Immortal of the Ages
Chapter 461: When the Nian Descends, All Beings Suffer

A silver giant, soaring through clouds and mist, became a streak of silver light, rushing towards the sky!

Tearing through the celestial clouds, the divine ark that floated in the azure expanse loomed ever larger in view. The overlapping sun and moon on it dazzled with blinding brilliance, enshrouding the Primordial Ruins in a halo of sanctity.

Behind this silver behemoth trailed a sword-like golden radiance. The silver beast was fast, yet unexpectedly, this golden light tore through the air, keeping pace, impossible to shake off.

But evasion was futile, for the man in the golden robe was the Sky Source Immortal; he knew exactly where the beast was headed.

All along, he uttered not a word, only letting out sinister laughs, shadowing his prey like a relentless specter. However, mid-chase, the golden-robed man's laughter abruptly ceased.

He stopped dead in his tracks, his pale eyes looking down to see a layer of eerie white mist enveloping the skies above the Nine Hells, with fleeting lights and shadows within, ever-changing and unfathomable.

"A mirage?" The man in the golden robe's brow furrowed deeply, and he erupted in anger.

"You use the Nian as a front, but your real target is the Immortal Asylum?"

With this thought, he flung out a talisman, which split in two, flying towards both the Blood Devil Ruins and the Primordial Ruins.

The cold gaze he cast towards the direction of the departing Six-Tailed Demon Fox before turning and plunging back into the Nine Hells spoke volumes. To them, the Immortal Asylum held utmost importance!

Even if the Nian escaped to the Primordial Ruins, he wasn't worried!

WHOOSH! The vast silver beast roared in the void, its silver-white eyes seeping dense bloodlines.

It plunged into the golden and silver mists of the ruins like a calamity descending.

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A sea of people had gathered around the Jade Immortal Tower. As if called by a mission, the populace of the entire Primordial Ruins, even if crawling, made their way here.

Tens of millions gathered on the nearby streets, so crowded that arms couldn't be lifted, a testament to the throng's density.

From above, the crowd was a dense, dark mass. In such conditions, a single spell cast down could have reaped a grim harvest. Yet, no one dared. After all, they were all souls gathered there.

"Slay the child of disaster, usher in renewal!"

The people stretched their necks like ducks, their screams hoarse, veins bulging on necks and faces, exhaling dense white mists.

The mists, serpent-like, weaved from one mouth to another's nostrils, forming colossal snakes of fog that writhed above the heads of the crowd in a frenzied dance. But the people paid no mind; their gazes were fixed in one direction.

It was toward the execution platform in front of the Jade Immortal Tower!

There, a compass stood, from which ropes of the eight trigrams bound a young girl in a white dress. Her complexion was ashen, her eyes shut, her form frail and lifeless, the sharp ropes etching bloody marks on her delicate body.

A tsunami of curses crashed over her, her eyelashes quivered, awakening into a blur. She hadn't seen it yet, but tears had already formed at the corners of her eyes.

"Light the Immortal Fire! Burn her!"

"Let the disaster burn to ashes, and all things be made anew!"

The frenzied crowd's eyes were bloodshot with rage, their pupils dilated, Gu parasites writhing within.

To maintain order, the Three Great Ruins summoned every descendant of the Three Immortals, a total of 100,000, forming a vast circle around the platform!

Without them, the enraged masses would have stormed the platform.

Within this circle, the elite stood—Manor Masters, Celestial Officials, and nobility from all corners, totaling over 1,000, all of them Yin-Yang Immortals.

The core power of the Three Immortals was gathered not only to keep order but to prevent any from disrupting the execution.

And with Yun Xiao swept away by heavenly intervention, and the Primordial Pagoda shattered, any upset was unlikely.

The Mystic Earth Immortal had orchestrated this spectacle for one purpose: to annihilate Lian Xi's life and mission before all, to die a criminal, thereby reinforcing the faith of the masses.

Such a scene could unleash a more fervent toxin.

Upon the platform, the offspring of the Three Immortals, Tian Ding, Xuan Jian, and Jian Mei, presided like three towering mountains.

Below, Manor Masters and Celestial Officials among 100,000 descendants smiled with pride at the fervor of tens of millions.

"The Mystic Earth Immortal decrees an execution of fire to last for ages, to commence forthwith!"

"This execution employs the most venomous fires from all corners of the world, first to burn the skin, then the inner layers, followed by the flesh, the sinews and bones, and the internal organs, from the outside in, until finally consuming the soul of the sinner!"

"This punishment shall last ten days and ten nights!"

"May the heavens witness this act, judge the crimes of the afflicted, and cleanse the innocent of the populace!"

A chorus of voices swept over the dense crowd.

"Burn! Burn! Burn!"

Tens of millions screamed with all their might, as if to unleash all their grievances and fury.

Above the masses, a figure in a silver robe hovered above the platform. His hair flew about him, his face wore a smile, his demeanor gentle, like a True Immortal from the paintings come to relieve the suffering of the world.

"The burning commences…"

In a dark room not far away, a figure in a gray robe stood by the window. His eyes trembled, rimmed red, gazing at the girl in white on the compass, waking in confusion.

