Chapter 1618: ? The Immortal Emperor Who Once Cared for the World

The Earth was not yet visible, still very far away, yet a being had already spoken, seemingly having discerned their origins.

"Who are you?!" the Martial Lunatic's master demanded.

Behind them, stars twinkled in the profound cosmos, while ahead, a fiery, brilliant star marked their destination: the Solar System.

Even Immortal King-level beings displayed solemnity, extreme seriousness, and caution when facing the blue watery planet orbiting the sun.

Needless to say, they were well-prepared. A diagram spun above Jiudao Yi's head, emanating chaotic energy.

The surrounding Immortal Kings all resonated with it, jointly activating the Heaven-Burial Diagram.

Should any unforeseen signs appear, this would be a great weapon!

The being they faced was too terrifying; everything had to be prepared in advance.

"White hair stained with myriad tribulations, years flow by in vain. Several epochs have passed in a blink; I myself almost forget who I am," the mysterious being responded calmly.

What allowed them to relax slightly was that he didn't immediately attack, and no boundless killing intent surged forth.

Of course, it might also be that he was too strong, utterly unconcerned by their arrival.

"Greetings, Senior!" an Indulgent Immortal King saluted, wanting to converse with him.

Regardless, as long as this being was willing to speak and seemed inclined to converse, it was a good sign.

Furthermore, this Indulgent Immortal King even felt a slight sense of familiarity and closeness, wondering if it was an illusion or an impulse—did this being have some connection with them?

"May I ask which era you hail from, and which senior figure from history you are?"

Although the conversation was peaceful, everyone remained on high alert, genuinely wanting to know his identity.

"Recalling, reshaping ancient history? There's no meaning in that. I am... a forgotten, decayed person," his words remained peaceful.

New Emperor Gu Qing and Jiudao Yi were both observing in secret, even cautiously using supreme methods to secretly deduce his origins and background.

As Dao Ancestor-level beings, they naturally possessed unfathomable divine abilities and numerous hidden techniques that Immortal Kings couldn't even imagine.

However, with a crack, a sound as if something had shattered, the layers of light screens in front of New Emperor Gu Qing cracked, and his protective divine light exploded.

"What?!" Everyone was startled. How was the New Emperor suddenly severely wounded for no reason? Did the seemingly easy-to-deal-with being directly attack?!

"Clang!"

At the critical moment, the ethereal images of three Emperor artifacts appeared above Gu Qing's head. They trembled together, constantly humming, resisting a dark, massive hand!

Only then were people utterly shocked. That person had already attacked? They hadn't even detected it beforehand!

Furthermore, as a Dao Ancestor-level powerhouse, Gu Qing himself had failed to sense anything in advance and was directly attacked physically, already injured.

"Crack!"

It was as if the pillars supporting the heavens were cracking, about to collapse; the entire world actually trembled, and all the heavens shook.

Everything beneath the heavens resonated, and blood flowed from Gu Qing's glabella. His forehead bone had cracked, and crimson liquid seeped from all seven of his orifices.

This was extremely terrifying, giving a very ominous feeling!

Were his Dao body and his origin about to crack open?

Everyone was horrified, their scalps tingling. Although the conversation wasn't exactly harmonious, it was calm and peaceful, not tense or hostile. How did this being suddenly attack?

Emperor's collapse?!

The New Emperor had only just risen, his imperial seat newly ascended. Was this to be his end, forcefully concluded by an unknown being?!

Indeed, Gu Qing was split open from his glabella, the fissure continuously extending downwards; his entire body was on the verge of being split in two.

His soul light was also severed as the black, massive hand hovering above his head pressed down, rapidly tearing apart his body and soul!

At the critical moment, Jiudao Yi went berserk, activating the Heaven-Burial Diagram, while the other Immortal Kings also awoke with a start and followed, fully activating their powers.

They finally managed to stabilize their position, and at the most perilous moment, the ethereal images of the three Emperor artifacts above Gu Qing's head nearly ignited, emitting eternal light to resist the dark, massive hand.

