Not long after,
Lu Chen stood upon a high slope overlooking the Black Abyss, gaze fixed upon the distant sky where black thunderclouds churned violently. Lightning—dark as ink and thick as ancient pillars—crackled across the heavens in a spectacle of divine wrath.
'Jiuyou has begun her tribulation,' he thought, expression solemn. 'The final barrier before Sovereign Stage.'
As the most outstanding genius of the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan in ten millennia, Jiuyou's talent was beyond question. Had she remained within her clan's protection with adequate resources, the Sovereign Stage would never have posed an obstacle. It was only her solitary training journey—and subsequent resource deprivation—that forced her to hide within this remote corner of the Northern Spiritual Realm after a failed breakthrough attempt.
In the distance, the Myriad Beast Heavenly Flame erupted from its jade bottle, transforming into a crimson rainbow that arced across the sky before pouring entirely into the suspended obsidian egg. As the last wisp of flame vanished, fine cracks spiderwebbed across the eggshell.
Crack... crack... crack...
Countless black flames surged forth, enveloping the egg in a blazing cocoon of rebirth.
Phew!
A clear, resonant chirp pierced the heavens. The black flames exploded outward like a storm, filling the sky with swirling infernos. Within the conflagration, a colossal shadow stretched its massive form—wings unfurling like a phoenix rising from ashes.
BOOM!
Nine pillars of black lightning descended from the thunderclouds, each thick as a mountain peak, striking the nascent Nine Nether Sparrow with world-shattering force.
"Bah!"
Her cry rang across heaven and earth—this time laced with indomitable will and fighting spirit that shook the very fabric of space. Black flames coalesced into her true form: a magnificent avian deity whose wingspan blotted out the sun. With a single flap, countless pillars of black fire shot skyward, colliding with the lightning in explosions that made the earth tremble and fissures spread from the black basin like shattered glass.
Standing on the distant slope, Lu Chen watched with burning fervor in his eyes.
'This is the power of a beast on the verge of Sovereign Stage,' he marveled inwardly. 'To withstand heavenly tribulation with such ferocity... what grade of Sovereign will she reach upon completion? I truly cannot wait.'
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The black lightning coiled like serpentine dragons, bombarding the flame-wreathed bird without respite. Yet not a single strike breached her defenses. Finally, the thunderclouds convulsed in fury—contracting violently before condensing all remaining lightning into a single ferocious black dragon that pierced through reality itself, unleashing heaven's final judgment.
Undeterred, Jiuyou flapped her wings. Black energy erupted into a storm connecting heaven and earth—a vortex of primordial flame that met the dragon head-on.
BOOOOOOM!
A deafening roar split the world. Light exploded in every direction, blinding and searing. Between heaven and earth, a colossal black mushroom cloud rose slowly, swallowing sky and land alike.
Lu Chen clapped his hands over his ears, squeezed his eyes shut, and dropped flat against the ground—channeling every ounce of his spiritual energy into a protective barrier around his body.
Time lost meaning in that moment of cataclysm.
"Bah!"
A crisp, triumphant cry echoed across the renewed heavens.
Lu Chen pushed himself upright, dusting ash from his robes as he gazed upward—and froze.
High above, a creature of nearly ten thousand feet stretched elegant wings that obscured the sky itself. Her plumage shimmered with deep violet hues, mysterious and majestic. At the tips of her elongated tail feathers, clusters of violet flames burned with serene intensity. An indescribable pressure radiated from her form—not oppressive, but sovereign—filling heaven and earth with the weight of a nascent ruler.
This is the Nine Nether Sparrow—reborn.
In the next breath, violet light flashed. The colossal avian transformed seamlessly into a tall, striking woman who alighted before Lu Chen with effortless grace.
"What's wrong, silly boy?" Jiuyou's voice carried playful amusement as she tilted her head. In human form, she wore a magnificent violet cheongsam that accentuated her slender waist and impossibly long legs. Wildness danced in her beautiful eyes—a predator's grace barely concealed beneath elegant poise. "Staring so intently? Have I stolen your soul with my beauty?"
