I Was the Heavenly Emperor in the Primordial Age

Chapter 25: Entrance to the Yellow Springs

Behind the Longevity Temple.

Zhou Shentong’s expression looked terrible, not only because of Li Jun’s appearance, but also for some other reason.

“Cough, cough, cough, cough!”

He began to cough violently, yet the sound did not travel across. Only after he calmed down did he speak again, and this time his voice passed through some strange channel directly to Li Jun’s side.

“You know what it is. You should leave.”

Zhou Shentong seemed very proud of being able to borrow the power of Shentu and Yulei. He was an arrogant and fanatical man who always sought to present himself before others with the bearing of an immortal deity.

In his view, his Shentu and Yulei should be the most powerful Peach Demons. Since Li Jun had recognized them, he should tactfully leave—rather than shamelessly refuse to.

Yet Li Jun did not seem to yield to this. Instead, he looked toward the ancient relic’s Stone Gate within Mount Zhangwei, and he also spoke. His voice was transmitted to the Longevity Temple through the peach tree.

Their conversation was less like people talking and more like peach trees conversing with one another.

“What is behind that gate?”

Zhou Shentong finally grew angry: “That is not something you should touch. My patience with you has its limits.”

Li Jun still asked: “Is it related to the Candle Dragon?”

Zhou Shentong could no longer hold back. In his eyes, Li Jun still seemed to be that very same Li Jun lying on the sickbed, the Double Pupils bearer he himself had created.

Yet he could never tolerate someone snatching things from his hands—especially after he had “released” the Candle Dragon. Zhou Shentong’s mindset had shifted even further.

Zhou Shentong raised his horsetail whisk and pointed toward Li Jun’s position.

“Li Jun!”

“Die!”

The peach trees on both sides of the Longevity Temple swayed, and two Great Ghosts rose up at the same time.

This time, Li Jun saw their appearances more clearly, and so did everyone else.

The two Great Ghosts were unnaturally tall, their entire bodies painted with shamanic markings, signifying that they had once been Shamans themselves.

Just a single glance from them could render one immobile. Once they knew your name, your death was inevitable.

Everyone who looked upon the Great Ghosts instinctively felt an extreme terror. Especially at the moment when they called a name, it was as if some indescribable horror from deep within the soul surged forth, making one tremble all over.

These were the most ancient of Ghost Gods, primordial deities who commanded ten thousand ghosts. If two such mythical beings from antiquity fixed their eyes upon you and willed your death, how could anyone not be afraid?

At this moment, the two Great Ghosts not only glared fiercely at Li Jun, but also simultaneously uttered his name, throwing out the reed ropes in their hands.

The reed ropes shone with golden light, leaping across the void and ignoring distance as they fell directly toward Li Jun. Looking up, it seemed as if two giants had cast down chains from the heavens, capturing the sinners of the human world. That power was even more terrifying than the Black and White Impermanence of the underworld.

“Li Jun… Li Jun…”

“Die!”

Yet when the golden reed ropes fell, the peach tree behind Li Jun swayed once and directly tore the ropes apart.

Not only that, but the force rebounded, violently knocking the Great Ghosts upon the peach trees of the Longevity Temple head over heels, nearly causing them to fall down from the branches.

The power of Shentu and Yulei could not touch Li Jun in the slightest. He sat cross-legged beneath the tree, as though impervious to all laws.

Zhou Shentong grew flustered, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood. Medical staff appeared at his side.

But Zhou Shentong waved them all away. He stared dead at Li Jun on the other side, shouting in question.

“Why is your Peach Demon so strong?”

“Who is he?”

“Which figure of the ancient age is he?”

Zhou Shentong could not comprehend it. What Peach Demon could be stronger than Shentu and Yulei? And not just one, but two together.

At this moment, he truly felt Li Jun’s threat. Zhou Shentong now genuinely birthed a killing intent.

Regardless of his own worsening condition, he took out a candle, pointing it toward Li Jun, clearly preparing to perform something.

“Summon…”

But just as Zhou Shentong’s killing intent surged, Li Jun lifted his head, as though he had long awaited this moment.

“Got you.”

He had always been waiting for Zhou Shentong to strike at him. As long as Zhou Shentong truly unleashed a killing move, Li Jun would be able to find his flaw.

The greater his actions, the more ferocious his trump cards, the larger the flaws he exposed. The more chances Li Jun had to strike.

“Chirp!”

Beneath the tree, Li Jun’s Double Pupils shone open. The Blue Bird was nowhere to be seen, yet he faintly glimpsed it circling about him, landing at his feet.

Then, Li Jun made his move.

Faster than Zhou Shentong.

The peach tree behind Li Jun vanished instantly. Threads of golden light pierced through the void, forming a “golden bridge” stretching toward the Longevity Temple.

