Chapter 412: Chapter 58: Martial Uncle, It’s Me

The Demon Tomb.

"How could this be?"

The Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint’s expression was incomparably grim. He stood at the edge of the Demon Tomb, gazing out into the boundless cosmos at that path of bones.

The path of bones began at the Great Wall, stretching in a perfectly straight line all the way to the Cosmic Edge Wilderness before finally ending. Near the Cosmic Edge Wilderness, everything was a chaotic blur, and the figure could no longer be seen clearly.

In every Star Domain this road crossed, great stars were stained with blood, and all Demons who stood in the way were used to pave this ancient path.

The mournful wails of Demons echoed among the stars, utterly wretched!

A Little Saint stood respectfully outside the Demon Tomb, his expression filled with uncertainty:

"Demon Saint, that man is too ferocious. He declared he would clear all accounts and hasn’t stopped for a single step. Along the way, any Demon who ever trespassed against the Great Wall has been slain. The floating corpses number in the millions!"

Ming Xiangjun, also standing at the edge of the Demon Tomb, was trembling. For ten days, without a single pause, that blood-soaked figure had brutally carved an ancient road through the cosmos with the endless corpses of the Demon Race!

She took a deep breath:

"What should we do now?"

The Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint’s face was dark. He followed the path of bones with his eyes, staring toward the hazy Cosmic Edge Wilderness, and said coldly,

"We wait."

"Inside the tomb are thirty-six ancestors. Thirty-four are Saints, and two are Great Saints. For now, they are all still slumbering, but some are about to awaken, including one of the Great Saints!"

After a pause, a fiercer look appeared on the Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint’s face.

"The Cosmos is vast, the Great Demons are endless, and the Demon Kings are innumerable. No matter how ferocious that Lu Xuan is, he has only punched through a single straight line. Clear all accounts... can he really do it?"

Ming Xiangjun’s expression was troubled as she asked worriedly,

"But what if Lu Zi finds this place before your Demon Race ancestors awaken?"

"’Afraid of him?’" The Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint said the words, but his confidence was clearly lacking. Over the past ten days, the more he watched, the more terrified he became.

’He only has a Grand Grade Body, not the Words Become Law ability of a Human Saint, yet he slaughters those at the same level as if they were chickens and dogs. And he’s carrying a massive coffin, doing it all with a single hand!’

Just as the Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint was about to say more, a slight tremor came from the depths of the Demon Tomb, accompanied by a light-hearted chant.

"Who is first to wake from the great dream? In this life, I alone know!"

The sound of the chant spread like ripples from the Demon Tomb, washing over the entire Central Star Domain. The countless Demon Kings and Little Saints who had been trembling in fear all looked overjoyed, their gazes turning toward the great tomb in the deepest part of the Star Domain!

The Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint’s face was a mixture of shock and delight. A smile spread across his face as he relaxed and chuckled.

"An ancestor has awakened!"

Although he was stationed at the Demon Tomb and was a Demon Saint of the Immortal Level, he was, in fact, a newcomer. He had only achieved the Immortal state after the great rupture in the flow of Years and was thus only qualified to remain at the Demon Tomb’s edge.

The thirty-six within the great tomb’s depths were all illustrious figures in Ancient Times!

In the next instant, a scholarly-looking young man strolled out from the depths of the Demon Tomb. He stretched lazily, his Immortal Peak-level aura surging.

The Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint and Ming Xiangjun hurriedly bowed.

"This junior, Heaven-Reaching, pays his respects to the Ancestor!"

"Ming Xiangjun, subordinate of the North Pole Emperor, pays her respects to this Senior!"

The young man was in high spirits. He nodded at Ming Xiangjun, then his gaze fell upon the Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint, and his brow furrowed.

"What kind of name is that? Change it at once! It’s a great taboo! The name Heaven-Reaching..."

A grim look appeared on his face.

The Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint was a bit baffled, but he bowed again and said with a wry smile,

"Ancestor, I will change it later... Something has happened to my Demon Race. A member of the Human Race has declared he will clear all accounts and is on his way here. He has killed many of our young ones, and Demon Blood has stained countless great stars!"

"Oh?"

The young man frowned, his gaze sweeping across the starry sky. He listened to the heavens and the earth, and in a flick of his finger, he understood everything.

"Lu Zi, one of the Ancient Sons of the Spring and Autumn Period?" He chuckled. "And what era was the Spring and Autumn Period? Which dynasty came after Shang?"

The Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint was taken aback but quickly replied,

"It seems it was during the Zhou Dynasty."

"Oh." The young man’s expression grew a little colder. "The Zhou... I once commanded all the Immortal Gods in the Late Shang Dynasty and dominated the world, only to be narrowly defeated and suppressed for 120,000 years. I only awoke after the calamity of the Journey to the West, so I know nothing of this Zhou."

