A golden desert, boundless and vast.
Every grain of sand seemed plated with a brilliant golden sheen by the sun.
Chu He traversed this desert alone.
His figure flickered in and out of sight between the golden dunes, like a solitary traveler.
After crossing the desert, he came to the edge of the sea.
It was an endless expanse of azure, with tempestuous waves crashing against the shore's reefs, creating a deafening roar.
Chu He stood by the sea, letting the ocean breeze wash over his face, carrying away his fatigue and confusion.
Finally, Chu He ascended to a mountaintop.
Clouds and mist swirled around him, making it feel as if he were in a celestial paradise.
Standing on the peak, he looked down at the lush, vibrant forest below.
He took a deep breath. The air was filled with a crisp fragrance—the most ordinary, yet most precious, scent in the mortal world.
Just then,
a crisp notification chimed in his ear: "Ding! Mission to check in at a desert, an ocean, and a high mountain within one month completed. Congratulations, Host, you have received 100 years of cultivation."
As the voice faded, Chu He felt an unprecedented power surge within his body.
This power was immense and mysterious, as if it could destroy any obstacle.
This was the combat energy upon which Martial Artists relied for survival—Elemental Power.
Chu He gently raised his right hand and pressed down toward the ethereal mist coiling around the peak.
At his mental command, the mist instantly dispersed, revealing the mountain's true face.
'A strange excitement surged within him. I've finally touched a higher realm!'
"There are higher realms beyond the King Level.
Humanity's limit is not the King Level."
Chu He muttered to himself.
He felt his consciousness begin to separate from his body, spreading out in all directions.
Within the range of his awareness, the movement of every flower, every blade of grass, and every speck of dust appeared clearly in his mind.
He could even perceive the movements of others in slow motion.
But this slow motion wasn't because their movements had actually slowed down. Instead, his own reactions had become extraordinarily fast, placing the entire world within his grasp.
What astonished Chu He even more was that he had formed a wondrous connection with the entire mountain—its mist, its dust, every flower, leaf, and tree, and even the insects squirming in the soil.
With a single thought, he could command it all.
It was a sensation he had never experienced before.
'What realm should this be considered?'
Chu He was filled with doubt.
In the common knowledge of everyone on Blue Star, King-level was the highest realm for humanity, its ultimate limit.
Yet, Chu He had now clearly broken through this boundary and reached an entirely new realm.
He shook his head and decided to name this new realm the Emperor Realm.
Recalling how he had once given up the opportunity to advance himself in order to guard the Demon Cave within the Great Jing Empire, Chu He couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
But thankfully, he now had this heaven-defying system, giving him a chance to make up for past regrets.
He was also very satisfied with the system's user-friendly design. It only needed to be activated when he needed it and would automatically enter a dormant state otherwise.
Chu He slowly took out his phone. He slid his finger gently across the screen, wanting to capture the picturesque scenery before him and make it eternal.
Suddenly, a breaking news alert popped up on his phone screen.
The headline was stark: "Queen Ji Shengyue Dispatches the Time Girl Group to Suppress the Demon Cave!"
Chu He's brow furrowed slightly as he scanned the article, which provided detailed information on the twelve King-level women.
The mature beauty, the young innocent, the girl next door... every archetype was represented. All of them were peerless beauties with outstanding charisma.
The one labeled the "mature beauty" was clearly over thirty, yet she was still included in a "girl" group. Chu He couldn't help but find it a little amusing.
'But can these twelve King-level women really suppress the Evil Spirits in the Demon Cave?'
Chu He had spent a long time at the Demon Cave; he had long since gained a profound understanding of this world's truth.
Although human Martial Arts had developed rapidly after the Evil Spirit invasion, the Evil Spirits themselves were also gradually recovering.
They were suppressed within the Demon Cave, and though they couldn't move freely, they were constantly recuperating.
'I wonder what realm the Evil Spirits have recovered to by now.'
'But none of that has anything to do with me anymore.'
Chu He sneered, closed the news page, and aimed his phone at the beautiful scenery. CLICK. He saved this perfect moment forever in his photo album.
It wasn't just a memento of the view, but a commemoration of him reaching a new realm of human potential.
Just as he put his phone away and prepared to leave, several people suddenly surrounded him.
One of them, a man with thick arms, thrust his arm out and said belligerently, "Hand over your phone!"
Chu He raised an eyebrow and asked calmly, "Why?"
The man pointed to a nearby pavilion. Inside, a girl was crying softly, and next to her stood a young man dressed in expensive clothes.
That young man was frowning at Chu He, clearly displeased with his actions.
Chu He sneered to himself.
'These people obviously don't recognize me.'
His influence in the Great Jing Empire was considerable, but right now he was wearing a baseball cap, simple sportswear, a face mask, and dark sunglasses, keeping himself completely covered.
He did this to avoid being recognized, as his identity and status were far too conspicuous.
Facing the man's unreasonable demand, Chu He shook his head and said flatly, "I didn't take a picture of anything. I was just documenting my life."
With that, he moved to walk around them and leave.
After so many years at the Demon Cave, his heart had long since become as calm as a still lake.
The pain of his divorce, the fury of being backstabbed by the Empire,
the indignity of being cursed by the very people he protected—none of it could stir any ripples in his heart anymore.
"Did I say you could leave? Hand over the phone. Let's see what you took pictures of."
The man blocked his path.
"I told you, I didn't take a picture of you," Chu He said, his brow twitching.
"I said hand over the phone. Are you deaf?" The man glanced back at his young master, clearly out of patience, and reached out to snatch it.
Chu He sighed helplessly, extended his index finger, and swiped it lightly through the air.
The man's movements froze instantly.
His expression was still one of disdain and annoyance, but it was as if someone had hit the pause button on him.
Then, the faint scent of blood began to spread through the air.
"Go see what Mountain Leopard is doing. He's just standing there like a wooden plank."
The young man sitting in the pavilion fanned his face.
'It's just snatching some nobody's phone. I don't know what he's dilly-dallying for.'
His status in the local area was rather special, and his position was high. Certain matters absolutely could not be exposed to the public.
Just then,
the man's upper body slid off and fell heavily to the ground.