Invincible Dad-Chapter 785 This is the Emperor’s Demise Chronicle_1

Chapter 785: Chapter 785 This is the Emperor’s Demise Chronicle_1

Xu Lai was silent for a long time.

From the moment he saw the decayed Divine Metal chains, Xu Lai had speculated on the origin of the one-hundred-thousand-zhang Bronze Gate beneath his feet.

It was a Realm Gate. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

One of the three gates leading to The Other Shore.

One was at the Mass Burial Mound, taken away by Dongfang Youming’s second incarnation, and was suspected to be sleeping alongside him in the Samsara Sea.

Another lay deep in the Boundless Sea within the Southern Immortal Domain, its coordinates hidden in the Cloud Water Rust Characters, which had been deciphered by Ruan Tang. Ultimately, Xu Lai found it and brought it back to the Heavenly Court’s treasury, placing it with Gu Yan and another female giant.

And the third was actually right under his nose on Earth.

Xu Lai didn’t know exactly what he was feeling.

Happy? Surprised? Or astonished? In truth, he felt none of those emotions. His heart was so calm that there wasn’t the slightest ripple; he just felt like laughing at himself for being so foolish.

He now understood why the Moon and Earth, two stars so barren of Spiritual Energy, nonetheless harbored hidden masters. In the Solar System alone, Xu Lai had already encountered four beings of the Emperor Realm: the lingering will of Great Emperor Yin Yang, Emperor Wanyun in the coffin, Great Emperor Jiu Feng who might not have died yet, and the Founding Ancestor of the Star Origin Sect, who had briefly stepped into the Emperor Realm but was known to few.

It wasn’t just because Earth had a key. It was because it held one of the three Realm Gates leading to The Other Shore!

This could also explain why Elder Huang Quan had appeared on Earth. This was his point of arrival, and it was likely his point of departure as well.

"HUFF."

Xu Lai took a deep breath. Every moment on Earth, people died from various accidents. Their souls returned to the Samsara Sea for reincarnation, while the blood essence from their corpses quietly merged into the Realm Gate.

Getting closer, Xu Lai could clearly sense that as the blood essence from countless different beings merged into it, the aura of the one-hundred-thousand-zhang-tall Bronze Giant Gate beneath his feet grew richer. It was a profound weightiness born from the passage of eons. A single glance was like looking into the great river of time itself, with scenes from the past hundred epochs flashing rapidly before his eyes.

The blood essence of living beings can cause the Realm Gate to react. If there is enough blood essence... it might be possible to open this gate.

A heavy hammer seemed to strike Xu Lai’s heart. He was beginning to understand why the Era of the Emperor’s Fall demanded such devastation and why rivers of blood had to flow in the Immortal Domain.

Use the endless blood of the Immortal Domain’s living beings. Open the three Realm Gates to The Other Shore. This... This is the Era of the Emperor’s Fall.

"The Supreme Emperor..."

A feeble voice came from the sky. It was Heavenly Dao, or rather, Sikong Jiu, who had been awakened prematurely from his feigned death by the appearance of the Realm Gate.

"How long have you known that the third Realm Gate was on Earth?" Xu Lai asked.

"If I said I just found out, would you... believe me, The Supreme Emperor?" Sikong Jiu’s voice grew even weaker. In truth, even he didn’t believe himself.

"You once said you wanted Earth to be the brightest star in the Universe," Xu Lai said softly. "So you knew all along about the countless deaths that the Era of the Emperor’s Fall would bring. You also knew that because of the Realm Gate’s existence, Earth was destined to be drawn in."

"Furthermore, you’ve long known that the Moon Clan is a branch of the Ji Family from the Nine Kings’ Palace, and that the Nine Phoenix Clan is also on the Moon."

"You stopped me from intervening in the conflict between the two stars because your true intention was to let them grow stronger on their own."

"Right?"

Though phrased as a question, Xu Lai’s guess was almost certainly correct.

Sikong Jiu opened his mouth but hesitated, ultimately lowering his head with a bitter smile. "Truly, nothing can be hidden from The Supreme Emperor."

"Four Other Shore Cultivators have gone missing. I won’t ask if Jing Ke is one of them, nor will I ask if you are one of them, let alone where they have gone," Xu Lai said gently. "I only ask you this: once the Era of the Emperor’s Fall begins... which side will you be on?"

On one side was The Other Shore.

On another, the Immortal Domain.

And on the third was the side of those who wished to open the Realm Gates.

