"The Heart of Destiny!"
Qin Shou gazed at the strange phenomenon in the Immortal Realm's sky, which resembled a giant golden heart, breathing in and out the laws of the universe, causing the surrounding phenomena to become hazy, yet seemingly filled with endless power.
Qin Shou had read the history books of the Immortal Realm. The Heart of Destiny would appear once every few eras, and each time it appeared, it would cause the strongest beings of all races to fight and vie for it.
Because that is the key to becoming an Immortal Emperor.
According to ancient legend, the Heart of Destiny is formed from the laws of the universe and contains three thousand complete Great Daos. As long as one gains the approval of the Heart of Destiny, refines and comprehends the three thousand Great Daos within, and reaches the state of perfection, one can attain the status of an Immortal Emperor, illuminating all the heavens and myriad worlds, immortal and indestructible, eternally known to all living beings in the universe.
Now that the Heart of Destiny has appeared, it means that conflict is about to begin and a brand new era is about to arrive.
This will be an unparalleled and magnificent era.
The heroes vie for supremacy, and all races are bathed in blood.
boom!
Just as Qin Shou was lost in thought, a strange change occurred in the sky above the Central Immortal Realm. A giant hand, shrouded in endless chaos, slowly reached out and grabbed at the golden ocean in the sky, trying to pluck the Heart of Destiny.
Splash—
When the giant hand touched that area in the sky, the Heart of Destiny, which resembled a golden heart, trembled slightly. In an instant, countless laws of the Great Dao intertwined and poured down like a magnificent golden sea of smoke, instantly obliterating all the Dao, principles, laws, and techniques on that giant hand.
"Roar!"
However, that being did not seem to intend to retreat. Instead, it raised its immeasurable Dharma body, which was endless and reached hundreds of millions of feet in an instant, as if it were about to break through this world. It stood majestically between heaven and earth, magnificent and spectacular, extremely awe-inspiring.
Even though they were separated by hundreds of immortal realms, Qin Beast still felt the awe of that Dharma body.
If such a Dharma Body had appeared on the Tianxuan Continent in the past, Qin Beast was certain that the entire small world would have been instantly torn apart, and that world might not even have been able to contain a single foot of this supreme Dharma Body.
The Qin Beasts of today can also reach this level, but he has never tested it.
"Having possessed the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth for thirty million years, I have no equal throughout the ages and across the eight wastelands."
"Today, I, the Immortal Venerable of the Eight Desolations, am determined to challenge the Heavenly Dao. Those who disagree are welcome to come and fight me for it! Hahaha..."
A desolate laugh echoed throughout the immortal realm.
Immediately afterwards, everyone saw endless golden runes and energy erupt from the Dharma body that stood between heaven and earth like a god. With the opening and closing of its palms, ten thousand giant dragon phantoms soared into the sky, determined to pluck the Heart of Destiny.
Rumble!
In an instant, the sky trembled, countless great Daos roared, and even the entire Immortal Realm sky shook. However, no matter how hard that being exerted, it could not touch the Heart of Destiny. But it did provide the endless beings of the Immortal Realm with a visual feast.
After all, a Celestial Venerable might not make a move even once every few million years, and this time, his move was absolutely earth-shattering. Even those Celestial Lords below the Celestial Venerable realm were all terrified. Most of them were also experiencing for the first time the terrifying power of the Celestial Venerable realm, which was far beyond the Celestial Lord realm. They even felt that Celestial Lords were completely vulnerable in front of the beings within the Celestial Venerable realm.
As the saying goes, "each realm is a world apart," and the difference between the Immortal Venerable Realm and the Immortal Lord Realm is more than just a world apart.
It's no wonder that in the vast Immortal Realm, there are countless Immortal Lords, but only a handful of Immortal Venerables.
Should I go pick them?
Qin Shou stood there hesitantly, shocked by what he saw. However, he also knew that in the current Immortal Realm, in a one-on-one fight, he should be considered invincible at the Immortal Venerable level. This was not confidence in himself, but blind confidence in the system. After all, having transmigrated through knowledge, the system was like a big boss, with the entire universe within its 'program' calculations. It could even extract the blood of the Great God Pangu at will, and even sell it by the kilogram.
"The heart destined for this lifetime has finally appeared!"
