Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Silver Light
The thunderous roar of the waterfall was deafening, a relentless curtain of white noise that made the very air vibrate.
Haoran and Xueli stood at the edge of the basin, the spray of the water drenching their clothes in seconds.
From this close, the sheer volume of water falling from a thousand meters was terrifying; it was a wall of liquid kinetic force.
"I believe this is it." Said Haoran.
"Yeah, that thing could crush even a Foundation Establishment realm expert..." Xueli whispered, her voice barely audible over the crashing torrent as she looked at the cascading weight with genuine trepidation. "No, perhaps even a Core Formation expert won't be safe. Haoran, should we ask Miss Qing'er for help?"
Haoran didn't even glance at her, his golden eyes fixed on the center of the fall. "No need to trouble her for something so simple."
Suddenly, the atmosphere around Haoran changed as his golden Qi flared up, swirling around him like a solar flare before converging with violent intensity into his right palm.
The full, unbridled might of a Golden Core expert exploded from his frame, causing the ground beneath them to crack and groan.
He stepped forward and slammed his palm toward the roaring water.
"Wave Splitting Palm!"
A massive, glowing phantom of a golden palm materialized in the air, several meters wide.
It struck the waterfall with the force of a falling star, and much to Xueli's absolute shock, the thousand-meter-high curtain of water didn't just splash; it was torn apart, and even the clouds in the sky was completely split open!
The golden Qi acted like a divine wedge, forcing the water to flow to either side, exposing the dark, mossy mouth of a hidden cave.
Xueli marveled at the sheer destructive elegance of the move.
Golden Core? she thought, her mind reeling. Are you sure this is just the Golden Core stage?! This power is already as dense as a Nascent Soul's, isn't it?!
It was just now that she realized that Haoran's "Golden Core" was worlds apart from the Golden Cores she had heard described in the Eastern Region.
Before she could offer a word of praise, Haoran's hand shot out, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into a blur of motion.
They shot through the gap in the water, their feet hitting the damp stone of the cave just as the golden palm dissipated.
Behind them, the waterfall came crashing back down with a sound like a mountain collapsing, sealing them in darkness.
Xueli leaned over, clutching her knees and gasping for air.
"That... that was too close." She looked back at the watery veil before turning her gaze to the cave. "So, this is the place, huh...wow, this is very—"
She paused, looking at the damp, stalactite-encrusted walls and the smell of wet earth and she couldn't help but let out a small groan of disappointment. "I wanted to say something poetic to mark the occasion, but this looks just like an ordinary, lame cave."
Haoran snorted in genuine amusement, the sound echoing off the jagged walls before he reached out and grabbed her hand, his fingers interlocking with hers.
"Let's go. Don't judge a book by its cover."
"Oh." Xueli nodded, her face warming slightly at the contact as she let Haoran lead her deeper into the mountain.
As they walked, the cave continued to live up to Xueli's "lame" description—it was narrow, damp, and seemingly endless.
Seriously, whoever left behind the inheritance behind this couldn't bother even decorating it?
Even placing an ever burning torch would be enough!
However, as they reached the final bend, the tunnel opened up into a massive, circular chamber.
In the center stood a pair of gargantuan, moss-covered stone gates, and unlike the rest of the cave, these were etched with intricate, flowing runes that glowed with a dim, haunting silver light.
"So this is it?" Xueli asked, her voice hushed with sudden reverence. "...gosh, even the inheritance site itself is underwhelming."
Haoran nodded, his expression turning sharp as he walked toward the gates and reached out, his hand touching the cold, ancient stone.
But the instant his palm made contact, the silence of the cave was obliterated as t gates erupted.
A blinding, supernova-like burst of silver light flooded the chamber, a light so intense that Xueli had to shield her eyes.
The entire mountain range began to tremble, rocks falling from the ceiling and the ground buckling in a violent quake.
Haoran's brow furrowed in a deep frown.
This was wrong. According to the memories he had extracted from Chu Fang, when Tang Shan found this gate, it had opened silently with a drop of blood.
This sudden, violent outburst contained the unmistakable aura of Supreme Qi—a signature so loud and piercing that it was effectively a beacon to every high-level expert in the region.
