Chapter 1256: The Five Ancient Immortals Reunited
Within the Mahavira Hall, the Epoch Immortal in his Immeasurable Golden Body form and the Qilin Immortal were locked in a heated argument, with neither willing to concede to the other.
The Heaven Mandate Immortal and the Nine-Layers Immortal could only watch from the sidelines, unsure of how to mediate.
Lu Yang stood at the entrance, trying his best to minimize his presence and make himself inconspicuous.
“Not convinced? Then let’s spar!”
“Bring it on! A spar it is! Who’s afraid of whom?!” The Epoch Immortal thumped his chest with a resounding boom. This concerns my dignity. I absolutely won’t back down.
The Qilin Immortal reverted to his Qilin true form in a flash, warming up on the spot as his joints cracked and popped. He adjusted his body to its peak condition, a fusion of demonic aura and pure sacredness, exuding the majesty of the sovereign of all demon beasts descending upon the world.
The Epoch Immortal glowered, matching his aura. He turned his back to the Qilin Immortal and declared, “I’ll stand right here without moving and let you hit me!”
The Qilin Immortal scraped his right hind leg against the ground. With a thunderous roar, he swatted at the Epoch Immortal with his claw.
A deafening boom echoed as the Epoch Immortal was slammed into a wall. Plaster fell off, and the entire Mahavira Hall shook. The birds perched on the eaves were startled into flapping their wings and flying away.
As the Epoch Immortal slid to the floor, his silhouette remained imprinted on the wall.
Abbot Mingyu, who had been keeping watch nearby, jumped in fright. The Mahavira Hall hadn’t so much as trembled even when the entire Xitian Temple had collapsed. “Young Friend Lu, what’s going on in there?”
“Nothing much. Just reenacting ancient history.”
With that, Lu Yang quietly closed the door. We should keep such an embarrassing spectacle behind closed doors and away from outsiders.
“Cough, cough!” The Epoch Immortal clutched his chest and coughed heavily. That claw strike was a nasty one. The force had traveled straight from his back to his chest.
Although he was seriously injured, the Epoch Immortal was still far from being beaten to death. He activated his Epoch Dao Fruit, reversing his own time and restoring himself to an unharmed state.
“See? What did I tell you? You think you could have killed me?”
“This doesn’t make sense.” The Qilin Immortal stared at his own claws in bewilderment. In his memory, this was precisely how he had successfully ambushed the Epoch Immortal.
How did I fail?
“That one doesn’t count. I wasn’t at my best. Heaven Mandate, Nine-Layers, you two cooperate with me and admit defeat again.”
During the battle against Yao Sheng, the Qilin Immortal had “defeated” the Heaven Mandate Immortal and the Nine-Layers Immortal, temporarily boosting his combat power. But unlike his victory over the Midheaven Emperor-Lord, this “fake match” type of combat only provided a temporary enhancement. His combat prowess would return to normal once the battle was over.
The Epoch Immortal immediately refused. “Get lost! When you assassinated me, did they cooperate with you by admitting defeat?”
“Then what’s going on?” The Qilin Immortal frowned. He remembered that incident with crystal clarity. The scene had replayed in his mind countless times over the past three hundred thousand years. It was a veritable nightmare.
Why is the live reenactment inconsistent with the outcome in my memory?
“Umm, I have a theory.” Seeing that the spar had concluded, Lu Yang raised his hand to make his presence known.
Only then did the Qilin Immortal and the Epoch Immortal notice that Lu Yang had arrived.
All five ancient immortals turned to him in unison.
“Yao Sheng’s Law Follows Words Dao Fruit likely possessed the ability to alter reality. Seniors, you probably recall that when the Immortal Fairy perished, the entire world forgot her. Even her deeds were attributed to you as your own achievements.”
For instance, the Heaven Mandate Immortal still bore the title of Progenitor of Spirit Chefs.
“This implies that Yao Sheng was capable of altering both reality and memory.”
“But the four of us didn’t lose our memories that time,” the Nine-Layers Immortal remarked, his brows furrowed.
The Heaven Mandate Immortal grasped what Lu Yang was getting at. “Perhaps it’s a matter of scale. When Everlasting perished, Yao Sheng altered the reality of the entire world and the memories of all living beings.
