"With Heaven's tyranny was perfectly solidified, the Three Realms became nothing but an empty title. In truth, there was only One Realm, and that Realm is Heaven."
"It dictates the function of the Hellish and Earthly Realms, forcing them to do its bidding with very little effort. The terror of those Holy Wars is not easily forgotten."
Lu Chen listened to Cho Yanshi's words as though he did not know the story himself. His eyes were filled with an emotion so purely melancholic that the others expected him to burst into tears at any moment.
"It was then, when Heaven was beginning to settle into its position as Absolute Ruler, that the fourthborn of the Primal Chaos made its appearance."
Shen Wuyou, Hei Shisan and Qin Shuyue moved closer.
"King Yama refers to... whatever it was... as the Supreme Immortal. The being that emerged from Primal Chaos as an answer to Heaven's deeds."
Cho Yanshi stared down at her hands, her breaths ragged all of a sudden. Every word she said, she heard repeated in her head, spilling out of a memory.
The memory of her first time being told the story.
"No one knows what exactly the Supreme Immortal is. King Yama thought that it was an elevated form of Paramount Dao, born with certain defense mechanism in place."
"He believed that the Supreme Immortal was both a Dao... and a living thing. An impossible soul."
"How can that even be... ?" Hei Shisan marvelled.
"We don't know, sadly. From its first appearance to now, the Supreme Immortal has always been targeted by Heaven from the moment it approached its Dao Integration."
"Why only then? Why not earlier?" Shen Wuyou asked, earning him a amused look from Hei Shisan.
"Likely because of the very nature of Dao Integration. If the Supreme Immortal is both a living thing and a Dao, then its Dao Integration process would set off terrible red flags... the kind that Heaven couldn't possibly ignore," Hei Shisan laughed slyly.
"As soon as it appeared on Heaven's radar, it would be hunted down."
"That's right," Cho Yanshi nodded at Hei Shisan. "As far as we were told, the Supreme Immortal Body has never successfully been located before it attempted Dao Integration."
"Something about it hides its presence from Heaven's sight, and even masks the lines of fate and karma that it creates through existing."
Lu Chen chortled coldly, "So even with omnipresent sight, Heaven is completely and totally blind to the Supreme Immortal."
Qin Shuyue's expression sank as she made a realization. "So... Jin Huang was found earlier this time? Far earlier than ever before?"
"That's right," Cho Yanshi sighed.
"Luckily, we were able to find him as well. Which means that, for the first time, the Supreme Immortal has fallen into the hands of allies before it became detectable by Heaven."
"Hmph. Unluckily, the Hunt has already begun. Which is why we had no choice but to come here straightaway." Lu Chen exhaled.
"And... where is here?" Shen Wuyou gulped, hoping to finally get an answer.
"Haven't you already guessed?" Cho Yanshi smirked.
"We passed through the Realm Barrier, and are now in the Hellish Realm."
"Ugh, just say the Netherworld, Yanshi. Damn." Lu Chen groaned.
Qin Shuyue looked around, then stood up and walked over to a window, peering out at the luscious landscape outside.
"This is the Realm of Demons?" She asked incredulously.
"It is. This is one of the Continents of the Netherworld," she stopped to shoot a glance at Lu Chen, "called Albion."
"Albion..." Hei Shisan made his way to the window as well, staring as if he was seeing the outside for the first time.
"I still have on question," Shen Wuyou shifted, returning their attention to him.
"Ask away," Cho Yanshi encouraged with a smile.
"King Yama called it the Supreme Immortal... but what about the Supreme Immortal Body? Are they separate somehow?"
Nodding, Cho Yanshi looked to Lu Chen and said, "Good question."
Lu Chen took over, "The Supreme Immortal is just a placeholder term for whatever it is that came out of the Primal Chaos last. Paramount Daos are the only thing that came out of it before, but the Supreme Immortal isn't just a Paramoumt Dao."
"King Yama studied it, and concluded that it was both a Paramount Dao and a living soul, something that we can't really classify."
"The Supreme Immortal Body," Lu Chen closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, "is the Realm that the newest Paramount Dao was assigned to."
