This Human Immortal Is Too Serious

The sky seemed stained with fresh blood, then scorched by flames. The ground kept collapsing, and the massive city, built with thousands of years of painstaking effort, was reduced to nothing amidst divine wrath and the roars of the Slaughter Gods.

We were witnesses, victims, and participants in this war. Our warriors from the Feather Country could only leave behind blood-dripped remnant feathers in the aftermath of the great battle.

When the thunder was defeated and a corner of heaven and earth was nearly overturned, the gods lost their staves…

— From the "Records of the State Preceptor of the Feather Country"

...

At an entrance to the underground market of Yun City, Wu Wang crouched in a corner with Yang Wudi. He observed the great battle outside while harboring some absurd thoughts.

Could it be a deception?

Otherwise, how could the tide of battle have so easily shifted in favor of the Human Domain?

To be honest, Wu Wang was feeling somewhat anxious. He hadn't joined the fray because he needed to oversee the entire situation. Furthermore, his own "hatred value" was too high; appearing would surely attract the attention of most Innate Gods, especially when they were caught between enemies and cursing furiously.

The moment Wu Wang stepped out, he would become the center of the vortex. The Innate Gods would madly pounce on him, and the Human Domain's experts would rush to his rescue in a panic. That would ruin the current advantageous situation, turning the Human Domain's "orderly harvest" into utter chaos.

This was something Wu Wang absolutely could not do.

Heaven Palace, it seemed, had not anticipated that a large number of Human Domain experts would surge out from beneath Yun City.

Just a moment ago, the Divine Guards were deployed on three sides, forming three long walls. Connected by Divine Power, they flashed with golden light and presented an imposing sight.

The next moment, the ground of Yun City suddenly split open as if a volcano had erupted, and the Human Emperor's Imperial Guards charged out.

When Fire Plume summoned heavenly steeds with immortal power, a long neigh filled the air, and firelight bathed the entirety of Yun City!

From beneath Yun City, countless figures emerged from all directions, like fiery Fire Pythons striking towards the Divine Guards' defensive lines in the sky!

The Divine Guards, hailing from the Hundred Races, were now completely unable to turn around in time.

An offensive bursting forth from within—that was the true assault.

One elderly Transcendent after another, burning their own lives, were today's protagonists.

Figures like Pavilion Master Liu Baiyi and Commander Fire Plume were merely there to engage and protect themselves; the true main force today were those elders who had burned everything they had!

Wu Wang was a facilitator; they were the aging Generals on stage today.

These elders did not disappoint. With other experts—numbering more than ten times the Innate Gods they faced—helping to tie down their foes, the elders confronted the Innate Gods head-on. Two or three elders working together could suppress a single Innate God.

Wu Wang also felt a surge of passionate blood, an impulse to throw himself into the fight. This urge turned into endless strength, making him… shift his body further into the corner.

"Sect Master," Yang Wudi said, his large hand grasping the corner of Wu Wang's clothes, his transmitted voice trembling slightly.

He had never seen such a scene before. Not only had he never seen it, but he had also never even imagined it.

"Shouldn't we just stay here? Not go out there and get a piece of the action?"

"Not advisable," Wu Wang said softly. "A cornered beast will still fight, let alone these arrogant Innate Gods. The moment I reveal myself, the situation will surely spiral out of control. Those who aren't Transcendent have no power to fight Innate Gods."

"Ah, right," Yang Wudi said, immediately relaxing quite a bit.

If Wu Wang had ordered him to charge out, he wouldn't have hesitated for a moment and would have rushed to fight the Innate Gods to the death, even though his own strength couldn't withstand the shockwaves from the Duels between the other experts and the Innate Gods.

But at such times, men of the Human race absolutely must not show weakness!

Wu Wang surveyed his surroundings. Rather than joining the battle at the front, he needed to ensure the overall strategy remained on course.

His Immortal Consciousness swept over various areas, witnessing scenes of the great battle.

