After reaching the Divine Bridge Realm, Li Qingxu did not wake from his cultivation. He continued to absorb the energy of the universe without pause.
This was far better than in the Shrouding the Heavens World. The energy of the universe, like Pure Source, was everywhere.
His Bitter Sea had changed as well. It had been about the size of a palm, but now it was a whole lot larger.
In the training hall, Li Qingxu sat cross-legged on the floor, resembling a golden War God.
High above his Bitter Sea hung a dazzling radiance that looked like a bridge.
The cells throughout his Sacred Body devoured the energy of the universe, and the vast essence of life they produced poured into the Divine Bridge.
Time passed, and the sun and moon alternated outside the window.
The Divine Bridge spanning the Bitter Sea seemed poised to reach the Other Shore.
But just then, the world before his eyes turned hazy. He could no longer see, as if he had lost his way.
"Is this the Calamity of Lost Direction again?"
Li Qingxu stood on the Divine Bridge, murmuring.
This was the Calamity of Lost Direction that came with crossing the Divine Bridge to the Other Shore.
The human body held endless mysteries. A cultivator who did not want to remain trapped in the Bitter Sea had to cross it.
Only by cultivating a Divine Meridian that stretched above the Bitter Sea and led to the Other Shore could one escape this predicament.
But as the Divine Bridge grew and stretched through the void, how far did it need to extend to reach the Other Shore?
Some people spent their entire lives unable to see through the illusions. Trapped at this end of the Divine Bridge, they could not cross the Bitter Sea. That was the Calamity of Lost Direction.
At its worst, it could even rob a person of their five senses and spiritual awareness, turning them into an insensate cripple.
Most people encountered a fog blocking their way when crossing the Divine Bridge, leaving them unsure which direction to go.
But it was not too serious. They could simply calm down and walk through it; the fog could not stop them.
Li Qingxu, however, had not expected this. His cultivation had gone exceptionally smoothly since he started over, without a single setback.
He had even thought that once he built the Divine Bridge, he would reach the Other Shore directly.
He had not expected the calamity to strike so completely only now.
Endless fog poured out. His senses gradually grew hazy, and the distracting thoughts buried in his heart came surging forth.
This trial tested only the heart. Having stepped into it, he had no way back.
In a sense, although the Calamity of Lost Direction was a tribulation, those who overcame it would have their body and mind cleansed.
It would also awaken a person's instinctive intuition. The subconscious would grow stronger, see through illusions, and point straight to the source.
Now, fog veiled everything around him. He seemed trapped in a cage, with only the Divine Bridge beneath his feet and no idea which way it led.
The Calamity of Lost Direction was known as a trial of life and death, and that was no exaggeration. Many prodigies had emphasized this trial when looking back on their past.
"Where is the Other Shore?"
"I take one step, and the Other Shore is right before me."
Li Qingxu's voice was calm, as if this were only natural.
As his foot came down, the golden Bitter Sea surged. Ten thousand feet of golden light became a Golden Light Avenue stretching beneath him.
Rumble!
The clouds and fog churned, then shattered beneath the Golden Light Avenue. Heaven and Earth cleared, and everything came into view.
In an instant, the fog dispersed and his five senses returned, sharper than before. A mysterious radiance enveloped him, as if he were being cleansed.
Above the Wheel Sea, the dazzling rainbow Divine Bridge seemed to turn into a golden bridge, growing broader and sturdier by the moment.
As he stepped forward, he arrived at the end of the Bitter Sea in an instant.
It was like a pure land, veiled in drifting clouds. A massive Dao Palace stood across the high sky.
Unfortunately, having only just reached the Other Shore, he still needed time and energy to replenish himself. He could not reach the Other Shore Realm's peak immediately, so naturally he could not open the Dao Palace Secret Realm.
Li Qingxu felt the changes in himself. His vital essence, spirit, and energy had been elevated, and his divine power surged.
His Bitter Sea seemed to have grown another size, its surface shimmering with golden light.
He did not know how much time had passed, but his strength had increased tremendously.
As Li Qingxu rose to his feet in the training hall, a surge of imposing might suddenly burst from him.
For an instant, it was as if a figure that looked down upon the universe was slowly awakening behind him.
"That feeling from before is gradually coming back."
Li Qingxu's expression was somewhat wistful.
He walked over and picked up his phone. The date displayed was already November 29.
This time, his cultivation had lasted nearly three months.
But the gains were immense. He had leapt from the peak of the Life Spring Realm to become a cultivator of the Other Shore Realm.
This was far faster than in his previous life.
Despite this rapid rise in cultivation, he did not feel the slightest instability. If anything, his foundation was firmer than it had been in his previous life.
With a thought, a golden sea instantly spread through the training hall, which covered nearly two thousand square meters.
"So this is all a domain amounts to."
Li Qingxu carefully felt out the domain, formed by his golden Bitter Sea. Its effect was far inferior to the Sacred Body's visions.
Still, it was a pretty good way to mow down monsters weaker than him.
It might be a little underwhelming, but he couldn't exactly use his visions right off the bat every time.
"Beep. A report has come in from County 0231 in Jiangnan Base City. A rat tide has broken out there. Please proceed to the round-table conference room."
The mechanical voice of the intelligent system suddenly rang through the room.
"A rat tide?"
"I think I remember this."
As Li Qingxu spoke, his figure disappeared from the room.
At the same time, on the helipad at Limit Dojo headquarters, a Blood-Red Triangular Fighter Jet flashed through the sky above the headquarters and vanished into the distance.
"Has the Dojo Master emerged from seclusion? Why didn't we get a notification?"
"Wait, who took the Dojo Master's fighter jet?!"
Meanwhile, in County 0231,
looking at the swarming mass of monsters, each only about thirty centimeters long—slightly bigger than a person's palm—
"Rat tide?"
Luo Feng was instantly startled.
A rat tide was also known as a rat disaster. Even a War God Level expert would be doomed if surrounded by an endless tide of rats.
The black mass of rats did not seem endless. They covered the entire highway in width and stretched only about a hundred meters in length.
This rat tide had tens of thousands of monsters, making it a small one.
So Luo Feng had only one choice: run!
The three people in his line of sight had already dropped their weapons and were sprinting away.
The rat tide behind them kept closing in, steadily cutting the distance between them.
"Damn!"
"Why hasn't the army arrived yet?"
"If they don't show up soon, we're really done for!"
"I can't run anymore."
"Me neither."
The three exchanged glances, all looking helpless and miserable.
At their top speed, they could outrun the rat tide by a wide margin.
But since it was their top speed, they could not maintain it for long.
"Army, hurry up and get here!"
"We're close to the military district. Why haven't the troops arrived?"
Their legs were going numb, and extreme muscle fatigue kept them from running any faster.
Luo Feng, carrying a War Blade, shield, and other gear, maintained the astonishing speed of sixty meters per second as he raced away.
He had already been far ahead of the rat tide, and soon he left it far behind.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Luo Feng exclaimed in surprise.
Far off in the sky, a scarlet streak of light cut across the heavens.
Only when the crimson streak drew closer did Luo Feng see it clearly.
It was a Blood-Red Triangular Fighter Jet, and to him it looked like a fierce winged monster.
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