Kill the Longevity Heavenly Venerable

The Demon Venerable appeared.

He appeared in the starry sky beyond the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone.

Countless Dark Supremes woke from their slumber, eager to watch the trouble unfold.

They had sealed themselves away for ages to await the Road to Immortality, which would open in tens of thousands—perhaps more than a hundred thousand—years.

A fight to the death with the Demon Venerable now would plainly run against their interests and everything they had waited for.

Wisely, they chose not to confront him. No matter how he provoked them, they played dead.

Seeing the Longevity Heavenly Venerable act so boldly, the Dark Supremes could not help admiring him a little.

Li Ming arrived in the starry sky outside the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone. He looked at the Longevity Heavenly Venerable, then at the forbidden zone and its enormous tombs.

"You want an explanation from me, Longevity Heavenly Venerable?"

Li Ming's voice was cold enough to chill the bone.

The surrounding void seemed on the verge of tearing apart. A faint phantom of the River of Time even appeared.

Every word and gesture seemed empowered by the Myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth, as though he could influence space and time.

Such a strange sight appeared only when someone's cultivation had reached extraordinary heights and become one with the Myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth.

"You provoked the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone for no reason. Do you truly think we fear you?"

"If we weren't waiting for the Road to Immortality to open, why would we tolerate your arrogance?"

"If we joined forces, heaven and earth would be torn apart, countless lives would be lost, and you would die too."

"Can you bear the consequences of that?" The Longevity Heavenly Venerable kept up his bluster.

From the unknowable Chaotic Ancient Era and Primordial Ancient Era to the present Age of Mythology, no one knew how many brilliant prodigies had arisen and attained enlightenment as supreme beings.

Many of those enlightened beings had died.

Far more had cut away their own cultivation, entered the Forbidden Zones, and endured through the ages.

To the countless Dark Supremes, whether the world outside was in a Golden Age ruled by an enlightened being or an age of the Unmanifest Grand Dao, it was all a fleeting dream.

Each era was merely a point in time during their long slumber.

Enlightened beings who did not cut away their cultivation would eventually decay into dust and turn to ash.

Even those who ruled all under heaven would ultimately choose the same path as the Dark Supremes.

In the present Age of Mythology, no one who had attained enlightenment as a supreme being had ever made mortal enemies of the Dark Supremes of the Life Forbidden Zones the way the Demon Venerable had.

Other enlightened beings, even when they ruled the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, would never be so arrogant as to offend every Dark Restricted Area and Dark Supreme.

They had to leave themselves a way out.

Otherwise, when their final years came, no Forbidden Zone might take them in. The Dark Supremes might even join forces to divide up their flesh and blood.

Ever since Li Ming had attained enlightenment, he had fought and killed in every direction.

Even before that, he had devoured many Forbidden Zone Heirs and offended the Dark Supremes.

The Demon Venerable stood apart from them all. He kept to himself, utterly unwilling to fit in.

The Dark Supremes watched coldly, waiting to see how he would fare in his final years.

If Li Ming had known what they were thinking, he would have laughed in their faces.

These Dark Supremes knew only to seek immortality by entering the Immortal Domain through the Road to Immortality.

They were obsessed with becoming immortal, yet lacked the ability to achieve it.

Even when the Road to Immortality truly opened, there would be only two or three places each time.

There were far too many Dark Supremes to share them.

When that time came, allies would likely turn into enemies in the blink of an eye, just as they had when the Feixian Star Road to Immortality opened in the original story.

Throughout the long Age of Mythology, Primordial Era, Desolate Ancient Era, and Post-Desolate Ancient Era of Shrouding the Heavens, so many Dark Supremes had lurked in silence, waiting for the Road to Immortality to open.

Whenever they could no longer sustain their lives, they devoured billions of living beings to mend their Immortal Platform Rifts and make up for their lost lifespan.

There were so many Dark Supremes that even the enlightened being of an era could not stop them if they all emerged together.

Their numbers were overwhelming. They could even hunt the enlightened being of the age.

The entire world of Shrouding the Heavens was a dark universe. From the moment one stepped onto the path of cultivation, one fought bloody battles until life ended.

Li Ming was different. He had read the trilogy.

He was determined to walk the Red Dust Immortal Path.

He had nothing but disdain for those who sought immortality through the Road to Immortality.

Li Ming's expression remained calm at the Longevity Heavenly Venerable's words. Not a ripple stirred in his heart.

He had claimed the title of Demon Venerable for himself. He cared nothing for moral shackles.

