Chapter 288: The Stone King Returns
"Great Bloodline Art!"
"Open!"
The essence blood from countless Stone Clan members coalesced, hovering in mid-air.
Each drop pulsed with a shared, ancient grief. A peculiar Bloodline power radiated outwards, heavy and suffocating.
An unimaginable and terrifying aura permeated the very fabric of reality. In an instant, the sky above Imperial Pass tore open, filled with surging, chaotic lightning that crackled with destructive force.
The crimson blood ascended, defying gravity. A brilliant spiritual light surged alongside it, weaving a complex pattern in the void.
It felt like a forbidden ritual, a desperate call communicating with some taboo existence long forgotten by the world.
The blood burned brightly, manifesting within the Void Realm, and finally... it revealed the projection of a gigantic city.
This colossal city was impossibly immense, far larger than the current Imperial Pass.
It was situated not in the world, but in the heart of primal Chaos, surrounded by swirling, formless energies.
[Inorin's Note: The Primal Chaos is the endless, formless expanse that exists outside of established worlds like the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. It is incredibly dangerous and where the Alien Realm is often accessed from.]
In the depths of that endless, roaring Chaos, this solitary city stood as a lone bastion against infinity.
The moment the countless cultivators at Imperial Pass laid eyes on this city, a profound sense of desolation swept through their very souls.
It was a sorrow that transcended time.
A sorrow of endless battle, of forgotten sacrifice.
A sorrow that clawed at their hearts.
This was not a fleeting emotion; it was a desolation accumulated over countless eons, etched into the city's very stones.
Just looking at that impossibly desolate city, many cultivators found their eyes blurring, an inexplicable urge to cry welling up from deep within them.
The city didn't look grander than the new Imperial Pass; in fact, it looked broken, battered, and ancient.
Its walls were caked in dried, dark blood and littered with the corpses of unimaginable creatures.
Beneath the city's foundations was not ordinary earth, but a compressed strata of bones—the skeletal remains of countless cultivators who had fallen in its defense.
The dark red bloodstains on the walls and ground remained terrifyingly vibrant, refusing to fade even after countless eons.
This proved that the beings who died here were all powerful experts.
Even after ages of erosion by Chaos, their remains and the lingering resentment had not been obliterated.
An extremely potent Qi permeated the air—not just Evil Qi, but the lingering battle intent, sorrow, and unquenchable fury of the fallen, instilling a primal fear in people's hearts.
Shi Jian's entire body trembled uncontrollably. The Stone Clan blood within him was not just boiling; it was screaming.
It resonated with the city, surging with a familiar, ancestral power. His glabella glowed intensely, and ancient, golden patterns erupted from him, once again tearing apart the clouds in the sky!
This was the call of his lineage, the Stone Clan's blood burning in recognition.
Behind him, in the Stone Clan tribe, the blood of countless other members also boiled, their faces pale with shock and a sudden, inherited grief.
It was not just the Stone Clan.
The descendants of the other Sinful Clans—the Fire Clan, the Vermilion Bird's lineage, and others—felt it too.
The foreheads of countless 'Sinful Blood' descendants began to glow, their own ancestral marks activating. A wave of disparate, ancient divine light permeated the sky.
This mass bloodline resonance created a peculiar, heartbreaking phenomenon between Heaven and Earth.
Illusions flickered within the projection. They saw Seven Kings, radiant as suns, battling in the Void Realm against tides of monstrous enemies.
Behind them followed countless clan members, their faces grim and determined.
The clan members behind the Seven Kings fell one after another, their bodies dissolving into light, growing tragically fewer with each brutal battle.
The vision showed even frail elders, their bodies stooped, and underage children, barely old enough to hold a weapon, ascending the city walls. They fought with their very lives, detonating their own spiritual cores to resist the endless foreign army.
Among the Seven Kings themselves, some fell, their bodies pierced. Some were cornered, roaring in defiance as they died in battle, their blood raining down on the city they swore to protect.
This entire phenomenon, this vision of sacrifice, was witnessed by countless people at the new Imperial Pass.
They watched this tragic, heroic scene, too astonished and conflicted to speak.
