This Human Immortal Is Too Serious

Chapter 535 535: 533 Chapter The Death of Emperor Shun

Care for a game?"Heh," Emperor Shun chuckled, his smile filled with indescribable emotions.

Still, that laughter could probably be categorized as... a bitter laugh.

Emperor Shun looked at the young man sitting calmly there.

Right within reach, yet seemingly as far as the horizon.

Wu Wang wore a wide-sleeved black robe, his hair arranged in an exquisite bun. His face was unchanged from years past, yet he exuded an aura of authority that made Emperor Shun feel slightly pressured.

Emperor Shun's Divine Soul stepped forward slowly, walking to the chessboard and taking a seat opposite Wu Wang, meeting his gaze evenly.

"Not going to deal with the Candle Dragon?"

Wu Wang shook his head slightly and said slowly, "There is no need for me to go there.

"I've been busy in the Outer Sky for so long; it wasn't all for naught."

Emperor Shun said with a smile, "To go with the flow, to rise with the momentum—it feels quite good, doesn't it?"

Wu Wang gazed intently at Emperor Shun and said slowly, "Fellow Daoist, you claim my victory over you is due to the general trend. But have you ever considered why you lost favor?"

"It's just fate."

"It's because you never trusted anyone around you," Wu Wang stated indifferently.

"You speak of fate, but in truth, it's just an excuse.

"Your every step to this day has been under the influence and control of the Dao of Time. You tried to manipulate time, but in the end, you were merely toyed with by it.

"Do you think that possessing one or two Divine Arts capable of accelerating time's passage means you've grasped the true essence of time?

"Emperor Shun, Emperor Ji, you've rather underestimated the Third God King.

"In fact, you have always been nothing more than the God of Spring."

"Is that so?" Emperor Shun's eyes narrowed slightly.

Wu Wang asked, "My mother?"

"Here, take her." Emperor Shun retrieved the ice-blue crystal from his sleeve.

Wu Wang rose and received it with both hands. Upon seeing his mother and Jingwei safe and unharmed within the ancient profound ice, he carefully put the crystal away.

He said, "For that, I'll grant you a swift end and try to offer the dignity befitting a supreme being."

"Dignity? Hahaha!" Emperor Shun laughed drily, though it lacked strength. He raised his hand to point at Wu Wang, but then his arm fell listlessly.

By now, Emperor Shun understood that Wu Wang would never let him leave.

He could clearly sense the overwhelming pressure emanating from the Heavenly Dao, from its leader.

At this moment, Emperor Shun suddenly understood many things, including why Wu Wang had remained so unhurried.

His opponent, in seeking to eliminate both him and the Candle Dragon, only needed to calculate the extent of the price to be paid.

That was all.

"Wu Wangzi, you truly leave me at a loss for words.

"This entire world seems to be assisting you, rallying around you.

"You are the victor, the writer of the future. Of course, you can stand before me, the loser, and critique my actions.

"Are you truly not in a hurry to deal with the Candle Dragon?"

"There is no need for me to act." Wu Wang's palm brushed over the chessboard before him, and dozens of scenes quickly flashed across its surface.

The Outer Sky, enveloped in a golden grid.

—The Heavenly Dao had already completed its encirclement of the Outer Sky.

Outside Liuli City, the exceedingly dense power of Heaven and Earth.

—Wu Wang's avatar channeled the power of the Heavenly Dao, using it to command the Dao of Heaven and Earth, thereby sealing a portion of space and directly cutting off any possibility of the Candle Dragon rampaging further.

The subsequent play of light and shadow depicted the gods' collective battle against the Candle Dragon.

The Goddess of Death granted the Candle Dragon the characteristic of being "mortal."

Shen Nong, the Human Emperor, and the Martial God joined forces to withstand the Candle Dragon's thrashing head-on.

The Earth God and Water God unleashed the vast origin power of the Five Elements, comprehensively resisting the Candle Dragon's divine power eruption.

Far away, atop the city walls, an incarnation of Yun Zhongjun conjured a pink Dream Realm, significantly dulling the chaotic reactions of the Candle Dragon's Divine Soul.

The scenes that followed were even more spectacular.

Seeing the Candle Dragon's waning dominance, the gods of the Outer Sky initiated their offenses from near and far. They promptly aligned themselves with the victors and distanced themselves from the Candle Dragon.

In the high skies, hundreds of stars twinkled. Three hundred Divine Spirits burst forth from within the Heavenly Dao. They joined forces with over sixty Celestial Court generals to form the great Zhou Heavenly Star Dou Formation, pressing down on the Candle Dragon.

The Candle Dragon: sovereign of heaven and earth, terminator of the Third God Era, ruler of the Fourth God Era.

Now, in the eyes of the Celestial Court's gods...

A living merit dispenser.

Wu Wang raised an eyebrow, noticing something unusual.

