Nighttime at the edge of the beach.
Feng Qi swung the Demon Blade repeatedly toward the sea. Even without releasing blade energy, the wind pressure from each slash whipped up massive waves that crashed into the rolling tide, splashing white spray into the air.
After swinging it two thousand times, sweat was already seeping from Feng Qi's forehead.
With the training done, he stopped.
His eyes looked to the sky at the far edge of the ocean.
Under the night, the stars gathered into a sweeping galactic river, like a crashing waterfall suspended in the sky, illuminating the heavens.
But this scene wasn't of the human world. It was from within the Domain World.
These weren't stars from the human world either, but a type of flying lifeform. They clustered together, forming a living star river.
Looking down at the water, specks of shimmering blue light danced across the surface—formed from swarms of bioluminescent plankton riding the waves that kept lapping at the beach.
He turned his gaze back behind him.
Xiao You had buried her head in the sand and lay sprawled out with all four limbs splayed, sleeping soundly in a bizarre pose.
Nearby, Lei Ting and the Negative Consciousness Entity were going at it again, arguing like always, each venting their dark moods, occasionally even trading blows.
Their constant bickering had become a regular part of the journey.
In the distance, Po Jia was hoisting a giant ancient tree, going through his strength training.
Sweat poured down his face, but he gritted his teeth and kept at it.
Among the team, Po Jia was always the most relentless.
The brutal years in the mines had taught him one thing—only strength could free him from oppression and humiliation. Only power could give him true freedom.
That's why no one wanted to get stronger more than he did.
And the seed of revenge had grown alongside his strength, taking root deep in his heart.
Feng Qi's gaze finally landed on a small black puppy lying not far away.
As if sensing his stare, the little pup stood up suddenly and looked back at him.
Their eyes met, and a flash of fear flickered in the puppy's eyes. It backed up several steps, then stuck its tongue out with a submissive, flattering look.
That little pup was the same ferocious beast Feng Qi had saved two months ago.
He now understood its secrets clearly.
Its name was Taihang.
It used to be the descendant of the Guardian Divine Beast of the Taiying Clan.
It was once even next in line to become that Guardian Beast.
According to Taihang's own telling, the Taiying Clan had originated some nine hundred years ago, when its ancestor met a young boy.
At the time, its ancestor had been gravely injured, unable to move, certain that the boy would kill him.
But to its surprise, not only did the boy not strike, he actively treated its wounds.
That act of kindness created a bond.
In the years that followed, as brutal war among the races unfolded, the boy's clan was scattered. It was Taihang's ancestor who risked its life to save the boy and take him into exile.
Like something out of a novel, the boy—accompanied by the beast—began to grow stronger at a staggering pace.
Along the way, the boy journeyed through countless realms and, by chance, came into possession of a Miracle item.
That marked the beginning of the boy's rise.
He later reunited with some of his lost kin, and drawing from both his clan's name and that of Taihang's ancestor, he founded a new faction: the Taiying Clan.
To honor Taihang's ancestor and preserve their friendship through the ages, the boy established a founding rule:
The descendants of Taihang's line would forever be the clan's Guardian Divine Beasts, treated with the highest respect.
But no dynasty lasts forever—and the Taiying Clan was no exception.
They were lucky enough to pass the trials of the Path of Ascension. For the first two hundred years after descending into the human world, everything went smoothly. There were no formidable enemies nearby.
The Taiying Clan expanded severalfold in a short time.
But then, trouble came.
One day, they heard from a newly enslaved faction that twelve domain fields north of them lay a deposit of extremely rare Tianyuan Crystal Ore. The Taiying King was intrigued.
At first, the Taiying King didn't act rashly. He sent a scout team to investigate the strength of the forces guarding that area.
Roughly three years later, a report came back.
It turned out the enslaved faction had told the truth—the group occupying that mining region had taken heavy losses in the Path of Ascension and were barely hanging on. They had no power left to guard the treasure underfoot.
The temptation was too great.
In a world of ruthless survival, the Taiying Clan's growth was still too slow. If they wanted a future, they had to gamble.
And the King decided to take the risk.
To seize the Tianyuan Crystal Mine, the Taiying King launched a full-scale war mobilization.
To win that battle, he even brought out the clan's ultimate treasure—the Nightmare Bell.
It was the Miracle item their founding ancestor had obtained by chance.
Taihang's father was among those who joined that expedition.
The outcome of that battle was never known. After the Taiying King led his army away, they never returned.
During that time, many rumors spread throughout the city.
Some said that when the Taiying King tried to seize the Tianyuan Mine, they ran into a powerful faction that had also come for the crystals.