"What... what is going on? Are these combatants... the ancestors of the Sinful Clans?" a young cultivator whispered, his voice trembling.
"No way... That can't be right. Didn't the great sects say their ancestors were sinners who betrayed the Nine Heavens? But now... I see only heroes."
"What is the truth? I can't distinguish it anymore... I really can't distinguish it..."
Countless questioning voices spread like wildfire through the crowd.
A few older cultivators, their faces etched with wisdom, sighed deeply upon seeing such a scene.
"Actually," one ancient Supreme muttered, his voice carrying across the hush, "the pass we stand on is not the true Imperial Pass."
"This current Imperial Pass was built later, as a second line of defense. The true one, the one we see in the vision... that is Original Emperor City."
[Inorin'sNote: Original Emperor City (原始帝城) is the first and true barrier against the Alien Realm, located in the deadly Heavenly Abyss. The 'current' Imperial Pass is a newer, 'safer' fortification built behind it.]
"That is the true battlefield from the Immortal Ancient Era. Legend has it that True Immortals fell there like rain, and even Immortal Kings bled out to defend it."
"I... I always thought that city was just a myth... a legend to scare children. I never expected it to be real."
Another old expert, who had lived for a very long time, spoke, his voice filled with awe. "That legendary city... the Original Emperor City... I never expected it to still stand today, still towering in the Chaos!"
"A long, long time ago, our Nine Heavens and Ten Lands were incomparably strong. We had countless Immortals, and even many Immortal Kings."
"A grand King Conferment Ceremony was held for the Seven Kings. The Bloodline of clans with world-shaking merits, like theirs, flowed with glory—an indelible mark of honor, blessed by the world itself."
The elder who spoke got excited, reminiscing about the glorious past, and didn't notice the increasingly strange and guilty looks cast by the Supremes from certain powerful sects around them.
These discussions spread rapidly through the crowd, revealing ancient, buried truths that painted a very different picture from the "sinner" narrative.
After hearing these fragments of truth, Shi Jian's expression grew even colder, his eyes like ice.
See... he thought bitterly. It wasn't that no one knew the truth. They just chose to forget.
However, the Stone Clan was still slandered, hunted, and allowed to decline.
Those who knew kept their silence. But does silence mean no sin? Their complicity was just as damned.
The glorious marks, the blessings bestowed upon the Seven Kings' clans, were not forgotten. Yet, the later clans still harbored enmity, still inflicted harm, and still coveted the "Sinful Blood's" techniques and resources.
A path forged from the countless streams of essence blood now appeared beneath Shi Jian's feet. It was a bridge of blood, and its end led directly to the gates of the Original Emperor City.
Without hesitation, Shi Jian stepped onto this crimson path.
At that moment, the Supremes from factions like Immortal Palace, those who knew the truth, were finally afraid. They were utterly terrified.
"Stop him! Do not let him enter that city!" a Supreme expert from Immortal Palace roared, his voice laced with panic.
They never, in their wildest nightmares, expected that Shi Jian, a descendant from the "Lower Realm prison," could actually connect with the long-lost Original Emperor City.
At this moment, their composure vanished. They were completely terrified.
In addition to the Supreme who had just appeared, several other Supremes from allied sects also attacked simultaneously, their intentions murderous.
Terrifying beams of Chaos light and a storm of ancient Divine Ability runes poured out, seeking to annihilate Shi Jian before he took another step.
The combined powerful force tore through the void, reaching Shi Jian's front in less than an instant.
Shi Jian showed no fear. He didn't even look back. A terrifying aura erupted from his entire body as he continued to walk.
No matter how strong he was, his own combat power couldn't possibly compare to multiple Supremes.
However, at this moment, he was not alone. He was in a state of borrowing power from the entire chat group.
Gathering the power of monstrous group members like Yang Qi, Luo Feng, and Fang Han, his entire being pulsed with an energy that was terrifyingly, absurdly strong.
His own Dominator Domain merged seamlessly with Yang Qi's Pure Land of Gods. A terrifying, holy Domain unfolded around him, filled with the chanting of gods and angels.
