19: Ruthless Emperor, join the group!

At the former site of Ancient Emperor Mountain, Group Master Wushi Great Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering lightly in the wind as if he had existed there since time immemorial.

He quietly gazed into the Void Realm, his deep eyes seemingly able to pierce through the ages and see through all illusions.

“Have you finally come?” Fellow Daoist Wushi murmured softly to himself, his voice low and magnetic, audible only to him.

At the moment his voice fell, a sharp phoenix cry suddenly echoed between heaven and earth, accompanied by a Supreme imperial pressure that swept through the area!

The Void Realm cracked inch by inch as a phantom condensed from endless immortal light and Phoenix Blood Red Gold, carrying a terrifying aura capable of boiling seas and burning mountains, slammed violently toward Group Master Wushi Great Emperor!

It was a massive phantom of an Immortal Phoenix, its wings spreading to blot out the sky. Every feather seemed woven from the most ancient Laws, emitting an immortal radiance. Everywhere it passed, the river of time flowed backward and spatial fragments flew, as if it intended to burn the entire Eastern Wasteland to ashes!

This was not the Undying Heavenly Emperor's true body, but merely a projection containing a portion of his will and power. Even so, it was enough to easily obliterate any Great Saint and could even threaten a Quasi-Emperor!

“Hmph.” A flash of disdain crossed Group Master Wushi Great Emperor's eyes.

He didn't even move an inch; he simply raised his left hand and tapped his index finger lightly forward.

“Hum——”

An invisible ripple spread out from his fingertip. There was no world-shaking roar, no world-destroying light. Wherever that ripple passed, the Immortal Phoenix phantom's body was silently erased from the front, as if wiped away by an eraser!

Feathers, flesh, bone, and even the imperial Laws contained within were reduced to the most primitive particles under this ripple, returning completely to nothingness.

In a mere moment, the sky-blotting Immortal Phoenix phantom vanished entirely, as if it had never appeared. The imperial pressure it brought also dissipated, and peace returned to the world.

Group Master Wushi Great Emperor withdrew his finger and looked calmly into the depths of the Void Realm, toward the edge of the Universe, the place where the Undying Heavenly Emperor's true body lay dormant.

“Undying Heavenly Emperor, you have lived for a million years, yet you are still as cowardly as a rat?”

Group Master Wushi Great Emperor's voice, like a great bell, vibrated through the entire Universe, clearly reaching the ears of every Supreme.

“You dare not even step out with your true body, only daring to send a projection to test me. This so-called 'god' of yours is nothing more than this.”

“Hiding your head and showing your tail, gasping for breath. Do you think hiding in the shadows will keep you safe? This Emperor tells you today, no matter where you hide, as long as you are still in this Universe, your doom will eventually arrive!”

His voice was filled with contempt and mockery, every word piercing the heart and pointing directly at the Undying Heavenly Emperor's Origin.

The Life Forbidden Zone was deathly silent.

Undying Mountain, Sea of Reincarnation, Immortal Tomb, God Ruins... the dormant Ancient Supremes were all awakened at this moment by Group Master Wushi Great Emperor's words. Their Divine Thoughts intertwined, creating massive waves in the depths of the Universe.

“The Undying Heavenly Emperor... he... he's actually still alive!” One Supreme's Divine Thought trembled, filled with disbelief.

“How is this possible? An existence from the Immortal Ancient Era—didn't he perish completely on the path to immortality?!” another Supreme roared, his voice carrying fear. To these Living Fossils, the Undying Heavenly Emperor's reputation was that of an existence older and more powerful than any Forbidden Zone Supreme.

“He... he actually didn't achieve Immortal Ascension!” a Supreme sighed desolately. The Undying Heavenly Emperor was an Immortal Ancient Myth, regarded by all races as a true 'god'. If he had achieved Immortal Ascension, it would have represented hope for the path to immortality. But now, Fellow Daoist Wushi's words had completely shattered their illusions.

“No, the Undying Heavenly Emperor has already achieved Immortal Ascension; otherwise, he couldn't have survived. He has a method for Immortal Ascension!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of all the Forbidden Zone Supremes filled with greed.

They had slashed their own cultivation to linger on, all for the sake of Immortal Ascension.