It was as if the tomb itself was screaming to the world that an intruder was here.
This didn't happen in the other timeline! Haoran realized. Could it be the Heavenly Dao? Is it trying to expose me because I'm an anomaly interfering with its favorite son's destiny?
The cave ceiling groaned, and a massive slab of stone plummeted toward them.
"Haoran!" Xueli screamed in terror.
But Haoran didn't flinch.
Just then, his shadow beneath him flickered and expanded with impossible speed, and within a heartbeat, a dome of absolute, impenetrable darkness rose from the ground, enveloping the two of them just as the mountain above gave way.
The sound of thousands of tons of rock crashing onto the dome was like the roar of a dying god, but inside the shadow dome, everything was deathly still.
*
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*
In the heart of the Central Region, within the sprawling, celestial expanse of the Imperial Capital, sat the ancestral estate of the Shen Clan.
Here, the laws of the world seemed to bow to the sheer density of Spiritual Qi, and the very air hummed with the resonance of ancient, living power.
Chu Xueyu, the Matriarch of the Shen Clan and the mother of Shen Haoran, sat atop a throne carved from a single piece of Immortal Jade.
She had been immersed in the deep, silent rhythms of her cultivation, her presence alone stabilizing the space of the entire hall, when her eyes suddenly snapped open.
Her golden pupils—the same shade as her son's, but hardened by centuries of absolute authority—seemed to pierce through the very concept of distance and the fabric of the void.
Her gaze bypassed mountains, oceans, and the boundaries of provinces until it rested upon a desolate corner of the Eastern Region.
There, she saw Haoran standing amidst the rubble of a collapsing cave, a girl she didn't recognize clinging to his side, and the familiar, dark aura of Qing'er acting as a protective dome around them.
She shifted her gaze slightly, focusing on the source of the violent tremors: the silver Supreme Qi that was currently screaming its presence to the heavens.
Chu Xueyu let out a cold, sharp snort of pure disdain that caused the air in her throne room to crystalize into frost.
"An inheritance of a Supreme Emperor in that stagnant backyard?" she murmured, her voice like grinding gems. "Surprising, perhaps. But in the grand schemes of things, it is nothing more than a flickering candle. A Supreme of that level wouldn't even make a splash in this place."
She turned her gaze back to her son, her expression remained icy, but a glimmer of motherly love flickered in her eyes.
"Haoran, even a Supreme Emperor is still a Supreme, no matter how weak or pathetic their legacy may be. But this... this trash," she said, referring to the silver light, "it is not worthy of you. Could it be you are seeking it for that girl?"
She watched the way Haoran protected the stranger, then shook her head, pulling her divine sense back across the thousands of miles.
To a Matriarch of a Hegemon Clan, a Supreme Legacy from the "Desolate Region" was like finding a gold coin in a sewer—too bothersome to reach for, and certainly not worth dirtying yourself over it, especially when you're sitting atop a mountain of gold.
"With a commotion of this magnitude," she mused, leaning back into her jade throne, "those second-rate powers on the outskirts of the Central Region, those desperate for any scrap of heritage, will undoubtedly send their lackeys to investigate...hmm, it's just right."
As for true powers of the Imperial Capital? Those in the inner layers who walk the path of the Immortals? They wouldn't bother staining their boots for such a pathetic scrap.
She tapped her finger on the armrest of the throne, the sound echoing like a war drum. "Having Qing'er with him should be enough to quell any local pests. But it is time, Haoran."
A predatory, proud smile finally graced her lips. "It is time to stop playing in the mud and begin displaying your true talent. Let these 'geniuses' from the outskirts of the Central Region come for the silver light. Suppress them. Break their pride. Prove to the world that a scion of the Shen Clan stands above all."
She closed her eyes once more, the hall falling back into a heavy, sacred silence. "Proved your might, my son. The stage has been set."
Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Reaction
While the Eastern Region trembled under the weight of the collapsing mountain, the ripples of the silver Supreme Qi traveled far beyond the borders of the desolate lands, reaching the senses of those who sat at the edges of the Central Region.
And the Blue Wind Kingdom also detected this.
