Ch. 1294 - Within Ancient Demon Realm

“Qi Haoran is known as the Primordial Sword Saint Sovereign,” Wu Zhaodi said. “The title refers to how he perfectly merged the power of the sword with the power of strength itself. When the Vast Heaven God Realm was first founded, it was nothing more than an insignificant little sect. They practiced the cultivation of righteous energy and took it upon themselves to right the injustices of the world, true champions of virtue. Gradually, their name spread far and wide, though they also made many enemies along the way.”

“Oh? Seems this young lady knows quite a bit,” Elder Bi said with a soft chuckle.

The great bird beneath them let out a sharp cry, slicing through the silent sky like a beam of light before soaring swiftly away, soon becoming a distant black speck. A few blue feathers drifted down through the air and vanished.

“It’s said that Qi Haoran cultivates the Heaven-Shattering God-Scripture,” Wu Zhaodi continued, ignoring the elder’s teasing. “He uses pure strength to seek the Dao, and in the end, he fused that power into his swordsmanship. Every person who ever came seeking revenge against him fell to his sword, without exception. The real event that made Qi Haoran and the Vast Heaven God Realm famous, however,” she went on, “was the battle at Drifting War Mountain. At that time, experts from all the great powers of the Southern Region challenged him, accusing him of disturbing the region’s peace. But Qi Haoran went alone, with nothing but his sword. He tore Drifting War Mountain from the earth and shattered the might of his enemies, defeating them all single-handedly.”

“That’s both right and wrong,” Elder Bi said with a smile.

“What’s wrong about it?” Wu Zhaodi asked, frowning.

“As the Grand Elder of the Vast Heaven God Realm, surely I know a bit more than you do,” he said, still smiling. “It’s true that all the great powers were defeated that day, but Qi Haoran was not fighting alone. There was another person with him. They won because the two of them joined forces.”

“Who? How come I’ve never heard of this person?” Wu Zhaodi asked curiously.

“That was…” Elder Bi suddenly trailed off.

“Forget it,” he said after a pause, waving a hand. “That was a long time ago. Best not to bring it up again.”

“I bet you don’t actually know and are just pretending,” Wu Zhaodi muttered.

Elder Bi only smiled, offering no argument.

“Are we far from the Vast Heaven God Realm?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Less than three days’ flight,” Elder Bi replied.

“Have you ever seen this before?” Xu Zimo asked, taking out a token.

It was the inheritance token of the Heaven-Shattering God-Scripture, the same one Heaven's Equal Emperor had entrusted to him.

At first, Elder Bi didn’t pay much attention. On the front of the token was an image of a giant splitting the heavens and the earth apart. But as he looked closer, his expression grew slightly tense.

Before he could say anything, Xu Zimo had already put the token away.

“Let me take a closer look,” Elder Bi said hurriedly.

“I want to see Qi Haoran,” Xu Zimo said bluntly.

“That’s not my decision to make,” Elder Bi replied seriously. “But I can report the matter to the Vice-Lord.”

“When I’m allowed to meet Qi Haoran, you can examine the token,” Xu Zimo said calmly.

“Where did you get it?” Elder Bi pressed.

“I told you already, from an old friend,” Xu Zimo replied.

Elder Bi frowned, then suddenly reached out with his right hand, trying to snatch the token by force.

Xu Zimo’s fist clenched. He threw a punch straight at him.

A thunderous boom erupted as their powers collided, the air itself trembling under the pressure.

Their fists and palms met head-on, Xu Zimo stood firm, while Elder Bi was knocked backward, his body thrown into the air.

The giant bird screeched and dove swiftly, catching him on its back again.

“No wonder you’re so arrogant, you’ve got some skill after all,” Elder Bi said grimly. “Azure Spiral Wind!”

With a sharp cry, violent gales gathered around his hand. His arm twisted as he drew power, the endless winds swirling and shaking the heavens themselves.

The air turned a vivid blue, the wind itself leaving visible trails in the sky.

“Be careful,” Wu Zhaodi warned. “The Azure Spiral Wind is a gravitational wind technique, derived from the Heaven-Shattering God-Scripture.”

“The Heaven-Shattering God-Scripture?” Xu Zimo said with a faint, amused smile.

“Winds of Vast Heaven, rise!” Elder Bi roared, stepping on the air as if he were part of the storm. His body suddenly grew heavy as a mountain, and his palm descended from above like the sky itself collapsing.

The void along his path shattered in waves.

Xu Zimo took a step back, the bird still flying forward steadily beneath them. The two men fought across its broad back, attack and counterattack flashing like lightning.

“Give me the token, and I’ll let you go,” Elder Bi said coldly.

“So, greed has taken hold of Elder Bi’s heart,” Xu Zimo said lightly.

“Think carefully,” Elder Bi warned, eyes filled with murderous intent. “If you force my hand, I won’t hold back.”

“You’re not qualified,” Xu Zimo replied. “I only wanted to test your Heaven-Shattering Power, but it seems you haven’t truly mastered the method. You’ve merely infused your wind technique with brute strength.”

“Arrogant fool!” Elder Bi shouted, his body merging with the storm as countless gales came crashing down upon Xu Zimo.

But Xu Zimo didn’t flinch. The Power Vortexes within him spun faster and faster.

With a single palm strike, he shattered the storm, then slammed his hand into Elder Bi’s chest.

A deafening boom echoed. Elder Bi spat blood and was flung backward once again.

“Broken… by sheer force,” he muttered in disbelief, glancing down at the dent in his chest.

He ignored his injury, more stunned than pained. Xu Zimo had just destroyed his Azure Spiral Wind with nothing but raw strength.

“You’ve cultivated the Heaven-Shattering Power,” Elder Bi said gravely.

“Still want to fight?” Xu Zimo asked. “Be glad I’m letting you live, for the sake of your sect.”

“The ‘old friend’ you mentioned must be Heaven's Equal Emperor,” Elder Bi said after a deep sigh.

“Then let me guess,” Xu Zimo replied. “The other man who fought beside Qi Haoran at Drifting War Mountain… was Heaven's Equal Emperor himself, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Elder Bi said after a long silence, finally nodding. “That’s right. If Qi Haoran deserves half the credit for what the Vast Heaven God Realm has become, the other half belongs to Heaven's Equal Emperor.”

“Then why did Heaven's Equal Emperor end up like that?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Where did you meet him?” Elder Bi countered.

“You don’t need to know that,” Xu Zimo said calmly. “Just tell me, why did he fall so low?”

Xu Zimo had no intention of revealing anything about the Primordial Heartlands or his own origins.

“That’s a secret,” Elder Bi said. “If you truly wish to know, ask Realm Lord Qi yourself.”

The bird continued its flight toward the Vast Heaven God Realm. Along the way, silence fell between them.

Two days later, the great bird finally began to slow its pace.

“We’ve arrived at the Vast Heaven God Realm,” Elder Bi said.

Meanwhile, tens of billions of miles away, within the Ancient Demon Realm.

Demon Minister Wei had not rested for several weeks. He rushed back in haste, reporting everything he had seen to the higher ranks of the Ancient Demon Race.

Few knew the truth of his identity, he was, in fact, a descendant of Hellfire Asura.

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