In the northern part of the Eternal Starfall Continent, a remote frontier region bordering the Lingyuan Empire.
This was a barren and desolate wasteland. As far as the eye could see, there stretched only crimson sand, with scarcely a trace of vegetation or life. The world here was so silent it seemed eternally unchanging.
Suddenly, the void rippled like water, and two figures stepped out from a tear in space.
One was a handsome young man with cascading black hair and flowing robes. His aura was profound and unfathomable. Beside him stood a rather striking woman—taller than the youth by half a head, with long emerald-green hair that fell like jade willows, and eyes of the same vivid green, clear yet coldly detached.
The woman surveyed their surroundings and said calmly, "Though the spiritual energy here is thin, the place is secluded and undisturbed. It is perfect for setting up the array."
The young man nodded slightly. His divine sense swept across the vast desert for thousands of miles, confirming there was no one around, before he gave a soft "hm" of acknowledgment.
The two then flew forward several hundred li and landed on a high crimson dune.
The young man was named Zhou Qing; the woman was called Hei Lan.
Zhou Qing sat cross-legged in midair, his hands forming seals as intricate incantations danced between his fingers. Profound array patterns bloomed from his fingertips like flowing starlight, faintly resonating with the surrounding space. In the blink of an eye, a magnificent grand formation appeared above the endless red sands. Its radiant light pierced the heavens, carrying an aura that seemed capable of suppressing the universe itself.
Hei Lan stood outside the formation, arms folded across her chest, watching indifferently.
Suddenly, Zhou Qing's movements paused. His brows furrowed slightly as he stopped the incantations.
"My energy is insufficient…" he murmured, turning his gaze toward Hei Lan. "It seems I'll have to transcend this tribulation first."
At those words, a trace of worry finally appeared on Hei Lan's usually impassive and beautiful face. "Are you sure you're all right? This tribulation is unlike the Chaos Tribulation—its power…"
Zhou Qing laughed lightly and waved a hand. "It'll be fine… probably."
After a brief pause, he continued, "I intend to use the insights from the Heavenly Dao to reverse-engineer a few things. The timing of this tribulation is perfect. Retreat farther away and stand guard for me. I have a feeling this one won't be so simple."
Though uneasy, Hei Lan knew his mind was made up. She nodded, and with a flicker of her figure, instantly teleported to a crimson dune several hundred kilometers away, watching from afar.
Zhou Qing remained alone, hovering cross-legged in the air. He closed his eyes, gathered his focus, and drew his aura inward like a deep abyss.
Moments later—
Boom!
With Zhou Qing at the center, the void within a radius of ten thousand li began to tremble violently. Invisible shockwaves spread like ripples. The crimson earth cracked inch by inch, and from the depths of those fissures, chaotic streams of pitch-black void faintly emerged.
Above the vault of heaven, dark clouds surged and gathered—not the blood-red hue of chaotic tribulation clouds, but a black so pure and absolute it seemed capable of devouring all light and color.
At first, the tribulation cloud spanned only a few hundred li, but in an instant it expanded wildly, blotting out the sky and swallowing the entire wasteland. It then spread across the whole northern territory, the entire Eternal Starfall Continent… and finally, it engulfed the whole world!
In that moment, the heavens and earth plunged into utter darkness. Sun and moon vanished; stars were extinguished.
Countless living beings looked up in terror. The firmament hung like an inverted sea of ink; all sound ceased, leaving only the faint aura of destruction emanating from the depths of the tribulation cloud.
Even Hei Lan, watching from hundreds of kilometers away, felt a light sheen of fragrant sweat on her skin despite her usual composure. Her emerald eyes remained fixed on the center of that black cloud.
"The Void Heavenly Tribulation… truly this terrifying!"
She sighed inwardly, her tightly clenched fists trembling slightly.
Even more heart-stopping was the thunderous roar emanating from the depths of that ink-black tribulation cloud.
At first, it was merely a low, muffled rumble, but gradually it built into the simultaneous roar of ten thousand drums. The sound waves layered upon one another, growing ever more frenzied and violent. The deafening boom swept across the world; any cultivator below a certain level of power instantly bled from both ears, their souls trembling violently on the verge of collapse.
Yet this was not the most terrifying part.
Within the tribulation cloud, bolts of lightning were gestating—lightning of a color even deeper and blacker than the cloud itself! The cloud layer had already devoured all light, black as eternal void, yet those lightning bolts were black in a purer, more absolute sense, as if they could swallow the very concept of "blackness." Though the world was plunged into utter darkness, people could still clearly see seventy-three pitch-black lightning bolts hanging high in the sky, like seventy-three world-destroying blades quietly gathering directly above Zhou Qing's head.
The first black lightning bolt descended.
Its speed defied all common understanding; almost the instant it formed, it had already struck Zhou Qing's physical body!
