Chapter 1145: Aurora Era

Chapter 1150: The Era of Aurora

The first year of the Immortal Calendar marked the fall of the Divine Lord of the Fifth Star Ring and the rise of the Immortal Venerable.

Following this, twelve Immortal Lords established twelve eras, each lasting 12,000 years, forming a grand cycle.

Within each era, there were four phases: Dao Genesis, Dao Brilliance, Dao Soaring, and Dao's End. Each phase lasted three thousand years, and these four phases constituted a smaller cycle.

A rule was also established: for every new Immortal Lord, an additional era would be added to the Immortal Calendar.

Furthermore, because the Immortal Venerable was constantly in secluded cultivation, a rule was set that the Immortal Lord of the current era would govern the Fifth Star Ring for the duration of that era.

Today marked November of the 2999th year of Dao's End in the Nine Shores Era. Only one month remained until the next era, the Aurora Era.

The transition between eras was a major and specially significant festival for cultivators in the Fifth Star Ring, celebrated by both the Immortal Lord of the upcoming era and the current one.

Consequently, the Aurora Immortal Palace, designated as the seat of governance for the next era, was adorned with lanterns and festive decorations, its atmosphere brimming with the spirit of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.

All preparations were complete, and the handover was nearly finalized.

Many years prior, most immortals under the Aurora Immortal Lord had already dispersed throughout the Fifth Star Ring, gradually taking over all important positions as auxiliary personnel.

Notably, among the Aurora Immortal Lord's four disciples, three had gone out to take command and control of the three major Immortal Armies from under the Nine Shores Immortal Lord, while the fourth disciple was assigned to guard the Immortal Palace.

This was a routine practice during every era transition.

Now, all that remained was for this final month to pass. The entire Fifth Star Ring would then usher in a new era.

The Aurora Immortal Lord would wield supreme authority over the Star Ring for the next 12,000 years.

However, even as everyone in the Immortal Palace was filled with anticipation, joy, and excitement, agonizing wails echoed from the Thunder Punishment Cliff in the eastern part of the Immortal Palace, spreading in all directions.

The cries were utterly horrific and heard by many cultivators in the Immortal Palace. Yet, most ignored them; even those who occasionally glanced towards Thunder Punishment Cliff merely shook their heads, sighed, and then paid no further attention.

At most, upon seeing a young boy rushing towards Thunder Punishment Cliff, people couldn't help but playfully ask a few questions.

"Has the Young Master been punished again?"

"What did he do this time?"

"Zhong Chi, no need to rush, come tell us!"

Facing the inquiries from everyone along the way, the young boy named Zhong Chi offered bitter smiles and respectful greetings, but he didn't stop, heading straight for Thunder Punishment Cliff.

As he drew closer, the thunder boomed louder, and the agonizing wails grew more intense.

Finally, just as the young boy was about to step into the barrier of Thunder Punishment Cliff, the screams suddenly ceased, abruptly ending.

The young boy paused, then quickly took a few steps, entering the barrier. As his vision blurred for a moment, then cleared, what greeted his eyes was a sky full of azure lightning.

Endless flashes of lightning illuminated the sky, continuously striking a figure suspended in mid-air.

The figure was raggedly dressed, with disheveled hair, and its body was entwined by lightning.

For some unknown reason, it was no longer wailing, but under the relentless onslaught of lightning, its body was visibly trembling continuously, breathing rapidly, and covered in numerous bleeding wounds, including at the corners of its mouth.

Seeing that the Young Master was still breathing, Zhong Chi’s face showed a relieved expression, and he bowed towards the figure in mid-air.

"Young Master... the Hundred Flowers Palace has been sealed immediately as per your instructions. No one will intrude while you are undergoing this thunder punishment."

The thunder continued to roar, and the lightning strikes persisted. The figure suspended in mid-air appeared not to hear the young boy's words; its head was bowed, eyes tightly shut. No matter how the lightning struck, he did not open his eyes.

Because... within his closed eyes, a myriad of emotions—confusion, helplessness, and disorientation—were swirling.

"Why am I being punished the moment I appear?"

The intense pain of the lightning wrapping around him, like being subjected to a whipping, made Xu Qing's heart sink.

He distinctly remembered that mere seconds ago, he had stepped through the North Sea Gate in the third layer of the world, and as he uttered those eight words, the next instant, he found himself here.

The body was not his own, nor was the soul. But the consciousness, it belonged to him!

It was like transmigration, and the next moment... memories of the host body surged as countless pieces of information, roaring through his consciousness.

After a while, everything about the host became clear in Xu Qing's perception.

The little one hadn't deceived him this time. The host's identity was indeed the only son of the Aurora Immortal Lord.

This was the fourth layer of the world, a piece of history unfolding in the past.

Just as Xu Qing was processing the host's memories in his consciousness, the lightning continuously striking him from mid-air suddenly paused.

Not only did the lightning cease, but the movement of the sky, even the void, and time itself, all came to a standstill in that instant.

His attendant, Zhong Chi, also froze, utterly still.

Only one figure, appearing from nothingness, materialized in the sky, directly in front of Xu Qing, who was still suspended.

The figure was blurry and indistinct, yet it exuded a vastness, like the will of heaven, like the world itself, and like the master of this Star Ring, capable of suppressing everything.

He gazed coldly at Xu Qing. After a long moment, he slowly spoke, "Disgraceful son!"

"Normally, your excessive debauchery and even the establishment of the Hundred Flowers Palace, I've turned a blind eye to, allowing you a certain degree of indulgence."

"But you... you actually went and provoked the daughter of the Nine Shores Immortal Lord!"

"You deceived her feelings, and then you deceived her body!"

"Even that might have been forgivable if you had appeased her properly, showing some competence. But no, you began with deceit and ended with utter abandonment, acting incredibly heartless!"

