Chapter 21: Echoes of Ancient Dreams

Nathan's eyes darkened after the young Steven kicked him into the palace, utterly unaware of anything.

It was unclear how long it had been since he woke up, only to feel a terrible pain in his left chest. Looking down, he suddenly discovered a gray arrow piercing his left chest, with black blood continuously oozing from the wound, a sight to behold.

I... where am I?

Trying to suppress the pain, Nathan forced himself to get up and look around, the horror in his eyes deepening.

Where were these ruins? He was currently lying on an extremely soft bed with a body made from the wood of the Essence Rebirth Divine Tree, covered with a piece of white skin from the ancient White Tiger Beast, all of which were top-notch materials that only appeared in legends.

Nether King is awake?

A gentle female voice sounded. Nathan looked back and saw a beautiful young girl holding a basin of water walking towards him.

Rest assured, Nether King! The Demon Lord has invited the Divine Architect; he should be able to pull out the Chaos Arrow!

Nathan was stunned. What is this Hell King? What is this Divine Architect? Could it be that he has crossed over again?

No, the girl's words referenced the Demon Lord, indicating that this is an ancient era. Could it be a dream scene in Alaca King's memory that he wants to use to test and find his successor?

Thinking carefully, Nathan found that his guess was eight or nine parts correct. Many immortal novels have secret realms like this.

Memories often contain regrets and doubts. That being said, if he wanted to obtain Alaca King's legacy, he needed to resolve his regrets and doubts. After pondering for some time, he gestured to the maid and asked:

Do you remember my name?

The beautiful maid giggled.

The Nether King is joking again; wasn't it the Chaos Arrow that caused you to lose your memory? Besides the name Yama, what other name could you have?

Hell King!

Nathan took a deep breath. This was one of the Ten Great Kings before Hansen, Demon Lord, in ancient times. After the Bright Realm collapsed, the Demon Lord fell, and all the Ten Great Kings died. In ancient times, another demon lord named Yama appeared. However, the entire world remains uncertain as to whether this Hell King is the same individual as the Hell King.

In the forbidden years of ancient times, there must be some earth-shattering secret hidden!

Nathan began to calculate what to do next.

After a long while, a young man with starry eyes and sword-like eyebrows suddenly walked in from outside, with a man in yellow clothes beside him.

- Nathan!

- Kaden!

The young man exclaimed in surprise, while Nathan on the opposite side also expressed disbelief.

The yellow-clothed man frowned.

What's wrong with you two, Brother Hell and Brother Jiang San?

Kaden withdrew his surprised expression, looked at Nathan deeply, and said:

This is the Creation Heavenly Venerable of the human race, invited by the Demon Lord to treat you!

I've heard of your name for a long time!

Nathan nodded, fully embracing his character, and laid down for the yellow-clothed man to treat him.

I only saw him take out a pair of gloves that were exactly like Kaden's tattered gloves before, then put them on and forcefully pull out the gray arrow.

So, Kaden is the successor to the Divine Architect!

The twelve Heavenly Venerables of the human race were the pinnacle existences of the ancient era, worshiped by all living beings. Their magical power was heaven-sent, and although their cultivation was lower, their status was completely comparable to that of human-level experts. After the “forbidden period,” these twelve Heavenly Venerables all fell, and even their names gradually faded away in the hearts of all living beings.

If it weren’t for this dream, Nathan wouldn’t have known that the nickname “The Divine Architect” belonged to the yellow-robed man before him.

Endure the pain!

The yellow-robed man grabbed the Chaos Arrow and pulled hard. Nathan's life force was crazily absorbed by countless gray runes that emanated from the Chaos Arrow and stuck tightly to the wound.

Xie Xie!

The yellow-robed man shouted loudly, the golden light around him shining brightly, completely eliminating these runes.

Although it was just a dream, the pain was very real. Nathan thought that his endurance was very high and couldn't help but let out a scream that shook the entire palace.

You only need to heal for a while before you fully recover. Now I have to return to the battlefield with the immortal world; otherwise, the human race will be in danger.

Thank you, The Divine Architect, for your help!

Nathan and Kaden waited for the yellow-robed man to leave and stared at each other.

How did you get here?

Nathan spoke first.

Kaden replied:

You just entered the secret realm; not long ago, I also entered. I didn't expect to wake up and discover myself as the Jiang San Nether King! I guess this secret realm wants to challenge us to solve a regretful problem in Alaca King's memories. But I have searched for days and still cannot find what that regret is.

I think this is simple; just go find him and ask him directly!

Nathan offered a solution, but Kaden immediately shook his head:

When we entered the era, the six realms were in a great war. "Yo" The human race sent you, Alaca King, and Fortified City Nether King to the northern battlefield to fight against the reinforcements of the demon world and the chaos world." Chaos Arrow, however, seriously injured you. Fortified City sent you to retreat; the Alaca stayed behind to block the rear, along with the Divine Architect, who has not returned yet!