Hei Shisan, Qin Shuyue and Shen Wuyou blinked absent-mindedly.
"When the Second Paramount Dao was born, the Hellish Realm appeared as a result. Likewise, the appearance of the Earthly Realm directly followed the birth of the Third Paramount Dao," Lu Chen explained.
"So, if the Supreme Immortal Body was the only thing that appeared as a result of the Supreme Immortal, then it wouldn't be wrong to call it a Realm. The Fourth Realm."
Lu Chen stared into their eyes and saw them try to overcome their confusion.
"Just as the Earthly Realm houses its Paramount Dao, the Supreme Immortal Body houses the Supreme Immortal."
Hei Shisan huffed, "This is too confusing. Why not just call it the Supreme Immortal Soul or the Supreme Immortal Dao?"
"Uh..." Lu Chen's went stiff.
"Well... we just go by what King Yama said," Cho Yanshi laughed weakly.
Rolling his eyes, Hei Shisan returned to staring outside.
"So what do you plan to do now? Just have us hide here forever?" Qin Shuyue asked.
"Not forever, but for a while. When Jin Huang wakes up, we need to get him up to speed on everything, and then the rest will be up to him." Lu Chen stated plainly.
"So what you're saying is... you won't try to stop him if he decides to just continue cultivating?" Hei Shisan probed.
"If he decides to do that, then so be it," Cho Yanshi answered, just as plainly.
"What about protecting him?" Qin Shuyue scoffed.
"Protect? You think, after everything we spoke of, that anyone alive today can protect him from Heaven? All we can do is stand by his side for as long as we can."
Lu Chen fell into a dark silence before saying, "Nothing anyone can do will change the fact that Heaven will find him."
Hei Shisan sucked his teeth.
Shen Wuyou stared at his dice, not looking away as he asked, "What about King Yama? What did he tell you all to do if you ever found the Supreme Immortal?"
In unison, Lu Chen and Cho Yanshi said, "Allow him to do whatever he wants."
The trio groaned together.
"We have already accepted it. The Supreme Immortal Body cannot stay hidden. Heaven has always found it. However..." Lu Chen trailed off, leaving Cho Yanshi to finish his thought.
"What is not certain is whether history will repeat this time as well. We can only wait and see."
Just then, a pained voice spoke out.
"History can't repeat... this time."
Shen Wuyou closed his hand around the dice; Hei Shisan glanced at the stairs leading up to the bedrooms.
Qin Shuyue covered her face, tears welling up in her eyes.
Jin Huang smiled at them, then at Lu Chen and Cho Yanshi.
"Because there's never been another me... in history."
They moved, helping him down the stairs as he winced a bit. Finally, he sat down at the table, yellow hair a mess.
The bandages beneath his open robes were fully exposed as he got comfortable, the bruises on his face still very much present.
"I spoke to King Yama," Jin Huang started, evoking stares of wide-eyed shock from the older duo.
"He gave me... agh... This..."
Jin Huang brought out the Supreme Immortal Journal, shocking them even further.
"How is this possible..." Lu Chen gaped.
"King Yama destroyed this before he died... It shouldn't still exist..." Cho Yanshi touched it gingerly.
"I found a rift in the Abyss. Apparently, Erlang Shen created it when he attacked Hell, or something. It affected time."
Their jaws fell open.
"When I went in- following my nose, of course- I travelled to the past."
Lu Chen sighed emotionally, "Time is an enigma, truly."
Cho Yanshi wiped her eyes, pressing her palms together as her thoughts wandered.
"So... you mean to say that... in some other time, His Majesty was able to see you again before he died?"
Lu Chen froze, his body tense and tight. Looking at Cho Yanshi caused tears to fall from his own eyes as well, and he moved over to hug her.
"That's right, Yanshi. In another time... another past... King Yama was able to die with no regrets."
They embraced each other as Cho Yanshi wept and Lu Chen comforted.
Jin Huang turned to his friends, who were sat on either side of him, and offered an even wider smile.
"So... what's for lunch?"