After leaving Bluesky Alley, Little Gui asked, “Senior Brother, what now?”
“Find an inn,” Xu Zimo smiled. “Drink until we drop.”
The Primordial Heartlands are divided into five continents, and these continents are not connected.
Between them lies the Endless Heavenly Sea, an ocean so vast that many say seventy percent of the world is water, while only thirty percent is land.
Scattered among this endless ocean are countless floating islands, in addition to the five massive continents.
A blanket of white mist concealed a portion of the Endless Heavenly Sea. For martial artists traveling between the Eastern and Middle Continents, this misted region is a known forbidden zone.
Once inside, all six senses are sealed.
Some who enter the mist might, with great luck, stumble their way back out. But others… they become permanently lost. Even Empyrean Meridian Realm experts are not exempt from death in the fog.
Beyond the thick veil of mist stood a towering immortal mountain, vast and majestic.
It wasn’t just the mist that shielded it, around the mountain was a layer of transparent barrier.
The peak stretched into the clouds, its top unseen. Within echoed the chant of Dao, while cranes soared freely into the skies.
The mountain stood tall and mysterious, so monumental that a single glimpse was said to etch its image into one’s soul forever.
But thanks to the mist, no one had seen it fully.
It simply existed in silence, as if it had always been part of heaven and earth.
Jiang Mochou awoke from unconsciousness, disoriented.
He found himself in a simple thatched hut, sunlight streaming in through a small window. The air was filled with a strong herbal aroma.
He tried to recall what happened but could remember nothing, only that he had suddenly collapsed.
He stepped off the bed. Surprisingly, his body felt completely fine.
Opening the wooden door, blinding sunlight poured in, and what he saw left him frozen in place.
Deer with rainbow-colored antlers galloped across lush grass.
Brilliantly colored birds soared above him.
Before his eyes, flowers and trees bloomed in a kaleidoscope of colors, it was as if the whole world had been painted in radiant hues.
An old man in a green robe moved among the blossoms, watering them slowly and calmly with a watering can.
“You’re awake? Sleep well?” the old man asked with a warm smile.
“Where am I?” Jiang Mochou asked cautiously.
“This place? It has no name. Some call it the Immortal Mountain, others call it the Forbidden Land,” the elder said with a chuckle. “If you want specifics, it’s located on a nameless island between the Eastern and Middle Continents, deep within the Endless Heavenly Sea.”
“Who are you? Why am I here?” Jiang Mochou pressed further.
“My name? It’s been so long that I’ve forgotten. All things in this world eventually return to nothing. Born with nothing, die with nothing. Just call me the Lord of Nihility,” the old man replied kindly. “I saved your life, so I brought you here.”
“You saved me? Who was trying to kill me?” Jiang Mochou asked, puzzled.
“We’ll talk about that later,” the elder said with a smile. “No need to worry, I have no ill will toward you. But before I tell you more, I need to ask you something very important.”
“Go ahead,” Jiang Mochou nodded.
“If one day, this world faces destruction… Would you be willing to become its savior?” the old man asked, looking directly into his eyes.
“The world destroyed? Savior?” Jiang Mochou frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Just answer: Yes or no?” the Elder of Nihility repeated.
“No interest,” Jiang Mochou shook his head. “If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up.
“You don’t want to be a hero? A savior?” the elder pressed.
“No,” Jiang Mochou answered flatly.
“Think about it, if you save the world, you’ll be revered by countless people. Your name and deeds will be remembered forever,” the old man said softly.
“What’s your point?” Jiang Mochou frowned.
“If you become the savior, even your parents would be proud-”
Before the elder could finish, Jiang Mochou cut him off.
“I’ll say it again. I have no interest in being a savior. I don’t even have parents anymore. What I want, what I live for, is to one day destroy the Supreme Primal Sacred Ground. To make those who deserve punishment pay for their sins.”
The Lord of Nihility was silent for a long time. Then he finally spoke, his voice hoarse: “Perhaps… I can help you.”
Jiang Mochou turned to look at him in surprise.
“Become my disciple. I’ll teach you everything I’ve learned in my lifetime,” the elder said calmly. “I only ask for one thing: After you’ve taken your revenge, if, one day, this world truly stands on the brink of annihilation, you must step forward without hesitation and stop it.”
“As long as I can have revenge, I’ll agree to anything,” Jiang Mochou nodded eagerly.
“No, you still don’t understand,” the elder shook his head. “This is a sacred duty. You must accept it willingly, not out of obligation or revenge. Maybe you don’t get it now… But if that day really comes, you’ll understand.”
Jiang Mochou looked puzzled. He could barely grasp what the elder meant.
“Come,” the elder sighed.
Spiritforce surged from his body. With a wave of his hand, a boundless vortex appeared before them.
He led Jiang Mochou into it.
The sky was blood red, the earth covered in deep cracks.
There was no sun in the sky, only darkness cloaking everything.
Below, creatures, human or beast, were like ants in a cage, living miserably and without dignity.
Torrents raged. Volcanoes erupted.
In the sky, lightning and chaos twisted through the heavens, enveloping the world in an apocalyptic gloom.
And above it all, a lone figure stood in the sky.
His gaze was calm, indifferent, overlooking a shattered world.
He stood alone, high above, coldly watching all living beings below.