Han Zhenwu's body reformed within the inheritance realm, the darkness of the portal fading into a sudden burst of light.
He blinked once, and his breath caught.
Before him stretched a vast field of green, the air fresh and rich with spiritual energy. The grass swayed like waves beneath a gentle breeze. Trees heavy with flowers and fruit dotted the horizon, and mountains rose like sentinels in the distance—grand, silent, and endless. Above him, the sky shimmered with faint golden clouds that moved in rhythmic pulses, as though alive.
He stood quietly for a moment, his face expressionless, before his mouth curved into a faint smile.
"So this is the inheritance realm..." he murmured. "A complete self-contained world. my ancestor had to be at least a ."
His eyes trailed to the horizon. There, faintly, he could see a ring of mountains, Forming a colossal boundary around the realm. Beyond them—nothing but the unknown.
"This should be either the second or third trial," he muttered, his gaze sharp and calculating. "The guardian should sense my arrival soon enough. But..." —he smirked— "why fight when someone else can fight for me?"
In his left arm, he still held Han Lei, the unconscious infant. He glanced at the child once, his expression unreadable. "You might yet be useful," he whispered, before vanishing into motion—his figure blurring as he sprinted across the fields, each step leaving faint ripples in the air.
---
Moments later, the portal flared again.
From it emerged Xie Tianhun, Lu Chenhao, and the elders of the four mid-sized sects. The air around them immediately grew heavy—the combined spiritual pressure of several Emberwake cultivators clashing faintly as they scanned their surroundings.
Behind them, Elder Maro stepped out, carrying the unconscious Han Zhennan on his shoulder. The younger man's skin was pale and bloodless, but his chest still rose faintly.
Maro's eyes narrowed as he looked around. "This place…" he muttered, crouching to touch the soil. "It's artificial. A constructed subspace—too stable to be natural. This isn't just a pocket world; it's a full inheritance domain."
He stood, brushing his hands together, his mind already racing. "Even for multiple Emberwake cultivators to construct this, it would take decades of effort and countless resources. Whoever made this was far beyond us."they all nodded seeing such a scene was rare even for people of their power, maro then continued" I can't sense Zhenwu's presence… and even my beetles can't track his scent. He's masked it completely."
Fang Ru, the silver-haired elder of the ironblood Sect, frowned. "Then we split up. There's no other choice. But who will take that boy?"
Maro smiled thinly, as if expecting the question. "Naturally, I will. I'm the one who stabilized him, after all. Besides"—his tone turned dry—"you all know my methods. I work with poisons. It would be unwise for any of you to travel beside me. I didn't have time to prepare antidotes in large quantities, so I've barely got enough to keep the boy alive."
It was a simple explanation—but the others saw the layers beneath it. Poison. None of them wished to risk their lives walking beside the VenomHeart elder, not in a place where trust could crumble at any moment.
Tianhun's eyes narrowed slightly but he said nothing. Maro's logic was perfect, and more importantly, it gave him an excuse to act alone.
Lu Chenhao, meanwhile, stayed silent—his mind running far colder calculations. His gaze lingered on the beauty of the realm, the endless flow of Qi that even now nourished his body. Greed stirred in his chest like a living flame, but he quickly buried it beneath his calm exterior.
This isn't a battlefield I want to die on, he thought. Zhennan's wife is dead, and that child's survival is uncertain. This place is dangerous beyond measure. Let the others chase glory—I'll look for whatever spoils I can find and keep my life intact.
He adjusted his robes, his expression neutral. To the others, it looked like composure. In truth, it was calculated self-preservation.
He didn't intend to challenge Tianhun, nor the four sect elders, and certainly not Zhenwu. The latter, especially, disturbed him—how could a man who'd lost his Emberwake cultivation still fight off Tianhun and escape all of them? Something about Zhenwu's power defied logic. Lu Chenhao had no desire to find out what.
---
In the silence that followed, each elder looked at the others—and in that silence, an understanding was reached.
They would all pretend cooperation, but each left subtle Qi marks on one another—small, undetectable threads of Qi that could flare in resonance. If any one of them found Han Zhenwu, the rest would know.
That way, they could swoop in and take the prize.
Because here, inside a forbidden inheritance, there were no rules.
No witnesses.
No truths—only the one told by whoever left alive.