He paused, then said flatly,

"The other thirty-five ancestors will also be waking soon. We can’t let that human disturb them. Where is he now? I will find him. I will kill him."

The Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint and Ming Xiangjun exchanged looks of pleasant surprise and bowed again.

"He is at the Cosmic Edge Wilderness, at the end of the path of bones. The area is shrouded in mist and difficult to see clearly."

As she spoke, Ming Xiangjun held out her palm, and the Death Tower materialized. She then said respectfully,

"This tower can bear an Immortal and travel through the present world!"

"Good."

The young man smiled and stepped onto the Ancient Tower. The moment he did, the Ancient Tower let out a groan, as if unable to bear his weight. This young man was close to the Great Saint level. The Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint and Ming Xiangjun, who had intended to board as well, both halted in their tracks.

"I can go by myself," the young man said with a faint smile, his hands clasped behind his back.

The Demon and the human nodded in acknowledgment. Ming Xiangjun couldn’t help but ask one more question.

"By the way, may I ask for Senior’s name?"

"Me?"

The young man let out a dry laugh, his voice leisurely.

"I’ve tread on rosy clouds and played at my leisure, wandering free for tens of thousands of years!"

"This one is Shen Gongbao."

As his voice fell, the Ancient Tower shot forward, and his last words drifted back.

"Remember, change that name of yours immediately. Is Heaven-Reaching a name you are worthy of? Be careful, or when heaven and earth recover, you’ll be struck by lightning, your soul shattered and spirit annihilated!"

The Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint shuddered and quickly bowed deeply again, his expression one of terror.

"’Shen Gongbao...’"

The two of them stared at each other. There was a great rupture in history. The eras of the Yuan and Ming dynasties were unclear, and the Zhou and Qin were even more obscure, known only through a few scattered words.

As for the even earlier Shang, there were almost no records at all.

’Shen Gongbao, a Great Power from the time of the Shang Dynasty? Slaying that Lu Zi should be no more difficult than killing a chick, right?’

...

「Meanwhile, at the Cosmic Edge Wilderness.」

The path of bones stretched to this place. Lu Xuan, treading upon the massive bodies of Demon Kings and Little Saints, walked to the very end carrying the Copper Coffin, his brows slightly furrowed.

He saw flickering, blurry figures beyond the absolute silence of the Cosmic Edge Wilderness.

The flickering figures outside seemed to sense something as well. A hazy, muffled voice spoke up.

"What’s happening inside the Boundary? There’s a glow of blood in many places, extending all the way here. Has there been a great change?"

"I don’t know. I can’t see, it’s impossible to get a clear look... After a short rest, we head back to the front lines. Back to the bloody battle!"

Lu Xuan listened to the indistinct voices, a look of confusion on his cool, detached face. ’There are living beings outside the Great Heaven and Earth?’

’A bloody battle?’

’Could it be... the Immortals and Buddhas who left?’

As he pondered, he focused his voice and asked,

"Who is out there?"

His voice crossed the Cosmic Edge Wilderness and hit the Boundary, but it did not pass through.

Frowning, Lu Xuan focused his voice, infused it with Divine Techniques, and shouted again,

"Who is outside the Boundary?"

This time, bolstered by Divine Techniques and principles, his voice broke through the Boundary and boomed outside. The figures beyond the Boundary all paused, and one of them let out a soft exclamation.

"Through the haze, I think I see a living being, treading on blood and bone, right on the other side. He’s staring at us, and he even asked a question."

A towering being chuckled and immediately asked in return,

"On that side of the Boundary, junior, what is your name?"

Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

"This one is Lu Xuan. And you?"

"Hmm, Lu Xuan... Lu Xuan???"

At this, all the figures beyond the Wilderness froze. They all seemed to turn in unison to look inside the Boundary, even though they could only see an extremely blurry scene.

After a long, dead silence,

the towering figure seemed to have a sudden realization, and he cried out,

"Martial Uncle... it’s me."

"It’s Erlang!!"

As his voice fell, the towering figure slammed into the Boundary. His giant face pressed against the membrane, bulging it inward, revealing a massive face with three eyes!!

The coldness in Lu Xuan’s eyes vanished, replaced by astonishment.

"Yang Jian?"

"It is!" The Three-Eyed Celestial God wept, letting out a bitter laugh. "Right, at this moment, you are still alive. You perished in the past, but the past is also your future..."

"I died?"

Lu Xuan frowned, his gaze fixed on the figures outside the Boundary. There was a creature that was part fish, part roc; one holding a giant pillar wreathed in Buddhist light; a Giant Bull carrying a palace on its back...

Most of them looked familiar.

The Three-Eyed Celestial God issued a warning.

"Martial Uncle, don’t go to [?]! Be careful of [?]! You must [?]!"

His voice was intermittent, and the crucial parts became blurry, impossible to understand or hear clearly!

