Chapter 1 The World Within the Ancient Domain

The Ancient Domain was the core of the entire alternate universe, and legend had it that it was the birthplace of the alternate universe. It was filled with danger, yet also with opportunity. Every World-level cultivator went mad for it, and even Dao Lords rushed in one after another.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Five streams of light flew into the mist at the edge of the Ancient Domain and began to fly deeper and deeper.

"Do you feel it?" Tianhuo Mangya transmitted excitedly.

"Mm," Huo Jin nodded.

"Such a peculiar sensation," Feng Yi Xinjun also nodded.

"Truly miraculous," Qinghuan Huangzi praised.

Ji Ning also marveled, carefully experiencing it. Ever since they flew into the Ancient Domain, they could feel an invisible force enveloping them. This force was the power of the Ancient Domain. If the five of them did not have the Ancient Domain tokens, they would probably be crushed to dust in an instant. At the same time, this force seemed to emanate from the deepest core of the boundless Ancient Domain.

"That direction," Tianhuo Mangya pointed into the distance. "That's where we need to go."

"The core of the Ancient Domain," Ji Ning and the others nodded.

In the star chart, there were detailed route markings from the cosmic passage to the Ancient Domain.

But once they entered the Ancient Domain, they had to follow the sensation and advance toward the core! Upon reaching the core—that was the place every cultivator most desired. Perhaps some dangers and trials along the way could cause them to undergo a transformation. But the core of the Ancient Domain... that was where a qualitative transformation truly occurred.

"Everyone, same as usual, I'll handle the spatial travel," Qinghuan Huangzi transmitted.

"Good."

"Troubling Brother Qinghuan."

Ji Ning and the others did not refuse. One must know that the vastness of the Ancient Domain was probably no less than that of the Endless Territories. To go from the edge to the core by flying alone would probably be hopeless even in a billion years.

One must know that Ji Ning had long since sworn a lifebound oath to reach the Heavenly Cang Palace within one chaos cycle.

Of course, one chaos cycle was an extremely long time, measured in units of 'trillions of years'! So Ji Ning had ample time.

"Whoosh."

"Whoosh."

Qinghuan Huangzi produced a flying boat. Ji Ning and the others entered it, and Qinghuan Huangzi personally took control, rapidly advancing through the Ancient Domain. They traveled through space time and again, each time covering an extremely vast distance. With Qinghuan Huangzi's skill in the Dao of Space and Time, perhaps a hundred such travels would allow them to cross an entire territory.

In the universe, the distances between territories were extremely vast. The distance between two territories was generally ten times, or even a hundred times, the size of the territories themselves.

"According to my感应, the core of the Ancient Domain is still very far from us. Traveling like this slowly, it will take at least ten thousand years," Qinghuan Huangzi said. "That's assuming we encounter no danger. But in reality, the Ancient Domain is fraught with peril."

"One step at a time," Feng Yi said.

"We'll deal with whatever comes," Ji Ning also laughed.

...

Swish.

On the second day after entering the Ancient Domain, they traveled through space once more. When the flying boat came to a stop,

"Look," Qinghuan Huangzi's expression changed.

"Hm?" Ji Ning and the others all looked. Through the faint mist, Ji Ning saw an enormous floating landmass ahead. Although the mist obstructed his view, he could still see for a billion li. He immediately spotted a few sparse figures on that landmass. Within his field of vision, he saw only a few dozen figures.

"Cultivators?" Ji Ning frowned.

"Several dozen? That many?" Qinghuan Huangzi was also somewhat surprised.

According to what they knew, to enter the Ancient Domain, one had to refine an Ancient Domain token. Even weaker Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals, or even True Gods and True Immortals, needed Ancient Domain tokens. Otherwise, they would be directly crushed by the power of the Ancient Domain.

Moreover, Ancient Domain tokens were extremely rare. Having passed through so many territories over the past thousand-plus years, they had come to realize the scarcity of Ancient Domain tokens! Logically, in the Ancient Domain, encountering other cultivators who possessed Ancient Domain tokens was almost impossible, because there were too few tokens and the Ancient Domain was too vast. Only upon reaching the core of the Ancient Domain would it be possible to encounter other cultivators.

"No, they... the feeling they give me is off," Feng Yi Xinjun said, shaking his head gently. "The invisible power of the Ancient Domain seems to be protecting them, not harming them at all."

"Mm, yes, that's true," Ji Ning and the others also noticed.

They had entered using Ancient Domain tokens, and the power of the Ancient Domain merely did not harm them. But those several dozen figures in the distance seemed to be protected by the power of the Ancient Domain.

"Their speed is so slow," Ji Ning transmitted. "Their flying speed is ridiculously slow. Any random Celestial God or Celestial Immortal would be much faster."

Whoosh.

The flying boat slowly advanced and landed at the edge of this vast floating landmass. Ji Ning and the other four all stepped out of the flying boat.

"Let me take a look," Feng Yi Xinjun said. He gazed at a figure about three hundred million li away. An invisible mind power spread out and quickly enveloped that figure.

"He is very weak. He should be a mortal who has not yet undergone the tribulation. Strictly speaking, he is at the Wanxiang stage," Feng Yi Xinjun said.

"A mortal?" Ji Ning and the others were surprised.

After crossing the tribulation, in the words of the Three Realms, one 'leaps out of the Three Realms and is no longer within the Five Elements.'