Even with the power of a Miracle behind them, the enemy brought more—and stronger—Miracle items. Under absolute force, the Taiying Clan was completely annihilated. Not one soldier made it back.
There were all kinds of strange theories, but one thing was certain—the Taiying King and Taihang's father never returned.
After years of anxious waiting, the remnants of the Taiying Clan within the city began to fall apart.
Some formed scouting teams to investigate the frontlines, but none of them came back either.
Eventually, the survivors couldn't take the pressure anymore. They gave up hope and chose to pack up whatever resources they could, fleeing far away to avoid a potential war of extermination.
Taihang was also urged to leave.
But he didn't.
He wanted to keep waiting—for his father, for the return of the Taiying warriors.
And that wait lasted more than thirty years.
He was lucky not to encounter any wars during that time, but his father and the Taiying army still never came back.
As for the bell hanging around Taihang's neck, it was a replica—modeled after the original Nightmare Bell.
The idea to forge the Nightmare Bell's replica had come from the very first Taiying King.
During his days wandering with Taihang's ancestor, it was Taihang's ancestor who gave up the chance to claim a Miracle item, giving it to the Taiying King instead.
That kindness had always been etched deep in the King's heart.
He believed that what he had, Taihang's ancestor deserved too.
So, back then, he came up with the idea to forge a duplicate of the Nightmare Bell.
But the process was extremely difficult. The first Taiying King passed away before the replica was ever completed.
His will was passed down through the clan.
It took several generations of the Taiying Clan, and enormous amounts of spiritual materials, before the Nightmare Bell replica was finally forged.
Though far weaker than the original, the fake Nightmare Bell still had the power to alter cognition and create illusionary domains of perception.
This replica was gifted to Taihang's bloodline.
It was even made with a bloodline-recognition feature—only descendants of Taihang's line could use it. Even other Taiying clansmen couldn't activate it, no matter what methods they tried.
After that, the Taiying lineage carried the real Nightmare Bell, and Taihang's line bore the replica.
After hearing all this from Taihang, Feng Qi finally understood why there wasn't a single living being in the entire city.
The truth was, the remaining clansmen had long since fled—only Taihang had stayed behind.
He wandered through the city, scattering yellow paper charms in the Taiying clan's traditional way of honoring the souls of those lost in war.
Over those lonely years, Taihang had dreamt countless times of the Taiying King and his father returning under the bright moon, the Taiying army marching behind them as they came home from the frontlines. But each time, he woke to nothing.
During this period, he had killed many invaders and wandering factions to protect the city.
Then, using the Nightmare Bell, he altered their cognition and made them into what he imagined to be "dead guardians," who stayed to help him defend and clean the abandoned city.
Even though hope was faint, Taihang still held onto a sliver of it.
No matter what, this city would always be ready to welcome its warriors home—fresh and whole once more.
Feng Qi remained silent for a long time as Taihang told his story.
In this world, there was no real right or wrong. Only beings who fought tirelessly for their race's survival and future.
But that absence of right and wrong… that was the cruelest truth of all.
This was also the first time Feng Qi learned that two different species had once peacefully coexisted and even built a shared power together.
Still, he didn't think their ancestors' friendship was the sole reason this harmony had lasted.
More likely, it was because Taihang's bloodline was too small in number—too insignificant to interfere with the Taiying Clan's growth.
So in the grand course of history, Taihang's lineage served more as a symbolic mascot—a commemorative presence in the Taiying story.
If the two clans had been of equal power, conflict over resources would have been inevitable.
They called it joint governance.
But had anyone from Taihang's line ever sat on the Taiying throne?
This so-called hereditary divine beast title was, in truth, inherently unfair.
Still, one thing couldn't be denied—the Taiying Clan had, because of their founders' bond, been genuinely united for a time.
Across all the domain fields Feng Qi had traveled, this was the only case he'd seen like that.
From Taihang's story, Feng Qi also learned that only descendants of Taihang's line could use the fake Nightmare Bell—it was tied to their bloodline.
That was why he kept Taihang close.
Right now, Taihang was the key to him unlocking his Shura State.
Only Taihang had the ability to activate the replica Nightmare Bell.
But perhaps because of the trauma left by that nightmarish illusion domain, Taihang now looked at Feng Qi with nothing but fear.
He'd fall into nightmares of the Negative Hell often, wake up howling in terror.
Feng Qi had no better choice either. He could only let time heal the trauma in Taihang's heart.
Nowadays, Taihang got along quite well with Xiao You. He'd even let her ride on his back from time to time.
But toward Feng Qi, all he showed was fear.