The battle with the Candle Dragon wasn't his concern. Rather, a fleeting glimpse had shown him the Destiny God hiding in a corner.

She seemed to be in a rather odd state.

Was it because of her father-daughter connection with the Candle Dragon?

Wu Wang didn't dwell on it; his mind was entirely preoccupied with the Heavenly Emperor of the Fifth God Era before him.

This was Emperor Shun's end.

"There are many scenes in there that haven't happened yet," Wu Wang said slowly, his hand sweeping over the chessboard's surface. "You've given me many opportunities over time; by rights, I should also offer you some."

A glint of light appeared in Emperor Shun's eyes.

Wu Wang continued, "However, for certain reasons, I cannot possibly offer you the slightest chance. If I let you go today, you would very likely become a future threat to me."

"Are you afraid?" Emperor Shun sneered.

"Fear isn't the word for it. I'm merely nipping potential trouble in the bud and avoiding unnecessary complications." Wu Wang smiled. "One must not seek unearned fame; this is a lesson an elder taught me."

Emperor Shun fell silent.

Wu Wang formed a sword sign with his fingers. "Why not set out on your journey now, Fellow Daoist? I'm eager to return and reunite with my mother."

Suddenly, Emperor Shun said, "Don't you want to know what ultimately happened to Fuxi?"

"I respect Emperor Fuxi, but that's the extent of it," Wu Wang replied. "Emperor Fuxi's grand aspiration was the flourishing of the Human Race, which I will achieve in his stead."

"Sanxian, Sanxian is still here."

"He's just a part of you." Wu Wang sighed.

"Haven't you figured out your own situation yet?

"Your personality split. Senior Sanxian represents your benevolence, while Emperor Fuxi is the obsession born from your unwillingness to accept defeat after you were vanquished back then.

"Because your personality is tripartite, your primary persona retains the nature of Emperor Shun—along with cowardice, despicability, and utter shamelessness. This is why you have arrived at your current predicament step by step.

"You have brewed countless tragedies.

"You have inflicted innumerable sufferings."

Emperor Shun's nostrils flared slightly.

Without warning, he suddenly raised a palm and struck at Wu Wang's head.

Wu Wang remained motionless, divine light flashing in his eyes, as boundless golden radiance surged around him.

A Golden Dragon suddenly materialized, pressing down with its Dragon Claw. Thousands of Great Daos trembled, the divine lights of the heavens blazed, and the divine radiance in the void flickered, almost shattering the Illusionary Realm created by the Kunlun Mirror!

Before Wu Wang, Emperor Shun was pressed firmly onto the chessboard by the Dragon Claw.

Queen Mother of the West closed her eyes, unable to watch, and shook her head slightly.

Wu Wang sighed. "Emperor Shun, you abandoned the Dao of Order and the Dao of Chaos. Now, relying solely on a fragment of the Dao of Time, without even a divine body, why do you still struggle?"

Emperor Shun let out a cold laugh, but his gaze gradually calmed.

Suddenly, he sighed, a touch of sorrow appearing in his eyes.

The rapid emotional shift, the naturalness of the transition—it's definitely a split personality.

Emperor Shun sighed, "I thought everyone else was a fool, but time and again, I proved to be the biggest fool of all.

"The Dao of Order I abandoned, you developed into the Heavenly Dao.

"The Dao of Chaos I just abandoned—if I had developed it to its extreme, it could perhaps have contended with the Heavenly Dao. But I trusted no spirit, not even myself.

"I am actually quite pitiable, for I have never truly possessed that confidence."

Wu Wang was about to speak, but Emperor Shun gave him no chance, glaring furiously and bellowing, "You're just relying on the Heavenly Dao!"

A personality tainted by the Candle Dragon's character?

Wu Wang said, "The Heavenly Dao was constructed by me; it is also my foundation. How can you call it mere reliance?

"Don't try to provoke me. I am here today precisely to deal with you.

"I've waited far too long for this day."

Emperor Shun said coldly, "Then why haven't you acted?"

This time, it was Wu Wang's turn to remain silent.

He raised his hand slightly, and the Golden Dragon transformed into chains, binding Emperor Shun tightly.

"Emperor Shun," Wu Wang said calmly, "here, I shall strip you of your Dao of Time."

Before he finished speaking, Wu Wang's joined sword fingers were already touching Emperor Shun's forehead.

An obscure yet faint Dao rhythm enveloped them. A golden seed flew from Emperor Shun's forehead, flung by Wu Wang into the void, where it was absorbed by the Heavenly Dao.

Emperor Shun's face instantly became deathly pale, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

The process seemed far too simple.

Wu Wang said slowly, "Before I kill you, I have a few questions. You may answer or not, as I will check your memories regardless."

"Wu Wangzi!" Emperor Shun nearly ground his teeth. "At the very least, you should grant me some final dignity!"