"I didn't control my past negative emotions well, and a Dao source imprint leaked out. I didn't mean to hurt you; my apologies," the calm voice came from the blue watery planet.

The calm voice came from the blue watery planet, echoing in the cosmic space, appearing exceptionally eerie and chilling.

Gu Qing, having narrowly escaped death, felt profound desolation; everything seemed gray and dim. Deep inside, he experienced a sense of lacking vitality and broke out in a cold sweat.

He was the New Emperor, having just risen, and nearly died already?!

After countless years, the heavens had accumulated enough Dao fortune to give birth to an imperial seat, yet he was made to experience such a perilous moment.

Gu Qing's disciples and followers also turned pale, feeling a bit of existential doubt!

Since when did the imperial position, jointly endorsed by all heavens, become so insignificant?

"Don't panic!" Jiudao Yi roared. The Heaven Diagram floated across the sky, resisting at the front. All divine kings imbued it with their power, causing the diagram to churn with chaos, vaguely revealing scenes of the world's creation followed by its destruction.

"Although I will fill you all into the black abyss, leaving none behind, that was indeed a mistake just now; I didn't intend to act so quickly. And if I truly intend to kill, I believe no one can survive. Although I have gained a sliver of vitality from decay and temporarily returned to the living, I am old and tend to ramble; I wanted someone to talk to, so there's no rush for anything yet."

Upon hearing this, how could their spines not turn cold?

Most of them were Immortal Kings, plus two Dao Ancestors, yet this being didn't seem to care much at all. What did this imply?

Was it truly a creature at the end of the cultivation path entrenched here?!

Many people turned pale, their expressions extremely grim. Was this truly a catastrophe about to befall them?

"Alright, this Emperor will talk with you. Who exactly are you, what era did you originate from, and are you the bringer of disaster for that epoch?!" the Dog Emperor demanded resolutely.

Everyone's expressions changed. This dog had gone mad, challenging an Immortal Emperor; it was purely tired of living and seeking death!

At that level, even reversing ancient and modern times or causing the heavens to collapse with a single thought would be no problem. Conversing with him like this, would they be instantly killed?

Everyone knew that if he truly was an Immortal Emperor, even a multitude of Dao Ancestors would be useless, simply not enough!

"How can you call me a bringer of disaster? In the past, I also held the world in my heart. Thinking about it carefully, I didn't personally commit any great evils."

A sigh came from the cosmic void; he seemed to be reminiscing, recalling, and regretting the past.

Everyone was frantically thinking: Who exactly was he in history?

Regarding beings at the end of the cultivation path, counting through the past epochs, how many could there be from ancient times to the present? Counting from the very first origin, would they exceed the fingers of one hand?

Comparing one after another, they couldn't find anyone who matched his identity.

Of course, they were people of later generations; when tracing back to ancient times, they would at most know the general events of the past few epochs.

The river of time was too vast; few people could know about epochs too far back. Even inscriptions and ruins had largely been eroded away.

This being was most likely a monster from an extremely ancient period?!

"Relax, nothing will happen for now. If I truly wanted to kill you, I believe it wouldn't take much time. Old people are prone to sentimentality, and I don't want all of you to turn into blood mist."

He was actually comforting them!

However, this method made it impossible for people to relax; instead, it sent shivers down their spines. Facing such an unbeatable being, they felt powerless and terrified.

If he was an Immortal Emperor from the past, no one would stand a chance.

"A being of this level," someone whispered in despair, "the moment he lifts his hand to suppress, Dao Ancestors from all directions would immediately collapse, unable to resist. They are not on the same order of magnitude at all."

"It's truly a pity," he said. "It seems none of you can find any trace of me in the annals of history. It seems all realms have truly forgotten me completely."

"I was once young and rose in the most chaotic era. At that time, I held the world in my heart, campaigned everywhere, quelled chaos, exterminated the bizarre, protected various races, walked to the end of an evolutionary path, becoming a supreme powerhouse, ruling over all heavens."

"I was an Immortal Emperor. Who shared time with me, who walked with me, who can still remember me? What a pity. I was once the king of all of you, your Heavenly Emperor, but one day, my clan was annihilated, I died, and everything turned to dust!"