With Taihang joining the group, their numbers increased by 1.
Even though the team's current overall strength wasn't that impressive, Feng Qi still held hope for the future.
This seemingly loose-knit group was gradually building cohesion throughout their journey. Each member had solid growth potential.
Maybe, they'd bring him surprises down the line.
At the same time, this team would also be his support in challenging Jian Ji—and even in battling new enemies after defeating Jian Ji.
He wanted to walk this sacrificial path even farther.
Jian Ji shouldn't be the final destination.
Under the stars, Feng Qi lay on the beach with his arms outstretched, listening to the waves roll in.
For once, his nerves were able to relax.
Without realizing it, Feng Qi, who hadn't slept in a long time, drifted into a dream.
As the tide rose, waves full of glowing blue light surrounded his body, and his expression slowly softened in his sleep.
No one knew how much time had passed. When the morning light warmed his face, he woke from his deep slumber.
Looking down at his chest, he saw Xiao You sleeping on him, wearing a straw hat. At some point during the night, she'd curled up there, her lips sparkling with familiar crystal droplets.
He gently rubbed her head and sat up.
Looking toward the horizon where the sun was rising over the sea, he knew a new journey was about to begin.
To leave this domain field, they had to cross the sea.
Xiao You and the others could fly, so it wouldn't be a problem for them. But for him, it wasn't that easy.
The Body Movement Technique could let him fly for a bit, but flying across a whole sea was still beyond him.
Swimming across with the Demon Blade on his back wasn't just a test of willpower—it was a test of his physical endurance too.
Still, he didn't consider taking a detour. He saw crossing the sea as another challenge along this journey.
With a shout, Po Jia, Lei Ting, and the rest gathered around.
Xiao You woke up too, yawning as she rubbed her sleepy eyes and called out "Qi-ge," then floated up into the air.
"Let's move out!"
"Okay!" Xiao You clenched her fist, her face serious.
Feng Qi stepped into the surf, walking toward the endless horizon. Xiao You and the others followed behind.
Crossing the sea was a long journey.
Every time Feng Qi flew a certain distance, he'd drop into the water and keep going by swimming.
Po Jia would also occasionally land in the water to swim alongside him.
Once his stamina was drained, Po Jia would put his flight mask back on and continue flying.
Only the lazy Xiao You, the indifferent Lei Ting, and Taihang flew the entire way without getting wet.
The sun rose and set again and again.
It felt like the journey had no end.
Feng Qi hit exhaustion several times, but each time he pushed through on willpower alone.
During the trip, the Divine Ascension Challenge Training activated briefly, restoring his drained stamina.
The more he understood the Demon Blade's cultivation mechanism, the more he realized the blade's potential was limitless.
He no longer doubted that the Demon Blade might one day reach a level comparable to a Miracle item.
As Mu Yan once said, Miracle items were just the lingering remnants of a Pillar God's power.
Maybe there wasn't any force in the current era that could match a Pillar God, but the future? Especially in the brutal final stages of competition?
There would definitely be beings strong enough to rival Pillar Gods born within the strongest races.
He didn't know where the Demon Blade ended up in the original timeline, but he did know it would still be around 1,500 years later.
Maybe the Demon Blade would be just like the Mist Lord—still moving forward in the endless competition.
He had once asked the Demon Blade what it would do after defeating Jian Ji.
The Demon Blade's answer was: keep challenging the strong, and try to smash a few more Miracle items.
The path the Demon Blade chose meant there was no turning back.
Because the Divine Ascension Challenge Training never truly ends. Only when it is ground to nothing—broken in battle—would that path find its conclusion.
Sometimes, Feng Qi couldn't help but wonder if maybe the Demon Blade really could reach the level of a Pillar God. Maybe it'd become one of the strongest Gu Kings in the era before the Great Momentum fully descended.
But the future was full of uncertainty. What would happen even further down the line, beyond those 1,500 years, he had no way of knowing.
The trial of the sea continued.
Along the way, Feng Qi had to fight off numerous giant sea beasts.
But for him, that wasn't a bad thing.
The beasts that attacked him were all slain by his blade, their blood and flesh turned into pure energy to replenish his stamina and further hone his strength.
Day turned to night and back again, yet the domain field barrier still hadn't appeared on the horizon.
But then, he spotted a massive island in the northwest direction.
Under the night sky, the island glittered with countless glowing lights, like fireflies dancing in the dark—magical and beautiful.
He suddenly remembered how Xiao You had recently said she was sick of eating sea beast meat.
Feng Qi made a decision.
He'd go ashore, hunt down some edible domain creatures, and enjoy a proper meal.