The shadows of the collapsed cave still clung to the jagged rocks like ink as the black dome protecting Haoran and Xueli finally dissolved into mist.
Haoran stood in the center of the devastation, his arm possessively anchored around Xueli’s waist.
They look around, and the landscape was now completely unrecognizable.
The thousand-meter waterfall had been choked out by the landslide, its roar replaced by a haunting, dusty silence.
Above them, the clear blue sky was revealed for the first time in who knows how many years, but the focal point remained the massive stone gate.
It stood defiant amidst the rubble, pulsing with a rhythmic, hypnotic silver light.
Haoran clicked his tongue, the sound sharp in the quiet air. Seriously, with this commotion, those people from the central region would surely send some people to check.
Although he wasn’t afraid them, but it would be incredibly annoying.
"Qing’er, can you destroy that thing?" he commanded through their mental link.
"Apologies, Young Master," Qing’er’s voice echoed in his mind, tinged with a rare note of helplessness. "The seal on that gate is woven with the remnants of a Supreme’s life-essence. To forcibly shatter it would require the strength of a Heavenly Saint. Anything less will only trigger a defensive backlash that could level this entire mountain range."
Haoran gave a curt nod before he stepped forward and placed a palm against the cold stone.
This time, there was no supernova of light, no violent tremor—the gate simply remained eerily still, as if it were dormant, waiting for a specific key.
In the timeline Haoran had stolen from Chu Fang, Tang Shan had opened this gate while at the Core Formation realm.
Now, the "Protagonist" was still struggling in the Foundation Establishment stage. So is this gate unresponsive because it was waiting for him? Or is it waiting for another anomaly?
Heh, Heavens really doesn’t want good things to fall into the hands of a villain like them.
Haoran let out a breath of irritation. Well, no matter, he can wait. He doubt there is anyone in this world who can take this inheritance right before him anyway.
With that thought, he reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a magnificent golden throne, made from the bones of a Golden Dragon.
He placed it squarely in front of the gate and sat down, crossing one leg over the other with the casual grace of a king waiting for his court.
"Um, Haoran... should we just wait?" Xueli asked, her voice small as she looked at the mountain of rubble surrounding them.
"There is nothing else we can do for now," Haoran replied, leaning his head back against the golden throne as he closed his eyes, as if to take a rest. "Besides, I find myself curious about the ’talents’ who think they can claim a treasure under my nose."
"Oh, okay then." Xueli sat on the armrest of the throne, looking at the sky in boredom. "I hope it won’t take long. I can easily get bored."
Right on cue, the sky began to bleed as the air distorted, rippling like heat haze, and one by one, dozens of massive Profound Arks began to emerge from the void.
These were not the crude vessels of the Eastern Region; these were the warships of the Central Region’s outskirts, decorated with the banners of kingdoms like the Sun Bird and the Blue Wind, and other symbols.
Xueli trembled, her pitiful 9th stage Qi Gathering strength feeling like a candle in a hurricane as she stuck close to Haoran’s side.
As the Arks appeared, the sky was suddenly filled with the overwhelming pressure of hundreds of experts.
’These are definitely not from Eastern Region.’ Xueli thought.
Just then, dozens of streaks of light shot down from the hovering arks, slamming into the ground with enough force to kick up plumes of dust.
Then, out of the craters stepped groups of young men and women, all dressed in the extravagant silks of high nobility, their faces etched with the arrogance that comes from being the "number one" in their respective territories.
"Oh? It seems someone beat us to the punch." A young man with wild, yellow hair and a savage grin stepped forward. He wore a set of golden armor that shimmered with spirit-flame. "Hey, buddy! You the one who woke this thing up?"
The crowd behind him began to whisper, their voices filled with awe and fear.
"That’s Jin Pei, the Crown Prince of the Sun Bird Kingdom! I heard he reached the Golden Core Realm at only thirty years old!"
