In an unknown place, a majestic palace towered into the clouds, resembling the ethereal, elusive immortal palace in the legends.

Within the immortal palace, murals depicted one strange event after another: mountain-like titans driving divine oxen to till the earth; sages splashing ink to create paintings, dotting the sky with stars; divine adepts subduing demons and vanquishing devils to bring peace to the world... 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Three hundred thousand years had passed, yet the murals remained as vivid and lifelike. It was as if they were freshly painted, and the artist had stepped away not long ago.

If any Great Xia citizens were here, they would easily recognize these events as the legends passed down through generations. The main characters of those legends were none other than heavenly gods and supreme immortals of the Great Qian Dynasty who possessed great merit and virtue.

The most striking mural of all depicted the Midheaven Emperor-Lord standing above the nine heavens, one hand supporting the sun and the other holding up the moon, worshipped by the heavenly gods and supreme immortals.

Meanwhile, the real Midheaven Emperor-Lord remained in this magnificent immortal palace.

The Midheaven Emperor-Lord leaned his head on one hand, lounging lazily upon an immortal seat forged from immortal metal.

Before him was an ancient book written in ancient script. Few in the world could read it. Only cultivators who were born at the end of the ancient era, like the Midheaven Emperor-Lord, could fully understand such ancient texts.

The Midheaven Emperor-Lord closed the book and swept his cold gaze over the officials below, who had come to report to him. “In other words, you still haven’t found who is using the Epoch Dao Fruit to reverse time?”

The officials trembled like leaves. They had been renowned figures during the Great Qian era and were all cultivators of the faith lineage. As the Midheaven Emperor-Lord was the ultimate faith of the Great Qian Dynasty, he naturally wielded overwhelming suppression over them.

“My Liege, the tokens are simply too few. It is difficult to trace that person’s whereabouts.” One half-immortal stepped forward with a bitter expression. If the Four Ancient Immortals were so easy to find, we wouldn’t have gone three hundred thousand years without finding one.

“Hmph.”

The Midheaven Emperor-Lord snorted, growing irritable. The trail of the Epoch Dao Fruit lay right before them, yet they couldn’t locate it no matter what they did.

Half-immortals felt nothing when time reversed, but he perceived it clearly. In the past half year alone, time has reversed over a hundred times!

This is practically an outright provocation, yet I can’t do anything about it!

“Searching for the four immortals with those tokens is no different from fishing for a needle in the ocean. Does faith power have such a huge impact on intelligence?” A voice suddenly echoed through the palace, sending the group into panic.

Someone dares to mock the Emperor-Lord? Are they tired of living?

“Who goes there?!”

Hearing the voice, the Midheaven Emperor-Lord shot to his feet. His hair and beard billowed like an enraged true dragon. A colossal golden dharma manifestation of him materialized, its hand clutching a black vortex that destabilized the entire space, threatening to rip it apart. Time slowed to a crawl, nearly stopping.

This is the secret hideout of the Great Qian Dynasty. For three hundred thousand years, only half-immortals authorized by me are qualified to know of its existence. No outsider could possibly be aware of it. Even if an outsider attempts a soul search, all memories of this place would be erased without a trace!

“Heh heh, there’s no need to get so worked up.” The voice remained ethereal. It showed no fear toward the vigilant Midheaven Emperor-Lord, and neither was it unaffected by the slowing of time.

A figure shrouded in darkness suddenly appeared in the immortal palace. No one, not even the Midheaven Emperor-Lord, could discern how the figure had arrived.

It seemed like something out of a fantastical tale.

“Who are you?! How did you find this place?!”

With the Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s enraged shout, the murals on the immortal palace’s domed ceilings seemed to come alive, ready to step out of the walls at any moment and march into battle.

A youth in ancient ritual robes appeared, holding a bone staff adorned with ornaments of various symbolic meanings.

It was the other immortal of the Great Qian Dynasty—the Fate Arbiter.

The Midheaven Emperor-Lord and the Fate Arbiter stood shoulder to shoulder, warily eyeing the figure shrouded in darkness.

The two had worked hard since the end of the ancient era, establishing the Great Qian Dynasty amidst ruins, forming Dao Fruits, and becoming immortals. Despite having watched three hundred thousand years pass, they had never encountered anyone who brought them as much pressure as this figure.

A formidable enemy!

An absolutely formidable enemy!

The dark figure chuckled softly, their gender indiscernible. “Who I am is not important. Or would you prefer that I fabricate an authentic identity to have someone hunt you down?

“As for how I found this place...”

The Midheaven Emperor-Lord and the Fate Arbiter could not make out the figure’s features, but they could sense them smiling at the mention of the topic.

The figure finished their sentence, saying, “I saw you carve out this space and build this immortal palace. How could I not know of this place?”

Both immortals were startled. We were already immortals when we created this space, yet they observed us without us noticing them!

“Devouring Heaven Destroying Earth!”

The Midheaven Emperor-Lord struck without warning. His Emperor-Lord Dharma Manifestation swept through with the force to flatten the world. The all-devouring vortex instantly swallowed the dark figure.

The divine immortals and sages in the murals really came to life, stepping out of the walls. Wielding various precious immortal treasures—gourds, stone cauldrons, Dao swords, and more—they simultaneously assailed the dark figure.

This was a power capable of sweeping across all directions and crushing the entire world, yet now it was all directed at this dark figure.

The dark figure let the attacks land and even allowed the immortal beasts from the murals to sink their teeth in.

With a slight tremor, the figure flung the divine immortals and sages back into the murals.

The once-vibrant murals turned blood-red; these divine immortals and sages were bleeding!

Like an incorporeal phantom, the dark figure took several steps forward, ignoring the devouring vortex completely. They seemed utterly unbothered by the earlier attack. As if they were in their own home, the figure sat directly on the ground in a languid posture.

The dark figure waved a hand. “Relax. You and I are not enemies. I did not come here to fight or kill you.

“Rather, since you are searching for the four immortals and planning to seize their Dao Fruits to open the box world, it is also to my advantage in that regard. It has been a long time since I last saw the true starry sky.”

“Why have you come here?!”

Even if the dark figure had expressed their stance, the two immortals dared not relax in the slightest. This person’s strength and knowledge undoubtedly surpass ours. Who exactly is this person?!

One of the Four Ancient Immortals? No, this person already says that Great Qian’s search for the Four Ancient Immortals is to their advantage. Could this person be... the mysterious entity that had fought against the Four Ancient Immortals?!

“I simply noticed how difficult your search for the Epoch Dao Fruit has been. It so happens that I know some things. I thought I should inform you.”

“What?”

“Someone has recently arrived at the Dao-Seeking Sect in the Great Xia. His name is Tang Chuanwu. The time reversals over the past half year have all originated from him.”

“Why would you be so kind as to tell us this?” The Midheaven Emperor-Lord was suspicious. Such intelligence is invaluable. How could it be given away so easily?

“Haven’t I told you? Our interests align in the matter of searching for the four immortals.”

The dark figure stretched lazily and vanished before everyone’s eyes, leaving behind the grim-faced Midheaven Emperor-Lord and the Fate Arbiter, along with the divine lords who exchanged bewildered glances.