A slightly sentimental voice rang out from behind Qin Shou and entered Qin Shou's ears.
The next moment, a black figure quietly appeared beside Qin Shou.
At the same moment, the Chaos Green Lotus suddenly bloomed, its thirty-six petals enveloping the entire cave, sealing off the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Then, with a slight thought from Qin Shou, four peerless immortal swords appeared simultaneously, activating the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, which sealed that figure within the formation. Within the sword formation, endless Immortal Slaughtering Sword Qi poured out, continuously slashing and killing that figure.
However, the figure remained motionless, allowing the sword energy to pass through its body without causing it any harm.
"Just as I expected!"
Qin Shou was not surprised by this. He waved his sleeve and withdrew the sword formation.
"To be able to freely traverse the barriers of heaven and earth, appearing beside me without my noticing, there can only be one possibility: your cultivation level is far superior to mine, perhaps even on a completely different level. Therefore..."
The answer was obvious; Qin Shou guessed that the other party was a Celestial Emperor.
A living Celestial Emperor! How could this not shock him!
While shocked, Qin Shou also felt a little uneasy and apprehensive.
The unease stemmed from the unknown, and the anxiety from the uncontrollable power. Although they had met several times, and the other party had taken Wen Nuan away, and didn't seem to be someone who would harm Qin Shou, for Qin Shou, the king of the Kings of Survival, everything was beyond his control and meant danger.
At least for now, Qin Shou is unsure whether this person is friend or foe, and what's worse, the dog system isn't giving any hints.
"Heh, after several cycles of the Great Dream, how did you become so cowardly?"
The newcomer's voice sounded somewhat teasing.
"Don't worry, I mean you no harm. If I did, you would have been reincarnated hundreds of times already."
"Ahem, of course I know. I was just joking around, just saying hello to an old friend."
"Please sit down!"
Qin Shou flicked his sleeve, and a table appeared in front of him, inviting the visitor to sit down.
"We're both straightforward people, so let's get straight to the point: who exactly are you?"
I'm referring to your most authentic self, not some identity you've acquired over time.
Qin Shou stared at him with a menacing look in his eyes.
"Demon Lord."
The newcomer slowly uttered two words.
Qin Shou had read many ancient books in the Immortal Realm and had some expectation of this, but he was still somewhat shocked when the other party said it so seriously and earnestly, because he had always thought that this mysterious person was just joking with him.
Because of the term "Demon Lord," only one person in the entire history records has dared to use it to refer to himself. However, the origin and fate of this person are very vague in the entire ancient history and cannot be verified.
"You really are the Demon Lord! I mean, the only being in the entire river of time who calls himself the 'Demon Lord'?"
"Otherwise what? Throughout the ages, who besides myself dares to call themselves the Demon Lord?"
"Then why do ancient texts only mention the term 'Demon Lord' and not contain a single word about 'He'?"
"I erased it."
"Xiao Nuan...how is she?"
"The thirteen restrictions of the Immortal Demon Body have been lifted; she is in seclusion, and this time it will be for a long time."
"...how long? "
"Until she achieves mastery of her immortal and demonic body and attains the Dao to become an emperor."
"???!!! Holy crap~~" Are Immortal Emperors really that worthless? In this life, Xiao Nuan can also attain the Immortal Emperor status? ???
Qin Shou was speechless, looking through the layers of barriers at the Heart of Destiny floating above the Immortal Realm.
"But there can only be one heart destined by fate."
"You don't need to pick them."
"Huh? Why?"
Qin Shou was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord scoffed, "What do you need that thing for? Besides, that Heart of Destiny wasn't meant for you."
"Holy crap! This thing can be pre-ordered?!"
This time, Qin Shou was completely dumbfounded. He felt as if he had dreamt of returning to a society with a strict hierarchical system, where all resources and opportunities could only be reserved by the upper class and distributed arbitrarily.
"Whoever can seize the heart of destiny in this life will be the last person we are waiting for."
The Demon Lord spoke slowly, a hint of emotion appearing in his domineering eyes, "Though I am immortal, living too long inevitably becomes boring... Fortunately, our plan spans millennia, and this life we've been waiting for has finally arrived."
? ? ?
What does it mean to say that we are waiting for the last person?
"What do you mean by 'we' have a plan spanning eternity'...?"
