"Dada? A Six-Star God Clan?"
Wan Lei looked at the god. Did the star mark on his forehead represent his clan's identity?
Fang Xiaoyu flew down from Dada's shoulder. Dada also shrunk from his hundred-zhang-tall body to normal human size, but his two-meter height still made him appear imposing.
"What happened to you? Did you get into a fight with someone? I've been looking for you. We sensed thunderous fluctuations from this direction and flew over to check. It really is you."
"You tell us how you two met first. I thought the God Clan were enemies of the Immortal Realm, weren't they? What's going on here?"
Everything that happened that day was too incredible, completely shattering Wan Lei's worldview.
Upon hearing this, the god Dada's face immediately darkened.
"Kid, did you time-travel from fifty thousand years ago? If I didn't know you had just ascended to the Immortal Realm and were unfamiliar with its ways, I could have gotten angry based on your discriminatory remarks alone."
Fang Xiaoyu quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Oh, the God Clan and humans haven't been enemies for fifty thousand years; we are all allies now. When I first arrived here, he was the one who helped me and told me where I was. Dada is very familiar with this place, so I asked him to help me find you. Dada is quite honest and a good friend to have."
Hearing Fang Xiaoyu say this, Wan Lei felt relieved and nodded, apologizing to Dada.
"You still haven't told us what happened to you. Who did you fight to end up like this?"
Wan Lei sighed and explained, "I don't know what happened. As soon as I arrived here, the heavenly tribulation descended. Logically, we had already passed our immortal tribulation, so there shouldn't be any more heavenly tribulations. Then I had Gouzi absorb the power of the Heavenly Dao while I endured the tribulation below. This tribulation was much more powerful than the ones in our realm; it nearly killed me. But when the tribulation dissipated, I discovered Gouzi was gone."
"Gouzi is gone?!"
Fang Xiaoyu's eyes widened immediately, and she furrowed her delicate brows. "How could he be gone? Was he killed or absorbed by the heavenly tribulation?"
"Gouzi is lightning itself; how could he be killed by lightning? The heavenly tribulations here are too strange; I don't know what's going on."
"Wait, are you saying it was heavenly tribulation?" Dada suddenly interjected.
"Yes."
"But, as far as I know, there are no heavenly tribulations in the Immortal Realm, only the immortal tribulation that occurs upon becoming an immortal." Dada spread his hands, full of surprise.
This stunned both Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu.
"What the hell, what was I experiencing just now? That was the aura of heavenly tribulation; I'm most familiar with it. I'm the Ferryman of Heavenly Tribulation."
"I don't know. Could it be that the Heavenly Dao is targeting you? Only the Heavenly Dao can descend heavenly tribulations."
Wan Lei was struck by lightning. What was going on? I was targeted in the secret realm, and now I'm being targeted in the Immortal Realm? Could it be that those Immortal Lords... Saints can still see me? I've already reached the Immortal Realm.
"The Immortal Realm is the highest-ranking, most spiritually dense, and resource-richest cultivation paradise among the infinite planes. It is a sacred land. Cultivators here only need to undergo one immortal tribulation in their lifetime; otherwise, they can cultivate peacefully without worrying about anything else."
"That's too unfair. Our realm was poor and harsh, and we faced a wave of heavenly tribulations with every breakthrough in cultivation, as if they wanted to kill us all. By the way, are there heavenly punishments in the Immortal Realm?" Wan Lei suddenly asked.
"Heavenly punishment? What is that? I've never heard of it."
"You know, like when a cultivator commits evil, kills too many people, and has deep sins, the Heavenly Dao descends lightning to punish him, with no respite until death."
Upon hearing this, Dada became even more bewildered. "Your realm is indeed peculiar. We have none of that in the Immortal Realm. If something like what you described truly happened, the governing powers or empires on the continent and across the star domains would surely hunt down that evildoer."
"What if those powers or empires themselves commit evil? They manage others, so who can manage them?"
"The Five Elements Hall. If any power dares to slaughter and commit evil, the Five Elements Hall will definitely not let them go; they will surely capture them all."
"The Five Elements Hall?" Wan Lei heard the name again.
"What if the Five Elements Hall commits evil?"
"How could the Five Elements Hall commit evil? They are the leaders of the righteous plane. If the leaders commit evil, then is there any hope for this world?"
"But as long as one is human, they have desires and sins. How can you guarantee they won't commit evil?"
This question stumped Dada. The honest and straightforward god stammered for a long time before saying, "Hey, why are you so argumentative? If you have the ability, go to the Five Elements Hall and ask the Immortal Venerables, 'What will you do if you commit evil?' Go ahead."
As soon as Wan Lei heard the words "Immortal Venerable," his expression changed dramatically, and his eyes lit up. "Immortal Venerable? There are Immortal Venerables in the Five Elements Hall? Tell me quickly."
"Hmph, I can't be bothered with you. I'm leaving; I won't talk to a contrarian like you. You're like an idiot, not even knowing about the Five Elements Hall and Immortal Venerables." This conversation had greatly displeased Dada, and he no longer intended to deal with Wan Lei, turning to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey, Brother Dada, Elder Brother, don't go, it's my fault, my fault. Look, I have some fine wine here, exquisite vintage brought from our homeland. Let's have some together and chat while we drink." His Majesty Emperor Lei said with a fawning smile, taking out two jars of Drunken Immortal Brew and handing them to Dada.
Dada's eyes immediately lit up upon seeing the wine, but he still proudly refused to accept it. "Look, we've only just ascended. We didn't know anything in our small plane before. Meeting a good person like you, ah no, a good god, Brother Dada, is our good fortune. Brother Dada, do us the honor and educate us."
"Alright then, for the sake of the fine wine, I'll tell you. But first, no more arguing. What I say is the truth, and arguing with me is useless."
"No more, no more."
The three sat down on the frozen earth. Dada picked up a jar and drank it all in one gulp, smacking his lips with satisfaction, his mood greatly improved.
"Since you weren't in the Immortal Realm before and know nothing about it, I'll tell you all about it properly. When speaking of Immortal Venerables, one must mention the Five Elements Hall. When speaking of the Five Elements Hall, one must mention the Immortal-God War. When speaking of the Immortal-God War, one must mention the origin of the universe."
Fang Xiaoyu couldn't help but chuckle. Wan Lei's face was covered in dark lines. The origin of the universe? If you start from the creation of heaven and earth, you won't finish in three days and three nights.
"Uh, let's just start with the Immortal-God War."
"Oh, alright then." Dada nodded. "As everyone knows, the Origin Plane is divided into three realms: the Divine, the Immortal, and the Ghost. The Divine Realm is where our God Clan resides, and the Immortal Realm is the world of you humans, the demon race, and all other races."