In the eyes of the Four Cardinal Regions, Blue Wind Kingdom was a transcendent superpower, a behemoth with a genuine Saint guarding its borders.
Yet, within the predatory hierarchy of the Central Region, it was merely a third-rate power—a vassal state that jumped at the command of any pampered heir from the Imperial Capital's Great Clans.
At this moment, within the royal palace of Blue Wind, the Crown Prince Ao Long sat beneath the delicate pink petals of a peach blossom tree.
He was a man of striking beauty, with long blue hair that cascaded like a waterfall and eyes the color of a summer sky.
But his face, usually a mask of regal calm, was currently twisted in a knot of vein-popping fury.
Before him, a servant trembled in the grass. "Report... Your Highness. It has been confirmed that Lady Luo Mingye has been seen frequently in the company of the Yun Clan's heir, Yun Li. They were... they were seen at the Royal Public Park, holding hands."
CRACK.
The stone bench beneath Ao Long fractured as he felt as though a hot iron had been shoved into his chest.
One should know that he had pursued Luo Mingye for over a decade, offering her the treasures of the kingdom and the prestige of the crown, yet he had never even touched the hem of her sleeve.
And now, she was holding hands with Yun Li—a boy famously known as the "Trash of the Yun Clan"?
The trash who couldn't even break through Foundation Establishment Realm even at the age of 25!?
"That trash!" Ao Long stood up, his blue Qi swirling around him in a cold mist. "I will tear his—"
"Ao Long..." Just then, a deep voice, vibrating with the authority of a ruler, resounded throughout the yard.
Ao Long immediately checked his temper and cupped his hands, turning around behind him. "Father!"
"Hm." The King of Blue Wind stepped into the garden, his gaze steady. "Ao Long, a Supreme Inheritance has just awakened in the Eastern Region. Forget about that girl for a second. We need to act. We must secure that inheritance before the other third-rate kingdoms or the border clans catch wind of its location."
Ao Long's expression shifted instantly from jealous rage to cold calculation, after all in the grand scheme of things, a girl—no matter how beautiful—was a fleeting prize.
But a Supreme Inheritance was a ticket to higher standing. They might even have the chance to be promoted to the First Tier Power, or even a Transcendent Power with a real Supreme guarding it!
"I will have Old Hei accompany you," the King continued. "A Nirvana Rebirth realm expert should be more than enough to handle whatever trouble you encounter in that backwater place. The cultivators there are like children playing in the mud."
Ao Long nodded, but a trace of worry remained. "But father, what about the Great Clans in the Imperial Capital? If those from some Holy Lands or even some Transcendent Clan decide to intervene..."
The King shook his head dismissively. "No need to worry about those Hegemons in the Imperial Capital. To them, a Supreme Legacy from the Eastern Region is like a rusted copper coin. They wouldn't bother staining their robes for such a 'pathetic' find. It is beneath them."
"I see. Then I shall prepare for departure immediately," Ao Long replied, his eyes gleaming with a new purpose.
*
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Meanwhile, in the sprawling estate of the Luo Clan, another conversation was taking place.
Luo Mingye, a woman whose beauty was whispered to be a match for the forest spirits of legend, sat on her knees upon a woven mat, her long green hair falling perfectly at her back.
Before her sat a muscular old man with a scarred face and green hair—the Elder Patriarch of the Luo Clan.
He sipped his tea with a rugged elegance.
"I heard you have gotten quite close with that brat from the Yun Clan lately?" the old man asked, his eyes sharp over the rim of his cup.
Luo Mingye offered a faint, mysterious smile. "Not that close, Grandfather. But Yun Li is... interesting. He is smart, cunning, and sees the world through eyes that are far too old for his body. I don't know why the city continues to label him as trash."
The old man sighed, setting his cup down. "It is likely political theater. The King has been wary of the Yun Clan's private military for years. If Yun Li had shown any talent, he would have met with an 'accident' long ago. The boy was wise to hide his true capabilities. But now, it seems the Yun Clan believes there is no longer a need for hiding."
Luo Mingye blinked, her emerald eyes widening. "You mean—?"