Even if heaven and earth were torn apart, what did it matter to him?

As long as his Red Dust Immortal Path remained unaffected, he had no intention of playing the saint.

But the Dark Supremes of this age had yet to live through the Desolate Ancient Era, when Great Emperors of the Human Race would arise one after another.

In that era, generation after generation of Human Race Great Emperors would fight bloody battles against the Dark Restricted Areas and crush the Dark Supremes' arrogance.

For now, every Dark Supreme was domineering and arrogant, treating enlightened beings with contempt.

Many even delighted in hunting True Dragons and devouring the enlightened being of the age.

Their arrogance knew no bounds.

"Heh. You talk too much!"

Li Ming's voice was icy, and a chilling killing intent surfaced in his eyes.

"You wanted an explanation? Here it is!"

The moment he finished speaking, the Heavenly Demonic Saber slashed straight at the Longevity Heavenly Venerable.

Its blade light cut through the starry sky and split the heavens.

Brilliant Chaos light and lightning surged upward.

As the blade swept across, the cold, dark universe seemed to blaze with a new sun. Everything else lost its luster.

The Heavenly Demonic Saber, flashing with Chaos light and lightning, became the only light in the world.

It seemed poised to create heaven and earth—or destroy them. The entire starry sky shook, and even the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone trembled.

"Do you truly think I'm so easily bullied?"

The Longevity Heavenly Venerable roared. He drew the Longevity Immortal Sword and struck at the Heavenly Demonic Saber, bringing what seemed an entire galaxy with it to break through the Chaos.

Terrifying Grand Dao Laws spread in every direction. Extreme Dao Divine Might erupted, as though to sweep away every enemy in the world.

A battle between Heavenly Venerables had broken out without warning.

People had expected an evenly matched battle, one that would last a long time at the very least.

Instead, the Longevity Immortal Sword shattered the instant it met the Heavenly Demonic Saber. Its fragments were then swallowed whole by the saber.

The Heavenly Demonic Saber lost none of its momentum and slashed at the Longevity Heavenly Venerable.

With inconceivable speed, the Longevity Heavenly Venerable forced his body aside.

The saber severed one of his arms. It exploded, sending blood spraying across the sky.

The Heavenly Demonic Saber swept past his body and kept going, striking toward the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone.

Within the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone, countless Extreme Dao Formations lit up. Layer upon layer of them, interwoven with Immortal Dao Runes, tried to stop the blade.

Boom! Every Ultimate Dao Array Pattern shattered. Even the Immortal Dao Runes burst apart.

They were no match for the Chaos blade light and could not hold back its lightning. Every formation and rune was obliterated in an instant.

A tremendous crash shook the entire Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone. Countless tombs burst apart, and a bottomless canyon was carved through it.

"That's my explanation!"

"Are you satisfied?"

The Demon Venerable's aura blotted out the sky and swept across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

Under the pressure of that terrifying aura, countless galaxies seemed ready to collapse.

Crimson mist enveloped the Longevity Heavenly Venerable, and his body recovered in the blink of an eye. His expression, however, was grim.

The Longevity Heavenly Venerable might have fallen short in other respects, but as the creator of Nine Secrets: Zhe, his vitality was astonishing.

He had restored his body almost instantly.

He had even donned a suit of battle armor forged from Dao Tribulation Gold.

So the Longevity Heavenly Venerable possessed a second Extreme Dao Weapon.

As Li Ming watched him restore his body through Nine Secrets: Zhe, a strange light entered his eyes.

I didn't know Nine Secrets: Zhe could be used like that. I can't kill the Longevity Heavenly Venerable with one strike. I need to wound him a few more times and study its secrets closely, Li Ming thought.

"Demon Venerable, you are powerful indeed!"

"But you should know that I lived a Third Lifetime before I cut away my cultivation!"

"Today, I'll hunt a Chaotic Body and taste its true Chaotic Body Origin."

"Perhaps it will mend my Immortal Platform Rift and let me live another lifetime!"

With that, the Longevity Heavenly Venerable immediately entered Extreme Sublimation.

His terrifying aura surged so fiercely that even Li Ming was somewhat surprised.

Li Ming had thought he could kill the Longevity Heavenly Venerable with a single stroke. He had not expected him to know the Carefree Heavenly Venerable's Nine Secrets: Xing as well, much less to have developed it to such a profound level.

In an inconceivably brief instant, he had narrowly shifted his Immortal Platform out of danger, losing only an arm.

