The river flowed east, leaves fell in flurries.
Time passed in a flash—it had already been over thirty years since Feng Qi left Fate City.
His journey across the world hadn't stopped. The road ahead was always filled with the unknown.
The descriptions of the human world found in historical texts were no longer valid after the Great Cataclysm. The emergence of the Domain World had changed the New World in countless ways.
Especially those domain fields that fused into the human world after the collapse of spatial crystals—they fundamentally altered the terrain of the human world.
This merging wasn't just surface-level overlaying; it was a true fusion.
You could think of the shattered domain fields as drops of rain merging into a lake.
But unlike rain, each of those domain field drops carried its own color. As it entered the human world, it dyed the lake with that color.
At a deeper level, it was a fusion of rules.
As the human world accepted the domain fields, parts of the domain rules were absorbed and modified.
Once a domain field fully vanished, its environment became a permanent part of the human world's geography. Some of its laws and traits began to apply there too.
Because of this constant fusion, the human world's landmass was expanding.
A single domain field was like a drop of water, but countless domain fields arriving together was like a storm drenching the lake. The lake would inevitably grow larger.
No one truly knew just how vast the world would become 1,500 years in the future—not even Old Mist, the dominant figure of the Eastern Region at the time, could offer a precise answer.
That future world was unimaginably vast. Old Mist had never even measured the full extent of its boundaries. He could only guess.
By then, every major power referred to it as the "New World."
It was a reality unlike anything seen before in either world's history—a new environment where the old layered structure of the Domain World had collapsed, fusing all races and powers together.
There was no more Lingyu or Moyu—no more Domain World designations.
Even Domain World forces no longer called it the human world. When the black moon rose into the sky, that moment marked the true beginning of the New World in the eyes of all domain factions.
The barely surviving human natives would become an insignificant lower-tier force within this New World.
That was an era seen as both brutal and full of opportunity by all races.
Survival of the fittest had become the only truth under the wheel of time.
Stand still, and you'd be crushed—reduced to a relic of the past, no longer part of the New World's grand competition among thousands of races.
Snapping back to the present, Feng Qi stood beneath the star-filled sky, looking far into the distance.
The evening breeze brushed against his face. Old memories rose in his mind.
He turned to glance behind him. Xiao You was curled up asleep on Taihang's back. Compared to when they first met, her appearance hadn't changed at all.
Though Feng Qi's own body hadn't aged either—nourished by Demon Blade and the Elf Seed—time had still left traces of its passage.
He rubbed his chin, feeling the roughness of his beard, and couldn't help but grow curious about Xiao You's natural lifespan.
In the pre-Cataclysm world, living past one hundred years was seen as a blessing and a symbol of luck.
But for humans after the Cataclysm, the average natural lifespan had long surpassed that century mark.
On the surface, humanity's physical qualities had made a huge leap.
Yet compared to the lifespans of domain creatures, humans still seemed pitifully short-lived.
Especially Xiao You—after all these years, not even the slightest change in her appearance. It was as if time had frozen just for her.
"Boss, awooo~"
Sensing his gaze, Xiao You lifted her head and let out a call.
He ignored her strange way of saying hello and shifted his attention to Lei Ting.
After more than thirty years, Lei Ting had changed significantly—from a naked, newly-healed toddler into a child who looked about four or five years old.
The change wasn't huge, but it still showed signs of growth.
The biggest transformation, though, was in Po Jia. The once-cold young boy who looked only seven or eight years old had now grown to Feng Qi's shoulder height.
Po Jia was currently sitting on a large, dark rock, twirling a dagger in his hand.
His proud, distant eyes seemed unfocused, as calm and deep as still water. His fiery red hair draped over both shoulders. Under the starlight, the dagger in his hand gleamed with a faint blue glow, and his handsome face looked like something out of a fairy tale prince's story.
Noticing Feng Qi's gaze, Po Jia looked up and smiled.
"Boss."
Feng Qi nodded and looked toward Taihang.
This overgrown bully of a dog had nearly wiped them all out once. He had also nearly been tortured to death by Feng Qi's negative persona, and in the end, had devoured his own body to take on a puppy form. But over the years, he'd grown quite a bit bigger.