Before Zhou Shentong could even lock onto Li Jun, Li Jun had already locked onto him, preparing to bring the battlefield into the Longevity Temple itself.

Zhou Shentong was truly shocked. In haste, he dropped the candle and summoned Shentu and Yulei once again.

The two raised their arms high, propping up Li Jun’s “golden bridge.” Yet Li Jun did not stop. More and more golden threads pierced through the void and mist, finally forming an immense Divine Peach Tree pressing down upon the Longevity Temple.

Li Jun was ready to risk everything, crushing the Longevity Temple from above. Now that he had finally seized Zhou Shentong’s position, he would not let it slip away.

Although their clash lasted only a few exchanges, those present already felt utterly overwhelmed. Watching their strikes induced a dizzying vertigo, as though heaven and earth spun with them.

“What are they doing?”

“What is that tree? What are they doing up in the sky?”

“Light, light everywhere—it’s all rushing over there.”

“That ghost is enormous.”

Now, everyone finally understood what it meant when immortals fought.

There was no hand-to-hand combat. They only felt that with a wave of their hands, it seemed the whole world would spin with them. They could not comprehend at all what these two were fighting with.

Everything around them was dyed in light. Shadows swayed and flickered. It was like ants unable to comprehend the bullets and explosions of human warfare.

The power Li Jun displayed had far exceeded Zhou Shentong’s expectations. Looking at the Divine Peach Tree phantom above, Zhou Shentong shouted aloud.

“Impossible.”

“How did you do this?”

“How could you possibly do this?”

“How did you know I was here? When did you discover my position?”

Even Zhou Shentong could not understand. He knew nothing of Li Jun’s Blue Bird divine ability, yet instead of fear, his anger only deepened.

“Come, come, come!”

“Then let us fight face to face. You and I shall end this once and for all.”

“Old debts and new, we’ll settle them together. I am the Master of the Longevity Temple—do you think I would fear you?”

Clearly, Zhou Shentong still held other trump cards, but Li Jun was unafraid of how many he might have.

As long as the fight continued, this would no longer be just about heavily wounding Zhou Shentong. Li Jun would seize the chance through repeated attempts to completely eliminate and capture him.

The Divine Peach Tree above the Longevity Temple was almost fully formed, nearly crushing even Shentu and Yulei. The phantom of the Divine Peach Tree at its original site had already mostly dissolved into golden threads and disappeared, and even Li Jun himself might be carried across to the Longevity Temple.

Zhou Shentong had even thrown away his horsetail whisk, both hands forming seals as he clasped the candle, clearly preparing something great.

At the very moment Li Jun and Zhou Shentong were about to clash again for victory, Li Jun—though occupying the advantage—suddenly stopped.

“Hm?”

Li Jun halted his movements, turning his head back.

The tense atmosphere also froze. Everyone followed Li Jun’s gaze, looking in the same direction.

“What is it?”

Even Zhou Shentong paused, suspiciously staring at Li Jun on the other side.

“What trick is he pulling?”

At that instant, Li Jun felt a crisis of death.

He had not used the Blue Bird’s divine ability, but the Blue Bird had taken the initiative to warn him. He glimpsed terrifying visions.

The danger did not come from Zhou Shentong, but from the depths of that pitch-black, eerie mountain range—from that colossal ancient Stone Gate.

He saw some images—in the moment he heavily injured Zhou Shentong, the others he was protecting would all perish in another disaster.

And he himself would be dragged into the darkness by a terrifying power, his life or death unknown.

Li Jun raised his head, staring at the slit of light in the sky, looking like both an aurora and an eye.

“Candle Dragon!”

In the eyes of the others, dots of light appeared within the distant darkness. These dots connected into a line.

Soon, that line began moving along the ridges, little by little drawing closer to where they were.

To be precise, it was heading toward the Stone Gate they were excavating.

“What’s coming?”

“Looks like torches?”

“Not quite.”

At the valley construction site, those from the Longevity Temple and the hired laborers muttered among themselves, still not understanding.

But on Lu Gang’s side, Zhao Nange suddenly realized and spoke to the others.

“No—it’s candles.”

Zhou Shentong immediately understood something as well and spoke.

“It’s those candle-bearers who disappeared earlier.” Dıscover more novels at novel✦fire.net

Those shadows had circled away to who-knows-where, but now they had returned.

As they drew closer, Lu Gang realized they were exactly the figures who had entered earlier in a line holding burning candles. Only now they were no longer shadows, but entities with real substance, appearing as if made of flesh and blood.

At this moment, they surged forward toward the ancient Stone Gate, and as they approached, the gate also began to stir.

“Buzz, buzz!”

The Stone Gate trembled, and the earth began to shake.