And so, one by one, they turned and scattered into the vast expanse of the false world—each driven by greed, fear, or ambition—unaware that the very realm around them had already begun to shift in response to their presence.
Han Zhenwu sprinted through the emerald forest, his steps silent despite the speed that split the air around him. Every breath he took was measured; every motion calculated. The ground trembled from the weight of colossal beasts moving through the trees — creatures of impossible scale and ancient might.
He hid his aura and darted between shadows as the forest came alive with primal power.
A crimson-scaled serpent, easily the size of a fortress, slithered past him, its eyes burning with a molten glow. Above, a silver-feathered stag leapt across mountain ridges, its hooves leaving trails of light. Other beasts — some Zhenwu couldn't even name — roamed the land like titans of old.
Even he, a man who'd walked through battlefields drenched in blood, felt a flicker of awe.
I've seen beasts of all kinds in my life, he thought grimly, but this... this is beyond anything of the mortal realm.
He tightened his hold on the sleeping child, Han Lei, and pressed forward.
"I need to reach the start of this trial," he muttered to himself. "If I return to the first layer, I can deal with the second and third guardians one by one. That's the only path forward."
His expression hardened.
"No one can face an Awakened Beast with mere Emberwake strength — or with a Rank 2 body. What I need to fight a monster... is another monster."
A faint, humorless smile crossed his lips.
"And if I cannot be that monster... then I will simply make one."
He continued moving, cutting through the forest until a faint hum echoed in the distance — a strange, buzzing vibration. He turned his head sharply, eyes narrowing.
A swarm of small beetles, glimmering with metallic shells, rushed toward him through the trees.
"Maro's insects," he hissed.
He raised a single finger. Lightning gathered instantly.
A thunderclap tore through the woods as he released it — a single bolt of azure destruction — and the beetles disintegrated into sparks.
He didn't stop moving.
But a moment later, he froze.
Someone was approaching — fast.
The air shifted, a familiar, venomous Qi leaking through the trees. Then, through the mist, a figure appeared — lean, dressed in flowing green and black robes, his expression twisted with a smile that could only belong to a serpent in human skin.
Maro.
"Of all people..." Zhenwu muttered under his breath. "It had to be him."
He didn't stop walking, didn't slow his pace.
Maro, ever the persistent one, caught up easily, his smile wide.
"Hello, old friend," he said in his usual, venom-sweet tone. "I believe I have something that belongs to you."
Zhenwu turned his head slightly — and saw Han Zhennan, unconscious, slung over Maro's shoulder.
"You can keep him," Zhenwu said flatly.
For the briefest instant, disappointment flickered across Maro's face. So much for leverage. But then his eyes glimmered with mischief.
"You know," he said lightly, "the other elders came too — Fang Ru, Bo Tao, Lian Yue... and that little noble Lu Chenhao. They're all looking for you. They probably know I found you, so I imagine they're heading this way."
Zhenwu didn't even look at him. "Which elders?"
Maro smirked. "I just told you — Fang Ru, Bo Tao, and Lian Yue. Quite the lineup, wouldn't you say? Unfortunately, I can't help you. You are, after all, a wanted man — accused of practicing demonic arts. Such a shame."
Zhenwu understood the message hidden beneath those words. His tone turned sharp.
"What do you want, Maro?"
Maro chuckled, spreading his hands dramatically.
"What anyone of our level wants, of course! A way forward — a road to carve the future!"
Then, as quickly as his cheer came, it faded. His face twisted into one of mock sorrow.
"But, ah... such ambitions are costly. They require constant... funding."
His grin returned, wide and venomous.
"So I'm ready to offer you a deal."
Zhenwu's eyes narrowed but he said nothing.
Maro continued.
"This place is obviously an inheritance ground. And as such, it must have treasures — resources, cores, ancient materials. All the funding I need for my... research."
"So here's my offer: you give me information about this place — whatever you know that I can use — and I'll go the opposite direction. I'll even lead the others away."
Zhenwu's expression didn't change.
"The opposite direction, hm? And why wouldn't you go the way I'm heading — since you already know I know this place better than any of you?"
Maro laughed lightly, brushing dust from his sleeves.
"Because I don't want what you want, Zhenwu. Look around — there are life forms here I've never seen before. Beasts long thought extinct. I want them. You can chase your goal, and I'll chase my creatures. But still…"
His eyes glinted with greed.