[Inorin's Note: The Pure Land of Gods is Yang Qi's signature ability, a domain that suppresses enemies and empowers allies, representing the pinnacle of holy and divine power.]
For a crucial time, the divine Domain flared. It actually blocked all of the Supremes' desperate attacks, neutralizing their runes and shattering their Chaos light.
The stunned crowd could only watch as Shi Jian, shielded by his divine domain, calmly stepped onto the blood path and walked steadily towards the ancient, desolate city.
The few remaining inhabitants in the Original Emperor City also sensed the phenomenon outside their walls.
On the cracked, blood-stained ancient city gate, a few figures appeared, their silhouettes frail against the chaotic sky.
They were a heartbreaking sight: ragged, malnourished children, and a small group of severely wounded elders, their Origin Sources visibly damaged and leaking energy.
Four words described the city's last defenders: Old, weak, sick, and disabled.
"Clan... members...?" one of the elders on the city wall rasped, his eyes widening in disbelief upon seeing Shi Jian and the blood bridge.
"Are you... Are you clan members from the outside world?"
The speaker's voice was painfully hoarse, and his words were rough, as if he hadn't spoken to anyone but his dying comrades for centuries.
"You are not a True Immortal... Your cultivation is strong, but not that strong. How did you get in? How did you cross the Heavenly Abyss?"
[Inorin's Note: The Heavenly Abyss (天渊) is a natural, supreme barrier separating the Nine Heavens from the Alien Realm. It is supposedly impossible to cross without being a True Immortal or an Immortal King.]
The elder was deeply confused. He knew better than anyone that without the power of a True Immortal, it was impossible to approach this area of the Chaos.
His gaze followed the crimson bridge of blood and saw, far in the distance, the new Imperial Pass and the millions of cultivators gathered there.
A flicker of desperate hope lit his ancient eyes. "How are our clan members outside? Are... are they prosperous? Are they thriving?"
The elder, starved for news, was visibly agitated by the current situation and spoke many words in succession, his voice cracking with emotion.
Shi Jian listened to his hopeful questions. His gaze drifted back to the fearful, guilty, and murderous faces at the Imperial Pass far behind him.
He then looked back at the hopeful, dying elder.
"Prosperous?" Shi Jian's voice was cold and devoid of pity. "Thriving?"
"Although the Stone Clan has not been completely exterminated, they are called 'Sinful Blood' by the very people you protect."
"They have been suppressed, hunted, and marginalized... living precariously, wandering from place to place like vermin."
"All our strong young men were captured, branded as sinners, and sent to meaningless battlefields to 'atone for their sins.' They all died in battle, leaving only..."
Shi Jian gestured to the elder, then back to his own tribe. "...leaving only the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Just like you."
"Instead, I want to ask you. I want to ask you, the ancestors of the Stone Clan, what monstrous mistake did you commit? What betrayal did you perpetrate to make your own descendants atone for you for a thousand generations?"
"Right now, the 'noble' clans of Imperial Pass want to completely annihilate our remaining tribe. They want to judge you, the 'traitors' of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands."
Shi Jian's voice rose to a roar that crossed the void. "Do you have anything to say to them?!"
Shi Jian's furious, accusatory voice spread throughout both Imperial Passes, stunning both populations into silence.
The people of the Original Emperor City—the elders, the children—felt a surge of disbelief, then confusion, and then a profound, cold anger rising in their weary hearts.
They had been fighting here for the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Their blood had flowed like rivers. They fought until entire generations were wiped out, until only the old, weak, sick, and disabled remained.
And yet, their clan members in the rear, their children and grandchildren, were suppressed and hunted?
They themselves, the Seven Kings and their armies, were nailed to the pillar of eternal shame?
They were sinners? Their descendants were called descendants of 'Sinful Blood'?
What kind of twisted, venomous logic was this?!
Back at the new Imperial Pass, those who knew the truth—the Supremes of Immortal Palace and Sword Valley—were filled with a bone-chilling fear.
They never expected that there were still people living in that cursed city. They assumed all the defenders had died eons ago!
But after the initial, heart-stopping fear, some of them analyzed the scene and calmed down.
