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A chilling cold gloom rushed outwards. In this dark world, Lin Ming could see ancient bronze coffins. These ancient bronze coffins were shockingly large and wrapped in loud clanking chains. It was unknown just whose corpses lay inside.
“There are 12 ancient bronze coffins altogether!”
Lin Ming thought, startled. He could faintly feel that within each bronze coffin slumbered a horrifying existence, but he simply didn’t know what they were.
However, what caught Lin Ming’s attention was not these 12 ancient bronze coffins, but what lay at the end of these coffins; it was an incomparably fierce and hideous beast!
This vicious beast had four thick legs and alarmingly sharp claws. Its entire body was covered in scales and thick black hairs grew out from its body, making it seem like some legendary demon beast from hell.
Lin Ming could sense from within this vicious beast a smell of blood that was as deep as an ocean, as if this beast had taken countless lives.
At this time, the horrifying vicious beast was staring at Lin Ming with its ghostly green eyes. Its four limbs and its titanic form were entangled in layers of chains. When Lin Ming heard the crashing of metal from outside, it was clearly because this vicious beast had been struggling against the chains.
As Lin Ming looked at this demonic beast, he was inexplicably shocked. He didn’t know why, but he could feel a familiar aura from this vicious beast, one that left him filled with disbelief.
“This… this is…” Lin Ming stared at the demonic beast. It was wrapped in black energy, and this black energy was incomparably familiar.
“That is…”
Lin Ming looked at the god race’s God Sovereign, his eyes filling with fear.
Roarr!
At this time, the demonic beast let out an earth-shaking roar. The chains shackling its body tightened and emitted loud cracking sounds.
A terrifying momentum rushed out like a surging storm. Even its saber-sharp claws that were able to rend the void reached less than 10 feet away from Lin Ming.
But Lin Ming remained motionless. He looked at the god race’s God Sovereign, waiting for his answer.
Then, the God Sovereign opened his mouth and slowly spoke, as if he were speaking from across the shores of time. “Its name is… Yuan Chi. Before he became like this, he once had a title. His title was… Empyrean Primordius…”
The God Sovereign’s words were like a bolt of lightning that smashed into Lin Ming’s ears.
For a time, Lin Ming froze solid, unable to summon any words.
Empyrean Primordius… this was Empyrean Primordius?
Lin Ming looked at the demonic beast. It violently struggled against its chains. Its pupils had lost their clarity and it lacked any intelligence at all. It wildly roared, wanting to break free from the shackles of the chains and tear Lin Ming and the old God Sovereign to pieces.
“How could this be!?”
Lin Ming found this difficult to accept!
He had already guessed that Empyrean Primordius hadn’t died. Regarding this, the Black Dragon Sovereign living in the Eternal Demon Abyss had been unable to give him an absolute answer.
What Lin Ming was sure of though was that the corpse of Empyrean Primordius was not within the Eternal Demon Abyss.
But, Lin Ming would never have imagined that Empyrean Primordius, who domineeringly wandered the Divine Realm, nearly becoming a True Divinity, would actually turn into such an appearance.
Just what had happened?
“Your Majesty God Sovereign, this is…”
The God Sovereign shook his head, his withered face wrinkling like a walnut. “In the past, Primordius was heavily wounded by the saints and his mortal body was ruined. The saints wished to capture Primordius alive and refine his body, drawing out the essence of the Grandmist Spirit Bead. But, Primordius broke free from their siege and fled with his tattered body, finally escaping into the Primeval Realm Ruins’ Dark Abyss."
Dark Abyss?
Lin Ming’s thoughts stirred. He had no idea what the Primeval Realm Ruins were like. It was said that this land contained countless lucky chances and innumerable inheritances, and it was the most important reason the saints were able to prosper and rise to their current lofty heights. The reason the saints wished to exterminate all the remnants of the ancient races was because of these ruins.
“What sort of place is the Dark Abyss?” Lin Ming asked.
The old God Sovereign said, “It is the most dreadful place within the entire Primeval Realm Ruins. It is a bottomless abyss of space and time. Within it exists a massive number of abyssals, cruel and horrifying demons of the Dark Abyss. The deeper one goes, the more terrifying these abyssals are… it is said that the abyssals were sealed away by Heavenly God Asura and his rival, the master of the Holy Scripture. 10 billion years ago, the abyssals were responsible for the apocalypse that fell upon the ancient races.
“Whether these rumors are true or false, there is one thing which is certain, and that is that not even True Divinities dare tread into the innermost depths of the Dark Abyss. In the past, Empyrean Primordius was forced into the Dark Abyss, but because his mortal body was ruined and he himself was nothing but a lamp without oil, he was unable to survive in that land, let alone take revenge. So in order to live on, he did something that no one had ever done before…”
“What did he do?” Lin Ming looked at Empyrean Primordius, his heart racing with fear.
