"What is going on?" Lu Shimming stood amidst the jagged rocks, eyeing the mountain that loomed before him. He was back at this place again.
'Didn't I die?'
The question lingered like a dense fog in his mind.
He vividly recalled the moment when a dagger pierced his heart. There was no way anyone could survive that.
'Jin Ho...' A rush of sorrow washed over him as he remembered holding Jin Ho in his arms, feeling the life slip away.
"Crackle!"
Before he could contemplate further, his trial began.
Drops of rain started to fall, gradually morphing into a torrential downpour.
"There's no use in brooding over what I can't control. I'll focus on what lies ahead..." Lu Shimming resolved, his gaze fixed on the summit as he began his ascent. Each step left a deep imprint in the soft mud beneath him. This has been his goal along this past years, his only hope of redemption. If he couldn't achieve it in his life, he would do so in death.
Unlike before, a newfound calmness enveloped him. Perhaps the recent events had altered him. Even the oppressive pressure that once weighed him down felt less intense.
Ten... twenty... thirty...
His count slipped away, his mind consumed by the path ahead.
Unbeknownst to him, the sky began to clear, and a milky white aura coalesced around him, encasing him in its ethereal glow. A flicker of light sparked in his lifeless eyes.
"I have arrived…" Lu Shimming paused here, taking a breath before stepping forward.
A hundred!
"Whoosh!"
The instant he advanced, a column of white light descended from the heavens, crashing down upon him.
'What is this...?' Lu Shimming gazed at his body, now enveloped in the strange, milky white aura. To his surprise, he felt no pain, only a sense of dramatic transformation coursing through him.
The aura surged toward his Dantian, engulfing it like a dragon before slicing through his body and targeting his forehead, extending to his eyes.
"Whoosh!"
A white flame wrapped around his eyes, igniting a searing sensation. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes were transforming, creating a deep silver vortex that exuded a chilling aura.
Along with his eyes, his Spirit Sea began to change.
Few cultivators managed to open their Spirit Sea even after dedicating their entire lives to it; reality dictated that one must reach the Inner Sea Stage to achieve such a feat. These individuals were revered by every sect imaginable.
But Lu Shimming had not yet taken a single step on the path of cultivation. The milky white aura, however, disregarded all conventional wisdom, forcefully slamming into his Spirit Sea and tearing it open.
"Aaahh!"
Lu Shimming crashed to his knees, clutching his head as agony warped his features. It felt as though someone had cleaved his skull apart. The torment persisted, as his Spirit Sea greedily consumed the milky white aura like a ravenous beast awakening from slumber.
However, the essence proved insufficient.
Within moments, the milky white aura waned, and Lu Shimming's Spirit Sea, once no larger than a grain, expanded to a radius of ten meters.
While it was a considerable feat, common knowledge dictated that an Inner Sea Stage cultivator possessed a minimum radius of one hundred meters.
Yet, all this was lost on Lu Shimming as he lay panting on the ground, gasping for breath.
At that moment, the earth quaked. An ancient voice resounded through the air.
"You have met the conditions!"
"The Yellow River welcomes the Next Heir!"
With that proclamation, the ground split open, and an enormous stone tablet emerged. In the blink of an eye, several stars in the night sky lit up.
At this point, Lu Shimming remained oblivious that his actions had sent ripples of chaos through the realms, catalyzing the onset of a new era.
Demon Realm
A middle-aged man stood atop a colossal Draconic Serpent, a mythical beast whose body spanned miles and could easily encircle entire mountains. Yet, the fearsome creature lay lifeless beneath him.
"Your Majesty!" A messenger plunged from the sky, his face grim. "The Nirvana King's constellation has lit up!"
The middle-aged man remained silent for a moment, a smile creeping onto his lips. "Well, the peace was starting to suffocate me anyway…"
Mortal Assembly, Kings Establishment…
A couple stood in the grand court, gazing at the luxurious mansion that overlooked the vast city, which managed the various realms of existence.
"It's finally starting…" the woman said with a sigh, turning to her husband. "Whose side are we on?"
"My time is already over, sweetheart," he replied, grinning. "I have passed on my mantle…"
Yellow River
"Finally!! He has returned!!!"
A man dressed in tattered gray robes erupted with manic laughter, toppling a table cluttered with papers as joy radiated from him.
Green Star
"Oh my…" A scholar sat comfortably in his chair, amusement evident on his face as he sipped his tea. "The Heavenly Court isn't going to be pleased…"
"Master, did you hear?" An ethereal voice chimed in as a striking girl entered the courtyard. Her skin looked delicate, pale enough to seem translucent, her beauty breathtaking enough to spark wars.
"Look at your eyes…" The scholarly man sighed, shaking his head with a smile.
Beast Gate
"Woah… it's getting interesting…" A monkey, half-human in appearance, perched high on a gigantic tree, peered at the constellation shining in the sky, his staff resting casually at his side.
Heavenly Court
A lone white palace pierced through the heavens, its pristine form standing in sharp contrast to the swirling mists that cloaked it. This was the dominion that governed all beneath Heaven.
Upon a golden throne sat a regal woman. Her robes, spun from purple starlight, shimmered, resonating with an aura of royal power. Though her eyes remained closed, an oppressive anticipation filled the assembly below.
Suddenly, a light erupted across the sky, igniting a constellation.
"Constellation of the Nirvana King!" someone gasped, only to clap a hand over their mouth in shock.
An unnatural silence enveloped the court.
Yet, the woman on the throne stirred for the first time.
Slowly, her eyes opened, gazing not at the assembly, but piercing through the veil of reality itself, focusing on an unseen point far beyond the Heavenly Court.
A hush deeper than the last fell over the room, as the winds themselves seemed to hold their breath. The weight of her undirected gaze pressed heavily down upon the court.
Everyone knew that a storm was brewing, the peace that had endured for so long on the verge of collapse.