"We bid farewell to the Eternal King..."
The cheers were deafening, a million voices converging, causing the entire underworld to tremble slightly.
Millions, each with fervent adoration in their eyes.
All gazes focused on Chu Fan, who, with his chin slightly raised and hands clasped behind his back, walked between two rows of eighteen peculiar yet defiant figures, heading towards the colossal bronze gate that led to the outside world.
Behind him, among millions, hundreds of thousands wished to pass through this gate, but none could. This was because this place, invisible on maps and undetectable by satellites, was called the Eternal Palace.
The Eternal Palace – hard to enter, even harder to leave.
The Eternal Palace was also known as the haven for criminals.
No matter the severity of their crimes, as long as they surrendered all their wealth, they could enter and receive perpetual protection.
No one could fathom the true power of the Eternal Palace.
Throughout countless years, innumerable factions and Western nations had dispatched armies to overthrow the Eternal Palace, only to be annihilated.
To leave the Eternal Palace, one had to pass eighteen trials.
Passing the eighteen trials was simple: defeat the guardians.
Yet, over endless ages, though hundreds of thousands had attempted, not a single person had succeeded.
Legend had it that the eighteen trials of the Eternal Palace were eighteen levels of hell, unconquerable by anyone.
But today, this unbreakable myth was shattered by Chu Fan.
Simultaneously, he earned the title of Eternal King and departed the Eternal Palace amidst the adulation of a million.
Above the fifty-zhang-high bronze gate, the three characters "Eternal Palace" were inscribed with powerful, vigorous strokes, emitting a soul-stirring killing intent.
Ordinary individuals dared not gaze upon these characters for more than three seconds, lest their internal organs burst and they perish.
When Chu Fan reached the foot of the colossal gate, he looked up at the three characters for a full three minutes before continuing towards the exterior.
"Hmph..."
As the colossal bronze gate slowly closed, one of the eighteen guardians emitted a cold snort.
But the next instant, his every hair stood on end, an icy chill pervading his body. He tried to move, but it felt as though a colossal mountain was pressing down on him, rendering him immobile.
"Still unconvinced? Want to fight again? This time, we'll let you use one hand!"
Hearing the murmur, the eighteen guardians' faces turned grim. Not one dared to utter a word.
They knew he was too powerful, so strong that merely standing before them now made the thought of raising a hand against him an impossibility.
Outside the bronze gate.
The butler of the Eternal Palace, along with dozens of people, waited quietly.
Each of these individuals wielded immense power and possessed wealth that could rival nations.
In the outside world, a mere stomp of their foot could trigger global financial storms or even ignite world wars.
But as Chu Fan strode forth, they all knelt in unison on one knee, their faces filled with reverence.
"We, your subordinates, pay homage to the Eternal King and hope for your acceptance to serve you!"
Their words were laden with deep supplication.
Chu Fan acknowledged them with a faint "Hmm" and then headed towards the exclusive aircraft bound for the Eastern Dragon God Kingdom.
Gazing at the rapidly receding land through the porthole, his thoughts churned.
His father was the most powerful individual in the Eastern Dragon God Kingdom.
His maternal family ranked first among the hundred clans.
Under normal circumstances, he would have enjoyed endless wealth and prosperity from birth.
The reality, however, was that his father's family deemed his mother, Qin Yu, to be of humble origin and unworthy of being the public face of the Chu family's matriarch. They also forbade Qin Yu from bearing children for the Chu family, lest they claim a share of the Chu family's fortune.
Upon learning of Qin Yu's pregnancy, they began to plot, intending for the child to die in the womb.
To protect him, Qin Yu was forced to secretly leave the capital city, evading assassins.
Finally, with the help of her sister, Qin Xue, she successfully gave birth.
The peaceful life did not last long before the assassins caught up.
Cornered by the assassins, Qin Yu had no choice but to flee with Chu Fan into a no-man's-land.
While surrounded by assassins, they happened upon the Eternal Palace's Lord.
At Qin Yu's desperate pleas, the Lord agreed to bring him into the Eternal Palace.
During their farewell, Qin Yu had told Chu Fan to live well within the Eternal Palace and never come out, for his entire life.
Because, she had warned, the world outside was even more perilous.
However, Chu Fan, anxious for his mother's safety, could not possibly resign himself to a lifetime of hiding within the Eternal Palace.
Shortly after entering the Eternal Palace, he set his sights on defeating the eighteen guardians and leaving as his goal.
With various resources and the meticulous guidance of the Lord, ten years ago, at the age of sixteen, he already possessed the strength to defeat the eighteen guardians.
But due to his inability to locate his mother and the insidious poison he had been afflicted with before birth.
The poison was peculiar; even though the Eternal Palace's medical technology had conquered incurable diseases like cancer, they could not eradicate this poison.
Ultimately, after the joint research of many powerful individuals, the solution was to suppress it using the five elements.
Beneath the Eternal Palace lay a volcano, its fiery essence perfect for suppressing the poison.
Last month, he finally received news that his mother had returned to the Eastern Dragon God Kingdom three years prior, and her whereabouts were subsequently lost.
With the assistance of the Lord, who was also his master, he managed to absorb enough fiery essence to completely suppress the poison, allowing him to officially attempt the trials and leave the Eternal Palace.
On one hand, he sought to find his mother.
On the other hand, he aimed to investigate the Chu family to uncover who had administered the poison, understand its nature, and find a way to cure it at its source.
Otherwise, according to his master's analysis, he would not live past forty.
The destination of this journey was Shanhai City, the city of his aunt in the Eastern Dragon God Kingdom.
As Chu Fan pondered, a burly man with a missing eye walked up to him and bowed slightly, saying, "Young Master, everything has been arranged. The Azure Dragon Consortium has fully established itself in the Dragon God Kingdom."
This man was called Azure Dragon, a formidable War King from twenty years ago, now the controller of the Azure Dragon Consortium, one of the world's four major financial groups.
Chu Fan acknowledged him with a faint "Hmm."
At that moment, Azure Dragon suddenly raised his hand to his ear, receiving an important message.
"Master, the Dragon God Kingdom has suddenly mobilized five War Emperors to lead troops to prevent your entry."
"Heh!"
Chu Fan let out a cold laugh.
"Those who obstruct me shall die!"
The temperature display inside the aircraft rapidly dropped to zero degrees as those four words left his lips.
Shanhai City Airport.
Qin Xue, accompanied by her husband Nan Zi'an and daughter Nan Baixuan, had come to pick him up.
She had waited for this day for over twenty years.
After exiting the car, the family of three entered the airport towards the exit. Suddenly, a commotion erupted around them.
Hundreds of vehicles and dozens of helicopters appeared within the airport perimeter at high speed, blocking the area completely.
Figures dressed in black combat suits rapidly disembarked from the vehicles.
Upon seeing the emblem on the combat suits, the onlookers' expressions turned as if they had seen ghosts.
And when the five individuals who alighted from a car appeared, everyone present trembled uncontrollably.
"Northern War Emperor..."
"Southern War Emperor..."
"Eastern War Emperor..."
"Western Sea War Emperor..."
"Central Plains War Emperor..."
What had happened?
Everyone stood dumbfounded.
Why had the five War Emperors suddenly appeared at Shanhai Airport?
Could it be that some great figure was about to descend upon Shanhai City?
What kind of great figure could warrant the presence of five War Emperors to welcome them?
Foreign leaders, it seemed, did not possess such qualifications.