"If there is no one else, it should be me." Takeda Ryo nodded calmly. On the Supreme Realm of Douban, after a millennium, he was indeed the only warrior to ascend to the exalted rank of Dou Emperor.
The old man's eyes lit up as he saw Takeda Ryo's confirmation, a knowing smile creasing his face. "So, it is you. It seems my instincts weren't wrong after all—one of the Takeda lineage."
"This cursed old Takeda is truly troublesome," the old man muttered under his breath. "His own kin won't take responsibility, yet he leaves me to deal with this. And you're such an odd one too. If it weren't for Old Takeda's constant urging, I wouldn't have bothered at all."
"Wait… What did you just say? Takeda? Old man? My ancestor is still alive?!" Takeda Ryo's eyes widened with disbelief and excitement. "Senior, can you take me to meet my ancestor right away?"
The old man pursed his lips in irritation. "Of course! It was your ancestor who sent me to find you. You want to meet him? Follow me quickly; we don't have time to waste." With a dismissive wave of his sleeve, a spatial rift tore open before them. Without hesitation, the old man vanished into it. Takeda Ryo hesitated for only a heartbeat before stepping into the crack.
In moments, they emerged from the void, and an overwhelming ancient aura surged toward them.
Takeda Ryo was left breathless by the sight before him. The dense forests were unlike anything from the Supreme Realm of Douban. Gigantic trees, their roots like ancient titans, stretched high into the heavens, their canopies vast and endless, connecting earth and sky—seemingly holding up the very heavens.
Surrounding him, rare herbs and mystical flowers exuded powerful spiritual energy and an intoxicating medicinal aroma. Takeda Ryo's eyes gleamed with recognition and greed. Many of these herbs were rare treasures back in the Dou Continent, guarded by powerful sects—yet here, they grew wild and abundant.
As a Ninth-Tier Alchemist, Takeda Ryo couldn't suppress his excitement and immediately began gathering the precious materials.
"What are you doing with those weeds?" The old man scoffed, glancing at the herbs in Takeda Ryo's hands.
"Weeds?" Takeda Ryo froze. These invaluable materials were dismissed as nothing?
The old man shook his head. "Forget it. Let's keep moving, boy."
Takeda Ryo silently pocketed the herbs, unwilling to waste such precious resources.
"What's this?" His eyes caught a purple crystalline stone shimmering nearby. Intrigued, he retrieved it, feeling a pulse of energy within the crystal.
"Hey, brat! Leave that worthless rock and move!" the old man barked.
Takeda Ryo cast a wary glance at the floating elder but said nothing, clutching the crystal tightly as he followed.
The dense forest stretched endlessly, far larger than any wilderness Takeda Ryo had ever seen—hundreds of times the size of the World of Warcraft Mountains.
This forest was part of the Demon Mountains, a realm of immense scale where colossal peaks pierced the sky, splitting the forest into two vast regions. After millennia of evolution, life flourished here, and danger lurked in every shadow. Even the most powerful Dou Emperors would hesitate to tread deeper into these woods.
And yet, Takeda Ryo and the old man remained at the forest's edge.
Curiosity burned in Takeda Ryo's heart as his spirit energy spread from his brow, scanning the vast jungle.
"Hmm? The soul power of the Emperor Realm?" The old man's eyes narrowed in mild surprise as he sensed Takeda Ryo's prowess.
In the Supreme Realm of Douban, possessing soul power at the Emperor Realm was no ordinary feat. Even those who had ascended to the title of Dou Emperor didn't always wield such profound spiritual might.
The two figures soared forward, the old man finally speaking with a hint of seriousness, "Retract your soul power. This place is dangerous, and curiosity will only get you killed. Fine, since you're so eager to understand, let me show you what this realm truly is."
A stream of light shot from the old man's finger into Takeda Ryo's forehead, flooding his mind with knowledge.
Gradually, Takeda Ryo began to comprehend the true nature of this continent.
This was the Supreme Realm of Douban—a world where only the Emperor could tread. Unlike the Dou Continent, where elemental magic reigned, here, the power of the spirit alone dictated survival. Only Dou Emperors could withstand the crushing forces of this realm.
On the Dou Continent, the title of Dou Emperor symbolized ultimate strength. Here, it was merely the starting point. Generations of warriors had pushed past those limits, achieving heights beyond imagination.
The Emperor rank was further divided into nine stars, each star segmented into four phases: early, middle, late, and peak—each phase, in turn, had primary, intermediate, advanced, and peak levels.
Beyond the Dou Emperor stood the legendary Dou Immortal, a realm achieved by only one—the creator of this space. Rumors whispered of even greater heights beyond: the Dou God and the Immortal Sovereign. But whether these realms truly existed… no one knew.