Chapter 445: Netting the Powerful Across All Realms

The Heavenly Great Realm, Immortal Mountain.

The Immortal King of Death and Darkness appeared at Immortal Mountain, and all living beings and gods and demons turned pale.

Then, under thousands of watching eyes, the colossal black shadow of the Immortal King of Death and Darkness shrank into a figure of human height, landing atop the mountain and stepping onto the Immortal Bridge.

Wherever he went, no one dared to block his path; everyone instinctively made way for him.

Come on, this was an invincible being who had achieved immortality ten thousand years ago—just his breath could kill everyone here multiple times. No one dared approach; they fled as if avoiding disaster, instantly clearing a path across the crowded summit before the Immortal Bridge.

He revealed his true face: he looked like a pale, delicate youth, so handsome it made women jealous—if dressed in women’s attire, he’d be a seductive ruin of nations.

Who could have imagined?

The Immortal King of Death and Darkness, whose infamous reputation terrified ancient and modern times, more fearsome than primordial beasts, a slaughterer of countless lives—was this his true appearance? It bore no resemblance to the words “Death and Darkness.”

Yet no one doubted his identity.

Rumors said the Immortal King of Death and Darkness truly looked like this.

His handsome face, skin unnaturally pale, added a sickly beauty, flushed with excitement.

Seeing this, the beings and gods and demons present were astonished, their emotions surging even higher.

The Immortal King of Death and Darkness was an immortal being, yet even he could not hide his excitement upon seeing the Immortal Bridge—this showed the Immortal Bridge was far more rare and mysterious than imagined, even compelling immortals to seek it out.

“I’ve waited ten thousand years—and finally, it’s here. It wasn’t a lie. The Jixia Academy truly exists. All my ten-thousand-year wait was worth it.”

A flicker of longing crossed the Immortal King of Death and Darkness’s eyes, then he stepped onto the Immortal Bridge.

But at that moment—

His foot slipped through empty air; he could not step onto the Immortal Bridge.

“Hm?”

The Immortal King of Death and Darkness’s expression changed—he clearly hadn’t anticipated this outcome. He tried again, stepping forward once more—but the result was the same.

At that moment, the earlier words about lacking merit echoed again, as if reminding the Immortal King of Death and Darkness and others: without merit, you cannot pass.

Even the Immortal King of Death and Darkness cannot pass?

So merit has nothing to do with power.

Instantly, all beings and gods and demons present trembled with fear, their eyes filled with dread.

They feared the Immortal King of Death and Darkness would rage—after waiting ten thousand years, he wasn’t even granted passage. Who wouldn’t fly into a fury?

The Immortal King of Death and Darkness emitted waves of deathly aura, like black flames burning over his body, terrifying gods and demons alike.

Meanwhile, the beings and gods and demons present were also stunned, marveling at the mystery of the paradise beyond the heavenly portal—how could it dare to reject even an immortal?

If it were them, they’d worship the Immortal King of Death and Darkness as an ancestral deity, feed him well, treat him royally—how could they possibly turn him away, deny him passage?

It was a blatant slap in the face—right before everyone’s eyes—with not even a shred of face spared.

“I am the Immortal King of Death and Darkness, attained Dao thirteen thousand years ago, my merit boundless—who in this world can surpass me in merit?”

The Immortal King of Death and Darkness narrowed his eyes, flickering with light capable of splitting heaven and shattering earth.

The Immortal Mountain and paradise offered no response—either too indifferent to care, or for some other reason.

“Hmph! Regardless, today I will enter the Jixia Academy. The Jixia Academy was established to recruit from all realms, gathering the strongest across the multiverse—those with ability take their place. I am an immortal—how could I lack qualification? This barrier won’t stop me!”

Jixia Academy…

Recruiting from all realms…

Gathering the strongest across the multiverse?!

