Immortal Paladin

[POV: Origin King]

The Origin King did not delay after receiving the humiliating invitation.

The moment he finished reconstructing his palace and restoring his fallen subordinates, he departed immediately. The distance between realms meant little to him, and he crossed the skies with overwhelming speed until the destination finally came into view.

Ruins.

The broken remnants of what had once been a church sprawled across the land below him. Shattered stone pillars jutted from the earth like broken teeth, and fragments of sacred statues lay scattered among the debris. Whatever place this had once been, it now existed only as a monument to decay.

The Origin King ascended higher into the air until he floated above the ruins.

His robes fluttered in the wind while his gaze shifted northward.

There.

A city.

Even from this distance, his divine senses could feel the presences gathered within it. Several of them radiated formidable strength. Despite the restrictive environment of this qi-deprived world, he could still sense that some of those beings were at least comparable to the strongest Origin Gods within the ranks of his army.

His lips curved slightly.

“So this is where you’re hiding.”

If Da Wei wanted to talk so badly, then he would gladly respond in kind.

The Origin King raised one hand toward the sky.

“Origin Divine Palm.”

The moment the technique was invoked, the surrounding elements surged violently. Vast streams of divine power gathered around his outstretched hand before condensing into a colossal palm formed entirely from radiant energy.

The palm expanded rapidly as it manifested.

“With this,” he said with a faint grin that bordered on amusement, “I’ll be returning the favor.”

He pushed his hand forward.

The divine palm surged across the sky like a falling mountain, growing larger with every passing moment as it rushed toward the city in front of him.

The Origin King watched its descent with visible satisfaction.

“Let’s see how you fare against my divine power—”

His words were abruptly cut short.

The sky twisted violently.

A sudden eruption of turbulent wind tore through the air as a massive golden rift split open directly in front of the approaching palm. The rift formed the unmistakable shape of a radiant cross, its edges glowing with terrifying authority.

The enormous divine palm slammed straight into the rift, and then vanished.

The technique did not explode or scatter.

It was swallowed completely.

The Origin King’s eyes widened slightly.

“Impossible.”

His senses focused immediately on the phenomenon.

Within the rift lingered a strange and unfamiliar power. It possessed the ability to devour mystical forces in its vicinity as though they were nothing more than drifting smoke.

Even more troubling was the energy woven into the spell.

“It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen before,” he murmured quietly.

It was not Immortal Qi.

Nor Demonic Qi.

It was not Heavenly Qi or any of the countless variations cultivated across the Greater Universe. It did not resemble the system known as Mana either, the energy commonly used by the champions of this world.

Yet it was unmistakably a form of power.

His palm disappeared fully into the cross-shaped rift before the golden structure slowly faded from existence.

The Origin King’s expression hardened.

He was not blind.

Even without witnessing the caster directly, he could clearly sense that someone of his level existed within that ruined city.

No.

Not quite.

He corrected himself.

Not a peer.

The Origin King had absolute confidence in his own power. Furthermore, this was not Da Wei’s territory. The Holy Emperor could not draw upon the vast reservoirs of faith that normally empowered him within the Hollowed World.

Even so, the danger remained real.

The refugees from the Heavenly Temple had spoken often of this Da Wei. Their stories described a ruler capable of rallying countless believers under the banner of holy war. If he were to ignite such a conflict within this world, the resulting tide of faith could elevate his strength to dangerous levels.

The Origin King could not allow that.

He did not want a war.

He only wanted the Key.

At their core, Supreme Beings were still born from mortal origins. No matter how powerful they became, they remained creatures of desire, ambition, and pride.

If he could exploit those weaknesses, negotiation might still be possible.

Of course, that depended on whether Da Wei truly knew anything about the Key at all.

The man had only claimed knowledge of its location.

He had never said he possessed it.

Still, the possibility alone was enough to ignite a quiet hope within the Origin King’s mind.

A powerful voice suddenly echoed across the sky.

“That’s a rather fiery greeting you have.”

The Origin King’s gaze snapped forward.

“If I could conjure a hand like you do,” the voice continued with light amusement, “I would’ve shaken it instead.”

A figure appeared before him.

The man arrived so smoothly that the moment of his approach was almost impossible to detect. One instant the sky was empty, and the next instant the newcomer stood calmly in the air.

Da Wei.

The Origin King studied him carefully.

The man’s movement technique was remarkable. Even a brief observation revealed that it was not a single ability but a layered combination of at least three divine techniques working in perfect harmony.

