Chapter Eighteen: The Arrival of the Primordial Realm

“What happened to you? Why are you in such a sorry state?”
In the darkness of the room, a figure sat cross-legged. Only his voice could be heard; his face was shrouded in shadow.
Elder Pine did not seem surprised. In fact, he was quite familiar with this person’s ways, so he simply seated himself on the floor.
He recounted everything that had occurred, leaving nothing out. When he spoke of Chu Han’s strength, his body involuntarily trembled.
Chu Han had truly frightened this elder. After all, to possess such terrifying power at merely twenty years of age was almost beyond belief. If he continued to grow, no one could predict what heights Chu Han might reach.
“Chu Han, is it? Ha! I have been in seclusion for many years, yet now such a figure has appeared. Let me go and meet him, see what gives him the confidence to be so arrogant.”
The figure in the darkness let out a hearty laugh before rising and stepping into the dim light. He wore a flaming-red cloak, his face still hidden, but his physique was undeniably powerful.
The overwhelming aura instantly cowed Elder Pine, who stared in disbelief at the man before him.
“Elder Blaze, have you already broken through?”
Elder Pine looked astonished; such an oppressive presence was far beyond the limits of the Body Refinement Realm.
“That’s right. I have transcended the mortal realm and entered the Wheel Sea. Leave this person to me.”
Elder Blaze nodded, then strode out.
Only after receiving this assurance did Elder Pine relax, a sinister smile curling on his lips. It seemed Chu Han would not live much longer.
To break through into the Wheel Sea Realm meant stepping beyond the bounds of mortality itself. Power would multiply without end, and compared to someone at the peak of Body Refinement, the difference was as great as that between earth and sky.
No matter how strong Chu Han was, he could never be a match for Elder Blaze, who had already reached the Wheel Sea Realm.
At this moment, Chu Han was completely unaware of the events unfolding in Yongquan Palace. Yet even if he had known, it would not have troubled him.
It had been two days since the incident with Elder Pine. In those two days, nothing remarkable had occurred, but the Bluefield Barracks had fallen into utter chaos, and many outsiders had arrived in Jingyuan City.
It appeared that the turmoil in the Bluefield Barracks had tempted many to come and seek a share of the spoils.

That night, Chu Han sat on his bed, eyes tightly shut, lightning coiling around his body as it slowly tempered his flesh.
His strength had already reached ninety-nine thousand nine hundred jin—just a step away from the fabled hundred thousand. Yet whether he could take that step remained an open question.
In his previous life, he had relied on elixirs to break through the mortal limit. In this life, he yearned to rely solely on his own power. But how could such a thing be simple?
Countless arcs of lightning, like tiny blue serpents, slithered across his body. After so much tempering, he had gradually grown accustomed to the pain, his expression unchanging.
His body had reached its optimal state—now was the perfect moment to attempt a breakthrough.
He let out a resounding shout, drawing all the lightning energy into himself. The lightning surged through his meridians, causing a twitch at the corner of his mouth from the pain.
Yet he forcibly suppressed the agony, slowly absorbing the energy. In his mind, the system’s progress bar remained fixed at nine percent.
He continued to circulate the Thunder Emperor’s Law, absorbing more lightning, intent on breaking through in one go.
All the lightning gathered in his dantian, and with a muffled boom, the energy vanished. Chu Han let out a long breath.
He had hoped to use this peak state to break the hundred-thousand-jin barrier. But things did not go as planned. When the lightning energy was spent, though his strength had increased slightly, the threshold remained unbroken.
“As expected, breaking through one hundred thousand jin on my own is incredibly difficult. But no matter what, I must achieve it—only then can I reclaim the power to avenge myself.”
His eyes were bloodshot, as if the tragic memories of his past life played before him once more. Hatred consumed his mind, and the mere recollection of those events made his whole body tremble with rage.
He stood and swung his fist. His progress was painfully slow; after all, he was at the edge of human limits, and surpassing them was no easy feat.
Just as he prepared to continue cultivating, there was a sudden thunderous crash in the sky. A divine light of seven colors cascaded through his window, dazzling and beautiful.
Stunned by the sight, Chu Han was overjoyed. He rushed outside, and as he had suspected, a massive multicolored sphere of light was descending slowly from the sky.
The Primal World had arrived as foretold. The miraculous phenomenon threw all of Jingyuan City into uproar. Every great force understood that this was no ordinary thing and began organizing expeditions to investigate.
“Han’er, what’s happening? What is that thing?”
Tang Hao and the others had also been awakened by the arrival of the Primal World. Seeing the spectacle, they were astonished—for ordinary people had never witnessed such wonders.

“Father, the Primal World has descended. Please stay at home for now. In the coming days, all the major powers will be scrambling to explore its mysteries and will have no time to trouble our Tang family. This is the perfect opportunity for us to rest and recover. There’s no need to send anyone; I’ll go and see for myself.”
Chu Han turned to Tang Hao and, after some thought, gave him a few instructions. He did not explain what the Primal World was—he knew that even if he did, Tang Hao might not understand.
It was enough to tell him what needed to be done; the rest could be left to him. After all, everything Chu Han did was for the sake of the Tang family.
The descent of the Primal World meant that he would soon leave this place. What the Tang family needed most now was to recuperate and steadily strengthen their position, so that even after his departure, they could continue to stand firm in Jingyuan City.
With all the great powers vying to investigate the Primal World, none would spare attention for the Tang family—not even Yongquan Palace.
Hearing Chu Han’s words, Tang Hao nodded. Having lived through so much, he had long since realized that Chu Han had changed—he was now fully capable, with immense strength.
Though he was curious about his son’s sudden transformation, he did not ask. He could see that everything Chu Han did was for the family’s sake.
Seeing Tang Hao agree, Chu Han nodded and quietly made his way toward the sphere of light.
The sphere descended, settling atop a small mountain just outside Jingyuan City, where it hovered motionless.
After leaving the city, Chu Han concealed himself in the darkness, swiftly making his way toward the Primal World.
He noticed that all the great factions had sent men to investigate. He did his best to avoid them, climbing the mountain alone.
But as he drew near the Primal World, the system in his mind suddenly flickered—from nine percent to ten percent.
His eyelids twitched. To test his theory, he crept even closer to the Primal World.
By now, dawn was breaking. The mountain was still some distance from Jingyuan City, and it had taken him over an hour to reach it. Around him, the forces of the various factions began to reveal themselves.