Chapter 386: Four Thousand-Year-Old Immortal Appears

"King Jiang truly lives up to his name; even in his dying state, he embodies the grace of a peerless talent of his generation. Alas, time cannot be reversed, and your era has finally drawn to a close!"

"Although this fragment of the great emperor's formation is complex and profound, you have only managed to manifest a corner of it. Your will is strong, but your power is insufficient. At most, it can hold us off for a day."

The thirteen Saint Lord-level figures were all indifferent. Some had eyes as hollow as abysses, others as deep as the starry sky, cold and merciless, as they stared at the Divine King in the Dragon Transformation Pool.

"What do we do?" The powerful cultivators of the Jiang family showed worry. As direct descendants of the Divine King, they naturally could not bear to see the old Divine King killed.

"One day should be enough. I can revive the Divine King!" Ye Fan strode forward to the edge of the Dragon Transformation Pool. A light flashed in his hand, and a small white jade cauldron appeared.

Instantly, an enchanting fragrance wafted out, tempting almost everyone to succumb. Nearly everyone couldn't help but inhale deeply, feeling their pores open wide. It was an intoxicating sensation.

"Divine medicine?!" The Jiang family members were astonished.

"How is this possible? The Qilin Seed is sealed within the Heaven-Sealing Demonic Treasure Pavilion, so how can there still be a divine medicine?!" The thirteen Saint Lord-level figures were all shocked.

"This is bad. If Jiang Taixu is truly revived and uses the Hengyu Divine Furnace to seal the divine city, none of us will be able to escape. He'll kill us one by one!"

"Quick, attack with all your might! Break through the great emperor's formation! We absolutely cannot give him a chance!"

The thirteen Saint Lord-level figures couldn't remain calm; their emotions surged. They all exerted their utmost effort to attack.

"Divine medicine... excellent. This old man might finally extend his life, cough..." A sudden voice rang out, accompanied by continuous coughing, as if the speaker could breathe his last at any moment.

At some unknown point, a trembling old man appeared in the underground palace. His hair, sparse and wild like weeds, numbered no more than a few dozen strands. His face was a mass of wrinkles, like old tree bark.

"Jiang Taixu, it's been four thousand years since we last met. I've missed you... cough..." He advanced, hunched and trembling, saying, "I'll take the divine medicine. It wouldn't do you any good even if you ate it."

The expressions of the thirteen supreme figures froze, and they involuntarily retreated. The old man's sudden appearance and his words were truly heart-stopping.

Who was he? What was his background? "It's been four thousand years"... that statement was too frightening!

Could it be that this old man was over four thousand years old, a contemporary of Jiang Taixu?

No matter how one interpreted it, that was definitely the meaning. This was truly a defiant old monster, actually of the same generation as the Divine King, possessing the same lifespan!

Under normal circumstances, Saint Lord-level figures could live for over two thousand years. For someone to be over four thousand years old and still not perish was truly shocking and horrifying.

What kind of old man was this? He was definitely a figure from the generation of previous Saint Lords, but how had he survived until today?

"Who are you?" the Jiang family members demanded, feeling overwhelmed. With such a monster appearing, and the Hengyu Sacred Furnace unusable, they truly didn't know how to respond.

"This old man is an old acquaintance of Jiang Taixu. I deeply wish he could awaken; I'd like to reminisce with him. Alas, there's only one divine medicine, so let him remain in eternal slumber."

The old man walked haltingly, appearing to exert great effort, but no one dared to underestimate him. The thirteen Saint Lord-level figures involuntarily cleared a path for him.

It was then that people noticed a wisp of black mist occasionally emanating from his body, carrying a heavy aura of death and the stench of decay.

"This is..."

Everyone was greatly astonished, utterly bewildered, and filled with disbelief. This should have been a dead person; his body already reeked of decay.

Indeed, whenever a wisp of black mist emanated, this putrid, unbearable stench would drift out, making people feel nauseous.

"Your body is already dead, so how are you still alive?" one of the thirteen Saint Lord-level figures asked.

They were all mighty lords of their respective regions. Even if the other person had lived for four thousand years, they were fearless and dared to inquire.

"Aside from the Divine King Body, how many people in this world can live beyond four thousand years? When their lifespans were about to run dry in their twilight years, previous Saint Lords all entered the great wilderness. But has any of them ever reappeared alive in the world?" the old man said, trembling.

He walked to the great emperor's formation and observed it carefully. Then he continued, "Immortality for four thousand years is a legend. All previous Saint Lords have returned to dust; at least, I haven't seen a single one re-emerge. For this old man to return to the world and re-enter the mortal realm, it can be considered a miracle."

"You..." Everyone stared at him in astonishment.

"There's no need to look at this old man like that. I don't possess such heaven-defying power. My physical body has indeed died; only my divine consciousness remains alive." He frankly admitted to being a living dead man.

"How exactly did you manage that?" the thirteen Saint Lord-level figures pressed, eager to know, as some among them were nearing the end of their lifespans.

"Years ago, when Jiang Taixu dominated the world, this old man and two other friends were hunted by him with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, so we fled into the Undying Mountain. Unfortunately, surviving a great calamity doesn't always guarantee good fortune afterward. We didn't obtain the undying divine medicine; instead, we mistakenly consumed a stalk of Netherworld Grass..."

"What?!" Everyone was startled.

Netherworld Grass was merely a legendary substance, said to grow in the Yellow Springs, not belonging to the mortal world. It shouldn't have appeared in this world at all.