Though none understood what the Jixia Academy was, they grasped the latter words—mind and spirit shook violently, as if a colossal wave had overturned heaven and earth, surging uncontrollably, their hearts unable to calm.

The Immortal Mountain and paradise were not from the Heavenly Great Realm—they came from another world, and recruited from all realms across the multiverse.

What kind of power was this?

Gui Hong, the Demon Ancestor, Bai Yuanxian, and Zhang Hao, who had just arrived, all heard this and their expressions changed instantly.

“Recruiting from all realms—does that include the Initial Realm? No! Perhaps… it’s the Initial Realm itself that’s recruiting.”

Zhang Hao was utterly shocked, immediately thinking of the Initial Realm.

To reject an immortal, to recruit across the multiverse—such boldness was rare even across the entire multiverse. The Initial Realm was one of the few worlds that fit this description.

There was another reason for this speculation.

“The Jixia Academy… I think my history teacher mentioned it.”

Zhang Hao murmured softly, but Gui Hong and Bai Yuanxian beside him clearly heard, and both turned to look.

Before either could ask, Zhang Hao frowned, muttering to himself:

“Could it be the Initial Realm? If it recruits from all realms, it should include the Initial Realm—but Yueyin and Lucifer said the major mythologies forbid gods from secretly teaching the people of the Initial Realm the transcendent arts—so why can the Jixia Academy do this?”

His voice trailed off—then his body jolted violently, his face pale with horror:

“Wait! Could it be… yes, it must be this way!!”

“Disciple, do you know something?” Bai Yuanxian asked, observing the Immortal King of Death and Darkness’s actions.

Zhang Hao did not hide it—he recounted what Yueyin had said: the major mythologies forbade gods from secretly teaching the people of the Initial Realm transcendent cultivation.

“That little Xiang Hong told me the same thing,” said Gui Hong. “He didn’t say why—only that the people of the Initial Realm are key.”

Zhang Hao nodded, continuing:

“Yes. The major mythologies jointly banned the people of the Initial Realm from learning transcendent arts—but never explained why. Back then, many speculated: why are they key, yet forbidden from cultivation? How could ordinary people possibly sway the outcome of a battle?

Online, many discussions arose, and one theory gained the most support.

That theory claimed the original battlefield was a war between past and future, and the future side was actually the future Initial Realm. Moreover, Master Cheng had said: ‘Win, and you change the future.’ But the future severed the River of Time.

Thus, the past could no longer influence the future.

Yet no matter how much it was severed, the future side was still the people of the future Initial Realm.

So could we understand it this way: the future side that destroyed the past—‘that side’—is actually our own descendants from the Initial Realm, or even our own generation, because we cultivated transcendent arts and achieved tremendous power in the future?

And because we learned the future’s inevitable end, we sought to destroy the past, eliminate it.

The past side, knowing this, forbade gods from teaching our generation transcendent arts—to one day reconnect the River of Time, so that the future might change because our generation never cultivated.

Thus, even without cultivation, we remain the key to determining the outcome of the original battlefield.”

Gui Hong and Bai Yuanxian’s eyelids twitched violently—they had never heard such a secret; truly, their horizons expanded.

Yet this analysis made sense—if the future side contained terrifying beings who were people of this era from the Initial Realm, then forbidding this era’s people from cultivation was indeed a wise decision.

“Then what about the Jixia Academy?”

Gui Hong was puzzled—he had just asked a member of the chat group, and Gao Zhongsheng had replied: an Immortal Bridge had also appeared in the Initial Realm.

The Immortal King of Death and Darkness was right—the Jixia Academy recruits from all realms, including the Initial Realm.

So the question arose:

Why do the major mythologies forbid gods from teaching the people of the Initial Realm transcendent arts, yet the Jixia Academy dares to recruit globally within the Initial Realm?

As soon as the question was spoken, before Zhang Hao could answer, Gui Hong himself paused, thought briefly, and understood—his mind formed a guess.

……