The old immortal emerged from seclusion.
This was a momentous event that shocked the entire world.
Upon receiving the news, the imperial court immediately sent the highest-ranking local official to the immortal sect to congratulate the old immortal.
The official brought lavish gifts, but never saw the old immortal. All he received was a contemptuous remark: "Have the current emperor come see me."
Song Nan sat anxiously in the palace and received those words.
He hardly dared to go. He wanted to wake Chen Xia, but feared being punished by him. Then he would truly have pleased neither side.
So Song Nan had his carriage prepared and hurried to the immortal sect.
Yet he still did not see the old immortal. Only an elder of the immortal sect received him.
The elder sat at a table and glanced sidelong at Song Nan as he arrived, paying him no heed whatsoever. He did not even invite Song Nan to sit, merely saying casually,
"The sect master told me to inform you that if Great Song wishes to continue existing, every citizen throughout its territory must worship his divine statue."
Song Nan froze, looking deeply troubled. He cupped his hands toward the elder. "But statues of the State Preceptor are already worshipped throughout Great Song."
"Heh." The elder sneered. "That is none of my concern. If you still want Great Song to exist, do as you're told."
"Otherwise, we wouldn't mind replacing you with a more obedient dog."
Every word the elder spoke was an insult. He held Song Nan in no regard at all.
Song Nan's expression darkened somewhat, but he dared not talk back.
The elder glanced sidelong at him and sneered again. "What State Preceptor? If you're hoping to rely on him, I suggest you abandon that laughable idea sooner rather than later."
"The sect master has now broken through to the Golden Core realm and stands unrivaled in this world. Even immortals descending from the Upper Realm would be no match for him. A mere mortal like you still dreams of resisting? Utterly ridiculous!"
"Go back and think it over carefully. You have three days. If you still haven't decided after three days, it won't be me speaking to you here."
"It will be the sect master speaking to you in the imperial city."
His expression grim and his head lowered, Song Nan gritted his teeth and replied,
"Yes."
"Mm." The elder waved a hand carelessly. "Go back and think it over."
Song Nan said nothing more. He turned and hurried back to the imperial city.
He wanted to wake Chen Xia, but had no way to do so. A hundred meters of earth blocked out all sound. His only option was to dig all the way down, but how could he finish digging in three days?
Huang Qingyue, the only one who might be able to wake Chen Xia, refused as well, saying worriedly,
"Brother Chen is at a crucial point in his seclusion. What if you disturb him now and he gets hurt?"
Now Song Nan truly had no options left. He sat in the imperial city and went nowhere, waiting for the old immortal to come find him. They would discuss it then.
If there was truly no other choice, he could only replace the object of worship with the old immortal and wait until Chen Xia emerged from seclusion.
He was truly torn, fretting over it every day.
The three days soon passed.
The people of the world saw a sword streak out of the immortal sect, followed by a figure riding upon it. He covered a hundred li in thirty breaths and hovered above the imperial city, his calm voice spreading throughout it.
"Who is the current emperor? Come out and see me."
Before Song Nan came out, Nine Thousand Years had already come face-to-face with the old immortal.
Standing on his flying sword, the old immortal wore an indifferent expression and said casually, "You dare come out again? Are you looking to die?"
Nine Thousand Years tucked his hands into his sleeves and laughed in a shrill voice. "Having become a servant of the imperial household, I naturally must fulfill my duties."
"Enough." The old immortal waved a hand, contempt appearing on his aged yet imposing face as he spoke.
"Stop talking. Just hearing that voice of yours disgusts me. Someone like you actually has the nerve to claim you cultivate the immortal Dao? There is no immortal Dao that calls itself a servant."
Nine Thousand Years smiled. "The world is vast. There is no shortage of wonders."
"Since you're such a wonder, can you withstand a single strike of my sword?" The old immortal snorted, and the flying sword beneath his feet hummed.
Nine Thousand Years smiled. "Let's try."
"You think you're worthy?" With a cold snort, the old immortal indeed did not draw his sword. He merely pointed a finger.
Nine Thousand Years instantly fell from the highest point of the imperial city, crashed through a wall, and slammed into the rubble, his fate unknown.