Everyone was aghast upon hearing this. A supreme Immortal Emperor-level powerhouse, who had reached the end of his path, whose clan was entirely annihilated, and who eventually died himself—what exactly did he encounter?!

He seemed to have a strong desire to confide, having been alone for too long; a being of this level actually started rambling, recounting past events.

"Later, I revived. After all, Immortal Emperors are very hard to kill. As long as a single thought remains in the world, as long as one person remembers me, I can reappear in the river of time."

A being who candidly admitted to having been an Immortal Emperor—how could that not make all the kings shudder? Now, every single person was extremely anxious!

"But regrettably, I was killed by a great villain again," he said, shaking his head.

Which great villain could kill him? What was his background?!

At this point, his voice paused slightly, as if he had discovered something.

Then, Chu Feng's heart surged, and his soul light soared; he felt as if he had been targeted by some monstrous beast of extreme horror.

Even his thoughts seemed to solidify; he was completely unable to move.

At the critical moment, the stone pot resonated with him, and only then did he break out in a cold sweat, escaping that terrifying situation.

As expected, that being had targeted him and directly spoke to Chu Feng: "Your face looks familiar, like a long-lost acquaintance."

Chu Feng immediately puffed out his chest, lifted his head, and smiled brilliantly, saying, "Everyone says I'm vigorous and naturally charming. For example, the Dog Emperor, who is so difficult to get along with and has a terrible personality, became especially joyful after seeing me. And Senior Jiudao Yi, though a Dao Ancestor, is reclusive and prone to gnawing on people's legs, but after seeing me for the first time, he was overjoyed; after seeing my true face, even his eyebrows were smiling."

In the distance, the Dog Emperor opened his mouth as if to spit, vehemently warning him, "Can you speak properly? If not, shut up and swallow it!"

"Your face is annoying; I don't like it," the unidentified Immortal Emperor from the old era said directly.

Instantly, Chu Feng's smile froze.

He had just been feeling pleased with himself, thinking the other party found him agreeable, but it turned out... he was so unlikable!

"The world is truly wondrous. Is there really something mysterious about this planet, this old land? Why have several people emerged consecutively, all bearing slight resemblances? Or perhaps, you are them? If so, I am fortunate. I happen to want to personally refine you!"

What kind of talk was this? Was he going to personally extract his tendons and sever his soul? Chu Feng was horrified; this wasn't karma he had incurred, and he didn't want to bear this huge blame!

At this moment, some were even more nervous and unsettled than Chu Feng!

Whether it was the Dog Emperor, the Corpse, or Jiudao Yi and the three old soldiers beside him, all of them bristled.

"Are you saying...?!" Jiudao Yi spoke, his thoughts surging intensely!

"His appearance bears a slight resemblance to that great villain, but his temperament is completely different," the Immortal Emperor from the old era said.

Most people were confused. He mentioned the great villain again, but there was no such title in history. Who could it be?

Only Jiudao Yi and a few others were shocked and excited.

"You all... seem to not know that great villain. That's not right. He was so ferocious, and not much time has passed—only a few epochs. How could the world not know his name?"

"Unless he died and all his traces were erased. But that feels impossible! Such a brutal villain, capable of killing even me, should be very difficult to encounter an opponent."

"Otherwise, it would simply make me seem too incompetent!"

"After all, I was once truly invincible under heaven and on earth, having fought through ancient and modern times without an opponent!"

Only then did some of the kings start making connections.

Jiudao Yi reacted most intensely, saying, "You... don't talk nonsense. How is he a great villain? He never was!"

Seeing him like this, everyone understood, and immediately, a monstrous wave of shock surged in their hearts!

"How was he ferocious?" Chu Feng couldn't help but ask.

"Anyone who was his enemy was mostly roasted, boiled, and eaten by him," the unidentified mysterious powerhouse retorted. "Do you call that ferocious or not?"

Ninety percent of the people had realized. Judging by Jiudao Yi's reaction, they should have guessed who he was talking about!

But that person... had so much dark history?!

If it was that person, then who was this one before them?!