The world returned in pieces.
First came the wind.
Cool, fragrant, and impossibly clean, it brushed against their faces as the violent distortion of space collapsed around them.
Colors returned after. Brilliant waves of gold, violet, and crimson entered their sight; countless flowers, stretching endlessly across a vast rolling field.
Finally, gravity settled properly beneath their feet.
With a soft hum, the teleportation array's last strands of energy dissipated into the air.
Qin Shuyue blinked several times, her eyes struggling to adjust. "…What?"
Before them stretched a landscape so vast and beautiful that for a moment it seemed unreal.
The field of flowers spread in every direction like a living sea, the petals swaying gently under the breeze. Each step crushed soft clusters of blossoms beneath their boots, releasing sweet fragrances into the air.
Far beyond the fields, towering mountains pierced the sky.
Their peaks were capped with brilliant snow that glowed faintly beneath the sun. Yet those mountains were so tall, so absurdly massive, that their upper reaches practically disappeared into the thin, silver clouds.
And further still, on the distant horizon, something even more astonishing loomed.
A volcano. Not merely large, but enormous.
Its base alone stretched wider than entire mountain ranges, and its colossal slopes rose into the heavens like a sleeping titan.
Even though it was clearly inactive, it radiated an oppressive majesty, as though the world itself had grown a spine of fire and stone.
Shen Wuyou slowly turned in a circle. "I don't think we're in the same star system anymore."
Hei Shisan scoffed, "I don't even think we're in the same Realm anymore."
The teleportation platform they stood on now was small and ancient, its runes already fading back into dormancy. Moss and tiny flowers had begun reclaiming its edges long ago.
Lu Chen stepped off first, scanning the surrounding terrain with practiced eyes.
"Good," he muttered.
Cho Yanshi followed him, relief flashing across her face. "We made it."
Only then did she reach down and gently retrieve the small green sphere resting at the center of the formation.
Inside it, Jin Huang still slept.
His injuries had already begun knitting together slowly, though the bruises across his face remained vivid reminders of the battle he had endured.
Cho Yanshi carefully enlarged the sphere again, restoring Jin Huang to his normal size.
Hei Shisan immediately stepped forward. "I'll carry him."
Without waiting for permission, he lifted Jin Huang onto his back. "He's lighter than I expected," Hei Shisan said.
"That's because half his body weight is normally food," Shen Wuyou replied.
Qin Shuyue rolled her eyes, but the faint smile tugging at her lips betrayed her relief.
Only then did they notice the house standing several hundred paces away across the flower field.
A large structure of dark timber and stone, its architecture unlike anything the students had seen before.
The house rose two full stories high, its steeply sloped roof layered with wooden shingles that had weathered into deep silver-gray tones. Massive carved beams framed the structure, each etched with swirling knotwork patterns.
Tall windows glowed faintly with protective runes.
Two enormous wooden doors guarded the entrance, their surfaces carved with images of beasts, storms, and warriors locked in eternal battle.
Shen Wuyou stared. "Why does it look like some warrior king lives here?"
Lu Chen walked toward it casually. "Because one did."
Qin Shuyue looked on with interest as Shen Wuyou blinked and said, "Beg pardon?"
Lu Chen didn't elaborate.
The doors opened with a deep wooden groan as they entered. Inside, the house proved just as impressive.
A massive central hall stretched upward to the second floor, its ceiling supported by thick pillars carved with more ancient designs. Warm lantern light flickered along the walls, illuminating polished stone floors and heavy wooden furniture.
Long tables sat along one side of the hall as though meant for great feasts.
A stone hearth large enough to roast an entire beast dominated the far wall.
Shen Wuyou slowly turned in awe. "So, we escaped to a warrior king's vacation home..."
"Warlord," Cho Yanshi corrected before she gently gestured toward the staircase.
"Take Jin Huang upstairs to any of the rooms. They should all be prepared."
Hei Shisan nodded and climbed the steps carefully.
The upper floor was quaint. Several spacious rooms lined the corridor, each furnished with sturdy beds and thick blankets.
One room near the end held a large window overlooking the endless flower fields outside.
Hei Shisan stepped inside that room and gently placed Jin Huang onto the bed. For a moment, he simply stood there, looking down at him.
Despite everything- the arena battle, the escape, the revelations- Jin Huang's sleeping face looked strangely peaceful.
"Rest well, Number- no. Jin Huang." Hei Shisan muttered, fists tight.
Then he quietly left the room.
Downstairs, the others had gathered near the center hall.
Qin Shuyue had already pushed open one of the large windows, letting fresh wind sweep through the house.
"This place is beautiful," she said.
Shen Wuyou nodded. "I've never seen such a landscape before. I couldn't even begin to guess what planet this is."
Hei Shisan descended the stairs. "It's probably not even a planet."
"I'm impressed," Cho Yanshi remarked. "I didn't think any of the youngsters today knew about the Continents' existence."
Hei Shisan perked up, taking half a step toward her, "So we're on one of those Continents? Eternia? Thaloja?"
She shushed him, "More of that later."
Then she turned to Lu Chen and cocked her head to the side. "Let's check the perimeter."
He nodded, and they stepped outside together.
When they left, the other two came up to Hei Shisan.
"What was that about continents?" Qin Shuyue inquired.
"Yeah. I could have sworn I heard about them before." Shen Wuyou clutched his dice.
"You may have heard of continents before, I'm sure. But I'm not talking about the ones that you find on planets. Apparently- although I'm not sure how true this is for the other Realms- there are prehistoric continents floating around in the void."
"Those continents are far larger than planets and even whole galaxies, but they're extremely perilous and strictly policed. I heard that only Immortals can safely explore them."
"I also heard that Obsidian City is just a fragment of one of those continents- the oldest one of all."
"How many are there?" Shen Wuyou asked as he pulled up a chair at the nearby table.
"The two I named are the only two I've heard of. Both are in the Earthly Realm. Eternia and Thaloja." Hei Shisan walked over to the table and sat on the edge of it.
"Which of those did Obsidian City break off from," Qin Shuyue asked.
"Neither. The continent Obsidian City is from is so old, no one knows its name. Maybe only the Old Ones know, but they've never given a straight answer."
Shen Wuyou sighed, and Qin Shuyue took a seat as well.
"How do you know all this," she asked while she got comfortable.
"My father's actually an archaeologist who studies oddities all around the Earthly Realm. That, and because my mother teaches Ancient History at the University," He chuckled as he recalled the grueling lessons he had to endure.
Meanwhile, Cho Yanshi and Lu Chen were walking a wide circle around the house.
The wind rolled through the flowers in gentle waves, the distant volcano looming silently across the horizon.
Lu Chen studied the terrain carefully. "It should be fine for us to get started," he said.
Cho Yanshi nodded thoughtfully. "I'll handle it as soon as we get back inside."
She extended her senses outward. "For now, we'll need to set up several layers of concealment formations."
Lu Chen crossed his arms. "Those won't be enough."
"I know," She glanced toward the house. "But we have to try."
Lu Chen's expression hardened slightly. "The Supreme Immortal Body can't be hidden. Sooner or later, they'll come here as well."
Cho Yanshi heaved a sigh, nodding reluctantly.
"I'll focus on buying time for him instead of hiding him. At least that way he'll have a fighting chance before..."
She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.
Lu Chen exhaled slowly. "We know what we have to do. I just didn't think we'd ever have to do it. I thought, after everything, it wouldn't appear again."
The wind swept across the endless field once more.
Cho Yanshi looked up at the sky, exhaling melancholy.
"It seems King Yama was right."