While Aeon was finishing its attack and entering a digestion phase—
---
Far across the sea, in the Imperial Palace of the Eastern Kingdom—
A middle-aged man seated in the main hall suddenly stiffened, turning his gaze toward the distant direction of Aeon's presence.
His name was Xiang Yutian—the strongest cultivator in the Demon Sect.
And among the natives of this world, the most powerful individual alive.
No "one of" about it.
After all, anyone stronger than him had already shattered the void and left this world behind.
Ever since faking his death to escape worldly obligations, Xiang Yutian had embraced a carefree, hedonistic lifestyle. He wandered freely across nations, assuming countless identities—beggar, nobleman, even emperor—doing whatever pleased him most.
From the Sui Dynasty, he'd traveled all the way to the distant lands of Europa. From yellow-skinned beauties to pale-skinned maidens… though, admittedly, he couldn't quite bring himself to go for the dark-skinned ones.
In short, he'd been everywhere and done everything—not all of it… dignified.
But now, for the first time in years, Xiang Yutian felt shaken.
Even separated by hundreds of thousands of kilometres, as someone who had cultivated the 12th Layer of the Devil-Seed Dao Heart Technique—Demonic Immortal Realm, he could still sense a presence brimming with pure hostility and danger.
A presence that threatened all life.
Though long capable of shattering the void and leaving this plane behind, he had chosen to remain, enjoying life in the mundane world. And now, for the first time since that choice, he felt a fatal threat loom over him.
"That... is no human."
Through his spiritual sensitivity—almost divine in nature—Xiang Yutian instantly concluded that the presence wasn't something of mortal origin.
The next moment, as Orsaga suppressed Aeon's gluttonous urge to consume the world, the sense of danger faded from Xiang Yutian's perception.
But the Demon Immortal's mind stirred.
Following the residual spiritual imprint, his consciousness surged across countless miles, like a precision-guided scan, locking onto Aeon once more, determined to uncover the truth.
Inside Aeon, Orsaga, casually piloting it toward Huashan for the upcoming "Sword Conference," instantly detected Xiang Yutian's spiritual intrusion.
"Hmm… that's a decent quality spiritual probe. Application's not bad either. Looks like there are a few worthwhile bugs in this world after all…"
But that was as far as his interest went.
He'd already found amusement elsewhere. A slightly stronger insect didn't mean much to him.
Whoever this guy was—irrelevant.
And so, with Orsaga's silent consent, Aeon acted.
The AT Field surrounding Aeon's body wasn't just a defense—it was a manifestation of extremely pure spiritual energy, capable of affecting reality itself.
With a casual sweep of its field, the incoming spiritual thread was devoured.
Back in the Eastern Kingdom, Xiang Yutian grunted in pain.
It felt as though a knife had been stirred inside his skull.
"Damn it!"
He rose to his feet, his face dark, eyes narrowing in the direction of Aeon's presence, now filled with wariness.
That brief mental exchange was all he needed to realize:
The entity he touched wasn't something he could reason with. It was a bloodthirsty beast.
For the first time in ages, he felt concern for his disciples.
Though he had faked his death and couldn't be bothered with those four idiot apprentices, the foundation of his sect—the Holy Extremity Sect—was still there.
To say he had zero attachment would be a lie.
After pondering for a moment, he made his decision.
His figure blurred like a shadow, vanishing from the room in an instant—light as a drifting cloud, carried by the wind… heading straight for the chaos.
---
On the mountain path to Huashan.
In a procession of travelers moving with imposing presence, one man spoke to the calm, reserved middle-aged man beside him. The latter strode forward with the confidence of a dragon or tiger.
"Leader, with your Twin Dragon and Phoenix Rings, you're sure to earn a top rank in this year's Huashan Sword Summit and the Weapon Ranking!"
But Shangguan Jinhong gave him only a cold glance.
"Shut up and keep walking."
The speaker immediately fell silent, sulking awkwardly.
Unlike these fools who couldn't even assess their opponents' strength, Shangguan Jinhong knew exactly what kind of enemies he would be facing—and how formidable they were.
The Palace Mistress of the Divine Water Palace – Madame Hydra.
The Blade of the Deer Cutter – Xiao Shiyi Lang.
The Sword Sage of Huashan – Feng Qingyang.
The King of Pleasure from Loulan.
The Lord of White Cloud City – Ye Gucheng.
The Renowned Hero – Shen Lang.
Not a single one of them was easy to deal with.
Each was a formidable foe—a high-level expert among experts.
One wrong move, and it wouldn't be surprising for him to die on the spot.
And yet, Shangguan Jinhong still came.
Because only by clashing with these titans could he pierce through the bottleneck to become a Grandmaster—and truly stand at the summit of the martial world.
Unlike the so-called "Masters" who still relied on factions, subordinates, and political maneuvering, true Grandmasters were sovereign forces unto themselves.
Even alone, they could sway the balance between nations.
And those at the legendary level of Void Shattering, known as "Land Immortals," were said to be capable of leveling cities and toppling kingdoms single-handedly.
For someone like Shangguan Jinhong, who longed for the ultimate power, that was an irresistible temptation.
Watching Shangguan Jinhong's expression, a traveler not far away curled his lip in disdain.
In his mind, Shangguan Jinhong was just another stepping stone.
The road to Huashan's peak was also the countdown to Shangguan's death.
Don't ask why he was so confident. Just look at his skill set:
10th Layer Dragon Elephant Prajna Power
Nearly-maxed Golden Bell Shield
Mastered Nine Yang Divine Art
Mastered Heaven and Earth Shift
Mastered Six Meridian Divine Sword
Mastered Lingbo Lightfoot Skill
'Kekekekekeke~~. I've reached the pinnacle of power!'
Though he hadn't yet started cultivating the Threefold Origin Qi technique he'd acquired from a previous comic-world mission, he was only one step away from the Grandmaster realm.
'You bunch of nobodies… are all destined to become my stepping stones!'
This Purgator, freshly returned from a Hong Kong comic-style world, was so overjoyed that even his muscles seemed to swell with anticipation.
[Main Quest: Place in the top five at the Huashan Sword Summit. Earn the title of one of the new Five Supremes — Reward: 18,000 Points]
That was his mission.
And he was absolutely confident.
He'd been to this world twice already and had a solid grasp of the power level of its so-called "Master-class" warriors.
He could crush them all.
Claiming a spot among the Five Supremes? Already in the bag.
'And once that's done, I'm heading straight to challenge Ning Daoqi. That one-palm humiliation from last time—yeah, it's time for payback.'
_____
T/N:
For readers who would like early access, my Patreon is available for just $4 per month. You'll unlock 140+ advance chapters and help support ongoing works.
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
You may also search Translator-Sama directly on Patreon.
Your support is sincerely appreciated