The old immortal stood in the air and said icily, "Emperor of Great Song, you have three breaths left."
One breath.
Song Nan had already walked out. Standing on the ground beneath the gazes of the Constabulary and the civil and military officials, he cupped his hands toward the old immortal.
"Song Nan greets the old immortal."
The old immortal glanced sidelong at him and said disdainfully, "You think you're worthy of standing while speaking to me?"
"Kneel!"
Those words carried the might of a god. Song Nan's face went white from the shock, and his entire body dropped helplessly to its knees with a thud.
Only then did the old immortal speak more slowly. "You emperors of Great Song are all so ill-mannered. None of you like kneeling when you see me. Surely you don't truly think this world belongs to you?"
Song Nan gritted his teeth, kneeling on the ground with his head lowered as he replied,
"The old immortal is right to reprimand me."
The watching members of the Constabulary and the civil and military officials looked horrified. They could hardly imagine the lofty emperor reduced to such a humble state.
"Have you thought over what I had the elder tell you three days ago?" the old immortal asked again.
Song Nan nodded in agreement. "As the old immortal wishes."
"Mm." The old immortal nodded slightly, then added casually, "If you handle it well, I'll let you govern this world. Otherwise, I'll replace you. After all, what I'm looking for is an obedient dog."
Song Nan gritted his teeth, not daring to argue. He could only nod.
The old immortal casually surveyed the ground below. His flying sword abruptly descended and hovered a hundred meters above the ground as he continued questioning him.
"I hear another immortal has appeared in the world over this past century, and that he's your Great Song's State Preceptor. The statues currently being worshipped are his."
"That's right." Song Nan nodded.
The old immortal raised his eyebrows and waved a hand. "Have him come out and see me. He killed my final disciple eighty years ago. A life for a life."
Song Nan gave a bitter laugh. "The State Preceptor is in seclusion. I'm afraid I cannot summon him."
"A petty cultivator like him needs seclusion?" The old immortal laughed disdainfully. The flying sword beneath his feet hummed, and in a flash, he appeared near the secret chamber, sneering.
"This is the place, then."
The flying sword beneath his feet gathered Sword Qi, about to slash down.
"Stop!" A clear, furious shout rang out. A woman in a pale yellow dress held a sword and glared at him.
The old immortal raised his eyebrows. Rather than looking at Huang Qingyue, he looked at the sword in her hand and asked,
"You're a sword cultivator too?"
The flying sword beneath his feet continued gathering Sword Qi, ready to descend at any moment.
Huang Qingyue's delicate brows shot up in utter fury, and she shouted again, "I told you to stop!"
"What if I don't?" The old immortal smiled disdainfully.
Suddenly, a sword rang out!
Huang Qingyue arrived in an instant, the blade in her hand slashing straight at the old immortal's head.
A contemptuous smile curled the old immortal's lips. He was unwilling even to draw his sword, blocking with a single finger, catching the blade, then flicking it lightly.
The blade snapped. Huang Qingyue staggered back a hundred steps, her pretty face pale, a little blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
The old immortal smiled disdainfully. "An ant like you has the nerve to hold a sword before me? I could kill you with one finger."
He truly extended a finger, Sword Qi coiling around it as he pointed at Huang Qingyue's brow.
"Please wait, old immortal." Someone flashed out from within the imperial city. It was a gaunt old man dressed in white, who looked at the old immortal ingratiatingly and said,
"This young lady has some talent for cultivation. Her soul could be exchanged, and she would make a good vessel for possession later."
The old immortal glanced sidelong at him. Rather than answering, he asked, "Does that method you told me about, cultivating by absorbing the power of wishes and incense offerings, truly work?"
The gaunt old man hurriedly nodded. "It is a secret never passed to outsiders among us overseas Qi Refining practitioners. It will certainly work. If it proves ineffective, you may take the head from my shoulders, old immortal. I will have no complaints."
Watching the two of them, Huang Qingyue clenched her teeth. The Mystic Primordial Qi within her instantly circulated, actually tracing an extremely simple Dao-script symbol. The broken sword in her hand suddenly blazed, overflowing with Sword Qi, and she hurled it at the gaunt old man.
The churning Sword Qi drew an arc of light through the air.
