The Black Dragon Fortress hung suspended above the North Sea, its colossal shadow stretching across waters that churned with an otherworldly violence. Su Chen stood at the observation deck, his dual pupils flickering with golden and silver light as they pierced through the spatial distortions below. The North Sea was not merely an ocean—it was a dimensional boundary, a place where the laws of reality grew thin and ancient powers slumbered in the deep.
"The spatial fluctuations are intensifying," Saya's voice crackled through the ship's communication system. She was stationed in the central control room, her consciousness partially merged with the fortress's neural network through her Mosaic Organ modifications. "I'm detecting a massive energy signature approximately three thousand kilometers northwest. The readings match the descriptions from the ancient texts we recovered from Stone Village."
Su Chen's lips curved slightly. The Kun Peng Nest. One of the Ten Celestial Treasures of the Lower Realm, a legacy left behind by one of the most powerful Vicious Ten of antiquity. The Kun Peng was a creature of legend—a fish that could transform into a bird, embodying the profound mysteries of transformation and speed. Its technique was said to grant its wielder the ability to traverse ninety thousand li in a single breath, to shift between forms with such fluidity that space itself became malleable.
"Prepare a drop team," Su Chen commanded, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority. "Saeko, Esdeath, Xiao Yi Xian, and Bibi Dong will accompany me. The rest maintain defensive positions around the fortress. Lin Xiya, I need continuous psychic scans of the surrounding area. The North Sea hides more than just the Kun Peng's legacy—there are other forces watching."
"Understood, Lord Su Chen," Lin Xiya responded, her psychic presence brushing against his consciousness like a gentle wave. Even after all this time, she maintained a careful distance, remembering well the overwhelming power that had freed her from Laboratory 7.
Su Chen turned from the viewport and made his way toward the deployment bay. The corridors of the Black Dragon Fortress had evolved far beyond their original truck form. Now they were magnificent hallways lined with a strange fusion of crystalline technology and organic architecture. Spirit stones embedded in the walls pulsed with soft light, while veins of living metal carried energy throughout the ship's structure. It was a testament to the countless worlds he had plundered, each contributing something unique to his ever-growing arsenal.
In the deployment bay, his selected team was already assembled. Saeko stood with her hand resting on the pommel of her blade, her posture relaxed yet ready. The Supreme Sword Bone Su Chen had copied from Lin Feng and granted to her had fundamentally transformed her nature. Her entire skeletal structure had become a weapon, capable of generating sword intent that could slice through dimensions. Her eyes held a perpetual sharpness now, like polished blades reflecting light.
Beside her, Esdeath radiated an aura of bone-chilling cold. Ice crystals formed and melted in the air around her in a constant cycle. She had recently consumed a batch of extreme yin herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, pushing her Demon's Extract to new heights. Her ability to freeze time—Mahapadma—had extended from a few seconds to nearly ten, and the range had expanded to encompass an entire city district. She looked at Su Chen with an expression that blended anticipation and something darker, a hunger for battle that mirrored his own pragmatic ruthlessness.
Xiao Yi Xian stood slightly apart from the others, her delicate features framed by long silver hair that seemed to shimmer with toxic light. Her Poison Body had evolved through countless experiments and the consumption of rare toxins from multiple dimensions. Now, she could produce substances that could corrode even spiritual energy itself. Yet despite her deadly nature, she maintained an air of ethereal grace, like a fairy who had descended into the mortal realm only to discover she was born for slaughter.
Bibi Dong, the former Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, carried herself with imperial dignity. Her twin martial spirits—the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor—had been enhanced to divine grade through the Million-Year Divine Gold Rings Su Chen had helped her forge. Purple and green spirit power intertwined around her form like living serpents. She had adapted remarkably well to life aboard the fortress, her political acumen proving invaluable in managing the growing complexity of Su Chen's organization.
"The Kun Peng Nest will be dangerous," Su Chen began without preamble. "According to the information Liu Shen provided, the nest exists in a semi-independent dimension that only fully manifests once every decade. We're fortunate that the current temporal alignment coincides with our arrival. However, we won't be the only ones seeking entry."
