“Hehehehehe…”

Before An Qingyu and others stepped into the palace, they heard a familiar silly laugh coming from deep within the hall.

"Cao Yuan?"

An Qingyu and the others looked at each other and quickly walked into the hall.

Taibai Jinxing held the whisk, smiled helplessly, and followed them closely.

Passing through the back door of the main hall, the view suddenly opens up and a fairy-like garden space appears before everyone.

This is a big lake. Snow-white clouds are floating in the sky. The emerald green lotus leaves seem endless, swaying gently in the breeze on the lake. A long blue-gray pavilion passes through the lake and leads directly to an octagonal pavilion in the center of the lake.

Several people stood by the lake and could vaguely see a familiar figure sitting in the center of the octagonal pavilion in the middle of the lake. There were several maids serving him around. These maids held fans in their hands and seemed to be fanning him.

"Oh my god, I was wondering why the thief Cao disappeared. Turns out he was hiding here enjoying the service of the fairies?" Baili Pangpang said in shock.

"Something seems to be wrong. Let's go take a look."

An Qingyu frowned slightly as he listened to the continuous laughter coming from afar. Everyone walked through the long pavilion and soon arrived in front of the octagonal pavilion.

“Hehehehe…”

When An Qingyu reached the octagonal pavilion, he could see Cao Yuan's condition clearly. He was sitting cross-legged on a snow-white cushion, his eyes unfocused, grinning foolishly at the distant lake. Wisps of black flames ignited from his skin, but before they could ignite the surroundings, they were extinguished by the spiritual wind from the giant green fans in the hands of the maids around him.

"What's wrong with Cao Yuan?" Shen Qingzhu asked with a frown.

Taibai Jinxing walked slowly from the corridor behind everyone.

"The Queen Mother once said that four of the seven fate chains in his body have been broken. The Black King is trying hard to break out of the 'prison', causing this young man to be sometimes clear and sometimes confused. Whether he can regain control of his body depends on his will."

"Black King..." Jiang Er muttered twice, and asked in confusion, "Black King, what exactly is it? Is it the Great Xia God?"

“Hehehehehe…”

"The Black King is indeed from Daxia, but he is not a god... To be precise, he is a mortal who failed in his attempt to reach the Supreme Realm thousands of years ago."

"mortal?!!"

Hearing these words, everyone present was extremely shocked.

“Hehehehehe…”

"How can a mortal attack the Supreme God?"

“This is also the strangest part.” Taibai Jinxing said slowly, “Generally speaking, the highest realm is above the realm of God. Even if a mortal is very strong, it is extremely difficult to become a God, let alone directly skipping the realm of God and trying to reach the highest realm in one step… But he almost succeeded.”

"After failing to reach the highest level, for unknown reasons, this mortal began to lose his mind and became a monster that only knew how to kill. He was called the Black King by the world."

"Even if his attack on the Supreme failed, his power is still terrifying. His combat power is far above that of ordinary gods. However, because he has not yet become a god, he has no laws. Therefore, no matter how powerful the Black King is, he cannot truly kill any god."

"Back then, the Black King lost his mind and slaughtered all living things. It was the Heavenly Venerable who personally took action and used the cause and effect Taoist magic of 'Life Prison Trap' to seal him."

"'Life Prison'? What is that?" An Qingyu asked.

“How can I understand the law of the Heavenly Lord?” Taibai Jinxing smiled helplessly. “I only heard that the Black King was eventually sealed in the body of a mortal with a special fate. Later, whenever the mortal carrying the Black King died, the Black King would rely on the law of cause and effect and automatically transfer into the body of another mortal with a special fate…

Over and over again for thousands of years, one mortal after another has carried the Black King and has passed it down to the present day.

And these mortals who have carried the power of the Black King throughout the generations seem to have been classified by you Night Watchmen as a special forbidden place known as 'below the gods, above all living beings', and it seems to be called... [Black King Slash]?"

After listening to Taibai Jinxing's description, everyone fell silent at the same time. In the octagonal pavilion, only Cao Yuan's silly laughter could be heard.

"So, this is the origin of [Black King Slash]..." Shen Qingzhu nodded thoughtfully.

“But since the Black King is so dangerous, why didn’t the Heavenly Master just get rid of him directly, but sealed him up instead?” An Qingyu thought for a moment and asked doubtfully.

"We cannot guess what Tianzun is thinking. Since he did this, he must have a special purpose."

"Can't the Heavenly Lord repair those four broken fate chains?"

“No.” Taibai Jinxing shook his head. “The fate lock was not made by the Heavenly Venerable, but was extended by these mortals who carry the Black King and have special fates. It is a part of their souls, and no external objects can affect their fate.”

“Hehehehe…”

An Qingyu looked at the smirking Cao Yuan with complicated eyes, "So, is there no solution at all?"

"I'm telling you the truth." Taibai Jinxing said sternly, "Right now, this young friend only has two options left... Either rely on your own willpower and use the remaining three fate locks to suppress the Black King in your body;

Or, your body will be completely taken over by the Black King, and the last three chains of fate will break. The Black King will be born again, and then be imprisoned by the Heavenly Venerable himself into the body of another mortal... But in this case, I'm afraid you won't survive.

Success or failure, life or death, all depends on your own luck."

An Qingyu's brows were tightly furrowed.

“Hehehehehe…”

Bang——!

Just when the atmosphere was silent and depressing, Baili Pangpang, who was standing behind Cao Yuan, suddenly raised his hand and slapped Cao Yuan on the top of his head.

"Hey, Lao Cao, we are talking about serious business here, can you be quiet?" Baili Pangpang said with his eyes wide open.

An Qingyu was about to take action to stop him, but Cao Yuan's incessant giggling suddenly stopped.

An Qingyu stood there in a daze.

The dancing black flames on Cao Yuan's body seemed to have diminished a little. A hint of spirit vaguely emerged in his empty eyes. His ears moved slightly, as if he was listening to something.

"Can he hear us?" Shen Qingzhu's eyes flashed with joy. He grabbed Cao Yuan's shoulders and shook him twice. "Old Cao! You can't give up! Qiye has already stepped half a foot into the gate of hell, and he can still hold on. You must not die! Do you hear me?"

A faint light flickered in Cao Yuan's eyes again, and the black fire burning on his body became increasingly scarce.

"The Heavenly Lord said that if he wants to defeat the Black King, he needs some external stimulation... This is also an important reason why I called you to the Heavenly Palace." Taibai Jinxing stroked his beard with a smile, "It seems that this trick is effective."

Just as everyone was chatting, a figure pushed a wheelchair and slowly approached along the corridor.

"Who said that I have already stepped half a foot into the gate of hell?"