The gaunt old man's expression changed, and he was about to dodge.
The old immortal pressed two fingers together. Sword Qi surged as he used his fingers as a sword, slicing the short sword Huang Qingyue had thrown into pieces.
The gaunt old man breathed out and hurriedly cupped his hands toward the old immortal. "Thank you for saving me, old immortal."
The old immortal did not even look at him, saying disdainfully, "You overseas Qi Refining practitioners really are useless apart from knowing a few strange spells."
The gaunt old man dared not talk back. Instead, he glared at Huang Qingyue and gritted his teeth. "You dare use such vicious methods against me? Once we return, I will tear out your soul!"
Blood still stained the corner of Huang Qingyue's mouth. She clenched her teeth tightly, her pale yellow dress stained with considerable blood, her eyes filled with fierce hatred.
Looking at her, the old immortal found it rather interesting. He grinned and said,
"In a moment, I'll drag out the person in seclusion and slice him to pieces, one sword stroke at a time. I wonder what expression you'll have then. Will you kneel and beg me?"
The smile on the old immortal's lips widened as he jeered, "Perhaps if you kneel and beg me now, I'll be in a good mood later and only leave him half-dead, so you two can talk a little longer."
Huang Qingyue gritted her teeth. She felt Mystic Primordial Qi identical to her own trembling, which meant Chen Xia was about to emerge from seclusion.
The old immortal stood on his flying sword, Sword Qi churning and spilling out over it. Facing Huang Qingyue, he said each word distinctly,
"I want you to kneel and beg me now. Otherwise, I will kill this man immediately."
He had grown accustomed to arrogance.
A hundred meters below.
Chen Xia's body trembled incessantly, shaking the entire ground. A moment later, his eyes snapped open, gleaming with golden light, dazzling as a divine being!
He grabbed the iron pillar beside him and instantly pulled it out. Golden light covered the pillar, and he hurled it straight ahead!
The earth instantly shattered, offering no resistance.
The iron pillar shot out like the deadliest flying sword in the world.
A hundred meters of earth shattered!
The old immortal retreated in an instant, hovering high in the sky.
The golden iron pillar pierced half the gaunt old man's body and pinned him to the ground. Blood spilled everywhere, and he could not move, hovering between life and death.
At some point, Chen Xia had already appeared atop the iron pillar. Looking down at the half-dead gaunt old man, his expression icy, he said in a low voice,
"Great Song's cruel officials have no shortage of methods. Just wait and enjoy your good fortune."
Blood kept flowing from the corner of the gaunt old man's mouth. He could no longer answer.
Chen Xia raised his head to look at the old immortal in the sky, his expression dark.
"I hadn't even gone looking for you, yet you dared come after me first."
The old immortal said coldly, "There is only so much fortune in this world. It cannot accommodate two immortals ascending. Only by killing you can I pursue the Great Dao."
Chen Xia glanced at the injured Huang Qingyue, his expression growing even darker, and cursed at the old immortal.
"You old bastard. You've come courting death."
The old immortal's expression was icy. The flying sword beneath his feet hummed, and killing intent filled his voice.
"I will take your head and forge my supreme immortal Dao!"
A transparent light shone in Chen Xia's eyes, covering his black pupils. He extended a finger and held it before his lips in a shushing gesture, replying,
"You can only take your own head."
At that moment.
The birds stopped moving.
Everyone's expressions froze.
Even the dust remained suspended in place. This stretch of the river of time had stopped flowing.
And Chen Xia walked within it. He had put all thirty years' worth of points into strength. A total strength value of 115 gathered into one fist.
Aimed at the old immortal's head.
He threw a punch.
The birds moved, and the dust fell.
The punch struck.
Horror filled the old immortal's eyes. From his perspective, Chen Xia's speed had already surpassed his comprehension.
Beyond that speed, there was also terrifying strength.
Everything within a hundred meters of the old immortal's body exploded. The air burst apart, and his body instantly flew backward, cutting through thick clouds before stopping several thousand meters away, colliding with the void as blood burst from his entire body!
Blossoms of blood fell.
Chen Xia stood in the air, his expression cold. With his fist raised, he trod across the sky and walked toward the old immortal once more.
He would tell the world.
What it meant to be invincible!