Throughout their journey, they had taken in several new team members.
But due to their inability to leave the domain field or adapt to the human world's rules, they had all eventually left the team.
Two of them had left the deepest impression on Feng Qi.
One was a youth named Wu Qiong.
He was a non-human domain creature with a humanoid head, four tentacles, and blue skin.
Their first encounter had been during a battle. Feng Qi had entered a domain field and challenged the strongest warrior there.
He'd used his Blade Demon form to win the fight.
Wu Qiong had watched the entire battle unfold.
He joined the team right as Feng Qi was about to leave, having won the challenge.
It was a bright, sunny morning.
Feng Qi clearly remembered Wu Qiong kneeling before him, begging to be taught the blade technique he used to kill his enemy. He said he'd gladly become a servant if that was the price.
Feng Qi wasn't some saint. His first instinct had been to turn Wu Qiong down.
But Demon Blade gave a response that he couldn't ignore—it had sensed great potential in Wu Qiong.
So Wu Qiong became a member of the Blade Demon Squad.
He quickly blended into the group. Xiao You even designed him a custom Blade Demon robe and made him a flying mask with a tentacle emblem.
On the journey, Wu Qiong and Po Jia had many shared topics. Both worked tirelessly to grow stronger.
Wu Qiong's path of growth was the Four-Blade Style.
He relied on his four tentacles to wield four longswords in battle.
Feng Qi clearly remembered what Wu Qiong once said to him while seeking blade training:
"Boss, I can't lift the Demon Blade, and I'll never have a weapon as strong as it. If this path is blocked, then I'll win by numbers. I have four arms—I'll walk the Four-Blade path."
When he said this, Wu Qiong was smiling brightly, as if he truly believed he had found a path that could surpass even the boss in the future.
Feng Qi didn't reject Wu Qiong's chosen road. With the Demon Blade's guidance, he gathered materials and personally forged four blades for him.
They were named Wu, Qiong, Wei, and Lai.
In the fifth year of Wu Qiong joining the Blade Demon Squad, Feng Qi faced a life-threatening God Ascension Challenge. His opponent possessed strength that far exceeded his own.
During that battle, Xiao You and the others were also threatened by members of the challenger's race.
Feng Qi clearly remembered Wu Qiong's heart-rending roar that echoed through the sky.
When he turned to look, he saw Wu Qiong swinging his four blades in a blur, his entire body drenched in blood. Even under immense physical strain, he fought to block the oncoming enemies, desperately buying time for the team.
In the end, he even pulled back Po Jia, who had been planning to sacrifice himself, and paid with his life to unleash a move he had always dreamed of using but could never bear the cost of—Blade Qi Meteor Shower.
Blade energy burst like falling stars, scattering radiant trails across the land.
Wu Qiong's life froze in that brilliant moment.
By the time Feng Qi broke through in battle and won, it was already too late.
Even if Po Jia's arms had been severed or Lei Ting's leg twisted—those could be restored.
But Wu Qiong's body had been pushed far beyond its limits. It shattered entirely in the clash, leaving not a trace behind.
That bright, determined boy left the team in a tragic yet heroic way, etched forever in Feng Qi and the others' hearts.
Snapping back to the present, sorrow flickered in Feng Qi's eyes.
The image of Wu Qiong kneeling before him felt like it happened just yesterday… and would remain locked in yesterday forever.
Another teammate who left a lasting impression was named "Heavy Armor Shield."
To human ears, it was an odd name.
Heavy Armor Shield was a humanoid domain creature over one hundred years old. He had a tall, hulking build, his body wrapped entirely in thick golden armor—which he never removed, not even while sleeping.
Their first meeting happened during a domain natural disaster.
Domain natural disasters were rare but powerful phenomena in the Domain World.
Feng Qi once stumbled into a domain field being struck by a Lei Tingstorm disaster.
He still vividly recalled the terrifying scene.
His view was filled with arcs of lightning darting across the sky like cracks splintering the world. Deafening Lei Ting rattled his skull, and he had to retreat in time to avoid being reduced to ashes.
Some domain disasters were powerful enough to destroy entire worlds.
