The Sole True Realm

Keke's father, a being of flesh and blood like Xiao Chen, had not walked the path of the Stone-Man King. His cultivation was unfathomably deep. As he rose to stand beside Xiao Chen in the sky, the three opposing kings frowned.

"The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease. I wish not to kill, yet killing is forced upon me."

At the same moment, from a distant stone mountain, a sound of cracking rang out. The entire mountain fissured and collapsed. Amidst the rubble, a figure slowly ascended from within—it was Renmo Ge Qian, who had also been in seclusion here.

This time, the three kings across from them changed color. Three against three—they had no chance of victory! Though Ge Qian, Keke's father, and Xiao Chen were not Stone Kings, they were all likely at the Great Perfection of the Upper Ancestral God realm, more terrifying than Stone Kings. Without a doubt, such a trio could dominate the world.

Neither Zixiao Wang nor the Stone Corpse wished to fight to the death. A three-on-three battle would be a toss of the dice between life and death. They spoke a few perfunctory words, then turned and departed without regard for what others might think.

They were decisive and ruthless. In this age of unfolding war, survival was the only truth. Yes, when the final conflict ended, the surviving Stone Kings would be the true victors. With most of the mighty fallen, the handful of remaining Stone Kings would become the true rulers of the myriad worlds.

A streak of black light shot forth as Renmo Ge Qian blocked Zixiao Wang's path. Without hesitation, he struck. On Zixiao Wang, he sensed the aura of Lang Ya.

"Clang!"

Ge Qian's bare palm slammed against Zixiao Wang's stone fist. Strange strands of order-law made the stone fist spark like divine weapons clashing.

"No ... Ah ...!"

At the same moment, Lang Ya screamed. He had been reduced to nothing but a wisp of divine thought. Ge Qian used a secret art to drag him out and trap him; in midair, the soul was instantly engulfed in raging flames.

"Boom!"

Renmo Ge Qian's hair stood on end as a blazing pillar of light erupted from his body, engulfing the weakened soul. This was his life's gathered strength unleashed as an attack—all for the purpose of utterly annihilating the Stone King Lang Ya! Remembering how he had devoured the flesh and blood of his nine elder brothers, remembering the plot that slew the Ancestral Dragon, Ge Qian's eyes turned bloodshot, his hair bristling.

In the end, Lang Ya was destroyed, form and spirit extinguished. Beneath the conflagration of Ge Qian's ten-thousand-epoch fury, he was reduced to ashes.

Zixiao Wang could have blocked him. If he had fought desperately, Ge Qian could never have so easily wiped out Lang Ya. But Zixiao Wang was not an Otherworld Stone King; his relationship with Lang Ya was one of mutual convenience. Now that Lang Ya had lost his physical body and divine power, there was no need to fight and die for him.

In an instant, Zixiao Wang vanished.

"Let each step back for wider seas and skies. Let us end it here today." Xuan Kong Old Ancestor said this to Keke's father, then suddenly disappeared.

"Heh..." The Stone Corpse left only this faint sneer before abruptly vanishing into thin air, causing Xiao Chen's fierce strike to meet only emptiness.

"They want to take my war treasure..." Xiao Chen sneered coldly. He understood the Three Kings' other motive for retreating without a fight—they intended to intercept the returning path of his stone treasures and claim them for themselves.

In that moment, Xiao Chen sat cross-legged in the void, utterly still.

In the western region of the Primordial Celestial Realm, a stretch of desolate mountains and wild hills was covered with endless tombs—the Stone Corpse's lair. At that moment, a stone pagoda descended from the heavens.

"Boom!"

Billows of dust rose skyward as the eerie ancient tomb was smashed apart; the earth sank and collapsed. At the same time, the Stone Corpse returned. His massive hand reached out, grasping for the stone pagoda and stabilizing the crumbling graveyard.

"Heh!" The Stone Corpse grabbed the pagoda, letting out a grim laugh. He tried to wipe away the imprint upon it.

