After finishing his internal complaints, Chen Xu suddenly realized that he was still surrounded by the various Dao Lords.
It seemed they were still quite dazed after being tossed out by the Saint.
However, not all of the Dao Lords had stayed behind to wait for Chen Xu.
Almost all the Dao Lords of the Yokai Dao had left, leaving only a single Black Tortoise.
Of the Dao Lords of the Immortal Dao, only Hunyuan Dao Lord and Taihao Dao Lord remained.
The Martial Dao Lords, however, were quite loyal; every single one of them had stayed. Aside from Li Taiji and the Extreme Martial Dao Lord, whom Chen Xu was familiar with, the other Martial Dao Lords had surprisingly remained as well.
As for the Great Sage, Chen Xu could not sense even a trace of his aura.
The moment they noticed Chen Xu's return, they crowded around him.
“Fellow Daoist Chen, are you alright? That existence didn't do anything to you after keeping you behind, did he?”
“Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Li. The Saint didn't do anything to me; he simply settled my payment.
Besides, with the Saint's capabilities, if he truly wanted to do something to me, he wouldn't have needed to send you all out first. Even if he had kept you there, there wouldn't have been anything you could do about it.”
“Haha, that is true. We were just overly anxious.”
“By the way, Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Hunyuan, where is the Great Sage?”
“Heh, he fled long ago, along with that dragon and the blood-crimson Qilin from the Yokai Realm.”
“The Dragon Emperor and the blood-crimson Qilin? How did they get connected?”
Li Taiji shook his head and turned his gaze toward Hunyuan Dao Lord.
Hunyuan Dao Lord froze for a moment, not quite understanding what Li Taiji meant.
He was a Dao Lord of the Immortal Dao, not the Yokai Dao.
True, the Immortal Dao was the rival of the Yokai Dao, but even as rivals, they didn't need to pry into every single detail. They had to leave their enemies some privacy.
Hunyuan Dao Lord also shook his head and offered a guess.
“Perhaps it has something to do with the Calamity of the Beasts that the Great Sage mentioned earlier. But as for the specifics, I am not entirely sure.
The Yokai Realm is actually not that united internally. It is only because of their friction with our Immortal Dao in recent years that they have banded together.”
Just then, the Black Tortoise, who had not yet departed, shuffled over and spoke up.
“I know some of the inside story, Old Daoist Hunyuan, and Your Excellency Chen Xu. If you wish to know, I can tell you, but you must do me a favor in return.”
Hearing this, Chen Xu's brow furrowed slightly, seemingly displeased.
Fortunately, the Black Tortoise was highly perceptive and quickly added:
“It is nothing troublesome. I only wish to ask you two for a place of sanctuary where my Tortoise Clan can survive.”
“Ah?”
This request completely baffled Hunyuan Dao Lord.
“Fellow Daoist Black Tortoise, have you been frightened out of your mind by the aura of that Saint? Why are you speaking such nonsense?
As a grand Dao Lord of the Yokai Realm, can you not even protect your own clan?
Wait, unless...”
Hunyuan Dao Lord seemed to recall something. His eyes widened, and his right hand stroked his beard.
“Alas, yes. The Calamity of the Beasts back then was inextricably linked to my Tortoise Clan. Once we return and the Great Sage exposes the truth, there will be no place left for my clan in the vast Yokai Realm.”
It was that serious? Chen Xu was instantly intrigued.
Gossip was always great, and gossip about top-tier powerhouses was the absolute best.
However, Hunyuan Dao Lord could not make this decision on his own, so he looked at Chen Xu, seeking his opinion.
Chen Xu was very decisive. The split second he was teleported back, he used the fastest hand speed of his life to throw that half-step anchoring object—the Mother of Hell Armor—into the Undead Dao Court.
With this item, Chen Xu's personal strength would surely soar straight to the very peak of the myriad worlds.
Even if the Land of the Undead was gone, he feared no one, including the Great Sage.
Thus, Chen Xu shrugged and said casually,
“I have no objection, as long as your tortoise clan can tolerate the undead environment.”
This seemingly casual and plain sentence caused the many Dao Lords present to repeatedly ponder its weight in their hearts.
This was because Chen Xu appeared far too confident now. If Chen Xu's attitude before the final battle was to do his best and leave the rest to fate, his current state was “I am fate itself.”
Although the Dao Lords did not understand what had caused this shift in his state, they each had their own guesses.
Nine times out of ten, it was because of that Saint of the Existence Rank.
“Since Fellow Daoist Chen is willing to offer shelter, how can I, Hunyuan, not lend a hand to an old friend?
However, Brother Black Tortoise, I may not be able to provide you with territory. But if trouble comes looking for you or your clan, I can step in to help.”
Hunyuan Dao Lord also agreed to help. However, he was not alone; there were other Dao Lords in the Immortal Realm, and he had to consider their feelings.
“My deepest thanks to you both.”
The Black Tortoise lowered its head, giving a respectful bow to Hunyuan Dao Lord and Chen Xu in turn.
Only then did it begin to recount this secret of the Yokai Clan.
Long ago, the Yokai Realm was ruled by the true dragons and the Qilins. These two great clans each possessed two Dao Ancestors, completely suppressing all other races in the Yokai Realm.
