Perfect World: Dream of the Immortal Era

Nevertheless, what exactly is the existence of an Immortal King? In their eyes, even the fruits of longevity medicine are nothing significant. Thus, no one touched the Immortal Peaches on the jade table, as doing so would be beneath their dignity.

Lord Wu Zhong sat cross-legged at a jade table, remaining silent. He hardly spoke since he arrived, only exchanging brief pleasantries with the Immortal Kings present, and then nobody spoke again.

Chaotic energy spread out, enveloping their figures in a haze, rendering them blurry. Each Immortal King was motionless, like ancient statues standing for endless ages, living in times billions of years past.

Pan Wang, the host, could feel the heavy atmosphere in the air.

He was the first to break the silence.

"Thank you all for traveling such great distances to offer your assistance. I'm deeply grateful."

"Pan Wang, you speak too highly. We are all Kings of the Immortal Domain, and it's only natural for us to help one another," one Immortal King responded politely.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, Lord Wu Zhong felt a bit awkward. He hailed from the Primordial Ancient Realm and was not a ruler of the Immortal Domain, so it felt as if he was being excluded, as if camps were being drawn.

"Friend Yun speaks exceedingly wisely."

At this moment, Ao Sheng spoke, his voice calm and indifferent, an ancient demeanor with not a ripple in his tone.

Pan Wang caught the underlying message, feeling a bit displeased because the Immortal King Wu Zhong had been specially invited to assist in the refinement of the Cosmic Mountains and Rivers Seal. His mastery of the Dao of Time was renowned across the heavens, unmatched by anyone.

Who would have thought, upon welcoming him inside, that the Kings of the Immortal Domain would have a faint undertone of hostility? Wasn't this like asking someone to leave? One must know that Wu Zhong's arrival was a crucial part of Pan Wang's plan, as he greatly valued the Dao of Time.

"Please, gentlemen, do me this favor. Today, let's focus solely on discussing the matter of refining. Any other issues can wait until the Cosmic Mountains and Rivers Seal is crafted." Pan Wang spoke directly, not beating around the bush, for Immortal Kings are astute, and it's best to bring many things to the surface.

"That is natural. Pan Wang's artifact is a matter of paramount importance and is not to be delayed," a neutral Immortal King chimed in, trying to ease the atmosphere here.

Yet, the will of an Immortal King is difficult to change.

Ao Sheng no longer concealed his intentions. First, he acknowledged Pan Wang, conceding that the crafting of his artifact was of utmost importance. Then, his gaze directly targeted the location where the Immortal King Wu Zhong was seated cross-legged.

Not only him, but a few accompanying Immortal Kings also turned their eyes towards Wu Zhong.

The gaze of an Immortal King, how weighty it is! Let alone the collective gaze of several powerful Immortal Kings.

But Wu Zhong remained unmoved, steadfast as a mountain, very calm, the very picture of unperturbed serenity.

Seeing this, Ao Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling uncertain. The being before him, who tread the path of the Dao of Time, had once made a glorious name for himself in the Immortal Domain. To this day, legends of him still spread majestically across the vast lands.

Several epochs have passed, and Wu Zhong has long become an undeniable titan, with an impressive battle record, his strength beyond doubt.

Even though he had several Immortal Kings on his side, he still felt intimidated facing Wu Zhong. Such was the aura of a true powerhouse.

“Wu Zhong, may I ask what is your relation to Wang Heng?” Ao Sheng spoke up directly, targeting Wang Heng.

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhong picked up the celestial brew from the jade table, took a sip, and then answered, “No relation, we just come from the same world.”

As soon as he finished, the Immortal Kings supporting Ao Sheng felt a surge of anger. Wu Zhong's words were clearly a retort to their earlier comments.

“So, by that account, you aren't close. Good. I wish to take Wang Heng with me.” Ao Sheng spoke coldly, as if ignoring the underlying meaning.

Wu Zhong sighed inwardly, knowing that Ao Sheng's intent for taking Wang Heng wasn't aimed at Wang Heng himself, but rather at Wang Heng's father, Wang Gen. He intended to use the blood link between father and son to probe Wang Gen's condition.

If Ao Sheng discovered the truth, Wuji Immortal King, Wang Heng's grandfather, would be in immediate danger, facing a relentless assassination.

“I promised an old friend to protect Wang Heng.” Wu Zhong replied.

Upon hearing this, Ao Sheng and his party showed no outward reaction but released the presence of Immortal Kings.

In an instant, the chaotic energy here roiled violently, and the aura of Immortal Kings clashed, creating friction.

However, in the end, the confrontation was contained. The Immortal Kings present had good relations with Pan Wang, so they wouldn't start a fight in his residence.