While still outside the ruins, through the mouth of the young Steven, Nathan learned that the Divine Architect was the beauty of the Alaca. Could it be that his deepest regret stemmed from her?

Oh, I forgot; I haven't told you yet. There were two people who followed us into the secret realm. One of them was Quentin of Aquatic Dao. He is currently playing the role of Protector of Qin Nether King, displaying extreme complacency as he spends his entire day calling on the beauties of the underworld to perform lewd acts.

Kaden solemnly continued:

Additionally, there is a character who possesses such immense power that I am uncertain if I can defeat him. This individual, judging by his aura, bears a resemblance to the greatest intellects in my position.

Where do you live? Aren't you from the Chu Yu Empire?

Nathan asked in surprise.

The Chu Yu Empire has few talents; the legacy is weak and can't withstand a single blow. I'm not so unfortunate to have been born here!

Kaden smiled and continued:

You must be familiar with the East Sea. I come from the Levant Sea, and I am a loose cultivator.

Hearing this, Nathan couldn't help but take a cold breath. Loose cultivators are already powerful enough to defy the heavens, opening up a sea of suffering for nearly eighty thousand zhang. So how terrifying are the supreme geniuses in his words?

The Levant Sea is home to at least seven supreme geniuses who have achieved Qi condensation of ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine zhang, a level considered perfect in this realm. The one who came in with us, called The Laughing Slayer, probably has the same cultivation level; he is currently playing the role of The Warrior's Path Nether King, the one who is said to have the most potential to become the next Demon Lord.

A powerful immortal ambushed Alaca King, leaving a spear in his soul, preventing him from becoming a Demon Lord in this life. Consequently, The Warrior's Path took his place, emerging as Bright Realm's greatest hope. Should Bright Realm encounter another demon lord, the outcome of this tragic war is likely to change.

Do you believe that if we lose ourselves in our memories, we will also lose our lives in the real world?

Nathan suddenly had a doubt, so he discussed it with Kaden.

I feel like nine out of ten are like that. So we must be extremely careful. In the near future, according to history, there will be a great war between the six realms, and this time the outcome of the Bright Realm will be very tragic. Six Nether Kings died in battle; if we happen to be one of these six, we are doomed!

At this moment, a demon guard from outside ran in and knelt down to report.

Dear two lords, Alaca King has returned, covered in blood, holding in his arms the dying Divine Architect...

Both Nathan and Kaden looked solemn. As expected, the regret and confusion in Alaca King's memories started with this celestial being named Zi Ha.

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After Kaden said goodbye, Quentin and The Laughing Slayer appeared one after another to pay him a visit the following week.

They also did not have any good intentions; the purpose of their visit was to probe the truth about the three remaining rivals.

Quentin, who had experienced the feeling of being the Nether King who held the life and death of countless beings in his hands, was extremely proud, and his way of speaking became arrogant.

Hell is the weakest of the ten Nether Kings; if you know how to be sensible, then become my subordinate. When I obtain the legacy of the Immovable, I will treat you well, appoint you as a general, and conquer the world with me!

This Quentin seems to have considered himself the real Nether King, even calling Alaca King's nickname without any hesitation.

Faced with this blunt provocation, even though Nathan really wanted to explode and kill him, he still had to hold back, mainly for two reasons.

First, Hell is really the weakest of the ten Nether Kings. Nathan's research confirms this. The secret realm was founded on Alaca King's memories, proving that no matter how strong your external strength is, it holds no value.

Second, this is a secret realm designed to resolve Alaca King's inner conflict; if he now kills Quentin without a reason, it could lead to his disapproval. Nathan is a person with as much courage as the sky, willing to risk his life, but on the condition that he must calculate carefully and consider every situation.

After Quentin left, the Laughing Slayer also arrived.

Facing this black-clothed youth, Nathan couldn't help but show a solemn expression. This person was truly formidable; just his demeanor and eyes were enough to cause a demon to arise in the person's heart, giving the impression that no matter how hard he tried to cultivate, he would never be able to compare to him.

"Your performance in the first secret realm is truly terrifying."

After clasping his hands behind his back and staring at Nathan for a considerable amount of time, The Laughing Slayer slowly spoke:

"You flatter me too much; I'm just a small Qi condensation cultivator of less than twenty thousand zhang, not worth your attention!"

Nathan smiled in response.

He didn't treat this person in a condescending manner, but instead, he was interested in exploring his character. Suppose this was an arrogant and competitive person. Nathan would have a hundred thousand ways to scheme against him, even forcing him to his death.

However, what the Laughing Slayer showed was truly something he couldn't see. He could only see him shake his head and smile lightly.

"Cultivation is temporary; only a steadfast Dao heart can make a strong person." I believe that in this secret realm, only brother Nathan is worthy to be my opponent!

The Laughing Slayer smiled half-heartedly, then clasped his hands and left.

Seeing the black-clothed figure disappear from the garden in Hell Palace, Nathan's expression became gloomy.

Defeating a supreme genius with a perfect personality and cultivation is truly more difficult than ascending to heaven!