Before crossing the tribulation, one was influenced by this world. Those before the tribulation were also called 'mortals' by the powerful cultivators!

"Can mortals survive in the Ancient Domain?" Ji Ning and the others were puzzled.

"Let's go take a look," Feng Yi Xinjun said. He took a step, space rippled, and he had already traveled three hundred million li, arriving at the location of that distant mortal.

"Let's go see too," Ji Ning and the others each took a step and arrived as well.

...

Lianyu Zhenren was piloting a magic treasure, probing with extreme caution.

She was considered a beauty and had some reputation, having formed her core in just over a hundred years.

"This is already the deepest part of the Western Wasteland," Lianyu Zhenren thought carefully. "I've heard that at the end of the Western Wasteland lies the endless chaotic storms. I've never seen chaotic storms before. This time, by chance, I was teleported deep into the Western Wasteland. I must take a good look."

Suddenly—

Above the swamp in front of Lianyu Zhenren, a figure in a fiery red robe with a shaved head appeared, followed by several other figures: a youth in a deep blue robe, a youth in white with a sword on his back, a man in a black robe with a tall hat, and a young man with fiery red long hair. Each seemed extraordinary.

"What? They can teleport through the void in the Western Wasteland?" Lianyu Zhenren was startled. The Western Wasteland was a chaotic place, close to the chaotic storms. The space there was unstable; only the 'Great Cultivators' among them could teleport through space.

"Lianyu pays respects to the esteemed seniors," Lianyu Zhenren said with utmost reverence.

"We have some questions for you," Feng Yi said with a smile.

Lianyu Zhenren couldn't help but feel at ease, instinctively regarding the man before her as the most trustworthy: "Senior, please ask."

"How large is this continent, and how many living beings are there?" Feng Yi asked.

"This is the 'Northern Quanzhou' continent, spanning tens of millions of li, with countless living beings," Lianyu Zhenren said quickly. "Cultivators and demonic beasts are too numerous to count, let alone mortals and beasts."

Ji Ning and the other four exchanged glances, somewhat surprised.

There were countless living beings?

"This is the Western Wasteland, where space is chaotic. Mortals simply cannot survive. Only cultivators dare to venture deep here," Lianyu Zhenren said.

"What is the highest cultivation realm on this continent?" Feng Yi asked.

"First Qi Refining, then Foundation Establishment, then Core Formation... the highest realm is the 'Tribulation Crossing stage,'" Lianyu Zhenren said.

"The highest is the Tribulation Crossing stage?" Feng Yi pressed. "Is there nothing stronger than the Tribulation Crossing stage? What happens after crossing the tribulation?"

"After crossing the tribulation, of course one ascends," Lianyu Zhenren said. "Ascends to the Immortal Realm, and can never return."

"Besides the Northern Quanzhou continent, are there other continents?" Feng Yi asked.

"Yes, through ancient teleportation arrays, one can reach other continents," Lianyu Zhenren said. "From our Ancient Quanzhou continent, one can reach the extremely distant 'Black Demon Continent' and 'Star Sea.' I don't know about other places."

"Mm."

Feng Yi Xinjun nodded gently, looked at Ji Ning and the others, and said, "Let's go."

Ji Ning and the others nodded, and with a flicker, they all vanished.

"Eh?" Lianyu Zhenren felt a momentary daze. "What's going on? In a place like the Western Wasteland, I actually spaced out?" Her memory of seeing Ji Ning and the other four had vanished.

"But it feels so good."

Lianyu Zhenren felt her entire body relaxed and comfortable.

"What? I've already reached Core Formation Perfection? My body feels as if it's been reborn?" Lianyu Zhenren was then shocked. Unbeknownst to her, Feng Yi Xinjun had glanced at her before leaving and given her a small gift.

...

Ji Ning and the other four stood at the edge of this enormous landmass.

"Unexpectedly, life has been nurtured within the Ancient Domain," Ji Ning transmitted softly.

"Life can be nurtured in any environment," Feng Yi transmitted. "After all, the Great Dominator only obtained some intelligence about the Ancient Domain from cultivators of other alternate universes he captured. It's normal to know little about the Ancient Domain."

Ji Ning and the others nodded.

They had just tested it: from the grotto-heavens they carried, they had moved out some mortals guilty of heinous crimes. In the Ancient Domain, they could also survive.

"That little one just now said that after crossing the tribulation, one ascends to the Immortal Realm," Qinghuan Huangzi's pupils contracted. "Everyone knows that after crossing the tribulation, one is considered to have leaped out of the constraints of a world. Likewise, they are no longer protected by the Ancient Domain. Without an Ancient Domain token, they would be crushed to death. Those ascensions are probably all ascensions to some grotto-heaven worlds. Those grotto-heaven worlds are likely controlled by some 'Great Power' living in the Ancient Domain. That is to say, behind these continents, there may very well be Dao Lord-level powers."

"Dao Lords?" Ji Ning and the others nodded.

In places like the Three Realms or other chaos worlds, even after crossing the tribulation and becoming an Immortal or Celestial God, one could still interact with mortals.

But in this Ancient Domain, once one ascended, they could never return.

Clearly, it was due to the power of the Ancient Domain that they could not return. To survive, they could only live in some grotto-heaven magic treasure worlds.

Ji Ning and the others naturally did not care about them, but they remained vigilant toward Dao Lord-level powers.