404: Immortal Realm a Hundred Years Later

Coincidentally, there are exactly 250 years left until the training world ends!

Lu Chen had just broken through to the True God Realm, and his Divine Thought was clear, but he did not immediately go into seclusion to continue improving his Realm.

Haste makes waste; he had to first consolidate his current Realm.

Lu Chen decided to visit the Lower Realm—after all, more than a hundred years had passed, and he wondered what the Immortal Realm had become.

Although Lu Chen would destroy everything in another 250 years, before that destruction, he had to properly appreciate and savor it… A century in the Immortal Realm, a time of great upheaval.

The Five Great Emperors jointly governed the Immortal Realm: White Emperor (Metal), Flame Emperor (Fire), Dark Emperor (Water), Azure Emperor (Wood), and Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan (Earth), each in charge of one of the Five Departments, independent of each other, and living in peace.

At that time, the Immortal Realm was orderly, and all Cultivators were united, all believing that a prosperous era was within reach.

But gradually, people are always like this: if there are no enemies outside, they will create them from within.

The White Emperor was the first to cause trouble.

He declared loudly at the Grand Ceremony of the Five Departments: "The Immortal Realm cannot be without a master! I propose restoring the Immortal Emperor system, with us five rotating every hundred years. The first to serve should naturally be the Metal Department, which has the strongest power and highest prestige!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the audience was in an uproar.

The Flame Emperor sneered: "You said we would abolish the Immortal Emperor system to forever end autocracy, but you, White Emperor, want to turn back the clock? If you become Emperor, won't the Metal Department lord over the other four Departments?"

The Azure Emperor echoed: "Exactly! The position of Immortal Emperor was the source of Immortal Emperor Haotian's tyranny; how can it be restored?!"

Only the Dark Emperor remained silent, but a hint of calculation flashed in his eyes.

The White Emperor refused to show weakness: "If you all disagree, why not prove it with strength—a great battle between the Five Departments, and the victor becomes Emperor!"

The Flame Emperor immediately accepted the challenge: "Let's fight! Do you think my Fire Department is afraid of you all?!"

Only Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan of the Earth Department, with a calm expression, slowly rose: "I have no interest in becoming Emperor. I refuse to participate in such power struggles. I swear here—Xuanyuan will never claim the title of Emperor."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Xuanyuan was the weakest in strength, always honest and trustworthy, keeping his promises without ever lying.

Thus, the four Departments went to war.

Metal and Fire clashed, Water and Wood nourished each other, and the flames of war swept across the Nine Heavens.

Over a hundred years, immortal mountains collapsed, and countless Cultivators became cannon fodder.

The four Great Emperors checked each other, none daring to Cultivate with full effort, fearing a sneak attack from others, so their Realms remained stagnant at the Peak of Tongtian, making no progress.

And what no one noticed was that Xuanyuan had quietly gone into seclusion long ago.

He appeared to be uninvolved, but in reality, he Cultivated diligently day and night, comprehending the Tongtian Cultivation Method left by Emperor Qin and others, and even improved and merged it with the Earth Department's Dao of profound bearing, quietly breaking through to the Domain Suppression Realm within a hundred years!

On the day of the decisive battle, the four Departments were exhausted and about to negotiate peace, when Xuanyuan stepped through the air, his body radiating an earthy yellow divine light like the resurgence of the earth, his aura as vast as a pouring galaxy.

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority: "Sorry, I've changed my mind. This Immortal Emperor, I shall be!"

The four Great Emperors were greatly shocked, and the Dark Emperor roared: "Xuanyuan! You violated your oath! Didn't you say you would never claim the title of Emperor?!"

Xuanyuan's gaze was as calm as an ancient well: "The oath still stands. But what I do today is not to claim the title of Emperor, but to save the Immortal Realm from internal strife."

Before his words finished, he pressed down with a palm—the Law of Earth transformed into a cage, and the four Emperors were unable to move an inch!

The Dark Emperor's face was ashen, and he shrieked: "Domain Suppression Realm, you actually secretly Cultivated to the Domain Suppression Realm! When your Earth Department was depleted and you begged me for a Water Spiritual Root, how submissive were you? Now you dare to ride on my head?!"

Xuanyuan glanced at him indifferently, then lightly tapped his glabella: "If you didn't mention it, I almost forgot how you humiliated our Earth Department back then."

Poof—!

A divine light pierced through the Dark Emperor's head.

The Dark Emperor's Divine Soul was instantly annihilated, and even his chance for Reincarnation was erased.

He couldn't believe until his death that he hadn't died at the hands of Immortal Emperor Haotian, but perished by the hand of the "most honest" Xuanyuan!

