Over the next few years, Mu Chen frequently traveled between the Great Thousand World and Perfect World.
He spent time with family, friends, and his beloveds, enjoying rare peace and warmth, yet never neglected his cultivation. He also often stood guard at the Imperial Pass against unforeseen dangers.
Having lost an Immortal King, the Foreign Domain had behaved itself considerably over these years. There were only occasional probes and clashes, none of which stirred any great waves.
With Mu Chen, a true immortal, guarding them, the people of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands felt much more secure.
Even more heartening, nourished by the lingering benefits of Mu Chen's teachings, Meng Tianzheng's long accumulation finally bore fruit, and he successfully took that final step.
He summoned the lightning tribulation of the immortal path, tempered himself through it, and ultimately succeeded, surviving the ordeal of the eerie black mist!
The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands now had another true immortal!
On this day, at the Imperial Pass.
Boom!
A deep, thunderous sound like an ancient war drum erupted without warning!
Rolling sound waves instantly swept through every corner of the mighty pass, making ears ache and hearts pound.
Immediately afterward, bleak, urgent horn calls tore through the sky in an unbroken succession. The True Dragon Horn was sounding!
"The Foreign Domain is assaulting the pass!"
"Prepare for battle! All troops, prepare for battle!"
Cries of alarm and furious roars erupted across the walls. Within the previously orderly pass, the atmosphere instantly tightened like a fully drawn bowstring.
Meng Tianzheng appeared atop the highest gate tower, clad in armor and bearing weapons. His expression was utterly grave, his gaze like lightning as it pierced into the depths of the desert.
At the far end of the horizon, a dark tide surged toward