At that moment, Li Ming was in high spirits, reigning over the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
For a moment, the many Dark Supremes saw shadows of their younger selves in him.
Back when they had first attained Enlightenment as Supreme and ruled the world, they too had been as confident as Li Ming. They had believed they would surely become immortals one day and looked down on the Dark Supremes hiding in the Dark Restricted Areas.
Everyone who attained Enlightenment as Supreme had been invincible in their era, sweeping through the stars without an equal. They could truly hold sway over an age.
Even knowing that the Road to Immortality had long since been destroyed and cut off, they had firmly believed they could forge a new one through their own efforts.
Unfortunately, those had been nothing more than beautiful dreams.
As they reached their twilight years, their obsession with immortality and the threat of death changed them profoundly.
With their friends and loved ones already gone, the vast majority of Supremes eventually chose to sever their own cultivation and become Supremes of the Dark Restricted Areas.
They had helplessly joined the very Dark Supremes they once despised.
Who could have imagined that the Supremes who once protected all living beings would become the source of the Dark Turmoil?
The dragon slayers and the dragons were the very same people!
This secret circulated only among families and holy lands that held Supreme legacies. Ordinary families and holy lands had no standing to learn it.
Those who knew guarded it closely and would never speak of it lightly.
Carelessly mentioning a Supreme by name might be enough for that Supreme to sense it.
Especially if the speaker harbored ill intent.
This was no laughing matter.
At that very moment, deep in the cosmic starfield, enormous tombs throughout the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone began to rumble.
The Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone was not on Beidou Star then. It occupied a realm of its own amid the mysterious stars.
Faced with the pressure and provocation of Li Ming's Grand Dao Rules, the other Forbidden Zones and Supremes chose to watch coldly.
But the lord of the Immortal Mausoleum could not tolerate the provocation.
He awoke from his deepest slumber, still unaware of what had happened in the world.
Yet a Heavenly Venerable who had lived into his Third Lifetime before severing his own cultivation would naturally never tolerate such a challenge.
He struck across the void.
Clang! Clang!
An Immortal Sword cut through eternity like a heavenly sword in flight, dazzling beyond compare.
Its keen light was so brilliant that no one could keep their eyes open. Its power was terrifying in the extreme.
In the cold, dark universe, rivers of stars shattered and starfields went dark one after another, reduced to ash by the sword's aura.
Countless living beings felt that terrifying Extreme Dao Divine Might and thought their souls would be torn apart.
The fearsome divine sword bore down on the Chaos and thunder that held the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands under its sway.
The sword seemed to pierce past, present, and future, radiating terrifying power of the Grand Dao as it pressed down on the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
Facing the Longevity Immortal Sword, Li Ming instantly fused his Chaos and thunder into a Chaos Thunder Sea.
Chaotic Divine Thunder raged like a world-shattering Heavenly Tribulation, radiating terrifying destructive power.
It seemed capable of swallowing all creation into Chaos, then splitting heaven from earth anew.
From that Chaos Thunder, a fist surging with vital energy took shape.
Its vital energy rolled like a sea and thunder burst around it. Countless stars turned to ash beneath the divine fist.
A thunderous boom rang out.
Fist and sword collided.
It was a clash of the Grand Dao and laws, a contest of individual wills, a collision of unshakable convictions.
A battle between Heavenly Venerables was terrifying beyond measure.
It was a struggle not only of flesh and Primordial Spirits, but also of their understanding of the Grand Dao.
Terrifying storms of energy and the Grand Dao erupted, shaking the entire universe.
Dazzling light spread in every direction and swept across the heavens. Countless rivers of stars were destroyed, and countless stars turned to ash.
Fortunately, this starfield was uninhabited.
Even so, the immense shockwaves and ripples of the Grand Dao shook the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
A clash between Heavenly Venerables could suppress the Grand Dao of the entire world.
"Was that a Divine War between Heavenly Venerables, stronger even than Supremes?"
"That was terrifying!"
"How many Divine Wars between Heavenly Venerables have there been since ancient times?"
"Who would have thought we'd see one in this age?"
"Longevity Heavenly Venerable's Grand Dao was forcibly suppressed!"
"Demon Venerable's Grand Dao was even more terrifying!"
"Demon Venerable truly deserved his reputation as a Chaotic Body. In his First Lifetime, he could already clash with Longevity Heavenly Venerable in his Third!"
After awakening, Longevity Heavenly Venerable had taken the initiative to test Demon Venerable's strength. The many Dark Supremes were delighted to watch.
