***
Zhao World.
Heavenly Palace Sect.
"INSOLENT!"
A thunderous burst of spiritual energy spread across the Heavenly Altar where Yuan Fang was cultivating. He opened his eyes and saw a Nascent Soul cultivator approaching him.
"Junior apologizes for my rudeness toward Ancestor," the man said, bowing deeply in apology.
Yuan Fang, who had spent a thousand years of his life cultivating, was surprised when a Nascent Soul cultivator came to him without manners, intending to propose to his granddaughter.
"Mei'er's realm is Soul Formation. To be her equal, you must reach the same level."
"You… are not worthy of my granddaughter," Yuan Fang said firmly, his voice filled with disdain and his face cold.
"Junior understands my shortcomings," the cultivator replied humbly.
"Return to me when you have the strength to prove yourself."
With a simple wave of his hand, Yuan Fang dismissed the cultivator from the Heavenly Altar where he cultivated.
The cultivator returned to the sect, unable to convince Yuan Fang, the highest ancestor of the Heavenly Palace Sect.
Some other cultivators tried to encourage him. Many of them had also tried to propose to Yuan Mei, the ancestor's granddaughter. However, all were rejected without clear reason.
"Hmm… it seems the ancestor has his own plan for Yuan Mei's future husband," one elder said.
"Her grandfather is a Great Ascendant cultivator. He's the only one in the Zhao World. No wonder he demands an ideal man for his granddaughter."
"You're right. After all, the bloodline of someone who has reached the Great Ascendant stage carries heaven's blessing. Ancestor Yuan Fang is probably just being cautious," another elder replied.
Their conversation stopped when the sect leader came and overheard their gossip. No one was allowed to question Yuan Fang's decision.
The Heavenly Palace Sect had no right to interfere in the ancestor's choice of Yuan Mei's husband. The sect leader clearly did not want to offend Yuan Fang.
"The ancestor's decision is absolute. You are not to speak of it again," said the sect leader, Gu Yuan.
"Return to your cultivation," he ordered, and everyone in the Heavenly Palace Sect obeyed.
They nodded in understanding, joining both hands respectfully toward Gu Yuan.
Once the front courtyard grew quiet and few cultivators were gossiping, Gu Yuan flew to the Heavenly Altar to meet Ancestor Yuan Fang—who was also his father-in-law.
"Greetings, Ancestor Yuan Fang."
"Enter, Gu Yuan."
The qi barrier around the Heavenly Altar opened. The floor was made of clear, refreshing water, and a large oak tree grew lushly on an island whose leaves were in full bloom.
There, Gu Yuan saw Ancestor Yuan Fang sitting calmly in meditation. Although he was already a thousand years old, he used his qi to keep his body young.
"Again, you've rejected another proposal. He was the heir of the Long family," said Gu Yuan as he walked over the water's surface.
"The Long family? They did nothing during the war between the Gu Kingdom and the Liang Kingdom," Yuan Fang replied.
"To me, they're cowards. And yet they dare to propose to my granddaughter."
"They've joined our side now," Gu Yuan explained.
"I don't forget the past."
"Gu Yuan," Yuan Fang called.
"Yes, Ancestor?" Gu Yuan bowed his head and clasped his hands.
Yuan Fang tapped his bag of holding, and thousands of Immortal Spirit Stones appeared before Gu Yuan. Gu Yuan looked shocked, unsure what his father-in-law was about to do.
"You're in the Soul Transformation stage. Use all these Immortal Spirit Stones to break through to Severing Soul."
"The path of my Dao realm has opened," Yuan Fang said.
"The Dao realm? Wait! Are you trying to reach Nirvana Shatter?"
Yuan Fang stood up from his meditation and floated toward Gu Yuan until he was right before him.
"The Body and Soul realm can no longer hold the qi surging inside me. I must break through to the Dao Realm," Yuan Fang said.
"With you reaching Severing Soul, the sect's safety will be secured for another thousand years."
Gu Yuan understood what Yuan Fang meant. Breaking through to a higher realm was difficult and life-threatening, and it required time.
Yuan Fang was clearly aiming for power beyond the Great Ascendant stage.
If he succeeded in reaching Nirvana Shatter within the Dao Realm, no one in the Zhao World would dare disturb the Heavenly Palace Sect.
"I will enter seclusion," Yuan Fang declared.
"If anyone disturbs me, even if the sect is in danger, I will kill them."
"Do you understand, Sect Leader Gu Yuan?" Yuan Fang asked.
"Junior fully understands, Ancestor."
Yuan Fang nodded briefly, stepped back onto the oak island, and began his closed-door meditation.
"The decision for Mei'er's betrothal is now yours. She is your responsibility," Yuan Fang said.
"Junior understands."
Yuan Fang waved his hand, sending a wave of qi that spread across the area.
With that simple motion, Gu Yuan was expelled from the Heavenly Altar.
When he looked up, the altar had vanished entirely from the mountain's peak—no one could enter that place anymore.
Before leaving, Gu Yuan pressed his hands together in final respect.
He knew that breaking through to the Dao Realm would take a very long time. He didn't know whether he would ever see Yuan Fang again.
"Gu Yuan swears before the ancestor to protect the Heavenly Palace Sect, even if it costs my life."
"Junior will not disappoint the ancestor."
Gu Yuan returned to the sect and acted as usual, announcing that Ancestor Yuan Fang had entered closed-door cultivation.
