Ch. 192 - The Dust of An Era

“God Meridian Realm beast…” The old man’s expression had grown grim. He stared deeply at Chaos and spoke each word with weight.

That earlier strike, the sheer force of it, was far beyond what any ordinary Empyrean Meridian Realm beast could manage.

“Old man, unless the Ten Death Gods of the Dark Primordials descend today, you're not even worth worrying about,” Chaos said with a contemptuous grin.

It opened its mouth wide, and the hellish, blood-sea-like gray mist swirling above the old man’s head was completely sucked into its belly.

Chaos burped loudly. Then it raised its right claw again, and the spiritual energy in the sky surged violently. A massive claw materialized, reaching straight for the old man.

The old man didn’t dare confront it head-on. He immediately tried to escape by slipping into the void.

But Chaos’s monstrous aura spread out, and the spiritual energy around its body froze the space for miles in every direction.

The old man’s form was forcibly expelled from the void.

Although he was a Empyrean Meridian Realm powerhouse, under the lockdown of a God Meridian Realm beast like Chaos, he couldn’t tear open the space to flee.

The massive claw descended from the heavens, its rumble echoing through the air.

The spiritual-energy-forged claw grasped the old man firmly. No matter how he struggled, it was useless.

“A flea-like insect,” Chaos scoffed and slammed its claw down.

A deafening explosion shook the sky. Even though the old man had done everything he could to defend himself, he was still crushed and severely injured, barely clinging to life.

However, his injuries were visibly healing at an astonishing speed. Such was the power of an Empyrean Meridian Realm cultivator:

As long as the soul remains intact, any injury is just a matter of time to recover from.

……

“Boss, he’s temporarily lost all combat power,” Chaos said, clearly proud of itself.

Xu Zimo smiled and walked up to the old man.

“Now, shall we talk?”

The old man was silent for a moment, then said, “I’m curious, what did you go through all this trouble to lure me here for?”

“Let’s move first,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “This place is too close to Primordial Ancient City. That commotion just now might’ve drawn some attention.”

Then Chaos picked the old man up, and the group left through the sky.

Not far away, they stopped in front of a snow-covered mountain range.

……

“Honestly, I don’t have any major grudge against the Dark Primordial Race,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “As long as you tell me what I want to know, I’ll let you go.”

“What do you want?” the old man rasped.

“You Dark Primordials have spent tens of thousands of years researching a certain secret technique,” Xu Zimo replied.

“You want the secret of Battle Physique fusion?” the old man’s expression changed, then he quickly shook his head. “Impossible. Even if you kill me, I’ll never tell you.”

“Drop the act,” Xu Zimo chuckled. “I know more about the Hundred Battle Physiques than you people do. No offense, but if you Dark Primordials think you’re qualified to fuse the Hundred Battle Physiques, you’re not even close.”

The old man’s face changed slightly at those words, but he quickly composed himself.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” he said flatly.

“That’s fine. Let me tell you a story, and you’ll understand,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “Once upon a time, there was an era called the Desolate Era. The beast race, the titans, and the undying race divided the world among themselves, ruling over that age. The beasts were strongest, followed by the titans, and then the undying. In that blood-soaked era, outside of those three main races, all other races were treated like insects, slaughtered at will, even used as food for the beasts. In a remote corner of the Desolate Era lived a race called Dark Primordials. Their overlord was a man who hated injustice in the world, idealistic and passionate to the point of naivety.”

“You’re the naive one!” the old man suddenly interrupted, his voice rising. “That was our noble dream! You idiots could never understand that kind of ambition!”

His voice grew quieter as he spoke, and he slowly squatted down, hugging his head and weeping bitterly.

It was hard to imagine, a man who had lived through countless trials, an Empyrean Meridian Realm powerhouse, breaking down in tears like this.

“Our race’s leader believed that all things in this world are equal,” the old man choked out. “No one is born above anyone else.”

Then he began to tell the story of his race.

“We stumbled upon an item, something that granted us immense power. After tens of thousands of years of dormancy, our race reached an unprecedented peak. By then, there were over ten thousand races in the Desolate Era. No one knew the name Dark Primordial. No one realized what we were about to unleash. That day, it was raining, raining hard. The race’s leader told us he didn’t know what this path would bring upon our people, but he had no regrets.”

As he spoke, the old man’s emotions flared again.

“Why should the three major races be born noble and supreme, while everyone else scrapes by like worms? We started a war, not to destroy the world, but to defeat the three great races and build a more just, fair world. We rallied all the other races, hoping to overthrow the three-race rule. We could’ve created a golden age, a new era. We knew true fairness didn’t exist, but we could bring balance. But you fools, none of you dared rebel against the three races!”

He went quiet for a long time, then finally shook his head and laughed bitterly.

“The power of the three great races was deeply rooted in everyone’s minds. The other races didn’t dare join us. Worse, they turned around and helped the three races crush us. That war lasted tens of thousands of years, and we were nearly wiped out. We lost, completely. But the world will never know the truth. We were the ones who should’ve been remembered by history. Instead, thanks to the propaganda of the three great races, we became the demons bent on destroying the world, the vermin that everyone hated. We were forced to live in the shadows of the sewers, clinging to our dreams and ideals, dying quietly and living in disgrace.”

Hearing the old man’s words, Xu Zimo turned to look at Chaos.

Chaos quickly explained, “That war back then, it was commanded by ancestors from the Upper Realm. We were just following orders. Besides, you’re an Empyrean Meridian cultivator, how the hell did you survive from the Desolate Era era to now? Why should we believe anything you’re saying?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. Someone had to stand up, didn’t they?” the old man said with a sad smile, shaking his head. “Even without the Dark Primordials, didn’t a man named Zhen Wu rise later to end it all?”

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