"I must say, Undying Mountain is a strange place. We didn't see the ancient Enlightenment Tea Tree..."

In the past, three mighty figures, pursued by Jiang Taixu, entered Undying Mountain. They miraculously survived and unexpectedly discovered a Yellow Springs Pool, where they gathered a strange herb.

They thought it was a divine medicine, but after consuming it, their bodies instantly began to putrefy. The three became half-human, half-ghost existences, their physical bodies completely ruined, making it impossible for their cultivation to advance further.

However, they did not die then and there. Netherworld Grass was rarely seen in the world, a peerless wonder. It contained both a putrefying toxin and the essence of immortal substances—two completely opposing medicinal properties converged within it.

Their divine consciousness was nourished, but their physical bodies almost became decaying corpses, which could be called a strange metamorphosis.

Of course, their bodies weren't truly completely necrotic; there remained a trace of vitality. Otherwise, they would have long since turned into skeletons.

"Netherworld Grass... to possess such bizarre medicinal properties." The thirteen Saint Lord-level figures had various thoughts.

"So, you needn't worry. This old man poses no threat to you mighty lords who dominate your regions. I am merely a living dead man, idling away the years; my physical body is even inferior to yours," he said, coughing.

However, the thirteen supreme figures didn't think so. The other party's divine sense was absolutely unparalleled and powerful, truly a formidable old monster.

Nevertheless, they did breathe a sigh of relief. After all, few in this world could truly live past four thousand years, and such an anomaly was not to be envied.

No Saint Lord wished to become a half-human, half-ghost existence; that would be worse than death. It would be better not to increase their lifespan at all.

In front of the Dragon Transformation Pool, the Jiang family members were very tense. Even the mighty Jiang Yun frowned; this old monster would likely be extremely difficult to deal with!

Although the old man was self-effacing, no one believed his words. How could a person who had lived for over four thousand years not be terrifying!

"Quickly revive Divine King Jiang!" Ye Fan's heart also pounded. Encountering such an old monster today was truly inauspicious.

The white jade cauldron was opened, releasing an intoxicating fragrance that filled the entire underground palace. The medicinal aroma permeated everyone's bones, giving them the illusion of soaring, of ascending to immortality.

"Such a fragrance, it truly is divine medicine. Perhaps it can help this old man reverse his decaying body and restore his vitality," the old monster said, coughing.

"Is this the Dragon Pearl of the True Dragon Divine Medicine?!" The Jiang family members were stunned. Some of their Grand Elders, who had seen records of the True Dragon Divine Medicine in ancient texts, were filled with shock.

"Good, good, good!" Jiang Yun exclaimed three times, saying, "The different parts of the Primordial True Dragon Divine Medicine have vastly different effects. Its Dragon Pearl fruit represents new life."

"This is Heaven's will! The Dragon Pearl fruit contains endless vitality. It can allow for draconic rebirth, undergoing nirvana and transformation, complementing the Dragon Transformation Pool here!" The other elders of the Jiang family were also pleasantly surprised.

The meaning and effect of this primordial divine medicine fruit were practically tailor-made for Jiang Taixu, filling them all with hope.

In the underground palace, the thirteen Saint Lord-level figures were also shaken. They had never imagined that there would truly be a primordial divine medicine, and one that was such a Dragon Pearl fruit!

"What a pity. It would take at least more than a day to dissolve this Dragon Pearl, and this old man won't give you that time," the old monster sneered, utterly sinister.

"Protect the Divine King while he takes the medicine!" Jiang Yun roared.

A dozen or so elders stepped forward, placing the Dragon Pearl divine medicine into Jiang Taixu's mouth. Then, they sat down together, sending out wave after wave of innate divine light into the old Divine King's body.

These individuals had completely committed themselves. They would rather sacrifice their own lifespans to save their ancestor. As long as the Divine King was reborn, all current troubles could be swept away!

"You're dissolving the Dragon Pearl divine medicine into Jiang Taixu's body, but once I enter, I'll eat him alive!" The old monster's murderous intent was fully exposed, his words chilling.

"Senior, do you have a way to enter?" someone among the thirteen Saint Lord-level figures asked from nearby.

The old monster shouted towards outside the underground palace, "You two living dead men should be here by now, right? The three of us together can break through this incomplete corner of the great emperor's formation in two hours."

"Hehe..." A sinister sneer echoed.

At the entrance to the underground palace, two gaunt figures appeared. The aura of death on them was even stronger; a wisp of black mist would drift from them every few breaths.

"It seems the three of us are all the same, corroded beyond recognition by the Netherworld power. We won't live for more than ten more years, at most."

The three old monsters stood together, each more ghostly and sinister than the last. The stench of decay filled every inch of the underground palace, sending shivers down people's spines.

"Break through the formation, divide Jiang Taixu, and we can still live!" The words of the three old monsters were chilling, as if their humanity had been extinguished, treating the old Divine King as a humanoid immortal medicine.

"You thirteen little fellows stand aside. We'll open the formation here!" The three half-human, half-ghost existences, like beings risen from hell, exuded a thick aura of death.

The thirteen Saint Lord-level figures remained indifferent, silently stepping aside. They weren't afraid of the three old monsters, nor did they get angry at their words.

In two hours, the incomplete great emperor's formation would be broken. At that time, who could stop three old monsters who had lived for over four thousand years? They were terrifying figures from the same era as Divine King Jiang!