Qin Shou felt like he'd fallen into a trap. He put down his teacup, his eyes fixed intently on the Demon Lord. "So..."
"who I am? "
Qin Shou seemed to have asked a silly question.
However, he had already guessed at this problem, because of immortality, because of Yi Cheng....
Qin Shou turned his gaze to Yi Cheng, who was rolling and playing in the mud at the foot of the mountain not far away.
[Yi Cheng: The second disciple of the Dao Ancestor, one of the three supreme gods of the God Realm, above the Immortal Emperor, and half a step towards Eternity. Among the Dao Ancestor's many disciples, his cultivation was closest to that of the Dao Ancestor... At the end of the Immortal Ancient Era, he followed the Dao Ancestor in the battle against the source of the strange beings. In the end, they were defeated, and the allied forces collapsed. Yi Cheng chose to cover the retreat, burning his divine soul to achieve the ultimate sublimation of his physical power, standing in the realm of Eternity... In the end, Yi Cheng used his physical body to sever the river of time, standing on the Road to Immortality for billions of years. On one hand, it was to prevent the strange beings in the Sea of Immortality from stepping into the heavens; on the other hand, it was to use his physical body and five internal organs to build the cycle of reincarnation, helping the souls of those in the myriad realms who were summoned by the strange beings and drifted into the Road to Immortality to be reborn without being devoured by the strange beings...]
Yi Cheng and Chang Sheng are both disciples of the Dao Ancestor... Therefore, Qin Shou dares to guess that he might be the legendary Dao Ancestor himself, who stands at the "ultimate pinnacle of Daoist arts" and is incredibly powerful.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence... that two of the Dao Ancestor's disciples were reincarnated as his own disciples?! ? ?
"Am I...the Dao Ancestor?"
Qin asked somewhat nervously.
Upon hearing this, the Demon Lord grinned, revealing a set of snow-white teeth.
"may be. "
"possible? "
Upon hearing this ambiguous answer, Qin Shou's brows furrowed deeply. Ever since he began to doubt his 'past,' Qin Shou had sometimes felt as if he were in a fog, having been in a long dream, and he wanted to wake up but could not find the answer.
Sometimes, when he awoke from his long periods of seclusion, he would have a fleeting, dreamlike vision of being reincarnated into another world, acquiring a system, meeting his master, senior brothers and sisters, and then taking in these disciples... It all seemed like a dream, a dying fantasy before he was hit by that truck.
In my dream, I no longer knew who I was...
"You should answer that question yourself."
The Demon Lord said something that left Qin Beast completely baffled.
Qin Shou collected his thoughts for a moment and said, "Every time you appear, it must be for something, right? So what brings you here this time?"
"Firstly, it's to tell you that you cannot take that Heart of Destiny. If nothing unexpected happens, every time the Heart of Destiny appears, within a million years, a being will attain the Immortal Emperor status."
Millions of years… Qin Shou pursed his lips, “There’s something I’m curious about?”
"you say. "
"All the ancient texts record that upon reaching the Immortal Emperor realm, one can be immortal and indestructible, a being capable of eternal life. But why is it that, throughout history, thousands of eras have passed, Immortal Venerables are still visible, yet those who attained the Dao as Immortal Emperors have all vanished without a trace? This is very strange."
"Hehe, Immortal Emperors are not eternal, but upon reaching this realm, they can indeed be immortal, even assimilated with time, but ultimately cannot transcend time. As for why beings who have attained the Immortal Emperor realm no longer appear, I can answer that for you."
The Demon Lord looked at Qin Shou and said, "Because those beings who attained the Dao and became Immortal Emperors almost all reached the end of immortality and were devoured by those strange creatures."
"Swallow!"
Qin Shou felt nauseous at the word.
If even beings at the Immortal Emperor realm can be devoured by something, how terrifying must that be?
He used to think that once he reached the Immortal Emperor realm, he would be invincible and could act recklessly.
Holy crap, thinking about it this way, the path of survival is long and arduous!
In an instant, Qin Shou felt a chill run through his body, and a deep fear lurked in his heart.
"What exactly is the source of this strange phenomenon?" Qin Shou asked with a mournful tone. "It can't be that all the Immortal Emperors who have appeared throughout history have been devoured by this strange entity, can it?"
