By the time the sword light dissipated, the Old Ancestor of Qingxu Pass had vanished without a trace. Only the eternal sword intent that lingered between heaven and earth remained, carving countless fractures into the void.
A sword wound a zhang long stretched across the Royal Lord's chest and abdomen, flesh peeled back and curling outward as the Power of
In the next instant, seven or eight Domain Lords streaked into the depths of the void, pursuing
The Royal Lord's expression was dark. He had personally overseen this place, yet a remnant human force had still broken through his blockade and escaped No Return Pass—a humiliation of the highest order.
What infuriated him even more was that human Eighth-Order cultivator from earlier. The man's strength was extraordinary. In that single battle alone, he had slain six of the Domain Lords under the Royal Lord's command. The Royal Lord had been preparing to step in and kill him personally, only for a human Ninth-Order to appear and interfere.
And not only had this Eighth-Order cultivator returned after leaving, he had even rescued a dragon imprisoned by the
Rage churned within him. The Royal Lord's figure flickered, and he materialized before the Azure Bull, which had been battered nearly to the point of collapse. A single punch shattered what remained of the creature's stubborn resistance, sending it flying apart in pieces.
"Useless, the lot of you!" the Royal Lord roared. Multiple Domain Lords working together, yet they had been held up this long by a mindless construct? He was seething with dissatisfaction at their performance.
The Domain Lords hung their heads in shame, not daring to offer a single word of rebuttal.
Just then, a Lord hurried over to report: "Your Lordship, the portal leading to the other side has shown anomalies. I humbly request that Your Lordship inspect it personally."
The Royal Lord's heart lurched. He turned sharply toward the portal's location, and in a single glance, a chill seized his entire body.
He hadn't noticed the changes on the other side before, but now—there was no portal to be seen. The space where the portal had stood was as smooth and flat as a mirror.
He rushed forward, attempting to pass through, but it was futile. He tried several more times, each attempt failing, before the realization struck him: the gateway to the Thirty Thousand Worlds had been obliterated by the humans using some unknown method.
The Royal Lord's fury only deepened…
When those seven or eight Domain Lords who had chased after
…
Now that he had already advanced to the Eighth Order, what could a handful of Domain Lords do to him?
The dragon form was too conspicuous, so not long after escaping No Return Pass,
He didn't stop immediately, either, instead continuing to flee deeper into the void.
It was only after half a month or so that he found a suitable world and descended to rest.
He ventured deep into the world, carving out two separate chambers for shelter.
Ji Laosan nodded with a complicated expression but said nothing.
His injuries from this ordeal were not light. Setting aside the spiritual damage wrought by the Soul-Sacrificing Needles, he had been at the forefront the entire time leading the remnant army's charge, bearing the brunt of every encounter.
The depletion of the Great World Force within his Small Universe was especially severe. He would need considerable time to recover properly.
He no longer had a complete set of cultivation resources on hand, so his recovery could only rely on Open Heaven Pills. Fortunately, the flow of time inside his Small Universe was now roughly seven times faster than the outside world, and the living beings within it were constantly propping him up through their own reproduction and growth.
So the recovery was not particularly difficult.
A month or so passed in a blur, and
Even the spiritual wounds didn't demand his deliberate attention—the Warm Spirit Lotus would naturally nourish and repair them on its own.
He rose and strode toward Ji Laosan's chamber. Hearing his approach, Ji Laosan, who had been circulating his energy to heal, opened his eyes, stood, and offered a bow of gratitude: "Thank you, Brother Yang, for saving my life."
Gazing at the spirited and vital
"I've dragged Brother Yang into trouble with this whole affair," Ji Laosan said. The arrogance and dismissiveness he once wore were gone now, clearly tempered by the shocking events at No Return Pass.
But what had changed his attitude wasn't only the upheaval at No Return Pass—it was
Though
That alone was enough to command the respect of every dragon.
Moreover, back when they had been at No Return Pass, the various dragon Elders had been prepared to have