The world was silent.
In front of the bright moon in the sky, a few wisps of fog drifted past, giving off an ethereal feeling.
As for the moonlight on the long street, the purple color spread. The source, Xu Qing, stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at the butterfly behind him.
Summer Immortal Palace.
Xu Qing had heard of this organization more than once. The first time was when Princess Anhai mentioned it on the way to the Imperial City.
It was said that this palace not only existed in the human race but also in many races in the entire Wanggu Continent.
The ancientness of this palace could be traced back to the time when Wanggu was established.
In fact, the 99 Immemorial Heavenly Dao of the Wanggu Continent were also built by the founders of this palace. They were the ones who set the rules for this world and drew the boundary for the gods.
They came from a place known as the Profound Earth, which was the lower realm.
Xu Qing's gaze was deep. After a long time, he slowly spoke.
"The human race's Summer Immortal Palace sends out a disciple to travel every thousand years. Are you the one in this generation?"
The butterfly's wings fluttered, and sparkling starlight scattered from its body like dust, disappearing into the void, accompanied by the clear sound echoing.
"I'm not telling you. If you want to know, you…"
Xu Qing was expressionless. The soul threads in his body rushed out and surged into the butterfly's body.
With a boom, the butterfly collapsed and quickly formed again. However, it was destroyed by the soul threads in the blink of an eye.
Xu Qing only stopped after dozens of repetitions.
The butterfly formed again. The pattern on its wings was like an eye, as though it was glaring angrily. After that, it let out a helpless voice.
"You're still angry. You're going too far. Don't attack!"
"Alright, let me answer your question. I also want to travel outside, but… the Palace Master said that my ability isn't enough. Well, it makes sense. I can't even defeat you…"
The voice inside the butterfly sighed.
"So are you going or not? If you don't, I'll just keep following you. I have no choice. The Palace Master asked me to invite you, and if I don't fulfill it, it won't be good."
"Don't be afraid, he won't hurt you. Also, haven't you noticed that the array formation hasn't moved and no one has arrived since the time we fought… You know the reason, right?"
"Because I represent the Summer Immortal Palace. As for the Summer Immortal Palace… no matter in what race, we don't get involved in worldly affairs. We're just historians. We don't make enemies."
"But I also don't know why the Palace Master invited you."
"Are you going or not?"
Xu Qing was quite annoyed. He discovered that after this mysterious woman transformed into a butterfly, she seemed to have become a chatterbox. Her words came one after another and there was no end to them.
However, Xu Qing was indeed interested in the Summer Immortal Palace.
In the Imperial City, many people were paying attention to him, so he wasn't worried of being in a fatal danger in the Summer Immortal Palace.
Hence, after pondering for a bit, he lowered his head and looked at the ancient sun tied to his waist. He felt even more comforted.
"Lead the way!"
Xu Qing calmly spoke.
The butterfly cheered and flew forward, leaving behind a colorful trail, beautiful like a starry sky.
Xu Qing followed behind.
He continued forward and arrived at the north of the Imperial City.
The Imperial Capital was in the inner ring of the Ancient Sovereign Planet, and was quite vast.
There were all kinds of terrains here like mountain ranges and plains.
Compared to the other areas, the northern area was slightly empty and there were fewer buildings. The night gave it an even more desolate feeling.
A while later, the butterfly stopped in the air above a plain. The resplendent light coupled with the moonlight illuminated this place clearly.
Amidst the light, a temple was faintly discernible.
There were no other buildings in the surroundings, so the temple stood alone.
The temple was dilapidated and filled with a sense of the passage of time. Its existence seemed peculiar, as if it were constructed between reality and illusion.
Xu Qing had passed by this place before and clearly remembered that there was no temple here.
'Is it the same as the Immortal Inquisition Bell?'
Xu Qing fell into deep thought.
"There's no need to speculate. The Summer Immortal Palace of any race is like this—both existing and not existing. When you seek it, you won't find it."
"Only when the Summer Immortal Palace invites you will you be able to see it."
After the butterfly's voice rang out, its body swayed as it headed straight for the temple, disappearing without a trace in its passage. With its departure, the door of the temple slowly opened.
The door was weathered, bearing the unmistakable marks of time, and a sense of antiquity pervaded both inside and outside the temple. Looking at it, it was as if one could see into history.
Xu Qing closed his eyes and the Sundials in his body slowly rotated. When he opened his eyes, he could vaguely see a river of time flowing outside the temple.
This made this temple even more mysterious.
A long time later, Xu Qing took a deep breath and tidied his clothes. He then bowed outside the temple.
After that, he walked toward the entrance of the temple without stopping and directly stepped into the temple.
The moment he entered, a temple that was as dilapidated as its exterior was reflected in Xu Qing's eyes.
The temple was ordinary, with a layout similar to other temples in the outside world. It was empty and quiet, with only the faint sound of burning candles echoing lightly.
The source of the sound was an altar ahead, where nine candles were placed—three extinguished and six burning. The opening of the door caused the candles to flicker, casting a slight dimness over the entire temple.
Below the altar were three straw mats, showing signs of wear and tear as if they had been used for meditation and worship for years.
As for the temple's deities, they were not statues but nine ancient paintings.
The ancient paintings were blurry and indistinct, with only faint outlines of human figures visible.
