Jia Ma Empire, Magical Beast Mountain Range.
A deafening rumble tore through the sky as a pitch-black rift suddenly cracked open in midair. The heavens split apart like a colossal eye, silently parting to both sides. Within the void of blackness, a sphere of searing white light emerged—its glow resembling a pupil gazing from the dark—and then plummeted violently toward the ground.
The ink-black sky calmed, and the dark clouds slowly dispersed. Sunlight once more bathed the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
As the white light faded, it revealed a figure within: a tall man with flowing silver hair, clad in crisp white robes, exuding a sharp and decisive aura.
"Huff... Now, which world is this?"
It was Chen Xiaoming, who had just shattered the boundary between realms. He glanced around at the towering trees and the unfamiliar surroundings, muttering to himself as he tried to get his bearings.
Divine power stirred faintly within his body as he rose into the air, but his brows soon furrowed. That familiar sensation of rejection struck again—the energy of this world was present, yet incompatible. It couldn't be refined into his divine power.
"Damn it, another realm with these damned Heavenly Dao Laws."
With a tap of his finger, a stream of light flashed across his eyes as the status panel appeared before him.
...
Host: Chen Xiaoming
Age: 36
Realm: None (+) 20.7 Billion / 100,000
Cultivation: Nine Heavenly Layers of Dragon Transformation (+) 20.7 Billion / 100 Billion
Refinement: 10 Billion
True Form: Azurewood Tree (Soulfruit of Douluo)
Bloodline: Hollowheart Willow (Intermediate) (+) 20.7 Billion / 1 Trillion
Items: 100,000-Year Divine Equipment (+) 20.7 Billion / 20 Billion
Boundary Break: 10 Billion
EXP: 20.7 Billion
...
Chen Xiaoming sighed, seeing his EXP dwindled to just over 20 billion. In the final battle of Shrouding the Heavens, he'd burned through most of his reserves, relying on his bloodline eruptions and regenerative abilities to go toe-to-toe with Sages. Countless cycles of healing had bled his resources dry.
"Hm? What's this...?"
His gaze fell on the bloodline section. It still displayed Hollowheart Willow, but now the text was greyed out. The EXP required for an upgrade had jumped from 100 billion to a full trillion.
"What the heck? A price hike?"
His bloodline power had been completely expended in his last battle. The intermediate-grade source had burned out, dissipating into the world. He'd barely managed to condense the last wisp into a seed and left it with the Ruthless Emperor.
He thought the system would register that he had no bloodline left and allow him to draw a new one. He had already mentally prepared for a ceremonial draw—bathing, incense, prayers—hoping to pull something mythical like Pangu's Bloodline.
But now? Dream shattered.
"Whatever, Hollowheart Willow it is."
He shrugged it off. After all, even in the Primordial Era, that tree was considered on par with a Dao Patriarch. Not bad.
Chen Xiaoming's gaze scanned the top of the panel—it looked just like when he'd entered the Shrouding the Heavens realm, with an extra realm slot added. His True Form, the Azurewood Tree, now carried a tag: Soulfruit of Douluo.
Apparently, refining his cultivation into a fruit on his original tree body allowed him to absorb external energy and wield it in battle. So that's what the Refinement function was for.
"Hoooh..."
Ding!
[You took a breath. Gained EXP +2000.]
As he exhaled deeply, the system chimed in his ear. EXP dropped from 100,000 to 2,000—a clear sign.
"This world's weaker than Shrouding the Heavens..."
Using EXP gain as a gauge, Chen Xiaoming remained calm. After what he'd experienced in that other realm, this felt like child's play.
If he hadn't sensed that overwhelming, suffocating danger at the end of Shrouding the Heavens—a presence so dense it made even his bloodline tremble—he wouldn't have chosen to break into another realm at all.
After all, he hadn't even finished "conquering" the Ruthless Emperor. He literally saved her life; they were just beginning to bond. Leaving without closure felt like wasting a golden opportunity.
"But that pressure... who was it from?"
He frowned. That force had definitely surpassed Great Emperor level. In that realm, only a few beings could wield such power.
The Desolate Heavenly Emperor?
The Heavenly Dao of that realm itself?
He pondered for a long time, but couldn't pin it down. Ultimately, he admitted—it all boiled down to a lack of strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't need to flee.
"Time... I just need more time."
A soft murmur escaped him. Time was the only thing holding him back. Give him a hundred years in a great world to lie low and build up... and he'd pierce the heavens!
"But first, let's refine some strength and figure out where I've landed."
With a sigh, he tapped the Refinement section.
BOOM.
Instantly, an ethereal aura enveloped him. Grand, ancient echoes like temple bells filled his ears. He could hear the Dao itself singing as petals rained from the sky and golden lotuses blossomed beneath him.
In the depths of endless chaos, he once again saw the Door of Myriad Wonders. His Nine Heavenly Layers of Dragon Transformation separated from his body, forming into a golden miniature figure. Under its radiant glow, it slowly transformed into a golden fruit, which then hung from the Azurewood Tree of his true form.
Illusion faded. Reality returned.
His powerful physical body had vanished. His divine power gone. Upon his Azurewood Tree now hung two fruits—one crimson-gold, the other pure gold.
A wave of weakness washed over him. His body felt hollow. Without activating his true form, he was as vulnerable as any mortal.
"Time to level up..."
Taking a deep breath, he tapped the Upgrade Realm button. His current state was too fragile—if he used a divine fruit in combat, the backlash alone might obliterate his mortal body.
Zing.
A flash of light surged into his body, energy flooding his meridians, filling him with warmth. He looked back at his panel.
Realm: Dou Disciple—Stage 1 (20.7 Billion / 100,000)
"...Huh?"
He blinked in surprise, then reflexively initiated a nine-time upgrade combo. In an instant, torrents of energy poured into him, and the display updated once more.
Realm: 1-Star Dou Practitioner (20.7 Billion / 500,000)
Reading that, he immediately understood where he was. The next stages would surely be Dou Master, Dou Grandmaster, Dou Spirit, Dou King...
"So I've landed in Battle Through the Heavens..."
He hadn't expected to arrive here. But then he remembered—this realm had a protagonist who was sort of like a fellow native.
Chen Xiaoming's eyes lit up. The corners of his mouth lifted in a faint smile.
"I wonder how that guy who once yelled 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west' is doing these days..."
He chuckled to himself.
"Maybe it's time I paid him a visit."
With that thought, he resumed upgrading his realm at a rapid pace. But just as he hit the Dou Spirit level, a notion crossed his mind—
"Wait... I'm leveling so fast, and no one's watching... Why not..."
His eyes gleamed mischievously.
"I wonder how well my old friend can handle a little shock..."
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