The encirclement from three sides outside the city maintained a relative restraint, adopting a posture that suggested they could retreat at any moment. They were trying to create the impression that they were "about to charge in, but not fully committed," leaving the Divine Guards of Heaven Palace, most of whom excelled at close combat, in a frustratingly indecisive position.

Hundreds of thousands of Cultivators, maintaining a relatively safe distance, formed great formations and wielded Magic Treasures, bombarding the light barriers erected by the Divine Guards with streams of light from afar.

The deadliest blow was the eruption of the Human Emperor's Imperial Guards from within the city. They bypassed the aerial battle to launch a surprise attack on the three sides, creating a pincer movement from within and without.

The outer defensive line had been breached by the Human Domain!

And that group of Innate Gods had now all been driven to the high skies by the Human Domain's powerful experts. Several weaker Innate Gods were already in disarray, their Great Daos trembling.

More than thirty Transcendents, who had reached the end of their lifespans and had hidden themselves until now, were burning their very beings.

Over a hundred other Transcendents supported them from the flanks, trapping one Innate God after another.

The Pavilion Masters joined forces with several great commanders, engaging the Head Manager and the Young Master separately high in the sky.

On the periphery, more experts were about to break through the battle formations formed by the Divine Guards of Heaven Palace.

The Thunder God, who was being given special attention, was coalescing his massive body but found himself under fierce attack by more than a dozen Transcendent experts. His figure was already tottering, and his angry roars filled the sky.

In a short while, once the defensive line of the Heaven Palace Divine Guards was broken, the three armies of the Human Domain could complete their encirclement in Yun City.

By then, these Innate Gods would find themselves in dire straits.

What was most unfavorable for the Heaven Palace side was that numerous Human Domain experts surrounded the area. They used Treasure Beads to seal this region of Heaven and Earth, cutting off all teleportation and instantaneously reinforcing the fabric of this realm. This was to prevent the world from being shattered by the aftershocks of the Duels, which would affect ordinary Immortals.

They had initially left open a single 'path of life,' but when the Human Domain reinforcements surged out from within the city, this path of life had also turned into a dead end.

To the northwest, the Human Emperor had appeared, cutting off any potential reinforcements from Heaven Palace.

Wu Wang's Immortal Consciousness swept across the area like an eagle, overlooking the chaotic battle below.

The Head Manager was being besieged by sixteen experts led by Liu Baiyi and Xiao Jian Daoist, tens of thousands of feet up in the sky, which was also the 'upper limit' of the sealed Heaven and Earth.

Xiao Jian Daoist's long hair was disheveled, giving him the appearance of a mad demon! Yet his sword momentum was incredibly sharp, already leaving more than a dozen wounds on the Head Manager.

Often, these Human Domain experts worked in groups of three or four, covering each other. One would attack while two or three defended, jointly resisting the gushing torrents of Divine Power unleashed by the Head Manager.

But Xiao Jian Daoist fought alone. Wielding a Longsword, his figure flickered unpredictably around the Head Manager. Leveraging the suppressing support of his master, Liu Baiyi, he would occasionally send a flash of cold light sweeping past, its power unmatched.

A blue robe sweeping through scattered clouds; a sword rising with a dragon-severing cry!

In reality, Wu Wang was also somewhat alarmed by this sight.

Even though so many experts from his side were besieging the Head Manager, and although the Head Manager seemed to be in a sorry state, his Great Dao was as steady as Mount Tai. Faint traces of Dao rhyme drifted around him, yet they were draining the vitality of these experts.

To Duel against the Head Manager means losing Lifespan, even if one doesn't die!

Looking at the Young Master's situation, His Majesty Shennong's Xia Official, Fire Plume, along with a thin old man, attacked from both sides. Several Transcendents supported them from the flanks, actually putting the Young Master, who was not adept at Duels, in a difficult position.

However, the Young Master was similarly grounded in his own Great Dao. Though unable to aid the other Divine Spirits, he himself was in no danger.

