"Stop." An aged voice rang out, and a blond-haired man strode into the hall. The moment he entered, his imposing aura was felt by everyone present.
"Greetings, Patriarch Ao Kui." At this moment, everyone rose and cupped their fists in respectful salute.
Although the newcomer was only at the consummate Hunyuan Realm, compared to the other cultivators in the hall, he was indeed a senior.
Patriarch Ao Kui, leader of the Dragon Clan, had held the clan leader position for countless years. The Dragon Clan flourished because of him.
Following Ao Kui were Saint Emperor Fan Yuan of the Demon Clan and three others. Two were Saint Emperors of the Sea Clan, Ma Ju Jia, and another was a tall, long-haired figure exuding a faint, elusive aura, as if he could vanish at any moment. None of the cultivators present recognized this person.
Though he wished to teach Vera Tang a lesson, Sam Monk saw Ao Kui enter and speak, so he had to show respect. He shot Vera Tang a cold glare but refrained from suppressing her with his domain aura.
Standing beside Sam Monk, Giles looked at Vera Tang and said coolly, "Junior Sister Tang, things aren't like they were in the past. I suggest you heed Brother Sam's advice and not make unnecessary enemies. If you insist on this path, I, Giles, will truly regret it."
Giles didn't explicitly say he'd help Sam Monk act against Vera Tang, but his words made it clear: if Vera Tang refused to hand over the Nirvana Tree Fragment, she shouldn't blame Giles and Sam Monk for being ruthless.
Vera Tang remained calm, but Tammy Tang's heart sank at those words. If Giles and Sam Monk joined forces, even the Phoenix Clan's reputation couldn't protect her. Giles alone was formidable, backed by the Demon Clan, and Sam Monk was equally fearsome.
Ao Kui ignored Giles's veiled threat and simply pressed his hands down. "Please, everyone, be seated. I've invited you here for an important matter. Of course, since our Dragon Clan's Cosmic Coiling Dragon Fruit has ripened, you're all welcome to taste it. Bring out the Dao Fruit!"
Several graceful young women entered, each carrying a jade tray. Upon the trays lay glistening Cosmic Coiling Dragon Fruits, their crisp fragrance wafting through the hall, instantly refreshing the spirit.
Franklin Young cast a cold sneer at Giles. This fellow had always acted as a tyrant, and now, with that cultivator surnamed Ye gone for good, he was even more arrogant. If Giles knew about Joe Di—the Human Clan cultivator close to Tammy Tang—and his heaven-defying abilities, perhaps he wouldn’t be so brazen.
Of course, Franklin Young would never warn Giles about this. To Franklin, it would be best if Joe Di and Giles destroyed each other. Joe Di had killed Damon Jin of the Demon Clan, and Franklin himself wished he could personally eliminate Joe Di.
Giles nodded to Franklin Young and Mark Mariner, clearly signaling that after the Hundred Clans Summit, when he and Sam Monk suppressed Vera Tang and Tammy Tang, he hoped Franklin and Mark would join in as well. No matter how formidable Vera Tang and Tammy Tang were, under the pressure of these four powerhouses, they would not dare utter a word of protest.
Franklin Young simply smiled at Giles, pretending to know nothing. Let Giles take the initiative to suppress Tammy Tang—heh, Giles should try killing Joe Di first.
Mark Mariner deliberately acted as if he hadn’t noticed Giles’s signal, which made Giles seethe with anger.
At that moment, Ao Kui spoke, “Many of you may already know some of the reasons I invited you here today, but what I want to say is that the real reason is far more terrifying than what you’ve heard.”
Ao Kui was no stranger to grand occasions. Hearing his words, most cultivators grew solemn, focusing intently on what he would say. Even those eager to taste the Cosmic Coiling Dragon Fruit set aside their Dao Fruit.
Ao Kui gestured to the tall, vaguely ethereal man beside him. “Before I explain, let me introduce a friend. You may not have met him, but you’ve likely heard of his clan—the Shadow Clan.”
Sure enough, at the mention of the Shadow Clan, many cultivators revealed expressions of understanding.
