Undying Life

Chapter 824: Surrounded by Various Powers

In the Yin Realm, outside the Small Thousand World where Zhong Shan resided:

In the Yin Realm of the Great Thousand World, nestled within a vast forest, stood countless palaces. At the center of this palace complex, within the grand hall, sat a man in white robes, exuding an air of elegance and refinement. If Zhong Shan were here, he would instantly recognize him.

He was Tiantang, a member of the Tian family, a side branch of the main family in the Great Thousand World.

In the past, Tiantang had led a group of Tian family members into the Small Thousand World, intending to ambush and kill Zhong Shan. Unfortunately, they encountered the powerful Da Qin empire. First, Wang Jian's soul returned, and then Bai Qi chased after Tiantang.

Tiantang managed to escape at the last moment, but he lost a powerful sacred artifact in the process. In addition to the artifact, he also lost many of his family members.

Tiantang sat silently in the grand hall. Suddenly, a man in green robes entered.

"Third Brother!"

"Do we have any news?" Tiantang asked.

"Not yet. I have distributed Zhong Shan's portrait throughout the 'Wheel Domain,' and with Fourth Lord's decree, we have mobilized nearby Tian dynasties to keep an eye on this Small Thousand World. Not a single person from Zhong Shan's Daxia has ascended," the green-robed man said.

"Hmm!" Tiantang nodded, remaining calm.

"Third Brother, the ones who harmed Tian Lai were likely from Da Tai. Jingbo Pond was also taken by Ying, and Tian Ling might have been taken by him too. Sixth Uncle has already gone to track Da Qin's traces. Why are we still here? Is Zhong Shan really that important?" the green-robed man asked in confusion.

"It's not about importance. I want revenge for Tian Lai!" Tiantang's voice was icy.

"But..."

"If it weren't for Zhong Shan, Tian Lai wouldn't have died. Tian Lai's body and soul were both destroyed. Avenging this with only Da Qin is not enough to appease my anger. Besides, following Sixth Uncle would only make us burdens. If we can't kill Ying, then I will kill Zhong Shan. I want Zhong Shan to pay in blood!" Tiantang said coldly.

"Understood!"

In the Yang Realm, outside the Small Thousand World where Zhong Shan resided:

In the Yang Realm of the Great Thousand World, the scene was entirely different.

Endless rays of dawn light shot up into the sky. In the high heavens, countless illusions of dragons, phoenixes, qilins, and other divine beasts flew about. Heavenly music resounded in all directions, enchanting all who heard it. The air was filled with exotic fragrances, bringing immense comfort to anyone who inhaled it. Everything thrived and grew, as boundless essence of heaven and earth gathered from all directions.

Heavenly phenomena descended, a precursor to the opening of the heavens!

Surrounding this domain of celestial phenomena were various great powers.

In one region, a large army stood, their banners reading "Taichu."

At the center of this power's territory was a vast complex of buildings, with a colossal floating island at its core. Though not as large as the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, it was about one-tenth its size, with a grand hall at the top.

In the center of the hall stood over a dozen officials in official robes, each with a stern expression, as if waiting for something.

"Lord Sima, when will the Holy King arrive?" one of them asked.

"He arrived just as we received the news. The Holy King has come to oversee this. Perhaps the Small Thousand World, which has been suppressed for hundreds of years, is about to open the heavens!" another man said.

"Hmm!"

As the officials were conversing, a silver-robed figure suddenly appeared on the throne in the northern part of the grand hall.

The luxurious, loose robe covered the entire figure, making it impossible to discern whether they were male or female. The person's face was hidden behind a sharply defined silver mask, exuding an aura of authority but revealing no clue about their gender.

"Greetings to the Holy King, may the Holy King enjoy eternal fortune and longevity equal to the heavens!" the ministers bowed deeply in unison.

"Hmm!" a voice, indistinguishable in gender, came from behind the silver mask.

"Since the last report, what has happened around this Small Thousand World? What changes have occurred among the powers? Sima Zongheng, you report!" the Taichu Holy King asked calmly.

"Yes!" Sima Zongheng immediately stepped forward to report.

"In the Fengzhong Domain, the three Holy Courts and the three major Dao Fields have all sent people here. The leaders of the three Dao Fields have also come," Sima Zongheng said.

"Hmm, those are the powers within our Fengzhong Domain. What about others?" the Holy King inquired.

"There are also some extraterritorial forces. Originally, many of them were difficult to identify, but since the incident with the saint's corpse and the ensuing slaughter, some very powerful forces have revealed themselves. These include the 'Archaic Families,' the 'Haotian Bright Palace with the Jade Emperor,' the 'Shitian Sacred Realm,' and others that I couldn't identify. Moreover, some forces have remained hidden and have not acted at all," Sima Zongheng reported.

"Hmm!" the Taichu Holy King nodded.

