Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 524: The Greatest War God!

"ROAAAAR!" The nine golden dragons with five claws bellowed across the heavens, the carriage's four golden lotus wheels radiating divine light for miles. Driven by the dragons, the chariot plunged into the vast clouds, departing from Sky Soaring City!

At that moment, the city shook once more. Perhaps it was the liveliest night Sky Soaring City had ever seen!

In the first half of the night, Divine Dawn was reborn here. In the second half, a chariot drawn by nine dragons dazzled the firmament!

“What is that in the sky?”

Sky Soaring City was a fortress under the Celestial Court. Only the most extraordinary sights could shake its people. They looked up to see the nine dragons slicing through the clouds, tracing a golden lotus pattern across the sky.

“The Nine Dragons Agarwood Chariot!!” Many onlookers, almost instantly, recognized the name of the chariot.

Such was its fame in the Great Dao Celestial Realm!

Those who traveled in such a chariot were surely of high status!

For a time, Sky Soaring City buzzed with fervent discussion.

“The Chaos Sovereign has come to Sky Soaring City too!”

For a moment, the people even felt a glow on their faces.

As the chariot dazzled, it was directly above the Lu Immortal Manor, igniting excitement there once more.

“What on earth is happening tonight? No sooner had the Seventh Princess been reborn here than the Chaos Sovereign’s Nine Dragons Agarwood Chariot arrived?”

“Could he be here to protect the Seventh Princess?”

Outside the Lu estate, the chatter was endless.

Though Lu An's family belonged to the Lu Immortal Manor, their dwelling was near those of the guards, maids, and servants.

At times like these, this place became even more bustling. The children were not sleeping that night; they gathered together, buzzing with excitement like they were on a sugar high.

Yun Xiao stood to the side, pulling over a six-year-old girl named Ah Ji. This little girl, a daughter of an armored guard, often loved to sneak into Miss Yu's house to play with the little celestial pigs.

"Ah Ji, brother has some candy for you," Yun Xiao crouched down.

"Really? Gimme the candy, Uncle!" Ah Ji hurried over.

"Uncle...!? Cough. Alright!" Yun Xiao chuckled as he handed her some candy, then asked, "Do you really admire the Chaos Sovereign?"

"Oh?" Ah Ji perked up, grabbing Yun Xiao's arm, "Of course!"

"Then tell uncle, how mighty is he?" Yun Xiao prompted.

"You better listen well!" Ah Ji stood tall, her voice ringing with fervor, "Once upon a time, the Chaos Sovereign alone with his sword shattered the sky for 100,000 miles, slaying demons, and their blood flowed like rivers! The Emperor himself bestowed upon him the name Chaos Sovereign. From a humble origin, he ascended to heaven in a single leap!"

"And then?" Yun Xiao asked.

Ah Ji, seeing she hadn't stunned him, pressed on, "The Chaos Sovereign, in just 25 years, rose from the rank of Arbiter, establishing monumental feats for the Celestial Court. In 25 years, he broke all records, ascending directly to the rank of Rank 1 Heavenly Officer! Now, he stands as the number one sovereign of the Celestial Court's Eight Great Sovereigns!"

"Rank 1?" Yun Xiao knew this was the pinnacle for Heavenly Officers; any higher and one would be considered almost royal. He smirked, then asked, "Is he more powerful than the Emperor?"

"That I don't know! But he's very, very strong! His official rank is Rank 1, but my father says he's the Supreme Marshal of the Celestial Court's army, hailed as the Greatest War God. The corpses of his defeated enemies could pile from our Sky Soaring City up to the stars!" Ah Ji boasted.

"The Greatest War God?" Yun Xiao mused over this; his roots were humble, his rise meteoric, a span of 25 years to the top, a warrior beyond compare, a man of real power.

In other words, a man of towering influence. But why would he visit the Lu Family's ancestral tomb?

Yun Xiao took a deep breath, casually asking, "Ah Ji, let uncle test you."

"If it's about the Chaos Sovereign, I know everything!" Ah Ji declared proudly.