That realization made the Origin King sigh softly.

“It seems I overestimated you.”

Da Wei raised an eyebrow.

“Now that’s just rude.”

The Origin King suddenly burst into laughter.

The sound carried through the sky with unrestrained mockery.

“You?” he said between chuckles. “The mighty Holy Emperor the refugees keep whispering about?”

His laughter gradually subsided as he looked Da Wei up and down.

“Allow me to explain why your arrogance is so amusing.”

He raised a finger casually.

“First, you don’t even possess the Source within your body. Any true sovereign of existence should have already fused with it or assimilated its existence within your mythology. How did you lose the Source? I cannot even comprehend what manner of incompetency allowed such a thing?”

Another finger rose.

“Second, those refugees spoke endlessly about your so-called Six Paths, some mythical authority that supposedly governs the cycle of existence. I see none of it within you.”

Then a third finger joined the others.

“And third…”

The Origin King’s smile widened slightly.

“You only have a single layer of immortality.”

His eyes gleamed with quiet amusement.

“Tell me, Holy Emperor,” he said lightly, “how exactly does someone like you justify standing before me with that level of arrogance?”

It seemed there had been far more to the recent war within the Hollowed World than what he had been told. The refugees from the Heavenly Temple had spoken endlessly about the rise of this Holy Emperor, yet many details now appeared suspiciously incomplete. Either those refugees had attempted to manipulate him, or they genuinely possessed no understanding of what had truly transpired.

Neither possibility pleased him.

He had always believed that his own kin were mistaken in their dependence on the Source. The Shén treated it as the pinnacle of divine authority, the ultimate mark of legitimacy among rulers of existence. Yet the figure standing before him appeared to contradict that belief entirely.

Da Wei did not even possess the Source.

The Origin King could sense it clearly.

After they were abandoned by the Origin, the Shén clung to the Source like abandoned puppies. Judging by the essence surrounding the man, Da Wei was not particularly ancient either. Compared to the long-lived gods of the Age of Divinity, his existence felt almost young.

And yet the Source was gone from him.

When the Six Supremes had ruled at the height of their power as the Supreme Vessels of the Source, they had been terrifying beyond reason. Each of them had been a living catastrophe, beings whose presence alone reshaped entire worlds. None could contend against them when they stood at their peak.

Compared to those legends, the Da Wei standing before him felt… unimpressive.

How dare such a man look down on him?

The Origin King’s gaze sharpened suddenly.

Something felt strange.

When Da Wei had first appeared, they had been floating at roughly the same height in the air. Yet only moments later, the Origin King realized he had drifted slightly downward without consciously deciding to do so.

It was subtle.

So subtle that almost no one would notice.

But he possessed Origin Sense, one of the many abilities granted by his profound connection to the Origin. That ability allowed him to perceive the underlying movements of existence itself.

“This must be the rumored Supremacy Trait.”

Supreme Beings were said to possess an innate authority that subtly influenced the world around them. Even other powerful entities could find themselves instinctively lowering their stance, acknowledging the invisible dominance radiating from such a being.

It was certainly fearsome in its subtlety.

However, the Origin King merely scoffed internally.

In the end, it was nothing more than a petty trick.

His attention shifted toward Da Wei’s eyes.

Something about them bothered him deeply.

He could not immediately explain why, but a faint unease crept into his mind every time he looked directly into them. The feeling was not fear, yet it carried an unsettling weight that he could not easily dismiss.

Deciding to err on the side of caution, the Origin King spoke first.

“Give me the Key,” he said calmly, “and I might just spare you.”

Despite his earlier mockery, he understood that Da Wei was still a Supreme Being. Someone with such a title likely possessed hidden trump cards. That alone explained the confidence required to summon him here for a private meeting.

Of course, the Origin King possessed similar confidence.

Moreover, he had not come alone.

Even now, his hidden forces waited nearby, ready to intervene at the slightest signal. If this meeting collapsed into open combat, he had every intention of crushing the Holy Emperor where he stood.

Da Wei raised a hand slightly as if calming the situation.

“Don’t be hasty,” he said lightly. “You might regret it.”

The Origin King burst into laughter.

“You?” he replied mockingly. “Regret something because of you? That would—”

“Yep. Just like this.”

Power exploded outward.

The eruption was so sudden and overwhelming that even the surrounding air seemed to shatter under the pressure.