Some even secretly egged him on.
But none of them had expected the mighty Longevity Heavenly Venerable to lose in their very first exchange.
The clash shocked the world.
The duel between Demon Venerable and Longevity Heavenly Venerable shook the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
Demon Venerable had thrown just one punch, yet it sent blood spraying from Longevity Heavenly Venerable, lord of the Immortal Mausoleum, for three thousand miles and laid his white bones bare.
The Longevity Immortal Sword gave a mournful cry. In the blink of an eye, its light dimmed, and a deep crack appeared along its blade. It had nearly shattered.
Longevity Heavenly Venerable's Immortal Source burst apart, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone was a strange place, filled with one enormous tomb after another.
Many of the tombs were empty, yet Immortal Dao Runes glimmered across them, and the Divine Resonance of the Immortal Dao flowed through them.
Legend held that True Immortals had once slumbered here, one in each tomb.
The Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone was vast. It occasionally manifested in the world, but most of the time no one could find any trace of it.
Now, many Dark Supremes lay hidden within it, making it a fearsome Life Forbidden Zone.
In the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone, normally peaceful and steeped in an immortal aura, a great tomb suddenly exploded.
Countless fragments became a rain of light that surged like a vast ocean, throwing up towering waves.
Under the impact of the Grand Dao Laws, even the Divine Resonance of the Immortal Dao here fell into disarray.
Chaos Thunder suddenly appeared in the Forbidden Zone, raging like a terrifying Heavenly Tribulation bent on destroying everything, as though it would obliterate every tomb.
"Demon Venerable!"
"You've gone too far!"
"Do you truly intend to raze our Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone all by yourself?"
From the depths of the shattered tomb, Longevity Heavenly Venerable stumbled out of his Immortal Source. He wiped the blood from his lips, shock and fury written across his face.
An ancient war chariot appeared. He sat cross-legged upon it and rode slowly out of the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone.
Chaos swirled around him, and the Myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth roared.
He wore a purple-gold crown and a Daoist robe. Gray-brown hair fell over his chest and back, while suns, moons, and stars perished within his terrifying eyes.
This was Longevity Heavenly Venerable of the Age of Mythology.
Having lived into his Third Lifetime before severing his own cultivation, Longevity Heavenly Venerable was extraordinarily powerful.
He sat cross-legged on the ancient war chariot with the Longevity Immortal Sword across his knees, its peerless aura radiating outward.
Almost in the blink of an eye, he reached the cosmic starfield.
He had long since ceased to need a chariot, but it represented his authority as a Heavenly Venerable.
Even if he died in battle, he would meet his end in glory.
He had never expected to be awakened after so many years of slumber.
Nor had he expected to encounter Demon Venerable, a Chaotic Body who had attained Enlightenment as Supreme, and find him so terrifyingly strong.
A single exchange across the void had suppressed his Grand Dao and left him worse off.
He could not swallow this humiliation. Li Ming had obstructed his path to the Dao.
Within the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone, more and more Dark Supremes awoke and helped Longevity Heavenly Venerable resist the Chaos Thunder and Grand Dao.
Before long, the Chaos Thunder vanished. The entire Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone lay in ruins.
"Demon Venerable's strength is terrifying!"
"Even if Longevity Heavenly Venerable underwent Extreme Sublimation, he might not be a match for him!"
"We should persuade Longevity Heavenly Venerable to return. Otherwise, he'll suffer a disastrous loss!"
"Should we tell Longevity Heavenly Venerable that Demon Venerable has already killed so many Dark Supremes?"
Longevity Heavenly Venerable was an ancient Heavenly Venerable. Emperor Zun had yet to appear, and no one had ever defeated Longevity Heavenly Venerable.
He was, therefore, supremely confident.
Believing himself invincible, he would never admit defeat.
That brief exchange had shown him how formidable Demon Venerable was—and that he possessed a Chaotic Body.
The discovery shocked and delighted him.
Longevity Heavenly Venerable had long wanted to refine Heaven-and-Earth Myriad Spirits True Blood into a genuine Chaotic Body.
He had conceived the idea long ago.
He believed it might let him become immortal, or even live another lifetime.
No wonder he later accepted Emperor Zun's invitation and willingly took charge of the Underworld, where he attempted to refine a Chaotic Body.
He believed he had lost to Li Ming by half a move only because he had severed his own cultivation.
If he underwent Extreme Sublimation, he was certain he could defeat Li Ming.
That was why he had emerged with such confidence.
