Sensing the residual Dao rhyme.
"Buzz."
This Dao rhyme was of the dark attribute.
Extremely potent.
Even just residual Dao rhyme left Chen Fan profoundly shocked.
The level of dark Dao rhyme was significantly higher than Yin-Yang.
A brief moment of sensing it made him feel as if he were deep within a world of darkness.
Vaguely, as if grand scriptures were being transmitted.
It was as if a peerless powerhouse were preaching, their voice echoing through ancient timelines, reaching his ears.
"What is darkness? Loneliness, mystery, nightmares, silence... When we shed all our outer shells, what remains is eternal night..."
The ancient preaching voice made Chen Fan's heart tremble with every word.
This was the most primordial sound of the Great Dao.
Chen Fan listened with utter fascination.
Although the Dao rhyme was broken, and the preaching voice intermittent, Chen Fan was still captivated.
Unknowingly, time flowed on.
...
The Realm of Life and Death.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
"Has the City Lord not emerged from seclusion yet?"
Old Demon Chu entered through the realm gate, his body covered in wounds, dragging behind him the colossal corpse of a chaotic beast.
"No."
Tian Zai approached, his face devoid of any trace of worry.
Old Demon Chu casually shattered the fifth-tier chaotic beast, integrating it into the world.
He then remarked, "The City Lord's aura is still within Sword City, yet I cannot find him. Yin-Yang is far more mysterious than Life and Death."
Old Demon Chu sighed.
Tian Zai said calmly, "Life and Death is no weaker than Yin-Yang, haven't you seen the City Lord use it..."
Old Demon Chu: "..."
He cast a malicious glance at Tian Zai... Who were you implying?
Just say I'm incompetent, wouldn't that be simpler?
But despite his anger, he couldn't refute.
After all, what he said was the truth.
This was something Old Demon Chu himself acknowledged.
When the Dao of Life and Death was in the City Lord's hands, it was incredibly powerful, with life and death cycles, the intermingling of life and death... But in his own hands, while powerful, it still lacked a certain essence.
How to put it, as if his comprehension was insufficient, his usage not refined enough.
"Forget it."
Old Demon Chu waved his hand and said, "Be careful recently. It seems an old friend is nearby."
"Old friend?"
"Do you remember the Dark Realm?"
"Of course, I remember."
How could he forget?
Their first battle in the Immortal Realm back then, they faced the Realm of Life and Death and the Great Yu Realm.
After their defeat, there had been no news since.
Old Demon Chu said, "From that chaotic beast I just hunted, I gathered information about the Dark Realm. It's nearby. Be cautious, and if you encounter them, transmit a message immediately."
"Understood."
Upon hearing this, Tian Zai's expression also became more solemn.
The Dark Realm was a sixth-tier great world.
Back on the Immortal Realm battlefield, had it not been for Senior Wuji's alliances, the Immortal Realm would have long ceased to exist.
Of course, they didn't know if the Immortal Realm still existed.
In any case, they just needed to remember that they had enmity with the Dark Realm.
"I'm leaving."
Old Demon Chu waved his hand and departed.
As for his injuries, they were minor.
For a battle-hungry individual, injuries were the most glorious badges.
Didn't Ba Wang and Kuang Di have countless scars they refused to remove? It was purely for face.
At their level, minor external scars could be erased with ease.
They kept them for pride.
Watching Old Demon Chu leave, Tian Zai sat cross-legged at the realm gate.
He would guard the gate and cultivate, absorbing chaotic energy.
...
Within the chaos.
An exceedingly dark great world drifted continuously.
Old Demon Chu was correct; the Dark Realm was indeed not far from them.
Currently, within the Dark Realm, joy permeated everywhere.
"Tsk tsk, a fifth-tier great world. What good luck," a subordinate's voice of admiration reached the ears of the meditating Dark Emperor.
He opened his eyes and shook his head slightly.
A sixth-tier great world rejoiced upon destroying a fifth-tier great world.
"Alas..."
A sigh escaped his heart, and the Dark Emperor didn't quite know how to express his current feelings.
His mind involuntarily drifted to a scene from two years ago.
What a pity... Not only had they failed to conquer the Immortal Realm then, but they had also suffered considerable losses.
They hadn't recovered even after two years.
However, the thought of that masterless world ignited a fire in his heart.
That world was a Myriad Dao World.
In the chaos, Myriad Dao Worlds were exceedingly rare.
Most were dominated by a single Dao, with others as branches.
Like the Dark Realm, darkness was primary... though others cultivated different Daos, they were all somewhat related to the dark attribute.
Myriad Dao Worlds, however, possessed infinite possibilities.
This was true even for eighth-tier great worlds like the Sword Domain and Shenxiao Domain.
Having fewer Daos led to limitations.
Thus, over the years, the Sword Domain and the other three domains had been absorbing all sorts of powerful individuals.
All in an effort to strengthen their respective Daos.
Unfortunately, compensating through acquired means ultimately lacked the initiative.
"Those fellows should be entering the chaos by now?"
The Dark Emperor mused, "If only we could encounter the Immortal Realm again."
The Four Directions Domain was vast; missing it once meant not encountering it for tens of thousands of years.
There was no helping it.
As the Dark Emperor was lost in thought... an aura was rapidly approaching.
"An You?"
He sensed the identity of the approaching person: "What is he here for?"
"Realm Lord."
An You approached swiftly, a hint of joy on his face: "I've found an acquaintance."
"Acquaintance?"
The Dark Emperor was taken aback: "What acquaintance?"
In the chaos, there were still acquaintances?
If there were acquaintances, they were enemies; friends... did not exist.
An You quickly stated, "The Immortal Realm that the Realm Lord received?"
"Mhm."
The Dark Emperor thought, I was just thinking about the Immortal Realm: "What about it?"
An You said urgently, "During our great battle in the Immortal Realm, on the battlefield of the Great Yu Realm, there was a cultivator of demonic arts. Does the Realm Lord recall?"
A demonic cultivator?
The Dark Emperor pondered, then nodded: "I have an impression."
He then seemed to guess something: "You encountered that demonic cultivator?"
"That's right."
An You's face betrayed his excitement: "Not long ago, I saw him in the chaos, but he didn't discover me. An Xi is currently tracking him, and I came back to report to you."
Swish.
The Dark Emperor quickly rose, his emotions surging.
That person was from the Immortal Realm; capturing him might lead them to the Immortal Realm's whereabouts: "Quick, immediately pilot the world and pursue them."
"Yes."
An You dared not delay.
At the Realm Lord's command, he immediately activated the world and rushed towards An Xi's location.
Rumble.
The Dark Realm began to accelerate.
...
"I'm being watched."
In the chaos, Old Demon Chu met with Zhao Kai.
Although they all acted individually when they ventured out, they could still contact each other.
Furthermore, they wouldn't stray too far from the Realm of Life and Death, lest a crisis occur and the City Lord be unable to rescue them in time.
The closest to Old Demon Chu was Zhao Kai.
He had transmitted the message, and only then did the two meet.
"What's going on?"
Zhao Kai's face darkened: "Do you know who it is?"
"It might be the Dark Realm."
Old Demon Chu speculated: "A few days ago, while hunting a chaotic beast, I learned from it that the Dark Realm was nearby, which is why I suspect the Dark Realm is tailing me."