As if by mutual agreement, the two instantly flew to the Mythical Battlefield in the Cosmic Frontier Wasteland.

It was a vast stretch of starry sky filled with shattered ruins and devoid of life.

Cold darkness and death were its eternal nature.

The Mythical Battlefield was an ancient battleground passed down from an unknown, distant age. Even the Heavenly Venerables of the Age of Mythology did not know when it had come into being.

Here, Heavenly Venerables could fight without restraint.

Li Ming wasted no words. He threw a punch straight at the Longevity Heavenly Venerable.

It was rare to find someone whose vitality was so strong and who seemed able to match him. Li Ming put away the Heavenly Demonic Saber and chose to meet him with his bare hands.

His punch seemed capable of destroying the Myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth. With the force of a thunderbolt, it hurtled toward the Longevity Heavenly Venerable.

Endless Chaos and lightning surged around it like the most terrifying Heavenly Tribulation.

Within it lay boundless Flying Immortal Power, capable of turning wonders to dust.

The Longevity Heavenly Venerable struck back. With the Longevity Immortal Sword destroyed, he could only answer with his fist.

He had, of course, created a Forbidden Secret Art of his own. He showed no fear of Li Ming and still believed himself invincible.

Countless stars exploded into ash.

Boom! After a single exchange of blows, the Longevity Heavenly Venerable felt a power he simply could not withstand.

His bones broke inch by inch. His organs burst apart.

His entire body cried out under the strain.

Even his body in a state of Extreme Sublimation could not withstand one punch from Li Ming.

The Longevity Heavenly Venerable coughed up blood. Then, with a tremendous crash, his body exploded, scattering blood everywhere.

Struggling to reform his body, he stared in disbelief at his shattered armor and the overwhelmingly powerful Demon Venerable.

He had nearly died after just one clash.

"How can you be this strong?"

"You're only in your First Lifetime, yet you possess such overwhelming strength."

"Ever since I began cultivating, I swept aside every opponent. After living a Third Lifetime on my own, my strength grew by leaps and bounds."

"I never thought my body would prove so frail..."

Disbelief was written across the Longevity Heavenly Venerable's face.

Li Ming did not answer him. Wreathed in terrifying lightning and endless Immortal Ascension Light, he charged again.

He intended to kill the Longevity Heavenly Venerable.

This Dark Supreme had hardly done much good. Li Ming felt no guilt about killing him.

With a deafening roar, boundless Grand Dao Laws and Divine Chains of Order appeared around the Longevity Heavenly Venerable.

This was the Longevity Heavenly Venerable's Dao. The blood-red chains brought the sense of a storm of slaughter. They sought to pierce deep into Li Ming's body and seize his Chaos Origin.

Crack! Crack!

Immortal Ascension Light flashed. Every Grand Dao Law and Divine Chain of Order decayed in an instant and turned to ash.

Countless stars seemed to lose their radiance and life at once, fading into darkness.

The longer the Longevity Heavenly Venerable fought, the harder he found it to believe what was happening.

He had considered himself invincible. He had swept aside every opponent before attaining enlightenment as a supreme being.

He had earned the title of Heavenly Venerable as soon as he attained enlightenment, and after transforming into his Third Lifetime, his strength had soared.

Even the other great Heavenly Venerables acknowledged his power.

Though they had never lived in the same era and fought one another, the Longevity Heavenly Venerable had truly never suffered defeat.

Yet now his body was being blown apart again and again. He looked utterly battered.

Without his profound mastery of Nine Secrets: Zhe, he might already have died.

If Li Ming truly wanted to kill the Longevity Heavenly Venerable quickly, he could finish the fight in three moves.

But Li Ming found that each time he destroyed the Longevity Heavenly Venerable's body and watched him revive, his understanding of Nine Secrets: Zhe deepened.

So Li Ming turned killing the Longevity Heavenly Venerable into a way to comprehend and cultivate Nine Secrets: Zhe.

The Longevity Heavenly Venerable's bones were broken, his tendons torn, and blood poured from his body like a river.

Li Ming, meanwhile, remained unscathed as he effortlessly blew the Longevity Heavenly Venerable apart again and again.

"I have never lost in my life!"

"I know I am invincible!"

The Longevity Heavenly Venerable kept up his defiance, refusing to concede.

Eternal light shone from his body as he maintained his state of Extreme Sublimation.

"Demon Venerable, you are strong indeed!"

"But I know I will not lose!"

Li Ming looked at Longevity Heavenly Venerable and said with a mocking smile, "Whatever makes you happy."