This much was clear from the illustrated disaster cards crafted by the Lord of Fate City. Each disaster card required ten star cores to activate, and each could completely turn the tide of battle.
At the time, Feng Qi had been exploring a domain field when the weather suddenly shifted, and a Death Storm disaster struck.
Plants, buildings, debris—all were hurled through the air. The entire world seemed caught in the storm's pull, spinning and twisting.
As the wind intensified, everything caught in its path was torn to pieces.
Facing such destruction, Feng Qi decided to dig underground, expanding downward to create a survival space.
That's when Heavy Armor Shield appeared, helping him dig faster. Thanks to their cooperation, they barely survived the Death Storm disaster.
And from that moment on, the wandering domain creature known as Heavy Armor Shield became a member of the Blade Demon Squad.
Since Heavy Armor Shield never took off his armor, Xiao You crafted a Blade Demon cape for him, emblazoned with a shield symbol—marking him officially as one of their own.
Over the next three years, he explored domain fields alongside them, eating in the wild and sleeping under the stars.
They shared many joyful memories during that time.
Through Heavy Armor Shield's stories, Feng Qi learned of his origins and his race's unique growth path.
That system was called Armorization.
They forged armor from a special symbiotic ore that fused directly with their flesh and blood. From that point on, there was no separation between armor and body. The armor was their greatest shield, their strongest weapon, and a part of them.
This was why Heavy Armor Shield never removed his armor.
Feng Qi had always been curious about this system.
He clearly remembered once asking, half-joking, how reproduction worked if he never took off his armor. Surely the answer couldn't just be armor bumping into armor?
Heavy Armor Shield had laughed and answered, "As long as it's long enough, nothing's a problem."
Beneath the armor, he said, was a coiled dragon.
Feng Qi had burst into applause at the answer.
It was around the third year of Heavy Armor Shield's time with the team that they arrived at a new domain field. This one was surrounded by four competing domain fields, forming a temporary buffer zone that had become a small trade market.
There, Heavy Armor Shield encountered some of his long-lost kin.
When it came down to choosing between his race and the team, he didn't hesitate. He said goodbye to the squad and chose to protect his people.
Faced with his decision, Feng Qi nodded and agreed.
Unlike Xiao You and the others, who saw the Blade Demon Squad as their only home, Heavy Armor Shield had always followed a guiding purpose.
His departure had only been a matter of time.
And when the moment came, Feng Qi wasn't about to force him to stay.
That night, he and Heavy Armor Shield drank the whole night away, reminiscing about the past.
Though not drunk in body, their hearts were thoroughly intoxicated.
At dawn the next morning, Feng Qi led the team to set out once more.
To Feng Qi, Heavy Armor Shield was like a traveler who had coincidentally boarded the Blade Demon Squad's train and had now arrived at his own final station.
As the train continued forward, all they could do was wave goodbye.
Only the shared memories of the journey could accompany the path ahead.
Partings were always bittersweet. The road forward was forever filled with the unknown—you could never predict what you'd see next, or who you'd meet.
But after so many years of trials, Feng Qi understood this was the true meaning of the journey.
It was both growth and heart-tempering.
The bizarre and colorful Domain World was like a fog-covered open-world map in a game—every step forward unveiled something new, something no book had ever described.
Now, as his thoughts returned to the present, Feng Qi raised his head to gaze at the starry sky, his mind adrift.
He knew there were still more wonders waiting for him further down the road.
But today marked the seventy-third year since he left Star City.
It was time to begin the return journey—to go back to the place he had started from.
When he set out from Star City, he'd given himself a travel time of one hundred and thirty years.
Now that time was more than halfway gone. He had to go back. Tougher challenges still awaited him in the future.
He slowly raised the Demon Blade in his hand.
The sealing markings at the blade's hilt were long gone—its fifth seal had been broken twenty-four years ago.
His strength was nothing like it had been in the past.
Now there was only one matter left to finish. Once done, he would return.
With a thought, black flames ignited along the surface of the Demon Blade, and his aura surged dramatically.
His long hair danced in the windless air. Feng Qi slowly lifted his head, locking eyes with a presence far off to the west—something hidden deep in the void.
