<h4>Chapter 1517 (Raw 1498): Cause of the Azure Emperor’s Death</h4>


    Inside the Azure Dragon Pce, Xiao Chen held out the Immortal statue’s heart and sought advice from the old Dragon Horse and the other seniors.


    “Seniors, this is the heart of that Immortal statue. Even until now, it still possesses a strong lifeforce. Do any of you know of any Puppetry Techniques in the outer realm that can control this ancient Immortal body?”


    The moment Xiao Chen asked, the old Dragon Horse and the others allughed, confusing Xiao Chen.


    Hong Xue said, “I’ll tell him. The development of Puppetry Techniques in the outer realm is far beyond what you can imagine. Not to mention bodies from the Immortal Epoch, they can control even bodies from dozens of epochs ago.


    “In my opinion, the strength these Immortal statues disyed is far from what they are capable of. However, thews of the Kunlun Realm restrict them to a certain level, preventing them from going further.


    “As for the method, there are simply too many. ns and sects famed for their Puppetry Techniques number in the thousands, perhaps even more.”


    Xiao Chen felt embarrassed when he heard this. No wonder these seniorsughed at his question. In the end, the problem was still with his ken.


    If a three-year-old child asked Xiao Chen if moving a rock was incredible or not, he wouldugh as well.


    The azure-d person said, “We can’t really put it that way. After all, the Kunlun Realm is an abandonednd. Even if the experts of the outer realm came, their strength would not be able to surpass Prime. It is still pretty incredible to be able to control so many Immortal statues.”


    A thought urred to Xiao Chen, so he asked, “Seniors, do you know if there is a faction that goes by the Dark Church in the outer realm?”


    “Even if you did not mention this matter, we would have told you about it. Back then, when the Azure Emperor fought with this group of people, we already guessed that the Dark Church is not a simple group,” the azure-d man said as he looked at Xiao Chen.


    “What do you mean by them not being a simple group?”


    “How should I put it...in the outer realm, few sects and factions would choose words associated with religious groups for their names. Such words are taboo. Without a certain level of strength and umtions, if one named themselves with such a term, the major religious groups would suppress them and dere them an evil religion, making it very hard for them to survive.


    “In the outer realm, a religious faction would create countless sects, spreading them across the ce, even to hundreds of the Great Thousand Realms. For example, Buddhist and Confucian sects build temples of various sizes, thousands of them. Fragrant incense wafts through those ces, flourishing for a long time.


    “Thus, all the factions that use a religious term as a name are either tiny factions that no one pays any attention to or are factions on a terrifyingly strong level!”


    Xiao Chen asked quickly, “So which does the Dark Church belong to? The former or thetter?


    The azure-d man entered deep thought. After a while, he said, “There is no sect called the Dark Church in the outer realm. At the very least, there are norge factions going by that name there. However, when the Azure Emperor fought that group of people back then, we guessed that this Dark Church was actually arge religious group from the outer realm that changed its name in the Kunlun Realm.


    “Being able to devote so much resources to set up a base in the abandonednd is not something that a small religious faction can do.”


    Xiao Chen felt startled. Unexpectedly, the Dark Church had such a great background.


    “What is their purpose, then?”


    “Purpose? Of course, it would be the Rock of Origin, also known as the Origin Heart. After every epoch ends, an abandonednd and an Origin Heart form. If one obtains the Origin Heart, one will have the opportunity to understand the mystery behind the rise and fall of an epoch. Besides, the Origin Heart itself is a divine item, able to aid one inprehending the Dao. Many major characters of the outer realm would fight over such an item.”


    The azure-d man continued, “However, not many people in the outer realm would have such thoughts. Firstly, it is too difficult and will waste too much time. Secondly, it goes against the Heavenly Dao and will affect their Luck.


    “However, even if they do not obtain the Origin Heart, there will still be all sorts of benefits. For example, by upying such an abandonednd and developing it into thend of their religious group, it can provide an unending stream of believers and offerings.


    “Hence, all the abandonednds would be like the Kunlun Realm. There would always be groups like the Dark Church hatching all sorts of plots.”


    Xiao Chen finally understood. In the past, he always wondered why a Dark Church would appear for no reason at all.


    It turned out that even if there were no Dark Church, there would be other factions with simr ideas.


    As for the Origin Heart, Xiao Chen knew that it was in Kunlun Mountain.


    No wonder there were always experts stationed at Kunlun Mountain, protecting it. The experts of the various races would put aside their differences and guard it.


