Primordial Dao Domain, Black Tortoise Heaven.
This was where countless dragon veins converged. Divine light blazed ten thousand feet high, and auspicious vapor rose in clouds.
Among the immortal mountains and great marshes, ancient beasts appeared and disappeared from time to time, while divine birds danced through the clouds. Everywhere was filled with a mysterious, ancient air of the wilds.
Above the heavens, countless immortal islands floated amid a forest of towers and palaces.
The spiritual power between heaven and earth was so dense that it formed long rivers of mist, flowing slowly between the immortal mountains and palaces.
This was the ancestral land of Xuanming Divine Mountain, the true ruler of Black Tortoise Heaven.
"The Longevity Li Family, an ancient sacred body..."
Atop an immortal mountain that pierced the clouds in Xuanming Divine Mountain.
A powerfully built man in dark robes stood with his hands behind his back, gazing toward Eastern Emperor Heaven.
Eleven ancient divine rings appeared behind him, while the depths of his eyes were filled with terrifying visions of heaven and earth being split open and all living things perishing.
This man was Xuan Gu, the current Sacred Lord of Xuanming Divine Mountain.
"Today, the powerful experts of every race in the Primordial Dao Domain have gone to guard the Immortal Abyss Land in fulfillment of the Epoch Covenant. The Li Lineage is at its weakest."
"Shijiu, you excel at escape arts. Go to Eastern Emperor Heaven and observe whether that little bastard's Life Wheel has opened!"
"If necessary, you may kill first and report afterward!"
Xuan Gu withdrew his gaze and spoke softly to the void beside him.
"As the Sacred Lord commands!"
The void above the divine mountain twisted incessantly, and an enormous phantom that blotted out the sky loomed in and out of sight within it.
Its presence was as still as a deep pool and as imposing as a mountain, unfathomable.
The phantom's face could not be seen. Only a pair of murky, profound eyes were visible, their pupils reflecting mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with bloody bones rising and sinking-a sight of boundless horror!
"This art is called Heavenly Tribulation Crossing. It can summon the heavenly punishment of a tribulation without a trace. Beneath its annihilating immortal might, nothing can remain hidden!"
Xuan Gu flicked a finger, sending a blood-red ray of immortal light piercing forth. It vanished into the depths of the darkness.
This was a rare secret art that Xuanming Divine Mountain had obtained by chance in an ancient ruin. Today, it had found a timely use.
"With this ancient secret art, the Li Lineage's sacred body is doomed!"
Shijiu spoke in a raspy voice, then vanished into the darkness along with the blood-red immortal light.
In past epochs, the ancient sacred body had been favored by heaven and naturally close to the laws of all things. It could easily be cultivated to major completion, where it could rival the great emperors of old.
Because the constitution defied the heavens so greatly, the Heavenly Dao had laid a curse upon it, sealing it with ten shackles.
The sacred bodies of the present age were no longer suited to cultivation. They could not even open a Life Wheel, the first step on the path of cultivation!
Several ancient sacred bodies had also been born throughout the history of this flourishing epoch.
But without exception, none had opened a Life Wheel.
Once the magnificent phenomenon of a sacred body's awakening had ended, each had gradually faded into the crowd, until no word of them was heard again.
The Longevity Li Family of Eastern Emperor Heaven was different from other great families.
That was especially true of the prodigious heirs who came from the Li Lineage. Whether you had a divine body or a mortal body, they would find a chance to exchange a few moves with you.
But only two or three moves. Once they had fought, they would run.
People had also taken to calling the Li Lineage the Rogue Family and the Fifty-Fifty Family.
The Li Lineage had always acted far too recklessly and chaotically, leaving people unable to make heads or tails of it.
It would be fine if the ancient sacred body failed to open its Life Wheel.
But if the Li Lineage's old fogies really had holes in their heads and were willing to use drastic measures to forcibly open the sacred body's Life Wheel and heavenly destiny, Xuanming Divine Mountain would have no choice but to do something dishonorable.
The Longevity Li Family.
"An innate Chaos Sacred Body Dao Embryo, ancient immortal pupils-how could the Li Lineage fail to flourish? Hahaha..."
Li Qianqiu and the assembled elders threw back their heads and laughed, their voices like great bells and lions' roars, shaking the heavens.
