Arrival

Unknown dimension...

Unknown time...

Flowing Wind City

The sky here was dim and lightless. On the ground, not even a clump of resilient green grass could be found.

A withered yellow hue was the dominant color embellishing this world.

Inside an extremely simple house sat a young man in white robes, cultivating mystic power.

As his sleeves slowly settled, Xiao Feng opened his eyes, a trace of disappointment showing in his bright, profound black pupils. He raised his gaze, slowly rose from the bed, and walked to the window.

It had been nearly eighteen years... Nearly eighteen years had passed since he had been born into this world, and from a very young age, he had known where he had arrived...

Because... it was far too familiar.

The world he had transmigrated into... was clearly the world of a novel he had once read on Blue Star, titled Against The Gods.

And it was the Abyssal world that even the novel's author had yet to write, only roughly outline.

Everything about that novel had been good, except for the painfully slow updates...

He had once jokingly said, "Sleep early, rise early, and outlive Mars..." But he truly had not expected that he... really had failed to outlive it.

What he had never expected even more was that, before the next chapter about the Six God Kingdoms could be released, he had arrived in the Abyss before Yun Che...

However... Xiao Feng remembered Yun Che's knowledge and thoughts down to the bone.

At the age of six, he had broken through layer after layer of restraints. Without any bottlenecks, his cultivation had naturally reached the God Tribulation Realm.

Yet for some unknown reason, as those around him gradually grew up and made breakthroughs in cultivation, he himself remained stuck at the tenth level of the God Tribulation Realm, unable to advance.

To advance in the God Tribulation Realm, one had to draw down a Lightning Tribulation and successfully endure it.

Generally speaking, one could directly communicate with heaven and earth upon reaching the peak of the God Tribulation Realm, drawing down a Lightning Tribulation to undergo tribulation.

But he... had reached the peak of the God Tribulation Realm a full twelve years ago. Though his mystic power had continued to grow, he had never been able to draw down the Heavenly Tribulation.

This had left him unable to break through. Not only had his realm made no progress, but even certain Mystic Arts seemed to be restricted by an invisible shackle around Xiao Feng...

"Feng?"

A clear, pleasant voice entered Xiao Feng's ears.

The instant he heard it, Xiao Feng swept the disappointment from his eyes. After making sure his expression showed no dejection,

he slowly descended from the second floor and arrived on the first...

The moment Xiao Feng reached the first floor, he saw a woman.

She wore an elegant pale-white dress. Her glossy black hair was tied up, her skin as fair as fresh snow, her breasts full, and her slender waist narrow enough to be held in one hand. Her alluring, perfect figure could stir desire in any man at a single glance.

Yet her features were exceedingly ordinary, without a single outstanding trait. Any man who saw her would cry out in regret.

When Xiao Feng saw her, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Sister Ling'er, I've finished cultivating. How have the customers at the pharmacy been lately?"

"Same as always..." Xiao Ling'er replied. "It's just that recently, people who came to the shop have been saying that several cities seem to have turned into empty cities overnight, with everyone simply vanishing..."

Xiao Feng paid it no mind. "I've heard plenty of such alarmist rumors lately. Didn't the Wind Cloud Empire's royal family already issue an announcement denying them?"

"That's true..." Xiao Ling'er lightly nodded. Then she looked Xiao Feng up and down and said,

"Hey, your mystic power seems a little more 'solidified.' I'm guessing it won't be long before you can break through."

"I think so too," Xiao Feng said with a serious expression.

"Hehe~" Seeing this, Xiao Ling'er smiled. "I watched you grow up. I know your talent better than anyone else. You definitely... definitely will become the most dazzling star!"

Xiao Feng returned her smile.

"Oh, right. Boss Wang came by not long ago. Since you've just finished cultivating, help me watch the shop for a while. I'll go deliver medicine to him," Xiao Ling'er said.

"No need..." Hearing this, Xiao Feng hurriedly said, "Hey, you should just stay at the Medical Clinic and treat patients. I can handle this sort of thing. I don't have anything to do anyway, and I can take a walk while I'm at it."

"Alright..." Xiao Ling'er did not refuse. A smile appeared at the corner of her lips as she took out the medicine and handed it to Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng accepted the medicine and left the house. They had spent more than a decade together and had long developed perfect understanding; many things no longer needed to be said.

Watching Xiao Feng's figure leave, Xiao Ling'er gazed after him for a long while before slowly entering a partitioned room on the first floor.