He also passed down the message that no one was to disturb the ancestor's cultivation—not even his children or grandchildren.
All the disciples and elders of the sect obeyed, praying and hoping for the best in their ancestor's secluded cultivation.
***
Ten thousand years later.
The ground shook violently. The bright sky turned dark as black clouds rumbled with thunder. Buildings collapsed under the massive quake, leaving nothing but ruins.
The Heavenly Altar reappeared above the city, glowing blue in the middle of the dark clouds.
A cultivator awoke from a long meditation—his hair had turned completely silver, and his clothes were tattered and ancient.
As he opened his eyes, waves of qi spread across the city, startling many monsters and survivors. None of them had ever seen or felt such a shock before.
"What happened?" one survivor asked.
"Maybe a power plant explosion. Alpha team, go check it out," said the group's commander.
"Yes, Commander."
Riding motorcycles, they sped out from their shelter, passing through monsters and zombies wandering the empty buildings.
Five of them went, carrying handmade rifles—more than enough to kill zombies.
They stayed alert, careful not to get bitten, since that was the fastest way the virus spread.
Yuan Fang rose from his meditation, feeling a strange flow of qi entering his body—different from what he remembered.
What happened? Was the sect destroyed?
Curious, Yuan Fang descended from the Heavenly Altar, landing swiftly on the ground. His arrival caused a gust of wind to blow in every direction, attracting nearby zombies.
His eyes widened when he saw the ruins of strange buildings, nothing like the Heavenly Palace Sect.
"What in the world happened?" Yuan Fang muttered in confusion.
From the direction of the ruins, he saw a group of people with horrifying appearances—blood running from their wounds, white saliva dripping, eyes glowing red.
Yuan Fang realized they were not mortals or cultivators—they were humans possessed by evil spirits.
Evil spirits? Did demonic monsters attack the Zhao World while I was in seclusion?
He formed a hand seal and summoned a golden dome to purify the evil spirits in their bodies. Yuan Fang thought the technique would cure them—but it didn't.
They couldn't be purified. They kept rushing at him like forest beasts trying to kill. Yuan Fang couldn't take the risk.
"These creatures… have no qi. Their bodies don't even have spiritual veins. What kind of world is this?"
Yuan Fang thrust his hand forward, commanding his flying sword to pierce through the human monsters.
The blade stabbed through their chests—some were even cut in half. But again, something shocked Yuan Fang.
They didn't die.
What is this? Is this a corpse sect's trick?!
Yuan Fang quickly formed another hand seal, summoning a thousand swords through blue runes glowing behind his back.
With the remaining qi he had, Yuan Fang pointed forward and released the thousand swords toward the monsters.
Some fell dead and stopped moving when the swords pierced their heads. Yuan Fang finally found their weak point.
Using qi threads to control his flying sword, he slaughtered the zombies rushing at him. He wouldn't let them attack or kill him.
They were weaker than cultivators, but there were too many of them.
Just as Yuan Fang was cleaning up the mess, a mysterious blue holographic panel appeared before his face.
It shocked him—he had never seen anything like that in the Zhao World. On the glowing panel, words appeared before him.
[Survival Cultivation System Activated.]
[Qi Essence Level: Critically Low]
[New cultivation source: Zombie Core confirmed.]
[Mission: Absorb Zombie Core to restore qi essence]
[Reward: Spiritual Vein Recovery (+0.5%)]
"Zombie? Are they some kind of new monster?" Yuan Fang asked.
Absorbing monster cores… am I now walking the demonic path?
While still commanding his flying sword to kill zombies, Yuan Fang kept staring at the glowing panel.
Before long, all the monsters—called zombies—lay dead with holes in their heads. Hundreds of them, staining the ground with blood.
Curious, Yuan Fang reached out and pulled a zombie core into his palm. Its shape and color were similar to monster cores. He knew exactly how to absorb it.
Just as he was about to absorb the core, his attention was drawn to five people arriving on what looked like metal beasts.
Their appearance was strange, and Yuan Fang assumed they were zombie kings. With a simple gesture, he sent his sword flying forward.
"W-Who is that?" the Alpha team leader asked.
"What's with those clothes? Is he cosplaying in the middle of the city? Is he insane?!" another shouted.
"That sword! The sword's flying toward us!"
All five jumped off their motorcycles, dodging the flying sword that almost pierced their heads.
"He's crazy! How the hell is he controlling that sword like that?"
Yuan Fang squinted, realizing they had intelligence unlike the zombies. Somehow, he felt they weren't part of those monsters.
He recalled his sword and stood upon it, floating toward them. Yuan Fang sensed the spiritual energy in this world had vanished, forcing him to rely on his sword to fly.
The five survivors were terrified—three of them fainted after seeing a man in ancient robes flying on a sword surrounded by blue light.
"Who are you? Which sect are you from?" Yuan Fang asked.
"Sect… what is it? Are you insane?!" one of them yelled back.
Feeling insulted, Yuan Fang narrowed his eyes and released spiritual pressure. The two survivors, still conscious, dropped to their knees, crushed by the gravity-like force.
"You dare insult me?" Yuan Fang said coldly.
"Sect? You mean a shelter? I can take you there," one man replied, managing to speak since they shared the same language.
Yuan Fang released the pressure, letting them catch their breath.
"Shelter Sect… is that a new sect?" Yuan Fang asked.
"I need to know what really happened to this world. Take me to your Shelter Sect leader!"