An innate Dao embryo, a Chaos Body, and an ancient sacred body-three heaven-defying constitutions gathered in one person!
It was as though everyone could already see the glorious age in which Li Xunyuan would suppress an entire era and be revered by the whole world.
"Xiaoran honored the Epoch Covenant and went to guard the Immortal Abyss. It's a real pity he couldn't see the little fellow born with his own eyes!"
The elder with the bearing of an immortal sage let out a long sigh. Then his gaze fell on Li Qianqiu, and he said, "Old Qiu, this little fellow hasn't been named yet. Have you thought of what to call him?"
"Xunyuan, Li Xunyuan!"
Li Qianqiu stroked his beard and said with a smile, "That's the name Xiyue gave the little fellow when she entered seclusion to break through to the Quasi-Supreme realm."
"A fine name."
A red-robed elder beside him smiled kindly and spoke in admiration.
Although the Yun Family's overall power was not as great as the Li Lineage's, it was also an Immortal Clan with immeasurably deep foundations.
With the Yun girl having spoken, and with Li Xiaoran's connection to her, none of the elders dared object.
Elsewhere.
As the foundation of his violet palace gradually stabilized, the Dao charm of the laws in Li Xunyuan's eyes slowly faded, and they returned to normal.
At this moment, the immortal bones within him were crystalline and radiant, and his blood was golden.
Every movement he made radiated a life force as vast as an ocean, like an ancient deity descending into the mortal world.
Not far away, Li Xunyuan heard every word of the conversation between his newfound grandfather Li Qianqiu and the elders.
He had expected to be born in Rome, but now it seemed he had been born even more in Rome than he had imagined!
His mother, Yun Xiyue, was preparing to break through to the Quasi-Supreme realm. As for his father, there was even less need to ask-he was definitely an unsurpassed Supreme.
He simply had not met his newfound father yet and knew only that he had gone to guard the Immortal Abyss Land.
As for where the Immortal Abyss was, that was not something he needed to worry about now.
[Ding! Danger detected approaching the host!] [An old fogey at the peak of the Saint realm from Xuanming Divine Mountain has arrived in Eastern Emperor Heaven. He intends to summon the sacred body's heavenly tribulation and forcibly strike the host dead!]
"???"
Someone wants to summon a heavenly tribulation to strike me dead right after I was born? Fuck your ancestors! You came at just the right time. I'll make sure you come in standing and leave lying down!
Li Xunyuan's face darkened as he cursed under his breath.
Buzz!
Li Xunyuan wasted no words on his opponent. He immediately unleashed the divine ability One Thought Reaches Heaven, locating that old turtle from Xuanming Divine Mountain at the speed of light.
He also wanted to test just how well the idealist divine ability the system had given him worked.
If he could win, he would charge straight in without holding back and keep going until he killed his opponent, reducing the enemy to ashes and making him say goodbye to this world!
If he could not win, he would immediately call for backup!
Whatever else the Longevity Li Family might lack, it sure as hell had plenty of people!
If they failed to beat the shit out of him, it would be because he had already emptied his bowels!
"What's that boy mumbling about over there?"
Not far away, Li Qianqiu scratched his head. He had not heard what his precious grandson said and was a little puzzled.
As soon as he finished speaking.
Li Qianqiu and all the elders present clearly felt an invisible field of force slowly spreading.
At that moment, a vast, boundless life force centered on Li Xunyuan surged outward like an ocean in an instant, sending layer upon layer of ripples through the void.
Boom!
Hidden in the shadows, Xuan Shijiu's pupils suddenly contracted. An extremely bad premonition rose in his heart, making it pound wildly and leaving him palpitating.
The source of all those palpitations was the little fellow in red inside the Li Lineage's mountain gate.
The fluctuations of the presence radiating from him made Xuan Shijiu's scalp tingle for no apparent reason!
When that fluctuation of life touched him, Xuan Shijiu abruptly realized that his Void Divine Body was gradually becoming solid, until he was completely exposed outside the Li Lineage's mountain gate.
For a moment, everyone in the Li Lineage looked up beyond the mountain gate.
There stood an enormous creature, shaped like a dark tortoise with a nether serpent on its back. Its body looked as though it had been cast from black obsidian divine gold, and a chilling light glinted across its entire form.
