Before venturing into the Domain Lord-level Primal Sky Mountain, Han Jue first arrived at the Tongtian Bridge plane.
The last time he'd challenged the Tongtian Bridge was hundreds of years ago, just after entering Primal Chaos City through the Genius Battle. Back then, his record had remained stuck at the tenth level, unchanged despite his dramatic improvements during training.
In the two hundred years since arriving in Primal Chaos City to cultivate, Han Jue had only used up his remaining opportunities to comprehend the Chaos Monument and hadn't continued challenging the Tongtian Bridge. Only now, with his upcoming breakthrough to Domain Lord, had he finally returned.
The Tongtian Bridge plane shimmered with crystalline light as Han Jue materialized on the observation platform.
Guardian Bafen looked at Han Jue, his eyes widening with genuine delight.
"Han Jue! I've waited so long for you," Guardian Bafen said with a wry smile, his voice carrying a hint of long-suffering patience. "Your last breakthrough into the Universe-level Primal Sky Mountain proved you had the ability to at least reach the twelfth level of the Tongtian Bridge. And yet, you haven't come back even once. Those who didn't know would have thought you were avoiding me personally."
"Your Excellency Guardian, you're joking," Han Jue replied with an easy smile.
"Which level are you aiming for this time?" Guardian Bafen asked, his tone shifting to speculation. "Let me guess, fifteenth? Or sixteenth? I heard you're planning a World Master breakthrough soon. You should be trying to conquer the Domain Lord-level Primal Sky Mountain next, right?"
Han Jue glanced at Guardian Bafen in mild surprise. His guess was remarkably accurate.
Seeing Han Jue's expression, Guardian Bafen chuckled smugly. "I have a rough idea of the pattern you follow with these challenges. You either won't attempt them at all, or when you do, it'll be something that shakes everyone watching. It's always safer to guess high with you."
"Go ahead," Guardian Bafen gestured toward the Ice Peak Tongtian Bridge with obvious anticipation. "The bridge is completely deserted right now."
"Guardian, rest assured," Han Jue said confidently, his eyes gleaming with determination. "I won't disappoint you."
Stepping onto the Tongtian Bridge, Han Jue felt the familiar spatial shift as reality bent around him.
"Please choose your opponent," the mechanical voice intoned.
"Hmm... how about an illusionist?" Han Jue said after a moment's consideration.
The next instant, the scene before him transformed completely. Han Jue was pulled into an elaborate illusion, layers upon layers of false reality designed to confuse and disorient.
The illusion shattered like fragile glass under his mental assault.
A vast mirage descended over the entire battlefield! The silver-clad illusionist opponent stood stunned, completely helpless as Han Jue's secret technique crushed their consciousness, ending the battle before it truly began.
Although he'd obtained the Piaomiao Soul Codex from his teacher, that particular cultivation method started at the Immortal level, leaving Han Jue somewhat limited in immediate application. The techniques described required a foundation of power he didn't yet possess.
So instead, Han Jue had chosen to continue studying the Mirage Sea secret technique inherited from the Mirage Sea Lord during his free time. Now, he'd advanced this soul attack method to the eighth level, a remarkable achievement considering his current cultivation.
At the eighth level, one could influence even Immortal beings through the illusion of the Mirage Sea while simultaneously using the technique itself to attack the souls of Immortal opponents directly.
Unfortunately, Han Jue's telekinetic amplitude, or rather, soul amplitude, wasn't exceptionally high compared to specialized illusionists. Therefore, this soul attack method could only serve as a surprise tactic rather than his primary combat strategy. Still, a surprise attack that could briefly stun even an Immortal was nothing to dismiss.
After defeating the silver-clad figure, Han Jue pressed forward to the next level without hesitation.
The twelfth level materialized around him.
"Please choose your opponent."
"Warrior," Han Jue stated simply.
Instant kill!
A level that could have been passed over two hundred years ago certainly couldn't stop him now. His growth since then had been exponential, rendering these earlier challenges trivial.
Outside the Ice Peak Tongtian Bridge, the Immortals, crowned Kings and Marquises alike, discussed the developing situation with fierce intensity.
Above them, many Universe Venerables had already appeared, drawn by Guardian Bafen's notifications and the promise of witnessing something extraordinary.
"Ganwu, I heard you accepted an Earthling as your personal disciple?" A tall, burly man spoke, his body as rough-textured as ancient tree bark. He addressed the Lord of Ganwu with casual familiarity.
He was a good friend of the Lord of Ganwu and one of his creditors, the Lord of Ancient Vine.
"Well, he's already cleared the fifteenth seat of the Illusionary Sea," the Lord of Ganwu said with obvious satisfaction. "While not quite as exceptional as Hong, he's still remarkably gifted."
"Your luck has truly turned," the Lord of Ancient Vine sighed with genuine envy. "The Earthling lineage has appeared in your Ganwu Universe Country, and several top-tier geniuses have emerged in rapid succession. Once they mature properly, your debts should be repaid easily."
While these Universe Masters knew of the Earthling lineage's existence, the complete details of its peak bloodline potential were known only to a select few beyond the Universe Master level, beings like the Lord of Ripples, the Lord of Zero Extreme, and perhaps some of the top Universe Overlords.
This information security wasn't accidental. The carefully maintained secrecy existed to prevent alien races from learning about humanity's pinnacle bloodline in advance and attempting to eliminate it while vulnerable. The potential these bloodlines represented was simply too dangerous to allow widespread knowledge.
At least until this bloodline flourished into genuine power, absolute secrecy remained paramount.
