Infinite mystery, infinite possibilities...
That doorway seemed to encompass endless temporal and spatial concepts.
Merely a trace of its breath leaking out had already crushed the civilizational epic of Emperor Tongtian.
Even the phantom of Niu Shenjun on the Heavenly Stele had been sent to who knows which dimension.
Above the ’opening’ and ’closing’ of the world, the Thousand Doors seemed to possess a unique advantage.
Zhong Shenxiu’s heart lit up with an epiphany as he raised his right palm, launching the final strike.
The surging palm force of void poison landed heavily upon Emperor Tongtian.
His body rapidly disintegrated; a white shadow tried to escape but was wrapped up by threads of void poison and turned to ashes.
From within the ashes, a few intertwining faces cried out in agony before vanishing into nothingness.
Zhong Shenxiu lifted his head, only to see a blood-red sunset slowly descending into the horizon line.
In the distance, those warriors from the martial arts world who had desperately wanted to witness the excitement and the defeated soldiers guarding the Imperial Palace were still engaged in fierce battle.
Someone’s keen eyes caught sight of him and shouted, "It’s the Undying Evil Emperor!"
Zhong Shenxiu touched his mask in realization, discovered it had indeed followed his resurrection, and couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
"The Evil Emperor steps into the Imperial Palace, overwhelmingly dominating the present world... Unbelievable, the Undying Evil Emperor single-handedly slaughtered nearly half the Imperial Palace..."
An old veteran of the jianghu stroke his beard in shock, nearly pulling it out.
"What a pity... not having seen the Undying Evil Emperor clash with that number one figure on the Heavenly List..." Li Qinghe, who had just arrived nearby, expressed his regret.
"From now on, the first on the Heavenly List... will have to be replaced..."
Amidst the many awe-stricken gazes, Zhong Shenxiu’s figure flickered and twisted, leaping past everyone, out of the Imperial Palace against the backdrop of the sunset.
Exhaustedly, he looked at the sunset and sighed deeply, "What a... long day indeed..."
After that day, the entire martial arts world was shocked by a major event.
The twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month.
The Evil Emperor strode into the Imperial Palace, killing in succession the Great Tributor, the Blood-Clothed Marquis, the East Sea Fisherman, and Mu Tianliu, four Great Grandmasters, assassinated the Emperor of Great Wu, and slaughtered countless court officials...
Though the Great Wu was weak, it was still a dynasty that had lasted a thousand years. This news spread, and everyone’s first reaction was sheer disbelief.
After all, that was the greatest power in the world, and it had been challenged by the Undying Evil Emperor alone?
In the ears of major forces like the Su Yin Sword Sect, this news was even more shocking.
Under Emperor Tongtian’s rule, the Great Wu Dynasty had fully suppressed the martial arts world, and the other seven major forces had all fallen silent, with Grandmasters dying in succession.
It looked like there was a huge hidden hand behind the scenes, brewing a conspiracy.
But now, this hidden hand had been directly crippled by the Undying Evil Emperor?
With more details revealed, the people of jianghu had no choice but to acknowledge that there had been a mistake in the Heavenly List, that the Undying Evil Emperor was indeed the true number one in the world!
Yet, the present Heavenly List only had three people left, one of whom was a madman, which really left others speechless.
After the initial shock in the jianghu martial arts world, naturally, their attention turned to the upcoming changes within the Great Wu Dynasty.
Having been thrown into chaos by the Undying Evil Emperor, with four Heavenly Person Grandmasters perishing in succession, and even the Emperor dead,
Although there were some princes in other lands, with the central power of the Great Wu Dynasty devastated and no head to lead them, it was impossible to unite and elect a new Emperor; rather, it was each for their own.
At this time, the Su Yin Sword Sect took the lead in declaring their independence from the rule of Great Wu, and accused the Great Wu Dynasty of secretly sending assassins to kill the Grandmaster Su Yin Fairy.
