Retreating After a Brief Probe

Such might from merely extending a great hand-was this a Forbidden Zone Supreme?

Countless cultivators trembled, unable to stop themselves from falling to their knees and prostrating themselves. They had no power to resist that terrifying aura.

Even the two Demon Race Saint Kings and the Great Saint paled. Though they could shatter planets with a casual strike, they were powerless against this terrifying aura.

"It's over!"

Everyone could already picture the Azure Emperor's death. That was a Forbidden Zone Supreme! He could very well be one of the legendary Ancient Great Emperors or Primordial Emperors. Who could withstand him?

Buzzz-

At that instant, another terrifying aura surged from the Azure Emperor, as though the Nine Heavens Divine Lord had descended. Its might was beyond compare, not even inferior to that Forbidden Zone Supreme's.

The two auras confronted each other in the air, locked in a stalemate.

"Hmm? To think someone like this still exists... a pity... something is wrong with his body... his condition is terrible, and he is about to fall apart... he is using this method to postpone his death!"

A voice rang out from deep within the Forbidden Zone, imbued with supreme Dao arts that made everyone shudder. He immediately discerned that a terrifying expert was hidden within that mirror, only a shade weaker than Forbidden Zone Supremes like themselves. In a sense, this was another being who had reached the end of the road, just as they had.

One had severed his own cultivation, while the other had reached the ultimate limit, just short of taking that final step.

Thus, the moment he saw through the truth, he decisively withdrew his hand and sank back into the Forbidden Zone, no longer manifesting himself.

The legendary age was drawing near. He had no desire to invite further trouble here, fight a great battle, and consume his accumulated reserves!

Wan Qing lowered his head in surprise. It was a damaged little mirror, only the size of his palm, hanging at his waist. It looked like an ordinary object, barely noticeable.

Yet he knew perfectly well that the terrifying aura had spread from the mirror, forcing back the enormous hand from the Forbidden Zone. Without making a single attack, it had driven off a Forbidden Zone Supreme!

Wan Qing could not help asking in a trembling voice, "Uncle Luo... is that you? Are you still alive?"

"No... that's impossible!"

Wan Qing quickly rejected the thought. He vaguely remembered burying Uncle Luo's body himself after his death and could confirm that all signs of life had vanished. Uncle Luo had also entrusted this little mirror to him, telling him to keep it safe, for it could save his life at a critical moment!

But why had the Forbidden Zone Supreme called it "someone"?

No matter how he racked his brains, he could not understand!

"Could this mirror itself actually be a person?" Wan Qing suddenly ventured another guess. The world was vast and full of wonders; there was nothing wrong with thinking along those lines.

Soon, however, he was disappointed once more. After countless examinations, the mirror really was just a mirror, without any fluctuations of life.

"Perhaps that Forbidden Zone Supreme was mistaken!" Wan Qing said sadly. This mirror had followed Uncle Luo for many years and become steeped in his aura. It was not impossible that this had led the Forbidden Zone Supreme to misjudge it.

At Wan Qing's current realm, he naturally did not understand that, in the domain occupied by Forbidden Zone Supremes, such a mistake was impossible! A mere wisp of aura was enough for them to determine its owner's condition. To them, this was only one of the most commonplace abilities.

The instant that aura appeared to intervene, the condition of Luo Yan's "body" had already been laid bare. His aura was decaying and declining; he had reached his end.

Even an eternally imperishable body could not conceal his decaying aura. This concerned his very level of existence: his lifespan had run dry, indirectly affecting his flesh.

"Forget it. I'll stop thinking about it for now!" Wan Qing withdrew his gaze and held the Green Lotus, warily watching the figure opposite him.

Shen Ming was getting a headache as well. Wasn't the mirror on this man far too mysterious? Could a Supreme be hidden inside it?

Only another Supreme could make a Supreme wary.

He somewhat regretted breaking his own seal within the Forbidden Zone and venturing out.

He should never have emerged in this age. Sealing himself again would require an enormous amount of resources. Even the Forbidden Zone could not withstand such endless expenditure, because everything accumulated within it was meant to support their future ascension to immortality.

"Fellow Daoist Wan Qing, your talent is heaven-bestowed, and your origins are mysterious. I was rash today, and I offer my apologies to you all!" Shen Ming said.

He was no reckless fool and knew when to advance or retreat. Even as an Emperor's Son-level figure, he understood that people like him could not simply reign unchallenged over the world. There were many cultivators with extraordinary physiques and dazzling brilliance.

"You think an apology settles everything? You wanted to kill me before, and now that things aren't going your way, you want to make peace? How could you get off so easily?" Wan Qing said, his piercing gaze as cold as a blade.

Hearing this, Shen Ming abandoned his respectful courtesy and declared bluntly, "I've said my piece. If you have the ability, come into the Forbidden Zone and kill me! I'll be waiting for you there!"

With that, he turned and left without another thought, returning to the Forbidden Zone.

Knowing he could not stop him, the Azure Emperor could only say coldly, "I'll remember you! If I prove my Dao and become an emperor someday, I will storm the Life Forbidden Zone and take your head!"

Shen Ming paid him no mind. With the Dharma-Ending Era approaching, never mind proving one's Dao and becoming an emperor-even severing the Dao and attaining sainthood would become a problem.

Luo Yan secretly watched everything, itching to make a sarcastic comment. He really can become an emperor!

This unlucky kid... surely he won't actually get beheaded?

Wan Qing lowered his head to examine himself. Wounds covered his body, almost exposing the white bones beneath, and blood stained him all over. He had fought a Saint King with the strength of a Half-Saint. Even with two Demon Race Saint Kings shielding him, he had still suffered grievous injuries.

The world erupted into an uproar.

The Azure Emperor had actually exchanged blows with a Saint King while only a Half-Saint. This was terrifying! Few throughout all history had ever accomplished such a feat. Surely even the legendary Young Great Emperors had been no more impressive?

Was he truly going to sever the Dao and attain sainthood in the Dharma-Ending Era, then prove his Dao and claim the fruit of emperorship?

Moreover, even a legendary Forbidden Zone Supreme had failed to erase him. It seemed an exceptionally terrifying existence stood behind him as well!

Of course, very few people knew that a Forbidden Zone Supreme had intervened. After all, beings of that level only appeared once every tens of thousands of years. They rarely left any sign of their existence in the world, and most people had no way to trace them.

The world knew only that an expert from the Forbidden Zone had attacked but failed to kill Wan Qing.

After returning, Wan Qing first bid farewell to the Heavenly Prodigies, explaining that his injuries were severe and required prompt treatment. At the same time, he reassured them that he would emerge from seclusion before the Starry Sky Ancient Road opened and set out on the Human Race Ancient Road with them!

Everyone understood. They could also see that Wan Qing's injuries were extremely serious.

After briefly tending to his injuries and resting, Wan Qing took out the shattered little mirror.

"Back then, Uncle Luo took the Immortal Medicine husk I left behind after assuming human form. Even if Uncle Luo was struggling against the end of his lifespan, with that Immortal Medicine sustaining him, he shouldn't have failed to hold on!

"You're Uncle Luo's Life-Bound Divine Weapon. Is Uncle Luo truly dead or not?" Doubt stirred in Wan Qing's heart. Although he had buried Uncle Luo with his own hands, the Time Mirror awakening on its own to confront the Forbidden Zone Supreme had still made him suspicious.

Although he did not know the realm of the man who had attacked him, that overwhelming pressure had almost convinced him he was certain to die. The man was definitely more than a mere Great Saint!