    Now, Xiao Chen understood everything. If the Origin Heart were snatched away, the Kunlun Realm would be a wastnd. Regardless of race, they would all face extermination or be ves.


    If the various races did not work together to face the Demonic Cmity, they would just be seeking their own destruction.


    “What are you worried about? Don’t overthink. As long as you are strong enough, you can save everything. This was the same for the Azure Emperor back then. He alone resisted the entire Dark Church. If he could do it, you can as well,” the azure-d man consoled.


    Xiao Chen gazed at the Immortal statue’s heart in his hand with a heavy heart. He felt that this Demonic Cmity was extraordinary, different from the ones before. This would truly be a battle to the death.


    Never mind. Let’s not overthink this.


    Xiao Chen put away the Immortal statue’s heart, not wanting to think about the rest. He said, “I feel that my strength is still somewhat unstable. How do I put it? It’s like having a treasure but not knowing how to use it.”


    The old Dragon Horse said softly, “You just advanced to the Veritable Personage Realm, and your cultivation is not stable at the Veritable Essence Stage yet, but you already underwent sessive huge battles. Under normal circumstances, you would need at least ten days to familiarize yourself with an energy like the Veritable Essence Energy. At the same time, you would use the Azure Dragon Pce to stabilize your cultivation.”


    Xiao Chen smiled bitterly and said, “Things do not go as I wish. After resting for a while, I will have to leave again. I cannot just watch as the three Immortal Holy Lands get destroyed. Otherwise, it will be even harder to deal with the approaching Demonic Cmity.”


    Xiao Chen could already predict that the Demonic Cmity was imminent. No matter how strong he was, it would be hard for him to handle it alone. Furthermore, he had received some favors from these Immortal Holy Lands.


    Whether for emotional or logical reasons, he needed to save them.


    Suddenly, Xiao Chen turned his gaze to the ck-d old man. He asked, “Senior, I have a question. Why was it that the Azure Emperor was surrounded and attacked immediately after he returned to the Kunlun Realm?”


    Back then, after the Azure Emperor’s final decisive battle with the Tianwu Emperor, where the Azure Emperor defeated the other party, the eighteen Demon Monarchs of the Demonic World surrounded and attacked the Azure Emperor; even the Dark Church’s Church Master made a move.


    All these details were recorded in various documents. Xiao Chen had long known about them. The real mystery was the group attack that the Azure Emperor suffered after he dragged his severely injured body back to the Kunlun Realm.


    Given the Azure Emperor’s might and prestige, even if he was severely injured, there should not have been anyone daring enough to make a move on him.


    Who could have taken the lead?


    This person needed to have high prestige. Otherwise, he would not have been able to get many to answer his call. Furthermore, this piece of history was not recorded. Clearly, everyone feared this person.


    Although the Azure Emperor walked the Demonic Dao, no matter what, Xiao Chen was still the Azure Emperor’s descendant. Perhaps Xiao Chen’s previous incarnation, the Sky Dome Immortal Lord, managed to reincarnate thanks to the Azure Emperor. So for both logical and emotional reasons, he had a right to know about this past.


    “Big Brother Dragon...”


    The ck-d old man looked up at the old Dragon Horse. When the old Dragon Horse nodded, the ck-d old man said, “Back then, when the Azure Emperor returned to the Kunlun Realm, the one who dealt the fatal blow was none other than the Thunder Sovereign.”


    When Xiao Chen heard this, it was like a crack of thunder in his mind. This was truly...truly something that he could never have imagined.


    Before the Thunder Sovereign went missing, he had been protecting Xiao Chen, even to the point of going against three Primes for Xiao Chen during the King conferral ceremony.


    Although Xiao Chen had not seen the Thunder Sovereign’s true appearance, he had always held this senior in reverence and respect.


    “Actually, you should have guessed it already. Who was the person whose reputation was just under the Azure Emperor’s ten thousand years ago? Who else would dare to make a move on the Azure Emperor? Who else would be capable of dealing a fatal blow to a severely injured Azure Emperor?” the ck-d old man said softly.


    Xiao Chen remained silent, not daring to believe it. However, he could not think of a rebuttal. If he put aside his own emotions, the Thunder Sovereign was indeed the most likely person. If not for him always being around, how could that piece of history have remained hidden?


    That had always been a mystery. Due to the Thunder Sovereign’s interference, that piece of history was not passed down. He was the one with the capability and the prestige. The various Holy Lands would not dare to reject doing him this favor.