The true dragons ruled the oceans, while the Qilins ruled the lands. They shared the skies and dominated the Yokai Realm together.
The two high clans pressured the other races of the Yokai Realm so heavily they could barely breathe, including the Tortoise Clan to which the Black Tortoise belonged.
As everyone knew, tortoise chancellors were a standard fixture of dragon palaces. With many true dragons, there were many dragon palaces, and with many dragon palaces came a surplus of tortoise chancellors.
But true dragons were by no means good-tempered creatures. If they were in a good mood, rewarding you with a splash of dragon urine was considered lucky; if they were displeased, it was not uncommon for them to turn you directly into old tortoise soup.
Only the tortoise clan, with their incredible resilience, could swallow their pride and endure for so many years.
But then came the Black Tortoise, a genius among tortoises. It refused to remain beneath the dragon clan, unwilling to let its talent go to waste and spend its entire life serving as a mere butler to the true dragons.
Thus, this Black Tortoise began to scheme in the shadows, intending to instigate a war between the true dragons and the Qilins, leading both great yokai clans to mutual destruction.
The Black Tortoise then utilized its extraordinary comprehension, mastering a disguise technique to the point of absolute perfection.
It lured a Qilin—one with an exceptional background that reached the heavens—to the East Sea, disguised it, and sneaked it into a dragon palace party.
There was no need to explain what happened after that.
A great war erupted between the two clans. Of the countless dragon palaces of the true dragons, only four remained, one in each of the cardinal directions.
The Qilins were also driven to near extinction, with only a few bloodlines scattered across the myriad worlds to seek a sliver of hope for survival.
This was the Calamity of the Beasts.
It was quite cliché, yet bizarre enough to truly open Chen Xu's eyes. He could only say that exchanging a trivial offer of protection for such a sensational story was well worth it.
Now, he could somewhat understand that Saint of the Existence Rank; a mundane life of cultivation indeed required a strong dose of excitement to liven things up.
The party scenes described by the Black Tortoise were simply mind-boggling.
Having finished listening to the story, Chen Xu's interest waned, and he turned to Li Taiji.
“Fellow Daoist Li, what I said before still stands. Once my cultivation is complete, I will definitely visit you at the Universe Daoist Academy.”
Hearing this, Li Taiji's expression instantly turned solemn. He clasped his hands together.
“I, Li Taiji, shall await your arrival at the Universe Daoist Academy, Fellow Daoist Chen.”
Afterward, Chen Xu granted the Black Tortoise access to the Undead Network, allowing it to contact him directly through the system.
With those matters settled, Chen Xu nodded to the other Dao Lords and hastily departed.
The reason he left in such a rush was that he had suddenly remembered something.
His Land of the Undead was gone. Where was he supposed to settle the Black Tortoise's refugees? He couldn't just dump them on Blue Star and have everyone adopt a spiritual tortoise as a pet.
As things stood, he needed to establish a base first. As the grand Lord of the Undead and the victor of the final battle, he couldn't very well go without a headquarters.
Whether he directly forged a world using World Dao principles or occupied other worlds and merged them into a grand world, either option would work.
Two years after the final battle—the War of Hell's Destruction—infighting broke out in the Yokai Realm. The Black Tortoise Dao Lord led the entire Tortoise Clan to break away from the Yokai Realm, prompting the Yokai Realm to issue a death warrant, sending shockwaves through the myriad worlds.
Three years after the final battle, the Truth Library updated its rules. The legendary Great Sage made another public appearance, triggering a wave of adoration among scholars across the myriad worlds.
Five years after the final battle, the Dragon Emperor and the blood-crimson Qilin of the Yokai Realm tracked down the Black Tortoise Dao Lord, intending to exterminate his clan. However, the Lord of the Undead, Chen Xu, intervened, swatting the Dragon Emperor and the blood-crimson Qilin back into the Yokai Realm with a single Heaven-Tearing Blood Claw.
He then announced that the new Land of the Undead had been revived, welcoming all peace-loving beings from the myriad worlds to visit and experience the most authentic undead-themed world.
At the same time, the Immortal Dao, Martial Dao, Heaven, and a vast number of extraordinary civilizations jointly issued declarations, announcing their alliance with the Lord of the Undead.
Upon hearing the news, the myriad worlds were in an uproar.
Fallen leaves bring tidings... This era belongs to the undead.
Within the Undead Dao Court, Chen Xu emerged from his secluded cultivation grounds with his hair disheveled. He let out a yawn, a crimson mist swirling around his body.
Chen Xu cracked his neck and stretched his stiff body before raising his right hand. In the next instant, a token materialized in his palm.
“Hello? Hello? Fellow Daoist Li, can you hear me?”
“I can hear you, Fellow Daoist Chen.”
“Ah, I've already mastered the Corruption Dao principles. The day after tomorrow—no, wait, tomorrow. I'll head over to find you tomorrow.”
“Is... is that true?!”
“Heh, Fellow Daoist Li, when have I ever joked with you? This seclusion nearly drove me mad. If I hadn't stepped out midway to help that Old Dirty Tortoise and vent a bit, I probably wouldn't have lasted until now.
By the way, make sure you prepare whatever good food and drink you have at your Universe Daoist Academy. Your dear uncle here is going to have a massive feast!”
Rate on N.U.