“But what if, at the end of the Ember Legacy Dynasty, after Epoch Immortal was assassinated, he only modified the memories of Qilin alone?”
Since the scale of the spell was different, the effects would naturally vary as well.
“W-was that the case?” The Qilin Immortal struggled to process it. His memories were so vivid, yet they were a stark contrast to reality. Even with the truth before his eyes, it was difficult to reconcile the two.
The Qilin Immortal fell silent for a moment before erupting with a roar of unprecedented fury. “Yao Sheng, you son of a bitch!”
For three hundred thousand years, he had lived in self-reproach, with thoughts of ending his own life crossing his mind several times. He hadn’t dared to face his wives and brothers. Yet in the end, it turns out that bastard Yao Sheng had tampered with my memories!
Yao Sheng died too early!
“Alright, look on the bright side. At least it wasn’t actually you.”
The Heaven Mandate Immortal hooked an arm around the Qilin Immortal’s shoulder and consoled him. “Think positively. Even if Yao Sheng comes back to life, you still can’t beat him, right?”
The Qilin Immortal shot a sidelong glance at the Heaven Mandate Immortal. Is that really how you comfort someone?
“Wait a minute, didn’t you and Nine-Layers beat me up over this earlier? And you aimed specifically for my face?”
The Heaven Mandate Immortal’s expression shifted subtly as he discreetly released the Qilin Immortal’s shoulder. “Hey, hey, hey, be reasonable! You were willing to take those hits at the time.”
“I’m not willing now!”
The Qilin Immortal and the Heaven Mandate Immortal moved simultaneously. The former lunged at the latter, while the latter dodged aside in a flash.
“Nine-Layers, don’t just watch! After he’s done with me, you’ll be next! Lend a hand!”
Even without the Heaven Mandate Immortal’s reminder, the Nine-Layers Immortal had already realized what was in store for him and joined the fray.
The Qilin Immortal was imposing, but against two opponents, he found himself losing ground.
Watching the Mahavira Hall sway incessantly, Abbot Mingyu knocked on the door in concern and asked what was happening inside.
The door creaked open a crack, and Lu Yang poked his head out. “Nothing too serious. Just an immortal battle breaking out.”
“Ah?”
Through the gap, Abbot Mingyu caught a glimpse of two strangers locked in combat with a qilin, incense burners and offering plates flying everywhere. The Epoch Immortal stood to the side with no intention of intervening.
These incense burners and offering plates had been steeped in incense offerings for ages, their quality on par with immortal artifacts.
Abbot Mingyu felt that though he was several thousand years older than Lu Yang, his knowledge and experience paled in comparison. Lu Yang doesn’t look the least bit surprised by the scene before him.
Lu Yang closed the door once more.
The three immortals formed a three-way standoff. The Qilin Immortal carried a writing desk, the Heaven Mandate Immortal grabbed an incense burner, and the Nine-Layers Immortal held an offering plate, while Lu Yang munched on the offerings.
The Qilin Immortal eyed the Heaven Mandate Immortal and the Nine-Layers Immortal warily. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face.
The other two were infected by his laughter and joined in, laughing heartily.
The Qilin Immortal waved his hand as he laughed, bending over until he could no longer stand upright. He lay down on the ground. “Alright, alright, I’m not fighting anymore. Beat me however you like.”
The Heaven Mandate Immortal and the Nine-Layers Immortal also lay down on the floor, thoroughly exhausted. “Tch, as if we wanted to beat you.”
As their big brother, the Epoch Immortal had initially intended to maintain a dignified seated posture, but seeing all his brothers sprawled out, he lay down on the ground as well.
The misunderstanding was resolved, and the Five Ancient Immortals were reunited once more. Lying there on the floor, they savored the tranquility of the present.
They had waited three hundred thousand years for this day. It had been far too long, far too long.
The Everlasting Immortal Fairy also felt that their reunion hadn’t come easily. “Since we’re all finally gathered together, why don’t I show off my skills a little? I’ll guarantee I’ll whip up your favorite dishes.”
Her words jolted them back to reality. The Four Ancient Immortals immediately bolted upright in fright and declined the offer.