"Roar——!"
Zhou Qing threw his head back and let out an agonized howl of extreme pain. The sound wave materialized into tangible blades that shot out in all directions. The land within a thousand li instantly collapsed and disintegrated; crimson sand evaporated into nothingness, space shattered into countless mirror-like fragments, revealing the turbulent void currents rushing behind them.
Even Hei Lan, who was hundreds of kilometers away and had fully activated her protective abilities, was still blasted tens of thousands of li backward by the shockwave. She coughed up emerald-green blood and suffered near-fatal injuries.
One must remember: Hei Lan's cultivation was already at the absolute pinnacle of cultivators in this world!
The remaining seventy-two black lightning bolts followed one after another, each more ferocious, more powerful, and more merciless than the last!
A full hour passed before the ink-black tribulation cloud that had enveloped the heavens finally began to slowly dissipate.
Long-absent light returned to the world.
But the northern region of the Eternal Starfall Continent was now a scene of utter devastation, too tragic to behold. Space resembled a mirror smashed by a giant hammer—cracks spread everywhere. Though the laws of heaven and earth were slowly repairing them, it would take countless years to complete.
From the depths of the void, a naked figure slowly emerged.
It was Zhou Qing!
He looked down at his newly reborn body, gently clenched his fist, and between his knuckles faint void fluctuations flickered into existence before vanishing once more.
"The Illusory Void Realm… is it?"
He murmured to himself. This was the name of the new realm he had comprehended from the Heavenly Dao's insights during the tribulation.
Yet a faint sense of unease rose in his heart.
While he was still puzzled, the void around him suddenly trembled. Pitch-black chains materialized out of nowhere, instantly wrapping around his entire body before rapidly vanishing again.
This was no enemy attack—it was imposed by the Heavenly Dao itself!
Zhou Qing immediately understood: his current true power was already beyond what this world could accommodate. If he unleashed it fully, the entire world would disintegrate into ash in an instant.
He could only shrug helplessly and seal his strength down to the absolute peak of the Nirvana Realm, barely aligning it with the world's laws.
His gaze swept outward and immediately detected Hei Lan's faint aura—she had fallen into a coma.
For the first time, a trace of worry appeared between Zhou Qing's brows. With a flicker of his figure, he stepped forward once and instantly appeared beside her.
He gently tapped with a finger. A strand of emerald-green light bloomed from his fingertip, transforming into a soft cocoon of light that enveloped Hei Lan's entire body.
Wherever the divine light passed, broken bones reconnected, shattered meridians rapidly healed, and depleted vital blood refilled with vigor.
In just a few moments, Hei Lan's eyelashes trembled lightly. She slowly opened those emerald eyes of hers once more.
"Lan'er, are you all right?"
Zhou Qing leaned down and asked softly, his voice carrying a rare trace of tenderness.
Hei Lan had only just awakened from her coma; her mind was still somewhat muddled. She was about to speak words of reassurance when, in the instant she looked up—
"Ah—!"
Her beautiful face flushed crimson in a flash, like a fully ripened peach. Even her earlobes turned scarlet as she abruptly turned her head away, no longer daring to look.
"Hm?"
Zhou Qing was momentarily stunned. Then realization dawned. He glanced down at his own naked body and couldn't help but chuckle.
During the tribulation, his robes had long since been reduced to ashes by the black lightning; he hadn't even noticed.
"Lan'er, so you're this easily embarrassed!"
He teased her lightly. With a thought, a set of azure robes materialized out of thin air, instantly draping over his body. His sleeves fluttered as he regained his former handsome and elegant appearance.
Yet Hei Lan still kept her back to him, even raising a hand to cover her eyes. A faint blush could be seen peeking through the gaps between her fingers.
Zhou Qing called her name several times, but she did not respond.
In the end, he could only sigh helplessly. "Ha..."
He stepped forward, gently grasped her wrist, and moved aside those jade-like hands that shielded her face, revealing her emerald eyes now misty with emotion.
The two said nothing more. With a flicker of their figures, they returned to the site of the earlier tribulation.
The spatial laws here were still in utter chaos—cracks spread like a spiderweb. Yet to them, it was as if they walked on flat ground.
Along the way, Hei Lan finally regained her composure and began asking Zhou Qing for details about his breakthrough.
He answered one by one. When he mentioned the Heavenly Dao's forced seal on his power, Hei Lan's willow-like brows furrowed slightly.
"So anyone who breaks through to the Illusory Void Realm will be subject to this restriction?"
Zhou Qing smiled lightly and countered with a question: "Do you sense anything?"
Hei Lan was taken aback, not understanding his meaning.