Lu Chen recovered his composure with a calm smile. "Senior's beauty transcends mortal description. To be stunned is only natural for one such as myself."
Jiuyou chuckled, a light, melodic sound. "You're honest—but drop the 'senior.' My name is Jiuyou. Call me Jiuyou."
"I dare not be so presumptuous," Lu Chen demurred after a moment's consideration. "With your permission... Sister Jiuyou?"
"Call me whatever pleases you," she waved a dismissive hand, though a pleased glint flickered in her eyes. "Just remember this: from this moment, you walk under my protection. Anyone who dares bully you need only hear my name—and I'll personally ensure they regret their existence."
Lu Chen bowed slightly, genuine warmth in his expression. "Then I shall trouble you greatly, Sister Jiuyou."
After exchanging pleasantries, Jiuyou's demeanor shifted to businesslike focus.
"You mentioned desiring to witness wider horizons," she began, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. "Tell me—have you heard of the Tianluo Continent?"
Lu Chen's eyes widened with carefully measured surprise. "The Tianluo Continent? One of the ten supercontinents of the Great Thousand World?"
'The simulation already revealed this path,' he thought inwardly. 'All my scheming leads precisely here—to a continent rich with resources beyond the Northern Spiritual Realm's imagining.'
Jiuyou nodded approvingly. "So your clan's knowledge remains intact. Good. The Tianluo Continent stands among the ten supercontinents—the core territories of the Great Thousand World, where power concentrates like stars in the night sky."
"In this vast world, countless planes intersect and myriad races flourish," Lu Chen recited smoothly, drawing from his spatial bracelet's stored texts. "Yet the ten supercontinents reign supreme in prosperity and strength."
"Precisely." Jiuyou's tone turned dismissive. "Compared to Tianluo Continent, your Hundred Spirit Continent—where this Northern Spiritual Realm resides—is but a firefly beside the sun."
Lu Chen maintained a respectful silence. He had not yet reached the Divine Soul Stage; boasting of continental politics would only reveal his ignorance.
'In truth,' he reflected, 'merely reaching Sovereign Stage marks one as one in ten thousand—a prodigy worthy of ruling minor continents. To speak of supercontinents while stuck in Spiritual Rotation Stage would be laughable.'
Jiuyou continued, pride evident in her bearing: "On Tianluo Continent, Sovereign Stage experts walk the streets like common merchants. Those granted the title of King—true Sovereign Kings—possess power several times greater than the so-called 'Continent King' who rules your Hundred Spirit Continent."
She paused, studying Lu Chen's composed expression before revealing her true purpose.
"I will not hide my origins from one who aided my evolution. I am Jiuyou—the young matriarch of the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan. During my training journey, an elder introduced me to a top-tier power residing in Tianluo Continent's northern region."
Her eyes gleamed with invitation. "In this world, walking alone invites peril. A powerful backer is not luxury—it is necessity."
She leaned forward slightly. "Would you accompany me to Tianluo Continent? Join this power under my sponsorship?"
A flicker of triumph ignited deep within Lu Chen's soul—but his face revealed only earnest gratitude.
"That is precisely my deepest aspiration!" He clasped his hands in a respectful salute, voice steady yet carrying genuine fervor. "To walk wider paths under Sister Jiuyou's guidance—this junior could ask for no greater fortune."
'The simulation showed me dying as a political pawn on a battlefield,' he thought, gaze fixed on Jiuyou's violet eyes. 'But comprehension forges new paths. With her protection, I reach Tianluo Continent two months ahead of Mu Chen's canon timeline.'
'The race to Great Ruler has begun—and I hold the mirror.'
Jiuyou laughed—a bright, unrestrained sound that scattered the last remnants of tribulation clouds across the sky.
"Then it is settled! Once I stabilize this new Sovereign foundation, we depart for Tianluo Continent."
She extended a slender hand, violet flames dancing playfully at her fingertips.
"Lu Chen—from Tianluo Continent, has arrived!"