Lieyin Patriarch was acutely aware that the time left for the Present Era was not much.
No!
To be precise, it wasn't the time left for the Present Era, but rather the time the Present Era was leaving for them was running short.
Ever since the Heavenly Secrets Matriarch proclaimed to heaven and earth that Original Sin was not a sin, the prelude had already been drawn.
This was a war.
A war to seize the initiative.
The initiative was nothing else but Original Sin.
Whoever could seize the initiative of Original Sin would dominate the future.
Conversely, to miss the initiative of Original Sin was to miss the future.
To be honest.
If possible, Lieyin Patriarch truly did not want to contend for any initiative regarding Original Sin.
But the current situation no longer allowed him to abstain from the struggle. Not contending meant being eliminated, perhaps even facing annihilation.
Given such circumstances, how could he not contend?
He had begun his cultivation in the Primordial Era, passing through the Ancient Era, the Antiquity Era, all the way to the Present Era. With each era's end, giants across the Myriad Heavens had been tragically eliminated and fallen into oblivion for missing the initiative.
Moreover, this initiative of Original Sin was also implicated with the Great Desolate Era, which buried many Great Dao Progenitors, and even the Daoless Era, which concealed the true essence of the Great Dao. It concerned the fate of the Three Thousand Great Daos and the life and death of all living beings.
Missing other initiatives, even if tragically eliminated and fallen, still left a chance to rise again. But if one missed this initiative of Original Sin, there would likely be no opportunity for a second chance.
If heaven and earth truly had cycles of reincarnation, the previous Primordial, Ancient, and Antiquity Eras could only be considered a minor cycle.
If the Daoless Era truly opened during this Present Era, then it would be a major cycle.
The Zixia Immortal Realm's journey had been arduous. As a Supreme Elder of the Zixia Immortal Realm, Lieyin Patriarch had the responsibility and duty to contend for the future initiative on behalf of the Zixia Immortal Realm.
Thus, Lieyin Patriarch, Yuyang Immortal King, Tian Kui, and over ten other Ancestral Patriarchs discussed while preparing to depart from these ruins to rendezvous with the other patriarchs.
Although their cultivation and strength were profound and powerful, one surpassing the other, they were far from sufficient to charge out from here. Moreover, outside was the Great Desolate Black Hole filled with endless chaotic currents. With their strength, they might barely hold on for a while, but if it lasted long, they simply couldn't withstand it. When they first arrived, they had witnessed many patriarchs from other immortal realms being crushed to dust by the chaotic currents within the Great Desolate Black Hole.
Fortunately, Lieyin Patriarch possessed a Great Dao treasure. Although it was an Acquired Great Dao treasure, it was sufficiently powerful, at least capable of helping them resist the chaotic currents of the Great Desolate Black Hole.
Lieyin Patriarch was a very cautious person. Before setting out, he was inspecting the Acquired Great Dao treasure for any potential safety hazards.
And at that very moment, a group of seven or eight people flew over from the distance.
Seeing these seven or eight people.
Whether it was Lieyin Patriarch, Yuyang Immortal King, or the other patriarchs, their expressions all stiffened. They all recognized the approaching seven or eight people—they were from the Nine Heavens' Changfeng Immortal Palace, and moreover, they were the master of Changfeng Immortal Palace, Changfeng Great Emperor, and his Dao Companion, Qianye Immortal King.
The Nine Heavens presided over the Immortal Dao, and in the Present Era, the Immortal Dao dominated the Myriad Heavens. In other words, in the Present Era, the Nine Heavens were also the rulers of heaven and earth, supreme and peerless existences.
The status of Nine Heavens Immortals was so lofty it commanded awe. Even the most ordinary Nine Heavens Immortal, upon appearing in the Great Wasteland, would be lavishly hosted by any immortal dynasty ruling a world or any immortal court ruling a celestial domain. Not to mention Nine Heavens Immortals, even a spirit beast from the Nine Heavens was something no one dared provoke.
The reason was simple.
Any Nine Heavens Immortal had a terrifyingly vast background.