In a direct clash of Great Daos, the combined experts were no match for the Head Manager or the Young Master.

Their Daos were like bedrock, their forms unyielding.

"Wu Wangzi!"

The Head Manager suddenly shouted coldly, his voice echoing endlessly through Heaven and Earth. "How cunning you are! Scheming and calculating at every step! I truly underestimated the filth within your heart!"

Wu Wang wasn't angered; in fact, he almost wanted to laugh.

Impotent rage. Next.

"Come on, you ants!" the Thunder God outside the city roared. His massive body, formed of condensed thunder, now had nearly half its lightning extinguished, and the Great Dao he embodied was riddled with cracks.

Wu Wang dared not be careless; he was constantly pondering how Heaven Palace might turn the tables.

The strategic goal of the Human Domain today was to Slaughter Gods.

If they could kill more, that would be ideal. However, those involved in formulating today's strategy knew that strong reinforcements would inevitably arrive from Heaven Palace. If they could kill one or two Innate Gods before those reinforcements came, today would be considered a great victory.

That large contingent of Divine Guards—Wu Wang would definitely not let them escape.

Heaven Palace had proposed reclaiming the Dao of Fire within fifty years and would surely launch an all-out assault on the Human Domain. Having hundreds of thousands of Divine Guards perish here meant that any forces Heaven Palace could replenish in a short time would inevitably be of mixed quality.

Regrettably, the eight great Evil Gods were outside the encirclement, currently being relentlessly pursued and fiercely attacked by a large number of Human Domain experts, completely unable to come to their masters' aid.

This was the Great Wilderness's version of the human wave tactic.

More than that, it was a human wave tactic relying on the Human race's profound reserves, executed by those in the Transcendent Realm!

"Sect Master, he's going down! The Thunder God is going down!" Yang Wudi exclaimed, his whole body trembling with excitement as he grabbed Wu Wang's arm. His eyes, wide as copper bells, peered through a gap in their hiding spot, watching a corner of the Thunder God's massive form outside the city.

Wu Wang also held his breath, his gaze fixed on the Thunder God.

The greatest number of Human Domain experts were besieging the Thunder God. Lin Nuhao was flitting about amidst them but couldn't manage to steal any of the spotlight.

The Thunder God was associated with the Heavenly Punishment for Transcendents and for those ascending to Immortality, making him one of the primary targets of the Human Domain experts' operation. Most of those currently besieging the Thunder God were prepared to fight to the death.

[Kill this Innate God! Before a new Thunder God is born, a large number of Human Domain experts will temporarily have the chance to become Transcendent without facing Heavenly Punishment!]

Wu Wang saw it. The experts besieging the Thunder God seemed to receive a voice transmission. Several relatively young Transcendent Realm experts voluntarily ignited their Divine Souls, gaining strength surpassing their current realm, and pressed the attack head-on!

Two old men, one to the left and one to the right, darted under the Thunder God's swinging Long Staff. Their figures accelerated multiple times as they charged at the ribs of this Thunder Giant!

The next instant, these two figures plunged into the curtain of lightning.

An elder cried out, "Retreat!"

The experts near the Thunder God turned on their heels and fled without a moment's hesitation.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" The Thunder Giant, appearing utterly crazed, shook the cracked, trembling Treasure Wheel on its back. "You ants! Come back! HAHAHAHA! Scared already, are you?"

"As you wish."

A somewhat cold voice suddenly emerged from 'within' the Thunder Giant.

Across the chaotic battlefields, a strange silence fell in that instant.

Another voice sighed softly:

"Burn my frail body to shield the Human Domain;

Immolate my Dao to bury the Divine Spirits.

Supreme selflessness, no end, no extinction.

The sky clears, the earth brightens, for the generations to come."

Amidst chanting, sighs, and heartfelt lamentations, it was as if two suns simultaneously erupted with fierce radiance from within the body of the giant woven from lightning.

In the space between Heaven and Earth, two Great Daos manifested at the same time.