Not only that—the aurora-like eye at the end of the heavens also began to slowly shut. Absolute darkness was about to descend upon this strange black mountain range.

At this moment, Zhou Shentong understood, laughing loudly as he spoke.

“I understand, I understand.”

“This is Mount Zhangwei.”

“I obtained Shentu and Yulei—so that is the Yellow Springs Ghost Gate.”

“Hahahaha, I understand now.”

Immediately, Zhou Shentong withdrew all his power, even driving the Longevity Temple to retreat from Mount Zhangwei.

At the same time, he spoke to Li Jun.

“No matter whose power you’ve borrowed, it cannot compare to the true power of the Candle Dragon—let alone the countless remnants left here by the ancient gods, demons, immortals, and buddhas. Their power is not something you or I—mere borrowers of strength—can compare to.”

“All things of the ancient age will return. Now the peach tree has appeared, Mount Zhangwei has appeared, the Yellow Springs Gate has appeared.”

“Next, more mythical existences will emerge one by one. Do you think you can stop them?”

Li Jun looked at the closing “eye” above, and at the bottomless black mountains underfoot. At last, from Zhou Shentong’s words, he confirmed this place’s name.

“Mount Zhangwei.”

Beyond the northwest sea, north of the Red Waters, lies Mount Zhangwei.

There dwells a god, with a human face and serpent’s body, stretching a thousand miles long, with eyes straight and upright. When it closes its eyes, it is night; when it opens them, it is day. It does not eat, nor sleep, nor rest; wind and rain follow its bidding. This is called the Candle Dragon.

At this moment, the others in the valley were completely drawn to the disturbance of the Stone Gate. All felt something terribly wrong and frantically tried to flee from it.

As the earth quaked, the Stone Gate cracked open. By this time, the candle-bearing figures had reached the gate.

A mighty suction poured out. The figures twisted under its force and were all pulled inside.

This scene terrified those within the valley. They tried harder to escape, but it was already too late.

The suction swept through the valley, drawing everyone in.

“Ah!”

“Help me, help me!”

“Immortal Master, save me!”

People were scared to the point of losing control of bladder and bowels. Some cried out for Zhou Shentong, but their Immortal Master had already fled.

At this time, Li Jun noticed the “eye” above was about to fully close. When that happened, for those who did not belong here, true calamity would descend.

Li Jun raised his hand, sweeping Lu Gang and the others away with him.

“Go!”

In the face of the Candle Dragon’s power, both Li Jun and Zhou Shentong had to avoid its edge.

Yet after leaving, Li Jun fixed his eyes on the Stone Gate—especially upon that figure worshiped by tens of thousands of ancient forebears.

He felt some familiarity. Unlike with the Candle Dragon, whose information eluded his mind, this figure seemed like someone he had seen before.

But no matter how he thought, he could not recall who it was. It seemed it could be anyone, yet he was not sure.

At last, golden light pierced the void. The Divine Peach Tree and Li Jun beneath it vanished together.

Above, the great eyes finally shut. All was swallowed in utter darkness.

Longevity Temple.

Zhou Shentong finally dismissed the summoned Shentu and Yulei. Yet inviting gods was easy—sending them away was difficult. As they departed, each reached out and took something from Zhou Shentong’s body.

At once, Zhou Shentong collapsed to the ground. A crowd of medical staff rushed in to administer emergency aid.

It was as though they had long known this would happen, already prepared, pushing him into an operating room on the side of the temple.

“Quick, hurry.”

“This time the liver was taken.”

“And the kidneys.”

“Part of the intestines too.”

At a glance, Zhou Shentong’s belly looked hollow, yet somehow he was still alive.

Shentu and Yulei would randomly take parts of him. Once everything that must be taken was taken, his death would come—and perhaps an end even worse than death.

Soon, the transplant surgery began. Zhou Shentong’s vitality was monstrously strong, and gradually he regained some vigor.

That very day, he was already out of bed.

But some things could be replaced—others could not.

He knew that besides organs, Shentu and Yulei must have taken other things from him as well.

Yet what concerned Zhou Shentong now was not this. The moment he left the operation, he headed straight for the Longevity Temple’s Taoist Canon.

He pored through the texts, seeking secrets of the ancient age. But the earliest recorded there were only three to four thousand years ago; beyond that, everything was speculation and uncertainty.

This time, however, Zhou Shentong had a target. After searching, he finally found a book.

Opening it, reading it, he grew ecstatic.

“As expected—it’s the Yellow Springs Ghost Gate.”

“Immortality, true immortality. Reincarnation itself was but an experiment of the ancient gods and demons in pursuit of eternal life.”

“Behind that gate must be the oldest and most wondrous method of immortality. If I find it—if I find it—I can solve everything.”

Zhou Shentong’s eyes were filled with madness, as though he had sunk deeper into demonic obsession.