From a distance, the black tortoise, towering like a divine mountain, looked like a walking primordial star.
Everything before it seemed so very small.
"My Void Divine Body slips into the void and hides in nothingness. It can evade even a Quasi-Emperor's detection. How is this possible?!"
Xuan Shijiu's expression changed drastically, his face flickering between light and shadow.
He possessed a Void Body and had advanced all the way to the peak of the Saint realm!
In a great emperor's secret realm, he had once used this divine body to evade the detection of several Quasi-Supremes and successfully seize an emperor-path divine fruit.
He had never expected to stumble before a little child today. How could Xuan Shijiu not be horrified?
"Hmph!"
The instant Xuan Shijiu revealed himself, a cold snort suddenly thundered from the depths of the heavens, startling everyone in the ancestral land.
Countless gazes turned toward the sky above the divine hall.
A doorway suddenly split open in the void, and a Heaven-Severing presence capable of suppressing and killing immortals and demons surged out, engulfing the heavens and the universe.
An elderly figure in plain cloth robes strolled out of it.
Emperor-path killing intent wreathed his body, and in his eyes unfolded terrifying visions of worlds being born and destroyed, of immortals and demons falling!
"What terrifying fluctuations!"
"That's... the Immortal-Severing Art!"
"It's the Ninth Ancestor! I never thought he'd climb out of the ancestral mausoleum!"
"Greetings, Ninth Ancestor!"
"Greetings, Ninth Ancestor..."
Countless members of the Li Lineage sucked in cold breaths and cried out in alarm. Despite their shock, they did not forget to bow respectfully.
There's something wrong with that boy in red. Retreat first!
Xuan Shijiu's expression flickered. He acted decisively, tearing open the void and beginning to flee.
At the same time, he secretly activated Heavenly Tribulation Crossing, preparing to summon the sacred body's heavenly tribulation and use it to wipe out Li Xunyuan.
All the strongest experts in the Primordial Dao Domain had gone to the Immortal Abyss Land.
The only ones left in the great families and imperial dynasties were old fogies who had sealed their blood, halted their lifespans, and placed themselves in seclusion.
Such figures would not readily emerge unless their Lineage faced a threat to its survival.
For once they emerged, it meant they had little time left before they perished.
Xuan Shijiu had never imagined that this old thing from the Li Lineage would risk falling and personally emerge to protect the boy in red.
I can't stay here long!
"One Sword Makes Immortals Kneel!"
Before the Li Lineage's Ninth Ancestor could act himself, Li Xunyuan went on the offensive. He raised his tender little hand and gently slashed through the air at the colossal creature not far away.
Xuan Shijiu, who had just broken through the void and was preparing to escape, suddenly stopped in an utterly bizarre manner, as though he had been cursed.
"What the fuck... what the hell is going on?"
Cold sweat poured down Xuan Shijiu's forehead. He was so frightened his courage broke and his soul nearly fled.
The little fellow in red had merely waved his little hand, and he could no longer move!
More frightening still.
That simple, unadorned motion had given him, a Saint, the illusion that he was kneeling on the ground with his hands pressed together above his head.
And deep inside, the urge to kneel grew stronger and stronger, impossible to withstand or resist.
Even the activation of Heavenly Tribulation Crossing had been interrupted.
"Damn legs, run!"
Terror gripped Xuan Shijiu. He discovered that he was trapped in place, unable to move at all.
Only his furious, terrified roars continued to echo through the clouds.
Even though he struggled against the thought with all his might, it was no use. He could not move his legs!
For a moment, Xuan Shijiu bounced back and forth between kneeling and not kneeling.
"This is impossible! I am a mighty Saint. How could I kneel..."
Because of his black tortoise form, Xuan Shijiu could not kneel with his hands pressed together at all. He could only let out a frightened, uneasy roar.
Rip!
The next second, he split right open.
In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and blood poured down like rain, staining the entire sky crimson.
The two enormous halves of the black tortoise's corpse fell from the heavens like crashing comets!
The instant they struck the ground, they exploded!
Xuan Shijiu, at the peak of the Saint realm, split apart on the spot!
His soul was extinguished; his grave was raised right where he stood!
So-called art just fucking had to be an explosion!