Even ancient beings like the Lord of Ganwu and the Lord of Ancient Vine remained unaware of the Earthling bloodline's true peak potential, demonstrating just how tightly controlled this strategic information remained.
"It's hard to say," the Lord of Ganwu shook his head with genuine uncertainty. "These geniuses are indeed highly gifted, but only Lei Shen is truly connected to me personally. The others have little to no direct relationship with my lineage."
"Huh? This little fellow has already made it past the sixteenth level!" The Lord of Ancient Vine's voice suddenly rose with astonishment. "He's even conquered the Domain Lord-level Primal Sky Mountain already! Judging by his current performance and law comprehension, he can't possibly be stopped at the seventeenth level. Could he reach the eighteenth as well?"
The seventeenth level materialized around Han Jue.
The opponent at this level possessed law comprehension comparable to a peak Marquis-level Immortal. Additionally, his weapon had been upgraded to a genuine Immortal Divine Weapon, dramatically increasing the threat level compared to previous challenges.
Han Jue and his opponent faced each other across the dimensional battlefield, neither striking first. The air between them crackled with potential violence as they assessed each other's capabilities.
Finally, Han Jue could no longer contain his eagerness to test his full strength.
'First strike, Snowflake Sword Qi!'
A strange phenomenon manifested in the sky above them. Countless pure white snowflakes suddenly materialized, blanketing the dimensional space with ethereal beauty. These weren't ordinary snowflakes, each one consisted of countless microscopic strands of compressed sword energy, representing a fundamental fusion of the Water and Space laws.
These snowflakes converged on the blade Han Jue held, transforming into a dazzling white light and a vast concentration of sword energy that made space itself tremble.
The entire process took less than 0.01 seconds, a speed that would leave most opponents with no time to react or defend properly.
Boom!
Sword energy exploded outward!
The white-clad figure across from him remained unfazed by the overwhelming display. Longsword in hand, he swung out in kind, engaging Han Jue directly with equal confidence.
"That's not enough," the white-clad figure challenged, his tone carrying professional assessment rather than mockery.
However, he suddenly noticed Han Jue's mouth curl into a slight, knowing smile.
Not good!
"Really?" Han Jue said with deadly calm.
"Second strike, Ice Crystal Sword Qi!"
Countless frost instantly condensed along the blade of the Binghuang Sword with audible crackling sounds. These weren't mere decorative ice formations, strands of extremely cold ice crystal sword energy materialized with such intensity that the temperature dropped precipitously throughout the entire battlefield.
These ice crystal sword energy strands coalesced together, forming what appeared to be a frozen river of pure crystalline destruction. The technique thundered forward with unstoppable momentum!
This strike possessed sufficient power to kill a Marquis-level Immortal outright!
The ice crystal sword energy descended with absolute inevitability. The white-clad opponent's defenses shattered like fragile glass, and his form disintegrated under the overwhelming assault.
Victory.
Han Jue stood alone in the now-empty seventeenth level, his breathing steady despite the enormous energy expenditure.
The Ice Sword Energy technique possessed five distinct strikes, each one exponentially more powerful than the last.
Mastering the first sword skill allowed one to pass through the fourteenth level of the Tongtian Bridge with relative ease.
Mastering the second sword skill allowed one to conquer the seventeenth level decisively.
The third, fourth, and fifth sword skills corresponded to the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth levels of the Tongtian Bridge respectively, each one representing a quantum leap in power and requiring proportionally deeper law comprehension.
Having carefully assessed his own current capabilities, Han Jue knew with certainty that he couldn't successfully pass the eighteenth level yet. That would require mastering the third strike of the Ice Sword Energy technique, which demanded law comprehension he hadn't yet achieved.
Without hesitation, Han Jue withdrew from the Tongtian Bridge plane, leaving behind a group of completely stunned Immortals and awestruck Venerables.
He'd reached the seventeenth level in one continuous assault, earning thirteen million points in the process!
But compared to what he was about to acquire, these points represented mere pocket change, a pittance compared to the rewards awaiting him at the Domain Lord-level Primal Sky Mountain.
The Domain Lord-level Primal Sky Mountain!
Han Jue had already become thoroughly familiar with this particular challenge from his previous conquest of the Universe-level version. The structure remained essentially identical, merely scaled up in difficulty to match higher cultivation standards.
No need for elaborate preparation or extensive reconnaissance. He knew exactly what awaited him.
He was also intimately familiar with the fighting styles of the three guardian archetypes stationed at the foot, middle, and peak of the mountain. He could simply engage in direct combat without wasting time on cautious probing.
With his current level of law understanding, equivalent to the seventeenth level of the Tongtian Bridge, he could absolutely crush this challenge!
The moment he released the ice crystal sword energy, Han Jue had already reached the summit of the Domain Lord-level Primal Sky Mountain. The three guardian battles had passed in what felt like an instant, each opponent falling before his overwhelming superiority in both technique and law comprehension.
Standing at the peak, gazing across the virtual landscape toward the distant horizon, only one final challenge remained visible in the distance.
The World Master-level Primal Sky Mountain towered in the far distance, its peak shrouded in clouds that seemed to touch the very boundaries of this dimensional space.
That day, when he would conquer that ultimate challenge, wouldn't be too far off. Han Jue could feel his law comprehension deepening with each passing month of intensive study. The fourth diagram of the Ice Peak Chaos Monument was nearly complete in his understanding, and once he mastered it fully, the World Master-level Primal Sky Mountain would fall just as decisively as its predecessors.
He just needed a bit more time and focused cultivation.
Soon, he would stand at the absolute pinnacle of what could be achieved before breaking through to Immortal, a position occupied by only the most exceptional geniuses in humanity's long history.