The Murim was said to be a place where only the strongest were gathered. A beautiful, otherworldly field filled with youngsters practicing martial arts covered the distorted landscape under the blue sky.
These disciples, numbering in the tens of thousands, came every single day under the Heavenly Emperor Demon Palace for a sole purpose: a driving force to become even stronger.
Everyone aspired to come here and practice under such a figure's nose, but only a handful could ever hope to do so. After all, the title wasn't given out of respect nor as a baseless status, but instead out of fear!
The sole man who rose from a weakling and climbed his way through small and big sects alike to become the strongest in the Murim World had unified the entire Murim into a force that could be reckoned with, and even the outer space creatures living right next to them had to think twice before coming in.
A young man with black hair sat on a giant white throne made of pure dark gold that manifested deep within a dragon's lair. Although he was sitting there with his eyes closed, a breathtakingly strong demonic energy emanated from him, terrifying the several people kneeling in front of him.
Beads of sweat covered their foreheads as they didn't dare look the young man directly in the eyes, instead facing the floor as though they were revering a god and not just a strong man.
One of the kneeling middle-aged men, wearing a grey robe with dragon fangs on the shoulders, slowly rose and stepped closer toward the throne. His muscular build, accompanied by his face filled with scars, made everyone suck in a deep breath of cold air.
His name was Arnold, and he was the strongest subordinate under the young man. His strength had reached a level where even the past empire elders combined could not defeat him if they were brought back to life.
Placing the back of his left hand under his cheek, the young man named Shen chuckled inwardly. 'If this guy were on Earth, then all of the gate problems that appeared that day would have been solved.'
Shen brushed away such amusing thoughts and waved his hand. "Feel free to say what is on your mind."
"Yes, Master!" Cupping his fists, Arnold continued, "I just got the news of you leaving, Master. What made you reach such a decision?"
"If it's the neighboring continents, your subordinate vows to head there with several of my disciples and wipe them off the face of this Earth."
Killing intent emerged from Shen as he looked at Arnold with a faint smile. "You think I can't defeat them? Those lizards are merely playing house. If I wished, I would have obliterated their race already."
'Obliterated them my ass. Those dragons aren't something to be messed with.' Shen looked deeply at Arnold and couldn't help but feel some sympathy for his most trusted aide. 'You have been with me since the earlier days, yet your master can't help it but…'
"Then why are you leaving? You have everything here!"
Sigh…
Shen looked at the horizons beyond the kneeling strong men and women and uttered under his breath.
"Cosmic power is what I'm after. Power, enough power to destroy stars and obliterate races with a flick of my finger."
Inwardly, however, his thoughts were entirely different as he felt terrified with each passing second in this world. 'I have everything? I have everything except my literal safety. I'm not dying in this place. I'm not dying after just getting this strong after that miserable fate I was placed in a thousand years ago!'
Gasp!
Everyone held their breath upon hearing the muttering of their master.
Everyone here was a strong man, and each one of them could hear even a fly buzzing from miles apart, much less the muttering of a human right in front of them.
Realization suddenly dawned on all of the people inside the palace's most spacious hall.
'So the Heavenly Demon Emperor wasn't bored of us, but instead bored of lacking power beyond our comprehension.' Arnold felt a sting of regret whenever he thought about his inability to help his master achieve it and slowly went back to his spot, saying no more.
Seeing that his subordinates and everyone else inside the hall bought his bluffing, Shen opened a blue panel and waited.
'I have counted every single year since coming to this place, and the system made it clear that it would all be over after a thousand years. So please, get me out of here before those dragons knock on my palace,' Shen prayed.
In that moment, Shen felt a heavenly sound that he hadn't heard for the past century echo in his mind.
"Ding, player Shen has just ended the thousand-year training duration. Does player Shen wish to extend the period, or does he want to go back to Earth?"
'This is it! This is the message I was waiting for, Earth, my beloved Earth. Daddy is coming home.'
Shen instantly replied with a yes.
"Ding, countdown has begun. Player Shen will be teleported back to Earth after one minute. Please prepare accordingly."
Finally!
Hum! Hum!
"Is this where the strongest human resides? If so, then come out. This duke's son wishes to have a spar with you!"
The voice crashed down from the sky like thunder, shaking the palace walls as a massive dragon hovered above, its wings blotting out the sun.
"…"
Silence followed.
Shen didn't even lift his head.
His finger tapped lightly against the armrest.
In the next moment, violent winds stirred in the blink of an eye.
Before anyone could react, a colossal palm descended from above the clouds, swallowing the dragon whole. The beast didn't even have time to roar before it was slammed straight into the ground, its body carving a deep crater as if a mountain had been dropped on it.
The city trembled.
Dust rose into the sky, and the dragon lay unmoving, crushed into the earth like an insect beneath a shoe.
Shen sighed.
He then gazed at Arnold and the rest, uttering in a deep voice, "Although I'm leaving you, I believe all of you are strong enough to keep this empire firm. Arnold, you will be the one taking over this seat after me."
"Just remember, all of you—the lizards try to coexist with them, but don't allow them to take it too far. The moment they see weakness is the moment they will attack you."
Right at that moment, a system notification appeared in front of Shen.
"Ding, the duration of the minute is over. Player Shen's training phase has come to an end. Teleportation begins."
"Ding, error!"
"Error! Error!"