That city... it was just a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled remnants. They were damaged, their Origins collapsing.
What could a bunch of cripples do to them?
"Slander!" The elder on the wall roared, his weak body shaking with sudden, violent power. "We have been guarding this desolate border! We have been fighting the foreign races throughout this entire epoch!"
"Countless descendants of the Seven Kings have died on these walls! And yet, within the very Nine Heavens and Ten Lands we bleed for, we are slandered as Sinful Blood!"
Despite his weakness, the elder's voice was infused with the remnants of his power, causing the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands to tremble under his rage.
This elder's original cultivation was very, very strong. He had perhaps even stepped into the True Immortal Domain.
However, he was tragically weak now. The True Blood in his body was decaying from endless battle and lack of sustenance. He couldn't last much longer.
But, as the saying goes, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.
No matter how weak he was, he was still a being who had touched the power of the Immortal Domain.
Countless people in the new Imperial Pass felt a new wave of fear after hearing this powerful, grief-stricken voice.
Was this the truth? The Sinful Clans... were they actually the descendants of the greatest heroes?
The crowd in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands erupted in a tumultuous uproar.
Shi Jian listened to the elder's words, but his eyes remained dangerously calm.
This fire of outrage was not hot enough.
He didn't just want smoke; he wanted a blazing inferno. A raging fire that could burn the hypocrisy of the great sects to ashes.
"That's not good enough!" Shi Jian shouted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Where is my Stone Clan's ancestor? Where is the Stone King? Call him out to confess his sins!"
"The high-and-mighty Immortal Palace claims someone personally witnessed the Stone King behead important figures of the Nine Heavens! They say he betrayed Imperial Pass!"
"All the 'sins' of our Stone Clan supposedly stem from him. All of us surviving Stone Clan members want to ask the great Stone King one simple question..."
"Did he truly betray the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands? What unforgivable mistake did he commit to make his own descendants atone for him for a thousand generations!"
Shi Jian pointed back to the trembling, hopeful people of the Stone Clan tribe behind him. His voice, filled with grievance, spread throughout both great Imperial Passes.
His words were incredibly impolite. It was a great, public disrespect to a legendary ancestor.
After hearing such words, the elder became even more furious, recognizing Shi Jian's true intent.
"Insolence! Those 'important figures' were corrupted by the ominous power from the Alien Realm! They were about to undergo a strange, dark transformation and become enemies!"
[Inorin's Note: Ominousness or Ominous Matter is a dark, corrupting power from the Alien Realm that can infect and twist even powerful cultivators, turning them into monstrous beings.]
"They requested the Stone King to act! They begged him to cut off their heads to preserve their final honor! Immortal Palace, Demonic Dragon Dao Gate, and Sword Valley... their ancestors all knew about these matters! The Stone King should not be slandered!"
"Didn't they come forward to explain?" the elder demanded, his voice shaking with rage.
Shi Jian calmly, coldly replied: "Explain? It is they who call us descendants of Sinful Blood."
"It is they who suppress us."
"It is they who hunt and kill our clan's rising Prodigies, fearing our bloodline."
"I fought my way out of the Lower Realm prison they trapped us in. I fought all the way to the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, and all the way to this Imperial Pass. And every step of the way, these very forces sent countless 'righteous' experts to kill me."
"They call me a great fiend, a monster of Sinful Blood."
"They proclaim to the world that dirty blood flows in my veins—the blood of a sinner. They say I was born with sin!"
"I don't believe them. So I came here. I want to ask you, and I want to ask the Stone King, what great sin did he truly commit to make his descendants atone for him like this for generations?"
"Ask the Stone King, if he is truly guilty, why doesn't he come out and accept the judgment of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands?!"
Shi Jian stared hard at the elder. "So, are you lying to me? Or is the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands lying to me?"
Shi Jian's words were still sharp, still bordering on blasphemy against the Stone King.
However, the old elder understood his meaning perfectly. This wasn't disrespect. This was the boundless grievance of his descendants.
He was complaining. He was speaking with the deepest, most painful sarcasm.
He understood Shi Jian's anger, and now, he was just as angry. No, he was more angry.