His body slowly lifted into the air, then suddenly slashed out toward the distance.
A crescent-shaped wave of blade energy burst forth, expanding as it advanced.
Black flames blazed across the crescent's surface, like a pair of firebird wings unfurling. With every flap, storm winds raged.
As the firebird flew toward the horizon, it dragged behind a trail of space-tearing cracks.
Far to the west, atop a crumbling city wall—
An old man with disheveled clothes and white hair leaned lazily against the wall, cradling a wine jug in his hands, already lost in a drunken haze.
At that moment, he looked up and saw a brilliant flash in the eastern sky.
"He's here."
Staring eastward, the white-haired old man raised the wine jug, downed the rest in one gulp, and tossed it aside. His body then floated into the air.
With a wave of his hand, a massive crimson spear appeared out of thin air, which he firmly gripped.
The spear spun in his palm, then was thrust sharply toward the east.
In an instant, thousands of blazing crimson lights burst from its tip and converged midair into a furious fire bull. The beast roared, its hooves stomping through the sky as cracks spread like shattered glass across space itself.
The fire bull scraped the sky, charging in the direction the white-haired old man pointed with his spear.
Finally, the firebird and fire bull collided in midair with a Lei Tingous crash.
The explosion was like a clear-sky Lei Tingclap, kicking up a shockwave that swept in all directions. Crimson and black flames tangled and collided, transforming into a spinning vortex of fire.
Fine spatial cracks spread outward from the collision point, space quaking from the strain.
Feng Qi, hovering midair, flickered and vanished.
When he reappeared, he stood right before the old man with the spear.
Looking at the tattered clothes and weathered appearance of the white-haired elder, Feng Qi didn't show a hint of disrespect.
That man's name was Long Qiang—once the strongest warrior of this now-ruined city.
They'd fought once before.
But that battle had been cut short. Just as their duel had reached its boiling point, Long Qiang suddenly withdrew. The God Ascension Challenge they had just begun was left unfinished.
Finding an evenly matched opponent was rare.
Defeating Long Qiang was the final stop before Feng Qi returned home.
If he could win this fight, he would break past his current limits and step into a new lifeform stage.
In truth, Feng Qi had already learned Long Qiang's origins during their first encounter.
He came from the Spear Clan, a lineage once part of the same Artifact Clan as the Demon Blade.
When they first fought, the Demon Blade had immediately recognized Long Qiang's martial skills as belonging to the Spear Clan's legacy.
Long ago, under the leadership of Old Mist's ancestor, the multi-layered world-spanning Artifact Clan had collapsed. Of its eight great branches, some were annihilated, others scattered to the winds.
The Spear Clan had been one of those that fled and became wanderers.
But unlike the Sword Clan or Blade Clan, the Spear Clan was utterly broken apart. No central lineage remained—only isolated offshoots.
Feng Qi had seen this bit of history in the Demon Blade's memories.
He never expected to encounter a living legacy of the Spear Clan in the human world.
Even more unexpected was that this legacy had produced a genius like Long Qiang.
Just like Jian Ji of the Sword Clan and Chao Xuan, the Demon Blade's older sister, from the Blade Clan—
Destiny had chosen Long Qiang. A genius born to lead his clan back to glory.
His talents rivaled the best of his generation.
He took his fragmented Spear Clan offshoot from obscurity and built a prosperous city for them.
But that prosperity was short-lived.
Even Long Qiang couldn't stop the inevitable decline.
After years of warfare, the Spear Clan's downfall was sealed.
Now, this ruined city beneath them held fewer than one hundred Spear Clan survivors.
Though the eight great branches of the Artifact Clan were once as close as brothers, they had also been rivals.
This was clear from the long-standing tradition of inter-clan martial tournaments between the Blade and Sword Clans.
That tradition dated back to when the Artifact Clan still existed. Those tournaments had served as a way to divide resources among the younger generation of the eight great branches.
This was something that left the Demon Blade particularly emotional.
Challenging Long Qiang was like peering into the past—revisiting lost customs in a new form.
Long Qiang clearly sensed it too.
The moment he saw the Demon Blade, he understood exactly what it was.
So when faced with the challenge, Long Qiang didn't hesitate.
