The battlefield was silent, save for the whisper of the wind carrying the remnants of destruction. The Seven Grand Sects, once an unshakable force that ruled this domain, had been reduced to nothing but dust and forgotten echoes. Their strongest warriors, their most ancient elders—annihilated as if they had never existed.
Shao Xian stood amidst the ruins, his golden eyes reflecting the desolation before him. To those who gazed upon him, he did not seem like a mere cultivator. No, he was something far beyond that. A force of nature, an existence that defied the natural order itself.
Bai Ren stepped forward cautiously, her voice barely above a whisper. "My Lord… what now?"
Shao Xian did not answer immediately. He turned his gaze toward the sky, where the remnants of the spiritual energy that once belonged to his enemies still lingered. It was pitiful. Even at their peak, they had never stood a chance.
He finally spoke. "The Seven Grand Sects were but the beginning."
His voice, though calm, carried an undeniable weight—one that sent a shiver down the spine of those who stood behind him. Bai Ren, Luo Qing, and the others exchanged glances.
He had already crushed those who opposed him in this world. What was next?
"The higher realms," Luo Qing murmured, as if reading his thoughts. "You intend to ascend soon."
Shao Xian's lips curved slightly. "Soon?" He let the word linger for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Now."
A storm of energy erupted around him, distorting the space in his immediate surroundings. The very laws of this realm struggled to contain him, as if rejecting his presence.
Bai Ren's breath caught in her throat. "So soon?"
She should not have been surprised. With his strength, Shao Xian had long surpassed the limits of this world. The only reason he had remained here was to settle unfinished matters. And now, with the Seven Grand Sects erased, nothing bound him anymore.
The others did not question him. They knew that once Shao Xian made a decision, it was absolute.
A powerful force gathered beneath his feet. The fabric of space twisted as he reached out with his will, tearing through the boundary that separated this lower world from the realms above.
A fissure opened in the sky.
Beyond it, an entirely different world awaited—one where true sovereigns reigned, where ancient gods and forgotten deities slumbered.
Shao Xian turned slightly, glancing at his followers. "Those who wish to follow me may do so. But know this—" His golden eyes gleamed with an unfathomable light. "This path is one of no return. There is no mercy where we go."
Bai Ren clenched her fists, her gaze firm. "We will follow, my Lord."
Luo Qing nodded without hesitation. "We belong where you are."
The others, one by one, bowed in silent determination.
Shao Xian did not respond. He merely stepped forward.
And with that single step, he vanished into the rift, ascending beyond the mortal world.
The heavens trembled.