A murderous silence fell over the Original Emperor City, before a collective, hoarse roar of pure rage erupted from every living inhabitant. They were all angry.
For the first time in eons, they were wondering... was it worth it? Were their sacrifices worth this?
Deep inside the broken city, a small, unremarkable mountain suddenly glowed with a faint, weary light.
A voice emerged from it, ancient and exhausted. "...It is our uselessness. You... all of you... have suffered."
The last of the Seven Kings sighed softly. His voice was desolate, filled with endless sorrow, yet a deep, cold anger was now hidden within his tone.
This was the last king standing among the original Seven Kings.
His heart, which had endured eons of war, was now filled with an endless, crushing weariness and a fresh, bitter sorrow.
He was the Stone King. He was, precisely, the ancestor of the Stone Clan.
The Original Emperor City was trapped in the Heavenly Abyss, and the entire area was enveloped by a Supreme Formation. This formation, and the Abyss itself, made it impossible to leave.
From here, it directly faced the unending hordes of the Alien Realm.
They had always believed, with unwavering faith, that their battles here were to protect the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
They believed they were protecting their own clansmen, their own descendants, who were living peacefully behind them.
They fought to the death here, and they imagined their clansmen proliferating in the prosperous lands behind them. That thought made the sacrifice good. It made it worthwhile.
But now, Shi Jian's arrival, his words of sarcastic grievance, told them a truth more painful than any wound from the Alien Realm.
They were fighting and dying here.
Their descendants, however, were being slandered, hunted, and persecuted by the very people they were protecting.
The Stone King thought of his old friend. If the fiery-tempered Vermilion Bird King were still alive, he would probably have charged back to the Nine Heavens to burn it all down without a second thought.
[Inorin's Note: The Vermilion Bird King is another of the Seven Kings, the ancestor of the Fire Clan (Huo Ling'er's clan), known for a strong and protective nature.]
The Vermilion Bird King. The King of the Fire Clan. He was long gone, his bones burned to ash fueling the city's formation.
"Child, I know what you mean..." the Stone King's voice was heavy. "...but I am powerless. It's impossible to leave now. We are bound to this city. The city stands, we stand; the city falls, we fall."
The Stone King knew Shi Jian's intent. The boy wanted him to return and administer justice. But he was truly helpless.
He had no idea how this descendant, Shi Jian, had managed to establish contact with this isolated place.
However, the boundary of the Heavenly Abyss was absolute. It was difficult, if not impossible, to break from within.
Shi Jian's cold voice cut back. "Is there still meaning in defending this isolated city? Is there meaning in blocking the Alien Realm's powerhouses, just to protect that Nine Heavens and Ten Lands?"
"To protect a Nine Heavens and Ten Lands that spits on your graves, that cannot tolerate the Stone Clan, that cannot tolerate the descendants of the Seven Kings?!"
Shi Jian's consciousness, projected through the blood, looked towards the glowing mountain that housed the Stone King's fading spirit.
He could sense it. Although the Stone King was incredibly weak, his spirit flickering, he still retained the ability for one final, desperate battle.
"A new, greater war is about to begin," the Stone King replied, his voice filled with ancient knowledge.
"Before long, the true powers of the Alien Realm, perhaps even their Immortals, will knock on the gates, seeking to truly annihilate the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands."
"The Seven Kings still have descendants... they still live, even if they suffer. Child, your talent is... shocking. Very strong. I... I entrust them all to you! Protect them."
The Stone King replied to Shi Jian thus, his voice a heavy plea.
Of the Seven Kings, only he remained as a conscious spirit. The others had truly fallen, burning their very bones and Immortal King essence to power this city's defensive formation.
He was already unable to leave this city. His life was bound to it.
Protecting the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands... this was the Immortal King's belief, their sworn duty. It was an unshakeable Dao Heart.
Even knowing the Stone Clan's tragic situation, the Stone King's duty still compelled him to resist the Alien Realm first.
Shi Jian was rendered speechless for a moment, frustrated by this stubborn nobility. "You are wrong! You are first the King of the Stone Clan, and only then the King of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands!"