The White Emperor, Flame Emperor, and Azure Emperor knelt in horror, kowtowing repeatedly: "We are willing to submit!"

Xuanyuan ascended the throne, taking the title "Great Emperor Xuanyuan," and immediately issued his first immortal decree: abolish the title of Emperor, unify the Five Departments, and the Immortal Realm shall have no more factions!

The White Emperor trembled with anger—even Immortal Emperor Haotian, as insidious as he was, had left the title of Emperor, but Xuanyuan didn't even grant them that much dignity!

But the three dared not resist; the difference in strength was too great.

The three Great Emperors were placed under house arrest in the Lingxiao Ruins, their lives depending solely on Xuanyuan's whim.

Surprisingly, after Xuanyuan's Ascension, he displayed the demeanor of a wise ruler.

He widely opened the Scripture Pavilion, making the Domain Suppression-level "Tongtian Cultivation Method" public, allowing Mortals and Loose Cultivators to Cultivate;

He established the Immortal Opportunity Platform, widely distributing Opportunities, and opened the Spirit Realm passage, proclaiming that "everyone can achieve Immortal Ascension, everyone can Ascend"!

The Immortal Realm was, for a time, vibrant and prosperous, with all the people singing his praises. Xuanyuan was hailed as a Great Emperor of all ages.

Lu Chen's Divine Sense enveloped the entire Immortal Realm, and he was very satisfied.

The better the Immortal Realm developed, the more strong individuals there would be, and then, when he harvested civilization, the more heavenly dao energy and achievements he would gain!!

Eh!

Lu Chen's Divine Sense discovered an old acquaintance—Chi Yao!!

She was still alive!!

A hundred years ago.

Li Qianhai, the chief of the Nine Heavens, received a death order personally issued by Immortal Emperor Haotian: "Within three days, eliminate all rebels, otherwise—come to Lingxiao Hall for tea."

Those two words, "for tea," were as cold as ice blades.

Li Qianhai knew well that the last person invited "for tea" still had his bones soaking at the bottom of a well.

Terrified, he immediately led the elite of the Nine Heavens to launch a swift encirclement and suppression.

Chi Yao's tens of thousands of Chi Clan troops, painstakingly gathered over several years, were almost completely slaughtered within three days.

The Seventh Mining District and Sixth Mining District, the Chi Clan's strongholds, were also recaptured after a bloody purge.

Of the Red Heart Society's thousand core members, less than one in ten survived, with only a few dozen barely clinging to life.

According to the original plan, these few dozen were also to be captured and killed, to eliminate the root of the problem.

But just at this moment, an astonishing piece of news spread throughout the Nine Heavens—Immortal Emperor Haotian had fallen!

Li Qianhai was stunned at first, then threw his head back and laughed wildly, tears streaming down his face: "Dead? That high and mighty Haotian, who viewed me as an ant... is actually dead!!"

He immediately recalled all his pursuers, held a grand celebration, and revelled for three days.

As for those few dozen fish that slipped through the net? In his eyes, they were just a few rats that had escaped into the sewers, not worth worrying about.

He deliberately let them go—in this boring Ninth Heaven, wouldn't it be interesting to leave some "prey" to toy with?

To preserve their kindling, Chi Yao made a decisive move, abandoning the Nine Heavens and leading her remaining forces to break through layers of blockade, fighting all the way, finally reaching the Seventh Heaven.

This place had shattered space and no Spiritual Qi, considered a "dead land" by Cultivators.

But for the Chi Clan, it was paradise—they inherently couldn't absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, relying solely on the Chi Gold Qi from Ores for Cultivation.

Their unique "Red Fire" could circulate endlessly within their bodies, generating its own energy. The more Spirit-less a place was, the more they could focus on refining their Bloodline!

Chi Yao led her clansmen to excavate Ore veins, build cities and fortresses, and assimilate the indigenous people.

Within decades, they grew from a few dozen to a hundred thousand strong, and a magnificent city rose from the ground—Red City!

Subsequently, they engaged in a great war with the "Underworld Kingdom" that had been entrenched underground for ten thousand years. The Chi Clan used their Red Fire to burn its yin pulse and their Ore armor to break its ghost formations, ultimately achieving a great victory, annexing its resources and population, and instantly becoming the absolute overlord of the Seventh Heaven.

Chi Yao ascended the throne as King, taking the title "Red King," and her might shook the region.

For this hundred years, her mind was unburdened, focused solely on revitalizing the Chi Clan, never getting close to any man. She proudly declared: "No man in the entire world is worthy of me, Chi Yao!"