Ye Xuan left the Illusory Crystal Realm, and the Illusory Demon King did not pursue him. Outside the realm, his strength would be greatly diminished.
At that moment, the Demon King was filled with confusion. What was that move Ye Xuan used? Why was its power so terrifying? His expression darkened. This low-level human civilisation being didn’t seem so weak after all.
As if struck by a thought, he opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword appeared. Staring at it, his brows furrowed. The sword felt ordinary in his hands, yet he sensed it was extraordinary, special. What was going on? Perplexed, the Demon King decided he needed to study it further. After a moment’s thought, he turned and left.
As for Ye Xuan, the Demon King didn’t dwell on him. Though Ye Xuan’s strength had grown, in the Illusory Crystal Realm, the Demon King was still the ruler.
After leaving the realm, Ye Xuan returned to the small pagoda to cultivate. His earlier move was powerful but not enough to defeat the Demon King. He needed to improve. Though he didn’t win, the fight showed him endless possibilities, and he was thrilled.
Zhantai Ling’er sat quietly nearby, watching him. Every day, she schemed to trick Ye Xuan into sharing his cultivation technique. But this human was a bit too clever, not easily fooled. She sighed, feeling helpless.
Decades passed, and Ye Xuan could now compress space-time within a hundred-mile radius, over five times his previous range. The power was immense. Notably, he had borrowed a hundred thousand God Knowledge Crystals from Zhantai Ling’er, who lent them generously, playing the long game to hook a bigger prize.
An hour later, Ye Xuan and Zhantai Ling’er left the pagoda and returned to the Illusory Crystal Realm. Upon entering, countless auras locked onto them. Ye Xuan remained calm.
The Illusory Demon King appeared before him. As he opened his mouth to speak, Ye Xuan suddenly struck with a massive slap. In an instant, the space-time within millions of miles collapsed, a world-destroying force.
The entire realm’s powerhouses were horrified. The Demon King was stunned. He survived, but his physical body was obliterated, and his soul was severely damaged. What kind of move was this?
Zhantai Ling’er was equally shocked. She hadn’t expected Ye Xuan’s combat power to become so terrifying. This was the Illusory Demon King, equivalent to a Mysterious Venerable, even stronger in the realm. Yet Ye Xuan had crushed him, meaning his strength now rivalled a Mysterious Venerable. Unbelievable, but exhilarating for her. If she could get this technique, she’d rule the God Knowledge Clan.
“Ye Xuan in hand, the world is mine,” she thought, grinning.
Ye Xuan glanced at the Demon King. “So weak.” He turned, taking Zhantai Ling’er, and vanished into the starry depths.
The Demon King stood dumbfounded. What just happened?
Another demon king, Gu Yao Wang, one of the realm’s three kings, appeared. “What happened?”
The Illusory Demon King, after a pause, produced the Qingxuan Sword and recounted the events. Gu Yao Wang frowned at the sword. “Impressive.”
The Illusory Demon King nodded. “It must be from an advanced civilisation.”
Gu Yao Wang looked at him. “If the sword is extraordinary, its owner must be too.”
The Illusory Demon King shook his head. “That guy was just a low-level civilisation being.”
Gu Yao Wang asked, “A low-level being injured you like this?”
The Illusory Demon King’s brows furrowed. “Yeah, how could a low-level being hurt me?”
Gu Yao Wang’s face twitched. “You’re asking me?” He sighed. “You might have provoked a mysterious civilisation.”
The Illusory Demon King insisted, “He’s definitely low-level. He must have cheated.”
Gu Yao Wang was silent.
The Illusory Demon King continued, “What now? I can’t just give the sword back. That’d be too humiliating. I still need to maintain my reputation.”
Gu Yao Wang looked at him. “What do you suggest?”
After thinking, the Illusory Demon King said, “It’s simple. We kill him. Next time he comes, we gang up on him.”
“Gang up?” Gu Yao Wang sighed. “Did you see the woman with him?”
The Illusory Demon King nodded. “Yeah, she’s pretty.”
Gu Yao Wang stared at him. “She’s from the God Knowledge Civilization. That means the kid might have their backing.”
The Illusory Demon King frowned. “Backing?” He roared, “The God Knowledge Civilization is shameless, targeting me.”
Gu Yao Wang corrected, “Not you, our entire realm.”
The Illusory Demon King growled, “What can we do? We can’t leave the realm.”
Gu Yao Wang glanced at where Ye Xuan vanished. “He’ll come back.”
The Illusory Demon King muttered, “My body’s gone.”
Gu Yao Wang was speechless.
Ye Xuan and Zhantai Ling’er returned to the pagoda. He sat cross-legged and resumed cultivating, aiming for his limit. That last move nearly killed the Demon King, but the power was still lacking.
Zhantai Ling’er asked curiously, “What happens if you master this compression technique?”
Ye Xuan grinned. “At its peak, as my sister says, a wave of my hand could destroy the God Knowledge Civilization a million times.”
A million times. Zhantai Ling’er fell silent. She didn’t think he was boasting. Advanced civilisations could easily crush lower ones, like the God Knowledge Civilization destroying human ones. Pure dimensional dominance.
Ye Xuan ignored her, diving back into cultivation, eager to test his limits. Over time in the pagoda, he could compress space-time within millions of feet. The power in that line was so terrifying even he feared it. Without entering a higher dimension, it could kill him.
Zhantai Ling’er’s eyes were grave as she sensed the line’s power. A single slap from Ye Xuan could kill an unprepared Life Mysterious Realm powerhouse. She had to get this technique.
Ye Xuan waved, dissipating the force, and smiled, satisfied. If fused with his sword, the power would be even greater. But only the Qingxuan Sword could withstand it.
Zhantai Ling’er asked, “Back to the Illusory Crystal Realm?”
Ye Xuan shook his head. “No.”
“Why not?” she asked.
He grinned. “After that loss, they’ll be ready with an ambush. We’d get mobbed.”
She nodded. “True. So what now?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “They can’t leave the realm, right?”
She nodded. “Right. Outside, their strength drops significantly, but inside, it’s boosted.”
Ye Xuan frowned. “Why’s that?”
She shook her head. “No idea.”
Ye Xuan mused, “So they can only take hits passively, right?”
Zhantai Ling’er nodded. “You could say that. But inside, we’d be the ones taking hits.”
Ye Xuan smiled. “I’ll get someone.” He turned to leave.
Zhantai Ling’er, puzzled, followed. Ye Xuan returned to the Guanxuan Academy, disappointed to find Qingqiu still absent. He found Qin Guan instead.
In the courtyard, Qin Guan blinked. “Attack the Illusory Crystal Realm?”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Yes.”
Qin Guan clapped, grinning. “Great, perfect. I’ve developed a superweapon and was looking for a place to test it.”
Ye Xuan was curious. “What weapon?”
Qin Guan smiled. “Follow me.” As she turned to leave, she noticed Zhantai Ling’er. “Who’s she?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Zhantai Ling’er, from the God Knowledge Civilization.”
Qin Guan nodded, then patted Ye Xuan’s shoulder. “Your father told me to keep an eye on you, not to flirt around outside. It’s bad for your image, got it?”
She turned and left.
Flirt around? Ye Xuan froze. Did his father really say that?
