The Enemy

“A new enemy?!” The Fate Dao Ancestor faintly sensed something and immediately pressed, “Who?!” The Void Dao Ancestor glanced at the Karma Dao Ancestor, who had only recently fallen into “slumber” and was thus the quickest to awaken. Only after a good while did he utter a name: “Yaoguang.” The moment those words were spoken, the Karma Dao Ancestor, who had just been feeling the solemnity of the atmosphere, could not help but laugh. “Who?” Not only the Karma Dao Ancestor, but even the Nine Rulers felt a wave of speechlessness rise in their hearts. Were the Void Dao Ancestor and Time Dao Ancestor... Had they been asleep for too long? So long that they didn't know the world outside had changed completely, that the times had moved on? Yet at this moment, the cognitive calculations of both the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor were running at full capacity. The Fate Dao Ancestor in particular realized the crux of the matter at once: “Time, the true reason you chose to self-detonate... was that ‘He’ had already set His sights on you, and you did it to shake ‘Him’ off, which is why...” “Yes.” The Time Dao Ancestor gave a definitive answer. At the same time, the consciousness fluctuations of this Dao Ancestor were filled with an indescribable solemnity and dread: “I used every means at my disposal and tried with all my might to escape the prying of that ‘gaze,’ yet I could never shake it off. What is more, when Void entered the Hunyuan Realm, using his formidable void power to perceive the entire realm and instantly selecting a suitable candidate to nurture as an immortal spirit, He even turned that ‘gaze’ toward Void.” The Void Dao Ancestor nodded. “The primary reason that great war ended so anticlimactically was that we noticed this...” “And then?” the Lord of Yuanxi asked. “The fall of a Dao Ancestor is not true death,” the Time Dao Ancestor said. “I do not know by what means He ‘observed’ my existence. But under those circumstances, to prevent the situation from deteriorating further, and because our plan already called for our fall... I detonated myself ahead of time. Moreover, harnessing the power of the self-detonation, I warped spacetime, instantly masking the coordinates of both the Ancient Immortal Realm and the Hunyuan Realm to prevent that special existence from peering in any further.” With that, this Dao Ancestor glanced at the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor. “Right now, we should not squander our remaining strength on wearing each other down. Instead, we should join hands to confront that mysterious existence. That inescapable ‘gaze’ of observation He possesses... to my senses, is far more terrifying than the Lord of Yuanxi's spiritual power or the Fate Dao Ancestor's power of fate.” An enemy more terrifying than the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor?! “Utter nonsense!” Before the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor could speak, the Lord of Tianyuan barked harshly, “If you ask me, this is nothing more than a stalling tactic to buy time, aimed at winning a greater advantage for the Fate Dao Ancestor in his duel against the Lord of Yuanxi!” “The chaotic void is boundless and vast. No one knows what manner of life exists at the ends of the chaotic void. Perhaps the war between our Ancient Immortal Realm and the Hunyuan Realm has long since drawn the attention of another great existence, merely waiting for us to mutually destroy each other so it can devour us completely,” the Void Dao Ancestor said. “Never mind whether such a life exists at all—even if it does, and it was the Yaoguang you speak of, he was already slain by us. How could he possibly pose any threat to us now?” the Lord of Creation chimed in from the side. “You don't truly believe Yaoguang and that great existence are the same thing, do you?” the Time Dao Ancestor said in a deep voice. “I strongly suspect that because we were searching for a suitable living individual to bestow with an immortal spirit and the triple traits capable of inheriting the powers of time and void, that great existence turned our own plan against us. He chose to merge into the special individual we selected and reincarnated into our Ancient Immortal Realm. Then, as he grew, he continuously infiltrated, studied, and mastered the cultivation systems and characteristics of power of both our realms until he understood them inside and out. Once that was done, he returned to his true body. And next...” The recently awakened Dao Ancestor paused. “Next will be the day his true body truly descends to annihilate both our worlds in one fell swoop!” The Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor listened to the Time Dao Ancestor's description, still saying nothing. Yet within their minds, they searched through every shred and detail of information regarding Yaoguang. As for the Nine Rulers... They paid no heed to the Time Dao Ancestor's explanation whatsoever. “In the end, this is all just your speculation. To think you can get us to abandon a victory within our grasp based on mere conjecture is utterly naive.” “Hahaha! Since you say our Hunyuan Realm and your Ancient Immortal Realm will soon face an even greater enemy, why fight separately instead of merging into one? By integrating your Ancient Immortal Realm into our Hunyuan Realm, we will surely possess greater strength to meet the impending crisis. So why don't you simply surrender to our Hunyuan Realm?” “Enough. Yaoguang is already dead. Why waste time arguing over a dead man? Now, let's finish them off as quickly as possible!” Thoughts flashed through the minds of the rulers. Those who could cultivate to become rulers never lacked the drive to act or the courage to make decisions. Just as now, having set their minds against the claims of the Time Dao Ancestor and Void Dao Ancestor and resolved to slay these Dao Ancestors here, they naturally translated that into action with the utmost swiftness. Without need for further words, the Nine Rulers charged toward the three Dao Ancestors at once. Battle erupted anew. “You...” “Utterly foolish!” Rage rippled through the consciousness fluctuations of the Void Dao Ancestor and Time Dao Ancestor. Yet they had no choice but to deploy immortal arts to counter them. Meanwhile, the Lord