Chapter 280 - How Can This Be a Forbidden Zone Master

The wind was calm.　　The water was still, without a ripple.　　Chen Xia stood in the midst of his Heart Lake. As he looked up, he saw the entire Sea of Swords before him.　　At the forefront, the tip of an Immortal Sword stood at the highest point, not merging with the Sea of Swords. Perhaps it looked down upon these three million flying swords, or maybe it simply despised Chen Xia.　　After all, at the level of an Immortal Sword, everything below Quasi-Saints was mere ants.　　Ordinary Heaven-Filling Realm cultivators were even less than that; they were cannon fodder who would die in droves from a single shockwave of sword qi.　　Chen Xia could summon this tip of the Immortal Sword and discard it, but he couldn't wield it.　　If he truly wanted to wield the Immortal Sword, it would likely require a Quasi-Saint cultivator like Fisherman. Even so, a seasoned Quasi-Saint like Fisherman wouldn't be able to use the Immortal Sword for long. When he fought White Emperor, he suffered backlash from the Immortal Sword.　　Following the Immortal Sword was the Bronze Sword, known as a Half-Immortal Sword, which also counted as one of Chen Xia's trump cards.　　Though both contain the word "half" and are associated with Immortal Swords, the gap between a Half-Immortal Sword and a half of an Immortal Sword was vast.　　To forge an Immortal Sword, there was one major condition: it must be cast by a Great Emperor who had reached the peak of the Sword Path using their true intent of the Sword Path to create a sword spirit. Only then could the flying sword be called an Immortal Sword.　　Thus, Immortal Swords were specifically the swords of Great Emperors, each containing the Sword Path true intent of a Great Emperor.　　It's worth mentioning that the last Great Emperor of the Azure Sky Sword Sea, the Sword Venerable Emperor, did not have his own Immortal Sword. He used the Immortal Sword left behind by the founding emperor of the Azure Sky Sword Sea, which is the giant sword lying across the center.　　Now it has been passed into Chen Xia's hands, serving as the inheritance of the Azure Sky Sword Sea. Unfortunately, it cannot be used yet.　　Chen Xia lowered his head and walked slowly on the Heart Lake without causing any ripples.　　Occasionally, he could see glimpses of past experiences, unclear and hazy.　　Chen Xia didn't look closely. He just walked straight ahead, clearly walking on his Heart Lake, yet without causing any disturbance.　　His face was expressionless.　　"How pitiful," a mocking voice suddenly sounded, echoing through Chen Xia's mind.　　Chen Xia stopped, turning to look where the voice came from.　　There was a blurry figure, indistinct in form and appearance, visible only by the crimson eyes at its head.　　Meeting gazes, Chen Xia couldn't identify this figure but felt strangely familiar.　　"Don't think too hard, you'll understand soon enough," the blurry voice continued, sounding exactly like Chen Xia.　　Chen Xia nodded, roughly knowing who the blurry figure was. He turned back and continued walking slowly on the Heart Lake.　　The blurry figure's voice continued.　　"How laughable, trying to avoid worldly affairs but unable to escape them. Without decisive means, you end up troubling yourself."　　"If I were you, I'd find a place no one knows about and truly sever all mortal ties."　　"Or be more ruthless, cut off the source of your troubles in one swift stroke."　　"If I were you, how could I be trapped by such trivial matters? It's ridiculous."　　He paused, silent for a moment, then laughed softly.　　"No... I am you."　　Chen Xia's eyes snapped open. Before him was a small house. He was sitting cross-legged inside, with Zhang Daoming's elderly voice calling from outside.　　He had returned to the realm.　　Chen Xia exhaled deeply, slowly standing up, pushing open the door, and waving to Zhang Daoming who was cultivating medicinal fields.　　"Old Zhang."　　Zhang Daoming was momentarily stunned, then smiled, "Your seclusion is over?"　　"Pretty much." Chen Xia replied, strolling over to Zhang Daoming and asked, "Anything happened these years?"　　Zhang Daoming shook his head, "Just over a century, what could happen?"　　"True." Chen Xia nodded. A century was not much to a cultivator.　　Zhang Daoming chuckled, then suddenly said, "If we're talking about events, Senior Wang Yangzi's visit should count. He came looking for you, preparing you for the upcoming Great Dead Region battle."　　"I'm prepared, but nothing can be certain. Let's just hope for the best," Chen Xia replied.　　If not for the Immortal World's participation in the Great Dead Region battle, Chen Xia wouldn't go. He might just stay in the realm until old age.　　But life is like that; many things aren't about willingness but necessity.　　The tide of fate pushes you forward.　　Though Chen Xia was immortal, he couldn't escape causality.　　He smoothed out his green robe, recalling what Wang Yangzi told him, deciding to visit Triumph Mountain to uncover its secrets.　　He vaguely mentioned it to Zhang Daoming before swiftly disappearing.　　Zhang Daoming coughed twice, exhaling turbid breath, with a clear sign of twilight on his face.　　Life, after all, revolves around birth, aging, illness, and death.　　Inescapable, unavoidable.　　He was getting close too.　　————　　In the middle layer of the realm, the quiet Triumph Mountain received visitors after a hundred years.　　It was Chen Xia paying a visit.　　All the cultivators of Triumph Mountain knew Chen Xia, the top figure in the middle layer of the realm. They didn't dare to be rude and quickly welcomed him inside.　　Then the patriarch Qin Ji came to greet, bowing respectfully.　　"We've invited you for many years, never expecting you to come on your own. Triumph Mountain feels honored."　　"You better really want me here," Chen Xia replied coolly.　　Qin Ji smiled respectfully, gesturing inward, "Please enter."　　The entire Triumph Mountain suddenly opened, their bodies sinking into a crimson hall. The walls were made of flesh, pulsating continuously.　　At the far end of the hall,　　A flesh statue sat at the highest point, its eyes glowing red, emitting an aura of wickedness.　　Qin Ji bowed respectfully.　　"Greetings, Lord."　　The flesh statue didn't respond, staring directly at Chen Xia, not at his face but into his eyes.　　In Chen Xia's eyes, he saw another pair of eyes.　　A pair of crimson eyes.　　He had seen these eyes before, within Chen Xia's body, nearly killed by a sword strike.　　The flesh statue began to tremble, unable to meet Chen Xia's gaze, ignoring the respectful Qin Ji beside it.　　Chen Xia watched quietly, suddenly frowning as he noticed the statue's trembling.　　What does this mean?　　Suddenly giving up?　　Silence filled the hall. Qin Ji remained bowed, making no other movements or sounds.　　The flesh statue finally spoke, weakly addressing Chen Xia.　　"Brother, I was wrong!"　　The bowed Qin Ji shuddered, struggling to maintain composure.　　This is the Master of the Forbidden Zone?