"Heh, the source of the strangeness, huh?" The Demon Lord chuckled, seemingly disdainful of those bizarre beings capable of devouring Immortal Emperors. "They're nothing but a bunch of filthy vermin, unable to prove their immortality through their own strength, who have chosen some underhanded methods instead."
Let me tell you a story.
“A long, long time ago, in an era infinitely longer than the Immortal Ancient Era, the name of which is now lost to history, is simply called the Mythical Era by us later generations.”
The Mythical Era was an exceptionally brilliant era, said to be incomparably vast. In our present age, it's rare for even one Immortal Emperor to emerge in a single era. Yet, in that era, such beings were countless, culminating in the emergence of ten supreme beings. They all broke through to the Emperor Realm, each with one foot firmly planted in eternity. However, for some unknown reason—perhaps due to a deficiency in the 'fundamental principles' of that era, or perhaps because the sheer number of powerful beings exhausted the universe's lifespan—none of those incredibly powerful beings could truly step into the realm of eternity, achieving true immortality, transcending time, and overlooking the past and present…
Later, they devised a method: they eroded the will of the spirit of the universe, created an eternal sea in the origin of the universe, and then sacrificed all the beings of the entire mythological era to attract their souls into the eternal sea, providing them with a continuous source of life energy.
As long as they remain in the Sea of Eternal Life, they can become immortal and reach the true Eternal Ancestral Realm.
However, the soul energy within the Sea of Immortality would eventually dry up, so they later raised Gu worms in the universe. They transformed the universe into a cage, raising all the beings in the endless small worlds within it as Gu worms, and created a Path of Immortality to guide the souls of the dead beings through the Path of Immortality into the Sea of Immortality, providing them with a continuous source of energy.
In the late Immortal Era, I joined forces with the Dao Ancestor to lead heroes from all heavens in a battle against the strange beings. However, we underestimated the power of those vermin. They resided in the Eternal Sea, which was equivalent to possessing the power of the Eternal Ancestral Realm. Moreover, as long as the Eternal Sea did not dry up, they could not be killed.
In the end, the Dao Ancestor chose to transform into the Dao, thus holding back those strange beings. In addition, the Great Mighty Virtue Supreme God Emperor, who was the Dao Ancestor's second disciple, chose to annihilate his divine soul at the last moment in exchange for physical strength to stay in the Eternal Ancestral Realm, blocking the path to immortality and preventing those strange energies from invading the heavens. Only then did the scattered allied forces have a chance to escape.
Even so, 99% of the people died in that battle.
At this point, the Demon Lord's disdain seemed to grow even stronger.
"Hmph, if those vermin hadn't had all the advantages of timing and location, would they even be worthy of setting foot in the Eternal Ancestral Realm and standing shoulder to shoulder with us?"
"!!!"
Qin Shou was startled.
"You are also at a realm above Immortal Emperor!!"
"Isn't that normal?"
The Demon Lord spread his arms wide, exuding an aura of dominance, and said:
"Throughout this long river of time, countless unparalleled heroes have emerged, yet in the end, only this Demon Lord and... the Dao Ancestor have truly stepped into the realm of eternity through their own strength—eternal, immortal, and indestructible."
"Unfortunately, in that battle back then, if they hadn't outnumbered me and had the advantage of terrain, I could have at least killed two of them, or at the very least, completely eliminated one."
Qin Shou was speechless; the person in front of him was just bragging like a child.
"There's something I'm curious about. Now that you've reached the Eternal Ancestral Realm, becoming an immortal and indestructible being that transcends the river of time, why do you still want to attack the Eternal Sea?"
"The Dao Ancestor invited me."
"He invited you, so you went?!"
"Actually, that's not entirely true. I just can't stand those bastards. They're a bunch of useless trash who barely made it to the Eternal Ancestral Realm by using underhanded methods. And they still want to invite me to join the Eternal Sea and share the Great Dao of Eternity with them."
"Pah! What idiots! They dare to compare themselves to this Demon Lord? I find them disgusting and will kill them all!"
Qin Beast: ? ? ? ?
"The Demon Lord is domineering."
Qin Shou silently gave a thumbs up.
"By the way, you only mentioned one purpose. What are the other purposes for coming here?"
"Keep the appointment."
"What appointment?"
"A promise from eternity ago, to awaken you from your final dream."
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