In a vast desert, an enormous, radiant golden gate floated in the air beneath the scorching sun. Its sheer size was so overwhelming that even elephants would seem like tiny, insignificant ants before it.
Despite all its majesty, there was not a single living soul in the surroundings, not even a blade of grass. For that reason, the gate, with its ancient, imposing, and archaic aura, also carried an air of desolation and loneliness.
But in truth, there was someone there, hidden in the void, watching over the gate to ensure that no one approached it and also preventing it from opening and pulling people from various points of the desert.
That was old Bao Wuji, with his bright brown eyes almost golden, an ancestor of the Infinite Dao Sect and also the reason why Tian Zhu, the sect leader, had dared to promise the people of the City of Exiles that no one else would be drawn or forcibly dragged into the unknown without return under his supervision.
Thus, the gate had remained closed since the ancestor's arrival, appearing as nothing more than a gigantic, empty door standing in the middle of the desert without any apparent purpose.
However, on that specific day, it was different.
The gate suddenly moved with a frightening roar caused by the violent displacement of air. At its center, a comparatively small rift opened—yet it was large enough for an entire house to pass through.
Then, with a flash of light, four people were safely deposited onto the sand below it, and the gate closed completely once more with a deafening boom, returning to its motionless state, floating a few feet above the desert.
The four who emerged seemed somewhat disoriented by the abrupt change of environment, but quickly regained their composure when they saw old Bao Wuji appear before them.
"Ancestor Bao!"
They promptly bowed with respect and greeted him.
The four were, without a doubt, Aotian, Rihai, Cang Song, and Hui Lang, who had just returned from their adventures in the mansion.
"Good children, rise." Old Bao smiled warmly and raised his hand, creating a gentle gust of wind that helped them to their feet. "Little Aotian already sent the information about your adventures. You all did well."
His voice was filled with sincere praise.
Upon hearing those words, three of them felt a little embarrassed, believing they hadn't done much. At most, they had performed well in the trial and obtained some additional techniques, which they could exchange for a good amount of contribution points in the sect.
Aotian smiled faintly, not thinking they had done poorly. The only problem was the lack of time to grow; the mission had been far too demanding for their current realm. Even so, they had remained steadfast and performed very well.
After a brief conversation, Bao Wuji informed them about the sect's new temporary base, leaving the group stunned, and then prepared to send them there.
With a simple wave of his hand through the air, he tore open a rift in the void with ease, fascinating the group, who stared slightly dumbfounded at the passage and at the other side, filled with lush green grass, completely different from the desert they were standing in.
"Thank you, Ancestor!" Aotian thanked him respectfully, bowing with clasped fists as he prepared to enter.
Rihai, Cang Song, and Hui Lang snapped out of their slight stupor upon catching a glimpse of the new sect erected amid the desert and quickly turned as well to thank the ancestor.
"It was no effort at all." The old man smiled, stroking his beard, and gestured for them to proceed.
Without further hesitation, the four stepped through the portal and, with Bao Wuji's energy protecting them, crossed the short stretch of void without issue.
In one instant they were in the desert; in the next, they were stepping onto a verdant mountain.
Aotian took a deep breath of the fresh air infused with the scent of grass and then turned toward the portal, only to see Bao Wuji smiling and waving calmly from the other side as the rift closed.
Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, he could finally stop pretending alongside his avatar. Regaining his composure, he turned his gaze toward the sect.
At the moment, only about 60% of the main mountain had been restored, while the rest still remained in a precarious and desolate state.
However, the restored portion was already beginning to acquire an immortal atmosphere. Clouds of spiritual energy drifted about, lush trees rose high, spiritual beasts flew peacefully, elegant pavilions stood out among beautiful waterfalls, and countless disciples crossed the skies busy with their tasks.
Its beauty would only intensify over time as the sect developed in that place.
Unfortunately, the entire mountain range was immense, and Aotian estimated that he would need a few months to restore it completely without harming the sect's normal development. After all, the required manpower was vast, and the elders had other responsibilities; they could not spend all their time and daily abilities solely on reconstruction.
Moreover, at the moment he did not need such an extensive mountain, since the number of disciples was still small, barely occupying the main peak. There was, therefore, no urgency.
For that reason, his provisional plan was to restore the main mountain and the mountain where he had settled the former residents of the City of Exiles as quickly as possible. After that, he could calmly proceed with the others.
Glancing at his companions and seeing them admiring the sect under construction, Aotian decided to attend to his own matters.
"Senior Brother Hui, Senior Brother Cang, I need to go handle some tasks and preparations to return to the mansion later. For now, there shouldn't be much to do in there, and you can choose whether you intend to leave or go back to continue exploring."
"If you decide to return, just inform your respective masters and they will send you back to the Mahayana mansion."