Sikong Jiu smiled brightly. "Old Zhang’s sugar-coated hawthorns are the best. The opera Mrs. Wang next door sings is the most authentic, and she’s always very kind to me. The young lady from the security guard’s family across the way likes to take me bathing with her... AHEM. The couple downstairs is always arguing, and the old man upstairs’ children only come back once every two or three years."

Sikong Jiu didn’t answer directly, rambling on and on, but every sentence conveyed the same sentiment: ’I could never grow tired of the simple pleasures of this mortal world.’

"I see."

Gazing at the endless ocean, Xu Lai said, "All of you always say that many will die during the Era of the Emperor’s Fall. I didn’t believe it before."

"And now?" Sikong Jiu asked quietly.

"Now I believe it even less."

Xu Lai declared with pride, "As long as I, Xu Qingfeng, am here, the Immortal Domain will remain the Immortal Domain."

With those words spoken, his form vanished.

The one-hundred-thousand-zhang-tall Bronze Giant Gate sank back into the depths of the sea.

Sikong Jiu bowed deeply in the direction Xu Lai had departed, only straightening up after a long moment.

This wasn’t just a case of The Supreme Emperor walking into the tiger’s den knowing the risks; it was a matter of him attempting the impossible. There were countless paths on the mountain to bypass the ferocious tiger.

But for the Immortal Domain, there was only one path.

***

「Back at Haitang Court」

Xu Lai blinked. "Darling, you haven’t finished eating yet?"

Ruan Tang picked up her chopsticks, blinking back at him. "I’ve been waiting for you. Is everything taken care of?"

A warmth spread through Xu Lai’s heart. No matter what happened in the outside world, he always had this safe harbor.

"It’s mostly settled. I’ll go reheat the food."

"There’s no need. It doesn’t matter what we eat or how it tastes. What’s important is that I’m with you."

Xu Lai froze, then gave a bitter smile. "Darling, if you say any more, I might lose my resolve."

"What resolve?"

"It’s nothing," Xu Lai said warmly. "Come on, let’s keep eating."

"You can have a pig’s trotter first."

Ruan Tang nodded, placing a large piece of trotter in Xu Lai’s bowl. She was clearly still holding a grudge for how he’d teased her that morning.

***

「In the Starry Sky」

The battle between the two Quasi-Emperors drew the attention of numerous cultivators in the surrounding Star Domain, but few were qualified to watch. Most fled as far as they could, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

The fight was a one-sided suppression. After all, Taotie had a one-level advantage in his boundary and possessed two Quasi-Emperor Artifacts. This, coupled with the years he had spent traveling far and wide and facing death time and again, meant he was comprehensively superior to Bai He—in terms of cultivation, magical treasures, and life-or-death combat experience—who had rarely ever left the Phoenix Nest.

Soon, Phoenix blood splattered across the cosmos.

Bai He had reverted to her true form: a massive avian demon with nine heads and nine tails. A large portion of her snow-white wings had been severed, leaving her unable to attack and forced into a passive defense. Her nine enormous heads stared at Taotie, seething with rage.

"No wonder the Nine-Headed Clan changed its name to the Nine Phoenix Clan. Turns out you have the bloodline of the Phoenix Clan," Taotie remarked, raising an eyebrow as he realized this must have been the work of Great Emperor Jiu Feng.

Great Emperor Jiu Feng’s mother came from the Phoenix Clan, which ranked in the top five of the racial standings, while his father was from the Nine-Headed Clan, which ranked well beyond ten-thousandth. Because of the mismatch in their status, the Phoenix Clan expelled the young Jiu Feng and his mother, and even shattered one of his heads.

It was from that day on that Jiu Feng’s cultivation speed progressed at a breakneck pace, surpassing all the divine sons and daughters of the Phoenix Clan. In just twenty thousand years, he became the very Sky of the Immortal Domain’s ninety-ninth epoch.

As a result, the Phoenix Clan was attacked by the Great Emperor. If not for the mysterious disappearance of both Great Emperor Jiu Feng and the Nine-Headed Clan, the Phoenix Clan would have been driven to extinction long ago.

***

Faced with Taotie’s words, Bai He did not reply.

Within the Phoenix Nest, there were two great clans. One was the pure-blooded Nine-Headed Clan, to which her mentor’s late father had belonged. Aside from a few surviving elders, most had faded into the annals of time. The other was the new Nine-Headed Clan, born bathed in Emperor Blood and possessing a portion of the Phoenix Clan’s bloodline. The Immortal Domain knew them as the Nine Phoenix Clan.