Perfect World: Dream of the Immortal Era

Earlier, in a moment of desperation, he risked everything to speak up, which was indeed a deception. Moreover, the target of his deceit was an Immortal King, undoubtedly a grave taboo. Even if the Ancient Patriarch of the Five Elements were to immediately strike him down, no one would raise a word of objection.

Fortunately, Gu Mo’s gamble paid off.

He wagered on Luo Mo’s regard for talent. Throughout history, beings capable of ascending to the Immortal King’s station have shown predictable life trajectories, serving as a standard for future generations to judge potential for immortality. Heng Jin, who easily subdued Qing Wu, was undoubtedly among this elite group.

During the clash at Xia Yuan, the name Heng Jin resonated throughout the ancient realms, and Luo Mo would inevitably hear of it.

In this foreign land, trivial matters rarely reach the ears of an Immortal King. Few dare interrupt, even when an immortal falls, until an Immortal King emerges from seclusion. However, should a superlative prodigy arise, the emperor’s immortal clan would indeed take heed and report to the Ancient Patriarch.

If the emperor’s immortals have not done so, it would only mean this prodigy has not reached the required level.

A human carrying the celestial map, overpowering an ancient emperor clan's scion at the same level—such an accomplishment would surely capture the immortal clan’s notice.

Thus, when Gu Mo spoke, he deliberately mentioned "Luo Mo the Ancient Patriarch" by name. One must understand that in this foreign realm, to directly invoke an Immortal King’s name is to draw their attention. In such cases, the more potent the speaker, the greater the chance of a response from an Immortal King.

By fortune, Luo Mo responded, temporarily alleviating Gu Mo’s life-threatening crisis.

"Luo Mo!"

The Ancient Patriarch of the Five Elements spoke coldly, his intent to kill Gu Mo undiminished.

In his eyes, this small immortal presumed to speak falsely before an Immortal King, playing with words—truly courting death.

"Calm your anger, my friend. Heng Jin is already part of the War God Academy. He has surpassed the sixth level of the War God Tower and bears the radiance I bestowed upon him. I have intentions of taking him as my disciple; however, I will not interfere if he voluntarily chooses your tutelage," Luo Mo said. Not waiting for a response from the Ancient Patriarch of the Five Elements, he turned his gaze towards Heng Jin, inquiring, "Heng Jin, speak honestly about your desires without fear. My friend and I, as Immortal Kings, will not trouble the young."

The Ancient Patriarch of the Five Elements wasn’t a fool, clearly aware that Luo Mo's words were merely a gesture for his benefit. It was unrealistic to expect anyone to transfer allegiance so easily. It seemed today's whims would end in disappointment, and his plans to take on a disciple would likely fall through.

As expected, Heng Jin made a grand bow towards the void and replied, "I am originally a wild wanderer of the Great Wilderness, someone who couldn't even recognize a single ancient character.

Thanks to the kindness of Lord Luo Mo, the Ancient Patriarch, and the War God Academy for not abandoning me and nurturing me, I have achieved what I have today. I am forever indebted, and I wish to remain under the guidance of Lord Luo Mo."

"Hahahaha, to see such sincerity is rare and commendable. From today onward, you shall be my disciple," Luo Mo laughed heartily. "Five Elements friend, you must have heard as well. This youth is not one to bite the hand that feeds him. As his senior, please go easy on the young one."

"Hmph, when have I ever made things difficult for him? It was your subordinate's crafty tricks in front of me—sheer foolishness," the King of Five Elements scoffed coldly.

Upon hearing this, Gu Mo's face turned pale, his very soul trembling. If the Immortal King truly wished to kill him, he would have no escape from death.

"Indeed, there was some lack of self-awareness, but it was not intended as an offense. Furthermore, cultivation is not easy; please show some mercy," Luo Mo pleaded. "Of course, the capital punishment is spared, but the living punishment is not."

As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of light shot towards Gu Mo. In an instant, every bone in Gu Mo's body shattered, and blood and flesh flew, leaving him almost like crushed mire. The scene was utterly tragic.

Witnessing this, Heng Jin felt a chill in his heart. To think that a powerful immortal could be so fragile; had it not been for Luo Mo's mercy, Gu Mo might not have survived.

"Ultimately, it's my fault for not managing my subordinates well," Luo Mo admitted, not even glancing at the mangled Gu Mo, but instead shouldering responsibility himself.

A supreme Immortal King saying this left the King of Five Elements with little to rebut. He snorted coldly and let the matter drop.

