Chapter 123: Beyond the Land King

Lu Han looked at the Evil Wind Beast, which was struggling and roaring in his hands, with black lines of frustration etched across his forehead. He loosened his grip, and the beast seized the opportunity to coil itself around his arm.

"Evil Wind Beast, where are we? This is certainly not the Soul-Chaos Plains," Lu Han remarked.

"How would I know where we are? I spent so much time in the Small Cave Heaven of the Great Sage Mingwu that I couldn't even leave the Evil Wind Cave," the beast’s voice echoed in Lu Han’s mind.

Lu Han thought about it and realized that made sense.

"However, one thing is certain: we are definitely not far from the Soul-Chaos Plains," the Evil Wind Beast said with an air of profound mystery.

"Oh? How so?" Lu Han asked.

"The Throne of Mingwu used its final ounce of energy to teleport us out. It had stayed in the Small Cave Heaven all these years only to fulfill the dying wish of your master, the Great Sage Mingwu. Now that the wish is fulfilled, it has naturally gone to follow its master. Without the suppression of the Throne of Mingwu, the Small Cave Heaven no longer has the power to stifle cultivation realms," the beast explained.

After a brief pause, it continued, "The Throne of Mingwu possesses its own spirit; naturally, it wouldn't send us back into the heart of the Soul-Chaos Plains. Without the Throne to suppress the realms of those people there, we would have been unable to escape had we appeared in their midst. Thus, it had to send us outside the Small Cave Heaven. Since the Throne’s power was nearly exhausted, we shouldn't be too far from the Small Cave Heaven—or what you call the Soul-Chaos Plains."

Lu Han rubbed his nose, finally understanding the situation. Suddenly, a look of bewilderment appeared on his face as if he had discovered something strange.

"How... how did I step into the First Heaven of the Xiantian Realm?"

Lu Han circulated his "Heavenly Frost Cold Qi," realizing that his internal strength had been completely transformed into Xiantian Qi.

"What is going on?" he muttered to himself.

"Hmph, it’s all because of the Throne of Mingwu! It chose to help you in the end, but it didn't do anything for me. I, the great Evil Wind Beast, signed the Evergreen Contract with you and have to start all over again. You’d think it would have looked after me a bit!" The beast was clearly still fuming.

"So that’s how it is," Lu Han murmured.

"Tell me, Evil Wind Beast, what realm were you at during your peak?" Lu Han asked, feeling curious. He had heard from the Great Sage Mingwu that at its peak, the beast had held a place of prominence even within the vast Heaven Dome Continent.

"The great me... why should I tell you!" the beast retorted.

"Earth King Realm? Or perhaps True Emperor Realm?" Lu Han pressed.

The Evil Wind Beast went silent.

"I mean, you signed the Evergreen Contract with me and are supposed to serve me, yet I feel like I've brought home an ancestor," Lu Han grumbled.

"Hey! Is the great Evil Wind Beast really that weak?" the beast said with dissatisfaction.

"Could it be... the Heaven Venerable Realm?" Lu Han gasped in shock. Seeing the beast’s distinctly human-like look of smugness, the answer was self-evident. "You’re actually that strong!"

Having received the legacy of Mingwu, Lu Han now had a clear understanding of the cultivation realms. He had previously thought the Earth King Realm was the pinnacle, but he now realized it was far from the end.

According to the legacy, after the Earth King Realm comes the True Emperor Realm. A Ninth Heaven Earth King who comprehends the True Martial path achieves the status of an Emperor—a True Emperor. At this level, a single strike can sever a mountain range.

The True Emperor Realm also consists of nine heavens. Beyond the Ninth Heaven of the True Emperor lies the Heaven Venerable Realm. A True Emperor who perceives the True Soul and merges it with the heavens and earth becomes a Heaven Venerable. Such beings are titans; in the Heaven Dome Continent, a Heaven Venerable has the qualification to establish their own sect.

Upon reaching the peak of the Ninth Heaven, a Heaven Venerable can fuse soul and martial arts, open a Cave Heaven, and ascend to the status of a Saint. Even in the ancient era of countless powerhouses, Saints were few and far between.

The Ninth Heaven of the Saint realm is known as the Saint King—the monarch among saints. Beyond the Saint King is the Great Sage Realm, the level attained by the Great Sage Mingwu. Becoming a Great Sage is a one-in-a-billion occurrence; talent, opportunity, and destiny are all essential. The Great Sage Mingwu only reached this height because he was a Supreme Cold Beast by nature and possessed the "Mingwu Soul Canon," which highlighted the immense power of the Mingwu clan.

Beyond the Great Sage lies one final realm: the Great Emperor Realm—the very realm the Great Sage Mingwu spent his life desperately pursuing.

Lu Han took the Evil Wind Beast off his arm and held it in his palm, examining it closely. "I really can't see how you have anything to do with a Heaven Venerable beast."

"Lu Han, the great Evil Wind Beast challenges you to a duel! You're infuriating me!" the beast roared.

The beast felt like crying. Having signed the Evergreen Contract, it had to start from scratch, but there was no other choice; otherwise, it wouldn't have lasted much longer. Suddenly, a thought occurred to the beast, and it let out a sinister, cackling laugh that resonated in Lu Han’s mind: "With my ancient Xiangliu and Starry Evergreen Python bloodline, I will recover my former cultivation sooner or later. And when that day comes... hehehe..."

Lu Han shivered. "This damn snake!"

"Wait, where is that strange man?" Lu Han asked. He looked around but could not find the man who had helped him so much in the Evil Wind Cave. Lu Han remembered him being present in the gray space of the legacy as well, but now he was gone.

"Is he still inside?" Lu Han wondered aloud. He quickly dismissed the thought, remembering clearly that his master, the Great Sage Mingwu, had personally healed the man's soul.

"He has already left," the Evil Wind Beast said.

"How do you know?" Lu Han asked, puzzled.

"His scent is still here, and it hasn't been long since he left," the beast replied.

"Then he..."

"Don't worry. His soul wounds were healed by the Great Sage Mingwu, and the Throne of Mingwu sent him out just now. His strength is far greater than yours, so he naturally woke up earlier," the beast explained.

"Is that so?" Lu Han muttered. "I didn't expect him to leave without a word. Well, it makes sense—after a powerhouse like him recovers, why would he bother with a nobody like me?" Lu Han laughed at himself and shook his head. "I wonder how Master is doing now?"

Old Man Ling had received the legacy and had gone into seclusion.

"Sigh, Master is in seclusion, and now I'm all alone. No—I have a lazy, stubborn snake," Lu Han said to himself.

"Hey! Who are you calling a lazy, stubborn snake?" The beast bared its fangs, though at only a meter long, it looked somewhat comical.

"You can hear that too?" Lu Han exclaimed in surprise.

"Obviously! We signed the Evergreen Contract," the beast huffed, clearly displeased at the nickname.

"Wait, what is this?" Lu Han felt something in his robe. "This is... a martial arts scroll!" He pulled it out. "That’s not right. I already put everything Master gave me into my storage ring. Whose is this?"

"Don't guess; it's from that old man. It still has his scent on it," the Evil Wind Beast said.

"So it was him. It seems I misjudged him. Let's see what it is."

Lu Han sat cross-legged on the ground, holding the scroll in his hands, and sank his consciousness into it.