Fengxi stared dazedly at Xiao Chen for a long time before finally shaking his head and sighing. "Forget it. We can talk about it when old Qing Chen comes back. The Annihilation Times are upon us. His own seal should be opened as well."

"Is Perfected Immortal Qing Chen coming?"

Xiao Chen couldn't help feeling flabbergasted. Perfected Immortal Qing Chen had warned him not to cause an accident in the Middle Continent before he left. But he seemed to have truly gotten into serious trouble this time. He asked again, "What's the Annihilation Times? What is his own seal? Is Perfected Immortal Qing Chen a Nirvana Realm cultivator as well?"

Fengxi sank into a contemplative mood with a myriad of expressions crossing his face. After a long time, he finally replied, "It's hard for me to explain the seal of his own, but the Annihilation Times are indeed upon us. This time, there's no room for escape."

The more ambiguous his replies were, the more anxious Xiao Chen became. He had the feeling that everything that was happening had something to do with him. "What's the Annihilation Times? Give me a straight answer. Is it because of the Devil Clan's invasion of the Human World?"

Fengxi shook his head. "The Devil Clan's invasion of the Human World isn't a big enough event to be considered as the Annihilation Times." Speaking of this, he looked at Xiao Chen and continued, "Kid, do you know what the Natural Law is?"

Natural Law? It was often said that the Natural Law was uncertain and boundless; it was something that couldn't and shouldn't be made sense of. This had always been an abstract concept to him. Moments of silence later, Xiao Chen asked, "Does the Natural Law truly exist in this world? Is it more than just a lofty and baseless idea preached by the people?"

Fengxi nodded. "The Natural Law is the supreme existence in this world. It watches over every movement in the world. You can also call it a form of code. No one can decipher this code, not even the legendary Supreme Realm cultivators."

Supreme Realm!

Xiao Chen's heart jolted in surprise. That was a taboo word. Regardless of how one chose to cultivate, be it through becoming a Great Golden Immortal or a Peerless Devil King, the ultimate purpose of one was to enter the Supreme Realm and attain true immortality to become equal to heaven!

However, the truth was that the Supreme Realm only existed in the imagination of the people. Since the splitting of heaven and earth, not a single one had ever achieved the realm.

The two of them fell into a long silence before Fengxi said, "There's someone who once attained the Supreme Realm."

"What?!" Xiao Chen had never been more shocked in his life. If that person had attained the Supreme Realm, wouldn't that mean that he or she would be capable of contending against the Natural Law?

"The first Devil G.o.d of the Archean Eon. He abandoned his family name, and the ancient texts show that people have only ever known his t.i.tle. He was called the Heaven Exterminator!"

"Heaven Exterminator!" Xiao Chen's heart sank. Just the name alone was enough to tell him that this person was surely the one who had led all living things into fighting the Natural Law.

Fengxi nodded and added, "But he failed. It was his attempt that brought about the first Annihilation Times. The so-called Annihilation Times refer to the fury of the Natural Law, resulting in the downfall of all G.o.ds and the ruination of all living things. Everything returns to naught. Life will restart only ten thousand years later."

Shock hit Xiao Chen hard. The Natural Law was as terrifying as it was ruthless. Could this world be one big wheel of reincarnation? No one could surpa.s.s the Natural Law, and any attempt to do so would result in the arrival of the Annihilation Times.

"Cultivation itself is a form of defiance of the natural order. It was also Heaven Exterminator's attempt that made the Natural Law feel the genuine threat as well as the true terror of living beings. Since then, it didn't allow any existence that could threaten it. So whenever the power of the living reached a saturation point, it would inevitably begin the Annihilation Times and plunge the living into the cycle of reincarnation. Be it Immortals, Devils, or G.o.ds, all of them would be annihilated without exception."

Xiao Chen's expression was still colored with shock. He muttered, "Then what's the point of cultivating? No one can decipher the code of the Natural Law and fight it. If annihilation is the only thing that awaits at the end, what's the point of cultivating even if we become Immortal Kings or G.o.d Kings? If this is the case, then the Natural Law is a true nightmare."

Fengxi shook his head. "No. The truth is that the Natural Law fears the living and what we can do. The reason lies in that his vital Qi was badly harmed in his great battle against the Heaven Exterminator. He's unable to fight a person of Heaven Exterminator's caliber anymore. So he fears that someone similar to Heaven Exterminator will show up in this world again."

"Is that why he's annihilating all living things again and again? Is that the so-called code of the Natural Law? Is that the Natural Law that all living things look up to?" Xiao Chen sneered.

Fengxi didn't comment. After a long period of silence, he said, "We have the Heavenly Emperor reigning in the Heaven Realm above us and the Earthly Monarch ruling the Human Realm below. Who among them doesn't behave the same? If an existence which is about to surpa.s.s their power shows up, they will view it as the greatest threat to their life. Do you think they'll turn a blind eye to it?"

Xiao Chen was still sneering. To him, this couldn't be the true Natural Law. The real thing ought to love the common people as they loved their children, not annihilating all living things once and again. The idea of going against the Natural Law seemed so unbelievable that it was borderline ridiculous. Even the first devil G.o.d that led all living things to fight the Natural Law seemed ludicrous. Moments later, he asked, "How do you know that the Annihilation Times are coming?"

