The Dark Realm.
Zhao Kai's heart sank.
The Dark Realm was not weak. Their victory in the war against the Immortal Realm back then was purely by chance.
If Emperor Yu had not made a mistake and exploded his Great Dao, the trouble would have been immense.
Compared to the Great Yu Realm, the Dark Realm was far stronger.
In that battle, the peak forces of the entire Immortal Realm had almost all leaned towards the Dark Realm.
The most crucial factor was Wuji.
Wuji was truly too strong, as if no one could ever see his limit.
"Hoo."
Zhao Kai exhaled, expelling the oppression from his heart, and said, "Then what should we do? Run? Or what?"
"No."
Old Demon Chu shook his head, licking his lips. "I want to clash with the Dark Realm."
"..." Zhao Kai.
This idea was somewhat insane.
He pondered, "Now that the City Lord is in seclusion, we probably can't."
"No, I intend to make a move against the Dark Realm precisely when the Realm Lord is in seclusion."
"Why?" Zhao Kai was confused.
The City Lord was the strongest pillar of support for the Realm of Life and Death.
Without the Realm Lord, Zhao Kai felt insecure.
Old Demon Chu, however, shook his head. "Are we to live under the City Lord's protection forever?
If a great battle were to erupt one day and the City Lord couldn't spare the time to rescue us, would we just wait for death?"
"But..."
"There are no 'buts'."
Old Demon Chu said decisively, "Under the City Lord's protection, we can never grow. This time, we must court death to find life, to gamble."
"..."
Zhao Kai was still undecided.
He hesitated, "How about asking for the opinions of others?"
"Agreed."
Zhao Kai began sending messages.
Apart from Zhao Kai, no one else came.
However, the answers he received made Zhao Kai's expression grave. "Basically, everyone agreed."
When he said "basically," he meant everyone except himself.
Even Xi Qiu had agreed.
"Then I'll go back for a bit."
Zhao Kai said, "Since everyone agrees, let's do this. But I need to go back and inform the others. For this battle, we must go all out to have a chance of winning."
"Good."
Zhao Kai turned and left.
As for Old Demon Chu, he continued to wander in the chaos.
He had to maintain appearances.
He wasn't afraid of that person following Zhao Kai. What if he did?
Since they had decided to fight, all worries must be cast aside.
...
"Darkness, everywhere... originating from the same source as light, not inherently hostile..." Chen Fan was still comprehending the Way.
He was entranced.
Suddenly, the discourse on the Way stopped.
This pause was rather abrupt, making Chen Fan feel as if he had hit a snag.
"My name is Dark Lord, an eighth-tier Great Emperor..."
A sudden voice echoed in Chen Fan's mind. "This is a trace of Dao charm left behind from my past teachings. I shall bestow it upon you, young friend. If fate allows, we shall meet again. Today, let us leave behind a good karmic connection."
The voice vanished. Chen Fan, who had been immersed in the Dao charm, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Swish."
In his pupils, yin and yang flowed.
But deep within his eyes, a hint of dark energy flashed and disappeared.
Chen Fan had gained some insight into the Way of Darkness.
"Dark Lord, an eighth-tier Great Emperor." Chen Fan was shocked.
Although he had already guessed that the other party's identity must be extraordinary,
an eighth-tier Great Emperor still astonished him.
He had expected at most a seventh-tier, but it turned out to be an eighth-tier Great Emperor.
"Hoo."
He took a deep breath.
Looking at the Dao charm that had completely dissipated before him, he bowed with clasped fists. "Thank you, senior."
The other party was still alive.
An eighth-tier Great Emperor had left a fortuitous encounter for him across time and space.
Regardless of anything else, his actions today had created a good karmic connection.
"That's not right..."
Soon, Chen Fan realized. "This is the internal space of the Gravity Pearl. Ordinary people cannot enter."
Unless...
Unless the other party was showing respect for the Gravity Pearl.
The Gravity Pearl represented Emperor Bai Chi, the one who forced a ninth-tier Realm Lord to retreat.
So... the other party had done this out of respect for the Gravity Pearl.
"Understood."
Once he understood, Chen Fan stopped overthinking.
This matter would be put aside for now.
The future would take care of itself.
"Time to leave."
Time flowed like water during cultivation. Only by stepping out would he know how long his enlightenment had lasted.
He took out the Gravity Pearl and injected a bit of energy. The spatial world automatically opened.
Thud.
Taking a step out, familiar energy washed over him.
The aura of the Way of Life and Death was so intimate.
This was his power originally, how could it not be intimate?
"City Lord?"
Tian Zai, who was guarding the realm gate, instantly opened his eyes.
He had always left a trace of his consciousness in Sword City. The moment the City Lord appeared, he had sensed it.
Falling from the sky into Sword City, he exclaimed excitedly, "You're finally awake."
"What happened?"
Chen Fan asked doubtfully, "Didn't I just cultivate for a while?"
Tian Zai was speechless. "City Lord, do you know how long you've been cultivating this time?"
"A long time?"
"Half a year."
"So long?"
Chen Fan was surprised. "Has anything happened in the past half year?"
Tian Zai gave a wry smile. "Not only has something happened, but a very significant event has occurred."
"What event?"
"The Realm of Life and Death has clashed with the Dark Realm."
"The Dark Realm?"
Chen Fan was shocked. "How did we run into the Dark Realm? And... how are the battles going?"
"Not good."
A hint of sorrow appeared in Tian Zai's eyes. "We've had three battles. The first two were just minor skirmishes. Just the day before yesterday, Dark Emperor made a move and nearly killed Old Demon Chu. If not for the desperate rescue by Mad Emperor and Immortal Emperor, Old Demon Chu would have surely met his end.
There were no major losses among the Heavenly Emperor realm, but six Emperor Lords have fallen."
"What?"
Chen Fan was furious. "Six people?"
These people from the Realm of Life and Death had followed him until now, and not a single one had been lost.
Yet, in a clash with the Dark Realm, six people had been lost.
"Where are they?"
"I'll take you there..."
"Let's go."
At this moment, there could be no hesitation.
The Realm of Life and Death could not afford any more losses.
...
In the chaos at this moment.
The fourth battle between the Dark Realm and the Realm of Life and Death had already erupted.
"Samsara Grinding Mill."
Zhao Kai and Xi Qiu joined forces, battling a fifth-tier Heavenly Emperor from the Dark Realm.
With the support of their respective realms' Dao universes, the battle was fierce.
The battle was not limited to this one spot; everyone was fighting, engaged in combat.
In the field, the only one not fighting was Dark Emperor.
"Heh heh."
Dark Emperor's face held a hint of a smile. "I never expected it. That little fellow was actually killed by you guys, tsk tsk... interesting."
His guess was the same as King Liu's.
The Way of Life and Death belonged to Chen Fan.
Now, it was manifested in Old Demon Chu and two others. The conclusion... was self-evident.
"Heh heh."
Old Demon Chu's opponent was also a fifth-tier Heavenly Emperor.
Alas... Old Demon Chu's injuries were too severe. He had been sneak-attacked by Dark Emperor earlier, making him no match for the fifth-tier Heavenly Emperor of the Dark Realm.
"Today, I shall slay you."
His opponent's aura was soaring. This person was An You, who had previously delivered the message and discovered Old Demon Chu. "Darkness Without Dawn."
A domain of the Dark Dao enveloped Old Demon Chu, trapping him.
Killing intent permeated the air, and a dark spear pierced through heaven and earth.
Puff.
The spear pierced Old Demon Chu's body. "Kill."