The vast Ancient Realm stretched out without end. Suddenly, a figure wreathed in black mist flashed across the deep-blue sky.
It was Ao Sheng, who had just left.
At that moment, a foul, rotting darkness emanated from Ao Sheng's entire body. He was like a demonic creature that had plunged into boundless darkness. This dark aura reflected the despair and fury buried deep within him. Under its shroud, his face grew hideous and terrifying, striking fear into all who saw him.
After defeating the phantom of the Qilin Ancestral God, Ao Sheng still had five points of combat strength—enough to suppress and abduct certain peak Immortal Kings. But just as he was about to make his move, he suddenly sensed an aura that did not belong to this world, yet shared the same origin as his own. He had no choice but to leave.
Ao Sheng was no longer the man he had once been. Now, his body had been possessed by the soul of a Quasi-Immortal Emperor from the Weird Clan in the Land of Heaven. His own soul was sealed deep within his sea of consciousness, its fate unknown. The "half-emperor" strength he wielded had also been bestowed upon him by the Quasi-Immortal Emperor of the Weird Clan. In other words, Ao Sheng had already taken half a step into darkness.
Just as Ao Sheng was speeding away, a world-destroying attack suddenly struck from behind. It sent him crashing to the ground, blasted his body into a cloud of blood, and left him severely wounded.
But in the very next moment, Ao Sheng reconstituted his body. His half-emperor aura had weakened, however, falling to the peak of the giant level.
"It's you, Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi!" Ao Sheng stamped hard enough to split the earth, shot into the sky, and roared furiously, his face twisted as he revealed the attacker.
"You scum of the Weird Clan! You actually dared to smuggle your soul into the lower realm. What audacity!" Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi said coldly, his voice brimming with killing intent.
Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi arrived through the void, taking a step with each passing year as he closed in on Ao Sheng at tremendous speed.
He was tall and imposing as a mountain, giving off a sense of solidity. His clean, elegant white Daoist robe set off his resolute features, and his deep eyes seemed capable of seeing straight into a person's heart.
"By the Heavenly Emperor's decree, I shall suppress this treacherous fiend!"
Chi Yi wasted no time on further words. He raised a hand and sent the Heaven Sea Seal crashing toward Ao Sheng. The great seal's aura was immense, and it bore down on Ao Sheng with boundless might, seeking to annihilate him beneath its force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
This entire region was blasted into nothingness and turned to chaos. Countless living beings perished beneath that single strike.
Ao Sheng's body was that of an Immortal King, but his soul belonged to a Quasi-Immortal Emperor of the Weird Clan. He was no ordinary opponent. Black mist surged around him, and demonic light swirled as he blocked the world-destroying attack.
Ao Sheng spat out great mouthfuls of black Immortal King blood. To keep his Immortal King body from being blasted into a cloud of blood, he had poured all his power into enduring the attack—and paid dearly for it.
"Kill!" Ao Sheng's robe was in tatters, his body covered in wounds. Immortal King blood flowed from him, staining the front of his robe red. He had paid a heavy price to withstand that blow.
Yet a strange gleam flickered in Ao Sheng's eyes. He looked up at Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi, a cold smile curling his lips.
"Hmph, you think that's enough to defeat me?" Ao Sheng said coldly. "I'm not so easily beaten."
With that, the darkness within Ao Sheng erupted, unleashing a tremendous surge of energy. Under its force, the entire Ancient Realm trembled as though it were about to collapse.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Ao Sheng fled hundreds of millions of miles, his speed still rising.
Ao Sheng was no match for Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi. The difference between them was simply too great; he had no hope of defeating a Quasi-Immortal Emperor.
Since his body was still that of an Immortal King, even a Quasi-Immortal Emperor's soul could not help Ao Sheng withstand a true Quasi-Immortal Emperor. He could only use every trick at his disposal to escape Chi Yi.
"Hmph, what a nuisance." Watching Ao Sheng flee beyond the region, Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi furrowed his brow. "In that case, I'll stop holding back."
As the words fell, he released a wisp of the aura unique to a Quasi-Immortal Emperor. In an instant, space-time froze and time stood still. The entire region became like a dazzling, multicolored painting.
As a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, Chi Yi could reverse the stars and send the sun and moon into the distance with a single step. Beneath the Upper Realm, apart from the Dark Immortal Emperor, he possessed the greatest strength and speed in existence. He was the sovereign!
Crushed beneath the Quasi-Immortal Emperor's aura, Ao Sheng could not move. Even with a Quasi-Immortal Emperor's soul, he was now firmly pinned down, utterly helpless.
"You're not getting away." Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi came before Ao Sheng, withdrew his aura, and captured him.
In that desolate region, Ao Sheng was taken alive by Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi. A powerful aura enveloped his body, rendering him immobile. He stared at Chi Yi, his heart filled with unwillingness and despair.
"Hmph, you scum of the Weird Clan. So this is how it ends for you." Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi said coldly. "You thought that having a Quasi-Immortal Emperor's soul would let you stand against a true Quasi-Immortal Emperor? How naive."
Ao Sheng said nothing. He knew he had no chance left. A look of resolve flickered in his eyes. His fate was sealed, but he would not give up. He would fight for his faith.
Looking into Ao Sheng's eyes, Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi could not help feeling puzzled. He did not know what Ao Sheng believed in, but he could sense his resolve and determination.
"The Weird Clan will never be slaves!" The Quasi-Immortal Emperor soul of the Weird Clan instantly left Ao Sheng's body, turning into a wisp of black smoke thick with Quasi-Immortal Emperor aura as it raced toward the Boundary Sea.
After leaving the frail Immortal King body behind, the Quasi-Immortal Emperor of the Weird Clan leapt like a fish through the Dragon Gate, and his strength surged. But he did not fight Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi; instead, he fled toward the Boundary Sea.
His Quasi-Immortal Emperor body was there, and it was also the ancestral land of darkness in this great world. Three Quasi-Immortal Emperors resided there. Once his soul fused with his own emperor body, he would be a genuine Dark Quasi-Immortal Emperor—and would have nothing to fear from Chi Yi.
Watching the Quasi-Immortal Emperor soul of the Weird Clan flee right under his nose, Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi roared in fury, his eyes filled with frustration.
Just as he was about to enter the Boundary Sea and intercept the Quasi-Immortal Emperor of the Weird Clan, the Heavenly Emperor's voice rang in his ear, ordering him to return to the Land of Heaven at once. With no other choice, Quasi-Immortal Emperor Chi Yi temporarily abandoned the pursuit, left a Spirit Body behind, and flew back toward the Land of Heaven.
One hour later.
Immortal King Wuzhong, Immortal King Six Paths Reincarnation, Immortal King Sanqing, and the other Immortal Kings from both realms arrived belatedly. Seeing Ao Sheng and the other kings sprawled on the ground, they immediately grew wary. Only after confirming that Ao Sheng was truly unconscious did they bind him with the Immortal Binding Rope, to prevent him from going berserk and causing more chaos.
"There's something strange about this place. We must leave at once." Immortal King Sanqing looked around, his white brows drawn together. He sensed something uncanny here.
At his words, the other Immortal Kings nodded in agreement. Even the slightest probing of this region with their divine senses made every Immortal King groan beneath an extraordinarily powerful pressure. Though it was only a trace, the lingering fluctuations were still terrifying. Even Immortal Kings could not investigate safely.
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