The world had shifted.
After emerging from the Chaos Gate, Li Yi's presence wasn't just stronger—it was overwhelming. Space bent ever so slightly around him. Wind refused to disturb his robes. Even the flow of spiritual energy obeyed him as if he were the core of a world.
The moment he stepped back into the Qingxuan Sect, a ripple spread through the sect's formation arrays. The Sect Master Wen Yaozi, who was in closed-door cultivation, opened his eyes immediately.
In the Hall of Heaven's Summit, the seven peak elders gathered once more.
"This boy..." Elder Mingyu muttered, his fingers trembling over the jade scroll in front of him, "...his cultivation base has leaped a full realm. But more than that—his divine sense is... endless."
Elder Yun Hai sipped his wine more carefully than usual. "The Gate gave him more than a Seed. It gave him a fragment of history. Of Chaos itself."
Wen Yaozi remained silent. But he already knew. He could feel the changes in the spiritual web of the realm. The pressure of destiny had tilted. And Li Yi now stood at its center.
---
Soul Forging Realm – Early Stage.
Li Yi sat atop the Spiritfall Peak, wrapped in stillness. He wasn't cultivating, yet the surrounding air shimmered as if disturbed by lightning. The Primal Chaos Seed within him pulsed with infinite patterns, a nebula of concepts swirling inside his dantian.
His eyes were closed, but within his mind, a storm raged.
The seed had brought memories.
Faint echoes of a war that predated even the Upper Realm.
He saw ancient armies clashing beneath shattered moons. He saw the Abyssal Demons rising from cracked voids. He saw celestial beasts devoured whole. He saw himself—his past self?—standing atop a dying planet, chaos surging from his blade.
> "Is this who I was?"
The wind answered in silence.
Lan Qing'er appeared quietly behind him, dressed in sky-blue robes with a jade sword strapped to her waist. She didn't speak immediately. She merely stood, watching him as if studying the flow of his soul.
"You've changed," she finally said.
Li Yi opened his eyes. They gleamed with silver and black, reflecting her face like still water.
"I've remembered too much," he said softly. "And forgotten even more."
She stepped forward. "Do you remember who you really are?"
Li Yi shook his head. "No. Only fragments. But they aren't mine—they belong to the Chaos Seed. I'm beginning to realize... it wasn't placed in me. It returned to me."
Lan Qing'er frowned. "Returned?"
Li Yi stood slowly, each motion calm, controlled—dangerously graceful.
"I think... I was born in the God Realm. But not like the others. I wasn't meant to stay. I was meant to fall—here. And rise again."
---
Deep Within the Abyss – The Ancient Battlefield
Far beyond the Upper Realm, in a place where light no longer reached, the battlefield of the Gods continued to smolder.
Dark clouds hung like oil above an endless expanse of destruction. Cities built from starlight lay shattered. Massive skeletal remains of dragons and world turtles drifted aimlessly.
In the center of it all, chained by nine void spears, a being stirred.
The Abyssal Emperor.
Its body was like smoke, its eyes glowing crimson. Chains made from divine laws held it, pulsing with energy drawn from the God Realm's deepest seals.
But today, it twitched.
A whisper echoed through the battlefield, brushing across demon generals and corrupted saints.
> "He has returned... the bearer of Chaos walks again..."
The Abyssal Emperor opened one eye—and smiled.
> "So... the game resumes."
---
Upper Realm — Celestial Tower of the Li Clan
Back in the main Li Clan estate, within a cloud-wrapped palace floating above a waterfall of gold essence, two figures stood in silence.
One was Li Yi's father—Li Tianran, now clad in silver robes embroidered with divine runes.
The other, taller, more commanding, was the Clan Patriarch—a man whose cultivation had reached the edge of the Ascendant Saint Realm.
"He's alive," Tianran said quietly, holding a glowing jade slip close to his chest. "He's awakened the Chaos Seed."
The Patriarch turned slowly. "That should not be possible. The path was sealed. The God Realm cannot interfere."
Tianran's expression was unreadable. "And yet... he walks."
A pause.
"What will you do?"
Li Tianran clenched his fists. "Return. I made a vow. If he ever awakened, I would return and protect him."
The Patriarch raised a brow. "Even if it means war with her clan?"
Tianran nodded without hesitation. "Even then."
---
Back in the Xuan Realm — Qingxuan Sect Inner Grounds
The announcement came swiftly.
Li Yi had been selected to represent Qingxuan Sect in the Fourfold Trials of Ascension—a grand competition between the top four sects of the Xuan Realm. The prize? A divine relic from the Age of Stars, buried beneath the Grand Celestial Pagoda.
But it was more than a tournament.
It was a place where destinies clashed.
And Li Yi's name had already reached the ears of other prodigies.
---
Northern Frost Sect — Ice Lotus Pavilion
A girl surrounded by a blizzard opened her eyes. She was known as the Snow Saintess, and her cultivation had reached Soul Forging – Peak.
> "Li Yi," she whispered, brushing a hand over a petal of frozen flame. "Let's see if Chaos can survive Ice."
---
Western War Hall — Beast God Domain
A man stood on a cliff, eyes glowing like twin suns. He wore no armor, only scars. A feral tiger bowed at his feet.
> "Li Yi… the Chaos brat, eh?" His voice was like thunder. "Good. Been too long since I broke a legend."
---
Southern Sky Pavilion — Sect of Time
Within a hall where time moved differently, a youth with three pairs of eyes meditated above a reversed waterfall. An hourglass pulsed above his head.
> "I've seen this moment," he said. "And still... I cannot predict his ending."
---
Qingxuan Sect — Li Yi's Courtyard
The sun set slowly, casting golden rays across the tiled roofs of the sect.
Li Yi stood at the edge of his courtyard, watching the horizon.
His aura was calm—but unshakable. Even the grass beneath his feet seemed stronger, as if absorbing his presence.
Behind him, Xue Lian approached. "They say the trials begin in two months."
Li Yi nodded.
"They say the other sects will try to kill you before that."
He nodded again.
She stepped closer. "And what do you say?"
He turned to her, a faint smile on his lips.
"I say let them try."
---
End of Chapter 41