The moment the golden light swallowed Lin Shuan—
everything around him disappeared.
The voices of Qin Yue.
Zu Lin's laughter.
The silent gaze of Protector Yi.
The ancient pressure of the Imperial Palace.
All of it vanished.
Only endless light remained.
For a brief moment—
Lin Shuan felt as though he was drifting through an ocean of stars.
Countless streams of golden energy flowed around him.
Ancient runes flickered endlessly throughout the light.
Some resembled dragons soaring through the heavens.
Others looked like towering mountains supporting entire worlds.
Many appeared completely unfamiliar—
symbols from an age so ancient that even history had forgotten their meaning.
Then—
BOOM!
The surrounding space suddenly stabilized.
Lin Shuan felt solid ground beneath his feet.
A powerful wave of spiritual energy crashed against him.
His robes fluttered wildly.
Several breaths later—
he slowly opened his eyes.
And froze.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Before him stretched an enormous world.
The sky was unlike anything he had ever seen.
It wasn't blue.
It wasn't silver.
It glowed with a faint golden radiance.
Ancient clouds drifted lazily overhead.
Massive mountains pierced into the heavens far beyond sight.
Ancient forests covered the land like endless oceans of emerald green.
Rivers of Luo Essence flowed visibly through the air itself.
Every breath contained enough spiritual energy to rival cultivation chambers outside.
Even his Frost Divine Heart became noticeably more active.
It pulsed quietly within his chest.
As though it enjoyed this place.
Inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen finally spoke.
His voice carried genuine surprise.
"...Interesting."
Lin Shuan swallowed.
"What kind of place is this, Master?"
For several moments—
the old monster remained silent.
Observing.
Analyzing.
Feeling.
Then his voice became unusually serious.
"This isn't merely a treasure vault."
"This entire realm is a complete world."
Lin Shuan's pupils contracted.
A complete world?
Tian Wuchen continued.
"And not a crude miniature world like the one inside my cave inheritance."
Lin Shuan immediately understood what he meant.
Years ago—
he had lived within Tian Wuchen's miniature cosmos.
It possessed mountains.
Forests.
Rivers.
Even seasons.
Yet despite its magnificence—
it still felt artificial.
Like an isolated fragment separated from reality.
But this place...
Was different.
Completely different.
The wind carried natural life.
The forests felt alive.
The clouds moved naturally.
Even the spiritual energy flowed according to its own laws.
It felt real.
Painfully real.
As though life itself could be born here.
As though entire civilizations could thrive here.
Even Tian Wuchen became quiet again.
Because he understood something.
The creator of this realm...
Was an existence far beyond anything Lin Shuan could currently imagine.
And perhaps—
far beyond himself as well.
The realization caused even the old monster to become silent.
Meanwhile—
Lin Shuan continued observing the world.
At first glance—
everything appeared divine.
Perfect.
Sacred.
However—
the farther his gaze traveled—
the more unusual things became.
Far away beyond the mountains—
he noticed broken fragments of land floating within endless darkness.
Entire mountain ranges drifted through the void.
Ancient forests hung upside down in the distance.
Some sections of the world appeared damaged.
Others appeared incomplete.
Like cracks slowly spreading through a priceless masterpiece.
Tian Wuchen also noticed.
"This world..."
"It remained stable for an unimaginably long time."
"But something has begun eroding it."
Lin Shuan narrowed his eyes.
The realm felt ancient.
Far older than Da Cang Empire itself.
Yet despite surviving countless years—
it seemed to be slowly decaying.
Not rapidly.
Not catastrophically.
Just enough to reveal that even worlds could age.
Then suddenly—
a beam of golden light descended from the heavens.
WHOOSH!
Lin Shuan instantly stepped backward.
The light landed gently before him.
Moments later—
it condensed into a floating stone tablet.
Ancient words appeared upon its surface.
TREASURE REGION
Welcome, Contract Holder.
Rules of Entry:
Only one participant may enter.
All opportunities depend upon individual ability.
Treasures obtained belong entirely to the holder.
The deeper you travel, the greater the rewards.
The deeper you travel, the greater the danger.
Proceed Forward.
The words slowly faded away.
Then the tablet shattered into countless particles of light.
Lin Shuan stared.
Then laughed softly.
"So even a treasure realm likes acting mysterious."
Tian Wuchen snorted.
"Stop wasting time."
"Your opportunities won't walk into your hands."
Lin Shuan nodded.
Then turned toward the only visible road.
