In the mortal world, the roots of cultivation were bound to the Six Natural Elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Thunder, Earth, and Wood. Every cultivator was born with the potential to sense them, but true mastery was another matter entirely. Most could only devote their lives to a single path, fusing one element into their core Dao.
Yet the world occasionally bore witnesses to heaven-defying geniuses—those rare beings who could wield two, or even three elements at once. Such cultivators shattered balance wherever they walked, their strength multiplying with every added element.
But beyond the Six lay a force outside the natural order: Demonic Energy. Unlike fire or thunder, it was born of corruption, feeding on hatred, greed, and desire. It twisted life into something unholy, and though righteous sects reviled it as taboo, demonic cultivators embraced it. To them, it was not corruption—it was power, and the quickest road to supremacy.
Within Gao Tian's vast spiritual sea, a voice stirred, calm yet burdened by countless lifetimes.
"Well, everyone has their own path to walk," Gao Tian said, his tone carrying both arrogance and sorrow. "Some of them simply follow what is given, but some of us create our own. I… am one who created the Eternity Dao Mantra, a technique meant to defy the heavens themselves. Yet even as its creator, I could not use it to its full extent. In my previous life, I held three elements as my core Dao—Fire, Wood, and Wind. With them, I was known as Immortal Emperor Huan. And when I embraced the abyss, the world named me Demonic Emperor Huan. Same elements, but fused with demonic qi."
His gaze hardened, as though looking far beyond the confines of his inner world. "My goal was to become a god through my Eternity Dao Mantra. Three elements were not enough for me—I craved all six. I wanted the whole of existence to kneel beneath my Dao. But before I could grasp divinity, poison seeped into my veins. I was betrayed, and I died. Yet death was not my end. I was reborn into the body of a youth named Gao Tian, and in this life… I will not only take my revenge, but I will become what I failed to before: a god."
A silence followed, heavy and endless. Then, another voice rang out, sharp and mocking, cutting through the golden vastness of Gao Tian's spiritual sea.
"So why the fuck are you telling me this?"
Across from him, seated on the ground, was a figure entirely cloaked in blue light. Its body was strange, neither flesh nor spirit, as if condensed from pure elemental essence. The figure tilted its head, its glowing eyes narrowing.
"And just who the fuck are you? Why am I here? Did you call me here with some trick?"
The two sat facing each other—one, the reborn Immortal Emperor, a man who carried lifetimes of ambition and rage; the other, a mysterious being wrapped in an aura that pulsed with unfathomable power, its blue form flickering like an endless ocean.
Inside Gao Tian's vast spiritual sea, golden waves of flame and woodlight shimmered endlessly, yet a ripple of foreign power disturbed its calm.
Gao Tian's eyes narrowed, his voice edged with anger.
"You… This is my spiritual sea. You're the intruder here."
The blue figure tilted its head, unbothered by Gao Tian's fury. Its glowing body pulsed faintly, like an ocean condensed into human form.
"So," it said slowly, "are you in the mortal world now?"
Gao Tian clenched his jaw, but he answered anyway.
"Yeah. It was… difficult. I wanted to leave this little world as soon as possible, but this body has a family. I didn't want to abandon them."
The figure's voice sharpened.
"So you feel like they're your own parents now, right?"
Gao Tian's eyes softened for a moment, though he quickly tried to mask it.
"Yeah. And now…" He sighed, lowering his voice. "Now I've met a girl. This body… fell in love with her."
The figure chuckled, a sound like water splashing against stone.
"Means you fell in love with that woman."
Caught off guard, Gao Tian's composure shattered.
"Hey! I told you—it's this body!" His voice cracked with panic, his expression flashing between defensiveness and nervousness.
The blue figure said nothing for a while, then asked,
"Will you tell me the name of your world?"
Gao Tian rubbed his chin.
"Like this one, I think it's called Xuan Yan. That's what I heard."
The figure's glow flickered violently.
"What? You're also in Xuan Yan? I'm here too."
Surprised, Gao Tian leaned forward.
"What? Really? Tell me where you are—I'll come find you."