The Shadow Clan also resides in this realm, though today no official representative attended. The Shadow Clan rarely appears, much like the Kunpeng Clan; no one even knows where their stronghold lies. Their cultivation techniques are tied to their nature, giving them an elusive, almost ghostly presence. With Ao Kui introducing this man as a member of the Shadow Clan, and seeing his demeanor, everyone understood instantly.
Ao Kui continued, “I won’t speak further on what comes next. It’s best to let this Shadow Clan friend explain himself.”
The Shadow Clan man cupped his fists, his voice slightly hoarse. “My name is Nathan Shadow. Before I speak, I must thank Ao Kui of the Dragon Clan for saving me and tending my wounds for years.”
Nathan Shadow paused to bow once more to Ao Kui, then continued, “The reason I was injured is because I ventured to a place many of you have heard of—Celestial Beyond.”
Sure enough, at these words, the cultivators began whispering among themselves. The name ‘Celestial Beyond’ was renowned, though reaching it was no easy feat. Many instinctively glanced at Vera Tang; rumor had it that the Sacred Dao Domain contained a teleportation array to Celestial Beyond, and Vera Tang was said to have visited it.
Vera Tang grew visibly excited, her gaze fixed on Nathan Shadow, intent on his next words.
Nathan Shadow’s tone grew even more somber. “If you believe Celestial Beyond is a cultivation paradise, and that simply arriving there will allow you to easily advance to the Third Step, let me tell you—that’s all a lie. At least in my experience, I found few treasures for cultivation there. If anything, there was only chaos. I was nearly killed because I encountered a woman named Nora. She is unimaginably strong; if I hadn’t been born of the Shadow Clan, a hundred of me would have died…”
The hall fell silent. Everyone knew that among all the races in this world, two were most adept at escaping: the Shadow Clan and the Wing Clan.
Nathan Shadow took a deep breath and continued, “What I must tell you is this: soon, our entire universe will descend into terrifying chaos. In the end, not only our lives, but even our homes may vanish…”
Many cultivators looked at Nathan Shadow in disbelief—wasn’t this claim a bit too sensational? This realm had stood in the cosmos for countless ages; could it really vanish with just a few words?
Nathan Shadow paid no mind to their skepticism and sighed. “You may think I’m lying, but my words are truer than gold. According to what I’ve learned, that woman named Nora comes from a place called the Primordial World. Their Primordial World is incomplete—rumor has it, it lost half its domains.”
“And the half that the Primordial World lost is right here in our void realm, including the Sacred Dao Domain of the Human Clan, the Myriad Demon Domain of the Demon Clan, the Void Sea Domain of the Dragon Clan, the Heavenly Demon Domain of the Demon Clan, the Divine Phoenix Domain of the Phoenix Clan, and so on. I can say that for almost every race in this void, their domain was split off from the Primordial World…”
The cultivators all drew sharp breaths. If this was true, just how vast was the Primordial World? No, what did Nathan Shadow mean by this? Could it be that the powerhouses of the Primordial World planned to reclaim all these domains? That seemed impossible.
Nathan Shadow spoke gravely, “I believe you’ve all guessed it. The reason I was injured is because I learned this truth. The powerhouses of the Primordial World intend to reclaim all the domains of our void realm, fuse them back into the original Primordial World, and fully restore it.”
“That’s absolutely impossible! The Sacred Dao Domain was already restored by my brother,” Vera Tang suddenly interjected.
Nathan Shadow turned his gaze to Vera Tang and nodded. “Yes, I deeply respect and admire Dao Lord Ye. If not for Dao Lord Ye, the powerhouses of the Primordial World would have come here years ago and taken all the fragmented domains to merge with the Primordial World. When Dao Lord Ye was only at the Hunyuan Realm, he used the World Tree and World Mountain to restore the Sacred Dao Domain. Not only that, he suppressed the Primordial World’s powerhouses so thoroughly that they dared not approach this realm.”
“Alas, ever since Dao Lord Ye disappeared after that great battle, no one in our realm has stepped forward. The Sacred Dao Domain, restored by Dao Lord Ye, may one day produce a Dao Integration powerhouse, but sadly, time is too short. The Primordial World’s powerhouses will not wait for us to reach Dao Integration.”
Vera Tang’s heart sank even deeper. Her vague intuition had been correct. Ever since Celestial Beyond became inaccessible, she had sensed something was wrong—and now it was confirmed.