"The Annihilation Times should have arrived 7,000 years ago. But for some unknown reason, all the Immortals and Devils died or disappeared without a trace. Thus, it was not activated then."

Xiao Chen was astonished. 7,000 years ago ought to be his original time. What happened back then remained a mystery to him. Why was the Mystic Cyan Sect destroyed? Why did the so-called undying Immortals and Devils die? Why did he reawaken thousands of years later? It was all a mystery to him, a puzzle within a puzzle!

Fengxi contemplated for a long time before saying, "The Annihilation Times has three stages. The first stage is that a great number of young experts will make an abrupt rise. Cultivators will see an increase in their cultivation speed. Hermit cultivators will show themselves, and there will be never-ending wars all around. In the first stage, even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators are no more than cannon fodder."

"In the second stage, ancient cultivation sects and clans will reveal themselves and vie for supremacy. Immortal Kings in the heaven's realm will go to war, resulting in the upheaval of the Six Realms. In this stage, even Grand Completion Realm cultivators are no more than cannon fodder."

He continued, "The third stage marks the downfall of every G.o.d in this world. Legend has it that there were cultivators, who were outside the battlefield of the previous Annihilation Times, made their return. The world has perished, and the Six Realms have collapsed. Thus, the third stage is also called the Age of Dharma Decline."

It was rare for Xiao Chen to see Fengxi look so earnest, so he didn't interrupt. Moments later, he finally asked, "Is it that bad?" "You only found about this so-called The Annihilation Times from the ancient texts. It could be very well made-up by some bored Taoist. Don't you think you're all overreacting about this?"

A solemn-faced Fengxi shook his head. "Not at all. Look, the entire Violet Manor is in chaos from the moment you show up. Isn't that the clearest signal that the Annihilation Times are upon us?"

"F*ck! How can you blame that on me? Why don't you just go ahead and say I'm the cause of the Annihilation Times?"

"Hehe! That's not impossible!"

Fengxi coughed twice. "Enough. Let's get back to business. The final stage of the Annihilation Times 7,000 years ago should have begun with the collapse of the Six Realms. However, only the Demon Realm collapsed while the remaining five were left intact. I think there's a lot more to it. Perhaps it has something to do with the ancient scroll. If my a.s.sumption is correct, there is a s.p.a.ce in the scroll which records the whole truth of the incident."

Xiao Chen contemplated this for a moment. The Six Realms didn't collapse when they should. Did a Deity appear at the end and save all living creatures from the crisis? Looking helpless, he spread out his hands and said, "I can guess that too, but what can I do with it? I couldn't find any Immortal King's Bones or scrolls even after roaming the Changyin Mountain Range."

To be frank, the Annihilation Times or even the end of the world all seemed too distant for him. His only purpose now was to find his Master, Ling Yin. The world would end, but so what? He only wanted to see his master again. If he could, he would have nothing to regret even if he died.

"Forget it and let's talk about something else. Kid, how are you going to handle the recent affairs? Immortals' League isn't as simple as you think."

Just as Xiao Chen was about to sink into a sorrowful mood, Fengxi abruptly interrupted his train of thoughts. He gave a little shrug with his hands outstretched and put on the look of a fearless hoodlum. "Those people are already dead; am I supposed to revive them one by one? Besides, Zuoqiu family provoked me first. If they start a fire, am I not allowed to extinguish it?"

Fengxi shook his head, sighing. "Youngsters are always fearless. Have you never considered the consequences before acting?"

Xiao Chen didn't answer. Thinking about it now, the Immortals' League seemed like they wouldn't be easy to deal with. Putting aside the fact that they had Rogue Immortals backing them up, he would have a hard time fighting their other experts. Even though he could ask Bai Susu and the rest for help, it wasn't a good idea to trouble them every time.

Must he flee for fear of punishment? If he somehow ran into an acquaintance from thousands of years ago as a wanted criminal, wouldn't that be very embarra.s.sing? Thus, he asked, "Is the Immortals' League truly omnipotent? Do they poke their nose into everything?"

"Not entirely. There are at least three places where they have no control over. The first is the Spirit Silence Room. They would never interfere with the affairs of the Spirit Silence Room. The second is the Administration of Heaven, where they're powerless to interfere. The third... Well, the third... It's an area where they can't control even though they want to."

Xiao Chen's heart tightened. Bai Susu and the others seemed to be under the purview of the Spirit Silence Room. The Administration of Heaven was a mysterious organization that dealt with souls. What about the third? He asked, "What's the third place?"

Fengxi coughed twice. "Don't ask. Either way, just think long and hard about how you'll handle this. Immortals' League will likely come here to catch you in a few days. Since we're acquaintances, I advise you not to think of running away."

"Who said I would run away? If worse comes to worst, I'll just overturn the Immortals' League instead!" Xiao Chen retorted in anger. Just as he was talking, one of the ladies from the Hidden Fragrance Wafting Under the Moon entered the room.

"Master, you have a guest."