The Field of Darkness

The world between heaven and earth was suddenly plunged into utter darkness, as if the realm of the netherworld were about to descend upon the land. For a hundred meters in every direction, pitch-blackness reigned, and a terrifying "field" shrouded the area.

In that instant, everyone caught within that field was robbed of hearing and sight. Their ears could no longer hear, their eyes could no longer see, as if they had been struck deaf and blind.

Ordinary cultivators trapped within felt a profound unease. For those who cultivated the Way, to have their senses stripped away was the most unsettling experience of all.

This was entirely the work of several top-tier young experts. Though none of them could yet release a field on their own, when several gathered together, radiating their strongest divine consciousness and power in mutual hostility, the result was this terrifying spectacle.

These were the most outstanding figures of their respective lands, peers without rivals, destined to become powers that would shake the world. Their potential was limitless. The field that now appeared was the latent power sleeping within their bodies—an early manifestation of the divine abilities they would one day command, the embryonic form of a power forced prematurely into being.

The field surged violently, like a sea of rolling waves. Then it convulsed several times, casting all ordinary cultivators out of its bounds.

Immediately afterward, several silhouettes began to move within the pitch-black field, as swift as specters.

Clang!

Xiao Chen raised his broken blade to block. The impact struck him like a bolt of lightning, and his opponent’s form trembled as well before vanishing in an afterimage.

Dugu Jianmo!

An iron sword that blotted out the sky.

His power was immense, his momentum vast—overwhelming the Southern Wastes. Among his generation, there was no rival to be found.

It was he who had clashed with Xiao Chen, his iron sword and Xiao Chen's blade meeting in a collision that warped the surrounding space, blurring it as if the void itself had been crushed and deformed.

Boom!

It was as if the mountains were shaking. Someone charged at Xiao Chen, and with each step the ground split apart.

He was like a demon forged from steel—a being of raw, terrifying vitality that inspired awe.

That silhouette was tall and straight, yet it seemed to weigh ten million jun, charging forward like a mountain!

Crash!

It was as if space itself were being torn apart. The air currents shrieked with an ear-splitting hiss.

The newcomer drove a fist straight at Xiao Chen's head with unspeakable arrogance and tyranny, as if he held no one in the entire world in his regard.

Naturally, that included Xiao Chen. It was the demeanor of one who looked down upon all under heaven, striking at will.

It was none other than Yuwen Feng—the feral, demonic youth of the Southern Wastes. He placed nothing in his eyes. In this world, there was only himself, as if all existed for his sake alone.

Xiao Chen's hand, still gripping his blade, pressed down on the restless Keke, while his other hand rose calmly to meet the blow. Strength against strength, force against force! His body was a precious vessel, his fist a sacred weapon.

With a single punch, the air roared in all ten directions. A blaze of brilliant light seemed to tear through the darkened field. The violent energy shattered the ground beneath them.

Clang!

Their fists collided with a sound like metal striking metal—a thunderclap that deafened onlookers, making their ears ring and robbing them of hearing for a brief moment.

Yuwen Feng retreated at once, not lingering, and charged toward his next opponent.

Xiao Chen stood unmoving, planted in the center of the field, ready to receive the next strongest strike.

It was a rare thing for these peak young experts to gather in one place. Now, within this sinister field of darkness, all of them were seeking an opportunity to strike, hoping to test the cultivation of their future rivals.

Since they were the strongest of their respective lands, they would inevitably set their sights on the whole world. Battles among them were fated.

Shiiing!

A blinding beam of light tore through the darkness, sweeping toward Xiao Chen. It came from a powerful spiritist, wielding a rare ability—the Light of Annihilation, a force specialized in draining life energy. The baleful light was like the Grim Reaper's scythe.

But it could not reap Xiao Chen's life in a single stroke. He swept his broken blade forward, and a dazzling saber-light surged out like a mighty river, colliding with the annihilating light. The two forces dissolved each other like ice meeting fire, vanishing into the air.

Hwoosh!

Another terrible beam of light howled toward Xiao Chen from a different direction—the Light of Slaughter, unleashed by yet another terrifying young expert.

Xiao Chen showed no fear. He met each challenge with calm composure, responding to the changing situation without changing his stance, countering the assaults from all sides.

Within the somber field of darkness, no one truly knew how many young experts lurked. Silhouettes leaped and darted like lightning. Horrifying spirit arts and dazzling sword-light tore through the darkness again and again.

In that brief instant, the elite talents gathered from every land had already engaged in the most perilous collision.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Then, in the next instant, it seemed to accelerate wildly.

Boom!

A great explosion rang out. The field of darkness collapsed. No one could see who broke out first, but in the next moment, figures were fleeing in all directions.

Everyone within the field retreated at once. When the dark field vanished completely, only Xiao Chen remained within it, along with two little beasts.