"Now, the Nine Shores Immortal Lord has brought her daughter here, demanding an explanation from me!"

Xu Qing remained silent. He was extremely nervous and highly vigilant at that moment.

He knew the figure before him was none other than the Aurora Immortal Lord. He worried about being discovered, even though this method of returning to the past was initiated by the Immortal Palace, and thus should conform to the rules. But an Immortal Lord was an Immortal Lord after all!

Moreover, he wasn't sure if the little one had also found a host body here, just like him. If so, then the Aurora Immortal Lord himself would naturally be the most suitable choice, as the little one was originally a fragment of Aurora's remnant will.

But Xu Qing couldn't be certain.

Furthermore, he was currently processing the host's memories, so he could only remain silent in response to the Aurora Immortal Lord's furious reprimand.

"Now you know how to be silent?"

The Aurora Immortal Lord's voice was icy cold. He then raised a hand and waved, increasing the power of the thunder, causing the lightning suspended in mid-air to instantly double in intensity.

After doing this, he turned and took a step, leaving Thunder Punishment Cliff. His lingering voice followed.

"Since you choose to remain silent, then silently reflect and repent. I have already arranged a marriage proposal for you; you will marry the daughter of Nine Shores, whether you like it or not!"

"And that chaotic Hundred Flowers Palace of yours, you have half a month to dismantle it!"

"Zhong Chi, though you are his attendant, this time, you will supervise him!"

The voice reverberated through heaven and earth, causing the static lightning to instantly spring back to life, roaring towards Xu Qing with even fiercer intensity.

The surroundings also returned to normal in that instant, including the young boy Zhong Chi.

He took a deep breath, respectfully looked up, his heart filled with tension.

He had never seen the Aurora Immortal Lord before. Each time the Immortal Lord appeared, the surroundings would freeze. This time, however, because his own name was mentioned, he was able to perceive him.

Although he had been in this fourth layer of the world for some time and had verified his identity, understanding that the people in this past timeline would not detect his true nature, he still felt a primal tension.

As for this Young Master...

It was often said that a tiger father had no dog sons, but in Zhong Chi's memories, this wasn't the case for this father and son.

Despite having excellent cultivation potential, this Young Master was a lecher to the core, achieving nothing. Furthermore, according to the history he knew, this Young Master was destined to die in one month.

On the day of his wedding to the Nine Shores Immortal Lord's daughter, before the ceremony could even be completed... the entire Aurora Immortal Palace would be plunged into catastrophe.

"In a month, it won't just be him dying, but everyone in the Immortal Palace—not a single soul will survive; all will be obliterated by the Immortal Venerable..."

"Therefore, I just need to play my role well and complete my Dao here!"

"Also, the identities of the other 'stars' are very well hidden. I only have a general idea of who they might be... but as long as they don't hinder me, there's no need for me to find them."

Thinking this, Zhong Chi looked up at the Young Master suspended in mid-air and sighed.

"Young Master, the Immortal Lord's decision is final this time. How about... you just comply?"

This voice reached Xu Qing's ears, sounding somewhat muffled, as if from across the ages.

At this moment, he had gradually absorbed all of the host's memories, and the life of this son of Aurora left Xu Qing somewhat at a loss for how to evaluate it.

It couldn't be said that he didn't cultivate diligently, nor that he was a complete wastrel.

He was over three hundred years old, and his cultivation had reached the Sovereign realm, not far from becoming a Quasi-Immortal.

His daily conduct was generally acceptable; he usually came across as refined and elegant, possessing a certain grace and a very handsome appearance.

There was just one thing...

He was overly sentimental.

To describe it, according to the Young Master's self-deprecating remarks in the memories: his heart had shattered into countless pieces, with each piece falling in love with a different person.

Consequently, his memories were essentially a collection of erotic images.

Xu Qing frowned. After processing the memories, Zhong Chi's voice became clear, so he opened his eyes and looked at the young boy below.

In the host's memories, there was only one attendant by his side.

Therefore, Xu Qing had largely guessed the young boy's true identity at this moment: in all likelihood, he was Li Mengtu.

But naturally, he wouldn't reveal this.

So, after a mere glance, Xu Qing spoke hoarsely, "I'm a little tired."

Zhong Chi blinked. He felt that the Young Master before him seemed somewhat different from usual, but one thing he was certain of:

In this segment of history, there were three individuals who could not be impersonated.

One was the Immortal Venerable, one was the Immortal Lord, and one was the Young Master.

The Immortal Venerable and the Immortal Lord, it went without saying.

And the Young Master, being protected by the Immortal Lord, also could not be impersonated.

This certainty stemmed from the process by which several 'stars' acquired their identities in the third layer of the world. Thus, it was not only his understanding but also that of the other 'stars'.

"It must be related to this thunder punishment and the Immortal Lord's recent reprimand."

Thinking this, Zhong Chi spoke softly.

"Young Master, when I came, I asked the Thunder Pavilion, and they said the thunder punishment you received is for seven days."

"And seven days from now is the day of your scheduled duel with that Li Tianjiao. Do you want me to inform them to postpone it?"

Hearing this, Xu Qing recalled from the host's memories that the host had previously had a conflict with Li Shaofeng, a prodigy from the Heavenly Net Sect, over a peerless beauty who was the transformed form of a thousand-year-old enchanting fox.

That fox beauty belonged to Li Tianjiao.

So, the two parties secretly arranged a duel: whoever won would claim the beauty.

"What kind of duel is this..."

Xu Qing frowned.

He was about to speak, but the next moment, he suddenly grew thoughtful, remembering the Mud Fox.

"Could it be that it came too?"

Today has been a busy day, with infusions and check-ups.But at last, I've finished writing this chapter.