Chapter 3

The universe, dark yet brilliant.

This is not contradictory. It is called brilliant because in this boundless universe, there exist countless worlds like seeds, each emitting light, making the starry sky appear, from a distance, as brilliant as countless pearls.

And it is called dark because the universe is so vast that if one were to enter it, the distance between two seed worlds would be almost endless. In this endless expanse, there is not brilliance but a deathly silence and darkness.

It seems that even time does not reveal itself here, or perhaps even the power of the Ancestral Realm cannot submerge this universe.

After an unknown amount of time, one day, a long rainbow streaked through the universe at an astonishing speed, sweeping across the four directions and heading towards the distance.

Upon closer inspection, one could see a figure within the rainbow, a middle-aged man who seemed to be in a weakened state of spirit and soul.

The man wore a green robe, his face pale, as if he were fleeing from something, his eyes dark, yet deep within them, a hint of cunning was hidden.

As the middle-aged man sped along, a second rainbow suddenly appeared behind him in the originally dark universe. It was a woman, her face pale, moving at full speed, following the man in flight.

Clearly, these two knew each other, but their relationship did not seem harmonious; rather, they were in a state of hostility. During their flight, they engaged in several battles, each trying to slow the other down with their own methods. However, the woman often found herself at a disadvantage, though despite this, the middle-aged man could not completely stop her.

The whistling sound broke the silence of the universe. Behind the two rainbows, a third one soon appeared, its momentum overwhelming, causing the starry sky to rumble. It was a...

Parrot!

The parrot's feathers were smooth, as if light was flowing over them, its momentum like a rainbow, akin to a supreme warrior. It whistled as it pursued the two.

In the blink of an eye, the parrot's rainbow streaked closer, its speed increasing dramatically, heading straight for the two. The impact was deafening, causing the woman to spew blood, and the middle-aged man to bleed from the corner of his mouth.

"Five Dao, you are too much! The battle between your Lord and my true form is not yet decided. I am a Celestial Immortal, an Immortal of the universe!" The middle-aged man's eyes flickered imperceptibly, but his face was as if in a frenzy.

As for the woman, her face was pale, her eyes filled with bitterness, and she gritted her teeth as she sped along.

During their flight, a seed world soon appeared before them, one of the many seed worlds in the universe. This world was still somewhat immature, indicating that its starry will was still in the process of growing and had not yet fully formed. The beings within it were likely not yet enlightened.

At the same time, the parrot, which was pursuing the two, spoke in a cold voice.

"My master is determined to slay your true form, and I, following his orders, am equally determined to slay your divided form, which you left behind to try to rise again. And you, the spirit of the ancient immortal, today you two cannot escape!" The parrot's eyes were cold and ruthless, and its words were icy, making the surrounding universe feel like a harsh winter.

As the words spread, a vast array instantly appeared around the parrot, enveloping all directions and covering the two. Before the two could react, the array burst into a rainbow of light, transforming into countless runes. A faint chanting sound echoed, and the array immediately activated, emitting a surging killing intent. The runes exploded, forming a force that could destroy everything, aiming to annihilate the two.

At this critical moment, the middle-aged man roared, his body swelling as he unleashed some unknown power, transforming into a giant. In his hand appeared a massive battle axe, which he swung with all his might at the surging runes.

The impact was deafening, and the giant, transformed from the middle-aged man, spewed blood, his body collapsing, but he roared with a fierce smile.

"Five Dao, you are too much!!" As he spoke, ten drops of golden blood suddenly flew out from his collapsing body. These ten drops of blood immediately coalesced into a massive blood-colored hand.

The hand emitted a terrifying aura, which even made the parrot's eyes narrow. It immediately recognized that these ten drops of golden blood were the very purpose of its master's attempt to slay the true form of Luo Tian, the Blood of the Universe.

At the same time, Luo Tian's eyes flickered again, and he laughed.

"Ancient Immortal Spirit, it is time for you to fulfill our previous agreement. Once this is over, you will be free!"

The woman hesitated for a moment, then made a decision. Her face was pale, but she gritted her teeth, and her body suddenly covered in scales, her legs transforming, becoming a half-snake, half-human being. She turned and stopped fleeing, raising her hands and pushing upward with all her might. Her body immediately withered, a divine technique that cost her life.

As she performed the technique, a dense aura erupted.

This aura was strange, carrying a sense of沧桑 (cang桑, meaning "aged" or "weathered"), and a feeling of time. It spread rapidly, heading towards the parrot and suppressing the surrounding array.

The array showed signs of withering, and even the parrot's body paused.

The parrot's eyes glinted coldly, and its momentum rose. As it forced its way forward, the middle-aged man made a hand seal, and the ten drops of blood that had formed the hand were pushed forward. The hand grew larger, eventually becoming a sea of blood, surging forward.

The woman, now weakened, quickly retreated after using the technique that emitted the aged aura.

"Five Dao, do you really think I have no preparations? Do you really think you are the one pursuing me? This is part of my plan. By eliminating you, your Lord will be like losing an arm!" Luo Tian laughed, and as his laughter spread, his previous weakness suddenly changed. It seemed that everything before was a ruse, and his goal was to lure the opponent to this remote area of the universe, where he and the woman would eliminate the opponent.

The sea of blood surged, forming a seal that was about to envelop the parrot. However, the parrot's eyes showed no panic, remaining calm.

