Dark Realm

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Dark Realm (暗界)
Alias(es)	Dark Realm Universe (after Ascension) 635 641
Species/Race	World; later a Universe 635 661
Status	Ascended and stabilized as the Dark Realm Universe 635 661
First Appearance	1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Dark Realm	1	A cultivation world accessed by Earth players through the login system.
Dark Realm divided into 24 sections	617	Twenty-four Venerable Lords split the realm into two layers of twelve sections before its attempt at ascension.
Dark Realm Universe	635	Zhang Qing forces the realm into the Chaos Sea; captured Purple Qi stabilizes it and begins its transformation.
Law-era Universe	641	The old Authority-based system is superseded by Law as the dominant power framework.
Primal Land-integrated Universe	661	The Dark Realm Universe expands to encompass the Primal Land, merging their barriers and reaching long-term stability.

Background

Origin

The Dark Realm formed where water from the River of Destiny leaked through a gap in the void and accumulated matter over countless years. The emergence of ghouls later disrupted order and tore the rift further, drawing numerous planets into the growing world. 463 465

The first inhabitants endured repeated deaths and ghoul predation until some species established themselves through the Sequence system. Ghouls consequently predate the Imperial Cities in the realm's recorded history. 465

Sky City, a technological civilization from distant galaxies, later descended to investigate the Dark Realm. Its early conflict with the realm's Venerable Lords ended when the Order Divine Rule intervened, establishing the conditions for the Sky City Battlefield and the Venerable Lords' Ultimate Leap. 488

Imperial Cities and Great Xia

Eleven Imperial Cities arose after the early conflict with Sky City. Great Xia later became recognized as a twelfth Imperial City following its rise and the Blue Star Fall. 488 500

The realm's political order was supported by twelve Imperial City Sequences, described as the “skeletons” of its Authority system. Dao Lineages and other Transcendent beings occupied the innumerable lesser Authority niches throughout the world. 630

Structure and Inhabitants

• Surface realm and Dark Side — The Dark Side is a dangerous region shaped by First Generation Ancestors and divided into specialized zones, including the Flesh Zone and Frost Snow Zone. 402
• Dark Realm sections — Before Ascension, twenty-four Venerable Lords divided the realm into two layers, each containing twelve territorial sections. 617
• Ghouls — Ghouls emerged through divine punishment and can regenerate even after being killed. Their spread and predation fundamentally shaped the Dark Realm's history. 465
• Imperial City Sequences — The principal Sequence powers supporting the realm's political and Authority structure. 630
• Dao Lineages — Transcendent organizations that occupy specific Authority niches and operate alongside, rather than fully under, the Imperial Cities. 630
• Sky City — An external mechanical civilization whose Mechanical Authority and Mecha forces remain one of the Dark Realm's principal threats. 488 521

Power Systems and Rules

Framework	Details
Martial Path	Cultivation progresses through Glimmering, Candlelight, Starflash, Moon-Shattering, Sunrise, Blazing Sun, Meteor, Falling Moon, and Martial God realms. Cultivation techniques can generate true qi and elevate physical ability beyond conventional human limits. 165 181
Health Bars	Earth login users can perceive health bars. Killing a non-ghoul can increase a player's maximum HP, while killing ghouls grants Attribute Points. 2
Attribute Points	Login users can use Attribute Points to advance their cultivation, unlike native cultivators who must cultivate through conventional means. 2
Sequence and Authority	Sequence Users, commonly called “Heavenly Demons,” wield powers based on mental energy, Beacons, armor, and Authority. The term “Sequence” itself is treated as dangerous to reveal openly. 165 191
Law	After Ascension, Law replaces Authority as the new era's primary system. A practitioner's power is supported by the Dark Realm Universe itself. 641

The Dark Realm's rules are not merely numerical abstractions: its inhabitants have biological bodies, and lethal injuries such as decapitation or destruction of the heart remain decisive. 61

Connection to Earth

Earth users access the Dark Realm through helmets that scan brainwaves and connect them to its system. Zhang Qing enters ahead of the general player population to exploit his prior knowledge of the realm. 1

Before the official launch, the Dark Realm's advertisements appeared across media platforms worldwide despite the absence of identifiable staff, operators, or manufacturers. The promotion itself was lawful and funded through legitimate payments, deepening the mystery surrounding the system. 177

Power acquired in the Dark Realm can manifest in reality once a player reaches the Sunrise Realm, including physical strength and the ability to manipulate qi. 329

Great Xia began preparing for the realm's eventual arrival after Zhang Qing demonstrated its rules and dangers to its leadership. 165 Earth later fell into the Dark Realm, becoming part of its wider political and military struggles. 545

Ascension

Facing the End of Time and the absence of an Other Shore, Zhang Qing proposed that the Venerable Lords create their own Universe rather than wait for extinction. The Venerable Lords accepted the plan and prepared the Steel Dark Realm and Sky-Piercing Pillars to survive the coming calamities. 621

When Zhang Qing could not seize the purple Qi of Creation alone, every Venerable Lord, Progenitor, and Transcendent being in the Dark Realm mobilized their Authorities to assist. 630

The descent into the Chaos Sea began as a gamble with the entire realm at stake. Contact with the Chaos Sea decomposed living beings unable to resist it, but Zhang Qing captured Purple Qi to stabilize the Dark Realm; those who had decomposed were restored through their retained True Spirits and the Flesh Authority. 635

Ascension solidified Authority and caused the Sequence system to collapse, triggering widespread conflict among factions that had relied on the old order. Zhang Qing shed his Dragon Venerable true body to lay the foundation for a new Great Xia power system. 636

New Era

The Law system becomes the foundation of the Dark Realm Universe's new era. Its power users are bound to the Universe: they defend and expand it, while the Universe sustains their strength. 641

Over three thousand years, the Dark Realm Universe expands to encompass the Primal Land. Its inhabitants develop new systems, with sorcery becoming a leading path and Life Leap emerging to preserve species threatened by bloodline incompatibility. 661

Despite new generations of powerful beings and the spread of ghouls into myriad worlds, Venerable Lords and Progenitors retain supreme influence within the stabilized Dark Realm Universe. 661