Somewhere in the immortal realm.
Tens of thousands of figures gathered here.
This seemed exceptionally conspicuous in the otherwise silent immortal realm.
However, these beings could hardly be called humans.
At first glance, they resembled humans in form, but they were all bald.
Not only did they lack hair, but they also had no ears, noses, or mouths.
Their faces bore only a pair of eyes, devoid of whites or irises.
The entire eyeball was a pallid white, faintly shrouded in a pale blue light.
Embedded in the center of their brows was a gem-like object.
Their bodies were covered in uniquely shaped armor, the material of which was indiscernible.
On the chest of the armor was a fist-sized gem, appearing similar to the one on their brows.
The exposed skin had a translucent quality.
Within, unknown fluids flowed indistinctly, with no signs of any organs or tissues.
At this moment, these beings stood motionless, seemingly awaiting something.
Beside the main group, dozens of these bald figures formed a circle.
Within the circle stood three individuals.
One, based on cultivation, was an Immortal Emperor, a supreme being of the immortal realm.
Yet, this Immortal Emperor faintly exhibited the characteristics of the bald figures, seemingly being assimilated.
Opposite the Immortal Emperor stood a bald man, his gaze filled with fury towards the Immortal Emperor!
Behind the bald man lay another bald figure, appearing to be unconscious.
"What, you want to kill me?" the Immortal Emperor taunted the bald man. "Unfortunately, your current strength isn't even enough to carry my shoes!"
The bald man stared fixedly at the Immortal Emperor, his palms almost bleeding from clenched fists!
This bald man was none other than Shān Jī, who had been missing for a long time!
Back then, after Ye Fan dealt with the big boss of Gēshān City, he and Xiāngjiāo Jūn took the opportunity to seize territory.
Relying on their overwhelming strength, they had successfully unified Gēshān City.
Until one day, a mysterious enemy appeared!
The enemy was ferocious, quickly eliminating many of Shān Jī's subordinates.
Upon hearing the news, Shān Jī and Xiāngjiāo Jūn immediately engaged!
However, the enemy's power was beyond their expectations.
The three battled for seven days and seven nights, yet no victor emerged!
Even with their combined forces, they found themselves at a significant disadvantage!
The battle raged with the intensity of a cataclysm.
Later, during a fierce clash, a spatial rift was torn open by the three of them!
Thus, the three of them, in a state of confusion, arrived in the immortal realm.
However, they did not appear in the same location; instead, they were scattered across different areas.
While searching for Xiāngjiāo Jūn, Shān Jī unfortunately encountered the army of the Sacred Clan.
He was surely doomed, but an Immortal Emperor spared his life.
And the moment he saw that Immortal Emperor, Shān Jī's buried memories completely resurfaced!
Back then, this Immortal Emperor was merely an Immortal Venerable.
Due to certain matters, he had a conflict with the Vermillion Bird clan.
A battle erupted!
At that time, the Vermillion Bird clan possessed an Immortal Emperor-level powerhouse.
But the Immortal Venerable displayed incredibly bizarre strength, and somehow managed to kill the Immortal Emperor-level Vermillion Bird!
What followed was a brutal extermination!
The entire Vermillion Bird clan was wiped out by him!
In truth, the conflict between the Immortal Venerable and the Vermillion Bird clan was not a significant matter.
It could barely be called a conflict.
Such a level of disagreement could not possibly lead to such a consequence.
This could only prove one thing!
This Immortal Venerable had targeted the Vermillion Bird clan from the very beginning!
The so-called conflict was merely an excuse!
And Shān Jī's identity was precisely the son of the Vermillion Bird clan leader at that time.
He was also the most pure-blooded Vermillion Bird in the entire history of the Vermillion Bird clan!
It could be said that he was the hope of the entire Vermillion Bird clan!
Witnessing the genocidal disaster firsthand was unbearable for the young Shān Jī!
His innocent heart shattered on the spot!
As for how he survived and came to the mortal realm, he could no longer recall.
The deep-seated hatred from his clan's destruction followed him to the mortal realm, buried in the deepest recesses of his memory.
Until now.
Upon seeing the face of this Immortal Emperor, he suddenly remembered everything!
At that moment, Shān Jī's rage meter shot up to full!
The Vermillion Bird Divine Fire transformed into a roaring, enraged dragon and attacked the Immortal Venerable!
Alas, his strength was ultimately too weak…
The Vermillion Bird Divine Fire, which was invincible in the mortal realm, became a joke at this moment!
The Immortal Emperor didn't even bother to defend himself!
The Vermillion Bird Divine Fire dissipated long before it could reach the Immortal Emperor.
And so, he became the Immortal Emperor's captive.
After being captured, he encountered Xiāngjiāo Jūn, who was also a captive.
As for how Xiāngjiāo Jūn fell unconscious, Shān Jī did not know.
When he was captured, Xiāngjiāo Jūn was already in that state.
Shān Jī also had no idea what these bald monsters were.
He only knew that they called themselves the Sacred Clan and were staying here, seemingly searching for something.
It was clear that this Immortal Emperor had allied himself with the bald figures.
He was, in essence, a traitor to the entire immortal realm!
Perhaps due to boredom during the wait, the Immortal Emperor decided to amuse himself with Shān Jī.
"If you want revenge," the Immortal Emperor taunted, beckoning Shān Jī with a finger, "then come."
The surrounding Sacred Clan members did not intervene, seemingly enjoying the spectacle.
Shān Jī channeled all his spiritual energy and attacked the Immortal Emperor!
However, the outcome was no different.
His full-power attack couldn't even break through the opponent's defenses!
Then, the Immortal Emperor pointed a finger at Shān Jī from mid-air.
A cyan energy blast instantly pierced Shān Jī's right chest!
Golden Vermillion Bird blood surged from the wound!
Shān Jī ignored it completely, adjusted his posture, and attacked again!
He was now completely consumed by hatred!
The difference in strength was entirely disregarded.
Even if he died, he would at least stain the enemy with his blood!
He fell down again and again, and got up again and again.
The wounds on his body multiplied.
At this point, Shān Jī looked almost like a piece of honeycomb!
And as he lost a large amount of blood, Shān Jī's life aura grew weaker and weaker…
Finally!
After falling one last time, Shān Jī could no longer get up.
The Immortal Emperor strode forward and stepped on Shān Jī's head.
"The greatest mistake you made was returning to this immortal realm," the Immortal Emperor said, looking down, a hint of pathological madness flashing in his eyes. "You must be terrified now, right? But don't worry, I won't let you die comfortably!"
As he spoke, the Immortal Emperor's expression was incredibly ferocious and contorted.
It seemed he harbored a deep resentment towards the Vermillion Bird clan.
Shān Jī tried to lift his head, but after several attempts, he failed.
His right hand, trembling, clutched at the Immortal Emperor's pant leg.
"In Brother Ji's… dictionary, there is no… word for fear…"
Shān Jī's weak voice emanated from the ground.
The blood from his hand successfully smeared onto the Immortal Emperor's pant leg.
The Immortal Emperor immediately flew into a rage and began stomping ferociously on Shān Jī's head!
"Bang bang bang—!"
Shān Jī's body trembled with each stomp.
His skin split open, flesh and blood flying!
In just a short while, Shān Jī's body was almost reduced to a pulp!
And Shān Jī's last trace of life force completely vanished.
Only then did the Immortal Emperor stop, disdainfully cleaning the filth off his leg.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, a golden light suddenly erupted from Shān Jī's corpse!
The next moment!
Shān Jī's body completely disappeared!
A Vermillion Bird, entirely condensed from golden divine fire, soared into the sky!