of Yuanxi and the Fate Dao Ancestor tacitly dialed back the intensity of their confrontation with one another. “Do you believe what these two Dao Ancestors of yours said is true?” the Lord of Yuanxi asked. “The chaotic void is boundless and vast. Anything could exist within it, and anything could happen... just as our two worlds crossed paths within the chaotic void! Now, that our war has drawn the gaze of another great entity within the chaotic void... is hardly surprising,” the Fate Dao Ancestor replied calmly. “In a realm of chaotic void so vast, if there were only our two worlds, it would be far too empty, far too lonely.” “Then how will you convince me not to believe this is also part of your power of fate?” the Lord of Yuanxi said with a smile. “Right now, the Nine Rulers are bent on fighting the three Dao Ancestors to the end. Through this war, they will show all living beings that they are shedding blood for the Hunyuan Realm against the Ancient Immortal Realm, and soon they will garner more and more support in the Hunyuan Realm. If I take no action, before long, the power of all living beings will continue shifting to the Nine Rulers. When that time comes, it will be even harder for me to contend with you.” Hearing this, the Fate Dao Ancestor could not help but ponder. “No need to ponder; this problem has no solution,” the Lord of Yuanxi offered the answer proactively. “The workings of the power of fate are no different from the most brilliant open conspiracy in the world—unstoppable and unavoidable. Just as Yaoguang, under your orchestration, was bound to a predetermined outcome no matter what choice he made! It is plain to see that the outcome of our two realms' war is likewise predetermined; aside from fighting to a conclusion, there is no way out.” Hearing this, the Fate Dao Ancestor signaled his understanding as well. The essence of an open conspiracy was that even the one who devised it could not unravel it. “Everything has been arranged, and the outcome will not change. This great war is destined to end with the destruction of the Hunyuan Realm and its consumption by the Ancient Immortal Realm,” the Dao Ancestor explained. “Of course, it could also be that fate errs, and the Ancient Immortal Realm is consumed by the Hunyuan Realm. But whichever it is, the outcome of our two worlds merging into one cannot be reversed, even if we know unexpected accidents may occur.” Having spoken these words, even the Fate Dao Ancestor felt the mocking irony of fate. He had never cared about the process, only demanding that the result be achieved. Yet now... The result might indeed be achieved, but it might not be achieved according to his wishes. For now, he could only place his hopes on the possibility that the Time Dao Ancestor and Void Dao Ancestor were making a mountain out of a molehill. Otherwise... ... From then on, the development of the situation proceeded without the slightest external interference. An all-out war erupted between the Nine Rulers and the three Dao Ancestors. Compared to Yaoguang, the threat posed by the three Dao Ancestors was perhaps a notch lower, but they were crafty and calculating, their strategic and tactical arrangements far superior to Yaoguang's. Furthermore, they understood their objective clearly—to stall for enough time and wait for the situation to turn in the duel between the Fate Dao Ancestor and the Lord of Yuanxi. Thus, having chosen an all-out battle of attrition, they naturally could not be defeated by the Nine Rulers anytime soon. The ultimate situation that emerged was that although the Nine Rulers held the upper hand, securing a true victory in this war would require at least thirty to fifty thousand years of fighting—and taking over a hundred thousand years would not be surprising at all. Realizing this, the Nine Rulers promptly mobilized the propaganda departments of the Nine Great Groups, sparing no effort to publicize the arduous struggle of the Nine Rulers locked in fierce combat against the three Dao Ancestors, portraying themselves as the Hunyuan Realm's sole main fighting force and only hope for victory. Yet this time, the Lord of Yuanxi did not sit idly by. He detonated a contingency He had planted earlier. What were Dao Ancestors? With the empowerment of the Lord of Yuanxi's might, any one of the Nine Rulers could effortlessly defeat any Dao Ancestor. Back then, the Void Dao Ancestor and Time Dao Ancestor had even been terrified into desperate self-detonation by the combined lineup of the Lord of Yuanxi and the Nine Rulers. Yet now... The Nine Rulers had joined forces against just three Dao Ancestors, yet struggled so bitterly—what was the reason?! It was precisely because the Nine Rulers were now in the lead, with the Lord of Yuanxi relegated to a supporting role. If this situation could be reversed and restored to how things were before—allowing the Lord of Yuanxi to command all the spiritual energy of the Hunyuan Realm and then empower the Nine Rulers—the Void, Time, and Karma Dao Ancestors of the Ancient Immortal Realm would unquestionably be routed like rotting wood. The effect of this counterstroke was astounding! With ironclad facts before their eyes, all intelligent beings and immortal spirits finally remembered once more the unbroken string of victories the Hunyuan Realm had achieved under the Lord of Yuanxi's rule. Ultimately, the spiritual energy of the Hunyuan Realm that had been diverted by the Nine Great Groups and the Nine Rulers returned to the control of the Lord of Yuanxi. Empowered by this strength, the Fate Dao Ancestor, who had held the advantage, gradually found his situation growing precarious, while the pressure on the three Dao Ancestors visibly eased. And so, amid the relentless clashes between the Hunyuan Realm and the Ancient Immortal Realm on every front, time flowed swiftly by. One day, four thousand years later, the Lord of Yuanxi, who had been constantly eroding the Fate Dao Ancestor and the Gate of Fate, suddenly sensed something. He looked up sharply. Right after Him, so did the Fate Dao Ancestor! The consciousness fluctuations of this Dao Ancestor fell into disarray for the first time! That unseen premonition vividly impressed upon Him a reality they had long anticipated, yet had refused and dreaded to believe. He was here!