A gentle breeze stirred. Xiao Chen stood motionless, his tall figure perfectly still, his black hair the only thing moving.

A trail of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Xiao Chen stood quietly for a long time before wiping it away. Then his body suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light, and the minor wound healed in an instant. Such was the power of a precious body: with every injury, the flesh grew stronger.

He knew that those others were also wounded. After each had unleashed their most ferocious attacks, not one had emerged unscathed.

"I hope none of them can break into the Spirit-Treasury realm anytime soon…" Xiao Chen murmured to himself. These people had already reached the Ninth Heaven of Mortal-Shedding, just as he had—one foot over the threshold, a single step away from entering a vast, new world.

But they all knew how difficult it was to cross that line. A great barrier stood before them, one that required not only time but also immense opportunity to overcome.

"Let's go!"

Xiao Chen unfurled the Undying Heavenly Wings, swept up Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon, and soared into the sky, flying toward his residence.

It was only then that many of the watching cultivators cried out in shock.

"Dragon King—that's a Dragon King!"

"A Dragon King we've never seen before!"

"Could it be that there aren't just eleven Dragon Kings, but twelve?"

Xiao Chen no longer wished to keep the Little Defiant Dragon hidden. A dragon was a dragon! It should not masquerade as a horse or a tiger. It should return to its true form and stop hiding its sharpness. If anyone wanted to covet the Little Defiant Dragon, let them first go ask the great demon deep in the Southern Wastes!

He trusted that word had already spread in limited circles. Influential figures had received news of three little Dragon Kings in the Southern Wastes running alongside the Little Defiant Dragon. If they thought themselves capable of matching the existence that dwelled in the depths of that region, they could scheme against it. If not, they would have to keep silent and pretend not to know.

There were less than two months until the beast-fighting tournament began. Everyone who was supposed to come had nearly arrived. Heavenly Emperor City was now teeming with experts. Cultivators from every path had converged on the Southern Wastes, and a great storm was about to break.

Xiao Chen had shut himself in for three days, cultivating ceaselessly, trying to break through into the Spirit-Treasury realm. The memory of the four Rigen family experts torturing him still gnawed at him, driving him to enter that broader domain as soon as possible.

He knew that the other Ninth Heaven prodigies shared the same thought: they all wanted to be the first to break into Spirit-Treasury and suppress the younger generation.

"Xiao Chen, have you lost your mind?" Hai Yuntian stared at him in alarm. "What you're doing is digging your own grave!"

As a cultivator, Hai Yuntian was well aware of the taboos on the path of cultivation. When he heard that Xiao Chen intended to consume heavenly treasures to force a breakthrough, he immediately objected vehemently.

"I'm perfectly fine. I know what I'm doing." Xiao Chen was very calm.

"You… do you really not understand, or are you pretending?" Hai Yuntian looked at Xiao Chen in disbelief. "The path of cultivation abhors shortcuts. Anyone who wishes to achieve great success must break through from within their own body. They cultivate painstakingly, never relying on external forces. This is the crystallized wisdom of our predecessors."

Hai Yuntian continued, "I don't believe you're unaware of this reasoning. Heavenly treasures and earthly rarities might give a person great power in a short time, but there are gains and losses. When one obtains the power they dream of at that stage, they also forfeit forever the qualification to contend for supremacy. Power gained from the outside shackles the development of one's own strength—an inescapable cage. Doing so is to seal off one's own path forward. Do you truly not understand this crystallized wisdom?"

"Of course I've heard it." Xiao Chen replied calmly. "But my path is different!"

"Is your cultivation technique so special that you think you've surpassed all who came before?"

"It's not because of the cultivation technique." Xiao Chen seemed reluctant to say more.

Seeing Xiao Chen so stubbornly deluded, Hai Yuntian shook his head. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't bother advising them. But you are no ordinary man. To persist like this is to play with fire and burn yourself. A strong practitioner needs not only an extraordinary physique but also an unconquerable heart. If your cultivation one day can advance no further, how could you endure the agony of eternal stagnation? In the end, you will destroy yourself."

Hai Yuntian sighed. "The empirical wisdom of the cultivation world is the crystallization of intelligence. Some words are truer than truth itself. The strong do not fear loneliness, but they fear forever remaining motionless on the path of seeking power. If you truly insist on going your own way, one day you will understand the meaning of these words."

"I only want to walk a path that none have dared to tread. Why must I always follow the road laid by those before?" Xiao Chen gazed into the clouds. "I've heard everything you've said. I know that following that path is not wrong. But I want to say that my path is also not wrong. I speak from experience. I have consumed heavenly treasures before, and yes, in the short term, my cultivation journey was sealed shut. But I do not believe it was a dead end. I continued to cultivate painstakingly, pressing forward with all my might, and what was the result? My cultivation burst forth like a river breaching its banks—unstoppable, crashing through every barrier, breaking through so-called cages, shattering so-called prisons, and ascending to a new peak."

