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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
In the quiet and majestic palace, billowy curtains flickered in the air.
Upon hearing Qing Feng’s voice, the old man lying on the bed moved his fingers. His eyes flickered beneath his eyelids, but they did not open. His thin and dried lips parted as he croaked weakly, “Y-You’re here, Qing Feng…”
Qing Feng stood respectfully by the bed. He had a complicated expression on his face as he said softly, “It’s just as you predicted, Master. Many sections of the Array around Floating Nether Realm have shattered. The aura of the outside world has begun to seep through. Some of the experts might be able to use that to find this place.”
“Apart from that, the Demonic Energy outside the City of No Return has gotten even more intense. Many powerful Demons have appeared, but the Great Commanders and their teams have hunted them down.”
“You don’t need to worry too much.” Qing Feng gave the old City Lord a detailed account of the many things that had occurred recently outside the City of No Return.
In reality, Qing Feng knew that the old City Lord was slowly letting him take over matters pertaining the city in preparation for letting him one day take over the governance of the city.
The old City Lord’s days were numbered. No one knew when he would take his final breath.
Even Grandma Medicine could not do anything under these circumstances. She could only shake her head and sigh.
The old City Lord should have passed on several millennia ago. He had been relying on Secret Techniques and medicinal herbs to stay alive all this while. He said he could not rest easy and move on before he handed the city over to Qing Feng.
“The omens left behind by our Ancestors have started appearing.” Upon hearing this, the old City Lord sighed weakly and asked, “Is the Source Core within the city no longer able to sustain any longer?”
Qing Feng knew he could not hide this from the old man, so he nodded and said, “It can only last for another ten years at most.”
“Ten years…” After a long silence, the old City Lord sighed once more. “Time is running out. There are things I must tell you while I’m still conscious enough to do so. Nevertheless, Cen Shuang is most likely away from the city right now. When she’s back, I will share these things with the two of you.”
Qing Feng stood there respectfully without asking any questions. He knew the old City Lord was saying this because there were things the latter wished to say in private.
The old City Lord seemed to be reminiscing about something. After a while, he slowly said, “Actually… I’ve known all along that you do not wish to become the City Lord of the City of No Return. You’re not from the Floating Nether Realm, and if you could, you would choose to head out to the Immortal Domain to rediscover your past… You always tell me that you’re someone without a past. All the memories you have revolve around your life here in the City of No Return. I am indeed selfish. I wish to keep you here. I want you to manage the city so that you can share some of Cen Shuang’s burdens.”
Qing Feng’s face flashed with confusion as he quietly listened to the old City Lord’s ramblings.
He was indeed a person without memories of his past. All he remembered was waking up in the City of No Return.
After living here for thousands of years, he had begun treating the city as his home.
Initially, he did want to leave this place and venture off to the outside world to find out who he was and discover his past. But by now, his desires had changed drastically. At the same time, the weight on his shoulders was a lot heavier. He had a lot of responsibilities he could not shirk off.
He recalled the children he saw in the academies while making his way over to the palace. They were all learning how to cultivate from their teachers.
With bright and innocent smiles on their faces, they all greeted him respectfully when they saw him.
He also thought about his proud and confident Junior Sister who thought she was no weaker than anyone else.
“You don’t need to say these things, Master. The City of No Return is my home now. I won’t let it get destroyed,” Qing Feng declared to reassure the old City Lord.
Right now, his past was no longer important to him.
Though, there were times when he had strange dreams of endless slaughter and battle that could never cease…
Upon hearing these words, even though the old City Lord’s eyes remained shut, he had a contented smile. He continued, “If you get the chance someday, I still hope that you can search for your past.”
“Qing Feng, you’re the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met. You possess far more power within you than I ever thought possible. I took you in as my disciple for selfish reasons too. Truth be told, I’m not Cen Shuang’s Grandfather. I am merely an old servant acting upon my Master’s orders to protect Cen Shuang until she becomes of age. Cen Shuang’s Father, an Immortal Star King, was one of the most powerful people in the Immortal Domain. He was even the head of the four Star Kings of the Immortal Palace.”
