Xu Zimo’s gaze was fixed on the eastern direction, and his figure quickly headed toward the source of the disturbance.
He moved with great speed, and the skeletons along the way deliberately avoided him, stepping aside to let him pass.
Passing several large craters, Xu Zimo saw some corpses inside.
Each of these corpses exuded a powerful aura. Even after tens of thousands of years, their bodies had not shown any signs of decay.
It was hard to imagine what kind of beings they were when alive.
The weakest among them had at least reached the Grand Empyrean realm, and there were even a few Godly Monarchs among them.
Though Xu Zimo had not experienced that great battle himself, he could clearly feel its brutality and intensity.
He kept walking, passing hundreds of craters, until he finally stopped in front of an especially large one.
The crater was shrouded in black mist, making it nearly impossible to see what lay within.
Around the edge of the crater stood a dense formation of skeletons, as if guarding something of great importance inside.
When Xu Zimo arrived, the skeletons paused for a moment but then stepped aside without resistance.
The black mist in front of him opened into the shape of a doorway, as if it had been waiting for Xu Zimo all along.
Xu Zimo chuckled lightly and slowly stepped into the black mist.
As soon as he entered, the scene before him changed drastically.
The sky was shrouded in a thick, ominous energy, and even the ground beneath his feet had been corroded.
All kinds of flowers grew here, brilliant in every color imaginable.
Yet without exception, each flower gave off an intensely evil aura.
Amidst the sea of flowers was a narrow path. Following the path forward, a column of red energy soared into the sky at the end.
This red energy was the source of everything, it had corrupted both the earth and the sky.
Xu Zimo stepped onto the path, and the closer he got, the more intense the pressure and red aura became.
Ahead stood a small house made of white bones. A middle-aged man sat cross-legged in front of it.
When he sensed Xu Zimo’s arrival, the middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes.
He radiated a powerful evil aura. His long hair was neatly tied behind him.
At first glance, his face looked refined, but upon closer inspection, every movement and feature exuded sinister energy.
Dark energy radiated from the corners of his eyes. He had hawk-like eyes, a hooked nose, and thin lips.
He wore a long robe with wide sleeves and a tied waist, colored in white, black, and blue.
On his feet were long, purple-black boots that reached up to his knees.
When he saw Xu Zimo, the man also slowly stood up.
“That old man from Eternal sent you?” the middle-aged man asked with a smile.
His expression was calm, composed, he didn’t seem surprised or curious about Xu Zimo’s arrival at all.
“Who are you?” Xu Zimo asked in confusion.
Logically speaking, there shouldn’t be any living being left in this core area. The appearance of this middle-aged man was deeply unsettling.
His body was enveloped in an overwhelming evil aura, and from the bone house behind him, the red light, the source of everything, seemed to be located there.
“You came all the way here and don’t even know who I am?” the man said with a wicked smile.
The louder he laughed, the heavier the evil aura around him became, rumbling the entire sky.
“I don’t know much about the past. Why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself?” Xu Zimo said calmly.
“Looks like that old man from Eternal didn’t tell you much,” the man said with a chuckle as he sat back down.
In front of him was a bone table, with a pot of freshly brewed hot tea.
The tea was blood red, its ingredients unknown.
“My name is ancient, but I believe everyone in Eternal City will remember the name ‘Qiong Qi’ for the rest of their lives.”
“Oh, the culprit behind that great war back then,” Xu Zimo nodded as he walked forward.
The man was a bit surprised by Xu Zimo’s calm demeanor. “You’re not afraid?” he asked.
“Why would I be? We haven’t fought yet. Maybe the one who should be afraid is you,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile.
Hearing this, the man burst into laughter and poured a cup of blood-red tea. “Interesting, interesting. I’ve met many people on the Eternal Lands, but you’re one of the few I actually like.”
Xu Zimo walked to the table and sat across from him.
He picked up the cup of tea and asked casually, “Weren’t you supposed to be dead? You look pretty lively to me.”
After taking a sip, a surge of rich spiritual energy exploded within him like a tidal wave.
“Good tea,” Xu Zimo said with admiration.
He immediately felt refreshed, as if all the pores on his body had opened up. This tea could probably push a Fusion Heaven cultivator directly into the Grand Empyrean realm.
“Dead? Killed by those ants?” the man laughed and shook his head. “The difference between me and them is one of quality, not quantity. They weren’t worthy.”
“Then how did you end up like this?” Xu Zimo asked curiously.
According to the Eternal Godly Monarch, this leader should have reached the Immortal Path.
Logically, no number of Godly Monarchs on the Eternal Lands should have been able to stop him.
Upon hearing Xu Zimo’s question, the man fell silent for a moment.
His brow furrowed slightly, and he said with a cold snort, “I underestimated everything. In the end, I became someone else’s pawn.”
“You’re from the Seven Fears Cult?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Seems like you know a bit,” the man chuckled.
“No harm in telling you. Back then, when I discovered that rift, I planned to conquer the Eternal Lands and turn it into a backyard for our Seven Fears Cult, providing us with fresh blood. But I was too naive. The Eternal Lands has existed for countless years, and countless powerful beings have come from it. There were even some at the Infinite Dao Realm. How could they sit back while I invaded their homeland?”
“Looks like you were set up,” Xu Zimo laughed.
“They wanted me to lead the charge, to test everyone’s reaction. But our Seven Fears Cult doesn’t do cannon fodder. So I faked my death and possessed a corpse to hide in these ruins. How ridiculous that those ants thought they had killed me,” the man sneered.
“But deceiving their eyes and ears came at a great price. Once I cultivate here for another few thousand years, I’ll enter the Immortal Dao Bridge and leave this world.”
“Yeah, whatever, I don’t care about any of that. Anyway, since you’re their leader, Qiong Qi, you must know about the Heaven-Unity Record,” Xu Zimo asked.
“Kid, greed makes people lose their way. Looks like you’ve also fallen into old Eternal’s trap,” Qiong Qi said as he glanced at Xu Zimo.
“Who cares whose trap it is? How about we make a deal, you give me the Heaven-Unity Record, and I promise not to beat you to death,” Xu Zimo said.