Chapter 1495: The Tomb Wind Sweeps Across the Immortal Realm

Aside from reminiscing about the many things from the Archaic Immortal Realm, Chaos Nameless was even more concerned with that Hidden Emperor himself.

This was because, according to the ancient legends of the Immortal Realm, the Sages of the Immortal Realm possessed the supreme divine ability to point and draw, allowing True Immortals to transcend.

"After the destruction of the Immortal Realm, the Four Sage Lords all disappeared without a trace. If this person truly walked the path of [Sagehood], then could it be..." Whenever Chaos Nameless thought of this, an irresistible urge would rise in his heart to return once more and personally pay a visit to that Hidden Emperor, no matter what.

However, having attained the Dao for so many years, Chaos was still able to restrain himself.

"This matter cannot be rushed. It needs to be considered carefully."

"It would be best if I could contact the others and go together. After all, if I went alone, I fear I would not even enter the eyes of a Sage."

Chaos Nameless pondered the various legends he knew regarding the Four Sage Lords of the Immortal Realm.

[Taiyi], [Lianshan], [Guihai], and [Jingfen].

Taiyi Sage Lord was said to have been the first living being in existence. He had witnessed the birth of the world from nothing, and his wisdom was said to be supreme.

Lianshan Sage Lord had opened the path to immortality within [Mountain Shangfang]. He was the first immortal in existence, and his strength was truly impossible to fathom. If the strength of the various True Immortals were judged according to the power of Mountain Shangfang, then the one standing at the very summit of Mountain Shangfang would undoubtedly be this Lianshan Sage Lord.

Guihai Sage Lord had opened up the [Infinite Spring], causing the strength of immortals to undergo another qualitative transformation. After countless years of excavation, the Infinite Spring eventually became the boundless ocean known as the Infinite Ocean. This allowed every True Immortal in the Immortal Realm to possess inexhaustible resources. Using the sea to suppress the mountain, his might was no weaker than that of Lianshan Sage Lord.

Jingfen Sage Lord...

The moment he thought of this person, a chill instinctively arose in Chaos Nameless's heart.

Only after silently reciting his name did this intense feeling of fear gradually dissipate.

Jingfen Sage Lord was born only after the Immortal Realm had reached the height of its prosperity. He was also the last Sage Lord in the history of the Immortal Realm to attain the Dao.

Although the Immortal Realm had opened up an infinite number of paths, the birth and death of Dao, its growth and decline, always followed the cycles of heavenly principles. Even the Immortal Realm could not escape this law.

Yet the reason the Immortal Realm was filled with flourishing life everywhere, with no place where the Dao could wither away, was entirely due to this Jingfen Sage Lord.

He had made his own body into a tomb and buried the countless Great Daos of the heavens within himself. This ensured that the decline and extinction of the Dao would not affect the flourishing Immortal Realm. Only when the Great Dao completed its cycle and the time came for the birth and growth of the Dao once more would the Jingfen Sage Lord release those buried Daos.

"The Jingfen devours the Dao and begins the cycle beneath the desolate mausoleum."

This was an ancient proverb passed down throughout the Immortal Realm.

It was precisely because the Four Sage Lords were like pillars supporting the heavens that the Immortal Realm became a boundless, vast paradise of immortals, overflowing with inexhaustible vitality.

Yet precisely because the responsibilities of the Four Sage Lords were so immense, they had no time to govern the countless immortals. Thus, the successive Immortal Emperors of the Immortal Realm came into existence.

At the beginning of the Immortal Realm, the True Immortals of the world still knew the names of the Four Sage Lords and would often silently recite them in gratitude. But as time passed and the Four Sage Lords remained absent from the world for a long time, although the immortals did not go so far as to forget them, their memories of them gradually faded.

In the end, they had become little more than symbols.

If the Four Sage Lords had remained unchanged from beginning to end, perhaps many of the events that followed would never have happened.

The turning point in everything originated from Jingfen Sage Lord abandoning his duty.

Although putting it that way seemed somewhat disrespectful, that was simply the truth.

After burying and organizing the Great Daos that had fallen into decline within the Immortal Realm for countless years, this Fourth Sage Lord of the Immortal Realm suddenly "quit" one day.

