Message from an Immortal

Message from an Immortal

During this endeavor, Qin Wentian spent a remarkable eighteen days in front of his chosen monument before he finally progressed to the seventh row of these enigmatic stone structures.

On the seventh row, a peculiar sight awaited him. There were only three stone monuments, and what's more, none of them emitted any discernible aura or power. Qin Wentian couldn't employ his perception to gauge the essence of each monument, and to further complicate matters, Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu had already selected two of them. He was left with a solitary option: challenge one of them and seize their chosen monument, or simply choose the remaining unclaimed one.

In the end, Qin Wentian opted for the lone, unclaimed monument. As he entered, he was taken aback by what he found. Inside this stone monument, he discovered Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu, both standing with their backs to him. To his surprise, these three stone monuments were interconnected.

Before them stood a statue of a male figure. A single glance at it stirred a profound sense of reverence within their hearts, as if they should kneel and pay homage to it.

Qin Wentian felt his astonishment growing. He moved closer, standing beside Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu, all three of them gazing at the awe-inspiring statue.

"All of you have finally arrived," a voice echoed from the void, penetrating their minds and sending shivers down their spines. They stared in amazement at the statue ahead.

"Is that the voice of a senior?" Gu Liufeng inquired, his eyes fixed on the statue, which suddenly began to radiate light.

"Yes," another voice responded. Qin Wentian and the others were once again overwhelmed. Could it be that the will of an incredibly powerful expert resided within this statue?

"Don't be perplexed. I am the master of the Immortal Martial Realm. I originally hailed from the Royal Sacred Region, and since I have ties here, I wished to do something for the region," the voice from the statue calmly explained. "Those who reached this point in previous batches were aware of my existence. While I am willing to bestow good fortune upon those from the Royal Sacred Region, I still need to ascertain their qualifications. Thus, I established the Immortal Martial Realm with all its trials and challenges."

Although Qin Wentian and the others struggled to calm their racing hearts, they listened attentively to the statue's words. This statue before them was a true legendary immortal figure, on par with the sect leader of the Royal Sacred Sect. Only individuals of this caliber could govern an entire region, shaping the lives of countless people. The magnitude of their influence was staggering.

Before them now stood precisely such an individual.

"Those who advance to the seventh row of monuments will receive items I left behind, and even if you are defeated in combat, you are protected from further deaths," the statue's voice remained as calm as ever, soothing like a gentle spring breeze to those who heard it.

"To you, the Royal Sacred Region may seem incomparably vast. You might think it represents the entire world. However, the true world is far beyond your imagination. Only after stepping out of here will you truly understand the meaning of 'vast.' The Immortal Martial Realm is my creation, and its envoys are all from my sect. If, in the future, you wish to leave the Royal Sacred Region, just come to the Immortal Martial Realm. The envoys here will guide you, make all the necessary arrangements, and lead you out of the Royal Sacred Region.

The statue's tone remained unchanged. It chuckled and continued, "I won't say much more. I believe all of you have your own plans. Whenever you're ready to leave, the Immortal Martial Realm will welcome you."

After speaking, the statue dimmed, and no further sound came from it.

However, Qin Wentian, Hua Taixu, and Gu Liufeng found it difficult to remain composed.

There was no doubt that the Immortal Martial Realm was established by an immortal. The immortal had dropped numerous hints earlier, and the three of them, being highly intelligent, quickly pieced it together.

In the Royal Sacred Region, the Royal Sacred Sect reigned supreme. It attracted monstrous geniuses and the most powerful individuals, securing its unrivaled position. However, in the broader world, the Royal Sacred Region was just a part of it. The sect to which the master of the Immortal Martial Realm belonged was one such power.

The master of the Immortal Martial Realm had created this realm within the Royal Sacred Region as a way to fulfill any remaining karmic ties he had to the place. But there was an unspoken purpose as well. Undoubtedly, he sought to recruit talents for his sect.