"Hehe, my friend, it's been a while since we last played chess. Today is a rare opportunity. Shall we have a match?"

Before the words were even completely spoken, a majestic, indistinct figure stepped over the vast, boundless land and arrived beyond the Five Elements terrain.

In this manner, the Immortal King Luo Mo made his appearance, like a sovereign traveling the world.

Heng Jin looked at this silhouette, feeling a gentle and approving gaze settle upon him. At this moment, he felt surreal; just a moment ago, he was simply an immortal protector and the War God Academy's prized student, and in the next, he became the disciple of a supreme Immortal King. The disparity was worlds apart, on completely different levels.

"Please, friend," he invited.

The voice of the King of Five Element's Immortality reached out, inviting Luo Mo to delve deep into this terrain for a meeting in his secluded retreat.

“Go ahead, follow this path, and it will lead you directly to the location of the Five Elements Dao Furnace.” Luo Mo's voice echoed in Heng Jin's ear.

“Thank you, Master.” Heng Jin immediately responded.

At that moment, an Immortal Path appeared beneath his feet, stretching directly into the depths of the Five Elements terrain, constructed by Luo Mo to ensure a safe arrival at his destination.

Luo Mo nodded slightly, and then stepped inside, disappearing into the horizon.

Heng Jin did not immediately embark on the path to the Five Elements Dao Furnace. Instead, he approached the barely breathing Gu Mo, retrieving the Immortal Source and rare elixirs awarded for conquering the War God Tower.

He extracted the innate essence energy within them, transforming it into a surging river that flowed into the flesh pulp that Gu Mo had become.

The Immortal King had struck with such terrifying might. Gu Mo was reduced to pulp, even losing the ability for self-recovery, and his consciousness was now murky.

However, Heng Jin understood that Luo Mo intended to save Gu Mo. If not for his harsh measures, the King of Five Elements would not relent, and Gu Mo would have lost his life.

After consuming a significant amount of Immortal Source and peerless elixirs, the fleshy pulp that Gu Mo had become finally stirred, starting to wriggle.

Immortal light blossomed, enveloping him. Cracked bones and torn flesh slowly reassembled, and Gu Mo was revived, though his pupils were unfocused and his face pale as paper, without a trace of blood.

Fortunately, his life was saved.

“Senior Gu Mo, it's my fault that you've suffered so.”

“Earlier, I spoke out to save myself; if I abandoned you, I'd have no face to return to the War God Academy or to meet the Ancient Patriarch.”

Afterward, he pointed to the Immortal Path beneath Heng Jin's feet and said, “Go now, the Five Elements Dao Furnace is the best terrain for cultivating in the Refinement Stage. It will be your place of enlightenment.

You have not let us down, leaping to become a disciple of the Ancient Patriarch. It is an unparalleled honor for our War God Academy. Know this, for several epochs, no one has ever seen the Ancient Patriarch take a disciple.

There were once prodigies who almost became the Patriarch's nominal disciples, yet sadly they never fulfilled their aspirations.

I must warn you not to be proud or complacent, nor waste your extraordinary talent.”

“Understood,” Heng Jin replied.

He knew Gu Mo would not follow further. Provoking an Immortal King, retreat was the best choice. If he further angered the other party, even Luo Mo could not protect him.

After bidding farewell to Luo Mo, Heng Jin embarked on a path constructed by the immortal principles, walking alone. Along the way, the terrain related to the Five Elements became increasingly apparent, and as he drew nearer to the legendary Five Elements Path Furnace, the landscape grew ever more mysterious and profound.

Heng Jin surmised that even the Supremes might perish if they were caught in this terrain.

Fortunately, with the immortal path given by Luo Mo, he had nothing to worry about.

Before long, Heng Jin arrived. Ahead, the aura of the Five Elements was so dense it had materialized, floating silently yet dangerously in the void.

Holding his breath, Heng Jin used the immortal path to pass through these elemental laws. Deep inside, he saw the so-called Five Elements Path Furnace.

It was a natural chasm embedded in the rocks, enveloped layer by layer by elemental laws. To be precise, these laws burst forth from the chasm, marking it as a source, containing the deepest origin of the Great Path.

From a distance, a towering, blurry figure could be seen standing atop the furnace, only to vanish in the blink of an eye.

