Chapter 2723: Fifth Golden Great Age, Twelve Solar Golden Immortals

Tai Shang Da Ri Gu Huang, a terrestrial immortal, is called the Dao Master of the Zi Xiao Palace by later generations.

The supreme peak existence on the path of the Primordial Ancient Canon's Imperial Dao left the deepest impression on later generations as one who could be called the teacher of myriad Dao, the source of myriad Dao, with a terrifying ability to transmit the Dao; almost all Dao lineages, if traced back to their source, would trace back to this era.

If viewed from a higher dimension of history, perhaps this terrestrial immortal could be called the master of the Seventh Golden Great Age.

And the master of the Fifth Golden Great Age is called the Yan Fa Xian Zun.

The Fifth Golden Great Age is a world of extremely dim starlight, where stars have no light, are covered in cracks, stellar orbits move extremely slowly, and the entire universe reveals a state of utter ruin; stars, sun and moon, and the human realm lack vitality and vigor, as if some primordial power has vanished.

If one's gaze falls upon any world, one finds most worlds are deserts, volcanoes, glaciers—places where life cannot exist; worlds with life are exceedingly rare among the rare, making one feel as if one has come to a planet in a spiritless universe, where life is a miracle rather than a given.

If one's gaze narrows further to those specific life-bearing worlds, one finds the degree of poverty shocking.

In life-bearing worlds, the land is parched, rivers intermittent, with only occasional humans and beasts barely surviving.

The quantity of life is so scarce, survival so difficult, that the nascent Daoist civilization in the world must be what?

Weak, as can be imagined; in an entire Minor Thousand World, Qi-refining cultivators and myriad clans' sentient beings are rare, the strongest being at most Foundation Establishment, and Foundation Establishment cultivators may be called ancestors.

Only in a Medium Thousand World can Golden Core cultivators be born.

Is the world and universe naturally so barren?

No.

From the easily visible sword scars tearing the earth, palm prints, and the pale corpses fallen to the ground, along with shattered giant magical treasures, one can see that this place once hosted an extremely flourishing Daoist civilization and suffered a terrible war, after which everything vanished without trace.

The world and universe are ruined, lacking something.

The universe of this era is deficient, filled with logical errors, like a computer program with a bug.

Thanks to this, Qi-refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators of many worlds seem somewhat different, much stronger.

These Qi-refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, some can utilize the universe's deficiency and error, thus gaining enormous enhancement in lifespan and strength.

If one sweeps one's gaze across the entire universe, one finally finds that the human realm still has vibrant life, like Daoist holy lands.

Centered on the Zi Wei Ancient Realm, integrating one hundred and eight ancient realms, it can be called the flourishing Daoist holy land of the Golden Great Age!

Here spiritual energy becomes mist, Dao essence abundant, at times great Dao rules manifest, allowing cultivators of the ancient realms to contemplate, producing outstanding Daoist talents.

At the apex of the Nine Heavens, the sun and moon have already dimmed.

In their place, the radiance illuminating heaven and earth comes from the twelve Golden Immortals, like twelve different suns ruling the earth, dividing the human realm into Bai Hu Autumn Killing Yang, Xuan Water Profound Yang, Destiny Yang, Cause Yang, Effect Yang—twelve suns, each governing the human realm for ten thousand years, within which each's Dao flourishes greatly, each's Dao lineage ruling the universe.

This is the twelve Golden Immortals of this era, traditionally said to be disciples of the Xian Zun.

The order of the human realm is established.

The twelve suns govern heaven and earth, rotating sun and moon.

Such times have already been extremely long, so long that the sentient beings and Dao lineages of the human realm now regard everything as the natural order of heaven and earth, everything taken for granted.

All sentient beings of the human realm regard the universe as immortal, including the twelve Golden Immortals whom humans believe have already attained immortality.

Until this day.

Boom—

In the cosmic wilderness, a terrifying black fissure appeared at some unknown time, within which shadowy figures moved, as if a pair of hands that pierce heaven and earth had crossed time to come here, stirring, probing, searching for something, the entire universe shaken by these hands, stars chaotic and scattered.

Even the one hundred and eight ancient realms governed by the twelve Golden Immortals swayed like a tiny boat in a violent storm, unable to stabilize.

In an instant, the entire boundless starry void fell into fear.

This terrifying celestial phenomenon emitted a terrifying aura, like a cosmic natural disaster, causing countless immortals, terrestrial immortals, and heavenly immortals to tremble in terror, with no sense of being able to oppose it.

For these immensely powerful beings in the universe, at this moment the only thing they could do was tremble in fear, shut their doors, and guard themselves.

"Bold!"

"What heretical demon dares to cause chaos here?!"

An angry shout came from the void.

The governing sun of this era, Xuan Water Profound Yang, burst forth with boundless light, scattering countless tsunami-like azure radiance into the universe, drenching the earth and starry sky, like a heavenly flood sweeping all directions, the radiance of the Xuan Water Dao authority spreading everywhere, in an instant stabilizing the one hundred and eight ancient realms, after which the azure radiance continued to spread, pulling the scattered stars, deviating from their orbits, back into their celestial paths.

The turbulent heavens and earth of the boundless starry void thus stabilized.

Xuan Water Profound Yang Golden Immortal stabilized the boundless starry void, gazed upon that black fissure-like existence, and even upon those terrifying black hands, showing not a trace of fear, but instead coldly laughing as he actively advanced.

"Seal!"

"Demon of Heaven and Earth!"

Xuan Water Profound Yang Golden Immortal coldly shouted.

As he formed seals with his hands, the Xuan Water Dao came roaring, nearly the Dao itself, the Dao's authority and existence intertwining, integrating space, rules, time and causality, forming a tortoise-snake Brother Xuanwu seal that stirs heaven and earth, black-hole-like chaotic and terrifying, straightly rushing to suppress those black hands!

For this Golden Immortal, having endured long invincible ages, aside from the Xian Zun, he had already lost fear of any existence.

"Golden Immortal!"

"It is that existence————"

In the starry sky, the powerful ones of various Dao lineages revealed awe and fervent reverence, deeply bowing, daring not to gaze upon that existence, their hearts no longer worried about this demon.

Boom—

In an instant, the seal of the tortoise-snake Brother Xuanwu, bearing the power of Xuan Water Profound Yang Golden Immortal's Dao, swallowed and expelled the entire momentum of the boundless starry void, advancing with magnificent irresistible force to suppress and slay those two black hands.

Boom—

Boom boom boom!

The tortoise-snake Brother Xuanwu seal broke through layer after layer of space, crushed causality and time, fell upon those black slender hands, then————emitted a muffled sound.

Like a stone falling on leather, and again like falling on the earth, without raising a single ripple.

It caused no commotion.

More like children playing and roughhousing, rather than a Golden Immortal's strongest strike.

In an instant, Xuan Water Profound Yang Golden Immortal's hairs stood on end, fear filled his heart, like a weak mortal, the long-dormant instinct of blood combat fully revived at this moment, and he actually fled madly into the distance without even thinking.

"Huh?"

Behind the fleeing Golden Immortal, at the place of those black slender hands, a doubtful voice came.

It seemed he felt like he had been lightly struck by someone, but it was extremely faint, like a mosquito's wing lightly brushing his skin.

The fine needle of the instrument pierced in, giving him a sensation, but due to the distance and the wound being very small, the feeling was extremely weak, and he was not entirely sure.