Ch. 1439 - Entering The Inner World, The Bluefolk

“The Chaos Fire God Realm has always believed that the Myriad Streams would inflict irreversible harm upon our fire lineage,” Imperial Throne Sovereign said bitterly. “They fear that the genes of the Water Beasts will merge with those of the Fire God Race. But do you understand what that power feels like? Once you’ve fused with the Myriad Streams, that feeling, it’s intoxicating, impossible to let go. We lost ourselves in that power. I’d imagined many endings, perhaps dying at the hands of the Water Beasts, or being annihilated by the Chaos Fire God Realm. But I never imagined you, a wild card appearing halfway through.”

“Blade Tyrant... so this is fate,” Xu Zimo said quietly, shaking his head. “Where is he? In the Inner World?”

“He’s inside,” Imperial Throne Sovereign replied. “And much of what you’re looking for is in there too. But be cautious of the Chaos Fire God Realm. Now that the place has been exposed, they won’t let it be. Haven’t you heard the saying? ‘The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.’”

“So what?” Xu Zimo sneered. “What if the one hunting the cicada isn’t a mantis, but a demon? What then of your oriole?”

The three elders sighed softly. With their final breaths, Imperial Throne Sovereign spoke again, his tone carrying a faint plea. “Please... spare the children. The sins of us adults should not drag the innocent down with us.”

“Enough. Rest in peace,” Xu Zimo said with a wave of his hand.

The aura surrounding the Sacred Flame Trinity dimmed. One by one, their heads drooped, until all life vanished from their bodies. They remained sitting upright like corpses, silent and still.

Xu Zimo spared them no further glance. Instead, his eyes turned toward the depths beneath the tomb, to the mysterious Inner World.

The three elders must have had a way to enter it, but since they were dead, Xu Zimo couldn’t ask, and didn’t care to. He decided to force his way in by sheer strength.

He placed both hands on the ground, sensing the flow of space beneath him. Once he located the point of spatial fluctuation, he raised his arm.

With a thunderous boom, power surged like a storm. The heavens and earth roared as a colossal palm descended from the sky, smashing down upon the tomb.

Explosions rumbled across the ground. When the storm subsided, a massive five-fingered imprint lay before him, so deep it seemed bottomless.

Xu Zimo chuckled. “It seems the Inner World’s barrier is stronger than I expected.”

He slowly drew Shadow Tyrant. The tip shimmered with blinding sharpness. As the blade pierced downward, the solid earth seemed as fragile as paper.

Shadow Tyrant tore through layer after layer of ground, and Xu Zimo followed, plunging deeper and deeper after it.

Finally, the blade tip struck something soft but elastic.

“The spatial membrane of the Inner World,” Xu Zimo thought, eyes lighting up.

Shadow Tyrant flared again, its killing intent surging. After a prolonged struggle, a faint pop echoed, the thin membrane gave way.

Xu Zimo’s body dropped straight through the opening, into the depths below.

Chaotic spatial currents swirled violently around him. He steadied himself, peering through the dark void, searching for any sign of light.

At last, he saw it, a faint glimmer ahead. The surrounding darkness was so deep that even the smallest light was uncertain, but he pursued it nonetheless.

He soared through the endless black, chasing that growing glow. Time blurred; he didn’t know how long he’d been flying. The light expanded, brighter and brighter, until it filled his entire vision, then swallowed him whole.

When he opened his eyes again, Xu Zimo found himself standing in a courtyard.

It was an elegant, tranquil place. Artificial hills and flowing water painted a picture of serenity. Nearby, peach trees in full bloom blanketed the ground with pink petals. A clear stream cascaded down from the mountain, and the courtyard sat nestled peacefully at its foot.

It felt like a hidden paradise, a perfect place for seclusion and old age.

Xu Zimo smiled faintly. “Those three old men certainly knew how to choose their retreat.”

He stepped toward the grand hall. Three meditation mats lay neatly on the floor, likely where the three elders had once cultivated.

At the front of the hall stood an iron cage, cold and foreboding.

Inside were more than a dozen blue people.

Their limbs were pierced through by chains and bound tightly, but though they looked weak, their spirits had not yet broken.

“Blade Tyrant, come out,” Xu Zimo called aloud. “There’s no need to hide.”

He already knew the man was here.

“How would I dare hide from Young Master Xu?” came a faint chuckle.

From behind the hall, Blade Tyrant emerged.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a robe made of tiger hide. His presence carried a natural sense of oppression. A short beard shadowed his jaw, and sweat gleamed faintly on his forehead.

Forcing a smile, he said, “I knew you’d come, my lord, so I tidied up the place a bit, to welcome you properly.”

“I thought you’d have more backbone,” Xu Zimo said. “That you’d rather die standing than live kneeling. Seems I overestimated you.”

“To be alive at all is already your mercy, my lord,” Blade Tyrant said obsequiously.

“Unfortunately,” Xu Zimo said coldly, “I don’t intend to spare you. What now? From the moment you tried to assassinate me, you were already dead.”

“Spare me, my lord!” Blade Tyrant said quickly. “I’ll serve you faithfully, do anything you command! If you want more of these blue people, I can fetch them for you from the Fire Region, I know the place well!”

“I’ll visit the Fire Region myself,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head. His hand fell like a hammer. “As for you, go die.”

Hearing that, Blade Tyrant’s expression twisted. He retreated rapidly, eyes hardening.

“If you won’t spare me,” he hissed, “then we die together!”

His hands flew into a blur of seals. A flurry of glowing sigils shot forth, merging into the bodies of the blue people.

Moments later, low, guttural growls filled the air, like those of enraged beasts.

Xu Zimo glanced up. The sound came from the captives.

The once-quiet blue people were now thrashing wildly, their strength surging as the chains restraining them snapped apart.

“What did you do?” Xu Zimo demanded, frowning.

“Do you know what they truly are?” Blade Tyrant said with a manic grin. “They’re the source of calamity. From their essence, countless Water Beasts were created. When they rage, they can wipe out an entire city!”

He laughed loudly. “So many of them at once, even with all your strength, you won’t walk away unscathed!”

Then his tone turned cold. “I wanted peace between us, but since you insist on killing me, don’t blame me for taking you down with me.”

“Water beasts, huh,” Xu Zimo murmured, eyes narrowing.

He ignored the blue people for the moment. Divine might radiated from him like a tidal wave, crushing Blade Tyrant in place.

With one motion, Xu Zimo reached out, seizing Blade Tyrant by the throat, and hurled him into the cage.

Blade Tyrant screamed and cursed him furiously, but it was pointless.

The moment he landed among them, the blue people lunged.

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