"Your clan is dying! Right now, you are only the King of the Stone Clan!"
"...And I am the King of the Stone Clan," the Stone King replied softly, his voice full of pain.
Shi Jian was even more speechless. Damn it! I came here to throw this entire burden onto you, old ancestor... and you're throwing it right back onto me?
The Stone King sensed his descendant's immense dissatisfaction and sighed. "Child, you don't understand my limits. My power is already far too weak. Within this city, empowered by the formation, I can still exert some combat power. I can block the Alien Realm and buy you time..."
"But if I leave this city, leave the Heavenly Abyss, to settle accounts with those bastards... I will lose even the power for one final battle. I will fade completely."
It wasn't that the Stone King had no temper. He was furious.
Hearing how miserable and persecuted his descendants were, he wished he could immediately charge back and kill his way through the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
But he was just too weak. Maintaining the city's formation with his fading spirit was already agonizingly difficult.
At the true moment of life and death, within this city, within the Original Emperor Pass, he could unleash one last, cataclysmic wave of combat power.
But if he left the Heavenly Abyss? Even if he did get his revenge and settle accounts with those traitors in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, what about the Alien Realm?
Without the Heavenly Abyss and the city's formation amplifying him, the Stone King would be powerless to contend with the true masters of the Alien Realm.
At that time, the Stone King would die, the Alien Realm would invade unopposed, the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands would be annihilated, and the remaining people of the Stone Clan would still die! It would all be for nothing.
In that case, he might as well die a more glorious death.
Weaken the Alien Realm's power one last time, and buy time for this talented descendant, Shi Jian.
The Stone King could see it clearly. This descendant, Shi Jian... his talent was not just strong, it was terrifyingly strong. Stronger than his own, perhaps.
Perhaps... perhaps this child could bring true hope.
The Stone King wanted to use his last flicker of life to pave the way for Shi Jian.
Shi Jian instantly saw through the Stone King's noble, sacrificial thoughts. From a broader, conventional perspective, what the Stone King was doing was not wrong.
But he, Shi Jian, was a cheat player. He had the chat group.
He was the bigger picture.
"If that's the case, then your logic is flawed," Shi Jian stated simply. "We will move the Original Emperor City back!"
"The true Emperor Pass must be defended, yes. But the humiliation suffered by my Stone Clan must also be settled. We will do both."
Shi Jian flipped his palm. A single, perfect, golden-purple Medicinal Pill popped into existence, radiating a Dao rhythm so profound it shocked the Stone King's spirit.
"This Medicinal Pill is called the Nine Revolutions Purple Gold Pill. It can heal your Origin injuries and restore your cultivation. Restoring you to your Peak Immortal King period will be no problem at all!"
[Inorin's Note: The Nine Revolutions Purple Gold Pill (九转紫金丹) is a legendary Daoist elixir of the highest grade, famously refined by Taishang Laojun (Laozi). It is said to be able to grant immortality or heal any injury. In this crossover, its origin is even more profound.]
"At that time, even without the amplification of the Heavenly Abyss, you will be able to exert your full Immortal King power."
"You will move this Emperor Pass back to the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. The Seven Kings have resisted the Alien Realm alone for long enough."
"Are there not other clans besides the descendants of the Seven Kings in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands? If they are to defend their homes, then they will defend them together!"
"If they can hold the line, great. If not, then everyone perishes together. No more hiding in the back while we bleed!"
Shi Jian spoke with absolute, cold resolve. His words resonated deeply with everyone in the Original Emperor City. Their weary eyes lit up with a new, fierce fire.
Exactly! Their original agreement was that the Seven Kings defend here, while their descendants live stable, prosperous lives behind them. If that were the case, they would defend to the death without complaint.
But in reality? They suffered and died here, and their descendants also suffered and died in the rear.
Others, however, the very clans who slandered them, enjoyed blessings and prosperity behind them. Why?!
If they are to defend, then all shall defend together. If they are to perish, then all shall perish together!
The Stone King's spirit was somewhat bewildered as he sensed the Medicinal Pill in Shi Jian's hand. He could sense that the grade of this pill was not just 'high'—it was beyond his comprehension.