But a flood of multicolored light burst forth from within the tower. With a sizzling sound, the Stone Corpse's huge hand melted away like ice and snow.

With a flash, the stone pagoda vanished.

"This... is the manifestation of the Great Perfection of the Upper Ancestral God realm! The divine cannot be shattered; the treasure cannot be taken. One thought births a flower, one thought the cycle of reincarnation. Form and spirit indestructible; myriad laws cannot touch you!"

At the same time, the same thing happened on Xuan Kong Island and the Zixiao Palace. The Heavenly Stele and the Stone Jar both easily slipped away and vanished.

Xiao Chen opened his eyes and rose to his feet. He retracted his treasures, including the stone pagoda. The surrounding people immediately gathered around. After years of separation, a lively reunion ensued. Fatty Zhuge, Totti, and Sha Polang were the first to approach.

Many familiar faces were there: Huo Niao, A Shui, Yuwen Feng, Chu Xingkuang, Jue Dao, Samo, Yao Yao, Xue Wu, Zhao Zhongyang, Meng Xiangqian, Cang Hai, and others flew over. Though it seemed like many people, the young heroes of that bygone era had been nearly annihilated; only a few had survived.

Sadly, Liu Mu, Niu Ren, Jin Sanyi, Bo Shi, and others had all fallen in battle. They were a group especially close to Xiao Chen, and all had perished.

Yet it stirred deep emotion that Jin Sanyi's little donkey had lived on. It had long since taken human form and now called itself Jin Siyi. Also, the young winged dragon Lena, who had once followed Yan Qingcheng, had survived unharmed.

To everyone's surprise, people from the God Village of the Death World and other allies had also survived. Binglan, Xuemeng, Qi'er, the Living Buddha Ji Gong, and the old general Lian Po all appeared here.

Moreover, Xiao Chen learned from them that the Golden Lion King had also lived and was exceptionally fierce. He and his son Huang Xinren had once fought the Lishi Beast together and escaped unharmed.

His son Huang Xinren had escaped on the Ancestral Dragon Ship and returned safely. He was practically a second Golden Lion King, exceptionally powerful. It had to be said that this father-son pair were supremely gifted, rarely seen through the ages.

At the same time, Dugu Jianmo had also been active in the Celestial Realm. This man, who lived only for the sword, had lost his wife and child, growing even colder. After three cycles of civilization, his cultivation had become unfathomable, impossible to gauge.

Another person worth mentioning was Wu Ming, who wielded the Indestructible Imperial Heavenly Bell. He had also survived and become a standout among his peers, cultivating alone in seclusion.

Among the former generation, one other figure shone brilliantly: the divine maiden. She had encountered disaster aboard the Ancestral Dragon Ship but survived. In the previous cycle of civilization, she had appeared once, slain a few experts who had walked the Ancestral God path, and then vanished again.

Keke, Qingqing, Tianwaitian, Renwairen, Sha Polang, and others were not here; they were cultivating in another important location.

Xiao Chen sighed with mixed emotions. Searching through his memories of familiar faces, many were forever gone. But a few remained unaccounted for, their fate uncertain: Yan Qingcheng, Wu Zhanhun, Su Ying, Hai Yuntian, Liu Ruyan, Bai Qi, and the two old demons, the Golden Divine Halberd and the Dark-Iron Seal.

Ages had passed, and still there was no news of them. They, too, had likely vanished like Jin Sanyi and Liu Mu.

Among the older generation, many had survived. Aside from Pangu King, Fuxi, Suiren, and the Martial Ancestor, there were also the two groups who had left on the Ancestral Dragon Ship—all were outstanding figures, including emperors like Yao and Shun. Chiyou, Xing Tian, and other human ancestors, as well as great powers like Laozi, the Buddha, and Zhuangzi, had all lived. This group of experts was numerous and formed the strongest fighting force of the present. Additionally, older independent cultivators like Bodhidharma, Zhang Sanfeng, Patriarch Chen Tuan, and Wang Yangming also still lived in this world.

Though most of his enemies were dead, being able to see some old friends filled Xiao Chen with the joy of reunion.

