Chapter 2404 The Long Trek

Ordinary cultivators might resort to robbery on the road.

But a group of Emperors? That would be far too humiliating.

Lin Xun swept his gaze over them in silence.

The brightly-clad eighth realm Emperor at the head of the group asked coldly, “Are you from the Ancient Nebula Road?”

“Yes,” Lin Xun replied indifferently.

“Then come with us.” The man in colorful robes spoke with an air of arrogance and his tone seemed to allow no defiance. His gaze was aloof and cold as if he was simply issuing an order.

“Where to?” Lin Xun raised an eyebrow.

A man beside him, dressed in a crimson crane cloak and with skin paler than a woman’s, smiled with a strange feminine charm. “You’ll understand once we arrive.”

Suddenly, the green sparrow on Lin Xun’s shoulder spoke up. “They’re from the number one sect in the White Crow Starfield—Myriad Spirit Divine Mountain. As far as I know, anyone captured by them ends up having their primordial spirits stripped and turned into puppets, with both their will and consciousness gone.

“If you go with them, that’s likely what’s waiting for you.”

The group’s expressions shifted slightly. They clearly hadn’t expected a bird to recognize them.

Realization dawned on Lin Xun, and his eyes flashed with a glint of coldness. “So you’re robbers after all. No, you are worse than robbers. Ordinary bandits only want wealth, but you want lives. You’re far more despicable.”

The man in the colorful clothes let out a soft sigh, “Why is it that cultivators from the Ancient Nebula Road never seem to understand their position? Instead of throwing your lives away in the Great Thousand Battle Domain, wouldn’t it be better to serve our Myriad Spirit Divine Mountain? Even if you are turned into a puppet, at least you can live forever.”

Lin Xun’s gaze darkened slightly. “So, you’ve captured many cultivators from the Ancient Nebula Road before?”

The man nodded calmly. “Over the past decade, more than twenty Emperors like you have been turned into Emperor-level puppets and now serve Myriad Spirit Divine Mountain.”

Lin Xun then asked, “What about those below the Emperor Stage?”

The feminine man in the crimson crane cloak let out a soft laugh, pursing his lips. “Those nobodies aren’t worth our effort.” He said with mocking disdain.

“I see.” Lin Xun let out a soft sigh.

Beyond the Ancient Nebula Road lay countless ruined and collapsing universes that were riddled with disasters. They served as natural barriers, obstructing the path of countless cultivators. In addition, for those who managed to cross into the White Crow Starfield, what awaited them were attacks from the powerful forces entrenched there...

For cultivators of the Ancient Nebula Road, the journey to the other side of the cosmos was indeed perilous.

“Fellow Daoist, if you understand the situation, I advise you to surrender. Otherwise, we’ll be forced to act and it won’t be pleasant for you,” said the man in the blood-red crane cloak, smiling faintly.

“Oh? But I think it’s more likely that none of you will be leaving here alive,” Lin Xun replied nonchalantly.

Before he finished speaking, he had already taken a step forward. His sleeves fluttered as radiant sword qi erupted from him, streaking out like divine rainbows across the starry sky.

This cold, silent void was lit up by vast and brilliant sword light.

“Hmph, I knew you wouldn’t submit, then don’t blame us for what happens next. Attack!” snapped the leader in colorful robes, immediately launching into attack.

Boom!

He raised his hand and a silver battle axe flew forth, radiating dazzling brilliance. Dao sounds boomed like thunder as it cleaved through the void with terrifying force.

The other five followed suit without hesitation. All six moved at once, unleashing their treasures and casting powerful dao arts, surrounding Lin Xun from every angle.

However, they had underestimated the terrifying sword qi.

Bang!

The first to fall was the man in colorful robes. His silver battle axe was instantly pierced by the sword qi and shattered in mid-air.

Before he could react, the sword light swept across him.

With a ‘pff,’ his body and spirit were obliterated on the spot. An eighth realm Emperor was slain in an instant.

Shrill screams rang across the battlefield. Blood spurted into the void. Treasures exploded one after another. Powerful dao arts dissipated like a tide.

As for the feminine man in the crimson crane cloak, he was pierced by countless strands of sword qi. His body was left riddled with holes before he collapsed on the spot.

In a snap of a finger, six Emperors were wiped out in an instant!

The nearby starry sky trembled violently. Blood still hung in the air, thick and pungent, but not a single enemy reamined.

The green sparrow stood frozen, its lively eyes filled with shock. After a moment, it muttered, “You’ve hidden it well...turns out you’re a supreme Emperor. No wonder the young lady views you differently...”

Lin Xun gave a faint smile like he had done nothing worth mentioning, and he departed without hesitation.

The time needed to burn an incense stick passed.

In this starry sky, a blazing golden figure suddenly appeared. His powerful aura caused the space to ripple and quake. Clad in a deep azure-gold battle armor and a feathered crown, he looked striking and heroic. His eyes were bright and piercing, and though his appearance was youthful, his gaze reflected the weight of countless years.

The moment he arrived, he scanned the battlefield. Then, with a wave of his hand, a light screen emerged, replaying a hazy scene.