"Demon Venerable is over fifteen thousand years old, yet his vital energy is still so abundant and his life force so vigorous."
"Exactly. An ordinary Supreme lives only about ten thousand years. How has he lived so long?"
"When Demon Venerable first attained Enlightenment as Supreme, even Carefree Heavenly Venerable's Extreme Sublimation failed to kill him. Can Longevity Heavenly Venerable defeat him now?"
"Demon Venerable has already killed nearly twenty Dark Supremes. He's terrifying."
"Demon Venerable rules the world now. No one dares challenge him."
Even the Dark Supremes of the Immortal Mausoleum sighed in amazement.
They had not expected Longevity Heavenly Venerable to be so aggressive that he would challenge the even more formidable Demon Venerable.
Demon Venerable had slain multiple Dark Supremes just after attaining Enlightenment as Supreme. He was not someone to provoke.
If the Dark Supremes of the Immortal Mausoleum had not all awakened, Demon Venerable might well have smashed the entire Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone apart, given his temperament.
Many Dark Supremes had suffered the suppression of Demon Venerable's Grand Dao, but most had merely snorted and refused to take the bait.
Yet Longevity Heavenly Venerable had charged in headfirst. Facing Demon Venerable at the height of his power looked perilously close to courting death.
What was more, Demon Venerable's aura was plainly stronger than before. His brief exchange with Longevity Heavenly Venerable had only reinforced the Dark Supremes' impression of him.
These wily old Dark Supremes had learned their lesson. No matter how Demon Venerable provoked them, they would not make a move.
"The Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone was nearly destroyed."
"Demon Venerable is far too overbearing."
"Even Longevity Heavenly Venerable suffered a heavy loss."
"Heh. Let Demon Venerable strut while he can. One day, he'll grow old too. Then the Dark Supremes can divide up his Chaos Origin!"
"What does it matter how powerful and domineering he is at his peak? True immortality is impossible in this world. Once time wears him down, he'll still have to sever his own cultivation and become the lord of a Forbidden Zone."
"He has the Reincarnation Sea Forbidden Zone, so at least he won't need to beg another Forbidden Zone to take him in!"
"Heh. Given how domineering he is, no Dark Restricted Area would want to accept him and make enemies for nothing."
Many Dark Supremes had been awakened.
They watched coldly as Demon Venerable bore down on the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone.
Even someone as powerful as Longevity Heavenly Venerable had suffered a hidden loss in their brief exchange.
The other Dark Supremes in the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone had been suppressed so thoroughly that they dared not raise their heads. They hid in the tombs, playing dead.
To many, Demon Venerable was too forceful and domineering, and he refused to stand with the others.
He had cut himself off from the Forbidden Zones and the Dark Supremes.
What did it matter if he was a Chaotic Heavenly Venerable? In the end, he too would return to dust. Unable to become immortal, he would either die or join a Forbidden Zone.
Even the mighty Demon Venerable could maintain his glory for only two lifetimes.
Li Ming sat cross-legged atop the Bronze Immortal Hall in the Reincarnation Sea, his aura withdrawn. He seemed attuned to the Grand Dao, as though he had become one with the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
There were simply too many Dark Restricted Areas and Dark Supremes in this age.
Li Ming was certainly not mad enough to try to destroy every Dark Restricted Area.
This time, while deducing Lingbao Tianzun's formation diagram, he had unexpectedly uncovered a connection to Longevity Heavenly Venerable.
He had made a forceful probe and, while he was at it, provoked the other Life Forbidden Zones.
It was a dangerous test.
To his surprise, the Dark Supremes had endured even when he thrust his Grand Dao Suppression right in their faces.
He had not expected them to be so patient.
Unless they had no other choice, they truly would not emerge.
No wonder the Great Emperors of the Human Race in the Desolate Ancient Era had needed all manner of bait to kill Dark Supremes.
They had feigned death or lured them out with rare materials.
Some had even deliberately stirred up conflicts, drawing out Dark Supremes one after another to weaken the Dark Restricted Areas and quietly reduce their numbers.
Li Ming had no such elaborate plans.
But he also wanted to test how many Dark Supremes there were now.
There were so many Life Forbidden Zones. Apart from the Ancient Forbidden Land, the Undying Mountain Forbidden Zone, and the Ancient Mine of Beginnings, which had yet to appear, the Divine Ruins Forbidden Zone, the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone, Heaven, and the Burial Heaven Island Forbidden Zone had all emerged.
There were also many forbidden zones that had already been abandoned in the original story.