"Fatty Zhuge, your luck is truly immense. You actually survived."

"Of course! Who am I? Everyone loves me; even the heavens didn't want me to fall. How could I die?" Old Fatty Zhuge boasted shamelessly. Unfortunately, after three cycles of civilization, he was only at the War Ancestor realm—a natural waste.

In truth, one couldn't blame him. Cultivation also required talent; living long didn't necessarily make one truly powerful. Many present were only at the War Ancestor realm, and a few had only reached the Half-Ancestor realm.

"Seeing your lecherous grin makes me want to knock you around."

"I'm so pure—how could I be lecherous?" Old Fatty Zhuge said without a hint of shame. "The truth is, I've never even had a girlfriend."

"But you've had plenty of boyfriends." At that moment, Jin Siyi chimed in from the side.

Those words nearly choked Old Fatty Zhuge to death. Jin Siyi truly had the style of Jin Sanyi. Everyone burst into laughter. In truth, Old Fatty Zhuge had wives and concubines in droves; he didn't even know how many biological sons he had, because he had too many illegitimate children.

Xiao Chen desperately wanted to see Qingqing and Keke, but he learned that they were in seclusion in another important location and were not here.

The group cheerfully flew toward the immortal mountains. The aroma of various delicacies wafted from the halls and pavilions. It was a rare reunion, and they drank freely, reminiscing about the past.

During this time, Xiao Chen asked Keke's father and Renmo Ge Qian about the current situation.

"Every few thousand years, there is a bitter battle. Both we and the Otherworld have suffered losses. But the storm will not be long in coming. The final war may be about to begin."

According to what the two said privately, when the time came, it would be a decisive battle among Stone Kings. Probably few of the friends present would survive.

"When will the true war begin?" Xiao Chen wanted to know the exact time.

"Pangu King told us to wait. Everything has been arranged." Keke's father said this via divine telepathy, clearly a matter of great importance that could not leak out.

"In truth, we don't know the exact day of the final battle either," Renmo Ge Qian also said via divine telepathy. "This is a great scheme laid in the previous era, spanning ten thousand epochs and the myriad worlds. It has only just begun. All we have to do is wait."

Even these two did not know—a measure of how great the stakes were.

"Though the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors have all passed, they left behind contingencies. We are all soldiers. Though we are pieces on the board, we advance without regret." No matter what level of cultivation one reached, Xiao Chen had always revered the true human ancestors.

That day, Shi Zhongdi also arrived at this important site. Xiao Chen immediately sought his counsel, for he had too many questions.

"The Sole True Realm is the true origin world. All living beings in heaven and earth were born there. The myriad worlds were later opened up by cultivators at the Stone King level..." Shi Zhongdi began with such a bombshell, stunning Xiao Chen.

"All battles are fought for survival. Our ancestors wanted to create an ideal world—a World of Immortality—where there is no enslavement, no oppression, no war, no conflict, only peace and tranquility..."

Speaking thus, Shi Zhongdi frowned. "Difficult, difficult, difficult! Too hard!"

"Our war with the Otherworld is merely a microcosm of the eternal struggle. The true battle, perhaps, will have to enter the Sole True Realm. That may be the ultimate war of the Emperors."

"Our enemies?"

"Many. And they are strong. They are Emperors. Even now, I see no hope. I do not know how to win the final victory." When saying this, Shi Zhongdi was unusually somber. He sighed. "To be precise, we were defeated and fled among the myriad worlds. The bones and blood of our ancestors paved a bloody path, and we escaped by that narrow chance of life."

"But I believe in the means of the great and wise predecessors. I believe the great scheme our ancestors laid can turn the tide." Shi Zhongdi's eyes gleamed as he spoke. "Perhaps I have guessed something: a single war to annihilate the Emperors of the world!"

Naturally, these words were transmitted telepathically. The matter was too grave; not a breath of it could leak.

"The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors—who are they?"

"I think you should have already guessed..." Shi Zhongdi said thus.