The Lingnan Song family testified that Fei E Sword Song Zhong had disappeared without a trace, suspected to have been murdered, also by the Great Wu Dynasty.
With these two pieces of news, the whole world was stunned!
The various sects of Martial Arts roundly condemned the Great Wu Dynasty, declaring independence, with radicals even organizing armies of martial artists to besiege cities and territory, and going as far as to proclaim themselves kings and lords, establishing systems in a bid to compete for supremacy over the land.
The Great Wu Dynasty, which had been passed down for a millennium, disintegrated in just a short day and night!
What followed was the rise of the renown of the Undying Evil Emperor, who truly reigned supreme over all under heaven, his might pressing upon all corners of the world!
Unknown to anyone, the Undying Evil Emperor, who should have been filled with pride and awe-inspiring presence, had now taken on the appearance of an ordinary young man, hastening towards the hidden valley where the Shanyao Gang resided.
’The losses from the previous battle have finally been made up for... and moreover, a substantial number of Heavenly Show Points were included.’
Zhong Shenxiu glanced at his attribute panel:
[Name: Xun Liuyi (Zhong Shenxiu)]
[Three Gates of Martial Arts: Divine Skills]
[Martial Arts Divine Power: Void Poison, Nine Deaths and Resurrection (9), Stone Buddha Indestructibility]
[Heavenly Show Points: 800 (0%)]
[Myriad Gates: Ready to Open]
Since the day he had slain Emperor Tongtian and his renown had spread throughout the world, his Heavenly Show Points had shockingly exploded to as many as eight hundred.
Of course, he had reached a bottleneck similar to the one in his previous world at this point.
Perhaps, it was because the plundering of the world had reached a certain limit?
Zhong Shenxiu strode through the air, a single leap covering tens of yards.
Suddenly, his spiritual perception picked up a special signal, and he couldn’t help but utter a surprised grunt, changing his direction.
After dozens of miles, he saw a crazy, slovenly Daoist.
This Daoist’s hair and beard were ink-black, his face smeared with grime to the point that his age was indiscernible. His Taoist robe was dirty, covered with dust and grass, full of holes, and it was unclear how long it had gone unwashed.
At the moment, he was singing a strange ballad that he seemed to have heard from somewhere, walking as he sang.
"Youthful travels, green robes rather carefree... Eternally heroic figures, not withstanding a single sword’s elegance... Enter Niu Shen Temple, and the path is lengthy, the lotus remains..."
The lyrics were peculiar, as if haphazardly put together, yet they seemed to carry a hidden implication.
"Loose Cultivator... Mad Daoist?"
Zhong Shenxiu stopped in front of the Daoist, asking in a deep voice.
Rumors said this person was a Loose Cultivator of exceedingly high martial prowess, but given his insanity, he called the four seas his home, and even the imperial court hadn’t been able to find him.
Zhong Shenxiu had not expected to run into him.
"Lotus remains? What does this mean?"
Zhong Shenxiu continued to press for answers.
He hadn’t forgotten that the only reason he could open this world was by using a hint of the aura of Black Lotus Venerable to locate it.
But so far, among the strange beings he had found, there seemed to be no mention of the name of Black Lotus Venerable.
However, the fact that Evil God had many aliases was not beyond expectations.
What truly surprised Zhong Shenxiu was the state of this Mad Daoist.
The other party was a Great Grandmaster before, and must have undergone profound changes in body and spirit.
But now, in Zhong Shenxiu’s eyes, the Mad Daoist seemed almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
’This is simply inconceivable. After the transformation, I’ve never heard of someone reverting back, especially in spirit... Of course, he might have paid a sufficient price for it, such as turning into a madman...’
Zhong Shenxiu speculated to himself.
"Great Grandmaster, those things outside are coordinates... This world doesn’t like them. To comply with heaven and people, to transform me into king... only then can it last..."
After uttering a few sentences, the Mad Daoist once again became deranged and started singing the ballad as he walked away: "Youthful journey... the lotus falls, flowers bloom to see me, who am I? Who is me?"