“Exalted Renewal.”

The moment the technique was declared, the hidden forces accompanying the Origin King reacted instantly. His elite bodyguards burst from concealment in perfect coordination, forming a defensive formation around their ruler. Two powerful presences moved with them as well.

Desire, one of the Six Queens, emerged from a rift of burning crimson energy. Her figure was radiating infernal elegance. The hellspawn queen possessed curved horns and eyes filled with seductive malice, her demonic aura swirling like flames around her body.

“My king,” Desire said smoothly, her voice laced with playful cruelty. “You really should have called for me sooner.”

Another presence appeared beside her.

Passion, also one of the Six Queens, landed gracefully upon the air itself, her feline features framed by flowing hair and predatory golden eyes. As a beastfolk queen of the beastly tribes within the army, her movements carried the fluid confidence of a hunter.

“Leave this to us, my lord,” Passion said with a grin that revealed sharp fangs. “Anyone foolish enough to challenge you deserves to be torn apart.”

Before either queen could advance, the sky changed.

A vast eclipse suddenly covered the heavens.

Darkness swallowed the sunlight as a massive shadow spread across the battlefield. Within that unnatural darkness, a tall figure in flowing dark robes descended between the approaching forces.

The mysterious figure raised one hand casually.

The advance of the Origin King’s contingent army halted instantly.

At the same moment, a massive teleportation array flared across the ground below. Hundreds and thousands of figures suddenly materialized across the battlefield.

The newcomers erupted into excited shouts.

“Yo! It worked!”

“Is this the new expansion zone?”

“Let’s go, boys! First world boss!”

Another voice shouted triumphantly, “The Player Alliance has arrived! Time to farm this patch!”

The Origin King stared at the chaotic group with visible confusion.

What stood before him barely resembled an army.

Their equipment was wildly inconsistent. Some wore heavy enchanted armor while others fought in mismatched clothing that looked barely suitable for travel. Their weapons ranged from legendary blades radiating divine light to rusty spears that appeared stolen from village guards.

Their combat ability varied just as wildly.

Some of them possessed frightening strength.

Others seemed barely capable of wielding their own weapons.

Despite their disorder, the group charged forward with reckless enthusiasm.

They attacked the Origin King’s soldiers without hesitation.

One warrior was cut down almost instantly.

A flash of light erupted from the fallen body.

Moments later, the same warrior reappeared nearby, fully restored and charging back into battle while laughing loudly.

“Respawned already! Let’s go again!”

The Origin King’s eyes narrowed. 

Even stranger than the chaotic army was the man responsible for summoning them. Da Wei stood calmly in the air, doing absolutely nothing. He simply watched.

“What is this about?” demanded the Origin King.

“I am enjoying it,” replied Da Wei casually. “Your reaction is quite entertaining. I do appreciate your lack of idiocy, though. You even brought bodyguards with you. Unfortunately, they are not enough. If I sent Ox-Head out there, your guards might get wiped out too quickly.”

Da Wei folded his arms while watching the chaotic battlefield below.

“My players need their stimulation.”

The chaotic army clashed with his forces in waves of reckless enthusiasm. Their deaths meant nothing to them. Every time one of them fell, another light would flash somewhere nearby and the same warrior would return as though the act of dying had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

It was absurd and theatrical.

And it was obviously deliberate.

The Origin King understood what Da Wei was doing. Every strange action, every mocking word, every unnecessary display of chaos was meant to provoke him. It was a calculated performance designed to chip away at his composure.

Under normal circumstances, such tactics would not work.

His life had stretched across ages. He had endured the collapse of civilizations, the betrayal of gods, and the slow erosion of history itself. Patience had long since become second nature to him.

Yet even that patience had limits.

Finally, he snapped.

“What do you even want from this conversation?” he demanded. “You invited me here, and I came. Isn’t this the height of rudeness?”

Da Wei tilted his head slightly, as though considering the complaint, and then he shrugged. “Okay, I take it back. You might actually be an idiot.”

The Origin King’s expression darkened.

Da Wei continued speaking in the same relaxed tone. “My poor fellow, I just blasted your palace with Heavenly Punishment. What exactly did you expect from this meeting? Of course we’re enemies. Are you that blind? Maybe you’re deaf too.”

The Origin King felt a shudder crawl along his spine with the mix of suppressed rage and budding anxiety. It was subtle at first, almost imperceptible. Yet with every passing second the sensation grew stronger.