“Friend, it's best not to interfere in this matter of cause and effect, or you might get burned.” Another Immortal King spoke, staring at Wu Zhong, his words full of intimidation.

Unfortunately, Wu Zhong didn't buy it at all. He was considered one of the most formidable Immortal Kings in the Primordial Ancient Realm and wouldn’t change once he set his mind on something.

“As long as I'm here, you won't take him.”

His response was brief yet resonant, akin to the clash of swords, possessing an incredibly impactful power.

“Do you really insist on being so stubborn? Willing to offend several Immortal Kings just to protect a mere human ant?” A previously silent Immortal King finally spoke, his name was Taishi. Like Ao Sheng, he was a top-tier Immortal King, strong and renowned across the Celestial Domain.

“Not just a few—even if there are ten, it doesn't matter. If I decide to protect someone, no one can take them,” Wu Zhong retorted coldly, his aura spreading, instantly plunging the area into bone-chilling cold.

“Brother, please calm down,” Pan Wang interjected at that moment.

At his words, Wu Zhong retracted everything, the great bell echoed softly, cleansing through ages and ancient history.

All the Immortal Kings present fell into silence. This was a genuine powerhouse, even among giants he was a strong phenomenon. Furthermore, he practiced the formidable Dao of Time. When he erupted, who could stop him?

Even with their numbers, they dared not act rashly.

The atmosphere was tense, as the conflict between the Immortal Kings held the potential to spark a cataclysmic battle, one that could erase the great cosmos into the annals of history.

After a long silence, Ao Sheng finally relented. Despite the steadfastness typical of an Immortal King's will, facing an overwhelming figure like Wu Zhong, stepping back was not shameful.

“I understand. Let's put this matter behind us.”

“For the sake of Pan Wang, I won't pursue this any further. Otherwise, there would have been a battle today,” Wu Zhong said indifferently, his cold gaze sweeping over the Immortal Kings of Ao Sheng's faction.

Even for formidable Immortal Kings, they should not speak disrespectfully to a giant.

Ao Sheng, Taishi, and the others remained silent, acutely aware of the vast gap between themselves and such a titan. If they were truly to fight against Wu Zhong, their only hope for victory would be through a war of attrition, with many fighting as one, and even then, victory was uncertain.

With this realization, they could only let the matter drop.

Upon seeing a conclusion reached, Pan Wang spoke to ease the tensions on both sides, though Wu Zhong's earlier show of strength and imposing force had left the present Immortal Kings unsettled for quite some time.

Giant figures, wherever they tread, are an immense deterrence, inspiring deep apprehension.

...

Inside the side hall of Pan Wang's residence,

The Black King continued to savor the divine peaches, unsatisfied with just one, consuming three or four in succession.

Wang Heng was not to be outdone; since discovering his soul-sea was a bottomless pit, he had no reservations, knowing whatever he consumed would transform into latent potential.

Eventually, the fruit platter on the stone table lay empty, devoured clean by man and dog.

“Luckily, I feel I can still eat more,” Wang Heng said, leaving the Black King speechless.

“Well, now that I've had my fill, it's time to cultivate. The medicinal power of these divine peaches has saturated all my cave heavens except for the soul-sea, saving me countless rigorous sessions of cultivation.”

He finished speaking and sat cross-legged where he stood, manifesting the ten cave heavens externally to correspond with the flesh cave and soul-sea, initiating deep cultivation.

Beside him, the Black King watched, eyes gleaming, attempting to pierce the deepest secrets of Wang Heng's soul-sea, yet once again was thwarted by an inexplicable force cloaking it.

“Baffling.”

It muttered, forced to reluctantly abandon its efforts.

Suddenly, as Wang Heng sank into meditation, the voice of Wu Zhong, the Immortal King, echoed in his ears, detailing the events that unfolded in Pan Wang's domain.

At this moment, Wang Heng's body involuntarily tensed, all twelve of his apertures shivering.

A number of Immortal Kings wanted to take him away; how terrifying was this assassination plot? For a newly ascended human-born creature, this was an insurmountable calamity.

Even without facing those Immortal Kings directly, Wang Heng could still feel their bone-chilling murderous intentions coming from an unseen realm, leaving him unnerved and on tenterhooks.

“Rest assured, with me here, you'll be fine. However, remember this: Ao Sheng and others are intent on investigating your father's situation; they aren't specifically targeting you. Thus, they only need to obtain a strand of hair or a trace of blood from you.

During the Peach Banquet, someone might very well make a move against you, merely needing to injure you to achieve their goals.

At that time, I will likely be assisting Pan Wang in forging the Cosmic Prints of Mountains and Rivers, unable to divide my attention, so everything will depend on you.

Of course, those who act against you will only be of the same realm, and both sides have tacitly agreed not to interfere with means at an Immortal King level. By then, it will depend entirely on the capabilities of the younger generation.”