The figure hesitated, then spoke in a low, steady voice.
"I'm in the Asura Continent. I don't know where exactly. I've been sealed somewhere, and I hear guards outside the chamber speaking of Asura Continent. That's how I know."
"Asura Continent…" Gao Tian muttered, his eyes darkening with thought. "So I'll need to enter that place… What a pain. Fine, then. But at least tell me who you are."
The blue figure straightened. Its voice carried a faint pride despite the hollowness in its tone.
"Well… I am the Creation Sword. I stand second on the Top-Tier Sword List."
Gao Tian blinked, confusion flashing in his eyes.
"Top-Tier Sword List? What the hell is that?"
The figure shook its head.
"I don't know much. My memories are fragmented… sealed away for millions of years. But I know this much—I've heard of the Immortal World. And the world I once came from was far stronger than the Immortal World. Unfortunately… I don't remember its name."
The weight of those words sank into Gao Tian's heart. His expression hardened, turning grave.
The Immortal World's final cultivation is Immortal Emperor. I reached that realm once, but I felt it in my bones—I could go higher. I tried… and that was when I was killed. If this sword hails from a world stronger than the Immortal World… then it belongs to the level I was reaching for. Gods above, this is it. This sword is from beyond. I need it. I must have it.
He stared at the glowing figure, and his eyes darkened with unhidden greed.
Inside the boundless sea of consciousness, the blue figure narrowed its glowing eyes as it caught the greedy hunger flickering across Gao Tian's face.
"Hey," the figure muttered, covering its chest and shoulders with both hands as though to shield itself. "Do you have some kind of sword complex? Stop looking at me like that, it's fucking creepy."
Gao Tian exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple with irritation.
"Forget it. Do you even know why I'm here? Because it's boring as hell to just stay here."
The two sat in silence for a moment, the golden currents of Gao Tian's spiritual sea shimmering like an eternal tide.
Outside that inner world, the morning sun spilled gently through the window of the guest room in the City Lord's mansion. Shafts of light stretched across the bed where Gao Tian lay unconscious, his body still wrapped in the faint glow of the Destructive Dragon Golden Flame that worked tirelessly to mend his wounds.
Shu Yu sat beside him, his hand gently clasped between hers. Her head rested on the bed's edge, eyes closed, exhaustion softening her cold, beautiful face. The redness around her eyelids betrayed the tears she had shed through the night.
The creak of the door announced another presence. Sen Ren stepped inside, bowing with her hands folded in respect.
"Miss Shu," she said quietly, her voice tinged with formality, "Lord Tong Men has requested that you join him on the Pill Tower's ship today. Gao Tian's body is healing rapidly, so you both and the other participants who chosen by the Pill Tower can be taken along."
Stirred awake, Shu Yu lifted her head. Her gaze, still numb and tinged red from weeping, fell upon Sen Ren.
"…Alright," she whispered, her voice low but steady. "Tell them I'll come with Gao Tian in five to seven minutes."
Sen Ren bowed again, then turned and departed in silence.
The next moment, a loud scratching sound echoed as the door pushed open again. Ruler Dog strutted inside with the air of a monarch, his small paws clicking against the floor as though he owned the mansion.
Shu Yu's tired eyes softened slightly, and she asked with mild curiosity,
"Where have you been this whole time?"
The mutt froze for a moment, then transmitted his voice straight into her mind.
Ah… don't even ask. That bitch—the Young Lady of this mansion—dragged me into her bed and hugged me the whole damn night. I was suffocated to death in there.
A tiny smile curved Shu Yu's lips at his miserable tone, but it vanished quickly as she rose to her feet. She released a soft surge of spiritual energy from her palm, carefully lifting Gao Tian's unconscious body into the air. His white robe—freshly changed by her own hands after the battle had left him in tatters—fluttered lightly as his figure floated behind her.
"Let's go," she said firmly, her tone carrying no room for argument. "We're leaving."
Ruler Dog trotted after her, his ears twitching as the faint scent of herbs from Gao Tian's body filled the corridor.