"Other cultivators from the wasteland?" Saeko asked, her voice carrying the measured calm of a trained warrior.
"More than that," Su Chen replied, accessing the data Saya had compiled and projecting it into the air between them using psychokinesis. Holographic images materialized, showing various figures and symbols. "The major clans of the Lower Realm have been monitoring the North Sea for months. The Rain Clan may have been decimated, but the other ancient lineages remain. The Stone Country's imperial family, the Martial Imperial Manor, the Western Paradise, and the Fire Country's royal court—all have sent their most talented descendants."
He paused, letting his dual pupils sweep across each of his companions. "Furthermore, there are pure-blooded creatures. Ancient relics from the Archaic Era who view the Kun Peng's legacy as rightfully theirs. We will face opposition from multiple fronts simultaneously."
Esdeath's smile was predatory. "Good. It's been too quiet since we eliminated the Rain Clan's army. I was beginning to worry this realm would prove disappointing."
Bibi Dong's expression remained carefully neutral, but Su Chen caught the slight tightening around her eyes. She was still adjusting to the sheer scale of violence his operations sometimes entailed. In her original world, she had been Supreme Pontiff, a political ruler who wielded power through institutions and careful manipulation. Here, Su Chen simply took what he wanted, crushing anyone foolish enough to stand in his way with overwhelming force.
"What's our objective priority?" Bibi Dong asked, her voice measured and professional. "The Kun Peng technique, certainly, but what if there are other treasures within the nest?"
"Everything of value will be copied and claimed," Su Chen stated flatly. "The Kun Peng technique is the primary target, but Liu Shen mentioned that the nest itself contains spatial compression arrays, ancient spirit bones, and potentially even a remnant of the Kun Peng's true blood. All of it will be mine."
He raised his hand, and the Origin Mirror materialized before him—a swirling vortex of silver light that seemed to contain infinite depth. Even after all this time, the others still couldn't fully comprehend the artifact's true nature. They saw it as a powerful tool, but they didn't understand that it was more than that. The Origin Mirror was a fundamental violation of universal law, a glitch in reality's source code that allowed Su Chen to copy not just objects or abilities, but concepts themselves.
"Xiao Yi Xian," Su Chen continued, "I'll need you to prepare a batch of your Absolute Corrosion Mist. If we encounter barriers or sealed formations, your poison should be able to eat through spiritual protections faster than conventional methods."
The silver-haired woman nodded gracefully. "I've already prepared three vials of the concentrated version. Each one can dissolve protective formations up to the Engravement Realm without triggering backlash."
"Saeko, you'll take point during close combat. Your sword intent can cut through spatial locks if we encounter dimensional traps. Esdeath, crowd control is yours—I don't want to waste time fighting every treasure hunter in the North Sea. Freeze them and we'll move past. Bibi Dong, your soul attacks will be crucial against any guardian spirits or remnant wills left behind by the Kun Peng. Such ancient entities are vulnerable to direct soul damage."
Each of them acknowledged their roles with professional efficiency. This was far from their first operation together. Over the past months, they had raided dungeons on Earth, invaded dimensional rifts, and conquered territories across multiple realities. They had learned to function as a cohesive unit, each one's abilities complementing the others in a devastating symphony of power.
"One more thing," Su Chen added, his tone dropping slightly. "If we encounter Shi Hao in the nest, we do not engage him."
That got their attention. Saeko's hand tightened on her blade. "The milk-drinking child from Stone Village? I thought you had taken him under your protection."
"Precisely," Su Chen confirmed. "Shi Hao is... special. He possesses something I haven't been able to fully analyze yet—a quality that transcends normal talent or bloodline. Liu Shen believes he is a Natural Born Supreme, someone destined to reshape this realm's future. I've invested resources in his growth, and I won't see that investment wasted by premature conflict."
What Su Chen didn't mention was his own uncertainty. When he had attempted to use the Origin Mirror on Shi Hao during one of their training sessions, something strange had occurred. The mirror had flickered, showing not one future but thousands, each branching into infinity. It was as if the child existed in a state of perpetual quantum possibility, his destiny unwritten and therefore uncopyable. The experience had been... unsettling.