It was a rather large study, filled with countless books. The books were free of dust, though somewhat worn...

She picked up a book titled Records of Mystic Cultivation and quickly began flipping through it.

As she read familiar words one after another, she unconsciously murmured,

"Why has he been unable to break through for a full twelve years?"

"The God Tribulation Realm should be the realm least likely to have a bottleneck, shouldn't it?"

She had searched through countless books, not even overlooking casual local records and miscellaneous texts. Any passage that might offer the slightest clue, she would carefully read over several times, yet she had found nothing.

She knew that Xiao Feng was definitely not as carefree as he appeared on the surface.

Every day, countless mystic practitioners died beneath the Heavenly Tribulation while undergoing tribulation in the God Tribulation Realm. Because of this, some chose to remain in the God Tribulation Realm for their entire lives out of fear of death.

But... in an environment where nearly everyone exhausted everything they had in pursuit of the supreme mystic path, how would others see an unparalleled genius who had reached the God Tribulation Realm at the age of six, yet remained trapped in the bottleneck-free God Tribulation Realm for twelve entire years without breaking through?

Everyone's first thought would be the same four words—afraid of death.

But... that was not the most important thing. What she feared most was that Xiao Feng's heart would gradually become fragile because of it...

As a doctor, illnesses of the heart also fell within her scope of treatment.

Perhaps if anyone so much as looked at him, he would think that person was mocking him, rather than merely glancing at him unconsciously.

With a soft sigh, Xiao Ling'er's thoughts drifted, and she unconsciously murmured,

"Could it... be caused by what happened back then?"

But she quickly gathered her wandering thoughts and immersed herself in the books once more. Though she could already recite the books here backward, she still read them with great care, seeking only not to miss any hidden meaning between a single word or phrase.

A desolate, barren environment. A world with few traces of human life.

After delivering the medicine to Boss Wang, Xiao Feng slowly walked through the city. Abyssal Dust filled the area, and even the air was unbearably uncomfortable.

Though he had been here for a long time, he still found it difficult to adapt.

He silently circulated the Miracle of Life. Instantly, an imperceptible pure white radiance appeared around his body... Bright Mystic Force!

Bright Mystic Force could block Abyssal Dust. This was something Xiao Feng had discovered after cultivating the Miracle of Life.

Abyssal Dust... was everywhere, like air itself. It constantly eroded one's life until death arrived.

The only way to resist Abyssal Dust was to continuously raise one's mystic power and become stronger.

Or one could travel to a god kingdom protected by a true god.

For true gods could use divine power to create barriers that isolated Abyssal Dust... or pure lands free of Abyssal Dust.

Xiao Feng looked toward the dim sky, his thoughts tangled.

His Bright Mystic Force had been cultivated through the Creation God Art, Miracle of Life, left behind by Li Suo, one of the four Creation Gods.

To cultivate the Miracle of Life, one first needed a Sacred Heart and a Sacred Body.

Even now, he vaguely remembered that when he had been an infant, a voice had seemed to appear beside his ear, softly chanting the core formula of the Miracle of Life.

It had even helped him draw in his first thread of mystic power during infancy, allowing him to reach the Initial Mystic Realm as a baby.

The Mystic Art was not unfamiliar to him. One could even say it was deeply familiar, because it came from the novel Against The Gods.

As he wandered through the city...

Suddenly, Xiao Feng's Spiritual Sense detected someone watching him. He followed that gaze and saw a man.

The man stood tall and had a plain appearance, but at this moment, his entire body radiated an overbearing aura that seemed to declare that none under heaven could rival him.

Another man stood beside him, presumably his attendant.

Xiao Feng recognized the man with that overbearing aura. His name was Qi Panjian.

Xiao Feng saw who had been watching him but paid no attention.

He turned away, intending to continue clearing his mind.

Yet when Qi Panjian saw Xiao Feng look over without coming toward him, he strode forward at an unhurried pace and caught up to Xiao Feng.

Qi Panjian came beside Xiao Feng and struck up a conversation as though he had met an old acquaintance. "Yo, Brother Xiao. Long time no see. It's been quite a while."

Xiao Feng's lips twitched. Qi Panjian was two years older than him, and they had "played" together as children, so calling him little brother was not exactly improper.

Since Qi Panjian had come right up to him, Xiao Feng could not pretend not to see him. He cupped his hands and said, "Brother Pan, long time no see. Judging by your aura, your cultivation must have improved again."