In order to become powerful, a faction needed to continuously draw top talents from younger generations. Those who could reach the end of the Immortal Martial Realm were undeniably the cream of the crop in their generation. Perhaps only one or two would emerge in a decade. But what about a hundred years? Or even ten thousand years?

At the level of immortals, lifespans could span tens of thousands of years or more. If such individuals established a sect and used this method to select the most outstanding young talents, the results would undoubtedly be exceptional. Meanwhile, some of the Royal Sacred Region's absolute geniuses might use the Immortal Martial Realm to exit the region. However, if they chose to accept the realm's assistance, they would inevitably become disciples of the sect to which the master of the Immortal Martial Realm belonged. Otherwise, the realm would not go to such lengths to provide a path for individuals to leave the Royal Sacred Region freely.

The Immortal Martial Realm had existed for so long within the Royal Sacred Region without any interference from the Royal Sacred Sect, indicating the immense power of the realm's master. Moreover, participants who reached the end of the realm's path would undoubtedly gain access to immortal arts. Since the realm's master could casually impart these immortal arts, his strength was undoubtedly formidable. He might even surpass the Royal Sacred Sect's sect leader. Such an invitation was undeniably tempting, and undoubtedly, many top participants from previous batches had chosen to leave with the Immortal Martial Realm's assistance.

For instance, take Ye Qingyun, the Human Emperor of Ye! If it weren't for his deep attachment to ancient Ye, he would have left long ago. If he could find a suitable successor, why wouldn't he depart?

The master of the Immortal Martial Realm displayed exceptional intelligence by placing the Immortal Martial Realm within the Royal Sacred Region and employing such subtle means to entice participants. This was a strategy that went beyond the thinking of an ordinary person.

"Everything is about to conclude," Gu Liufeng turned to face Qin Wentian and Hua Taixu. The three of them exchanged glances. After this, they would engage in a battle to determine the final top three rankings of this group of participants.

"I must say, your courage is truly commendable. While everyone understood the benefits of solidifying their foundation at the first row of stone monuments, you were the only one brave enough to take that risk, and it paid off," Gu Liufeng said with a smile directed at Qin Wentian. He didn't exude an air of rivalry. Among the three of them who had cultivated the power of six stone monuments, Qin Wentian had the most stable foundation.

"If the first person to attack me had been you instead of Di Shi, the outcome might have been different," Qin Wentian replied with a smile. Gu Liufeng had advanced the fastest and was skilled in archery. If he had taken the opportunity to eliminate Qin Wentian, who had chosen to remain on the first row earlier, there was a high probability that Qin Wentian might have been eliminated.

But clearly, Gu Liufeng had no interest in doing that.

Qin Wentian then turned his gaze to Hua Taixu. At this moment, Hua Taixu's aura was even more extraordinary, emitting an indescribable sensation that shifted from complexity back to simplicity.

"Back in Grand Xia, the majority of people believed that I would meet my end at your hands. Now that we've encountered each other here, it seems that our battle is inevitable," Qin Wentian spoke slowly.

Hua Taixu locked eyes with Qin Wentian, his expression unreadable. His thoughts remained a mystery.

"Truthfully, I don't harbor as much hatred towards you as people think," Hua Taixu replied. "There's no doubt about your exceptional abilities. The first time we crossed paths was when we were both in Chu. At that time, I didn't even consider you my enemy because, quite frankly, you weren't qualified to be. Even after you killed Xiaoyun, you still weren't qualified. That changed when you claimed the top spot in the Heavenly Fate Rankings.

"You were justified in killing Xiaoyun. Given what he had done to Mo Qingcheng, it was entirely warranted. However, regardless of his actions, he was still my younger brother. Despite being a scoundrel, I have a duty to avenge him. Even though I admire you, if I have the chance to kill you, I won't show any mercy. If we were to meet outside, you would need to be prepared to kill me, or I would find ways to end your life. There's one thing I want to make clear: I don't want our feud to harm others, such as our close friends and family. Consider it my way of leaving a path to survival for the Hua Clan. After all, facing an opponent like you, if I were to fail to kill you, it would spell disaster for my clan. And I'll make you this promise: even if I do manage to kill you, I'll never harm those close to you."