"Are we expecting him to reach the nest?" Esdeath asked, genuine curiosity coloring her tone.
"Liu Shen mentioned that she had given him information about the North Sea," Su Chen replied. "Whether he can actually make the journey with his current cultivation is another matter. The children from Stone Village are monstrously talented, but they're still in the early stages of the Moving Blood Realm. The journey across the wasteland to the North Sea would take normal cultivators months."
Bibi Dong's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "But he's not a normal cultivator, is he? You wouldn't warn us against engaging him if he were merely talented."
Su Chen's smile was enigmatic. "No, he's not normal. Now, let's move. The spatial fluctuations indicate the nest's full manifestation will occur within the hour. I want to be in position before the entrance stabilizes."
The deployment bay's massive doors groaned open, revealing the turbulent skies above the North Sea. Wind howled into the chamber, carrying with it the taste of salt and ancient power. Below, the ocean churned in patterns that defied natural explanation—massive whirlpools formed and collapsed, waves moved in contradictory directions, and occasionally, reality itself seemed to ripple as if the sea were nothing more than a reflection on disturbed water.
Su Chen stepped to the edge of the platform and simply fell forward into the void. The others followed without hesitation, their various movement techniques carrying them through the air with supernatural grace. Saeko left trails of sword light in her wake, each footstep seemingly finding purchase on invisible platforms. Esdeath crystallized the moisture in the air beneath her feet, creating steps of solid ice that sublimated moments after she passed. Xiao Yi Xian rode currents of toxic vapor that obeyed her will, while Bibi Dong's spirit power formed elaborate webs that she used like a spider traversing her domain.
Su Chen himself utilized the Purple Cloud Wings technique copied from the Dou Qi Continent, though he had enhanced it through fusion with the aerial mobility principles from the Terra Formars' wasp genes. The result was a flight method that combined grace with terrifying speed, allowing him to maneuver through three-dimensional space with a precision that would make fighter pilots weep with envy.
As they descended toward the designated coordinates, Su Chen's dual pupils continued to scan the area. The golden pupil revealed the flow of energy—massive currents of spiritual power that spiraled inward toward a central point, like water circling a drain. The silver pupil showed him the underlying spatial structure, and what he saw confirmed his expectations. The fabric of reality here was torn, stitched back together with formations so ancient that parts of them had degraded into incomprehensibility.
"There," he called out, pointing toward a section of ocean where the water formed a perfect spiral pattern. At its center, the sea simply... stopped. Not frozen, not displaced, but absent, as if someone had cut a cylinder out of reality itself. Within that absence, Su Chen could see flickering images—a massive cliff face carved with ancient runes, stone steps leading upward into mist, and the vague outline of an enormous structure that seemed to exist in multiple dimensions simultaneously.
But they weren't alone. His enhanced perception picked up dozens of other presences converging on the location. Some flew through the air on treasure artifacts—swords that carried their wielders, flying carpets woven from spirit beast hide, even a chariot pulled by what appeared to be demonic beasts with wings. Others emerged from the ocean itself, revealing that they had been traveling underwater.
"Contact," Lin Xiya's voice whispered directly into Su Chen's mind through their psychic link. "I count forty-seven distinct spiritual signatures approaching the nest entrance. Cultivation levels range from mid-stage Cave Heaven to peak Engravement Realm. There are also... three signatures that I can't fully read. They're obscured by some kind of natural concealment, but the sheer density of their life force suggests pure-blood ancient relics."
Su Chen absorbed the information without breaking his descent. Forty-seven competitors. Not an unreasonable number. The Kun Peng's legacy was one of the supreme treasures of this realm, after all. Every major power would want to claim it, even if just to prevent their rivals from obtaining it.
"New plan," he transmitted to his team through a localized psychic network. "We don't make the first move. Let them open the entrance and deal with whatever initial defenses the Kun Peng left behind. We'll observe, analyze, and strike when the optimal moment presents itself."