He laughed three times and then spat out in a single breath the countless Daos of decline that had yet to complete their cycles.

The rotten, frenzied wind capable of eroding all immortal paths instantly swept across the entire Immortal Realm.

Countless immortal servants, immortal puppets, and immortal artifacts began to decay after being touched by this [Tomb Wind]. Even True Immortals and Nameless True Immortals found it difficult to escape the corrosive aura of this decaying Great Dao.

The entire Immortal Realm suffered incalculable casualties and enormous losses.

However, in the face of an Immortal Realm possessing infinite sources of energy, these losses were actually nothing extraordinary. Given some time, everything could eventually be repaired.

The crucial point was that [Jingfen Sage Lord] had stopped doing his duty.

The Dao of decline and extinction was now left unattended. No one could deal with it anymore. They could only let it run rampant, fleeing and avoiding it wherever possible.

Moreover, because it had inherited the property of infinity, this Dao of decline and extinction became even more powerful.

It would not only occasionally transform into a decaying gale and sweep through various parts of the Immortal Realm, but would also give rise to numerous apocalyptic phenomena of destruction, descending irregularly throughout the Immortal Realm.

Even the star seas of the lower realms could not escape.

One of the four Heavenly Pillars had suddenly disappeared.

Chaos was destined to descend upon the Immortal Realm.

It was said that Taiyi, Lianshan, and Guihai, the three Sage Lords, could not bear to see the suffering of the Immortal Realm and had once joined forces to persuade the somewhat ‘willful’ Jingfen Sage Lord.

No one knew what the final result had been.

It was only that after the strange phenomena of the Immortal Realm disappeared for a brief three thousand years, they gradually began to manifest throughout various regions once more.

This time, however, they no longer erupted on a massive scale all at once.

Instead, they gradually grew from nothing, with their intensity and frequency increasing little by little.

At the very least, this gave the immortals a reasonably long period to adapt.

Under the instructions of the three Sage Lords, the reigning Immortal Emperor enfeoffed numerous Nameless Ones throughout the Immortal Realm to suppress the [Tomb Wind] phenomena in various regions.

Only through the combined efforts of the countless immortals was the chaos of the Immortal Realm finally brought under control.

Chaos Nameless had once been one of those many Nameless Ones.

That had been an extremely long time ago.

So long ago that whenever Chaos Nameless recalled those events, he could no longer even determine how many generations of Immortal Emperors had passed since then.

Later, the immortals of the Immortal Realm gradually adapted to the various phenomena brought about by the Tomb Wind. They also slowly forgot where these strange phenomena had originated.

They simply grew accustomed to them and came to regard them as natural features of the Immortal Realm.

But in truth, what in the Immortal Realm had ever been born that way?

Although Jingfen Sage Lord no longer concerned himself with worldly affairs, he had not disappeared.

Anyone who dared to voice even the slightest criticism of his actions, even if it existed only within their heart, would be sensed by him.

Not a single one of these True Immortals escaped.

Jingfen Sage Lord seized every one of them and threw them into his belly.

One had to understand that Jingfen Sage Lord could even absorb and transform the extinction and decline of the Dao. In his eyes, the True Immortals who comprehended the Dao of the Immortal Realm were hardly any different from delicious delicacies.

Unable to resist, they were all transformed into wisps of decaying Tomb Wind.

At that time, countless True Immortals within the Immortal Realm had secretly cursed Jingfen Sage Lord in their hearts.

Jingfen Sage Lord showed equal favor to all of them and did not leave a single one behind.

After this purge, the Immortal Realm almost gave people the feeling that it had been emptied.

This was a great calamity during the early days of the Immortal Realm.

But it was only a calamity for the True Immortals of that era.

For the Immortal Realm as a whole, later history proved that it was actually a good thing.

After Jingfen Sage Lord swallowed countless True Immortals alive, many years passed.

He then gradually spat out the Daos comprehended by those True Immortals.

Some of these Dao principles filled the heavens and earth of the Immortal Realm, while others quickly found new masters.

The Immortal Realm once again regained its flourishing vitality.

It was just that after experiencing such an ordeal, very few people still remembered this Jingfen Sage Lord.