Now, the unfinished battle resumed.
As Feng Qi's figure vanished in a flicker, crimson light burst skyward. Long Qiang thrust his flaming red spear forward, colliding with the afterimage of the Demon Blade.
The fierce wind blew Feng Qi's long hair wild, his eyes filled with endless fighting intent.
The Demon Blade slammed downward.
With its full seals broken, the Demon Blade weighed as heavy as a mountain. Even Long Qiang didn't dare meet it head-on.
Without hesitation, Long Qiang retracted his spear and spun it with a flourish in his right hand. Flames swirled into a vortex to counteract the overwhelming force from the Demon Blade.
"Kill!"
His white hair whipped about. The spear shot out in a sudden burst.
The strike rang like a Lei Tingclap, piercing through layers of spatial resistance and crashing against the descending Demon Blade.
Boom!
A hurricane surged forward. In Feng Qi's perceptive view, the crimson spear transformed into a blazing fire bull, charging straight at him with wild, unstoppable might.
Feng Qi didn't dodge.
The Dominating Blade Style he'd chosen didn't allow him to retreat. Overpowering an enemy head-on was his way of the blade.
The blade armor instantly enveloped his body. His black, menacing figure radiated overwhelming pressure, and a black sea of fire surged behind him, forming a fearsome phenomenon.
The Demon Blade in his hands swelled in size and slashed forward, like a falling mountain clashing with the crimson spear. The explosive impact sent both Feng Qi and Long Qiang flying backward.
No sooner had they stabilized themselves than they vanished again, reappearing midair to clash once more.
Black and crimson intermingled, canceling each other out.
Their silhouettes raged, unleashing all their power. The sky was alternately painted in fiery red and engulfed by black flames.
After a prolonged clash, the two figures separated again. Feng Qi was soaked in sweat, his body trembling slightly.
It was then that the God Ascension Challenge training activated.
His body, pushed to the brink, began to stir with excitement. Flames blazed even hotter along the Demon Blade's surface.
"The loser dies."
Long Qiang's eyes gleamed with fervor as he quietly declared while staring at Feng Qi.
"You too. Don't hold back."
As his words fell, they charged at each other again.
In Long Qiang's hands, the crimson spear was sometimes as ferocious as raging fire, sometimes as cunning as a serpent, unpredictable and wicked.
Fighting Long Qiang, Feng Qi saw the former glory of the Artifact Clan.
That was a bygone era when Artifact Clan warriors pushed their weapons to the limit, forging eight great lineages.
Each main branch mastered countless ways of using their weapon—blade, sword, spear, axe…
It was the golden age in the eyes of the Demon Blade.
In Long Qiang's hands, the spear had become a part of his body—his heart moved, and the spear followed.
Sometimes it roared like a wild bull, sometimes it shot like a bolt of lightning, sometimes it darted like a serpent flashing its fangs.
Thrusting Spear, Cloud Spear, Twisting Spear, Piercing Spear… the spear techniques changed constantly. Each form appeared at the perfect time, relentlessly challenging Feng Qi's reflexes and nerves, making his heart race.
The sky above them was shredded with countless fine cracks.
In this battle, Long Qiang's strength steadily increased in tandem with Feng Qi's growth.
It was only now that Feng Qi realized Long Qiang had never shown his true power before.
The Life Elf and the Demon Blade's origin energy pushed Feng Qi's physical potential to the limit, completely unlocking the God Ascension Challenge.
His body absorbed the surging strength like a sponge.
Power rose steadily as he fought.
Even the blade armor covering his body evolved, growing more ferocious and dominant in appearance.
Feng Qi's spirit was fully ignited by the battle. In his eyes, there was only Long Qiang's overwhelming pressure.
Under that pressure, Feng Qi broke through to a new realm.
It was a strange sensation—like his body had shed a heavy shackle, reborn anew. The exhaustion was instantly wiped away.
He had advanced in his lifeform state.
At the same time, the Demon Blade burst forth with dazzling brilliance, evolving alongside him.
"Come—let's settle this!"
Long Qiang raised his massive spear, charging up. In his perception, the fiery bull reappeared, roaring skyward.