Acknowledgments flickered back through the link. They touched down on a cluster of massive rocks that jutted from the ocean surface about two hundred meters from the entrance. From this position, they had a clear view of the gathering crowd while remaining somewhat separated from the main groups.
The other treasure hunters were beginning to notice each other now, and the atmosphere grew tense. Su Chen observed them with the detached interest of a scientist studying insects. Most were young—between fifteen and twenty-five in appearance—dressed in elaborate robes that marked their clan affiliations. They postured and glared at each other with the kind of aggressive territorial behavior common among young masters who had never truly faced death.
One figure, however, caught Su Chen's attention. A young man who appeared to be around seventeen stood alone on a floating platform of earth, his expression serene and his posture relaxed. He wore simple gray robes that bore no clan insignia, but his eyes... his eyes held the depth of someone who had witnessed far more than his years suggested. More importantly, the spiritual energy flowing through his body moved in patterns Su Chen recognized—the characteristic circulation of someone who had opened ten Cave Heavens, the theoretical maximum for this cultivation realm.
"That one," Esdeath murmured, following Su Chen's gaze. "He's different from the others."
"Shi Yi," Bibi Dong supplied, her extensive knowledge of the Lower Realm's power structure coming into play. "Known as the Dual-Pupil Inheritor. He's from the Stone Country's imperial family and is considered the greatest genius to emerge in the past thousand years. Some call him the reincarnation of an ancient emperor."
Su Chen's own dual pupils focused on the distant figure with renewed interest. Shi Yi—the Dual-Pupil Inheritor. He had heard that name before, mentioned in the same breath as Shi Hao. In fact, if he recalled Liu Shen's cryptic comments correctly, these two were somehow related. Cousins, perhaps? And there was something about a supreme bone being transplanted...
The pieces clicked together in Su Chen's mind, forming a picture of the typical cultivation world drama. Genius brother gets his special bone stolen by another clan member, falls from grace, then rises again through determination and fortuitous encounters. The plot practically wrote itself. The question was—which role did each person play in this story, and more importantly, how could Su Chen profit from it?
Before he could pursue that line of thought further, the entrance to the Kun Peng Nest began to fully materialize. The spiral of absent ocean expanded, revealing more of the ancient structure within. Massive stone pillars carved with images of creatures that were simultaneously fish and bird rose from depths that shouldn't exist. The very air began to vibrate with a low thrumming sound, like the call of some impossibly vast creature echoing across eons.
And then, with a sound like reality itself cracking, the entrance opened fully.
The response was immediate. Dozens of cultivators surged forward, each one desperate to be the first to enter and claim the treasures within. Spiritual energy flared in countless colors as movement techniques activated, treasure artifacts blazed with light, and the North Sea churned from the displaced air pressure of so many powerful beings moving at once.
Su Chen remained perfectly still, watching. Waiting. His dual pupils tracked every movement, analyzing every technique, cataloging every artifact for potential copying. Beside him, his team maintained their positions with disciplined patience. They had learned long ago that Su Chen's instincts for these situations were invariably correct.
The first wave of treasure hunters reached the entrance and plunged through, disappearing into the ancient structure. The second wave followed moments later. Then the third. Within thirty seconds, over forty cultivators had entered the Kun Peng Nest, leaving only a handful of observers who, like Su Chen, had chosen caution over greed.
Shi Yi was among those who remained. The young man with dual pupils stood motionless on his earthen platform, his expression unchanged. He wasn't watching the entrance—he was watching Su Chen.
Their eyes met across the churning waters of the North Sea, and Su Chen felt a spark of recognition pass between them. Not the recognition of prior meeting, but something deeper—the acknowledgment of one predator by another. Shi Yi's lips curved into the faintest smile, and he nodded once, a gesture that somehow conveyed both respect and challenge.
Then he turned and entered the nest at a leisurely pace, as if he were simply taking a morning stroll rather than entering one of the most dangerous locations in the Lower Realm.
"That's our cue," Su Chen said calmly. "Let's see what the Kun Peng left behind."