Only the saying, "The Jingfen devours immortals and opens the Dao beneath the desolate mausoleum," continued to circulate among a small number of True Immortals.

Because of Jingfen Sage Lord's such violent and unpredictable actions, the True Immortals did not dare voice the slightest criticism of him.

Yet through their actions and their everyday speech, they still expressed their attitude.

Whenever Jingfen Sage Lord was mentioned, they no longer used the title "Sage Lord."

They simply called him "Great Sage Jingfen."

Perhaps Jingfen Sage Lord was rather satisfied with this title.

He himself did not pursue the matter and simply allowed the name to spread.

Chaos Nameless had been fortunate enough to survive that calamity back then.

He had even personally witnessed an entire immortal domain, along with countless True Immortals, being transformed into wisps of green aura and sucked away.

Naturally, he both respected and feared Jingfen Sage Lord.

He did not dare follow the others in calling him Great Sage Jingfen.

Instead, he continued to refer to him as Jingfen Sage Lord within his heart.

And it was precisely because Jingfen Sage Lord had ‘abandoned his post’ that the matter of Sage Lords possessing the ability to guide and enlighten True Immortals on the matters of transcendence later became known throughout the world.

The Jingfen Sage Lord devoured the gathered Immortals in great gulps. This did not merely instill fear in the gathered Immortals. Some True Immortals were instead shocked by the strength displayed by the Jingfen Sage Lord. From then on, they became even more convinced of him, their hearts filled with devotion, to the point of becoming somewhat fanatical.

The Jingfen Sage Lord ignored the vast majority of these ‘believers.’

However, because he thought about them day after day, he also saw through their hearts completely.

There were three among them who earned the Sage Lord's favor.

He then painted them into existence with a single stroke, allowing them to transcend and depart before the eyes of everyone present.

This caused the believers of the Jingfen Sage Lord to become even more frenzied.

Later, another purge took place. Only then were the slanderers and fanatics throughout the world were completely eliminated.

Only four faint words remained as his name, left behind in the world.

As for where the Jingfen Sage Lord went after the destruction of the Immortal Realm, that was something even Chaos Nameless could not know.

...

"That Hidden Emperor's strength is certainly inferior to the Four Sages of the Immortal Realm."

"However, since he has already embarked upon the path of transforming into a Sage, painting True Immortals into existence and allowing them to transcend should not be difficult for him."

"After all, the many Heavenly Emperors and Heavenly Scars in that Archaic Immortal Realm prove his close connection with the Infinite Ocean."

"And if one wishes to transcend and cross over to the Other Shore, this is the most crucial point."

...

Chaos's thoughts churned within him. After a long while, instead of going to find the other Nameless beings, he first summoned Devoid Immortal.

Among everyone in the Shuo Star Sea, Devoid Immortal had been in contact with the Hidden Emperor the most.

For the past hundred years, every time someone needed to make a trip or deliver a message, he had been the one to handle it.

Chaos carefully questioned Devoid Immortal about every detail of his interactions with the Hidden Emperor, attempting to gauge the Hidden Emperor's temperament.

"It seems that he is not particularly difficult to approach."

"At least, compared to the others."

In Chaos Nameless's eyes, the method of turning people into stone pillars was truly nothing remarkable.

After sending Devoid Immortal away, Chaos pondered again and again. In the end, he felt that a decision had to be made as soon as possible.

Thus, the Nameless beings of the Shuo Star Sea gathered together once again.

The first to speak was the black robed figure with the white cat.

"What we see may not necessarily be the truth. The Hidden Emperor may not necessarily be the Hidden Emperor. Even if that Archaic Immortal Realm truly was created by him, that still does not necessarily prove his true strength. After the destruction of the Immortal Realm, the Ruling Immortal Emperor who held the Authority also disappeared. Perhaps this person simply had the good fortune to obtain that Ruling Authority and is merely putting on an act here."

"If he really was once an Immortal Emperor, would he not have sought us out immediately after descending to the mortal world?"

"How could he possibly have quietly lived as our neighbor for so many years?"

The one who spoke this time was the black cat perched on the shoulder of the white robed figure, its tone carrying a hint of mockery.

Those enormous blue hands also spoke in agreement.