The Patriarch nodded. "Yes. That old monster, Yun Kuang, has successfully broken through to the Profound Saint Realm. His lifespan has been extended by another thousand years. With a Saint in the house, even the Royal Family must walk on eggshells. They can no longer act recklessly against the Yun bloodline."
Luo Mingye went silent, her mind drifting to the "trash" heir who had held her hand with such casual confidence.
"Indeed. A Saint is a troublesome opponent, even for the Royal Family. Not to mention the Yun Clan's military is loyal to them, not the crown." She shook her head, focusing back on her grandfather. "But let's forget about the local politics for a moment. Why have you called me here, Grandfather? You look as though you're preparing for a campaign."
The old man's expression turned deathly serious as he leaned forward, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "I want you to head to the Eastern Region this instant. A Supreme Emperor's Inheritance has just awakened, and the silver light is visible even from our borders. Do everything in your power to get it."
Luo Mingye's breath hitched. A Supreme Emperor's legacy? In the Eastern Region?
She looked toward the east, a sense of excitement brewing inside her.
After all, this will be the first time she will leave the confines of their kingdom. "I understand, Grandfather. I will leave at once."
*
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*
Deep within the sprawling fortifications of the Yun Clan, a youth sat motionless upon a bed of cold, spirit-attracting jade.
To the servants who passed his door, Yun Li was a mystery—a man once mocked as the "Trash Heir", but had suddenly shed his skin of incompetence to reveal a core of magnificent and talented brilliance.
Some thought he had been hiding his talent; others thought he had found a miraculous herb that had turned him into a genius.
But the truth was far more profound.
Yun Li was not the original owner of this body. He was a transmigrator from a distant, mundane world called Blue Star.
In his previous life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary college student, a face in the crowd until a fatal accident tore him from his reality and transmigrated into this world of Cultivation as the trash heir of the Yun Clan.
Not only that, he hadn't come to this world empty-handed, as deep in his soul, he carried the singular treasure that had facilitated his crossing: a yellowed, tattered page of old paper he had once bought from a shady street vendor for a few coins during a festival.
On that paper was inscribed the Falling Immortal Sutra.
It was a technique of staggering arrogance, as according to its cryptic introduction, if practiced to absolute perfection, even a lowly mortal would possess the strength to slay an Immortal.
And using that, in just one year of secret cultivation, Yun Li had utilized this singular page to shatter the chains of his "trash" talent.
He had surged from the 9th Stage of Qi Gathering to the 9th Stage of Foundation Establishment, a speed of progression that would make even the geniuses of the Central Region look like snails.
Just then, a rhythmic knock sounded against the heavy oak of his chamber door. Yun Li exhaled a cloud of turbid Qi, his eyes snapping open with a flash of cold, violet light.
"Come in."
The door creaked open, and his father, the Clan Leader of the Yun Family, stepped inside. His face was etched with a gravity that Yun Li had rarely seen.
"Father," Yun Li said, standing up and smoothing his robes. "Do you need something?"
The Clan Leader nodded, his voice dropping to a low, urgent whisper. "Son, you need to hurry up and go to the Eastern Region at once. An inheritance of a Supreme Emperor has just awakened, and I want you to do everything in your power to get it, no matter what. Old Hao will accompany you."
Hearing that, Yun Li's eyes widened for a moment.
"Supreme Emperor..." Yun Li muttered, a spark of awe flickering in his eyes before being replaced by a hunger for power.
Having been in this world for a year, he understood the weight of that title. A Supreme Emperor was the pinnacle, a being capable of flipping the heavens and crushing the earth with a casual gesture.
His current kingdom—a landmass larger than all the continents of Blue Star combined—didn't even possess a single trace of such power.
Only the legendary Hegemons within the Imperial Capital were rumored to have Supremes guarding their halls.
Yet, such a treasure had appeared in the Eastern Region—a place his father's scrolls described as a "Desolate Region" filled with low-level cultivators and stagnant bloodlines.
'Heh,' Yun Li thought, a confident smirk spreading across his face. 'Truly a case of a poor man sitting atop a gold mine, completely ignorant of the treasure hidden beneath his own feet. They are probably still hitting the stone with sticks while a god's power was waiting to be taken.'