“He seized the body of an abyssal…” As the old God Sovereign spoke to here, he let out a long breath.
Normally, when a martial artist seized the body of another they would carefully consider the process again and again. First, a martial artist would make sure that the body they seized was far weaker than themselves, and their talent also had to reach the extremes. At the same time, all sorts of preparations were required in order to ensure that the spirit mark of the target was cleanly wiped away!
But even in such a situation, after successfully seizing the body of another, all sorts of residual leftovers would remain. After all, the body wasn’t their own to begin with. If body and soul weren’t perfectly compatible with each other, then that would cause one’s talent to drop and their cultivation to rise at a snail’s pace. If the will of the seized target was too strong and there were spirit marks remaining, these spirit marks would invade the soul of the seizer and cause a split personality.
For instance, the Ancient Devil that emerged from the Sea of Miracles hadn’t seized Yang Yun’s body in the past. Rather, he used Yang Yun as a chess piece and chose Lin Ming as his final target. But in the end, the Ancient Devil failed to seize Lin Ming’s body.
As for Empyrean Primordius, what he took over was an abyssal. In terms of soul force, mortal body, or inner energy, they were powerful in all aspects, like incarnations of demons. Wanting to seize their bodies was easier said than done!
The old God Sovereign said, “It is more accurate to say that Primordius fused his ruined body and soul with an abyssal, melting them together as one. Now… I fear that Primordius has lost any remnants of his mind and has completely fused with the abyssal’s soul, becoming like he is now.”
“He fused as one with the demon?” Lin Ming looked at Empyrean Primordius, unsure of what to say.
In the past he had fantasized that because of some reasons, Empyrean Primordius had hidden himself away in some corner of the universe. Or maybe, when the great calamity erupted, Empyrean Primordius might appear at a crucial moment, perhaps even making another breakthrough and coming close to the realm of True Divinity!
Although he might not have been able to turn the tide, his appearance would have at least given humanity a chance to recover!
But reality was cruel. A generation’s peerless proud son of heaven had ended up with such a fate!
Lin Ming silently stepped in front of Empyrean Primordius and deeply bowed.
However, even though Lin Ming’s body exuded a vague grandmist energy, the pupils of Empyrean Primordius were still filled with bloodthirst, completely disregarding Lin Ming’s status as the grandmist successor.
Roar!
Chapter 1870.2: B – Of the Heart
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The shackles went taut once more.
The fierce and sharp claws were like swords, able to pierce through stars. They tore open space less than half a foot in front of Lin Ming!
The tips of the claws almost reached Lin Ming’s eyes.
Looking at the bloodthirsty eyes of Empyrean Primordius, Lin Ming felt an inexplicable sense of bitterness.
Although he had never met Empyrean Primordius before this, Empyrean Primordius was still an important master who had a tremendously important influence on his life. Lin Ming hoped that while Empyrean Primordius was in his most difficult times, he would be able to help him. However… in the end he realized he was just a useless and lonely person.
Sheng Mei’s refusal, Primordius’ fate, all of this left Lin Ming filled with a sense of utter powerlessness.
“He… cannot return to how he was?” Although Lin Ming already knew what the answer would be, he still asked this question with unwillingness in his tone.
The old God Sovereign shook his head, “When Primordius took over the abyssal he was still able to preserve his logical mind and speak words. But afterwards… when his soul completely fused with that of the abyssal, he slowly became how he is now. In order to protect him I could only shackle him here with the dragon-trapping cables…
“100,000 years have passed. I fear that he has already forgotten everything of the past. All that remains in his heart is his hatred towards the saints… the saints took everything of his. They crushed his dreams and aspirations, and even killed the woman he loved above all…”
“The woman he loved above all?” Lin Ming was startled. “Is that Heavenly Empress Xuanqing?”
The old God Sovereign nodded. “Yes… the two of them once wanted to use the Samsara Road to establish the Grandmist Samsara Dao, and then develop that into something that could stand on equal ground with the Laws of the 33 Heavens. And using that as the basis, they wanted to establish their own independent world, copying Heavenly God Asura…
“Primordius and Xuanqing shared a common goal, and they were both peerless elites of their generations thus they were able to easily match together. They chased after their dreams, eventually falling in love with each other…”
The old God Sovereign’s quiet words left Lin Ming dumbfounded!
To copy the Asura Road Master, establish a separate Heavenly Dao and create a world!
Just how great a wish was this!
Yet, one was an unrivalled woman close to becoming a True Divinity, and the other was a genius of humanity that possessed the Grandmist Spirit Bead. If the two joined hands, there was really a chance they could succeed!
Perhaps even…
Lin Ming suddenly recalled Sheng Mei. When Sheng Mei asked him to leave with her, was it also for this goal?
He and Sheng Mei were similar to Xuanqing and Empyrean Primordius.
