Ch. 1287 - Stepping Into The Life-Death Stage

“Where did you come from?” Vast Cloud asked.

“No great background, nothing you need to be afraid of,” Xu Zimo replied with a faint smile.

Vast Cloud gave a cold snort, ignoring him, and turned instead to Shu Hai. “We’re taking this man to the imperial capital. As for you, wait for the empire’s next command.”

“If there’s any inheritance, hand it over to the Grand Tutor,” Shu Hai advised Xu Zimo, his tone hesitant. “No need to risk your life for one legacy.”

He knew well that if Xu Zimo went to the capital, his life and death would no longer be his own. The empire’s heart was a dragon’s den, no one entered and came out whole.

“What about Wu Zhaodi and Shu Long?” Xu Zimo asked with a faint smile.

“They returned with me,” Shu Hai said. “Shu Long is my son, he’ll stay in Sun-Sword County. But Wu Zhaodi, like you, will be going to the capital.”

“Oh well. At least I won’t be lonely on the road,” Xu Zimo said lightly.

“You…” Shu Hai could only sigh and shake his head.

The blue-robed soldiers didn’t linger in Sun-Sword County. That very afternoon, they set out with Xu Zimo and Wu Zhaodi in custody, heading toward the Dragon God City.

Their treatment was hardly generous. Both were bound to horses, reins held by Vast Cloud himself.

Dust rose in clouds as the group departed.

“With your strength, I doubt you really fear them,” Wu Zhaodi said, tied up across from him on another horse.

“I’m not afraid,” Xu Zimo replied calmly. “I just happen to want to meet some old friends.”

“There are people you know in the Dragon God Imperium?” Wu Zhaodi asked in surprise.

“You’ll find out when we get there,” he said.

“You’ve been acting mysterious all day,” she muttered under her breath.

“If I’m the mysterious one,” Xu Zimo said, “then what about someone who doesn’t even dare speak her own identity?”

“There’s no point hiding it. You’ve probably already guessed,” Wu Zhaodi said quietly.

“You’re from the Celestial Luan God Realm?” Xu Zimo asked.

“That’s my home,” she replied after a long silence. “My mother is... was the Realm Lord.”

“Let me guess,” Xu Zimo said, half amused, “your mother was betrayed by someone she trusted, and you escaped from the place with blood vengeance in your heart?”

Her eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

“I’ve seen this story a hundred times,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head. “In this world, the only feud that endures is one written in blood.”

“My mother showed kindness to that person,” Wu Zhaodi said, her voice trembling slightly. “But he repaid grace with betrayal, joined hands with others to destroy her.…” Her eyes reddened, the pain still raw.

“What’s the level of strength in your Celestial Luan God Realm?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Saint Sovereign, I think… but I’m not sure,” she said. “My mother told me once that the oldest ancestor of the palace entered closed-door death meditation thousands of years ago. No news since then. Most believe he’s long gone.”

“With your current God Meridian cultivation, revenge will be… difficult,” Xu Zimo said.

It wasn’t meant to mock her. Above the God Meridian realm lay the Five Stages of the Grand Emperor. Even for a prodigy like him, reaching that height required years of grinding. For someone like Wu Zhaodi, the road was far longer, and by the time she reached it, who knew what would have changed in her sect.

“So what?” Wu Zhaodi said firmly. “As long as I still breathe, I’ll never give up.”

Xu Zimo didn’t argue. Hatred had a way of keeping people alive.

Their warhorses thundered along the official road for a full day and night without rest. It was clear that Vast Cloud, having completed his mission, wanted to return to the capital as quickly as possible.

Despite their speed, the ride was surprisingly steady. Xu Zimo took the opportunity to close his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the God World.

He appeared once more before the massive tree at the border between the World Tree and the Death Flower.

Such a unique tree had likely never existed before, so Xu Zimo gave it a name.

The Tree of Life and Death.

The name was simple, maybe even plain, but it fit perfectly.

Sitting before it, he could feel the mysterious aura surrounding the tree growing stronger by the moment.

His understanding of the Life-Death Stage deepened with it. The barrier to that realm was now as thin as paper, he could almost pierce it with a single breath.

Life and death energies swirled through the air.

Xu Zimo sat cross-legged, solemn and focused. Over time, it felt as though he was merging with the heavens and earth themselves.

The Life-Death Stage could only be glimpsed through the balance of the two. To see one part was to understand the whole.

Spirit energy circulated through his meridians and chakra gates.

Major and minor cycles of energy intertwined, the sign of one entering the Fourth Stage of the Grand Emperor Stage.

His aura began to shift strangely: vibrant with life one moment, heavy with decay the next.

He hovered between life and death, walking the razor’s edge.

Then, in a single instant, something broke, like a shackle snapping inside him.

A deep boom resounded within his body, followed by a surge of overwhelming power.

The energies of life and death intertwined like a cosmic yin-yang, spiraling upward into the heavens.

“Life and death, the truth of heaven and earth,” Xu Zimo whispered.

He was now just one step from becoming a Sovereign Lord.

The energy within him grew wilder with each rotation, roaring like an ocean storm.

If one looked closely, they’d see his bones had turned colorless, his blood translucent, like liquid chaos.

Colorless, the hue of the primordial void.

The Primordial Chaos was formless and colorless, the essence of all creation. Every true cultivator, at their end, would return to that beginning.

Xu Zimo slowly opened his eyes. One eye radiated life; the other, death. It was a strange, almost divine feeling.

He could now faintly perceive the life-and-death lines of every creature around him.

Standing from beneath the Tree of Life and Death, Xu Zimo exhaled deeply.

In an instant, his aura vanished, hidden entirely.

To an ordinary eye, he appeared no different from a mortal. Even a stronger cultivator might not see through him now.

His Dao had already surpassed mere comprehension, his understanding of Primal Daos had deepened again, the difference like a stream turning into a river.

“By my estimate, we should be close to the Dragon God City,” Xu Zimo thought aloud.

Having stepped into the Life-Death Stage, he withdrew his consciousness from the God World, returning to the real world.

On horseback, Wu Zhaodi had been making faces at him while he “slept.”

Xu Zimo suddenly opened his eyes, startling her.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Someone sure sleeps soundly,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Not the least bit worried about his situation.”

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