"He’s a maniac. They say he once slaughtered an entire branch family because their tea was too cold!"
"So even they were attracted by this inheritance."
"Fool. This is a Supreme’s Inheritance!"
Haoran didn’t even open his eyes, he simply leaned back into his throne, resting his chin on his hand.
"Hey, I’m talking to you!" Jin Pei growled.
Slowly, Haoran raised his other hand and pointed a single, lazy finger toward the dirt at his feet.
Jin Pei’s grin faltered, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What’s that supposed to mean, brat? Are you deaf?"
Haoran’s voice was like a cold silk sliding across a blade. "I don’t like talking to people while I have to look up. So... kneel down."
The silence that followed was absolute.
The gathered geniuses stared with wide eyes, their breath catching in their throats.
Most were shocked by his audacity, but a few—those who had been fortunate enough to visit the Imperial Capital—suddenly widened their eyes in recognition, before their faces turned deathly pale.
They recognized that golden hair, that overwhelming arrogance, and that bored, sovereign posture.
Four Years ago, when the heir of the Shen Clan turned Sixteen, they invited almost every first rate powers in the Central Region to attend his birthday.
And some third rate and second rate powers wanting to build connections shamelessly clung to some first rate powers just to attend.
There, they witness the overbearing pride and arrogance of that young man, who had even humiliated an Imperial Prince!
In the Imperial Capital, you might survive not knowing the face of a Prince, but if you didn’t recognize the Heir of the Shen Clan, you were already a dead man walking.
Those who knew him took several steps back, their eyes darting around as they prayed Jin Pei’s stupidity wouldn’t splash onto them.
As for stopping Jin Pei...please! If they offended Shen Haoran over that and invited a disaster, then they wouldn’t even have time to regret it!
"You—!" Jin Pei’s face turned a violent shade of purple as he took a heavy step forward, his Golden Core aura erupting in a blaze of yellow flames. "Do you know who I am?!"
But the moment his foot hit the ground, the world changed.
A pressure as heavy as a collapsing star slammed into Jin Pei’s shoulders, his innards immediately feeling like they were about to burst.
This feeling didn’t come from just Qi, but something a dao.
Upon reaching Golden Core, a Cultivator’s Qi undergoes a qualitative transformation, making it no longer just a neutral energy, but a Law-Imprinted Qi, a Qi that carries the cultivator’s will, intent, and understanding of existence.
In other words, their Dao.
At this stage, their Qi behaves less like power and more like a partial law.
Two Golden Core cultivators with identical cultivation levels are never equal as victory is determined by whose Qi expresses a more complete law.
For Cultivators, a Dao is the path they walk, and they must firmly follow it until they reach the peak, to turn your back on your own Dao is to risk destroying yourselves from the inside out.
For Haoran, his Dao was simple.
Supremacy.
Jin Pei’s knees buckled instantly, the stone beneath him shattering as he was forced onto all fours.
He tried to roar, to apologize, to scream—but before he could even draw a breath, Haoran’s boot descended, pressing the Crown Prince’s face deep into the dirt.
"Now," Haoran said, finally opening his golden eyes to look down at the groveling genius. "You can speak."
Xueli, who was still sitting on the armrest of the throne, stared at Haoran, her eyes literally sparkling.
’So cool!’ she screamed internally, her heart racing. ’When can I be as cool as this?! Holy crap!’
Growing up as the heiress of the Ning Clan, Xueli had been a "Little Witch"—arrogant, mischievous, and spoiled.
She had looked down on many, becoming completely wild, doing whatever she wanted even in the presence of Kings and Royalties.
After all, her clan was the richest in the Eastern Region and her Grandpa Sword was recognised as the strongest Swordsman in the Region!
But now, looking at Haoran, she had realized that her "arrogance" was child’s play, after all, even she had never even dreamed of making a Crown Prince of a foreign kingdom kneel just to facilitate a conversation.
This wasn’t just arrogance; this was Absolute Dominance!