Only then did Zhou Qing explain slowly: "It seems that only I can perceive the changes in this world's Heavenly Dao laws. The entire world is quietly undergoing an ascension. In five years at most, it will be fully complete. By then, cultivators in the Illusory Void Realm will no longer be bound by these power restrictions."
Hei Lan nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, then asked, "Then your plan... can it be completed within five years?"
Zhou Qing replied with full confidence: "Don't worry. Four years at most will be more than enough."
With that, he once again sat cross-legged in the void, his hands forming seals as incantations danced between his fingers.
This time, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged toward him far more abundantly than before.
In mere moments, a magnificent grand formation took shape. Purple light soared into the heavens, transforming into a semi-transparent purple barrier that completely enveloped the entire northern wasteland.
Zhou Qing nodded in satisfaction, stepped out of the barrier, and raised his hand. His fingers came together like a sword as a faint, almost imperceptible strand of sword qi condensed at his fingertip.
"Lan'er, steady your mind for a moment."
Before his words had fully faded, he flicked his finger.
Swish!
The strand of sword qi shot forth like a dragon emerging from the sea, streaking across a million li in an instant.
The entire northern wasteland—a vast expanse spanning a hundred thousand kilometers—was forcibly severed from the main body of the Eternal Starfall Continent!
A bottomless, pitch-black chasm now stretched along the continent's edge, with chaotic void currents roaring at its depths.
Hei Lan's beautiful eyes widened in shock. She drew in a sharp breath, filled with awe.
Zhou Qing withdrew his fingers and said calmly, "Now, we can finally act without restraint."
He turned to face Hei Lan, his expression growing serious: "It's time."
At those words, crystalline tears instantly welled up in the corners of Hei Lan's eyes. She gazed at him helplessly.
Zhou Qing stepped forward, reached out with a finger, and gently wiped away the tears on her cheek.
"Don't cry. Our separation won't be forever. I'll come find you... very soon."
Hei Lan forced a bitter smile and nodded lightly.
Zhou Qing asked once more: "Do you know what you must do?"
"Mm."
She answered softly.
Just before parting, Zhou Qing suddenly raised a finger and touched it to the center of her brow.
A strand of brilliant divine light sank into her sea of consciousness.
"This contains everything I gained from comprehending the Heavenly Dao. If one day you wish to break through to the Illusory Void Realm before me, this will lend you a hand."
Hei Lan shook her head and whispered, "I'll wait for you."
Zhou Qing clicked his tongue twice and laughed. "Who knows—maybe one day I'll need you to stand guard for me. The stronger you are, the better."
At that, Hei Lan turned to leave.
But in the next instant, her wrist was seized by a warm, powerful grip. Her entire body was abruptly pulled into a familiar embrace.
Zhou Qing cradled the back of her neck with one hand and lifted her chin with the other. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against her soft ones.
"Wu..."
Hei Lan's body stiffened at first. Then her eyelashes trembled lightly as she slowly closed her eyes, allowing the warm kiss to deepen.
Only after a long while did the two finally separate.
Hei Lan's face was flushed red all the way to her neck; even her breathing had fallen into disarray.
Zhou Qing looked at her like this and shook his head with a smile.
Hei Lan glared at him in embarrassed annoyance, then flickered into a streak of emerald light and vanished into the distant horizon in an instant.
Zhou Qing watched her depart, a smile lingering on his lips. He did not try to stop her.
He turned and passed through the purple barrier, once again sitting cross-legged in the void.
With a thought, several small auxiliary formations condensed into a few ancient scroll-like objects that emitted a faint glow.
With a sweep of his sleeve, those scroll-like formations instantly vanished into the void, disappearing without a trace.
Having finished all this, Zhou Qing stood up and gazed in the direction Hei Lan had left. A flash of tenderness passed through his eyes.
In the next moment—
BOOM!!!!!
A heaven-shaking explosion shattered the entire continent!
Yet all the destructive force was firmly contained within the purple barrier.
Zhou Qing... had self-detonated!
Terrifying energy raged wildly inside the barrier, tearing apart the already fragmented space and even affecting the starry expanse beyond the domain. Stars within billions of li were simultaneously annihilated.
High in the heavens, the void was ripped open into a massive fissure.
A stream of silvery liquid poured out from the crack, condensing in midair into a dazzling silver waterfall that cascaded majestically toward the newly born isolated island-continent.
At the same time, an extremely dense extreme-yin mist rose from the earth, completely enveloping the entire island.
The mist spread outward, instantly freezing everything within ten thousand li into solid ice. Even the crimson sands outside the barrier were covered in thick frost.
One could see just how fearsome the yin energy within was!
From afar, Hei Lan had returned without a sound, silently standing in the void.
This time, there were no tears in her eyes—only boundless determination.
She gazed deeply once more at the newborn land now shrouded in mist and silver cascade, then turned into light and vanished completely into the horizon.