"You're the one who cast aside that dignity. Weren't you just scoffing disdainfully?" Wu Wang frowned.

"Even at this final moment, you're still scheming how to deceive your allies, how to reluctantly grasp at one last chance.

"Emperor Shun, since you yourself have no bottom line, how can you demand dignity from your opponent?"

"Ha, hahaha, hahahahaha!" Emperor Shun threw his head back and laughed, but his laughter was filled with desolation.

"In this lifetime, I rose from insignificance, navigated skillfully among the powerful, sought opportunities to soar to great heights, only to end up in such a desolate state!

"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

Wu Wang asked bluntly, "How much do you know about the Third God Era? And the First God Era?"

Emperor Shun watched Wu Wang quietly, a faint smile on his lips, merely gazing at him.

Wu Wang asked again, "Through the Dao of Time, have you seen anything?"

The smile at the corner of Emperor Shun's mouth grew more cryptic, as if victory were already assured, as if he knew some secret.

Wu Wang's third question: "How much longer do you think this world can exist?"

"Heh."

SMACK!

Without any warning, Wu Wang suddenly struck.

There was nothing fancy about it. A burst of divine light, containing the ultimate mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, erupted from Wu Wang's fingertips, easily piercing Emperor Shun's forehead and blasting a terrifying, bloody hole.

The Queen Mother of the West's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Emperor Shun's eyes showed a hint of astonishment and disbelief as his Divine Soul rapidly dimmed.

Wu Wang, however, dared not be careless. He summoned the Heavenly Dao, using its power as kindling to ignite the Supreme Profound Nether Fire, which enveloped Emperor Shun's Divine Soul, slowly incinerating it from the outside in.

In a mere moment, Emperor Shun's 'body' had melted into a translucent state.

His soul grew faint.

"Just like that? He's killed?" the Queen Mother of the West couldn't help asking.

"Otherwise?" Wu Wang countered. "Should I have afforded him some grand ceremony?"

"He was, after all, a hegemon of his era," the Queen Mother of the West said softly. "He should have been defeated in a direct confrontation."

"He would never have faced me directly," Wu Wang shook his head. "Even if you gave him the chance, he would exhaust every possibility to escape into the void.

"I cannot afford such a risk, nor do I wish to take it.

"Heavenly Dao suppression, stripping away his Dao of Time, eradication of his Divine Soul."

All executed in one smooth sequence.

"This..."

"The conversation just now was also intended to gradually break down his fighting spirit and distract him. Actually, I had already used my full strength for the Golden Dragon earlier. Otherwise, I couldn't have made it look so effortless."

"Your Majesty's handling was certainly appropriate," the Queen Mother of the West said. "But Emperor Shun might have known something about the future calamity."

"Impossible," Wu Wang snorted. "If he knew, he wouldn't have spoken in such a tone. Just now, his posturing was merely because he didn't understand why I was asking these questions. He sensed a secret behind my inquiries and was merely feigning comprehension."

The Queen Mother of the West sighed lightly, her eyes filled with emotion.

Emperor Shun had visited her in years past.

She never expected that he would now be like a sheet of thin paper, slowly dissipating in the flames of the Heavenly Dao.

Wu Wang maintained this profound fire for an hour.

Only when not even a speck of Emperor Shun's Divine Soul remained did he order the Heavenly Dao to search every corner within the Heavenly Realm and the Outer Sky for any contingency plans Emperor Shun might have left behind.

Being meticulous was always the correct approach.

The Queen Mother of the West watched quietly. Seeing Wu Wang's gaze fall upon the Eastern Wilderness within the Great Wilderness World, checking on one God of the Eastern Wilderness after another, she couldn't help her lips twitching.

"Does Your Majesty dread Emperor Shun that much?"

"Mm." Wu Wang affirmed. "I have never underestimated Emperor Shun. Even now, when dealing with him requires only thirty percent of my strength, I will use my full power to eradicate every trace he has left."

The Queen Mother of the West smiled. "In that case, Your Majesty, does this also imply a certain lack of confidence?"

"If the price of confidence is my friends and family being abducted again," Wu Wang raised an eyebrow, "then I'd rather be a little less confident."

"That is also true."

"Very well. I've troubled you this time, Queen Mother of the West. Please also go to the Outer Sky to lend your support. Descend with your majesty and help suppress the Candle Dragon and the Dao of Chaos."

The Queen Mother of the West asked, "Your Majesty, will you not act personally? The Outer Sky also needs the Heavenly Dao's enlightenment."

"Why should I go and display my power before others?" Wu Wang looked into the depths of the void and said slowly, "I need to check the entire world once more for any of Emperor Shun's hidden arrangements."

The Queen Mother of the West was momentarily speechless.

Incredible.

This Eastern Emperor truly shows profound respect for his old adversary.