Shen Fan slowly rose to his feet and stretched his limbs. Feeling the unprecedented, surging power within him, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
"But..."
Something suddenly occurred to Shen Fan, and he murmured to himself,
"According to Fa Yuan's memories, above the seventh layer of the Nirvana Realm, there are still the eighth and ninth layers."
"And only above the ninth layer... does one become a Realm Lord."
"I still have a long road ahead."
His smile faded, and his eyes became calm and resolute once more.
"No rush. One footprint at a time, I'll reach that point eventually."
He lowered his head to look at the seven Nirvana Divine Runes slowly revolving around him. Each radiated a profound, ancient aura, like seven shackles, yet also like seven layers of heaven and earth.
"Someone at the seventh layer of the Nirvana Realm is already a legendary figure in the Realm Sea."
"But according to these fellows' memories, in a place like the Dharma Realm, I would probably be nothing remarkable."
"To gain a firm foothold, I'll have to keep improving."
Shen Fan slowly turned his gaze toward the distance, as though he could already see that vaster world.
"And... I keep feeling that the sinister thing in the Grand Tomb's Main Tomb Chamber still has its eye on me."
Remembering the eerie doors to the Main Tomb Chamber and that inexplicable intuition of danger, his gaze sharpened slightly.
"If, as the murals showed, a Realm Lord from billions of years ago is still alive, his powers must shake heaven and earth."
"Although I escaped this calamity, there's no guarantee he won't come after me."
"So I can't let up on improving my strength, not even for a moment."
Shen Fan clenched his fists, engraving that vigilance deep in his heart.