The medicinal power and the Dao principles contained within it were terrifyingly strong, pulsing with pure life essence.
How could this young descendant, Shi Jian, possibly produce a Medicinal Pill of such a divine grade?
He hesitated, his noble nature still trying to find reason. "Those forces... they also contributed in the past. It's just that their strength was too low... and for some reason... they changed!"
Shi Jian snorted coldly, his patience gone. "Isn't it obvious? It's because you protected them too well! The Seven Kings blocked all the real threats."
"They lost all pressure. They grew fat and comfortable, enjoying blessings in the rear. They even started fighting among themselves for power, and we became their targets!"
"Look at them! Through so many eras, has the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands produced even one new True Immortal? They are stagnant!"
"You will move the Original Emperor City and place it in front of that new Emperor Pass. Let them face the Alien Realm directly for a change."
"With true pressure, their strength will naturally improve. Or they will die. Either is a good outcome."
"After all," Shi Jian added with a grim smile, "I was able to grow to this point, thanks in no small part to the constant pressure they gave me."
Shi Jian was clearly hinting at the Stone King.
When they were killing our clansmen in the rear, they showed no mercy.
You should not show them mercy, either.
Shi Jian did not wish to see the Stone King, in his noble self-sacrifice, still consider the "bigger picture" and not settle accounts with those treacherous clans.
If the Stone King didn't recover, those traitors would live.
If the Stone King recovered but remained noble, those traitors would still live.
Then what's the use of me restoring you, Stone King? Shi Jian thought, his resolve hardening.
"You... you clever, ruthless child..." The Stone King's voice finally came, and for the first time, there was a helpless smile in it. He knew Shi Jian's intention.
Shi Jian flicked his finger, sending the Nine Revolutions Purple Gold Pill flying across the blood bridge. It passed through the city's barrier as if it weren't there.
The Stone King's spirit manifested a hand and caught the pill. "This Medicinal Pill is... very strange. I've never seen the materials in it, and even the Alchemy technique is completely unfamiliar... But," his voice firmed, "it is indeed useful to me. Very useful."
The Stone King was profoundly surprised, but he wasted no time and absorbed the pill.
Shi Jian had no intention of answering his unasked question.
The Origin of this Medicinal Pill was indeed a bit special.
He had specially asked Li Changshou in the group chat to procure it. Refined by the Grand Master Xuandu himself, healing a mere Immortal King's Origin injuries was naturally effortless.
[Inorin's Note: Li Changshou (from My Senior Brother is Too Steady) and Grand Master Xuandu (a major figure in Daoist mythology) are from a completely different, and vastly more powerful, cosmological hierarchy. A pill from them is supreme.]
"The pill will take effect quickly," Shi Jian said. "I will use my Bloodline as a guide, a beacon, to summon you within the new Emperor Pass."
"At that time, I will ask Liu Shen to act from the outside. You two will act simultaneously, from inside and out. You will break through the boundary of the Heavenly Abyss and pull the Original Emperor City back to the Nine Heavens!"
As he spoke, Shi Jian took out a tender, glowing green willow branch, pulsing with immense life.
The Stone King's voice was filled with shock for the first time. "This... this aura! The Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit of Stone Village? Liu Shen?"
The Stone King was deeply surprised after sensing Liu Shen's familiar, powerful aura.
Back in the ancient Immortal Ancient Era, they had stood and fought in the same camp against the darkness.
Their personal friendship was not deep, as Liu Shen was always mysterious. But they could absolutely be called "old acquaintances" and comrades-in-arms.
The Stone King had never expected, after all these eons, to "meet" Liu Shen again through his own descendant.
A peerless, hazy figure manifested from the willow branch. Liu Shen appeared, her tone somewhat melancholic as she sensed the Stone King's fading spirit.
"Fellow Daoist Shi," Liu Shen's voice was gentle. "It has been... a very long time. The last time we met was during your King Conferring Grand Sacrifice, wasn't it?"
Her words brought back memories. The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands were once so, so glorious.
The territory was not as vast as other realms, but it was brimming with countless powerhouses.