The Thunder God's Great Dao of thunderstorms transformed into a Thunder Pool, resembling the very pool from which Heaven Palace delivered Heavenly Punishment upon the Human Domain.

Above this Thunder Pool, the fiery phantom of an Azure Dragon flickered in and out of sight. With one swipe of its Dragon Claw, cracks spread across the Thunder Pool.

Shock filled the Head Manager's eyes.

The Young Master's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

A trace of fear flickered in the depths of the Innate Gods' eyes as they suddenly recalled the distant past: in the sea of fire in the South Wilderness, that frail figure had pinned the mighty Fire God to the ground and smashed open his skull with a single fist...

In an instant, the Thunder Giant's body was torn apart by a violent blaze of fire, and its Long Staff began to slowly plummet downward.

"Seize it!" Lin Nuhao bellowed, as numerous figures surged toward the rapidly shrinking Divine Artifact of the Thunder God.

「Just then!」

Wu Wang, through the Star God's Dao, sensed the Thunder God's agonized screams echoing throughout the Divine Court. One after another, previously dim Great Daos were illuminated by these screams.

Hundreds of Great Daos intersected, locking the Thunder God's own Dao within the Divine Court.

Within Heaven Palace, figures emerged one by one from the surrounding sea of clouds. They had varied appearances, and each was enveloped in rich Dao rhymes.

Their numbers exceeded a hundred, all of them Divine Spirits.

The slumbering Innate Gods were awakened en masse by the Thunder God's fall.

The entire Divine Faction of Emperor Shun was fully awakened!

But what puzzled Wu Wang slightly was that Emperor Shun's Great Dao showed no signs of activity. It maintained its original silence, seemingly still principally reliant on the will of the Dao of Order.

Above the East Sea, His Majesty Shennong stood quietly, leaning on his wooden staff. His expression remained unchanged, neither sorrowful nor joyful, despite the number of Divine Spirits he faced having multiplied severalfold.

Within the Divine Court, Wu Wang, using the body of a Star God, perceived low, rumbling wills.

"Thunderstorm has fallen."

"It's the Human Domain. Always the Human Domain. Fortunately, his Great Dao remains."

"Should we take action?"

"The Human Domain cannot penetrate here; too many dangers lie latent."

"We shall go via the Eastern Wilderness. Go via the Eastern Wilderness."

"All gods, rest for now. The great war is not yet upon us."

Suddenly, a 'voice' as gentle as a breeze swept across the various Great Daos. It seemed to be a tender Goddess conveying her Divine Thought.

"I am already on my way. I shall personally bring them back."

The gods fell silent, then each conveyed their assent and willingness to obey.

Obey?

Warning bells rang in Wu Wang's mind. The several major Strong Gods he had anticipated were indeed about to make their move.

...

What should I do?

The Human Domain had displayed its profound reserves, slaying the Thunder God. Heaven Palace was also about to reveal its own to support the Head Manager and the other Innate Gods. The Divine Guard army of Heaven Palace was already depleted and incomplete; the Palace seemed to have completely abandoned them. Atop the city walls, Lin Qi's figure had also vanished; Wu Wang had been watching him until a Transcendent specifically rescued Lin Qi.

All objectives had been achieved.

The Human Domain's experts and various forces had not suffered significant losses. If they retreated now, it would be a great victory for the Human Domain.

But those Transcendents who had burned their very beings, whose vitality had already been depleted, had sealed their fate the moment they took action—they were destined to turn to ash.

Wu Wang tried to convince himself: These Transcendents didn't have much Lifespan left to begin with. They only managed to hold on until today because of the arrangements within those minor worlds. The Human Domain once had many such elders. Being able to participate in such a grand battle has already made their lives more brilliant than those of other elders who passed away quietly in the long river of time.

Wu Wang closed his eyes.

He had to make a decision. He could not hesitate, could not waver, nor show the slightest indecisiveness.

