Crack!!!
Above the rocky mountain, space was fractured—large cracks spreading across the sky like shattered glass. It was a dire omen.
Time was almost up.
The end is near.
Suddenly, a massive purple vortex appeared in mid-air and began to shoot out countless figures downward.
"Ow!"
"Argh!"
…
The myriad Demon Beasts collided hardly as they were shot out from the purple vortex, crashing into one another midair and tumbling to the ground. Agonized screams echoed as pain surged through their bodies.
"Sorry…" Hengsheng muttered softly, a trace of guilt in his voice as he extended his hand. A gentle wave of Wood Qi rippled out from his palm, trying to ease the pain of the Demon Beasts scattered across the ground.
Their roars and whimpers gradually quieted, some lifting their heads to gaze at him with wary, yet less pained eyes.
Hengsheng gazed at the towering purple vortex from which the Divine Tree slowly emerged. Unlike the Demon Beasts, the Divine Tree was protected by the Dao blessing, which acted as a shield against the interference of interdimensional crossing.
It safely landed on the rocky ground, its roots waving in the air as they searched for soil. Hengsheng held the trunk with both hands to prevent it from falling. Slowly, the roots penetrated the ground to stabilize the tree.
Once the Divine Tree settled, it began to emit a protective aura that enveloped the entire mountain peak. As the Dao Rhythm within the aura resonated throughout the area, the previously unbalanced natural elements of the rocky mountain began to shift.
In one quiet corner of the peak, a tiny blade of grass broke through the earth, swaying gently in the wind.
Hengsheng, with his powerful Divine Sense, was able to perceive this change clearly. He was satisfied with the result, since he had decided to make this place his main base, and the upcoming abundance was a welcome sign.
"Blue," Hengsheng said.
"I am ready, Master…" Blue replied.
Hengsheng was about to declare this entire mountain as his domain—his territory, under his rule. But who would he declare it to? Of course, to the heavens and the earth themselves.
And how would he make such a declaration? He couldn't simply claim it with words and be done. Just like humans, the heavens also had their own rules. To claim land by the way of man, one must take it by force.
But to claim it by the way of heaven, one must protect it, nurture it, and bring harmony.
Standing before the Divine Tree, Hengsheng took a deep breath. His tattered robe fluttered in the wind, and his Spiritual Qi surged through his body and gathered at the wooden prosthetic foot—The Divine Artifact, Timbergrasp Cycle.
The next moment, Hengsheng appeared at the very edge of the mountain peak, overlooking the crumbling secret land.
At the edge of his vision, Hengsheng saw the Astral Rift stretching across the horizon—it was expanding in his direction.
It has already started swallowing some of the endless forest. But he was not worried by the time it arrived at his location, he would already be gone.
Then, raising both hands to the sky, he released his Divine Sense and roared—not with anger, but with intent, will, and authority.
"From this moment forth, this peak is under my protection. Heaven above, earth below—bear witness!" Hengsheng's voice echoed through the whole mountain, even those young cultivators within the Lan Clan Cave could hear.
At the same time, he lightly stomped his wooden prosthetic foot against the rocky mountain's ground.
Tzzing!
A gentle wave of pulses spread from the peak down to the base, coursing through the entire mountain, over a thousand kilometers in height.
The vibration from the pulse temporarily canceled out the earthquakes caused by the collapsing Golden Pillar. For a brief moment, peace returned to the mountain.
"What? The mountain stopped shaking!" someone inside the cave shouted.
The young cultivators within the Lan Clan Cave sensed the change. They began to dash out of the cave's exit to see what was happening.
The pulses were moving to shroud the mountain. These pulses carried the power of the Five Phases Creation Cycle. Unlike the Divine Tree's subtle influence, their effect was immediate and unmistakable—the mountain itself began to transform.
Plants of various kinds began to sprout all over the mountain, both on the surface and deep within its core.
The once desolate, orange-streaked rocky mountain was now wrapped in vibrant green, transformed into a living, breathing landscape full of vitality.
From the mountain's base, the heat surged through as the underground lava paths awoke from their slumber, sending warmth throughout the entire mountain.
At the peak, moisture began to gather into large pools of water. These slowly overflowed, giving birth to countless rivers that flowed down the slopes, nurturing everything in their path.
The rocky hand ground softened under the balance of the mountain's inner heat and the rivers' cooling touch. Microorganisms stirred into life. An abundant environment began to take shape—one where the soil's quality rose sharply, and the surrounding Qi became noticeably denser in the air.
If the surrounding Qi became one or two levels denser, the Qi would eventually condense into a liquid form.
