Chapter 231: Immortal King of Zhenyuan

The moment the Bound‑World Immortal Pillar sank into the altar.

Sanqian Zhou, the heavens have changed.

It's not a metaphor.

It really is a change of the heavens.

Above the Heavenly Dome, the sun, moon and stars that had been moving steadily for countless epochs all paused for a breath after that single bell toll.

Only a single breath.

But for those sect‑master‑level powerhouses who cultivate based on the laws of heaven and earth, that one breath is enough to cause cracks in their Dao‑heart.

Hai Province, Emerald Wave Pavilion.

The pavilion master Hai Wuyia, with his eyes closed, was contemplating the source of Hai Province, trying to draw a sliver of breakthrough inspiration from the world‑force that has flowed for endless ages.

He had cultivated for three million years before he could comprehend one‑thousandth of Hai Province's source.

But at the instant that the bell's toll rang through heaven and earth,

the Hai Province source he sensed—changed.

It was neither weakened nor strengthened.

Rather, the entire source's trajectory was twisted at its root by some force.

It was like a river that had surged for billions of years, its channel suddenly shifted three inches.

The water remained the same water, the fish remained the same fish.

But the direction was wrong.

Hai Wuyia snapped his eyes open, his pupils narrowing to needle points.

After three million years of cultivation, it was the first time he felt such a chilling sensation.

"Someone, come!"

The elder on guard outside the hall darted in with a single stride: "Master of the pavilion!"

"The source… has deviated."

Hai Wuyia's voice was soft, each word sounding as if it contained shards of ice, "Go investigate, ask the old folks of each province whether they have also sensed it."

The elder's face turned ashen, and he set off with the order.

He didn't need to go far.

Because at the very moment he stepped out of the Emerald Wave Pavilion, Dragon Province's Heavenly Dragon Ridge, Sword Province's Burial Sword Mountain remnants, and even the ancient temple in the far‑western frontier's Wasteland Province…

all the top‑ranked Dao lineages of Sanqian Zhou's leading sects almost simultaneously emitted the highest‑level warning transmissions.

The content was largely the same.

"The world's source… has been moved by someone?!"

Dragon Province, Heavenly Dragon Ridge.

The old Dragon Lord poked half of his dragon body out of the volcanic crater, his murky vertical pupils fixed on the direction of Zhongzhou.

His perception was even keener than Hai Wuyia's—dragons are born with an almost instinctive affinity for source power.

"It wasn't moved."

The old Dragon Lord's voice rasped like two sandstone slabs grinding, "It was nailed down."

Nailed.

The word, spoken by an old dragon that had lived for millions of years, carried undeniable weight.

"What does that mean?" the Great Dragon Son beside him was stunned.

"Idiot."

The old Dragon Lord gave him a tap on the back of the head and said, "Someone at the Zhongzhou Altar drove a nail in, pinning the entire world's source of Sanqian Zhou in place, like a butcher securing a cow's hoof before slaughtering, making the cut easier."

The Great Dragon Son's back hair stood on end.

"Who… who has such ability?"

The old Dragon Lord gave no answer. He turned his head toward Cloud Province.

The earlier scout had gone and never returned, so he knew the people of Cloud Province were not ordinary.

But he never imagined they were this extraordinary.

Move the world's source?

Not even a sect master, let alone those lingering immortals buried deep in each province who have lived countless epochs, could so casually nail the world's source.

This method already exceeds Sanqian Zhou's realm of comprehension.

He suddenly recalled the news that had come from Sword Province earlier.

Hate Heaven Sword King. Immortal Realm. Upper World.

The old Dragon Lord's vertical pupils narrowed sharply.

……

……

Hai Wuyia moved the fastest.

He sent no scouts; instead, wielding the authority of a sect master, he crossed the void and flew to Dragon Province's Heavenly Dragon Ridge.

Upon arrival, he discovered he was not the first.

At the rim of the lava lake surrounding Heavenly Dragon Ridge, six figures had already gathered.

Each one was a legendary beast ranked among Sanqian Zhou's elite.

The head of the Withered Emperor Sect of Wasteland Province, a gaunt old man as dry as a dead tree.

The master of the Grand Void Palace of Mysterious Province, dressed in white with white hair, youthful in appearance, yet actually older than the old Dragon Lord.

The sect master of the Huangquan Sect of Dark Province, his whole body shrouded in black mist, his face indistinguishable.

There are a few Hai Wuya without any title, yet none of their auras fall short of a sect leader's pinnacle.

The Sea Pavilion Master arrives without delay.

The Grand Void Palace Master gave a slight nod, his tone indifferent.

Hai Wuya skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point upon landing: "Everyone feel it?"

Nonsense.

