"Greetings. May I ask your names, fellow Daoists?" The golden-armored divine general cupped his fists toward the two men.
"I am Cao Cao. What decree has the Immortal King sent?" Qin Feng asked with a smile. He had given a false name, however-that of the infamous Cao Cao, lover of other men's wives.
"I am Qin Feng." The middle-aged man in a long red robe beside Qin Feng gave Qin Feng's real name instead.
"I am Jin Yun, a Supreme of the Phoenix clan. Esteemed Extreme Dao Supremes, I have come to read the Immortal King's decree." Facing two Extreme Dao Supremes, he put on no airs and was exceedingly courteous.
Extreme Dao Supremes already stood at the very pinnacle of the mortal domain, only half a step away from becoming immortals. They needed only to accumulate a little longer-perhaps tens of thousands of years, perhaps over a hundred thousand-before they could undergo the True Immortal heavenly tribulation and become True Immortals.
"To inform you both, the kings of the Primeval Ancient Realm signed an alliance with the kings of our Immortal Domain. Now, the Primeval Ancient Realm is under attack by Dark Lifeforms from the Foreign Realm.
"Under the terms of that alliance, our Immortal Domain must send reinforcements, so a contingent of Immortal Kings, True Immortals, and Supreme-level experts will be dispatched to the Primeval Ancient Realm," Jin Yun, the golden-armored divine general before them, said, cupping his fists.
Qin Feng nodded at his words. It was much as he had expected. Several hundred years ago, he had already received news that Dark Lifeforms had invaded the Primeval Ancient Realm and that the war was fiercely deadlocked. He had not expected it to need the Immortal Domain's support after only a few hundred years.
"Esteemed Extreme Dao Supremes, this mission is extremely dangerous, and the kings of the Immortal Domain have laid down rules.
"Whether they are Immortal Kings, True Immortal-level experts, or Supremes, everyone must draw lots. Anyone chosen must go to provide support, without fail," the golden-armored divine general said.
For the inhabitants of the Immortal Domain, supporting the Primeval Ancient Realm was a thankless task. They might even die in battle. No one would willingly go, so drawing lots was the only rule they could establish.
"Then does the Immortal King intend for both of us to go, or something else?" Qin Feng asked.
"Fellow Daoist Cao Cao, fellow Daoist Qin Feng, if either of you is willing to support the Primeval Ancient Realm, only that person needs to come with me. If neither of you is willing, then you must both accompany me back to the Immortal King Daoist Grounds.
"The Supremes gathered there will draw lots to decide who goes to the Primeval Ancient Realm.
"You might both be chosen, or neither of you might be chosen," the golden-armored divine general said.
As things stood, most people were unwilling to volunteer to support the Primeval Ancient Realm. They chose instead to take their chances at the Immortal King Daoist Grounds; no one was willing to draw lots outright.
"Say no more. There is no need to trouble fellow Daoist Cao Cao this time. Let me go alone. I originally came from the Primeval Ancient Realm to travel through the Immortal Domain.
"I entered the Immortal Domain a hundred and fifty thousand years ago. Now it is time to return," the tall man in the long red robe said.
The golden-armored divine general's face brightened at his words. He had not expected anyone to volunteer. Even among the Supreme cultivators who had come from the Primeval Ancient Realm-and even some True Immortals-not a single person had volunteered. They were all waiting to draw lots.
"Fellow Daoist Qin Feng, have you thought this through? This time, you will face nine chances of death and only one of survival. Why don't we both go draw lots? Perhaps we can both escape being chosen," Qin Feng deliberately said.
"Fellow Daoist Cao Cao, you are a native of the Immortal Domain. Naturally, you should cultivate properly in this world. Let me go!
"I am a native of the Primeval Ancient Realm. I ought to return and defend my homeland," the burly man in red said, his face resolute.
"In that case, take care, fellow Daoist. I hope you can return to the Immortal Domain soon. Then we can drink freely and discuss the Dao again." Qin Feng stepped forward and cupped his fists.
"Since you have decided, take some time to say your farewells. Recruitment is still underway, and there will be a wait of at least ten years. Assemble at the Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King's Daoist grounds then. I still have others to notify, so I will take my leave." The golden-armored divine general nodded to them, then turned into a streak of golden light and departed.
After he left, the heads of the Zhou, Lu, and Murong families wanted to approach and greet the two Extreme Dao Supremes. After all, these were truly exalted figures.
But Qin Feng gave them no opportunity and vanished at once. The two men returned to a secluded cave abode, where Qin Feng finally let out a long sigh of relief.
His plan had succeeded. At least his original body would not have to go to the Primeval Ancient Realm and could remain in the Immortal Domain.
The burly man in red stood blankly to one side, motionless as a statue. Though his eyes gleamed with intelligence and the light of a primordial spirit shone within him, he was actually a clone.
As a transmigrator, Qin Feng did have a slight advantage. His aptitude was good, and he possessed a First Generation constitution.
A First Generation was someone born with a treasured technique bestowed by the heavens, a particular talent or special heaven-given ability-only the first generation could bear that title.
The cultivation aptitude of a First Generation qualified them as a genius anywhere.
Strictly speaking, even Huang, this world's future protagonist who possessed the Supreme Bone, along with the Exiled Immortal, the Ten Crown King, Shi Yi, Qin Hao, and others, could be considered First Generations.
Though First Generations varied in strength, they unquestionably had greater cultivation potential than ordinary people.
Qin Feng also possessed an exceptionally powerful innate treasured technique called Demonic Shadow Clone. When it first awakened, it had only one special ability: he could split off a demonic shadow clone with eighty percent of his combat strength.
The clone was a black shadow with excellent concealment. Ordinary experts could not detect him without a careful search, and he could move independently within a certain distance of the original body.
Qin Feng pushed this special talent to its limits. Whenever his original body fought someone, the Demonic Shadow Clone would hide in the darkness, waiting for a chance to ambush them. This trick never failed.
During his early years of cultivation, Qin Feng relied on this special talent to explore many secret realms and ancient ruins, competing with the prodigies of his generation for cultivation resources. He even committed murder to seize treasures.
After a full fifteen hundred years of cultivation, Qin Feng successfully reached the Supreme Realm, and his Demonic Shadow Clone treasured technique evolved as well.
It retained the ability to create a shadow clone with eighty percent of his original body's combat strength. The shadow became even harder to detect and could also attack with some of his other treasured techniques.
At the same time, it gained a special corporeal clone ability, allowing him to manifest an "other self," a complete humanoid lifeform.
This other self could operate apart from the original body for long periods. It was like one person controlling two bodies: Qin Feng's consciousness could control both bodies simultaneously.
As for strength, he could match the original body and possessed almost its entire array of abilities.