"Very well, Father," Yun Li said, his voice ringing with a certainty that left no room for doubt. "I will head out at once. I'll make sure to bring that inheritance back to the Yun Clan."
Inside, his heart was pounding with the thrill of the hunt.
After all, he wasn't just a cultivator; he was a Son of Heaven, a transmigrator with a golden finger that no one in this world has heard of.
Could a man like him lose to a bunch of local, native "geniuses" who didn't even know the true scale of the universe?
'I'd be the laughingstock of the transmigrator brotherhood if I let some local brat beat me to the punch,' he thought, clenching his fist as the power of the Falling Immortal Sutra thrummed in his veins.
'Eastern Region, Central Region... it doesn't matter. Everything in this world is just a stepping stone for my ascension.'
Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Supremacy
The shadows of the collapsed cave still clung to the jagged rocks like ink as the black dome protecting Haoran and Xueli finally dissolved into mist.
Haoran stood in the center of the devastation, his arm possessively anchored around Xueli's waist.
They look around, and the landscape was now completely unrecognizable.
The thousand-meter waterfall had been choked out by the landslide, its roar replaced by a haunting, dusty silence.
Above them, the clear blue sky was revealed for the first time in who knows how many years, but the focal point remained the massive stone gate.
It stood defiant amidst the rubble, pulsing with a rhythmic, hypnotic silver light.
Haoran clicked his tongue, the sound sharp in the quiet air. Seriously, with this commotion, those people from the central region would surely send some people to check.
Although he wasn't afraid them, but it would be incredibly annoying.
"Qing'er, can you destroy that thing?" he commanded through their mental link.
"Apologies, Young Master," Qing'er's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with a rare note of helplessness. "The seal on that gate is woven with the remnants of a Supreme's life-essence. To forcibly shatter it would require the strength of a Heavenly Saint. Anything less will only trigger a defensive backlash that could level this entire mountain range."
Haoran gave a curt nod before he stepped forward and placed a palm against the cold stone.
This time, there was no supernova of light, no violent tremor—the gate simply remained eerily still, as if it were dormant, waiting for a specific key.
In the timeline Haoran had stolen from Chu Fang, Tang Shan had opened this gate while at the Core Formation realm.
Now, the "Protagonist" was still struggling in the Foundation Establishment stage. So is this gate unresponsive because it was waiting for him? Or is it waiting for another anomaly?
Heh, Heavens really doesn't want good things to fall into the hands of a villain like them.
Haoran let out a breath of irritation. Well, no matter, he can wait. He doubt there is anyone in this world who can take this inheritance right before him anyway.
With that thought, he reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a magnificent golden throne, made from the bones of a Golden Dragon.
He placed it squarely in front of the gate and sat down, crossing one leg over the other with the casual grace of a king waiting for his court.
"Um, Haoran... should we just wait?" Xueli asked, her voice small as she looked at the mountain of rubble surrounding them.
"There is nothing else we can do for now," Haoran replied, leaning his head back against the golden throne as he closed his eyes, as if to take a rest. "Besides, I find myself curious about the 'talents' who think they can claim a treasure under my nose."
"Oh, okay then." Xueli sat on the armrest of the throne, looking at the sky in boredom. "I hope it won't take long. I can easily get bored."
Right on cue, the sky began to bleed as the air distorted, rippling like heat haze, and one by one, dozens of massive Profound Arks began to emerge from the void.
These were not the crude vessels of the Eastern Region; these were the warships of the Central Region's outskirts, decorated with the banners of kingdoms like the Sun Bird and the Blue Wind, and other symbols.
Xueli trembled, her pitiful 9th stage Qi Gathering strength feeling like a candle in a hurricane as she stuck close to Haoran's side.
As the Arks appeared, the sky was suddenly filled with the overwhelming pressure of hundreds of experts.
'These are definitely not from Eastern Region.' Xueli thought.
Just then, dozens of streaks of light shot down from the hovering arks, slamming into the ground with enough force to kick up plumes of dust.
Then, out of the craters stepped groups of young men and women, all dressed in the extravagant silks of high nobility, their faces etched with the arrogance that comes from being the "number one" in their respective territories.
