediently followed Xu Xing out of the fireball.

Before them was no longer the eternal, unquenchable flame waves and crimson-gold radiance; everything visible outside the fireball left the four momentarily dazed.

How many years has it been...

Since ascending beyond the Nascent Soul, they had always hidden beneath the Dao essence radiance of 【Xi】, even daring not to extend their perception outward.

After a brief moment of daze, the four snapped back to awareness, a wave of tension surging in their hearts.

"Do not worry; the Dao Net cannot detect you," said Xu Xing.

If 【Xi】's Dao essence can accomplish this, then though I am but a fragment of divine thought, I too can do it.

Upon hearing Xu Xing's words, the four's tension immediately lessened.

This strange sensation left all four feeling oddly unsettled.

It was too strange—this was their first meeting, and the Master Jianzu had already given them a stern warning, yet hearing his words still brought an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

"Do you know who is currently humanity's greatest adversary?"

The four exchanged glances, puzzled why this Master Jianzu would ask a question every cultivator already knew.

In the end, it was still the woman of the 【Fumu】 lineage who spoke.

"The Beast God."

"The Beast God..." Xu Xing descended slowly, his tone carrying an inexplicable nuance, "It is Him—and yet not merely Him."

Not merely Him?

Soon, the four landed with Xu Xing upon a vast, open square.

Around them, numerous young cultivators exchanged words, or chose quiet corners to sit in meditation, inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy.

Suddenly, Xu Xing asked: "Do you still believe in the doctrine of 'Observing the Dao of Heaven, Embracing Heaven's Actions'?"

Huh?

The four froze at the question.

"Your words, Master Jianzu my lord, are truly profound..."

Observing the Dao of Heaven, Embracing Heaven's Actions.

Is not cultivation, after all, about aligning with the timing of Heaven, perceiving the Dao of Heaven to seek immortality?

"What if I told you that humanity's current plight is secretly driven by Hun Tian Yi?"

Hun Tian Yi... driven?

A chill suddenly rose in their hearts; the woman of the 【Fumu】 lineage forced a stiff smile.

"Hun Tian Yi is perfectly impartial—how could it possibly target humanity..."

As she spoke, her voice grew weaker.

After all... Xu Xing had no reason to speak without cause.

Is there any worse fate for humanity now than annihilation? (End of Chapter)