In addition, the walls around the temple hall were adorned with murals, which appeared mottled in the light of the candles.
Xu Qing's gaze moved away from the altar and landed on the surrounding walls. After staring at them carefully, his heart stirred.
These murals were the condensed history of the human race!
On the murals, Xu Qing saw the scene of the Human Emperor Mystic War ascending the throne!
The portrayal was very clear, vividly portraying the grandness and magnificence. As he looked at it, it was as though he was there himself.
A long time later, Xu Qing's gaze shifted to the other murals. He saw the scene of another Human Emperor ascending the throne.
This emperor's appearance was unfamiliar but there were words left beside him.
Dao World.
Xu Qing took a closer look and continued walking. He saw the Human Sovereign Mirror Cloud who ruled before Dao World!
Xu Qing paused in front of the mural of the Human Sovereign Mirror Cloud. He thought of Crown Prince Purple Green and knew that this Human Sovereign Mirror Cloud was from the same era as Purple Green.
At that time, it could be considered a golden age in the post-
human era.
Xu Qing continued walking. He saw the Human Sovereign Holy Heaven and also the ambitious Human Sovereign Eastern Triumph who had brought half of the human race to ruin.
The coronation scenes of these emperors varied in their grandeur, with the most astonishing being that of the Human Sovereign Eastern Triumph. In the mural, Heavenly Kings stood tall, many Rulers were present, exuding a majestic presence and an incredible dense aura of fortune.
At that time, the human race's foundation was terrifying and the prestige of the ancient sovereign was still there.
When Xu Qing looked back at Mystic War's coronation… the feeling of the human race's decline was quite obvious.
And these scenes, like history turned into a river, flowed before Xu Qing, using the murals to reflect the light of the human race after the departure of the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether.
"Then, what about the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether before the Human Sovereign Eastern Triumph…"
Waves rose in Xu Qing's heart. He circled around the wall of the temple and continued walking until a scene that surpassed all the human emperors in the future appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.
He saw… the ascension of the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether.
The Ancient Sovereign Planet flickered with light and countless auspicious signs. The world lost its color and 99 Immemorial Heavenly Dao appeared, lowering their heads to the palace.
On the vast palace stood a person who surpassed the heavenly might.
Below this person, all the races and countless emperors of the Wanggu Continent were worshiping him with incomparable respect.
One person suppressed Wanggu.
One person swept through the world.
"Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether!"
Xu Qing gazed for a long time before slowly withdrawing his gaze. After calming his mind, he walked forward, wanting to see the human race before the time of the ancient sovereign.
Before Mystic Nether, there were also emperors in the human race, with varying lengths of reign and different degrees of power.
After the 31st person, Xu Qing saw a grand scene similar to the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether's mural.
That… was also an ancient sovereign.
Mystic Nether wasn't the first ancient sovereign of the human race to unify Wanggu. The ancient sovereign before him was called Exiled Immortal!
This person was an empress.
Unparalleled magnificence, the center of attention, and brilliance that spanned the sky.
Xu Qing's heart stirred. This was a history he didn't know about before. Hence, he observed even more carefully and only left after a long time. After that, there were more than 50 Human Emperors…
At the end of the murals in the temple, Xu Qing finally saw… the first ancient sovereign of the human race.
It was a youth. He stood in front of an ancient palace. His clothes weren't imperial robes but Daoist robes.
He didn't look at the myriad races worshiping below. Instead, he seemed to be staring at the starry sky.
His expression was a little melancholic, complicated, and filled with longing.
There were four words written on the side.
Ancient Emperor Heavenly Calm.
"Ancient Emperor Heavenly Calm is the first emperor of the human ethnicity and also the first ancient sovereign."
An elegant sound rang out from behind Xu Qing.
When Xu Qing heard this, he turned his head and looked in the direction of the altar. On the straw mat in the center, there was a woman with her back facing Xu Qing.
Dressed in white, with black hair, illuminated by the candlelight, she appeared before Xu Qing like an old, faded painting.
The person in the painting seemed to exist in time, yet also appeared before Xu Qing's eyes, making it difficult to tell if she belonged to the past or the present.
Her aura was like a god but not a god, like a cultivator but not a cultivator.
'Immortal…'
In Xu Qing's body, the god's finger that had been sleeping for a long time emitted a trembling sound.
'I only took a nap. Why did you… bring me to an immortal…'
The god's finger trembled and instinctively closed Its eyes. It was going to continue sleeping. Once It fell asleep, It wouldn't be afraid anymore.
Xu Qing didn't bother with the awakened god's finger. Instead, his gaze focused on the figure in white.
Ancient temple, figure in white, dim firelight.
At that moment, a moth appeared out of thin air and danced in the surroundings, adding to the scene. Finally, it settled on the woman's shoulder, its wing pattern forming an eye that looked toward Xu Qing.
"Xu Qing, this is my master and also the Palace Master of the Summer Immortal Palace."
Xu Qing's expression was solemn as he bowed.
"Greetings, Palace Master."
The ancient shrine was silent for a long time…
"You have the aura of the Summer Immortal on you."
Her light sound was like water droplets falling on the green stone slab, emitting an ethereal sound that echoed in the archaic shrine for a long time.
