Star Realm Peak.
Xiao Yan had been escorted all the way here. He had originally anticipated trials—perhaps challenges or tests—but the path had been astonishingly smooth. Apart from Zhang Yang's earlier reprimand, what Xiao Yan felt most was not resistance, but awe.
The closer they got to the heart of the Starrealm, the more oppressive the auras of powerful individuals became. Even Dou Saints numbered in the dozens, most of whom far surpassed him in strength.
In particular, when they passed a towering spire, several of the auras emanating from within were terrifying to the point of making Xiao Yan feel as insignificant as a drop in the ocean.
Led by an elder from the Titled Palace, Xiao Yan finally arrived at the peak. There, a figure was already waiting—Chen Xiaoming, standing with hands clasped behind his back, gaze lost in the distant void.
"You've arrived."
The words, spoken softly, echoed faintly across the summit. Chen Xiaoming turned slightly, silver light flickering in his eyes—like stars dissolving into nothingness—his gaze meeting Xiao Yan's.
In that instant, Xiao Yan's mind exploded. The scene before him warped; the expansive mountain range shrank to insignificance, replaced by a boundless starry void. He felt as if he stood within the fabric of space itself.
Crack… crack...
Light snapping sounds rang out. The void shattered like glass, collapsing into utter darkness. Xiao Yan's soul trembled violently, his head spun, pain splitting his mind. When clarity returned, he was left staring dazedly at the space before him.
"An illusion...?"
He murmured, lowering his gaze, no longer daring to meet Chen Xiaoming's eyes.
"Xun'er is over there. Go to her."
The words drifted softly on the breeze. In the blink of an eye, Chen Xiaoming appeared beside him, a hand landing lightly on Xiao Yan's shoulder. Though reluctant, Chen Xiaoming knew—this was no longer his story.
"Remember—treat her well. If you don't…"
He didn't finish the sentence. His figure vanished into thin air.
Xiao Yan stood frozen. He had steeled himself for trials and tribulations, but it seemed none would come.
"…Thank you."
A smile crept across his face. He said nothing more. Watching Chen Xiaoming's silhouette disappear into the distance, excitement surged from deep within. With a turn of his body, he strode directly toward Xun'er.
Meanwhile, Chen Xiaoming returned to the ancient Star Realm Tree, issued a brief command to the Violet-Gold Lion King below, and quietly tore open space, vanishing from the realm.
...
Black-Corner Region – Jia Nan Academy.
"Hah, finally here."
A silver-haired youth stood with blazing eyes, gazing at a distant high tower. Flames surged at its summit, but that wasn't what drew him. No—the true allure lay beneath the tower.
There, the legacy of the Ancient God Tuo She was hidden.
"It's time."
Five years and another five… Chen Xiaoming no longer had the patience to wait. Xun'er had already broken through to the peak of Nine-Star Dou Saint. Xiao Yan had come to seek her hand. There was no longer anything tying him to this world.
Still, he intended to personally witness the Ancient God's Mansion.
The air shimmered. Without alarming the academy's guardians, Chen Xiaoming slipped through space and descended into the magma beneath the earth.
Scarlet fire surged in the depths. Encased in a cocoon of silver light, Chen Xiaoming's Imperial Soul flared outward, suppressing the monstrous entities swimming in the molten sea.
He dove deeper. Below, the magma turned black. Chen Xiaoming streaked down like a stream of light, the oppressive force of his presence tearing open a vacuum behind him.
His eyes glinted silver. Deep in the molten core lay a hidden world—that was where Tuo She's Mansion awaited.
Whoosh!
Without pause, he pierced the boundary and entered the inner realm.
The roar of magma vanished, replaced by an endless silence. A dark, ancient stillness filled the void—an air of timeless grandeur and decay.
In the distance, a glowing orb of light shimmered faintly.
Without hesitation, Chen Xiaoming shot toward it.
As he neared, the orb's form clarified—it was a colossal stone gate, towering tens of thousands of feet high.
His eyes rose to the top of the gate, where four archaic characters blazed:
Ancient God's Mansion.
From the gate surged an ancient, primal pressure that rippled across the realm.
"So… this is the aura of a Dou God?"
Chen Xiaoming murmured, sensing the lingering essence. He shook his head slightly, a hint of disappointment on his face. But considering that Battle Through the Heavens existed within a small world, he could understand the disparity.
"Hm? You want to make a move on me?"
Just then, a chilling presence surged upward. Chen Xiaoming's gaze sharpened.
"The Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, is it?"
Silver light danced in his eyes as he peered downward, gaze piercing the illusion to reveal a massive, imprisoned body below.
"A Dragon Emperor brought so low… how pitiful."
BOOM!
As his words fell, a blazing pillar of violet-gold light erupted from the darkness below, tearing through the void, hurtling straight toward Chen Xiaoming.
"Human! You court death!"
A furious roar echoed through the realm. The entire space trembled violently. The massive dragon form writhed, eyes like molten suns filled with burning rage.
"Oh? You're mad now?"
Chen Xiaoming snorted lightly. In his hand, silver light condensed into a glowing pillar, which he hurled downward.
BOOM!
The two beams clashed—violet-gold and silver colliding in an explosion of terrifying energy. Cracks spiderwebbed across the Dragon Emperor's attack. With a final thunderous boom, the violet-gold light shattered, dissolving into flecks of brilliance that were instantly consumed by the raging force.
"Nine-Star Dou Saint Peak!"
The dragon's furious bellow carried a trace of shock. Its colossal body twisted, releasing another blast of light—this one morphing into a massive sigil that slammed into the silver column.
BOOM!
Energy surged. The silver light exploded outward, flooding the battlefield like a sea of stars. Cracks opened across the void, each hundreds of feet wide.
The brilliance of the silver beam illuminated the darkness, overwhelming the Dragon Emperor's assault. The massive violet-gold seal was obliterated, leaving nothing but void in its wake.
When the light faded, all that remained was a gaping wound in space itself—like a hole punched through reality.
Even the Dragon Emperor felt a chill.
"…Who are you really?"
With strength like that, had he not been suppressed, the Dragon Emperor wouldn't have backed down. But now—trapped as he was—he had no choice but to fall.
With a single strike, Chen Xiaoming obliterated both of the Dragon Emperor's attacks. Yet there was no joy in his eyes—his opponent was simply too weak. So much so, he didn't even feel the need to go all out.
His gaze swept over the fallen Dragon Emperor below, then shifted to the colossal gate towering before him. Within his body, his aura quietly surged, coiling like a slumbering dragon.
"Who I am doesn't matter," he said calmly. "What matters… is what I'm about to do next."
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