For the sake of Lifespan!

“The Undying Heavenly Emperor really is still alive! And he has been plotting something all along!” Hatred flickered in the eyes of some Supremes. Many of them had been ambushed by the Undying Heavenly Emperor, and some had even had their Origin stolen. Now that they knew the truth, the fire of anger in their hearts was difficult to suppress.

“Damn him! If he has truly lived until now, his schemes must have permeated the ages! Are we old fellows, kept in the dark, not liable to become his chess pieces or even his nourishment at any moment?!”

“He doesn't dare come out because he fears Group Master Wushi Great Emperor!” One Supreme keenly captured the Undying Heavenly Emperor's concerns.

At the edge of the Universe, deep within an ancient dojo shrouded in endless immortal light and Chaos, a magnificent figure sat cross-legged, surrounded by Nine-Colored Divine Flames. He suddenly snapped his eyes open, and two cold bolts of electricity capable of piercing the Universe shot out.

“Wushi!” The Undying Heavenly Emperor's voice was low and angry, carrying a trace of imperceptible alarm. He hadn't expected Group Master Wushi Great Emperor to erase his projection so easily, and what shocked him even more was that Wushi had seen through his schemes!

He indeed did not dare to appear easily.

He had plotted for ages solely for his final Nirvana and Immortal Ascension. Once exposed, he would not only draw the full suppression of Group Master Wushi Great Emperor but also enrage those Supremes he had used and ambushed, causing them to attack him en masse.

If that happened, his schemes of the ages would all go down the drain.

He chose to endure. Even though Fellow Daoist Wushi's mockery stung his imperial soul like a knife, he could only choose silence.

In the Chat Group, the live broadcast of Group Master Wushi Great Emperor left everyone dumbstruck.

【Xiao Yan】: “Is... is this the power of a Great Emperor? One finger... and an Immortal Phoenix was erased!”

【Luo Feng】: “The Undying Heavenly Emperor... such a powerful existence was just a projection? And he was mocked like that by the Group Master but didn't dare show himself! The Group Master's strength is simply unfathomable!”

【Ye Fan】: “Holy crap! The Undying Heavenly Emperor is still alive?! That old schemer! He's been pulling the strings behind the scenes this whole time?!”

Ye Fan's shock was beyond measure; he had already heard many legends about the Undying Heavenly Emperor from the Black Emperor.

【Ji Ziyue】: “The Undying Heavenly Emperor... what a terrifying name... luckily Big Brother Great Emperor is here!”

【Zhang Xiaofan】: “Is this... a giant of the Demonic Path? He's much more terrifying than those demons from my Qingyun Sect...”

【Hengyu】: “What Fellow Daoist Wushi said is true; this scoundrel is indeed a scourge of the ages!” Great Emperor Jiang Hengyu's voice was full of chill. “Fellow Daoist Wushi, such a scourge must not be allowed to remain! If it is inconvenient for you to act personally, I can open a transmission and personally go teach this coward a lesson!”

Great Emperor Jiang Hengyu had a fierce personality and hated such underhanded schemes the most. Furthermore, he had just finished refining the hengyu furnace, and his Battle Intent was currently soaring.

Group Master Wushi Great Emperor looked at Great Emperor Jiang Hengyu's post and the reactions of everyone in the group, thinking slightly.

The Undying Heavenly Emperor was indeed a major hidden danger, but killing him completely would not be easy.

He needed an opportunity—an opportunity to force him completely out of the Immortal Source and utterly destroy his eternal schemes.

“Should I attack Undying Mountain?” Group Master Wushi Great Emperor calculated in his heart.

Undying Mountain was also one of the Life Forbidden Zones, as famous as the Primordial Beginning Ancient Mine. Since the Undying Heavenly Emperor's true body was hidden, some of his important arrangements were likely in Undying Mountain.

While Group Master Wushi Great Emperor was thinking, a new system prompt suddenly sounded in the Chat Group.

【Ding! Ruthless requests to join the group.】

This nickname caused Group Master Wushi Great Emperor's gaze to narrow slightly.

Ruthless! In the world of Shrouding the Heavens, this name represented a legend, a tragic song, and a Supreme myth.