"You are too stubbornly blind," Hai Yuntian said, feeling helpless, making one last attempt to persuade him. "With your level of cultivation, you already have few rivals among your peers. If you proceed step by step, your future will be limitless. Why rush to break through so urgently?"

"You still don't believe what I say. But you must understand that my analogy is not wrong." Xiao Chen explained patiently. "The so-called shackles and cages are like a dam that cannot be broken—an unbreachable, impregnable dam that cuts off the river, blocking its path. The most likely consequence is that the river changes course, erodes the upstream banks, opens a breach, and flows away in chaos. That is what you call self-destruction. But if one can hold firm, rely on the unstoppable great river, and press single-mindedly against the unbreakable dam, then breaking through that solid barrier is not impossible. At that moment, if the accumulated floodwaters surge down, they will not only smash the dam but also wash away the downstream gates of one's own path—a thousand li in a single day, following the current!"

Hai Yuntian was rendered speechless. Not because he was convinced, but because he felt helpless, knowing that further argument would achieve nothing. "This is heterodoxy," he said.

"There is no such thing as heterodoxy. There are three thousand great paths. Why must one walk a single, narrow road? If everything follows the tracks of our predecessors, it is ultimately difficult to surpass the first one who blazed the trail. Of course, the path I cultivate now is certainly not the sole path for all time. It is constantly changing, because I believe that many have already walked this way before. What I need to do at this stage is dare to walk a different road, cultivate a different path."

"In the end, you are still cultivating heterodoxy."

"The path I want to cultivate is not a small path for one person alone. The path I want to cultivate is the great path that encompasses heaven and earth and all things. It is not limited to the small world of the individual; I must grasp the whole vast heaven and earth." Xiao Chen spoke casually. "Small as a single blade of grass, a single tree; great as a long river, a towering mountain, a boundless sea—all are born within the great heaven and earth. Every person is an insignificant part of this great heaven and earth. If we look at it from the perspective of the great heaven and earth, how can we distinguish between self and other? Between external things and the inner self? The path of our predecessors is to charge out along a single road, to burst free from the great path of heaven and earth. My path is to encompass the entire great heaven and earth, to embrace all, to take in everything… The so-called path, in the end, should be that all things in heaven and earth are fused into one…"

Hai Yuntian could not be bothered to argue further.

"Don't worry. I won't build a giant dam all at once. I'll do as I have before—build one small dam at a time, slowly, and then break through them one by one, slowly."

There was no problem having Fatty Zhuge collect heavenly treasures; with his network of connections, he could certainly acquire some good things. Xiao Chen had over a hundred thousand gold coins in hand, all of which he gave to the fat man.

On this matter, even if the whole world opposed him, Xiao Chen had one steadfast ally: Keke. The little beast raised all four paws cheerfully in favor.

To be fair, the fat man was highly efficient. The next day, he delivered a batch of heavenly treasures. Of course, the cost was staggering—eighty thousand gold coins gone in one go, half of the money already spent.

From this, it was clear: such cultivation was impossible without money!

Among this batch of treasures, the most expensive was a rare purple-gold ginseng king, estimated to be of extraordinary age, costing a full fifty thousand gold coins.

"Ridiculous, Zhuge Liang! Didn't you get cheated?"

"Not a single coin less, or they wouldn't sell," Fat Zhuge explained. "Apparently, this ginseng is very peculiar. When it was first harvested, the old native who dug it told the current seller that the ginseng king was unearthed at the same time as a white turtle. You have to understand, ginseng diggers are highly superstitious. If they find a living creature guarding the ginseng—even a snake or a rat—it proves it's a rare spiritual object. And a white turtle, a creature of longevity and good omen? That's a spirit turtle, an auspicious beast! Unfortunately, that old native didn't understand these things and sold the white turtle separately. The seller said that if the white turtle were still here, he wouldn't sell for less than a hundred thousand."

Xiao Chen was stunned. A wave of emotion surged through him. That wasn't a white turtle guarding the ginseng—that was clearly a dragon! Understood this way, this ginseng was surely a peerless treasure!

Xiao Chen wasn't the only one who understood. The Little Defiant Dragon also caught on. For once, its perpetually aloof expression softened; its dragon eyes grew gentle as it looked with Xiao Chen toward the heap of heavenly treasures.

But they realized the ginseng king was missing. Turning sharply, they saw the snow-white little beast, Keke, utterly enraptured, clutching the ginseng king tightly, drooling with pure bliss and satisfaction, as if it were about to faint from joy.

Xiao Chen hurriedly called out, "Wait!"

The snow-white little beast was already preparing to take a bite. At the sound, it looked back with a confused glance, but the temptation was too great. With a crunch, it bit off a small piece.

In that instant, a rainbow light shot into the sky. The entire courtyard was filled with an intoxicating, fragrant aroma.

Naturally, the little beast was not one to hog food.