Karma's week was a symphony of quiet concentration. He spent his days in his small inn room, scrolls from the Formation Association spread across the low table, the air faintly humming with spiritual energy.
The lines, once an abstract puzzle, were now a living language. Each line was a river, each node a star, each formation a world unto itself. His unparalleled comprehension, fueled by the Dao of Devour, allowed him to absorb the principles of each formation with frightening speed.
He didn't just understand them; he felt them—the way energy flowed and bent to his will, the intricate dance of elements and spiritual lines. He spent hours tracing patterns with his spiritual energy, the air in his room humming faintly as he mastered the fundamental formations of the Apprentice rank.
When night fell, he no longer hunted beasts. Instead, he cultivated slowly, deliberately, pulling the spiritual energy of the city into his body like a gentle tide. It wasn't the desperate feast of survival anymore—it was nourishment, a rhythm. For the first time since entering this world, Karma felt joy in cultivation itself, not merely in the power it brought.
When boredom set in, he delved into the city's unexplored corners and, more often, lost himself in the archives of the Formation Association. Using his new privilege, he devoured information, and in the process, a clear hierarchy of the Desolate Region's power realms finally clicked into place.
While he had heard the names before, he now understood the full progression of power. Beyond the initial Qi Condensation lay the foundational realms: Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Golden Core Refinement. Above those were the deeper, more advanced tiers: Void Realm, Great Void Realm, and Nascent Soul Realm. At the pinnacle of the region's power stood the cultivators of the Sacred Realm and Great Sacred Realm.
The true pinnacle of the Desolate Region's cultivation was the Sage Realm, followed by the Great Sage Realm.
He also learned that the Eastern Continent had even higher cultivation realms: Monarch Realm, Domain Lord Realm, and Dao Domain Lord Realm, with the sole exception being the sect leader of the Azure Edge Pavilion, who was rumored to have reached the Immortal Ascension Realm, a path to true immortality in the upper realm.
To progress beyond the Sage Realm, cultivators not only needed immense strength but also a sufficient understanding of a Dao that they had to choose and follow. Because the Desolate Region lacked the necessary spiritual environment for this, its most powerful cultivators had to travel to the Eastern Continent to advance.
Meanwhile, far above the mortal realms, the preparations for the great descent were in full swing. Su Clan was in a hive of controlled chaos, with thousands of cultivators and servants moving with a singular purpose. Massive, multi-story ship shimmered into existence, ready to anchor the mortal world. The air was thick with the scent of powerful herbs and the low hum of immense spiritual energy.
The Pavilion might dismiss the Mortal World as worthless, but the Su Clan knew better. Their young master was still missing. And the hidden realms glimpsed through Earth's fragile veil hinted at legacies too ancient to ignore.
The clan's expedition, therefore, had two objectives: to investigate the hidden realms they had observed within that world, which might be remnants of a long-lost age, and to find their missing young master.
The stakes had been raised even higher with the inclusion of their young lady, Su Liana. Her beauty and talent made her a precious jewel of the clan, and her safety had become an unspoken command. A series of private meetings was held, and the unspoken mandate for every envoy was clear: Keep the young lady safe, at all costs.
They would not tolerate any disruptions or harm to their precious young lady. Their objective was to retrieve their missing kin, uncover the secrets of the hidden realms, and return safely.
On the contrary, Grand Elder Yuan of the Azure Edge Pavilion, traveling with the Su Clan's envoys was a stark indication of the seriousness with which the Pavilion viewed this expedition. No one knew the true extent of his motives, but his presence alone was enough to put the clan on high alert. His decision to accompany the expedition made one thing clear: this was no minor probe.
As the final preparations were being made, Su Liana sent her butler Master Hu to fetch Karma. Not only to fulfill her promise, but also because her master, Grand Elder Yuan, had subtly ordered her to bring Karma along.
Now that the Su Clan was controlling the teleportation formation, she could send a trusted member of her retinue to retrieve him. The envoy lineup was a formidable display of power, with fifty Void Realm guards, ten Nascent Soul Realm Su Clan elders, and two Sacred Realm powerhouses.