An ancient white stone path stretched through the wilderness.
Without hesitation—
he began walking.
Hours passed.
The deeper he traveled—
the more unbelievable the scenery became.
Trees hundreds of meters tall towered overhead.
Some possessed silver leaves.
Others emitted faint starlight.
Some radiated spiritual energy naturally.
Ancient vines wrapped around mountains.
Crystal flowers bloomed beside streams.
Everywhere he looked—
treasures appeared.
Many herbs would cause wars outside.
Yet here—
they grew almost casually.
Lin Shuan could only sigh.
"This place is absurd."
Then suddenly—
his expression changed.
He sensed something.
A fluctuation.
Not far away.
His Frost Luo Essence immediately circulated.
Cold mist emerged around his body.
Carefully—
he moved toward the source.
Several minutes later—
he arrived at a clearing.
And immediately froze.
An enormous golden tree stood before him.
Nearly one hundred meters tall.
Its branches stretched toward the sky.
Golden fruits hung from the branches like miniature suns.
Pure spiritual energy poured endlessly from each fruit.
The surrounding air shimmered visibly.
Lin Shuan's eyes widened.
"What are those?"
Inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen nearly shouted.
"GOLDEN SPIRIT FRUITS!"
Lin Shuan blinked.
"Are they valuable?"
Silence.
Then Tian Wuchen sighed heavily.
"...Sometimes I genuinely wonder how you survived this long."
Lin Shuan coughed awkwardly.
The old monster continued.
"Golden Spirit Fruits vanished from the outside world countless years ago."
"I've only seen descriptions within ancient texts."
"They absorb heaven and earth energy for thousands of years."
"A single fruit can dramatically accelerate Energy Core cultivation."
"Outside..."
"...entire sects would slaughter one another for a single fruit."
Lin Shuan slowly looked back toward the tree.
There were at least twenty fruits.
Twenty.
His heartbeat accelerated.
Even he understood what that meant.
A fortune.
A heaven-defying fortune.
But before he could take a single step—
ROOOOOOOOOAR!!
A terrifying roar exploded throughout the forest.
The ground trembled.
Ancient trees shook violently.
Birds scattered into the sky.
Lin Shuan instantly retreated.
The next moment—
something massive emerged from behind the tree.
A gigantic beast.
Its body resembled a tiger.
Golden scales covered its skin.
Its eyes burned like molten metal.
Each claw was larger than a human body.
Its massive tail shattered boulders casually as it moved.
The beast was over ten meters long.
And its aura...
Far surpassed Lin Shuan's.
"NINE-STAR ENERGY CORE!"
Lin Shuan's expression changed instantly.
The beast stared directly at him.
Clearly—
the Golden Spirit Fruits belonged to it.
Or rather—
it considered them its property.
The tiger suddenly lowered its body.
Its muscles tightened.
Then—
BOOM!
The beast shot forward.
Like a bolt of golden lightning.
Lin Shuan immediately activated the Lightning Immortal Path.
Crack!
Cold lightning erupted beneath his feet.
His figure vanished.
The tiger's claw smashed into the ground.
A gigantic crater instantly appeared.
Shockwaves exploded throughout the forest.
Lin Shuan inhaled sharply.
"What terrifying strength..."
Tian Wuchen laughed.
"Congratulations."
"You found your first opportunity."
Lin Shuan nearly cursed.
"That's an opportunity?!"
"That thing wants to eat me!"
The old monster sounded entertained.
"Then don't let it."
ROOOOAR!!
The beast attacked again.
Its golden eyes radiated killing intent.
Meanwhile—
something else awakened inside Lin Shuan.
Excitement.
Real excitement.
Danger?
He was familiar with danger.
Since awakening the Frost Divine Heart—
peace had become a luxury.
Every step of his journey involved risking his life.
Cold frost slowly spread beneath his feet.
White ice covered the surrounding grass.
His eyes sharpened.
The tiger lowered itself again.
Preparing for another charge.
Human and beast stared at one another.
Then—
Lin Shuan smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"Master."
"What?"
"If I kill it..."
"Can I keep all twenty fruits?"
For a moment—
even Tian Wuchen became speechless.
Then the old monster burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"Now that's the attitude I wanted to hear!"
The tiger roared.
Lin Shuan stepped forward.
Cold white frost erupted around him.
Golden spiritual energy exploded around the beast.
The entire clearing trembled.
One human.
One ancient beast.
One tree full of primordial treasures.
The first true battle inside the Treasure Region—
had officially begun.