The Head of the Withered Emperor Sect cleared his hoarse throat,

"Such a commotion, even a blind man could sense it."

The Zhongzhou Altar has been tampered with; the world's origin has been anchored, and the entire Sanqian Zhou's law system is being taken over by some external force…

The Huangquan Sect Head extended a skeletal hand from the black mist, a pale green turtle shell appearing in his palm.

Cracks crisscrossed the shell, faintly outlining a blurry pattern.

"I have just divined a hexagram."

The Huangquan Sect Head's voice was grimly ominous,

"The source lies in Yunzhou. To be precise, it is the Yun family."

"Yun family?" Hai Wuya furrowed his brows, "That old thing Yun Shan, does he have such ability?"

"Of course not."

The Old Dragon Lord emerged from the volcano's mouth, his massive dragon body coiled above everyone's heads, blocking the sky.

"My scout went to Yunzhou three days ago and never returned; the Rending Sky Hawk's bloodline feedback snapped instantly—not killed, but broken by someone's hand."

"My Blue Wave Pavilion's scout met the same fate," Hai Wuya said, his face ashen, "gone, never to return."

"The Shadow Sword Guard of Sword Gate, likewise."

A deputy head of Sword Gate stepped forward from behind the crowd, bowing, "Not even a death signal could be transmitted, as if someone slammed it into the earth with a single palm."

The several old monsters stared at each other.

What's actually come over in Yunzhou?

The silence was broken by the Grand Void Palace Master.

"Everyone, at this stage we can't even guess what's happening; rather than just staring here, why not… join forces and go take a look."

The words sounded casual, yet everyone present were keen minds. To go see what those three words truly mean, everyone knew exactly what it implied.

Seeing could also mean fighting.

The specifics will be decided when we get there.

"I agree," the Head of the Withered Emperor Sect was the first to voice his stance.

"Done," the Old Dragon Lord's coarse voice rang over Heavenly Dragon Ridge, "My scout died; this account cannot be left unsettled."

"Count me, Huangquan Sect, in."

"Blue Wave Pavilion will of course not be absent."

One after another, the sect‑head‑level giants present all voiced their positions.

Finally, an allied force composed of nine sect‑head‑level strongmen took shape at Heavenly Dragon Ridge.

These nine, in earlier times, any one stepping forward would have been a figure capable of intimidating an entire great state.

However, just as the crowd was about to depart,

The Huangquan Sect Head suddenly lowered his voice and said something that made everyone pause.

"Everyone, there is a matter I am unsure whether to speak of or not."

"Speak," the Old Dragon Lord snapped impatiently.

The Huangquan Sect Head drew a jet‑black token from the black mist.

The token bore an extremely ancient rune, emitting an unfamiliar aura not belonging to Sanqian Zhou.

"This is a contact token granted by the Immortal Realm."

The air fell silent.

Hai Wuya's pupils narrowed: "You have… a link with the Immortal Realm?"

"Not me; it was an ancestor of the Huangquan Sect from hundreds of thousands of years ago who once handled a matter for the Immortal Realm."

The Huangquan Sect Head's tone was very calm,

"Afterward we obtained this token. The token links not to the Hentian Sword King, but to the Zhenyuan Immortal King."

The nine sect heads all breathed a little heavier.

Zhenyuan Immortal King!

The recent arrival of the Hentian Sword King in Sword State has already spread throughout Sanqian Zhou.

Above this world's ceiling lies an even higher sky.

The impact of this incident on Sanqian Zhou has been so massive that its aftershocks have yet to subside.

"So you mean…?" the Grand Void Palace Master's eyes sharpened.

"I said nothing."

The Huangquan Sect Head tucked the token back away,

"But if we run into a truly unmanageable obstacle in Yunzhou, an extra way out is always beneficial."

No one opposed his remark.

In fact, the token the Huangquan Sect Head mentioned is far more than just an 'escape route.'

He did not disclose the entire truth to the sect heads present.

The token's real purpose is not to contact the Immortal King.

It is for reporting.

The maneuvering and scheming among the Immortal Kings are far more ruthless and concealed than the sect leader struggles in the mortal realm.

The Huangquan Sect Leader had his own calculations in mind.

He wanted to use this opportunity to send a message to the Zhenyuan Immortal King: Sanqian Zhou was facing a major problem—someone was anchoring the world's origin, and the Hate Heaven Sword King's whereabouts were unknown.

This message was enough for him to exchange for a great merit before the Zhenyuan Immortal King.

As for the allied army's surprise attack on Yunzhou?

It was merely a matter of convenience.

If it succeeded, he would get a share.

If it failed, he had a token to preserve his life.

No matter how you calculate, it's not a loss.