He explained seriously to the two of them, who exchanged glances and then nodded with equally serious expressions.
Hui Lang looked thoughtful, pondering whether he should return. As for Cang Song, with his eyes darting from side to side… knowing him, he was probably eager to find his new cave dwelling in the sect, set up five hundred formations, and hide inside for a good while.
Smiling at both of them, Aotian took his wife's hand. She nodded to him, and the two of them flew off.
"Was it a good adventure?" Aotian turned to her and asked as they headed toward the mountain peak where the sect's main hall was located.
"Well… it wasn't bad." Rihai smiled at him, her beautiful blue eyes shining as she squeezed his hand more affectionately.
"I personally would have preferred a yes, but an 'it wasn't bad' will do too," he teased, rolling his eyes at her.
Rihai felt a little embarrassed hearing him say that.
"Ugh! That's not what I meant. It's just that… that it lacked that thing about being between life and death and finding treasures, you know? Essential adventure stuff," she explained awkwardly and helplessly.
That wasn't something she said lightly.
Before meeting Aotian, she had lived through many adventures like that. But since meeting him, aside from the time they were surrounded in Blue Cloud City, she had basically entered an early retirement life, simply enjoying things without hardships.
Aotian's mouth twitched when he heard that.
"Aren't you looking down on our adventure too much? That Young Master Chun was actually a bit dangerous, okay?! And the treasure we obtained was a share of the Mahayana Mansion's Authority—a treasure so precious and rare!" he protested somewhat awkwardly.
"Pfff!"
Rihai couldn't hold back and laughed in amusement at her husband's bitter expression, gently consoling him.
"Okay, don't be like that! I actually enjoyed the adventure. We tricked a powerful City Lord, got incredibly lucky by being misunderstood, and even ended up in a trial ground that emerges only once a century."
"After that, even though I didn't participate much, it was still exciting to watch. You made someone faint from anger, provoked a powerful living dragon, and fought to the death with someone who had a Sacred Physique and a realm far above yours…"
She counted on her fingers while Aotian smiled faintly.
Earlier, he had only been joking. He wasn't truly discouraged and understood that, with him leading and using his many abilities, it was easy to avoid dangers and reap the benefits, which somewhat reduced the flavor of adventure. Still, it was nice to be comforted by his wife, so he had simply teased her.
While the couple chatted happily and exchanged jokes, inside Rihai's necklace old Liu remained deep in thought, looking back in the direction they had come from.
'That man… his realm has already reached Tribulation Transcendence. That's impossible in such a short time, so there's no more doubt. They really came from the immortal plane, sealed their own cultivations, and are gradually releasing them.'
'What remains to understand is… why did they do this? And what happened to the immortal world?'
Under old Liu's serious doubts, the journey continued.
…
Aotian and Rihai quickly reached the mountain peak, where they met the sect leader and gave their reports.
Afterward, they received a new cave mansion as their residence and many contribution points.
After Aotian handed over the storage ring containing the herbs he had requested from the Dragon King to the sect leader, the couple departed.
His main body would only return to the Mahayana mansion once things on this side were properly prepared to seize all the Authority of that small world in one go.
As for the core disciples still there, he would let them continue their adventures until his return. Even so, he would occasionally check the danger level via the sect missions and rush to their aid if they were in trouble.
With the departure of the main body and Rihai, Aotian controlled Tian Zhu to tear open the void and step through it.
When he emerged on the other side of the void, he was inside a large private cave, where two middle-aged men were already waiting for him.
One was an inner elder in purple robes with red hair and a serious, irritable face.
The other was peculiar. Though he was only an outer elder, wearing red robes and having black hair, his eyes were golden and slit like a lizard's. On his forehead, two small protrusions jutted, as if a pair of horns might sprout at any moment.
"Sect Leader!"
The two men bowed respectfully.
"Hmm." Tian Zhu nodded and tossed the ring with the herbs to the inner elder. "Dan Hong, it's time for Snake to become a complete dragon."
Elder Dan, Cang Song's master, caught the ring effortlessly and examined the ingredients inside, confirming that all of them were present.
"Leave it to me," he replied simply, sat down cross-legged, and took out a four-legged pill cauldron, which landed heavily on the ground, cracking and sinking into it, showing that it carried a terrifying weight.
At the side, Elder Snake wore a wide smile on his face.
That smile was sincere, reflecting Aotian's true excitement.
He could finally proceed with the evolution path of his only beast avatar.
Option 1:
[Bloodline: Flood Dragon
Qualifications: Peak Seventh-Level Beast]
[Requirements:
Required Cultivation: Peak Fifth-Level Beast
Pill: Void-Tier Bloodline Purification Pill — Recipe: …]