One was an unrivalled woman and the other was a peerless human who controlled one of the three divine artifacts of the universe.
If Lin Ming went together with Sheng Mei, perhaps they really could establish their own independent world and become existences similar to the Asura Road Master. Unfortunately… he could not!
Lin Ming didn’t know what feeling percolated in his heart. After a period of silence, his thoughts stirred. In this profoundly chilling land, Lin Ming could see hideously twisted words carved deep into the ground.
It seemed that when Empyrean Primordius became a demon but was still able to preserve his mind, he had carved these words with his claws.
It was the language of the Divine Realm. In these years, Lin Ming had already become accustomed to using the languages of the saints and spiritas, and now seeing the language of his home, he felt a certain closeness to it. But, the contents of the words carved into the ground were shocking, leaving Lin Ming speechless.
Just several words – ‘I, even if I become a demon, I will not regret!’
These words contained a tragedy and sorrow that was difficult to describe. Lin Ming fell silent for a long time.
Become a demon?
Lin Ming recalled the first time he had stepped into the Road of Emperor and saw the words Empyrean Primordius had left behind – “The masterless rivers of stars in the endless cosmos, I shall rewrite the infinite history!”
In the past, just how daring and high-spirited were these words? But now, there was only sadness…
And besides these words, there were also other characters.
Moreover, there were many of them. They connected together in rows, also carved by claws. The strokes twisted like worms without any sense of beauty, but the rugged and fierce way in which they were carved left the soul shaking.
‘Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill all enemies! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate forever!’
‘I have become a demon, and I fear death no more. But once I die in this strange land, will my ashes return to my homeland?’
‘Time to time clarity returns to me, time to time I am lost in chaos. I know that one day I will devolve into a base beast. On that day, do not kill me, and do not seal me away forever. Wait until the great army of the saints arrives and let my demon body enter the camp of the saints, drinking thirstily of their blood, devouring my fill of their flesh! Let me die heroically in battle!’
‘I have made a vow. I will suffer the most bitter and excruciating pains in the world, all for a single chance to slaughter the saints and have them perish!’
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‘Xuanqing, if there truly is life after death, I hope that I will be able to walk beside you again, hand-in-hand, building our world of Samsara, living a hundred million years without regret!’
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The writing became increasingly distorted, until finally it was difficult to recognize.
Sometimes thick demonic energy was emitted from the words, shocking the heart!
Sometimes they were pitiful and pained, as if recalling the nostalgia and guilt that Primordius felt towards Xuanqing. Seeing these words, the heart quaked and the eyes became wet…
Lin Ming stood there for a long time, seeming to relive the scene from tens of thousands of years ago when Empyrean Primordius was locked away in this dark world with dragon-trapping cables, left to struggle with this pain by himself.
After seizing the body of an abyssal, he would have to resist the soul-rending pain and terror of being invaded by the abyssal’s spirit mark. Such a pain was unfathomable!
And originally, Empyrean Primordius had possessed a magnificent future as well as the Grandmist Spirit Bead. He should have been able to create his own history, but because of the saints he had lost everything and even his lover died for him.
Beside Lin Ming, the old God Sovereign quietly said, “Not many of our god race know that Primordius seized the body of an abyssal and is locked away here. I still remember the past, when Primordius was about to fall into depravity. During those brief moments of clarity he still cultivated the body transformation Laws and the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace, all in order to temper his demon body and prepare for the final war with the saints…
“At that time, the pain he withstood to his soul cannot be imagined. And he was well aware that there would come a day when he wouldn’t be able to persist. I once asked him whether or not he would like me to end his life for him.
“Primordius said that he had already expected this result when he seized the body of an abyssal. But, he wasn’t willing to die like this, because even if he fell into madness and lost the last traces of his sanity, becoming nothing more than a mindless beast, he still desired to one day break into the camp of the saints and perish together with the saint powerhouses…
“Many years have passed, and I often come to see him. He has already fallen into madness for a long time and lost all memories he once had. Now, the saints have arrived and started to kill my people and annex our lands. But I still cannot be cruel enough to unleash Primordius into battle. I know that once he breaks into the ranks of the saints, he will surely die in battle, just as he wrote. But no one would be able to recover his bones and his corpse would remain forever unable to return home…”
The old God Sovereign’s faint words were filled with inexhaustible grief. In a sense, Primordius was his son-in-law. Towards Primordius, he likely felt the same love as a father felt for their son…
The old God Sovereign let out a long breath and looked at Lin Ming. “Child, I can feel the same aura as Primordius emanating from your body. In addition with the Chain of Calamity you took out, I expect that you have gone to the place where Primordius fought and Xuanqing died in battle, even obtaining their inheritance?”
What the old God Sovereign felt within Lin Ming was the grandmist energy. This was the only reason he brought Lin Ming to this place where Primordius was caged, and allowed him to see Primordius.
Lin Ming quietly nodded…