Lin Xun being encircled by the six slain Emperors.

The man stared at the image of Lin Xun intently, seeking clues, but the vision was hazy and faded in an instant.

“No matter who you are, I’ll remember you!”

The man's voice was ice-cold and laced with murderous intent.

The nearby void rippled as figures arrived one after another. As soon as they arrived, they bowed to the man. “Old Ancestor.”

“I’m heading to the Great Thousand Battle Domain. Watch over the sect in my absence.” As soon as the man finished speaking, he turned into a streak of golden radiance and vanished into the depths of the cosmos.

The gathered figures exchanged glances, their faces full of shock and uncertainty.

On the same day.

News spread across the White Crow Starfield that six Emperors of the Myriad Spirit Divine Mountain had perished, killed by a terrifying figure who had crossed over from the Ancient Nebula Road.

Furthermore, on that same day, the Grand Elder of the Myriad Spirit Divine Mountain, Golden Flame Emperor Ancestor, personally set off for the Great Thousand Battle Domain!

The news shook the entire White Crow Starfield.

Myriad Spirit Divine Mountain was a supreme force of the White Crow Starfield, standing unshaken for countless years. No one had ever dared to challenge its authority.

But today, six of its Emperors had fallen!

The most astonishing part was that the Golden Flame Emperor Ancestor, who had become an Emperor a hundred thousand years ago and now stood at the level of the Ancestor Stage, had personally set out to capture and kill the enemy!

The news caused a tremendous stir throughout the White Crow Starfield.

......

As for Lin Xun, he remained completely unaware.

He had no idea that his actions had already drawn the attention of an Emperor Ancestor who now sought his life.

“Encounters like this will become common along the way, so you’d best be prepared.”

While journeying through the void, the green sparrow reminded him. Its tone had subtly shifted since the previous battle.

There was less arrogance.

Despite that, pride still lingered in its demeanor.

Lin Xun nodded, saying little.

The earlier encounter had left him feeling a faint sense of unease.

For countless years, the Ancient Nebula Road had been sealed off by taboo law power, cutting off the path to the other side of the cosmos.

Only after the fall of Heavenly Emperor Shi did the taboo law power lose its control and cultivators in the world gained the chance to set foot to the other side of the cosmos. However, who could have imagined how treacherous this journey would be?

One would encounter natural disasters, man-made slaughter, and even the cruel fate of being reduced to a puppet!

Furthermore, all this was merely within the White Crow Starfield. How many more perils lay hidden on the road ahead?

Under such circumstances, how many cultivators from the Ancient Nebula Road could actually survive long enough to reach the Great Thousand Battle Domain?

And even if they made it that far, what hope did they have of carving out a bloody path to reach the Eternal True Realm?

“This is a road paved with bones and drenched in blood, filled with unpredictable danger. If I wish to press forward, I must tread through seas of blood and mountains of corpses to carve out a path to survival!” Lin Xun muttered to himself.

Lin Xun traveled alone through the cold universe and dark expanse of space, surrounded by nothing but silence and loneliness.

Only the green sparrow offered him some company and comfort.

However, as their journey continued, both Lin Xun and the green sparrow grew quiet.

Along the way, Lin Xun passed through many collapsed universes, where natural disasters erupted frequently. The terrifying power they unleashed almost cost him his life.

Later, after the green sparrow’s explanation, Lin Xun understood that those collapsed universes had once flourished with life and civilization.

However, most of them withered into ruin with the collapse of their law power. In the end, it became lifeless, chaotic and haunted by calamity.

Along the way, Lin Xun also passed through many vast and thriving cosmic planes. Some even more powerful than the White Crow Starfield, and Ancestor-level auras could be sensed everywhere.

In these foreign universes, conflicts and bloodshed were common

Not to mention those star bandits who preyed on travelers, most of the time, Lin Xun found himself targeted by others who sought to keep him there.

Those who dared to attack him, an Emperor, were certainly far from ordinary.

However, without exception, they were all killed by Lin Xun.

With his current cultivation, he no longer feared even Emperor Ancestors. If an ordinary Emperor-level figure dared to target him, it would be no different from seeking death

Later, Lin Xun came to a disturbing truth that forced him to stay on guard...

In some of the most dazzling and powerful cosmic planes, there were terrifying beings who had transcended the Ancestor Stage and had reached the Immortal Realm. Furthermore, they were not few in number!

Fortunately, he remained focused on his journey. Unless provoked, he kept a low profile and so avoided drawing the attention of those Immortal figures.

Still, everything he saw and experienced along the way confirmed one thing:

Compared to these worlds he had seen along the way, the Ancient Nebula Road...was in utter decline.

At least, in the Ancient Nebula Road, it could no longer produce figures who had transcended into the Immortal Realm.

Half a year had passed.

Weathered and worn, Lin Xun arrived in a shattered, barren world plagued by natural disasters.

After a careful search, he finally settled on a relatively safe vast starworld.

It was also here, after many long years, Lin Xun finally welcomed the breakthrough opportunity to step into the sixth realm Emperor Stage!