Coupled with Grand Elder Yuan —a presence that unsettled even the clan's Sacred Realm elders. None dared guess his true realm. Some whispered Sage, others far beyond.
A few hours later, a servant arrived at Karma's inn. The man's voice was polite, but there was no mistaking the steel beneath. The young lady requires your presence.
Karma followed without question, the sense of his own insignificance weighing on him as he was led through the sprawling, chaotic space to a quiet, secluded tent. The envious gazes of the elders followed them, as they were not even qualified to meet with the Grand Elder.
"Master, I have brought him," Su Liana said, bowing deeply. "This is Karma."
Yuan's gaze settled on Karma, and for a moment, the vastness of the cosmos seemed to compress into a single point. A tremor of spiritual pressure, subtle but overwhelming, pressed down on Karma, forcing his instincts to scream a warning. "A fascinating aura," Yuan said, his voice a quiet rumble that filled the silence. "You are not from this realm, are you?"
Karma's heart hammered against his ribs. He felt as though he were a tiny insect under a microscope. He suppressed a shiver, forcing his expression to remain impassive. "My apologies, Grand Elder," he said, his voice surprisingly steady, "but I am merely a humble cultivator who has had some fortunate encounters. This world is my home now." He chose his words carefully, avoiding a direct lie but revealing nothing important.
A faint, knowing smile touched the corner of Yuan's mouth. "A wise answer. I am not here to pry into your past, but to offer you a unique opportunity."
He gestured to a cushion. Karma sat, stiff as a drawn bowstring.
"The Su Clan will scour hidden realms, chase their missing kin," Yuan continued. "Your task is different. Walk among mortals. Be my eyes and ears. Guide them, gently, toward the path of cultivation. Help them glimpse the truth of the world beyond their own."
Karma was taken aback. The request was absurd, impossible. He was confused and wondered what this old man is planning.
How could he reveal this world to people who would never believe him? Yet the offer was also… everything he needed. A way to find his sister. A way to protect Earth itself.
"I am grateful for this chance," he said at last, bowing his head. "I will do my best."
"Good." Yuan's tone was final. "Resources will be provided. If more is needed, seek Liana. If still insufficient... seek me."
Su Liana's eyes widened in surprise; this was a level of trust her master had never extended to anyone. She kept her thoughts to herself.
*************
The Descent
The sky trembled.
High above the clouds, the veil between worlds thinned, runes unfolding in layers upon layers until they formed a vast, shimmering mandala of light.
And then the gate opened.
A massive silhouette pushed through the rift, larger than mountains, wreathed in a corona of lightning and flame. The flagship of the Su Clan descended like a celestial fortress, its edges gleaming with runes that pulsed with ancient power. To mortal eyes, it was not a ship but a floating continent, a city of gods come to claim the skies.
The air itself bent beneath its presence. Birds scattered, winds howled, and even the earth seemed to groan as shadows swallowed the land below.
At its prow stood a lone woman in white, her robes billowing like the wings of a celestial phoenix. Su Liana's gaze cut through the distance, sharper than any blade, her aura casting a holy glow against the storming sky. But her heart a storm of conflicting vows—her missing brother, her promise to Karma.
Behind her, hidden among the retinue of elders and guards, stood Karma. His breath hitched as familiar skylines flickered into view beneath the ship's shadow. The roads he had once walked, the cities he once called home—now dwarfed, trembling, insignificant beneath the arrival of cultivators whose very existence defied mortal comprehension.
The flagship broke through the last veil of the rift, its descent guided by Master Hu's steady hand. With a sound like rolling thunder, it leveled above the Williams mansion, the foothold long prepared for their coming.
Then, with a tremor that rippled across miles, the celestial fortress touched down.
The gate above sealed, the rift stitched itself closed, and the sky returned to its fragile, mortal calm.
But the silence that followed was different. Heavy. Eternal.
The Su Clan had arrived.
And the mortal world would never again be the same.