Heng Jin understood this to be the time shadow left by the Immortal King of the Five Elements. Once, it was merely a piece of colorful path gold, gestating in the furnace for an unknown duration before gaining intelligence and ultimately becoming an Immortal King, overseeing all beings.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped toward the Five Elements Path Furnace. A natural furnace capable of nurturing an Immortal King was an incredible concept. It seemed hard to believe, but cultivating here in the vital realm, it would be difficult not to grow stronger.

It was no wonder that for endless ages, prodigies from the alien imperial clans flocked here with eagerness.

After just a few steps, Heng Jin was stunned to find himself inexplicably in a strange space. The uneven rocks beneath him were replaced by smooth stone tiles. Looking around, chaos roiled, opening up a sizable circular area, resembling a ring or arena.

He realized that this must be the condition set by the Immortal King of the Five Elements that Gu Mo spoke of. He needed to withstand the assault of the path body formed from colorful path gold for a quarter of an hour to earn the right to cultivate at the Five Elements Path Furnace.

As he contemplated, a radiant figure appeared out of thin air, advancing slowly. It was nearly as tall as a normal person, its entire form radiant, a pure path gold body without impurities, displaying five colors, each representing a principle of the Five Elements.

Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—interacting, opposing, rotating endlessly, thriving continually—all present in a single path gold, naturally not simple. Even before making a move, Heng Jin sensed a strong, oppressive force.

Before he could react, the path gold body struck first with a powerful punch that distorted even the space around it.

What kind of hardness did the colorful path gold possess? Adding it to a weapon would transform it and render it invincible.

At this moment, Heng Jin faced a body made of pure path gold, a challenge even imperial clan prodigies dared not confront.

Unfazed, Heng Jin struck out with a punch of his own. The celestial diagram of dragons and phoenixes on his back emitted a brilliant light. The true dragon and true phoenix carved within seemed as though they were about to come to life, roaring thunderously as boundless divine energy surged into Heng Jin's arm. Accompanied by the shadows of the true dragon and phoenix, he faced off directly against the Tao gold body.

“Boom!”

A muffled crash resounded as Heng Jin felt as if his fist struck an invulnerable chunk of metal—it remained immovable.

However, he wasn't at a disadvantage. Relying solely on his physical strength, he could engage in a direct confrontation.

After that punch, they exchanged hundreds of blows in mere moments, akin to pounding iron, ringing out with a dense clatter resembling raindrops against metal. It was hard to imagine Heng Jin using just flesh and blood to wrestle with a Tao gold body.

On the stage, the two figures fiercely battled, their strikes landing with fiery sparks flying.

It wasn't that Heng Jin didn’t wish to defeat his opponent, but relying solely on raw physical power made it relatively challenging to topple a body of Tao gold of equal standing. The only foreign technique he understood was the Ancient Mo Fist taught in the Gu Mo scripture. If he used it to harness his physical strength, the punch’s power would increase substantially.

Yet, Ancient Mo had recently offended the King of the Five Elements. If Heng Jin used the Ancient Mo Fist to defeat the Tao gold body, it would be tantamount to humiliating the King of the Five Elements. Naturally, Heng Jin wouldn't do such a thing.

After all, he only needed to hold out for a quarter-hour; defeating the opponent wasn't essential.

Deep within the terrain of the Five Elements, in a misty grotto, two towering figures sat facing each other, with a chessboard forged from the void between them. Chess pieces continuously landed—the incarnation of supreme laws or immortal beings, the creation of worlds.

Such a game was astonishing, requiring true Immortal Kings to play.

The players of this game were Luo Mo and the Five Elements King. Shrouded in chaotic mist, their exact appearances were unclear. They rarely spoke or moved, contemplating silently as they placed pieces, like two ancient statues.

“Your heart is unsettled?”

“Humph, you have quite the luck, encountering such an uncut gem. Merely relying on his raw flesh and physical strength, he can draw with a Tao gold body. Such talent, even the youthful Immortal Kings of old weren't any better.”

“Maybe even less so in their youth.”

“Yet, to confirm one’s path to immortality as a king, talent is just one factor. Over countless years, endless epochs, there have been those more brilliant than Heng Jin, but those who truly reach the end are few.”

“With your guidance, setting the foundation and mitigating some risks, his prospects of becoming a king are significant. At worst, he’ll become a quasi-king.”

“What good is a quasi-king? Only by reaching the level of you and I can one seize destiny and stand firm in chaotic times.”

"What a pity, to miss such a rare talent like this."

"From what I know, some of the old fellows have been persistently searching for a suitable heir. They dream of a tale where both master and disciple achieve immortal glory together. In my view, you seem to be the most likely candidate to succeed."