"Oh? It seems someone beat us to the punch." A young man with wild, yellow hair and a savage grin stepped forward. He wore a set of golden armor that shimmered with spirit-flame. "Hey, buddy! You the one who woke this thing up?"
The crowd behind him began to whisper, their voices filled with awe and fear.
"That's Jin Pei, the Crown Prince of the Sun Bird Kingdom! I heard he reached the Golden Core Realm at only thirty years old!"
"He's a maniac. They say he once slaughtered an entire branch family because their tea was too cold!"
"So even they were attracted by this inheritance."
"Fool. This is a Supreme's Inheritance!"
Haoran didn't even open his eyes, he simply leaned back into his throne, resting his chin on his hand.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Jin Pei growled.
Slowly, Haoran raised his other hand and pointed a single, lazy finger toward the dirt at his feet.
Jin Pei's grin faltered, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean, brat? Are you deaf?"
Haoran's voice was like a cold silk sliding across a blade. "I don't like talking to people while I have to look up. So... kneel down."
The silence that followed was absolute.
The gathered geniuses stared with wide eyes, their breath catching in their throats.
Most were shocked by his audacity, but a few—those who had been fortunate enough to visit the Imperial Capital—suddenly widened their eyes in recognition, before their faces turned deathly pale.
They recognized that golden hair, that overwhelming arrogance, and that bored, sovereign posture.
Four Years ago, when the heir of the Shen Clan turned Sixteen, they invited almost every first rate powers in the Central Region to attend his birthday.
And some third rate and second rate powers wanting to build connections shamelessly clung to some first rate powers just to attend.
There, they witness the overbearing pride and arrogance of that young man, who had even humiliated an Imperial Prince!
In the Imperial Capital, you might survive not knowing the face of a Prince, but if you didn't recognize the Heir of the Shen Clan, you were already a dead man walking.
Those who knew him took several steps back, their eyes darting around as they prayed Jin Pei's stupidity wouldn't splash onto them.
As for stopping Jin Pei...please! If they offended Shen Haoran over that and invited a disaster, then they wouldn't even have time to regret it!
"You—!" Jin Pei's face turned a violent shade of purple as he took a heavy step forward, his Golden Core aura erupting in a blaze of yellow flames. "Do you know who I am?!"
But the moment his foot hit the ground, the world changed.
A pressure as heavy as a collapsing star slammed into Jin Pei's shoulders, his innards immediately feeling like they were about to burst.
This feeling didn't come from just Qi, but something a dao.
Upon reaching Golden Core, a Cultivator's Qi undergoes a qualitative transformation, making it no longer just a neutral energy, but a Law-Imprinted Qi, a Qi that carries the cultivator's will, intent, and understanding of existence.
In other words, their Dao.
At this stage, their Qi behaves less like power and more like a partial law.
Two Golden Core cultivators with identical cultivation levels are never equal as victory is determined by whose Qi expresses a more complete law.
For Cultivators, a Dao is the path they walk, and they must firmly follow it until they reach the peak, to turn your back on your own Dao is to risk destroying yourselves from the inside out.
For Haoran, his Dao was simple.
Supremacy.
Jin Pei's knees buckled instantly, the stone beneath him shattering as he was forced onto all fours.
He tried to roar, to apologize, to scream—but before he could even draw a breath, Haoran's boot descended, pressing the Crown Prince's face deep into the dirt.
"Now," Haoran said, finally opening his golden eyes to look down at the groveling genius. "You can speak."
Xueli, who was still sitting on the armrest of the throne, stared at Haoran, her eyes literally sparkling.
'So cool!' she screamed internally, her heart racing. 'When can I be as cool as this?! Holy crap!'
Growing up as the heiress of the Ning Clan, Xueli had been a "Little Witch"—arrogant, mischievous, and spoiled.
She had looked down on many, becoming completely wild, doing whatever she wanted even in the presence of Kings and Royalties.
After all, her clan was the richest in the Eastern Region and her Grandpa Sword was recognised as the strongest Swordsman in the Region!
But now, looking at Haoran, she had realized that her "arrogance" was child's play, after all, even she had never even dreamed of making a Crown Prince of a foreign kingdom kneel just to facilitate a conversation.
This wasn't just arrogance; this was Absolute Dominance!