“Thank you, Lord Wu Zhong, for your protection. I understand,” Wang Heng responded gravely, nodding. Thereon, Wu Zhong's voice vanished as if it had never appeared.

“What's wrong with you?”

The Black King noticed the turbulence in Wang Heng's apertures and immediately inquired.

“Lord Wu Zhong's prophecy has come true; several Immortal Kings intend me harm.”

“That's troublesome, but don't fret too much. As long as Lord Wu Zhong is around, unless a chief arrives, you will surely remain safe,” the Black King reassured, patting his shoulder.

Wang Heng nodded.

Right now, he felt a chill running down his spine. If he had not come to the Immortal domain following Wu Zhong, he might have already found himself in dire straits.

He had underestimated the entangled karma and grudges among Immortal Kings. To cause such long-lived beings, indifferent to worldly matters and solely pursuing the ethereal Immortal realm, to fight one another, one could only imagine the magnitude of karma involved.

Calming his mood slightly, Wang Heng glanced at the ten apertures above him, realizing he couldn't be passive or wait for death.

Wu Zhong had mentioned that during the Peach Banquet, a lifeform would strike, aiming solely to injure him. Although he, in the Aperture Opening Realm, was already powerful enough, he couldn’t underestimate his foes.

If he slipped up and got injured, allowing the enemy to obtain crucial materials, with the methods of Immortal Kings, there was no assurance they wouldn't uncover Wang Gen's condition. Thus, Wuji Immortal King would be in peril.

Strength is the greatest safety.

“Kid, what do you plan on doing? The Peach Banquet is just days away, you'd better not act rashly. Getting seriously injured would be disastrous,” the Black King sensed a change in Wang Heng's expression, as if he had made a major decision, and felt uneasy.

“Senior Black King, precisely because the Peach Banquet is imminent, I cannot afford to play it safe. Senior Wu Zhong informed me that I must not be injured, so I need to become even stronger.”

“Not get injured? That won't be easy,” Black King exclaimed in surprise.

“What's your plan?” it asked next.

Wang Heng pointed to the ten caves above his head and replied, “I intend to reopen these ten external caves. Their current size and foundation are not the limit; they should be able to grow even larger.”

With that, he started immediately, without any hesitation.

Since these caves were only superficially filled and hadn't actually been refined by Wang Heng, there were still unsteady areas inside needing time to be stabilized and solidified.

However, now was not the time to slowly reinforce them. Wang Heng chose to forcibly compress and fill those unsteady spots.

He took out a divine herb from his storage artifact and swallowed it in one gulp.

Instantly, the immense medicinal power spread throughout his body. Even for someone as strong as Wang Heng, he couldn't help but tremble, barely able to withstand the ocean-like medicinal force.

He managed to direct the medicinal power of the divine herb towards the ten external caves.

The already saturated external caves, hit by the medicinal force, immediately released deafening booms and emitted lights of various colors.

At this moment, they were like volcanoes filled with magma, ready to erupt, and Wang Heng's actions were akin to adding more magma and pressure. The result was the internal pressure of the caves becoming increasingly terrifying, edging closer to bursting.

Black King watched, heart pounding with fear. Was this really safe? If the external caves shattered, it would undoubtedly affect the cultivator himself.

It waved its hand to enclose the space around Wang Heng, preventing any ripples from leaking out, using its True Immortal level cultivation.

Soon, the interior of the caves was filled to the brim, reaching a critical point.

Wang Heng sensed this immediately and shouted, mobilizing the ocean-like medicinal power for a final impact while simultaneously invoking the methods from the Dao Canon of Hunyuan to fortify the caves.

Back when he visited the Hunyuan Palace and met with the Hunyuan Immortal King, this Immortal King had helped Wang Heng modify a small part of the Dao Canon according to the characteristics of the Cave Heaven Realm, making his caves extraordinarily strong, beyond imagination.

“Crack!”

The anticipated explosion did not occur; instead, cracks spread rapidly, but under the enhancement of the Dao Canon of Hunyuan, the cave walls were incredibly resilient, naturally preventing a total collapse.

“Boom!”

The edges of the caves collapsed with a tremendous roar. Though it wasn't an apocalyptic explosion, it still had a significant impact on Wang Heng.

Were it not for the illumination of his corporeal and soul caves, shielding him from some of the force, he might have disintegrated on the spot.

All ten of Wang Heng's caves shattered completely, reduced to heaps of ruin and rubble, and his own body cracked open, bleeding profusely—a pitiful sight indeed.

Yet, the Black King showed a look of astonishment, for it discovered that within the ruins of the ten caves, a mightier potential seemed to be hibernating, ready to erupt at any moment.