The last fragments of the mountain's seal crumbled into motes of light, drifting into the wind like ash carried from a long-dead fire. Ten years of cultivation, battles, alliances, and rivalries ended in a single heartbeat as the survivors stepped out into open air for the first time.
The sky felt wider than they remembered.
Some tilted their heads back, staring in silence at the bright expanse above, as though they'd forgotten the color of the clouds. Others simply stood there, shoulders heavy, realizing what it meant to leave behind the place that had shaped them more than any other battlefield could.
Shen Hao walked out slowly, the same as always, but his presence was different now, heavier, calmer, the weight of a decade in his eyes even if his body carried no sign of age.
Yao Jun followed, robes swaying faintly in the mountain wind, the same faint smile on his face, though his aura now carried a sharpness that hadn't been there ten years ago.
One by one, the others left until the thirty-five who had entered stood once again beneath the open sky.
No one spoke at first.
Then it began.
The first man stepped forward, fists clasped in salute before Yao Jun. His voice was steady, though his eyes carried the weight of the decision.
"We wish to follow you," he said simply.
Yao Jun blinked. "Follow me?"
Another stepped forward. Then another.
"You led us when no one else could. You gave order to chaos, strength to the weak. We would follow you… to wherever you go. To whatever you build."
Yao Jun's usual calm cracked faintly. His brow furrowed, just for a moment.
More voices rose.
"You taught us by example."
"You fought when others stayed silent."
"You made this place… feel like it belonged to more than just survival."
One by one, they pledged. Some knelt. Others clasped their fists. But all spoke with the same determination, the kind that came from ten years of shared battles, forged respect, and lives owed.
Yao Jun turned slightly.
Behind him, his two silent companions, those robed figures who had followed him since the very first day, met each other's gaze and nodded once.
No words. Just agreement.
Yao Jun stood there for a long moment, eyes half-closed, as though weighing the weight of all these lives pressing their trust into his hands.
Then, at last, he nodded.
"Very well," he said softly. "If you would follow me… then I will lead you. And I will make you stronger than you've ever dreamed."
Cheers erupted instantly.
Some shouted "Master!" Others clasped fists and saluted deeply. Even those who didn't join in smiled faintly, the sound carrying across the mountain like a storm breaking after too long in silence.
Shen Hao stepped forward, arms crossed.
"So," he said with the faintest smirk, "sect master now, are you?"
Yao Jun gave a small laugh, shaking his head. "Seems I have disciples whether I planned to or not."
"And what will you call this sect of yours?" Shen Hao asked.
Yao Jun glanced at the eager faces behind him, then back at Shen Hao. "I'll decide that… after I've earned it."
The two men stood there for a moment, silent but understanding one another in a way only rivals could.
Then Shen Hao clasped his fists, offering a formal salute. "Until next time."
Yao Jun returned it, faint smile still in place. "Until next time."
And just like that, their paths split.
One with disciples gathering behind him.
One alone, flying toward the horizon.
Shen Hao rose into the sky alone.
The wind rushed past as the peaks of the Echoing Mountain Realm stretched endlessly below, rivers glinting like silver threads in the distance. Ten years of memories weighed on his mind, duels, cultivation, near-death battles, nights spent under strange stars.
Lingfeng's voice cut through the wind, lazy as ever. "Well, Master, ten years of blood, sweat, and screaming insects… and we're finally out. Feel older yet?"
Shen Hao smirked faintly. "Maybe wiser. You still talk too much."
"Wiser, stronger, handsomer," Lingfeng continued smoothly. "The world will tremble before Master Shen Hao, the sleepless cultivator of Echoing Mountain."
Shen Hao ignored him and turned inward. "Master," he said silently, "I just realized… we never used the Barrier Breaking Pill. Didn't you say I'd need it?"
Mo Han's voice came calm and steady, the same as always.
"You overcame the barrier without it," he said. "The mountain's core was flooded with ancient Qi. Your inner trial combined with that energy created a perfect storm. The pill would have made the process easier… but not better. And once used, its power would be gone. Now, it remains with you for what comes after."
Shen Hao thought about that for a moment, then nodded slightly. "So, it wasn't wasted."
"No," Mo Han said. "And there will be greater barriers than the Demi-Conqueror Realm ahead of you."
Lingfeng made a noise like laughter. "Greater barriers? Oh, lovely. Because the last one was so relaxing, right, Master?"
Shen Hao let out a quiet breath, gaze drifting toward the horizon. "Then what now?"
For a moment, Mo Han said nothing.
Then, softly: "It's time you go home, Shen Hao. For now."
Shen Hao slowed, descending toward a flat cliff edge overlooking the entire realm.
He stood there for a long moment, wind tugging at his robes, staring at the mountains rolling away beneath the clouds.
The Echoing Mountain Realm.
It had been battles and danger and growth, but also silence, learning, moments of strange peace between storms. For a second, it felt wrong to leave it all behind so quickly.
He closed his eyes, bowing his head faintly. "Goodbye," he murmured, words lost to the wind.
Then he drew out the Shard of Nexus.
It pulsed softly in his palm, a glow building until a thin line of golden light tore open before him, folding outward into a spinning oval of radiance. The air itself bent around it, space shuddering as the portal stabilized.
Shen Hao stepped toward it once… then stopped, glancing back at the mountains one last time.
Then he walked through, and the portal sealed behind him with a sound like fading thunder.
Light swallowed him whole.
One heartbeat he was standing on the cliff edge of the Echoing Mountain Realm; the next, he was stepping out into the quiet stillness of his bedroom. The portal sealed behind him in a flash of gold, leaving nothing but the faint smell of ozone in the air.
Shen Hao stood there for a long moment, listening to the silence of his house.
So many years.
So many years of battles, cultivation, blood, storms, triumphs.
And now… he was back where it had all started.
The absurdity of it hit him when his gaze fell on the school uniform draped over his chair.
For a second, he just stood there, staring. Then he let out a single dry laugh and rubbed his forehead. "Right. School. I almost forgot I'm supposed to be a normal kid."
Lingfeng's voice snorted in his mind. "Master, you've fought beasts the size of mountains, shattered barriers, survived the Echoing Realm itself… and now you're going back to math class? This world has no respect."
"Quiet," Shen Hao muttered, already moving.
In a blink, he blurred across the room, speed so fast, human eyes would have seen nothing but a flicker. He yanked the bedsheets into chaos, messed up his hair, swapped his battle-worn robes for casual clothes, and threw himself on the bed in a "just-woke-up" sprawl.
Two seconds later, the door slammed open.
"Shen Hao!" his mother barked, hands on her hips. "You're going to be late for school!"
On the bed, Shen Hao groaned theatrically, rubbing his eyes. "I'm up, I'm up… geez…"
His mother gave him a look, the kind only mothers had mastered, one that judged your entire existence in a single glance, then left, muttering about teenagers and alarm clocks.
The door closed.
Shen Hao lay there for a second, staring at the ceiling. He spent so many years in another world… and this was how his great return ended.
He sighed, sat up, and grabbed his school bag.
Lingfeng chuckled darkly. "From Demi-Conqueror Realm to algebra homework. Truly, a fall from grace."
"Shut up," Shen Hao said, heading for the door.
Outside, the morning sun blazed over the neighborhood. Somewhere far away, mountains touched the sky. Somewhere closer, a classroom full of bored students waited.
Shen Hao adjusted his bag on his shoulder, face calm, eyes sharp.
Now Mount Sheng behind him.
The rest of the world ahead.