The Return of a Phantom

Xiao Chen sank endlessly into the ancient well, bound by a terrifying force he could not resist.

Then, like a shattered dream of seven-colored light, he felt himself pass through an obstruction and emerge onto the long-lost earth.

A breath of ancient, eternal air met him. Yes—this was the aura of the Nine Provinces. This was no illusion. He had returned!

Incredibly, mountains and rivers flickered past as if he were traversing space itself, finally hurtling toward the Yong Province in the western reaches of the Nine Provinces.

How many years had passed? What era was this now? Xiao Chen was truly afraid that the passage of time had ground everything to dust before the indifferent face of the ages.

If everything he had once known was gone, then what meaning was there in his return?

At last, the scenery stabilized. He emerged from the spatial tunnel. Beneath his feet, the vast, desolate earth radiated a familiar power. In the distance, mountain shadows stretched endlessly. Nearby, all was barren and bleak.

A towering, majestic giant city, black as iron, stood silent before him, as if it had slumbered there for ten thousand ages.

That... was the Dead City!

Back in the mortal world? Returned alive?

How was this possible? How could this be!

Had the Dead City, which had fallen into the Abyss of Evil, actually seen the light of day again? Everything before him was so clear, unmistakably the Dead City. But... where was the Primordial Ancient Village? Why had it vanished?

Xiao Chen was stunned. Where was the village that had raised him? He stood like a statue of clay or wood, silent for a long time.

Only after a great while did he force his body to move and walk forward. It was only then that he noticed his form—a crimson diamond skeleton!

The mountains and rivers remained; his homeland was unchanged. But everything else was different. People had long since changed.

Xiao Chen wanted to roar at the heavens, but no sound came. He was nothing but a skeleton.

The land around the Dead City was desolate and uninhabited. The massive city gates were tightly shut. Even when sunlight poured down, it turned into patches of shadow above the Dead City, where Yin energy drifted thickly.

However, outside the Primordial Ancient Village, there were traces of human activity. Xiao Chen strode forward. There, he saw many burnt paper offerings—someone had come often to this place to mourn and burn incense.

The Primordial Ancient Village had become a place of desolation and ill omen.

In the distance, among the ancient trees, firelight flickered. Someone else had come to offer sacrifices.

Xiao Chen was about to go and look, but from another direction in the forest, he caught sight of a familiar figure.

It was him—the Three-Headed Golden Lion King!

He had grown into a stalwart youth, his head of golden hair flowing with light, blazing and dazzling like the sun. He was in his prime, his tall, powerful frame filled with terrifying strength. Even without contact, one could sense he had cultivated a superior divine body.

The Three-Headed Golden Lion King—his left eye represented Reincarnation, his right eye represented Destruction. They were taboo-level divine principles.

Now, both eyes were open, no longer tightly shut as in the past. It could be assumed he had fully mastered the power of Reincarnation and Destruction and could control them freely.

However, the vertical eye in the center of his forehead remained tightly sealed. That was the most terrifying power of all, and to this day, no one knew just how strong or dreadful it truly was.

"A pity, a lament. The gods have all perished here, and there is no supreme expert left under heaven," the Golden Lion King said, his aura overwhelming as he faced the Dead City alone. He sighed with emotion: "Who in this world can ever escape death? No matter how breathtaking your beauty, peerless in your generation, in the end, you are but a red-pink skeleton. No matter how great a heavenly hero, commanding a vast empire of ten thousand li, in the end, you will turn into a handful of yellow earth."

Having said this, he turned his head coldly toward Xiao Chen's direction, as if he could see through the forest's cover and discern everything clearly.

The Golden Lion King strode forward. When he saw the crimson diamond skeleton, he sneered: "So, there is a resentful soul that has not dispersed." He pointed a finger forward. A golden beam shot out like a brilliant rainbow.

Xiao Chen shifted half a foot to the side, dodging the strike. He had not expected to encounter the Lion King, whose potential was limitless, in this state. Engaging him in battle now would likely result in defeat, not victory.

But with their paths crossing, he had no choice but to fight.

The Golden Lion King was domineering and confident. With one step, he covered ten zhang and was instantly before Xiao Chen, his fist descending like a thunderbolt, blazing with dazzling golden divine light.