"I just want to see more of the essence of Nine Secrets: Zhe."

With that, he casually blew Longevity Heavenly Venerable apart again.

"Longevity Heavenly Venerable has entered Extreme Sublimation, but he's still no match for the Demon Venerable!"

"Exactly. The Demon Venerable could clearly kill him with a wave of his hand. He's only toying with him like a cat with a mouse to uncover the mysteries of Nine Secrets: Zhe."

"Should we emerge and help him?"

"Forget it. The less trouble, the better. Better him than us."

"He's pushed Extreme Sublimation this far. Longevity Heavenly Venerable is as good as dead."

"The Demon Venerable is absurdly powerful. It's unbelievable."

The many Dark Supremes silently watched the battlefield.

They knew Longevity Heavenly Venerable had taken Extreme Sublimation so far that there was no saving him.

Longevity Heavenly Venerable was, for all intents and purposes, a dead man.

Rumble!

Terrifying Chaos Thunder engulfed Longevity Heavenly Venerable.

Flying Immortal Power mingled with the dreadful lightning. This was Li Ming's Forbidden Secret Art, and Longevity Heavenly Venerable had nowhere to hide.

Everything there seemed to dissolve into primordial chaos, as though heaven and earth were being created anew.

When the terrifying Chaos Thunder dispersed, Longevity Heavenly Venerable's figure and aura had vanished. Only the Demon Venerable remained.

"Longevity Heavenly Venerable is dead!"

"The Chaotic Body is truly terrifying."

"The Chaotic Body holds the secrets of becoming immortal."

"Longevity Heavenly Venerable entered Extreme Sublimation and still couldn't harm a single hair on the Demon Venerable's head. What a joke."

"The Demon Venerable's strength is simply beyond belief."

"Forget it. The Road to Immortality will open soon. I only want to wait for that, not get involved in anything else."

"I'm going back to sleep!"

"Let the Demon Venerable have his moment. When his final years come, he'll fall all the same."

The Dark Supremes of the Forbidden Zones had witnessed this terrifying battle with their own eyes.

Every one of them was supremely confident, believing themselves invincible.

Yet whenever they thought of the Demon Venerable, they instinctively set this overwhelmingly powerful opponent aside.

It was as though the Demon Venerable stood in a class of his own in their minds.

The Demon Venerable now ranked among the Nine Heavenly Venerables, and he had killed two of the others.

His strength was beyond question.

Both Carefree Heavenly Venerable and Longevity Heavenly Venerable had died at his hands.

And then there were the Supremes he had killed...

Many had already estimated the Demon Venerable's strength as highly as they could, yet he surpassed their imaginations time and again.

No one could stand against him. That seemed to have become their shared understanding.

The Heavenly Demonic Saber devoured both Longevity Heavenly Venerable's Immortal Sword and his armor.

After the Heavenly Demonic Saber devoured Longevity Heavenly Venerable's corpse, his imprint soon appeared on it.

Li Ming also extracted some of Longevity Heavenly Venerable's Origin Essence Blood. He absorbed part of it and stored the rest.

Killing Longevity Heavenly Venerable had been remarkably easy.

The fight had only seemed long because he wanted to watch Longevity Heavenly Venerable demonstrate Nine Secrets: Zhe.

Battle truly was the fastest way to gain insight and advance one's cultivation.

Nine Secrets: Zhe did indeed contain things Li Ming had never considered.

Through this battle, Li Ming's understanding of Nine Secrets: Zhe had improved enormously.

It was like the new level of understanding he had reached in Nine Secrets: Xing after killing Carefree Heavenly Venerable years ago.

Before killing Longevity Heavenly Venerable, Li Ming had thoroughly searched his soul and interrogated him, uncovering many secrets.

Anyone else would certainly have been unable to extract so many secrets from his soul.

But the mysterious Bronze Mirror inside him had helped suppress Longevity Heavenly Venerable, allowing him to force out many secrets.

Besides the complete Heavenly Venerable Scripture, Nine Secrets: Zhe, and those secret arts, he had even obtained a set of strange coordinates.

According to Longevity Heavenly Venerable, the corpse of a Crippled Immortal might lie there. Devouring and refining it might allow someone to live another lifetime.

Li Ming was curious as well and planned to take a look once matters here were settled.

After killing Longevity Heavenly Venerable, Li Ming turned his gaze back to the Immortal Mausoleum Forbidden Zone.

He looked at the Dark Supremes still sleeping there, his eyes cold enough to pierce bone.