“It’s about time to head up and take a look. Maybe I can rush out through that rift,” Lin Xiao thought to himself, determined not to stay in this place for ten years until the next Mysterious Domain Battlefield opened.
If the Stone Clan powerhouse could escape through the rift, and the Nether Heaven Demon Palace members could enter through it, there should be a way for him to get out as well.
Glancing around, Lin Xiao saw that Xu Tian Wangyue’s form remained unchanged, still tightly wrapped in thick white whiskers, completely sealed with no trace of aura leaking out.
It seemed Xu Tian Wangyue hadn’t completed its breakthrough.
“Better store it for now,” Lin Xiao decided, placing Xu Tian Wangyue into his storage ring.
With its tight wrapping and no leaking aura, Xu Tian Wangyue wouldn’t affect the ring’s internal space.
Finally, Lin Xiao bowed respectfully to the depths of the Death Abyss, then soared upward.
After some time, brighter light entered his vision. His body emerged from the Death Abyss’s entrance, standing in the void.
The stone slab sealing the thunderstorm and the storm itself had vanished completely.
The scene before him shocked Lin Xiao.
The entire Ultimate Battlefield area had transformed. All the forbidden zones were gone, leaving a scarred landscape of craters and pits. All traces of corpses had been obliterated.
In the void, not only was there the rift torn by the Stone Clan powerhouse, but countless other cracks had appeared, scattered across various planes—horizontal above, vertical below, in all sizes.
Lin Xiao couldn’t guess what cataclysmic phenomenon had eradicated the living beings after the Ultimate Battlefield ended, but judging by the scene, it must have been an extraordinarily terrifying event to create so many void rifts.
His gaze swept over the rifts, searching for one that could lead out and determining the best direction.
Using the orientation from when he entered the Mysterious Domain Battlefield and the rift the Stone Clan powerhouse had opened, Lin Xiao selected a void rift most likely closest to Shengyuan Academy.
Then, channeling surging elemental and spirit power, he rushed into the rift.
—
**Chaos Lands**
After the Mysterious Domain Battlefield ended, the enmity between Shengyuan Academy and Nether Heaven Demon Palace deepened. Disciples from both sides engaged in covert skirmishes, which grew increasingly fierce. Both factions suffered significant losses until their conflicts escalated into open warfare.
Nether Heaven Demon Palace formed the Nether Heaven Alliance, uniting disciples from various Chaos Lands factions to oppose the Holy City.
In response, the Holy City established the Holy City Alliance, with many factions joining to counter Nether Heaven Demon Palace.
Initially, the conflicts involved only Martial King disciples. Later, when powerful Martial King disciples killed older-generation Martial Kings, the battles expanded to include all Martial Kings, regardless of age.
As some Martial King disciples broke through to Martial Venerable and dominated their foes, Martial Venerable disciples from both sides joined the fray.
Now, the conflicts had escalated to involve early-stage Martial Venerables.
Both factions’ leaders maintained an unspoken agreement: older-generation powerhouses could join, but their cultivation was limited to the same tier.
If one side deployed high-tier older-generation experts, the other would respond with even stronger ones, leading to a decisive battle neither side wanted, as it would result in massive losses.
Over the year of conflict, many disciples fell, but many also rose. As the saying goes, heroes emerge in chaotic times. Strife could fell geniuses but also birthed countless others.
For the younger generation, this wasn’t necessarily bad. For both factions, it was beneficial.
Within the Holy City Alliance, various disciple-led factions gained prominence, especially those previously ranked high within their groups.
Factions like the Holy City’s Martial Alliance, Moon Gate, Blade-Sword Alliance, and Spirit Gate grew increasingly powerful.
Additionally, a new faction in the Holy City, rising rapidly within a year, surpassed even these four in fame: Heaven’s Gate.
Heaven’s Gate’s deputy leader, Hu Yue, rose like a comet. In one year, she advanced from Martial King Sixth Rank to Martial Venerable First Rank, becoming Shengyuan Academy’s youngest Martial Venerable at just under eighteen.
Her combat prowess was formidable, and as a top-tier assassin, she claimed countless Nether Heaven Demon Palace experts, including several Martial Venerables. Her name struck fear into their disciples.
Other young talents in the Holy City also emerged. Gu Xuanyuan, Gu Juejin, Shura Butcher, Ma Bi, and Niu Bi broke through to Martial Venerable First Rank, marking them as exceptional prodigies of their generation.
Zi Ling reached fifth-grade spirit controller, joining Shengyuan Academy’s top disciples, a prodigy in her own right.
Few could achieve such a level in spirit control at her age, and spirit controllers’ combat power often surpassed elemental martial artists of the same tier.
Among the slightly older Star List disciples, Bai Moxuan, Mu Yao, and Yang Dehui, previously peak Martial Kings, advanced to Martial Venerable, with all three reaching Second Rank.
Disciples who joined two years ago, like Yu Jingge, Qi Muba, Ji Mo, and Duan Cangsheng, reached Martial King Ninth Rank, each with terrifying combat power, heralding a golden age of talent.
A key reason was the war with the Nether Heaven Alliance, as conflict forged geniuses.
Most of these rising youths joined Heaven’s Gate.
The primary reason was Lin Xiao.
During the Mysterious Domain Battlefield, Lin Xiao’s performance earned the admiration and respect of countless disciples, inspiring them to join Heaven’s Gate.
His friends and those he saved—Niu Bi, Ma Bi, Gu Xuanyuan—joined, and even the lone Shura Butcher took the title of Heaven’s Gate Guest Deputy Hall Master.
Even those who clashed with Lin Xiao joined out of respect and remembrance.
Among the top thirty from the ranking competition two years ago, besides Gu Xuanyuan, Lei Kuang, Luo Zhong, Ji Chen, Zhao Jing, Lai Shufeng, and Xia Jianren joined Heaven’s Gate.
These individuals had all reached high-tier Martial King.