"Alright!"
Feng Qi lifted the Demon Blade. Behind him, black flames ignited the air.
He had decided to end this battle with his strongest blade technique yet.
As he raised the Demon Blade overhead, his entire aura transformed—like a raging inferno that could scorch all realms, exuding devastating force.
"This move: Dragon-Crushing!"
As Long Qiang shouted the name of the technique, his spear thrust out like lightning.
Ripples spread through space as the long spear pierced through every spatial layer. In Feng Qi's vision, the spear grew endlessly, overwhelming his entire perception.
At the peak of the strike, Feng Qi felt like he'd fallen into a mental illusion—he saw a spear large enough to pierce the heavens pressing down from above, nearly suffocating him.
He let out a roar.
"This move: Sky-Cleaving!"
The Dominating Blade Style had three ultimate techniques: Sky-Cleaving, Earth-Splitting, and God-Slaying.
These three represented the Demon Blade's aspirations for the future.
The final goal—God-Slaying—was aimed at Miracle Artifacts.
Roar!
With a furious cry, Feng Qi's Demon Blade turned into a stream of black light and slashed forward.
This strike carried all of Feng Qi's indomitable will. The black flames followed the surging blade energy like a flood, converging into a violent wave that crashed against the Dragon-Crushing spear technique.
As the two forces collided, the Sky-Cleaving blade energy shed its outer flames, revealing its deadly fangs.
This blow stripped away all ornamentation—pure, unstoppable sharpness.
Finally, the Sky-Cleaving slash and the flaming bull exploded on contact. The violent shockwave blasted both Feng Qi and Long Qiang backward, sending them flying before they crashed to the ground.
As he hit the ground, Feng Qi coughed up blood.
The Sky-Cleaving strike brought great strain to his body, while Long Qiang's Dragon-Crushing spear technique further pushed his body into an overload.
Struggling to his feet, he looked ahead, where a figure, shrouded in swirling sand, appeared in the distance.
With a sweep of the Demon Blade, the whirlwind intensified, blowing the sand away and revealing Long Qiang standing with his spear.
His long, gray-white hair whipped in the wind, and Feng Qi could see the life force in Long Qiang's eyes fading.
"Good blade technique."
"Your spear technique's not bad either." Feng Qi replied.
"I once heard you say that Sword Clan had a genius named Jian Ji and Blade Clan had Chao Xuan… it's a pity I can't face them. I'm the strongest of the Spear Clan. What do you think of me compared to them?"
"If you were in their time and environment, you would be their strongest competitor. You're not weaker than any one of them." Feng Qi responded.
This wasn't empty flattery.
He had read the Demon Blade's memories and knew the strength of Jian Ji and Chao Xuan.
Long Qiang indeed had the talent to rival Jian Ji and Chao Xuan. Without the support of miraculous divine artifacts, Long Qiang might not lose to either of them.
Having dragged the Spear Clan this far, Long Qiang deserved the title of Spear Clan's number one warrior.
Upon hearing this, a smile crept across Long Qiang's lips, but he couldn't help shaking his head. "Pity I can't fight them… how boring."
The life force in his eyes rapidly faded, and his gaze turned dull and gray.
"May I have a drink?"
Feng Qi, upon hearing him, immediately took out a flask of fruit wine from his spatial wristband and tossed it toward Long Qiang.
Taking the flask, Long Qiang opened it, drank a large gulp, then hoisted his spear and turned to leave, heading towards the city gate without looking back.
"Boring, boring..."
Long Qiang's hunched figure slowly receded into the distance, disappearing from Feng Qi's sight as he reached the city gates. He raised his head and gazed at the ruined city gate, then drank the last of the wine in the flask.
"Spear Clan…"
Long Qiang's life force had been depleted, but the long spear in his hand still supported him, keeping him standing.
This warrior, who had spent his life fighting for the Spear Clan's survival, now reached the end of his journey.
The sandstorm blurred his vision, and Feng Qi turned away.
He knew, in his heart, Long Qiang had given up.
Long Qiang was a warrior, but the most tragic fate for a warrior was to die in a hopeless and monotonous world, growing old with no hope.