And there were many that had never appeared in it at all. Presumably, they had been wiped out or destroyed over the course of history and had not survived into Ye Fan's era.
With so many Dark Restricted Areas, the number of Dark Supremes within each ranged from as few as one or two to more than a dozen.
It was hard to say exactly how many Dark Supremes they held in total.
In this era, the Underworld had also emerged as a Dark Restricted Area.
According to rumor, after Tribulation Heavenly Venerable died, the Underworld had mysteriously vanished.
Li Ming still had not found where it was. Ever since arriving in this world, he had sensed no trace of it.
Tribulation Heavenly Venerable must have hidden the Underworld away and be lying low inside it while he transforms.
Perhaps the next time he appears, he'll be the famed Netherworld Venerable?
Li Ming was deeply interested in Tribulation Heavenly Venerable—or Netherworld Venerable, as he might now be.
He knew that Netherworld Emperor Duan De had not been particularly powerful in the original story, but he was as impossible to kill as a cockroach.
He had called the Desolate Heavenly Emperor his brother when the latter was still weak, then done the same with Ye Fan. By the era of the Sacred Ruins, he had even reincarnated as Chu Feng's son. Li Ming hardly knew what to say.
Still, Netherworld Emperor Duan De had been an imposing figure in the Shrouding the Heavens era.
He was one of that era's few Red Dust Immortals.
Li Ming wanted to meet him. He also wanted to study his Nine-Lifetime Reincarnation Unification and the Red Dust Immortal Path it represented.
He also wondered whether it was Netherworld Emperor Duan De or Longevity Heavenly Venerable who had ordered the Underworld to collect Heaven-and-Earth Myriad Spirits True Blood and refine it into a Chaotic Body.
Either way, those two bastards were mixed up in it.
The Underworld held so many corpses, including remains from the Chaotic Ancient Era and even earlier ages.
Li Ming wondered whether he could go there and devour the essence within those remains. If he consumed enough, could he become a true Chaotic Body—a Perfect Chaotic Body—without having to undergo any transformation?
But no matter how he tried to deduce its location, the Underworld remained hidden. It was maddening.
Whatever else could be said of Netherworld Emperor Duan De, his skill at burying himself was astonishing. Most people truly had no hope of finding him.
"Li Ming, you owe me an explanation!"
Longevity Heavenly Venerable's voice was cold enough to cut bone. He addressed Li Ming by name instead of using his title, Demon Venerable, an unmistakable show of disrespect.
As soon as he spoke, the temperature across the starry sky plunged, as though the entire expanse had turned bitterly cold in an instant.
Even the lingering gases in space froze into solids, drifting down like snowflakes.
His words immediately stirred the Grand Dao Laws and sent a resonance through the Myriad Heavens and Domains.
Li Ming had not expected Longevity Heavenly Venerable to be so bold. No one else had stepped forward, yet he had.
Li Ming had thought a small lesson would make him back down. Instead, Longevity Heavenly Venerable had come out to challenge him.
With one step, Li Ming crossed into the starry sky and appeared opposite him.
Longevity Heavenly Venerable felt Li Ming's overwhelming aura and surging vitality, and his heart sank.
Damn it. I've taken this bluff too far!
Li Ming shot out from the depths of the Reincarnation Sea as a streak of Chaos Thunder, coming face-to-face with Longevity Heavenly Venerable.
Demon Venerable had emerged.
Phantasmal Immortal Spirits surrounded his path, countless bolts of Chaos Thunder flashed, and the Myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth resonated around him.
The imposing man approached step by step, Heavenly Demonic Saber in hand.
"Demon Venerable is here!"
"He's facing Longevity Heavenly Venerable!"
"This won't end quietly!"
"Demon Venerable's aura keeps growing more terrifying. His strength seems to defy everything we know about Supremes and Heavenly Venerables..."
"I see the shadow of a True Immortal in him. Perhaps the legends are right: only a Chaotic Body that attains the Dao can achieve Mortal-World Ascension."
"How enviable. If only I had a body as powerful as Demon Venerable's."
"If I'd found this Chaotic Body early and taken it over, perhaps I could have attained the Dao again through it."
"Longevity Heavenly Venerable is overconfident. He's already severed his own cultivation, yet he dares challenge a Heavenly Venerable of this age."
"Could the Dark Supremes of the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone have set Longevity Heavenly Venerable up?"
The many Dark Supremes watched the two terrifying figures in the starry sky with burning eyes.
Battle could erupt at any moment.
Before you continue