"The region occupied by that Hidden Emperor... is somewhat suspicious."

"It is the former homeland of the Sacred Shang."

The expressions of the many True Immortals present changed to varying degrees upon hearing the name Sacred Shang.

Back then, during the great battles between the True Immortal forces and the Immortal Hunters, the greatest losses they suffered several times had all been caused by the Sacred Shang.

After a moment of silence, Chaos spoke.

"Brother Boyan, I think you are overthinking this. No matter what the Sacred Shang was, it cannot possibly be compared with that Hidden Emperor."

"Indeed. They developed many powerful weapons, some of which could even heavily injure us. But none of them involved the Infinite Ocean. That is the most crucial point."

The black cat immediately retorted, refusing to give ground.

"Chaos, I am afraid you do not know. The predecessor of the Sacred Shang was the Shang Immortal Ark. It split off from the Xuanshang Immortal Ark. Since there is a Sacred Shang, how do you know there is not another Sacred Xuan in this world?"

"Besides, you say the Sacred Shang did not possess power related to the Infinite Ocean? I am afraid that may not be true. The Sacred Shang disappeared from the Star Sea in a single day. Does that not mean it escaped into another possibility? Without a connection to the power of infinity, how could it have accomplished such a thing?"

The black cat's words left Chaos speechless.

However, everything Chaos had experienced in the Immortal Realm had caused his nature to become unwilling to engage in verbal disputes or compete with others through arguments.

Thus, he remained silent.

The white robed figure reached up and stroked the black cat on his shoulder. The black cat's voice abruptly ceased, and it recovered from its state of being controlled.

The white robed figure said, "Black's reasoning is not without merit. Thinking about it carefully, the sudden appearance of that Hidden Emperor indeed leaves many things that cannot be explained."

"However..."

The white robed figure smiled.

"None of these things are the point."

"The key is how strong he actually is."

"If we can defeat him in battle, then whether he is the Hidden Emperor or something else, everything in that Archaic Immortal Realm will belong to us. Even the Ruling Authority that connects to the Infinite Ocean..."

His words caused the minds of the gathered Immortals to waver, their expressions becoming difficult to control.

Only Chaos was stunned.

He truly could not understand how these seemingly rational companions beside him could arrive at such a foolish judgment.

His gaze involuntarily fell upon the black cat on the white robed figure's shoulder. After a long while, he finally spoke with difficulty.

"Do you all remember the Jingfen Great Sage from back then?"

"The Jingfen Great Sage?"

It was an extremely ancient name.

At least half of those present had never heard of this title. They looked somewhat bewildered upon hearing it.

Those who had heard of it, however, instinctively revealed a trace of fear in their eyes.

But they quickly retorted.

"Brother Chaos, you are confused. That so-called Hidden Emperor merely created a tiny Immortal Land. How could he possibly be compared with the Jingfen Great Sage?"

"That Archaic Immortal Realm sounds impressive when described. In reality, its scale is not even comparable to my former dwelling. Hmph, if the Immortal Realm were still..."

"Brother Chaos, you are being somewhat alarmist. If that Hidden Emperor truly possesses the ability of the Jingfen Great Sage, then what would it matter even if we became food on his plate?"

...

As Chaos Nameless listened to the different objections from those around him, he gradually understood.

The reason they had reached conclusions completely different from his own was mainly due to three factors.

First, they had never personally gone to the Archaic Immortal Realm. They had not personally experienced the might displayed by the Hidden Emperor when he created the Immortal Court and appointed the Heavenly Emperors. They had only heard his descriptions, making it easy for them to form an incorrect judgment.

Second, they had ultimately developed greed toward the Ruling Authority revealed by the Hidden Emperor, the Authority that connected to the Infinite Ocean.

Third, and most importantly, the existence represented by that black cat had given this group of True Immortals confidence.

"The Guangwu Star Sea alone has gathered many Immortals. In terms of numbers, it indeed surpasses this corner of the Shuo Star Sea."

"But..."

Recalling the voice that had come from beyond the heavenly curtain of the Archaic Immortal Realm, Chaos quickly reached his decision.

"You can decide for yourselves."

"Anyway, I am not going."

…

[TL:- Jingfen translates to Scripture Tomb.]