Hua Taixu's voice remained remarkably calm. Qin Wentian stared into those clear, slightly ethereal eyes and nodded in response. "You, the former number one in the Heavenly Fate Rankings, have always been leagues ahead of Chen Wang. The gap between the two of you is insurmountable."

"How shall we proceed with our battle?" Hua Taixu inquired, glancing at Gu Liufeng.

Gu Liufeng couldn't help but smile as his form flickered. Swiftly, the three of them separated, positioning themselves in a triangular formation. Each exuded a formidable aura, and the winds around them began to churn with intensity. They appeared to share an unspoken understanding, communicating their intentions through glances alone.

"Bzzz!" Radiant light flooded the area as a bow materialized in Gu Liufeng's hand. Astral light gleamed as arrows tore through the void, heading straight for Hua Taixu and Qin Wentian.

In an instant, spectators witnessed a brilliant beam of light piercing through the seventh row where the three stone monuments were located.

"The battle has begun. Why isn't there any image projection for this decisive final battle?" Spectators exchanged bewildered glances. When they observed the radiant light emanating from the three stone monuments earlier, they immediately understood that the final confrontation had commenced.

Gu Liufeng's arrows were blindingly swift, pushing the limits of speed, and carried a terrifying penetrating force. Hua Taixu seemed to exist only partially in this reality, fading in and out of the void as the arrows struck him. Qin Wentian transformed into a golden figure, emitting such a commanding presence that the arrows failed to harm him despite landing on his form.

Gu Liufeng calmly remained in his original position. He aimed his bow not at them but upward, towards the sky. Suddenly, a shower of arrows descended from above, resembling shooting stars that bombarded Qin Wentian and Hua Taixu with incredible speed and force.

Bang, Bang, Bang!

The dimensional space was overwhelmed by this torrent of arrows. Hua Taixu endured repeated hits, yet each time, his real body faded from one location to another. Qin Wentian expanded into a giant, radiating such immense power that none of the arrows could harm him.

The three stone monuments continuously emitted resplendent light, causing the spectators' hearts to race even faster. Although there was no image projection, the blurry outlines in the emitted light allowed them to glimpse the intense astral battle. They longed to rush up and immerse themselves in the stone monument's perception, to witness the final battle up close.

Hua Taixu transformed into an elongated, blurry shadow, advancing towards both Qin Wentian and Gu Liufeng. This elongated shadow occasionally split apart before merging back together, creating a seemingly endless stream of attacks that simultaneously targeted Qin Wentian and Gu Liufeng.

Gu Liufeng's bow disappeared, replaced by a saber. The saber's light cut through the air, severing the calm lake and moon, tearing the world asunder.

BOOM!

Qin Wentian stepped forward, his foot crashing down with overwhelming force. The fiendgod he transformed into moved at lightning speed, sporting golden wings that propelled him toward Gu Liufeng and Hua Taixu.

A thunderous roar echoed with such power that it threatened to shake the heavens and earth to their core. In the air, countless fiendgod incarnations materialized, releasing millions of Star-Seizing palm imprints that enveloped the entire space, sweeping away everything.

"In the face of true strength, everything else is insignificant. UNIFIED FORCE BREAKING THROUGH THE VOID (Taixu)!" Qin Wentian roared in fury as his fiendgod incarnations descended, pounding the ground. He unleashed another relentless wave of destruction, turning the entire space upside down.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two cries of pain echoed. Hua Taixu was expelled from the void by Qin Wentian's onslaught, reappearing in the physical realm with blood at the corner of his lips. Gu Liufeng suffered similar injuries. Both of them cast their gazes upon the myriad fiendgod incarnations, a trace of admiration in their eyes.

Then, Hua Taixu and Gu Liufeng simultaneously charged toward Qin Wentian, joining forces. Spectators were now on the edge of their seats, their palms damp with sweat. Despite the blurry outlines making it impossible to distinguish between them, they watched with bated breath, their heartbeats quickening with each passing moment.