"Argh!" cried one of the slower young cultivators who had fallen behind the group. He wasn't paying attention and tripped over something, crashing to the ground.
As he pushed himself back onto his feet, his gaze fell upon what had caused him to stumble—a smooth and round, green pebble glowing faintly like an emerald, radiating a dense Qi aura.
His eyes widened. Without hesitation, he snatched it up and stuffed it into his space ring, glancing left and right in paranoia. He wasn't stupid. That pebble was clearly a treasure!
"Kukuku… What?!" The young cultivator chuckled to himself, barely containing his excitement over the lucky encounter. But just as he was about to celebrate further, something caught his eye.
His smile froze.
On the nearby cave ground, the exact same kind of green pebble—identical in color and Qi aura—was slowly emerging, sprouting from the earth like a mushroom pushing through soil.
Under his shocked eyes, his jaw dropped, while the entire cave path before him was soon laid entirely with glittering green pebbles like an emerald road.
Young cultivators outside the cave did not witness this cave's transformation, but on the outside, they witnessed other things.
They noticed the approaching astral rift—the scene was terrifying for them. They saw the rift swallowing the endless forest like a hungry beast swallowing the world, and it slowly moved toward them.
"That's Big Brother Hengsheng!!!" someone shouted, eyes wide as they spotted the familiar figure standing tall atop the mountain peak.
Hengsheng noticed their presence, but he had no time to spare on idle interactions. Floating steadily above the ground, he picked a side of the mountain and raised his hand.
A glowing Qi sword materialized before him. Gripping it like a brush, he carved massive characters into the mountainside with sweeping strokes, each movement filled with bold intent.
Before long, it was done.
The characters stood tall from top to bottom, glowing faintly as they resonated with the Qi of heaven and earth. Each word echoed with his Dao Heart.
Then, Hengsheng let out a thunderous roar: "Heaven above, earth below—bear witness! From this day forward, the Endless Wealth Peak is under Lan Hengsheng's rule!"
Boom!
The heavens answered. Thunder sounded out of nowhere, cracked across the sky as if acknowledging his claim.
Above the peak, a faint but brilliant starlight appeared, like a guiding North Star. Invisible to the mortal eye, it radiated an aura of fortune and destiny.
Only those with the means to perceive fate would notice it—the Endless Wealth Peak's Qi Luck.
"Master, the mountain is now under my control…" Blue's voice echoed gently in Hengsheng's mind.
"Good," Hengsheng replied, eyes narrowing at the starry Astral Rift, not far away in the distance.
A heartbeat later, the ground trembled.
White energy surged outward from within, enveloping the entire mountain like a massive glass ball. It was Origin Energy.
In the next instant, the entire mountain rumbled and began to rise, lifting free from the earth as if pulled by an unseen force.
All living beings upon the peak felt it—the sudden shift in gravity, the surreal lightness, the pull toward the heavens.
The Endless Wealth Peak was no longer grounded.
It was taking flight.
Hengsheng opened his Dimensional Traveler System Panel before tapping into the World Hopping Interface.
Ding!
[Astral Web Detected]
[Connection to the Astral Web Established]
[World Hopping Interface: Ready for Activation]
The glowing lines of light on the interface shifted into a constellation-like pattern—threads connecting countless worlds, each a point of light across the infinite void.
This is the Astral Map, which revealed Hengsheng to the worlds connecting within the Astral Web!
If Hengsheng zoomed out the astral map, he would see that the entire Heavenly Dao World multiverse spread outward infinitely like an immense chaotic constellation network.
Hengsheng filters out the astral map, which worlds he could go to with his current Dimensional Authority.
Ding!
World Hopping Options:
Crimson Night Realm [Tier 7] [7,000,000 SP] — Click for Details
Demon Dominance Realm [Tier 7] [7,000,000 SP] — Click for Details
Myriad Star Universe [Tier 10] [10,000,000 SP] — Click for Details
Martial Master Continent [Tier 5] [5,000,000 SP] — Click for Details
…
…
Hengsheng did not know what to choose, because the options were massive. Even with the filter that showed worlds he could currently reach, it was still a lot for him to choose from.
Hengsheng decided to pick the costless one, since he only needed to escape for now—he could hop again if he found the world was not good to settle.
Ding!
[World Hopping Initiated]
[Destination: ??? Shattered Dimensional World [Tier 4] [0 SP] — Click for Details]
[Preparation for departure…]
The shining starlight, resembling the incoming astral rift approaching the Endless Wealth Peak, enveloped the entire mountain.
Woosh!
A moment later, the whole peak vanished—not just from the secret land, but from the entire Five Pillar Realm.