There was no avoiding it. He had to counter. Xiao Chen's crimson diamond palm blade slashed outward.

But at that very moment, something astonishing happened. The Lion King's fist and Xiao Chen's palm blade passed through each other, neither sustaining any damage.

Xiao Chen's crimson diamond skeletal body was like a shadow—untouchable, unable to exert force.

"Your primordial spirit has yet to fade completely, but it is nothing more than a wisp of a ghost," the Golden Lion King said, stepping away to a distance of ten zhang. "I will send you on the path of reincarnation." His left eye emitted a beam of black light. The very heavens and earth resonated with sacred hymns and sacrificial chants—a terrifying phenomenon. But the black light passed through Xiao Chen's body, opening a Reincarnation Gate in the distance. It could not harm the crimson diamond skeleton one bit.

The Golden Lion King seemed greatly surprised. He stared for a long moment before saying: "So, you were already utterly annihilated, body and soul. This is nothing but a phantom, a shadow formed by lingering resentment. What meaning is there in this? You died and left nothing behind. Resentment will eventually fade, and all will cease to exist."

"A pity, a group of strong men gone. They would have been whetstones for my path to a higher realm." He strode away, muttering to himself: "One day, the entire earth will tremble beneath my feet. I will sweep away all the kings under heaven and become the master of this land."

The Golden Lion King was long gone. But Xiao Chen stood frozen. When he tried to pick up a withered branch, his hand passed right through it. He seemed to be nothing more than a phantom.

"Could it be... I am truly and utterly annihilated, nothing but a shred of resentment?" Xiao Chen was utterly stunned. Had the experiences in the death world all been illusions? Nothing but the ravings of a resentful thought?

Xiao Chen did not know how long he stood silently in the forest before gradually coming back to himself. He trudged silently toward the Yellow River, a dozen li away.

As he left the woods, he found many soldiers blocking the road leading out of the village. Blades hung at their waists, and their iron armor was engraved with talismans. They seemed to have been stationed here for a long time, as if guarding the ill-omened Dead City.

These men were talking among themselves.

"Do you know who that man who just left was? He's called the Golden Lion King, the undefeated champion of the Western Regions. They say there are hardly any who can match him now."

"Undefeated? Definitely not him. The three dragon sons—Yazi, Suanni, and Pixiu—shake the Southern Wastes. No one dares to challenge them. The true undefeated one will probably come from among them."

"I think the most terrifying one is the Filthy King, Jin Sanyi. There is nothing more wretched than being his enemy. A gentleman takes revenge ten years later; a petty man takes revenge from morning till night. The Filthy King doesn't distinguish between ten years and a single day. He won't stop until he's driven his opponent mad."

At this, the soldiers seemed to share a chill of dread.

Of course, there were many who disagreed. One said: "I think the strongest is the Nine-Headed Snake God. He has shaken the Southwest and has already begun a legend of invincibility."

"Without a true decisive battle, it's hard to say who is strong and who is weak," an old soldier said, taking a swig from his gourd of wine. "Too many strong men died back then, especially here..." He took another gulp and pointed at the Dead City before them. "Do you still remember that young man named Xiao? If he were still alive, I doubt anyone of his generation could be his match."

"Of course, I remember," another old soldier said. "Back then, that man fought undefeated across the world. If he were alive today, who could possibly stand against him?".

"Mm... that man was too terrifying. They say those fallen half-ancestors were all sent on their way by his own hand." Even now, the memory made the soldiers shudder.

"Don't say any more. That name is taboo to Her Majesty the Empress."

"Yes, don't speak of it. That man fell into the Dead City before us. We must not mention him, lest we disturb his lingering soul."

Xiao Chen stood not far away, taking it all in. He lingered at the edge of the woods for a long time.

So, some people still remembered him. But they seemed afraid even to speak his name. Was it because of Zhao Lin'er, or because of what he had done in the past?

Those glorious, song-like days, that magnificent past, seemed to be yesterday. But in the end, they would never return.

How were his old friends? Had his past enemies grown stronger? Xiao Chen longed to truly descend upon this world once more.

Morning and evening, joys and sorrows, partings and reunions. Looking back on the past, how could he ever forget?