Danger.

The feeling radiating from Da Wei was increasing steadily.

It was not the explosive aura of someone preparing to attack. Instead, it resembled a slow tightening of invisible pressure, like an unseen blade inching closer to his throat.

The Origin King’s mind raced.

How?

What kind of ability produced such a phenomenon?

Da Wei continued speaking as though nothing unusual was happening.

“I actually had three objectives when arranging this meeting.”

He raised one finger.

“The first objective was simple. I wanted to assassinate you.”

A second finger rose.

“If that failed, I would proceed to my secondary objective, which involves bluffing my way through this conversation and scaring you long enough to buy time for me to rebuild my army and base. Oh, and don’t think too much about the honesty. Telling you this is part of the scare tactics I’m using right now. Also no, I’m not insane.”

Then he raised a third finger.

“And the tertiary objective?”

Da Wei leaned slightly forward.

“How about you guess?”

“Do you think this is a game?” demanded the Origin King coldly. “I came here prepared to negotiate your life, and you have only earned my ire.”

His eyes burned with intensity.

“I will obtain that Key no matter what methods I must employ.”

He pointed directly at Da Wei.

“Now tell me where it is.”

Da Wei responded by calmly extending his hand. A small distortion appeared beside him as he reached into a pocket dimension, and then he pulled something out.

A key.

The moment the Origin King saw it, the world seemed to narrow around that single object. Inside his mind, the voice of the Origin erupted with urgent repetition.

[Statement: Take it. The key. Take it. The key. Take it. The key. Take it.]

The command echoed relentlessly. The Origin King immediately moved. He lunged forward, reaching for the key. Da Wei casually moved his hand out of reach. The Origin King grabbed again. Da Wei shifted his arm away while stepping aside.

“Oops,” Da Wei said lightly.

The Origin King’s fingers brushed the air where the key had been moments earlier.

“Sorry.”

He tried again.

“Nope.”

Da Wei leaned backward just enough for the attempt to fail again.

The mocking rhythm continued.

“Oop—almost had it.

“Ah, sorry again.

“Still no.”

The Origin King’s patience finally shattered.

“Give it to me!”

His hand slammed downward.

“Origin Divine Palm!”

The colossal divine palm erupted beneath him and crashed into the battlefield below. The impact annihilated a massive section of the Player Alliance in an instant, leaving nothing but shattered terrain and evaporated bodies.

Da Wei merely glanced at the devastation.

“I can just summon more.”

He raised one hand calmly.

“Immortal Art: Divine Appointment of the Faithful.”

Golden light spread across the battlefield.

The numbers of the chaotic army immediately swelled as new fighters appeared among the ranks, cheering and charging forward with renewed enthusiasm.

The Origin King frowned.

Did Da Wei truly not care about these people?

The refugees from the Heavenly Temple had painted a very different picture of the Holy Emperor. According to their stories, Da Wei had been compassionate, even merciful. During the civil war within his empire, he had allegedly resurrected both sides repeatedly, refusing to allow his own people to perish permanently.

Those events had occurred when he still possessed the Source.

But now?

Anyone who died here dissipated immediately into the ether.

There was no resurrection.

No salvation.

The Origin King raised his hand again.

“Origin Divine Palm.”

This time the enormous attack surged toward the city behind Da Wei.

The Holy Emperor responded instantly.

Another enormous golden rift in the shape of a cross appeared in the sky and swallowed the incoming palm just as before.

The Origin King’s voice turned cold.

“Think carefully, Da Wei. Give me the key.”

Da Wei sighed.

“You are really hard to piss off, you know that? I need more than that, buddy!”

Then he lifted the key again. Without warning, Da Wei snapped the key in half. The sharp sound echoed through the air.

Before the Origin King could react, Da Wei tossed one half into his mouth and swallowed it. The remaining half vanished into his pocket dimension.

Something inside the Origin King finally broke.

“You—!”

The fury erupted from him like a storm.

“You miserable insect! Do you have any idea what you have just done? That key is not some toy for your childish games!”

His aura exploded outward with terrifying intensity.

“You dare destroy it in front of me? You dare swallow it as though it were nothing?”

His eyes burned with murderous rage.

“You are courting death, Da Wei. I will rip that fragment from your corpse if I must. I will tear apart your soul and extract every secret hidden within it!”

The Origin King’s voice thundered across the battlefield.

“You have just guaranteed that I will not leave a single piece of you intact!”