NOVPUBPassing through the dimly lit corridor, flowers of all seasons extended along the walls on both sides.
Morning sunlight was obscured by white clouds, and a sky-full of snow overwhelmed the entire world.
There were disciples practicing swordplay in the heavy snow, naked, and others running around the entire family estate with giant stones on their backs.
Xu Zimei followed behind Baili Chengfeng, turning through several corridors.
After passing several formations, the two of them continued without exchanging a word, finally stopping in front of a particularly ancient-looking gate.
This gate towered into the clouds, its top invisible to the eye, surrounded by drifting white mist on all sides.
It seemed like an independent space altogether.
Xu Zimei looked down to find that without noticing, the ground beneath his feet was also enveloped in rising mist, as if he were treading on air.
"Ancestor, I bring someone into the Heavenly Primordial small world," Baili Chengfeng took out a token and said respectfully, bending slightly.
Then space before them twisted, and an elder walked out from it.
The elder did not exude a powerful aura, yet the moment he appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be drawn to him, converging towards him.
"A person from outside our clan?" the elder cast a glance at Xu Zimei and said indifferently.
"Yes," Baili Chengfeng paused, eventually nodding.
"You should know how important the Heavenly Primordial small world is to our family," the elder spoke flatly.
"I know," Baili Chengfeng nodded.
Seeing this, the elder did not obstruct any further; he sized up Xu Zimei thoroughly.
At that moment, Xu Zimei could feel an immeasurable pressure emanating from the elder.
He remained calm, chest out, head held high as he looked straight at the elder.
Pale golden spiritual energy condensed in the air as the elder waved his hands several times.
The originally closed gate, emitting a heavy presence, slowly opened.
"Three days," the elder said evenly, "you must leave the secret realm after three days."
Hearing the elder’s words, Baili Chengfeng looked towards Xu Zimei.
After all, he had previously promised seven days, but he dared not contradict the elder’s words.
"Understood," Xu Zimei nodded.
Baili Chengfeng breathed a sigh of relief, considering he’d gone back on his promise.
Watching Xu Zimei step through the gate, his figure swallowed by the white mist, the elder turned his head and asked, "Who is he?"
"The Saint Heir of the True Martial Holy Sect," Baili Chengfeng hurriedly replied, "This is a deal."
"Go then, try not to bring outsiders into this Heavenly Primordial small world in the future," the elder nodded, adding, "After all, it is one of Uncle Master Changkong’s few remaining gifts to our family.
Tens of thousands of years have worn away so much.
If our family does not produce a new Great Emperor, it will just continue to decline."
Baili Chengfeng nodded quickly, the elder in front of him was the strongest ancestor of the Baili Family, an existence that had stepped into immortality.
He was also one of Emperor Changkong’s War Generals, with a seniority so high within the Baili Family that no one else could match.
"When you get the chance, bring our family’s current Saintess to see me," the elder said after a pause, "Stepping into Immortality is difficult, every step representing a great obstacle.
My initial venture on the path of immortality has already reached its limit, and my life will remain as such.
If our family cannot produce a new Great Emperor, what will remain of the Imperial Rule Immortal Sect when I one day ascend to the heavens?
Don’t be fooled by the numerous Imperial Rule Immortal Sects on the Yuan Central Continent; how many of them actually retain their power?
There is no such thing as eternal invincibility in this world; even a Great Emperor must eventually find his own path."
"They’ve done their utmost for their family."
Perhaps it was because few people ever came here, or maybe the many thousands of years of cultivation had made the elder feel lonely.
The old man spoke a lot, and Baili Chengfeng only remembered that the snow was heavy that day, and when he left, his heart felt very unsettled.
Even he had always been immersed in the glory brought by the Imperial Rule Immortal Sect.
They had never worried about anything, even if the sky fell, there would be ancestors holding it up.
But he forgot one thing, the ancestors would one day reach the end of their lifespan.
When all the glory was buried by the sands of time, what else could remain of the so-called Imperial Rule Immortal Sect apart from its title?
This realization gave Baili Chengfeng, who had been the Family Head for hundreds of years, a sense of crisis for the first time.
...…
Xu Zimei slowly walked into the mist, which obscured everything in front of him.
He only felt his body become weightless, followed by a whirling sensation, as if he had fallen into an endless vortex.
This lasted for a long while, until his body returned to normal.
Xu Zimei found himself standing in the middle of a plain.
The plain was vast and endless, with nothing visible around except for some rolling mountains.
The whole world seemed especially barren.
The only advantage was that the spiritual energy here was incredibly dense, unbelievably so.
Now, with the arrival of Xu Zimei, a stranger, the previously calm world suddenly stirred to life.
The spiritual energy of the world surged, the initial state of spiritual energy being formless and invisible.
But now, amidst this spiritual energy, there was a mixture of cyan and yellow gasses.
With these cyan and yellow gasses at the core, and the support of countless spiritual energies, numerous creatures were condensed in an instant.
There were ancient trees reaching towards Cang Tian, wild lions with furious eyes, deer chasing each other, and legendary beasts from ancient times roaring towards the sky.
The earth bore the weight of all things, and as these condensed creatures stood on the ground, they seemed to come alive, running freely between heaven and earth.
They did not seem to see Xu Zimei.
Legend has it that in the Heavenly Primordial small world of the Baili Family, there is an essence of Heavenly Primordial energy.
This Heavenly Primordial energy is unimaginably beneficial for foundation building, cultivation, breaking through bottlenecks, and body tempering.
It is said that after being tempered by this Heavenly Primordial energy, even opening the Vein Gates within one’s body becomes much simpler.
And this Heavenly Primordial energy is unique to the Eastern Continent, extremely rare and precious.
Although the Heavenly Primordial small world can self-generate this energy, the process is extremely slow.
Because the supply cannot meet the demand, the Baili Family only opens the Heavenly Primordial small world once a year, allowing family members with excellent potential to cultivate within it.
Once the Heavenly Primordial energy inside is absorbed, they wait for a year, allowing it to regenerate anew.
...
Spiritual energy swirled around Xu Zimei, and as his True Fate World within him opened, a devouring force absorbed all the surrounding creatures.
These creatures also possessed basic consciousness and scattered to escape when they sensed danger.
"It’s quite nice, but not what I am looking for," Xu Zimei felt for a moment and then shook his head, continuing deeper into the Heavenly Primordial small world.
The space here was neither too big nor too small.
Originally, Xu Zimei faced no danger outside, but as he walked deeper inside,
The creatures that were around started to attack him.