Either from this Immortal Palace or that Immortal Palace, and the masters of these Immortal Palaces were either this Great Emperor or that Great Emperor. Just hearing the names was enough to scare someone to death.
Of course.
Given the Zixia Immortal Realm's status in the Great Wasteland, they wouldn't necessarily hold Nine Heavens Immortals in high regard. No matter how vast the background, the Zixia Immortal Realm did not fear them.
The problem was, those arriving now were not just any Nine Heavens Immortal Palace immortals, but the Changfeng Great Emperor of the Nine Heavens' Immortal Palace.
Even Lieyin Patriarch couldn't help but secretly draw a sharp breath.
Changfeng Great Emperor was absolutely a legendary Great Emperor. His legendary tales were widely circulated throughout the Myriad Heavens.
He was born in the Ancient Era, achieving fame at a young age. While still very young, he had already ascended to immortality. On the Celestial Ladder, he seized the top position in one fell swoop, making his name renowned throughout the Great Wasteland.
After obtaining the Heavenly Mandate Emperor's Seal, he entered the Nine Heavens, established the Changfeng Immortal Palace, once fought alone against the hordes of demons from the Nine Abysses, and also single-handedly slaughtered until the evil ghosts of the Ghost Dao fled at the mere sight of him. He had challenged Ghost Emperors in single combat, battled Demon Emperors, wounded Demon Emperors...
With his own strength, he had slain many terrifying desolate beasts, and once severed a chaotic storm sweeping across the Great Wasteland with a single sword strike. There were far too many legendary stories about Changfeng Great Emperor. If one had to mention the most brilliant and praiseworthy, it would be that battle at the end of the Antiquity Era, when he fiercely fought the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, Gu Tianlang.
Back then.
The Nine Heavens, in order to eradicate the Nether Emperor, stopped at nothing, dispatching countless experts to besiege him. In the end, they either died or were destroyed, and even descending divine judgment proved futile.
At the end of the Antiquity Era, most of the Nine Heavens' Ancestral Patriarchs had already entered slumber, preparing to welcome the arrival of the Present Era. Although there were still many powerful experts in the Nine Heavens at that time, few could suppress the Nether Emperor.
Changfeng Great Emperor was one of them.
It was said that back when the Nether Emperor furiously stormed the Nine Heavens, slaughtering immortal mountains and destroying immortal palaces, bathing the Nine Heavens in rivers of blood, it was ultimately Changfeng Great Emperor who stepped forward and stopped him.
Later, it was heard that the two fought from the Nine Heavens all the way to the Nine Abysses. No one knew how long they battled, nor who emerged victorious or defeated from that fight. It was only known that after that battle, both the Nether Emperor and Changfeng Great Emperor disappeared for a very, very long time.
Lieyin Patriarch admired Changfeng Great Emperor from the bottom of his heart, both for his formidable strength and even more for his chivalrous and righteous spirit.
Changfeng Great Emperor might not be the most highly cultivated or strongest among all the Great Emperors of the Nine Heavens' Immortal Palaces, but when it came to character and virtue, few could compare to Changfeng Great Emperor.
The other Great Emperors were either in cahoots with the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, or had their own petty schemes. Only Changfeng Great Emperor still deserved the words 'upright and honorable'.
"This old man pays his respects to Changfeng Great Emperor."
Seeing Changfeng Great Emperor's arrival, Lieyin Patriarch hurried forward, cupping his hands in salute.
Logically, as a Supreme Elder of the Zixia Immortal Realm and a senior of the Great Wasteland, he had no need to salute Changfeng Great Emperor. The salute was purely an expression of his inner admiration for Changfeng Great Emperor.
Immediately after, Yuyang Immortal King and the other patriarchs also saluted one after another. Only Tian Kui seemed somewhat unwilling, barely going through the motions.
"Senior Lieyin is too courteous. How could this junior bear your salutations?"
Changfeng Great Emperor wore a robe of light azure, his handsome features giving off a very refined and scholarly feeling.