He had no strength left to save his clan's future.
His appearance had allowed Long Qiang to find a more fitting end.
Long Qiang had given him the chance to break through during their battle, allowing him to strike the Sky-Cleaving blow with greater power.
Death in battle was the warrior's true end.
Long Qiang had granted him his breakthrough, and in doing so, he fulfilled his own end—dying in the fierce battle he had fought to the last.
"Boss, are you hurt?"
Before Xiao You's figure even appeared, her voice rang out from the distance.
Soon, Xiao You, Po Jia, and the others appeared in front of him.
Feng Qi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, smiled, and pointed toward the east.
"Home."
He said this and took a step forward.
Xiao You and the others immediately followed.
Their figures gradually grew distant, and Xiao You's confused voice echoed from behind.
"Boss, where's home? Is it where you were born?"
"Boss, does Star City have good food?"
"What? I'm a Domain creature? Will Star City's warriors kill me?"
"Hey, so annoying, I thought I was the same species as the boss, but turns out I'm his enemy, I'm crying."
"Don't be scared, I'll say: 'Human General, please, I'll lead you there. I have three Domain creatures here.'"
Lei Ting, Po Jia, Taihang:...
They retraced the path they had taken.
The God Ascension Challenge continued.
Along the journey, many powerful enemies stood before him that he once couldn't defeat.
Back then, Feng Qi was still too weak. Against strong forces, he would take the long way around, never directly seeking death.
Now, compared to the past, he had the strength and confidence to challenge these forces head-on.
The hardships of the journey wouldn't decrease.
Most importantly, the Domain Fields they had passed through might have new owners now.
The cruel race competition continued after his departure. The tribal conflicts he had witnessed might have ended, but new powers had risen, and old ones had faded.
The road back still teemed with unknowns.
On this return journey, Feng Qi led his team through mountains and waters.
During this time, he used the Turtle Shell Jade to visit the Fate City's second-level marketplace. He spent Blood Stones to buy a crystal capable of recording spatial coordinates.
This crystal would mark important areas on his journey, such as Elf City, the Silver Serpent Empire ruins, Xiao You's clan's land, and more.
Once back in Star City, this crystal would become one of his most important acquisitions from this long journey.
Through the rain and wind, Feng Qi traveled through the bizarre Domain Fields, encountering vast lands and witnessing the wonders of the world.
He stood in the heart of a bustling city, gazing at the towering god tree, murals etched with the traces of ancient empires, sea beasts holding up islands, endless water worlds, and the land of the dead... countless races, with their unique customs.
What he saw along the way was invaluable, a treasure trove of experiences.
This journey had opened Feng Qi's eyes, showing him the vastness and grandeur that textbooks could never convey. It had left a profound impact on his soul.
The boundless starry sky, the fading sunset, the vast yellow sands... Along the way, there were enemies and companions, moments of sadness and joy.
Everything he had witnessed had been stored in his memory, a collection of the precious lessons and moments from this journey.
The way he viewed things had shifted slightly during this journey.
Once, he had believed that all the life forms in the Domain World were evil demons—brutal and cruel, with no trace of compassion in their hearts.
Indeed, along his journey, he had seen the cunning and cruelty of the Domain creatures.
There were the greedy clan leaders who sold out their own people for profit.
There were the betrayers who attacked their allies for resources.
There were the evil beings who devoured their own kin to survive.
But that was only one side of the Domain World. There were also those who upheld the brilliance of humanity through their persistence and effort.
There was Long Qiang, who fought for the survival of his race until his hair turned white, ultimately choosing a warrior's death as his final fate.
There was the dusk sacrifice, who, even as the empire was falling, prayed and blessed his scattered descendants under the starry sky.
There was Ku An, a young man who chose to journey far in pursuit of his dreams, to ensure the continuity of his race...
The vast new world, with both its flaws and beauties, offered no absolutes or certainties.
On the journey back, Feng Qi passed through one Domain Field after another, continually breaking through his physical limits and surpassing his former self in the God Ascension Challenge.
Every time his body reached its limits, it felt like he was facing an insurmountable door.
But by pushing himself to the fullest, new worlds and paths would open before him.