Jade Talismans flew out from his sleeves. As his palm swept across them, they simultaneously lit up.

"All units, hear my command! The peripheral armies on three sides will fire one more volley, then immediately withdraw! Do not get entangled in further fighting! The Human Emperor's Imperial Guards will annihilate the remaining Divine Guards and retreat underground. The outer grand formation will open the 'life gates' to coordinate!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes, sir!"

Short affirmations echoed from the Jade Talismans.

In just a moment, the peripheral armies on three sides turned around. The remaining group of Divine Guards, now only injured and disabled soldiers, were swiftly annihilated by the Human Emperor's Imperial Guards.

Meanwhile, the battles high in the sky intensified, reaching a fever pitch.

The Human Domain experts saw their own forces redeploying and knew they were about to withdraw. They launched desperate, all-out attacks, trying to annihilate one or two more Divine Spirits.

That group of Innate Gods, however, retreated while fighting, gradually gathering and supporting each other. They too had learned through the Divine Court that strong reinforcements were on their way.

In the various battle zones, elders who were burning their very beings stepped forward once again, preparing to cover the experts' withdrawal. These thirty-odd aged Transcendents were also frantically seeking opportunities to strike down more gods.

However, the Thunder God's fall had made this group of Innate Gods extremely protective of their own lives. They dared not be careless in the slightest, their Great Daos intertwining to support and shield each other.

Under such circumstances, how can the sacrifices of these venerable seniors be made more meaningful?

Wu Wang closed his eyes, contemplating in silence.

If I show myself to draw their hatred, perhaps I could create more opportunities to slay gods... But at the same time, I would have to bear the tremendous risk of facing the Innate Gods' direct wrath.

Yang Wudi suddenly grabbed Wu Wang's arm. The bald giant had clearly realized something and whispered, "Sect Master, His Majesty's Imperial Guards are starting to return. We should withdraw too."

Large contingents of Imperial Guards were already descending underground. The teleportation grand formation bloomed with a curtain of light, and as figures rapidly disappeared into it, this light curtain flickered incessantly.

"Forget it," Wu Wang murmured, turning to leave.

「Just then!」

The Head Manager's furious roar thundered through the heavens, filled with gritted teeth and rage.

"Wu! Wang! Zi!"

Wu Wang was somewhat startled. He looked up to see violent fluctuations of Dao rhyme around the Head Manager, who had actually forced back more than a dozen Human Domain experts and was about to speed southward.

Wu Wang directed his Immortal Consciousness to where the Head Manager's gaze was fixed.

The figure of 'himself'—his decoy—was inside a Flying Shuttle, forehead beaded with cold sweat. The restrictions and Barriers around the Flying Shuttle had been destroyed by a wisp of Dao rhyme from the Lifespan Dao!

Wasn't that Elder Miao, who had covertly arrived here earlier according to plan, along with the decoy?

In his original plan, this disguised 'self' was meant to be an important piece for pulling apart the Innate Gods' formation.

He just hadn't expected the Head Manager to act so erratically, abandoning the Yun City ambush position and taking the Heaven Palace Divine Guard army into the sky, rendering that particular gambit useless.

And now, the Head Manager had actually found them!

Within the Flying Shuttle, the Grand Elder's figure stood protectively in front of the decoy, while Ling Xiaolan, next to Elder Miao, gripped her Short Sword tightly. The Head Manager, seething with a hatred that pushed him to the brink of madness, was about to let his Lifespan Dao run rampant!

A slight smile touched Wu Wang's lips. With a flick of his robe's hem, he leaped out of his hiding spot. The grey aura around his body, along with the similar aura around Elder Miao and the decoy, dispersed simultaneously.

His star-like eyes shone with brilliant Immortal Light as he stood upon the devastated land.

He looked up at the sky, his gaze taking in the Head Manager, the Young Master, and all the Innate Gods. His voice, gentle and unhurried, drifted across the mirror-clear sky and into the ears of the assembled gods.

"Were you looking for me, Head Manager?"