When the Seven Kings were conferred their titles, even emissaries from the true Immortal Realm came to observe the ceremony and offer their respect!
Now... things were so different. The Original Emperor City had declined to this pathetic extent, and their descendants were branded sinners.
"It seems the great tribulation has begun again," the Stone King's voice, now rapidly gaining strength from the pill, replied.
"But seeing an old friend... it seems I won't have to fight this last battle alone!" A surge of power and hope returned to him.
Seeing an old acquaintance, and feeling his power return, the Stone King's emotions were, for the first time in eons, somewhat excited.
Back at the new Imperial Pass, the Supremes watched this interaction in horror. "Liu Shen... That's Liu Shen! And the Stone King is... recovering?"
"Two... two Immortal Kings..."
The people of the Emperor Pass were completely, terrifyingly silent after seeing this scene.
Under normal circumstances, if two Immortal Kings appeared to protect the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, the entire Emperor Pass would go crazy with joy.
But now, looking at Shi Jian's cold face and hearing the ancestors' rage, many people only felt a deep, profound fear!
These two Immortal Kings... one was the ancestor of the Stone Clan, who had just learned his clan was being persecuted.
The other, Liu Shen, was famously Shi Jian's protector. They were both on his side.
And considering the situation of the Stone Clan in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands...
Countless people felt a visceral chill run down their spines. The traitors were doomed.
Even those high-and-mighty Supreme-level existences felt their hands and feet turn ice-cold.
With the unbelievable potency of the Nine Revolutions Purple Gold Pill, the Stone King's depleted Origin roared back to life.
A pillar of golden light erupted from the Original Emperor City, soaring into the Chaos. The Stone King's aura surged, recovering his full Immortal King-level combat power in mere moments.
His job done, Shi Jian turned his back on the city, stepped back across the Bloodline Bridge, and returned to the stunned silence of the new Emperor Pass.
Liu Shen's true form, a massive, sky-covering willow tree, manifested in the void above the pass, her branches dripping with divine, green light.
Terrifying magical power was released from her, vast and boundless. She reached her branches out, not towards the pass, but into the void, towards the Heavenly Abyss.
On the other side, the restored Stone King roared. The divine light on his body completely fused with the entire Original Emperor City beneath his feet.
Under the combined, terrifying force of two Immortal Kings, one pulling and one pushing, the entire ancient city trembled. Countless ancient, dormant runes on its walls lit up with blinding light.
The immense power overturned the laws of space and time. The ancient city tore free from the Heavenly Abyss, broke through the Void Realm, and rushed with impossible momentum towards the new Emperor Pass.
The momentum was grand, apocalyptic, and terrifyingly boundless. It was the return of an entire world.
The people of the Emperor Pass were utterly terrified, scrambling and screaming as the colossal city blotted out the sky.
Original Emperor City broke through the Void Realm and directly descended into the area. With a ground-shaking impact, it settled on the plains behind the new Imperial Pass, facing the very clans it had protected.
"It... It's back... Original Emperor City has returned..." a Supreme expert collapsed to his knees, his face ashen with absolute fear.
This was especially true for those few Supremes who had just brazenly acted against Shi Jian.
In contrast, the people of the Stone Clan tribe watched this heaven-shaking scene, tears streaming down their faces, their hearts filled with a rapturous, vindicated excitement.
Their ancestor, the Stone King, had returned!
Shi Jian stood in the void, hovering between the returned Original Emperor City and the new Imperial Pass. His gaze was directed at the walls of the new pass.
At this moment, all those Supremes who had attacked him, all those who had slandered his name, had hidden away. They had vanished into the crowd or teleported into their citadels.
Not a trace of them could be seen.
Shi Jian's lips curled into a cold, merciless smile. It was over.
Next was the time for judgment. The time for slaughter.
His voice, amplified by his power, boomed across the entire Imperial Pass, dripping with mockery.
"The Stone King, the great 'sinner' of the Stone Clan, has returned!"
"Immortal Palace! Sword Valley! Demonic Dragon Dao Gate! Where are you?"
"Your great traitor is here! Why do you not come out and quickly put him on trial?"
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