“In you, I sense power even my former Master pales in comparison to…”
Qing Feng was stunned when he heard the old City Lord sharing these secrets with him. He never heard about any of these things before.
[Cen Shuang isn’t his biological Granddaughter? Her Father was the head of the four Star Kings of the Immortal Palace of yore?]
The old City Lord had more to say. His voice was filled with wistfulness.
“Don’t doubt my words. You have a mysterious origin. Even though you can only wield a small amount of your strength, you are already on the threshold of becoming an Immortal King. Even during the glory days of cultivation, an Immortal King was still an impossibly formidable being. Only one emerged every few epochs.”
“Little Yu and the others had to pay a heavy price to summon out those Immortal King Dharma Bodies and give a warning to those from the outside world.”
“There are even fewer Immortal Kings in this era. Every single one of them could be described as invincible beings who could look down on all of existence. However, I have faith that once you comprehend who you are and where you came from, you can surpass the Immortal Kings and reach unimaginable heights…”
At first, the old City Lord planned on telling Qing Feng these things at a later time. Alas, he could sense that his life was soon coming to an end. He did not know how many more days he could hold out for. He was afraid that Qing Feng would never understand these things if he did not clarify them now.
The Little Yu that the old City Lord spoke of was a child he took in a long time ago. Now, the child was known as Elder Yu and was on the verge of becoming an Immortal King as well.
Elder Yu had lived for a very long time. He was one of the most esteemed Elders in the City of No Return.
Qing Feng was still in shock after hearing what the old City Lord said.
“Do I really possess such power? Enough to surpass Immortal Kings…” he murmured.
Judging by the scenes depicted in his dreams, he must have had some kind of unknown identity. Otherwise, he could not have spent all that time battling in that hazy place in his dreams.
“Just who am I?” Qing Feng could not resist pondering to himself.
“A very long time ago, during the glory days of the Immortal Palace, the Floating Nether Realm was actually used to defend against the strange races from the Source Realm outside the Sea of Boundless Expanse…” The old City Lord continued to share the secrets of this place. He planned on telling Qing Feng everything he could.
Even though it seemed like the Floating Nether Realm and the Azure Sea had an interdependent relationship, hardly anyone knew that the Azure Sea was once a sacred and holy land like the Floating Nether Realm.
Later on, for some reason, the strange races from the Source Realm ripped apart the Sea of Boundless Expanse and descended upon the Azure Sea. They destroyed the place and turned it into the land of the Demons.
The so-called Demonic Energy had evolved from the Deathly Yin Energy brought over from the Source Realm. It could taint and corrupt all living beings in this world.
Over the years, all the living beings in the Floating Nether Realm did their best to slaughter the Demons who came in through the rift in the Azure Sea, but few were aware of these secrets.
After hearing what the old City Lord said, Qing Feng finally understood the situation. His eyes flashed with piercing divine light.
His heart stirred. It was as if ancient memories were reawakening in his mind.
“There’s a rift that leads to the Source Realm beyond the Azure Sea?” he murmured.
Prior to this, he never heard of the Source Realm before. However, a memory that felt like it had been seared into his mind, impossible to erase, served as a constant reminder.
The deep-rooted hatred and resentment could not be diminished with time.
[Sooner or later, I will besiege the Source Realm and destroy its core power at the deepest depths to avenge all the darkness that has plagued this world.] Qing Feng thought to himself. It was a conviction that had never wavered.
Even though he did not know what it meant right now, he knew this was perhaps his future goal in life.
“When Cen Shuang comes back, why don’t we make your engagement to her official? I can see that you’ve always liked Cen Shuang. Even though I’m not her real Grandfather, I did raise her all these years… If I make the suggestion, I believe that Cen Shuang would agree too. I can tell that she is fond of you as her Senior Brother, even though she often reacts impulsively.”