Lu Xuan also selected a few key questions, asking what had happened, but the responses he received were also intermittent and unclear, completely inaudible. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The beings outside the Boundary sighed. The Three-Eyed Celestial God’s voice seemed to grow somber.

"We are in a bloody battle with [???], fighting to the death. This war has been raging for thirty thousand years, from the moment the Years were fractured until today!"

"Martial Uncle, you... take care!" As he spoke, the Three-Eyed Celestial God began to weep again.

But Lu Xuan showed no alarm. He simply held the great coffin, his expression calm and composed.

After a long time, he asked softly,

"Can you all enter this place?"

"We can’t get in, but it will be soon!" the Three-Eyed Celestial God said, suddenly impassioned. "This war will continue until one side is completely annihilated! Ying Zheng is also outside the Boundary, fighting with his Nine Dragons!"

Lu Xuan nodded, his heart filled with growing confusion. His gaze became impossibly deep. ’What on earth happened in the future?’

’Is this still a false timeline?’

’Why does this so-called false timeline seem so real?’

He recalled the tragic scenes Xiaoyan had described, and his expression grew even more profound.

After a moment, Lu Xuan spoke calmly to those outside the Boundary.

"My future is not fixed, even if it is my destiny. In your past, I may have died, but as long as I am not dead now, anything can be changed."

He paused, then continued in a low voice, focusing his words to pass through the membrane.

"I will wait for your return from within the Boundary. And tell me, who else is fighting and bleeding out there?"

’Lu Xuan’s thinking was very clear. Since the key information was garbled, he would just ask for names. From the names, he could deduce certain people and certain events!’

Sure enough, the Three-Eyed Celestial God outside the Boundary replied in a low voice,

"This is the rear. I am resting here with Kuiniu, Sun Wukong, and Kunpeng."

"On the front lines, everyone from Emperor Xuandu to the Nine Immortals of Jade Void, followed by the countless figures from Biyou Palace, the First Emperor, and others, are all still fighting. They’re locked in a world-shaking battle with [???], and the Emperor’s Blood has formed rivers!"

"Good."

As they spoke, another figure appeared outside the Boundary, radiating both Buddhist and Daoist light, cutting a magnificent figure.

"My name is Duobao," the Buddha-like, Daoist-like figure said in greeting. His voice was deep, heavy with exhaustion and sighs.

Lu Xuan’s expression shifted slightly. He was about to move forward, to walk to the very edge of the Wilderness, when he suddenly sensed something and turned around.

An Ancient Tower was approaching, following the path of bones. Its main doors were open, and seated inside was not Ming Xiangjun, but a young man with a smile on his face.

"Fellow Daoist, please stay."

The Ancient Tower arrived in a flash, hovering overhead. The young man looked down through the tower’s open doors at the blood-soaked figure carrying the coffin and said indifferently,

"Are you Lu Xuan, Fellow Daoist?"

"Who are you?" Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes, sensing the wildly surging aura from within the Ancient Tower. He already knew the answer in his heart. ’An Immortal.’

’And an extremely powerful one at that. Perhaps... close to the Celestial Realms level?’

"I have come to kill you, Fellow Daoist."

The young man rose from within the Ancient Tower, looking down from on high.

"Therefore, I must ask you to go and die, Fellow Daoist."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward the Cosmic Edge Wilderness, at the flickering figures, and he frowned.

"There are living beings out there?"

Outside the Boundary, the terrifying figures were all listening to the commotion within. The Three-Eyed Celestial God’s gaze turned cold, and the Buddha-like, Daoist-like figure frowned and muttered,

"’Fellow Daoist, please stay...’"

He seemed to have realized who it was.

Meanwhile, inside the Boundary, Shen Gongbao stood with his hands behind his back. He did not step out of the Ancient Tower, but simply asked casually,

"Who is outside the Boundary? You seem to be talking with them. Are you plotting something? Tell me, and I can grant you a quick death, sparing you from a thousand calamities and ten thousand hardships."

Lu Xuan held the Copper Hall, gazing up at the young man in the Ancient Tower without a trace of fear or alarm:

"Are you a Demon? What is your name?"

The young man’s interest was suddenly piqued. He looked down coolly at Lu Xuan, a heavy and majestic aura surging around him as his killing intent locked onto Lu Xuan.

"You must have heard my name. I fought for supremacy during the Shang Dynasty. Back then, all the Immortal Gods obeyed my command. The great calamity began at my hands, sweeping through All Realms..."

But before he could finish, a voice suddenly called out from beyond the Boundary.

"Shen Gongbao."

He froze, looking toward the figures outside the Boundary, and asked instinctively,

"Who calls my name?"

"It is I."

As the voice fell, a familiar, massive face slammed against the membrane, pressing forward!

"Duo... Duobao??" The young man staggered back.