Qi Panjian spoke calmly. "I did make a small breakthrough."

After saying that, he glanced ever so slightly at the attendant beside him.

The attendant was named Qi Yi, a servant of the Qi Family. He was specifically responsible for Qi Panjian's daily needs.

Though he was merely a servant of the Qi Family, for some reason, Xiao Feng's Soul Sea held a rather deep impression of this man.

Qi Yi cried out exaggeratedly, "Young Master is truly humble! He successfully passed his tribulation and advanced to the God Spirit Realm as early as last month, and he endured a dual Heavenly Tribulation at that! His future is boundless!"

"Then yesterday, in one great push, he became a second-level God Spirit Realm prodigy! Even the God King Realm will surely be within reach before long!"

Xiao Feng now knew where that impression came from. This flattery was enough to blow someone into the heavens.

"Shut up!" Qi Panjian suddenly spoke and rebuked Qi Yi.

Qi Yi was instantly at a loss.

Even Xiao Feng was baffled by him. His personality... should not have been like this.

Qi Panjian said righteously, "What did I say when we were in the Qi Family?"

"I emphasized it to you countless times—hidden dragons dwell in the abyss. I repeatedly stressed the words 'conceal one's brilliance.' You must never loudly publicize even the slightest achievement and make it known to everyone!"

"Especially before Brother Xiao. He reached the God Tribulation Realm at six, knowing he would inevitably draw the attention of the entire world and even incur others' hatred. Thus, he 'deliberately' blended into the masses, making no breakthrough at all for twelve entire years. Even as rumors spread that he was afraid of death, he remained unmoved and made no progress whatsoever..."

After saying that, he slowly paused... but his tone rose even higher than before. "I am already inferior to him in such persistence. As for my mere God Spirit Realm, Brother Xiao could surely enter it whenever he wished..."

"And yet you speak like this in front of Brother Xiao. Wouldn't that make it seem as though I were deliberately showing off and flaunting my skills before an expert?"

The corner of Xiao Feng's mouth twitched slightly...

After speaking, Qi Panjian reached out, intending to pat away dust that did not exist on Xiao Feng's shoulder. But Xiao Feng shifted aside and avoided him, causing his hand to strike only an afterimage.

He quickly withdrew his hand and placed it behind his back, though a trace of astonishment flashed across his face. Even now, he still could not see through Xiao Feng's movement technique at all!

"Cough, cough..." He lightly coughed, trying to ease the awkwardness.

Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Feng beat him to it. "Congratulations on your breakthrough, Brother Pan. I have yet to visit you, which is truly discourteous. If you have time, you can visit the Medical Clinic my sister runs, explain the situation, and collect some medicine for your injuries."

"I have matters to attend to and truly cannot spare the time to visit. Please forgive me."

Qi Panjian laughed heartily. "It's nothing. But your family's injury medicine really is useful; even those old-established shops can't compare to yours. I won't stand on ceremony, then. I'll head over shortly. Go handle your business. I won't disturb you."

Xiao Feng gave no reply and turned toward the outskirts of the city...

Qi Yi looked at Xiao Feng's back and curled his lips. "Still acting so proud. Does he still think he's that genius everyone admired?"

Qi Panjian had always been suppressed by Xiao Feng when they were children, and he could never win an argument against him. That was why, after breaking through, the first person Qi Panjian had thought of was Xiao Feng.

But at this moment, the smile on Qi Panjian's face could not be concealed at all. He praised Qi Yi, "Well done."

"You have no idea what Xiao Feng's expression just now looked like... Tsk, tsk, it was unbelievably satisfying!"

A new author's first work—just a disclaimer: there will basically be no differences in the setting, but the plot and characters may change.

Realms:

Mortal Body Nine Realms: Initial Mystic Realm - Entering Mystic Realm - True Mystic Realm - Spirit Mystic Realm - Earth Mystic Realm - Sky Mystic Realm - King Mystic Realm - Overlord Mystic Realm - Monarch Mystic Realm.

God Mystic Seven Realms: God Origin Realm - God Soul Realm - God Tribulation Realm - God Spirit Realm - God King Realm - God Monarch Realm - God Master Realm.

Ancient True God Realms: God Extinction Realm (demigod) - God Zenith Realm (tenth level of the God Extinction Realm) - True God - Creation God - Progenitor God.