As the old City Lord spoke, it was hard to miss the smile in his frail voice. He planned on using what little time he had left to play matchmaker between the two.
Upon hearing those words, the usually calm and reserved Qing Feng was startled.
Once he registered what was said, his expression grew awkward as he quickly waved his hand and said, “Please do not joke around, Master…”
“Cen Shuang only sees me as her Senior Brother and I treat her like my Junior Sister too. I’ve never harboured any other thoughts.”
Nevertheless, the old City Lord simply smiled without saying anything. He could see right through Qing Feng.
Rumble
Just then, everything began to tremble violently as a terrifying aura emanated from the distance and swept over the land. Beneath the city, torrential waves rolled across the Sea of No Return, reaching so high that they threatened to submerge the world.
The entire City of No Return was shaking as if an earthquake had struck.
Numerous cultivators were staring into the distance in shock. They did not know what was happening. Some flew up to get a better look but nearly fell out of the sky due to the tremors.
“The World Principles of the outside world have started to collide with ours… This is a sign that two world are trying to merge together. After countless epochs, is the Immortal Domain about to reunite with the other world that had been separated from it?” Even though the old City Lord’s eyes were closed, he could still sense everything.
Qing Feng was no longer feeling awkward. His expression turned grim as he stared out into the distance.
Inside the Floating Nether Realm, they could not see the changes that were happening in the outside world, but they could sense the changes in the World Principles of the Immortal Domain.
“Master, are you saying that the Immortal Domain is trying to merge with the Source World that had been separated from it?” Qing Feng asked.
The Source World was the other name from the Upper Realm.
At that moment, a tall and valiant figure came in bearing a blood-stained spear. A silver ancient beast that looked like a giant wolf came in behind her.
As she rushed into the palace, none of the guards dared to stop her.
“Junior Sister Cen Shuang…” Upon seeing the silhouette, Qing Feng’s expression became a little complicated.
“A problem has risen over at the Azure Sea. Many Demons even more powerful than before have appeared. They seem to want to cross over the dividing line. We must make a decision at once.! The tall woman dressed in armour was Cen Shuang. She had exquisite features, including a pair of delicate brows, but her demeanour was cool and bold.
She did not waste any time. As soon as she came in, she reported about the situation over at the Azure Sea.
However, before she finished speaking, she noticed what was happening on the edge of the horizon and her brows furrowed. She could not hide the resentment in her eyes.
“Shining upon all of Heaven…” Cen Shuang said those words forcefully.
Endless light burst forth from the edge of the horizon, and a hazy silhouette of someone sitting cross-legged could vaguely be seen. Endless sounds of Dao and the rhythm of the world enveloped him as if the world hovered around him in a sacred display.
Even though it was not his True Body, merely a silhouette that appeared from an immeasurable distance of numerous universes away, all beings felt the urge to fall to their knees and bow in worship towards him.
This was peerless might akin to the Heavenly Dao.
Deep inside the Divine Empire in the Upper Realm, after finishing all the preparations, Gu Changge came to the centre of the universe that was situated in the middle of all territories. As he sat there, unceasing light emerged behind him as all manner of glorious sounds echoed through the universe.
All beings knelt and bowed in worship towards his direction.
Whoosh
The territories began to tremble as Gu Changge’s aura stretched far and wide, covering every corner of the void. His silhouette seemed to have been ignited as it grew hazy.
Immortal Light illuminated the world, appearing in every universe and expelling all darkness.
The Immortal Domain which had been lost for countless epochs finally emerged with magnificent light appearing in the sky.
All the Forces in the Upper Realm, including countless cultivators and living beings, were watching in shock and excitement. They could sense the rich essence of the universe pouring in.
The two ancient and boundless stretches of universes were finally merging once more.
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