"I'd like a little more information. Surely, you could share a bit with an old friend?"
Zhenwu smiled faintly, but it was the smile of a man standing over a grave.
"Maro, Maro... you know I wouldn't be alive this long if I were foolish enough to trust you. Tell me — why would you turn from what I seek, when you already know that whatever I'm after is far greater than any beast you could cage? Do you expect me to believe you'll leave this prize untouched?why would you leave behind something like this? Its scale alone makes it clear — this wasn't crafted by an amateur. This is the work of someone deeply attuned to the Space Path… ar least a Forger, or worse — a Warden Of The Space Path."
Maro's smile sharpened.
"I think you misunderstand me friend and think too badly of me."
In a blur, his hand shot forward — black poison dripping from his fingers.
Zhenwu reacted instantly — lightning roared from his body, a storm of raw energy splitting the air. The ground exploded as he kicked back, summoning a lightning barrier that shattered Maro's initial strike.
Maro didn't retreat — he launched a second wave: a spiral of acid followed by dozens of razor-sharp poison needles.
Zhenwu dodged, deflected, and countered with crackling bolts — but in that instant, Maro closed the distance, his hand now completely shrouded in a black, pulsing ooze.
Then, suddenly, Maro's arm twisted — and lunged not for Zhenwu, but for Han Lei.
Zhenwu's eyes flashed — he blurred aside, lightning erupting under his feet as he formed a barrier around the child. His face remained calm, but his tone turned cold.
"I see. So that's your game."
Maro smiled even wider.
"Ah, so you do care for that little one. How interesting. Seems I've found your leverage after all."
Zhenwu's voice grew quiet.
"What do you want, Maro? I'll ask one last time."
Maro took a step forward, grinning.
"Half. Whatever you gain from this inheritance — I want half."
Zhenwu was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Forty percent."
Maro blinked.
"Only forty?"
"And not a shred more," Zhenwu replied flatly. "Because let me tell you this — there's no way out of this place except through one method. The only exit is through this child. Kill him, and you die with me."
Maro's grin faltered slightly.
Zhenwu continued.
"And let me tell you why. There's an Awakened Beast in this realm — a creature beyond our reach. It guards the inheritance. We broke in from the outside, which means it already knows we're here. It's on its way — if it hasn't reached us already. So protect this child, because he's the only key to getting out alive."
Maro laughed — a loud, manic sound that echoed through the trees.
"An Awakened Beast? You expect me to believe that? A creature on par with the CoreForged Realm? A being as strong as my sect leader — or even the Grand Marshals of the Empire? You must think me a fool, Zhenwu—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Both men turned toward the sky.
The air had grown hot.
Then came the sound — a low, rumbling roar that shook the heavens.
The sun itself began to move.
From its heart, two colossal wings of flame unfurled — stretching wide enough to burn the clouds themselves. The orb of fire split open like a living eye, and through it descended a shape of terrible majesty.
A voice like thunder echoed across the realm:
"WHO DARES ENTER WHAT DOES NOT BELONG TO THEM?
WHO TRESPASSES WHERE NONE ARE WELCOME?
TO ALL WHO DEFY THIS PLACE — ONLY DEATH AWAITS!"
The sky burned.
A phoenix, vast enough to eclipse mountains, burst forth from the sun — its feathers blazing gold and crimson, its cry like the birth of a star. Every beat of its wings scorched the forest, reducing trees to ash.
Maro's jaw fell open, awe and madness mixing in his eyes.
"That... that's... an Awakened Beast ...!"
He trembled, smiling like a man staring at his own doom.
"Even among Awakened Beasts, its power... this is beyond comprehension. It rivals the Grand Marshals... my sect master..."
He looked at Zhenwu and laughed, wild and delighted.
"This place truly is the blade that will carve my future!"
Zhenwu didn't bother replying — he simply turned and ran.
Behind them, the phoenix's flames began to fall — each ember the size of a horse.
And far above, the beast's golden eyes burned with blazing fury.
Zhenwu's thoughts were cold and sharp as lightning.
"This one's different from the first guardian... too passionate about this. I thought they were all bound here by force... but this one—"
He leapt over a cliff as the forest exploded behind him.
"—this one chooses to serve."