"Shen Cang."

Behind the man in gray, stood a hundred others in white robes. Yu Nichang, Yun Dahe, and others were present. Each bore stains of blood, though whose it was remained unclear. Especially Yu Nichang, whose white hair had turned blood-red.

The one called Shen Cang turned, his gaze fixed, his voice grave, "We have but one chance, a sliver of hope! I will draw away the Mystic Earth Immortal, the rest is up to you!"

"Agreed!" Yu Nichang nodded.

Those behind her bore a resolve to face death without fear. Having escaped the Primordial Academy to hide here, their sole obsession was to save Lian Xi! Even if it meant death.

As long as Lian Xi survived, there was still hope for the myriad worlds!

"I'm certain to die, but I hope to buy you enough time. And you... will face opponents with many times our strength..." Shen Cang's voice trembled as he looked at each one of them.

"Old Shen, speaking such words has no meaning now. Whether we live or die, let's fight with all we've got!"

"Fearless of death itself, what more is there to fear?"

A wild fire of belief blazed within them, their eyes fixed only on the girl atop the execution platform, like moths to a flame. But this flame was not one of despair; it was the dream that could change the mortal realm.

"Friends! Even if today our blood dries here and our souls struggle to reincarnate, some endeavors, once striven for, leave us with no regrets in our lifetimes!" Shen Cang turned back, bowing deeply to them.

Few of these robed figures were known by name to the world. They lurked in the shadows, silently guarding the hope in their hearts. This was a mission with no monument, perhaps even scorned for ages, but at this moment, these nameless daoists only saw the flame of hope!

"Friends, in the next life, let's discuss the Dao again." With that, Shen Cang vanished from their sight.

In the next instant, a dark grey inferno was born from the heavens above.

ROAR! The grey blaze turned white, shaping into a massive tiger-shaped figure that charged at the Mystic Earth Immortal, unleashing a thunderous punch!

BOOM! Above, thunder and lightning converged, a thousand tigers and leopards roared in unison, striking at the Mystic Earth Immortal.

"Hm?" The Mystic Earth Immortal paused, casually blocking, countless silver butterflies swirling to form a barrier against the white tiger's fiery storm!

BOOM! Under the force of the explosion, the butterfly wall shattered, and he was driven back!

The crowd gasped in shock. The Mystic Earth Immortal, a True Immortal in the hearts of tens of millions, was pushed back? Such an act could shake the very foundations of faith!

"Among the descendants of the Martial Emperor Clan, there exists such a powerhouse?" The Mystic Earth Immortal suddenly looked up, his mouth stretching into a bizarre smile.

"Another afflicted!"

"An old one, at that!"

"Seize him, burn him!"

The roar of anger surged once again.

BOOM! The Mystic Earth Immortal summoned a sky full of butterflies, charging towards the white tiger figure.

Such overwhelming force stunned the onlookers.

The white tiger figure dodged, retreating from the Mystic Earth Immortal's onslaught, the fight moving further and further away.

"I'm just playing with him; you can light the Immortal Fire now," the Mystic Earth Immortal's voice echoed from afar, laden with mockery.

"By command, light the Immortal Fire!" Tian Ding, Xuan Jian, and Jian Mei announced with vigor.

Behind them, Lian Xi's eyes regained clarity. She looked around at the world of men, her gaze gradually becoming hollow.

"Act now!"

In the dark room, Yu Nichang and the others were about to rush out. But at that instant, a terrifying presence descended upon the crowded place.

"Eh?" Tian Ding, Xuan Jian, and Jian Mei were momentarily taken aback.

"Look to the skies!"

A soul-shaking scream abruptly tore through the air. As heads tilted upward, a beastly roar that struck fear at the very core echoed from above, sending chills down the spines of many on the spot!

They saw it! Amidst a burst of light, a massive silver beast crashed down upon the execution platform!

BOOM! The platform shattered instantly, with silver smoke and debris sweeping across, the ground cracking open and sending shockwaves that toppled millions, including the Jade Immortal Tower itself crashing down!

"What is that?!"

People, bruised and bleeding from the collision, saw through the dense smoke a fearsome beast howling skyward, its power of disaster swirling in the twilight.

"The Nian! It's the Nian!"

This cry sent a wave of terror through the tens of millions of frenzied people, a fear that momentarily overshadowed their faith in the Mystic Earth Immortal!

The 100,000 descendants of the Three Immortals, along with the thousands of Yin-Yang Immortals, were dumbstruck, utterly shaken.

BOOM! In a moment of eerie silence, the beast from the smoke, swift as lightning, smashed its paw into the ground, instantly flattening three figures rising from the ruins into pulp!

Tian Ding, Xuan Jian, and Jian Mei were no more.

"Uh..." Every descendant of the Three Immortals was petrified with terror.

"Run for your lives!" someone screamed shrilly.

Chaos ensued in the crowded execution ground.

After slaying three, the beast didn't halt. It seemed to have four eyes, two cold and detached, two alight with brutal excitement, sweeping over all present!

Yu Nichang stood frozen, murmuring, "Since ancient times, it's been said, when the Nian descends, all beings suffer..."