Perfection: The Eastern Emperor Bell manifests, I am the Golden Crow Heavenly Emperor

Chapter 33 Invitation from the Ancient Realm
"Golden Crow Immortal King, Lu Xuan..."

The Soul Master's chilling voice emanated from the shadows, carrying a hint of inquiry.

"According to the scattered information brought back by the defeated army, the Golden Crow Immortal King is not only incomparably powerful, but also wields an ancient bell with boundless power, and was able to defeat the Blade King head-on... When did such a figure emerge in the Immortal Realm? His background must be thoroughly investigated!"

"Investigate? How do we investigate?"

The Red King growled irritably.

"The Immortal Realm is now protecting him very well, and the Golden Crow Clan has been thoroughly controlled and is now an impenetrable force! The spies we planted have been almost completely removed during the post-war purge!"

"That Golden Crow Immortal King has become a major threat."

Wu Shang concluded, his tone grave.

"His appearance has completely disrupted our plans. His potential is limitless, and if allowed to grow, he will surely become the greatest obstacle on our path to conquest!"

"And that bell!"

Kundi gasped for breath, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"The Blade King was determined to obtain it, and even fled after being seriously injured because of it. It is definitely not any supreme treasure known in the Immortal Realm, and its power... is probably even greater than our calculations."

Silence fell once again in the hall.

The five giants were all processing this painful defeat and the sudden, enormous change brought about by Lu Xuan.

"The responsibility for this defeat lies with us."

After a long silence, the Blood Fiend King spoke in a deep voice.

"We underestimated the resilience of the Immortal Realm, and we did not expect that a variable like Lu Xuan would emerge. Now, our realm is severely weakened, and we are afraid that we will not be able to organize such a large-scale two-front war in the short term."

"Contract defenses and stabilize the territory."

The Soul Master made a sinister suggestion,

"At the same time, at all costs, investigate Lu Xuan's background and the origin of that bell. The Boundary Sea... might hold the answers. The Knife King comes from the Boundary Sea; he might know something. If we can find him..."

"The Boundary Sea is vast; how easy is it to find a powerful figure who deliberately hides himself?"

Wu Shang shook his head, "But it is indeed one direction. In addition, we need to strengthen our communication with 'over there'..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the other bigwigs present all understood what "over there" meant, and their eyes flickered slightly.

“Ancient artifact of origin…” Kundi clutched his chest, his eyes filled with resentment. “This time we failed miserably. It will be difficult to seize it again next time.”

"not necessarily."

A ruthless glint flashed in the Crimson King's eyes.

"After this battle, the Immortal Realm and the Ancient Realm seem to have a tighter alliance, but they will inevitably lower their guard. We can wait, or we can... look for opportunities from within. The Immortal Realm is not a monolithic entity."

"The most urgent task is to restore our strength and identify the threats."

Wu Shang summarized the situation.

"Suspend all large-scale military operations and shift to infiltration and reconnaissance. Lu Xuan... is added to the highest threat list, with priority above Wu Zhong and Ancestral Sacrifice Spirit! Find his weaknesses and study methods to restrain his Chaos and Sun Dao."

"agree."

"Seconded."

"can."

Several industry leaders reached a consensus.

Despite their anger and resentment, they were beings who had lived for countless eons and knew how to assess the situation.

A single crushing defeat would not break them; instead, it would make them even more cautious. The source fire within the Dark Temple burned silently, illuminating the inscrutable faces of the five giants.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of years have passed since that earth-shattering war that swept across the Immortal Realm, the Ancient Realm, and the Boundary Sea.

During this relatively peaceful period, the ancestral land of Jinwu ushered in a true golden age.

The Fusang Divine Tree grew ever more majestic, and the essence of the sun flowing between its branches and leaves almost transformed into a liquid river, nourishing the entire race.

The massive resources obtained from the three immortal kings and other realms were thoroughly digested and transformed into a real foundation for the race.

The most eye-catching of all is the Ten-Sun Golden Crow Formation!

On the Sunrise Plain, ten dazzling divine suns can often be seen moving along mysterious trajectories, their rays intertwining to create a golden world of flames that scorches the heavens and boils the seas.

Compared to when they were first formed tens of thousands of years ago, these ten divine suns are more solid, their light is restrained but they contain an even more terrifying destructive power.

Within the divine sun, the phantoms of the ten three-legged golden crows were clearly visible, their feathers fully displayed, their divine might extraordinary, and their cries resonated throughout the heavens.

The ten Golden Crows who presided over the grand formation were no longer the same ordinary beings they once were.

With Lu Xuan's continuous guidance and the feedback from the formation, they not only mastered the formation to perfection and became as one in mind and spirit, but also made further progress in their own cultivation. Although they did not break through to the Immortal King level, their magical power far surpassed that of their peers, making them top-tier among quasi-Immortal Kings!
On this day, the ten people were conducting their routine drills. As the formation operated, the ten days rotated, and the void was scorched with subtle marks, causing the Great Dao to hum.

A terrifying pressure spread out, causing the tribespeople watching from afar to tremble with fear.

"Congeal!"

With a low shout from the leading elder, the ten suns suddenly contracted, condensing into a single point of extreme golden light, which then erupted with a roar, transforming into a destructive golden ripple that spread outwards, causing all laws to retreat wherever it passed!
Although they immediately withdrew their power, the force that burst forth in that instant had already faintly touched the threshold of the Immortal King realm!

"good."

A calm voice rang out, and Lu Xuan appeared at the edge of Yaori Ping without anyone noticing.

He still looked young, but his aura was more profound and restrained, as if he had merged with the sun's origin in the entire Golden Crow Ancestral Land. In the blink of an eye, scenes of chaos and creation flashed by.

With tens of thousands of years of accumulation, his cultivation has become increasingly unfathomable.

"Immortal King!"

The ten true immortals quickly stopped their practice, bowed respectfully, and their eyes were filled with reverence.

Lu Xuan nodded slightly, quite satisfied with the progress of the Ten-Day Golden Crow Formation.

This formation has become another powerful pillar of the Golden Crow Clan besides him.

Just then, the patriarch Jin Qing hurried over, holding a cross-dimensional communication jade talisman imprinted with ancient time-space runes and radiating a faint aura of reincarnation and dragon energy.

"Immortal King, from the Primordial Ancient Realm, the Immortal King Wuzhong has sent an urgent jade talisman."

"Oh?" Lu Xuan took the jade talisman and probed it with his divine sense.

The jade talisman contained not words, but a condensed thought, carrying the unique spatial and temporal Dao rhythm of the Immortal King Wuzhong:

"Fellow Daoist Lu Xuan, it has been tens of thousands of years since we last met. How are you? We have obtained a clue to an ancient ruin in the Ancient Realm, which is of great importance and is suspected to be related to the secrets of the Fallen Emperor Era and even the origin of the Boundary Sea. The ruin is heavily restricted, and it cannot be broken by one person alone. After much thought, only your supernatural abilities may be worth a try. If you have the time, I humbly request that you come to the Ancient Realm for a chat and explore this mystery together. — Wu Zhong."

The message is brief, yet it contains a wealth of information!

The Age of Imperial Decline!

The Origin of the Boundary Sea!

Either of these two words is enough to cause a huge upheaval in the myriad realms!
That is a realm even more ancient than the Immortal King, and it is rumored to involve the fall of the "Emperor" and the formation of the Boundary Sea!

The Immortal King Wuzhong discovered clues about the ruins related to this matter and specially invited him to go there!

A glint of light flashed in Lu Xuan's eyes.

(End of this chapter)