For several days, Wu Tian traveled toward the location indicated by the map. After passing through more than a dozen teleportation arrays and crossing many regions, he finally arrived at the marked place.
"Now… how do I find the entrance to this hidden place?" he murmured.
Based on his knowledge, protagonists were usually dragged in by coincidence, fell in accidentally, or were guided by some mysterious force. There was never a definite method.
Wu Tian took out the spirit stone he suspected was the key to the hidden location. He infused it with qi. Several moments passed, yet nothing happened.
Giving up on that method, he decided to scan the area using his spiritual sense.
As he flew around in the air, the stone suddenly emitted light… just like before. Wu Tian tried channeling qi into it again, but there was still no new reaction.
He fell silent, observing the stone while continuing to move through the air. After some time, he reached one conclusion:
The stone shone brighter the closer it got to the entrance of the secret realm.
Guided by the stone's glow, Wu Tian searched the surroundings until the light peaked near a deep, dark ravine.
But from within the ravine he sensed an aura so terrifying—an amalgamation of killing intent, death, and hatred that made his skin crawl.
Feeling he was too weak and lacked any way to defend himself or escape danger, Wu Tian decided to leave and return only when he was strong enough.
"With my current strength, going down there is too risky. The best choice is to return home to Mother and train until I'm ready."
He took a deep breath. Sometimes what appeared to be an opportunity was actually a hidden threat.
But just as Wu Tian turned to leave, a mysterious pulling force appeared and dragged him into the ravine.
"Damn it!" he shouted.
The deeper he fell, the more he realized the aura wasn't just terrifying—it was sinister enough to erode one's consciousness.
"If I don't get out soon… I'll definitely go insane."
Wu Tian struggled against the force, but all his efforts were useless. The pull felt like the power of space itself—impossible to resist.
His consciousness faded, swallowed by darkness.
When he opened his eyes, Wu Tian found himself in an unfamiliar place. In the dimness, a large object appeared faintly.
He approached and finally saw it clearly: an ancient monument resembling Aztec carvings—a face of an unknown creature sculpted upon a wall covered in moss and wild roots.
As Wu Tian observed the carving, a light shone from his chest. The monument rotated, slowly retracting backward, vanishing and revealing a dark corridor.
With no other choice, Wu Tian stepped inside.
The scene shifted. He now stood on a circular platform floating in a shattered outer space. Above him, he could see hundreds of orbs which, at first glance, looked like random specks of light—but Wu Tian realized they might be universes themselves.
"It has been thousands of years since I last saw a human. Who would've thought the first one to appear would be a weak cultivator at early Foundation stage."
That ancient voice echoed through the void.
Wu Tian immediately bowed.
"My apologies if this junior's presence disappoints Senior. If permitted, this junior wishes to ask one question."
"I grant you permission," the voice replied. "It has been far too long since I spoke to anyone. Ask whatever you wish."
Wu Tian bowed deeper.
"Earlier, while I was patrolling the forest, a mysterious force dragged me into a ravine. When I regained consciousness, I was already here. Does Senior have a way to send me out?"
The voice sighed softly, carrying the weight of millennia.
"Long ago, a devastating battle erupted between my Master and a demonic cultivator. They fought for thousands of years without reaching an end. Witnessing the destruction of the world caused by their battle, my Master finally decided to end it… by sacrificing his own life."
The voice sounded sorrowful, filled with exhaustion and grief buried for an immeasurable span of time.
"After the battle ended, the aura from the sword and the corpse of that demonic cultivator leaked out, causing the surrounding world to collapse. With the last of his strength, my Master folded space to isolate this place and ordered me to guard it," the voice explained wearily, tinged with longing.
"Realizing the aura here would eventually leak and bring ruin to the outside world, I decided to overlay this sealed dimension with the universe within my own body. Hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of years passed, and slowly, the aura weakened… as did my cultivation."
He paused.
"Your situation occurred because you possess a talent for spatial control. When you approach spatial cracks, you feel a pull toward them. Unfortunately, the folded space created by my Master has an extremely strong suction, especially toward someone who has yet to control their affinity like you. And with your current strength, even if I sent you out, you would either be pulled back in or be contaminated by the leaking aura and go insane."
Wu Tian stiffened.
"Then… does this junior still have hope of leaving?"
Before the voice could answer, a strange light burst from Wu Tian's chest. The space before him trembled, and something massive began to move.
Wu Tian swallowed hard. From the darkness emerged an enormous dragon, its eyes observing him as though staring at an ant.
"The object in your chest… where did you obtain it?" the dragon asked.
Wu Tian explained that the object was some kind of inheritance his father had somehow discovered.
The dragon listened until he finished.
"With that object, I can help you leave this place. But before that, there is something you must do."
The dragon blinked, and the world shifted once more.
Wu Tian now floated in the sky, facing a terrifying sword. Beside it hovered a green lotus emitting a mysterious aura.
"Do you see that lotus? Your task now is to purify it."
The lotus drifted toward him.
"Senior… how do I purify it?" Wu Tian asked.
"Open your sea of consciousness. Draw it in and bind it with your spiritual power. I will take care of the rest."
Without hesitation, Wu Tian complied. The lotus entered his sea of consciousness—and instantly, his head felt as if it was about to explode from the spiritual force.
But a primordial wall appeared within his consciousness, restraining and sealing the excess power.
"I have sealed a portion of its overflowing power. Over time, the seal will weaken in accordance with your growth. That lotus will expand your sea of consciousness and strengthen your spiritual power."
"Senior… where did this lotus come from?"
"That is the Thousand-World Lotus—an unparalleled treasure of heaven and earth. My Master once used it, shattering 999 of its petals to defeat the demonic cultivator. What you possess… is the sprout grown from the final petal."
Wu Tian was stunned yet exhilarated after hearing the explanation. The lotus in his sea of consciousness was still in its fetal state, with only 11 petals. He couldn't even imagine its strength once it possessed all 1000 petals.
"Besides nurturing your sea of consciousness, that lotus can also suppress and purify various soul attacks. Now go—bring the sword."
The dragon's gaze shifted to the terrifying sword radiating murderous intent.
Wu Tian grasped the sword's hilt—and was instantly overwhelmed by sorrow, rage, fear, jealousy, and countless other emotions.
The lotus blossomed within his consciousness, releasing a rain of pollen that cleared his mind.
"Good. What you heard were the cries of thousands of souls devoured by the sword. For years, I have purified it, leaving only the weakest remnants. From this moment, you are its guardian. Never let it fall into anyone else's hands."
Wu Tian nodded. He understood the danger. If this sword fell into the wrong hands, entire worlds might be purified into nothingness.
Without warning, the dragon entered his body. Space around him quaked, cracked, and tore open a spatial rift.
In an instant, Wu Tian was back in the forest near the ravine.
The dragon's final words echoed:
"I shall rest for now. And remember… be careful with that sword. It is alive."