Inside the Haotian Mirror.
As the Immortal Emperor spoke of the impending destruction of the epoch, where all would be devoured by darkness, the immortals within the palace could no longer maintain their composure.
One of them urgently asked, "Immortal Emperor, is there truly no way to prevent this, even with all the power of the Immortal Realm combined?"
All eyes turned to the Immortal Emperor, hoping that he might have a way to avert this catastrophe and lead them through this crisis.
"All things must eventually decay; this is an immutable law of the Heavenly Dao," the Immortal Emperor sighed. "Have you all, who have lived for countless ages, still not come to terms with life and death?"
Hearing this, the immortals looked down, ashamed.
Indeed, they had lived for untold centuries. Compared to the beings of the lower realms, they were already extremely fortunate, having experienced the most wondrous aspects of life.
Since the destruction of the epoch was inevitable, it was better to face it with acceptance than to live in fear and anxiety.
"Thank you, Immortal Emperor, for your guidance," the immortals responded, bowing respectfully. Their expressions cleared, and the fear in their eyes dissipated.
With their time now limited, they decided to cherish the days they had left, without regrets.
Despite being immortals, they were not without emotions. In the past, they might have postponed certain things out of pride or because they believed there was always more time. But now, knowing that the Immortal Realm would soon cease to exist, and that they too would perish with the epoch, they resolved to seize the remaining days and leave no regrets.
After bidding farewell to one another, the immortals began to leave the Immortal Court.
Once they had all departed, the Immortal Emperor turned his gaze to the stone pillar where Xuanwei and Xiao Fan were hiding and chuckled softly, "How much longer do you plan on hiding?"
Xuanwei and Xiao Fan slowly emerged from behind the pillar.
Xuanwei frowned, her eyes filled with concern as she looked at the Immortal Emperor.
"Old man, is there really no way to survive this calamity?"
"Daughter, I didn't know you could be scared," the Immortal Emperor teased, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Stupid old man, I'm being serious here! Stop joking around!" Xuanwei snapped, her irritation evident.
"Alright, alright, I'll be serious," the Immortal Emperor replied, his expression turning solemn as he looked at Xuanwei with a grave expression.
"The destruction of the epoch is an unavoidable law of the Heavenly Dao," he began. "But destruction also brings forth new life."
As he spoke, the Immortal Emperor's gaze shifted to Xiao Fan.
Xiao Fan, feeling puzzled, wondered what the Immortal Emperor was implying.
Just then, Xuanwei, who had been standing beside him, suddenly collapsed into his arms, unconscious.
Holding the now-sleeping Xuanwei, Xiao Fan looked at the Immortal Emperor, sensing that there was something the Immortal Emperor wanted to tell him alone.
"Immortal Emperor, is there something you wish to tell me?" Xiao Fan asked directly.
Seeing how quickly Xiao Fan had caught on, the Immortal Emperor's eyes showed a hint of appreciation.
"Xiao Fan, you must have realized by now that you are an exceptionally unique existence," the Immortal Emperor said.
Hearing this, Xiao Fan recalled the state he had been in earlier—neither alive nor dead, without a physical body or a soul. It was as if he had died, yet not truly perished. He also remembered being summoned by some special power from within the forbidden zone of the Immortal Realm.
"Immortal Emperor, I would be grateful if you could enlighten me," Xiao Fan replied, seeking clarification.
The Immortal Emperor didn't keep him in suspense and began to explain, "Before our epoch, countless epochs have already been destroyed."
"The destruction of an old epoch always coincides with the birth of a new one, over and over again, endlessly. This is an eternal law of the Heavenly Dao."
Xiao Fan felt a pang of melancholy upon hearing this. The Immortal Emperor's words meant that the cycle of old giving way to new was inevitable.
The Immortal Emperor continued, "Whenever an old epoch is about to be destroyed, a unique being always emerges. This being is both a witness to the destruction of the old epoch and a creator of the new one."
"The destruction of an epoch doesn't mean that everything is reduced to nothingness. Instead, all things are devoured and condensed into a single point."
"I call this point the Singularity."
"The Singularity then explodes, giving birth to a new world."
"The newly born world lacks any rules of the Heavenly Dao. The task of this unique being is to establish those rules for the new world."
Xiao Fan was deeply shocked by this revelation. Not even the other immortals were likely aware of such matters.
The Immortal Emperor wouldn't have shared these secrets without reason. Although Xiao Fan had a suspicion that he might be the unique being chosen for this task, he still found it hard to believe.
He also wondered how the Immortal Emperor had come to know all of this. Could the Immortal Emperor himself have been the unique being who witnessed the destruction of the previous epoch and the birth of the current one?
It wasn't an unreasonable thought. After all, if anyone else had told him this, he wouldn't have believed it.
The Immortal Emperor seemed to sense Xiao Fan's doubts and smiled faintly, "I wasn't fortunate enough to be chosen."
"Perhaps you've heard that in the lower realms' Heavenly Court, there is an artifact that has existed since the beginning of time—the Haotian Mirror."
"I have indeed heard of it," Xiao Fan replied, though he wasn't sure why the Immortal Emperor was bringing it up.
The Immortal Emperor laughed heartily, "To be honest, I once stumbled upon the Haotian Mirror by chance and discovered the secret of the destruction and rebirth of epochs. I then established the Heavenly Court, taking on the responsibility of overseeing all the realms on behalf of the Haotian Mirror."
Upon hearing this, the Jade Pool Empress outside the Haotian Mirror could no longer contain herself.
The Immortal Emperor was the first ruler of the Heavenly Court!
No wonder the Immortal Court in the Immortal Realm was identical to the Heavenly Court in the lower realms. It had all been created by the same person.
But what the Immortal Emperor was revealing now was far more shocking than anyone could have imagined!
As she thought about Xiao Fan being the chosen unique being, the Jade Pool Empress was filled with intense jealousy and anger.
Why Xiao Fan?
The people watching were all stunned into silence. The information being revealed was beyond their comprehension.
But they all had the same question: why was Xiao Fan the chosen one?
Inside the Haotian Mirror.
Xiao Fan was puzzled. Did the Immortal Emperor mean that the Haotian Mirror itself was the unique being chosen during the previous epoch?
Seeing Xiao Fan's confusion, the Immortal Emperor elaborated, "The unique being chosen for this task doesn't have to be a person. It could be an inanimate object, like the Haotian Mirror, which might have originally been just an ordinary mirror."
"Oh, and one more important thing—the selection of this unique being isn't random. It's appointed!"
"To put it simply, the current unique being designates the next one."
"And you were chosen by the Haotian Mirror!"
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*Author's Note:* Shamelessly asking for some free gifts here, since the system has been rather stingy lately. I'm counting on all of you to support me!
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8