The Demon Blade, having already broken through its fifth seal, accompanied him as he continuously transcended himself.
During this time, Po Jia and the others also followed him and grew rapidly in strength.
Each of them was working toward a brighter future, with the only thing unchanged being Xiao You's appearance.
Under the team's care, Xiao You remained as innocent and lively as ever, and this purity was something that the team didn't want to tarnish.
In the 126th year of the journey,
As Feng Qi passed through the Domain Field barrier heading east, what lay before him was not another Domain Field.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the ancient tree branches, casting warm beams across his face. In the distance, the golden rice fields swayed in the wind, rippling with gentle waves.
Taking a deep breath, he could smell the earth and fresh grass in the air.
He had returned to the human world, and before his eyes, there were no dense Domain Fields. This place wasn't one of the human world's gaps between the crowded Domain Fields.
He had arrived in the eastern region of the human world.
The chirping of cicadas filled his ears, but rather than being harsh, it carried the familiar rhythm of memories and excitement.
The scene before him was both strange and familiar, as if separated by a lifetime.
The things that once seemed ordinary before his departure now felt precious as he looked back.
"We're almost home."
"Okay... Wait, I'm a Domain creature. Should I disguise myself?" Xiao You's voice sounded slightly guilty.
Ignoring Xiao You's comment, Feng Qi smiled and stepped forward.
Xiao You and the others immediately followed, with Xiao You chattering non-stop, full of anticipation yet also a bit scared of the human world. Her emotions were mixed.
Po Jia, Lei Ting, and Taihang remained calm throughout.
For them, the team was their home, and though they were unfamiliar with the human world, they had no fear or expectations.
As Feng Qi observed the things along the way, his curiosity grew.
He saw that Star City had already extended its western supply line over a long distance.
This was a sight he hadn't seen when he was last here. It was clear that Star City had developed beyond its peak under his rule, with a far more expansive future ahead.
This filled Feng Qi with great relief.
Star City was like a child he had carefully nurtured. Every timeline he returned from brought new knowledge, which in turn fed back into Star City.
From the initial end-of-the-world scenario to now, Star City had managed to stand strong even 1500 years into the future.
He had witnessed its progress with his own eyes.
Now, a new future awaited, one full of promise.
Soon, they arrived at the main road in the western supply zone of Star City.
The road was paved with fresh asphalt, its color indicating that it had only recently been repaired.
The main road leading here signified that the Domain Field behind them would soon become one of Star City's targets for future exploration.
As they proceeded along the road, a large transport convoy appeared ahead, speeding toward them.
The convoy kicked up a cloud of dust, and they could hear the noisy chatter of soldiers from the transport vehicles.
When the convoy got within a few hundred meters, an alarm suddenly sounded from the front of the convoy.
Immediately, the convoy halted, and a large number of fully armed soldiers jumped out of the vehicles, gathering in front.
It was clear that these soldiers were well-trained.
In less than 20 seconds, they completed their combat preparations, and a blood-red formation appeared beneath their feet, created by a joint effort.
Feng Qi immediately recognized this formation.
It was one of the group combat formations recorded in the Blood Refinement Technique.
This showed that Star City's development was progressing well, and the Blood Refinement Technique was gradually becoming more widespread.
As he glanced over the faces of many young soldiers in the formation, Feng Qi felt a sense of pride.
At that moment, with a shout, hundreds of soldiers quickly drew their weapons and sprinted toward them.
Feng Qi instinctively glanced at the empty space behind them.
Turning back to look at the rapidly approaching soldiers, he was momentarily stunned.
He saw a middle-aged man at the forefront, his face lined with age. As he charged forward, he looked at the faintly glowing runic crystal in his hand, and his expression grew resolute. He shouted:
"Domain Transcendent Creatures, we must not let them escape, kill them!"
Realizing that he had been mistaken for something else, Feng Qi couldn't help but facepalm.
From the middle-aged man's actions, Feng Qi could tell that the crystal in his hand was used to identify Domain creatures. Clearly, he had mistaken him for a Domain Transcendent creature.
Just as Feng Qi was about to speak, Xiao You's voice came from beside him:
"Boss, the human general is coming to kill Xiao You."