"Alright, then tell me, what is the Chaos Sovereign's real name?" Yun Xiao asked.

Ah Ji laughed, looking at Yun Xiao with disdain, "You dare ask something everyone knows?"

Yun Xiao thought to himself, If it weren’t universally known, would I ask a six-year-old?

Everyone knew this; it was common knowledge!

"So tell me then," Yun Xiao said.

Ah Ji's eyes sparkled with admiration as she clutched Yun Xiao's sleeve. "The Chaos Sovereign, he's actually related to you, sharing your surname Lu!"

"What's his name?"

"Just the single character Fan."

Yun Xiao felt a stir within him. "Lu Fan?" He uttered the name, feeling its strangeness.

"Shush!" Ah Ji glanced nervously around. "Just keep it to yourself, okay? Don't say it out loud. The Chaos Sovereign might just strike you with thunder, turning you into a celestial pig, ready for your mother to roast."

"Right." Yun Xiao nodded, his expression bemused.

"What are you thinking about? Is it your father, Lu Bufan?" Ah Ji looked at him squarely, her lips pursed. "Your dad has an extra Bu in his name, and that's a whole lot different!"

"Ha-ha." Yun Xiao pinched her mouth shut and popped a candy into it. "Eat up!"

With that, he stood and returned to the courtyard. The yard was quiet. The moist soil bore a clear trail of iron-boot footprints.

Yun Xiao walked past these prints, glancing into the tomb hall. There, a plain-clothed woman was carefully wiping a tomb plaque with a cloth.

Time had etched indelible marks upon her. She had aged, her hair streaked with white, wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

"Mother," Yun Xiao called out.

"Lil Yao,” Miss Yu responded, then asked, "What is it?"

"Do we have any portraits of my father? I'd like to see one," Yun Xiao said.

"Uh." Miss Yu paused, setting down the tomb tablet, scratching her head. "I used to have one, even hung it here in the tomb hall, but..."

"You took it down?" Yun Xiao asked.

"Yes." Miss Yu nodded.

"Why is that?" Yun Xiao inquired.

“Um... people said, since Lu Bufan’s name resembles that of the Chaos Sovereign, and he looks so much like him, we shouldn't display his portrait. We could cause a misunderstanding, and that would bring trouble,” Miss Yu said, rubbing her temples with a sigh.

“Oh…” Yun Xiao bit his lip, “I want to see him.”

“Alright then!” Miss Yu crouched down and carefully extracted a box from beneath the desk in the tomb hall.

The box was meticulously cleaned.

She handed the box to Yun Xiao with a hint of regret, “Go ahead, look. I can't see it anymore.”

Yun Xiao took the pristine box, looking down at Miss Yu for a long while. Under the flicker of candlelight, she looked somewhat worn. Still, she steadied the box with one hand, fearing it might fall.

“Aren’t you going to look?” Miss Yu asked.

“I will…” Yun Xiao opened the box and pulled out a scroll.

The scroll depicted a valiant man clad in neat Arbiter armor, his chin clean-shaven, his hair neatly arranged. Especially striking were his eyes, honest and bright. His smile was straightforward and sincere. But that face… he had just seen it.

“Ah, you poor child, you were just two years old when your father died at the frontier…” Miss Yu shook her head, her voice tinged with sorrow.

Now, Lu Yao was 27 years old. And that Greatest War God of the Celestial Court had risen to godhood in 25 years!

Looking at the portrait, a wave of intense loathing surged within Yun Xiao, and he said coldly, “He really should die, prospering like that, yet never saving you, not even once.”

“Lil Yao, who are you talking about…” Miss Yu paused, confused.

“Nothing.” Yun Xiao rolled up the portrait and placed it back in the box.

After Miss Yu had returned the box, Yun Xiao suddenly grabbed her hand and stood at the doorway of the tomb hall.

“What is it, silly boy?” Miss Yu asked.

Yun Xiao pointed towards a streak of light in the sky, saying, “Mother, dawn is nearly upon us.”