"You set a trap to lure me here, but you don't know that I am willing to pay any price to ensure my master can successfully slay your true form. I wonder if you are the one calculating me, or if I am the one calculating you." The parrot sighed, a hint of reluctance in its eyes, but it quickly made a decision. As the sea of blood approached, a terrifying wave of energy suddenly erupted from its body, a wave of self-destruction.

It chose to self-destruct to ensure the opponent's annihilation.

If it were a normal self-destruction, it might not have emitted such a terrifying aura. However, the parrot had already made a decision before pursuing, using a powerful technique to ensure that its self-destruction would release a force beyond its own.

The explosion was deafening, and the middle-aged man's eyes narrowed, but he still sneered.

"You made that choice, but I have more than just that." As he spoke, he made another hand seal, and the woman, who was trying to retreat, suddenly trembled as if a restriction within her body had been triggered. The sea of blood surged, enveloping her, and at that moment, a wave of self-destruction was passively triggered within her.

It was clear that the middle-aged man was controlling the woman to self-destruct, trying to buy himself a chance to survive, while he himself quickly retreated.

The woman, enraged, glared at the middle-aged man. He had not kept his promise and chose to sacrifice her at this critical moment. Her eyes were filled with bloodshot, and a hint of a bitter smile could be seen on her lips.

Just as the intense self-destruction was about to begin, the parrot's voice, cold as ever, echoed.

"Ancient Immortal Spirit, what are you hesitating about? The outcome I told you about has already occurred. If you don't act now, when will you? The freedom you seek can only be obtained by you yourself."

As the parrot's words spread, the middle-aged man's expression changed for the first time.

The woman, with a bitter smile, took a deep breath. Before the battle, Luo Tian had made a promise to her, and the parrot had secretly contacted her. Seeing everything unfold, she no longer hesitated and let out a piercing laugh.

"You are right, freedom can only be obtained by oneself. Giving up my status as an ancient immortal to gain eternal freedom!"

The middle-aged man's face changed, a sense of unease growing. Just as he was about to speak, it was too late. The woman's body suddenly disintegrated.

It was not a self-destruction but a disintegration. Her emaciated body shattered, and the blood and flesh spread out at an incredible speed, turning the starry sky red.

"Rebirth Spell, life and death, death and rebirth, let the dust return to dust, the earth to earth, let the consciousness sink, let the mind be erased, let everything, from this moment... start anew!"

"From this moment on, there will be no ancient immortal in the world..." As the woman's voice spread, a deafening explosion echoed through the starry sky.

A crushing force instantly descended, crushing the parrot to ashes and the sea of blood. The middle-aged man let out a piercing scream, his body trying to escape but failing. In an instant, he was crushed, along with the woman, who was not truly dead but whose soul remained.

The woman's final technique was like the beginning of a new era, shattering everything, destroying everything, and starting anew.

The seed world nearby was also affected by the crushing force. Its starry will trembled, and a large part of it was erased, creating a gap in the seed world.

Almost instantly, the blood and qi of the parrot, the middle-aged man, and the woman, which had been crushed to ashes, were sucked into the seed world through the gap.

Years later, within the starry sky of this seed world, among the countless beings, a parrot's soul condensed from nothingness, wandering aimlessly.

At the same time, a divine soul gradually replaced the original starry will of the world, forgetting its past and only retaining its instincts, the will of Luo Tian.

And among the countless beings, a woman was reborn, unaware of her past, reincarnating again and again, experiencing countless lives. After countless eras, the parrot met a person who created a magical artifact for it, a bronze mirror.

And this woman, one day, in one of the countless small worlds within the starry sky, in a place called the Supreme Immortal Realm, met a person.

This person was called the Thunder Emperor by the beings of that small world.

The man named Thunder Emperor fell in love with a woman, his wife. During the rebellion in the lower realm of the Supreme Immortal Realm, when the death force influenced by Luo Tian invaded, he fought to protect his home and this woman until he died.

His death turned into countless thunderbolts, rumbling through the starry sky.

After his death, the woman stared at his body, emitting a soul-shattering cry. In her grief, the memories that had been sealed for years awakened. She silently looked at the Thunder Emperor, her tears falling on his armor. After a long time, as the tears disappeared, it seemed that her love for the Thunder Emperor had separated from her body, and her eyes showed a cold and resolute look.

"We are ultimately not from the same world. This is just a short stop on my journey through life. Now that I have awakened, it is time for me to leave. I... am free." The woman murmured, coldly, and turned to leave, walking out of the starry sky and into the universe.

She did not want to meet the will of Luo Tian or the parrot here.

After she left, the Thunder Emperor's body floated in the starry sky of the Supreme Immortal Realm, gradually withering. However, his armor softened and became semi-transparent. This transformation was due to the woman's tears, which, upon her memory awakening, combined the power of her past and present.

These tears seemed to give the armor a soul, a fragment of the Thunder Emperor's soul that should have died.

When the Thunder Emperor's body turned to ashes, the armor merged with it. Years later, it gained consciousness, understanding that it was immortal but not absolute. It could no longer transform into armor or sacrifice itself to protect anyone.

If it did so, the power of immortality would dissipate.

Apart from this, it had no memories, a blank slate. It wandered in the world, gradually discovering that it liked to chatter, liked to educate bullies, and could not count...

Until one day, it met a parrot that had flown out of a bronze mirror...

"Hey, what a big armor monster! Come here, let me take a closer look. Why don't you have any fur?"

"Go away, you bully! I will educate you!"

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