"Holy King, why is this Small Thousand World so peculiar? Why has it attracted so many great powers? And how did it contain a saint's corpse? Although no one could stop the saint's corpse, it was still incredible. Moreover, the inhabitants of this world are extremely formidable. Over two hundred years ago, the powerful Yu Yangzhi reached into the Small Thousand World through a weakened space barrier caused by Da Qin's Ying, but he was severely injured and forced to retreat," Sima Zongheng said with a frown.

"Yu Yangzhi? He is merely at the peak of the Great Immortal stage. Breaking through this world was not easy. It was during a time when the space was weakened due to Da Qin's Ying, which allowed him to reach in," the Taichu Holy King said calmly.

"Da Qin? Ying?" the ministers looked at the Holy King in confusion.

"He has already left this Small Thousand World. Soon, you will hear more about Da Qin," the Holy King said without further explanation.

"Understood!"

"What happened to Yu Yangzhi, who was injured by Ying?" the Holy King asked.

"Two hundred years ago, when the saint's corpse appeared, it triggered endless slaughter. Yu Yangzhi participated and was killed by a strong individual," Sima Zongheng reported.

"Killed? By whom?"

"He left six words."

"Oh?"

"The person had a flame pattern on his forehead. When he killed Yu Yangzhi, he shouted, 'Dao Dao Dao, Kill Kill Kill.' A surge of killing intent split Yu Yangzhi in half."

"'Dao Dao Dao, Kill Kill Kill'? A flame pattern on his forehead? The Daoist Sect of the Mortal Realm?" the Holy King asked with a hint of gravity in his voice.

"The Daoist Sect of the Mortal Realm?" Everyone in the hall showed expressions of seriousness.

"This Small Thousand World indeed involves many powers," the Taichu Holy King said calmly.

The ministers remained solemn.

No matter how tumultuous the outside world was, within the Small Thousand World, the process of breaking the Primordial Chaos and opening the heavens continued.

With Zhong Shan's final strike, the entire Yin Realm shook violently, as if experiencing the apocalypse. Indeed, it was the end of the world—the end of the Small Thousand World.

Zhong Shan's final strike finally broke through the Primordial Chaos barrier. He felt his arm extend beyond this world, reaching out of the Small Thousand World.

Endless rays of dawn light shone through Zhong Shan's arm into the Small Thousand World, illuminating him with a radiant glow. Celestial omens descended from the heavens, signaling that the Great Thousand World had detected the opening of this world.

Zhong Shan dared not hesitate. With his right hand piercing the Small Thousand World barrier, he followed with his left hand. His eyes widened, and his muscles swelled with power.

"Haah!"

With a mighty shout, Zhong Shan struck through the opening in the barrier with all his strength. The terrifying power surged in one direction, the destructive intent of the Heaven-Opening Palm reaching its peak in his hands. This was the true act of opening the heavens.

Under the might of his palms, the sky split open with a vast rift, stretching infinitely, seemingly reaching the ends of the universe.

"Haah!"

Reversing his stance, Zhong Shan shouted again, slashing once more. The other half of the sky was also split by the destructive intent of the Heaven-Opening Palm.

A colossal rift divided the heavens and the earth into two halves. Endless auspicious energy from the Great Thousand World poured down.

It seemed as if a seven-colored rainbow had split the heavens in two, accompanied by celestial music and a fragrant aroma filling the air.

Infinite brilliance radiated to every corner of the Yin Realm. The inhabitants of the Yin Realm felt an indescribable comfort as if their bodies were filled with celestial energy. The Small Thousand World was filled with "spiritual energy," but the Great Thousand World had "essence energy," or celestial energy.

Endless celestial energy poured into the Small Thousand World through the rainbow-like rift, benefiting everyone, especially the divine figures atop Changjing.

Zhong Shan stood towering, holding the rift in the sky of the two realms, seemingly waiting for something.

This was merely his shadow body. At that moment, Zhong Shan's main body had already returned to the Yang Realm.

Heavenly Demon Tempering Technique, seventh level! Eightfold strength.

On top of his already terrifying power, Zhong Shan unleashed even more fearsome strength.

Stomping the ground, he began to break through the Primordial Chaos barrier of the Yang Realm.

"Boom!"

With both palms facing the sky, Zhong Shan slashed at the Primordial Chaos barrier, causing the entire Yang Realm to tremble.

Around the Lingxiao Heavenly Court, everyone suddenly noticed the Sovereign had returned, and he seemed eager to open the heavens.

The barrier in the Yang Realm was much stronger than in the Yin Realm, but Zhong Shan's power had increased eightfold.

With terrifying collisions and relentless strikes, Zhong Shan shattered the surrounding space into black holes.

"Slash!"

"Slash!"

"Slash!"

Zhong Shan struck repeatedly, widening the rift in the Yang Realm barrier. The opening of the heavens in the Yang Realm was imminent.

The people of the world hailed, "Long live the Sovereign, long live, long live!" The monumental feat of opening the heavens and the imminent ascension filled everyone's hearts with intense excitement.