"Heaven—an existence that oversees all things.
It sets the path of every life and the course of all creation. Beneath it, all beings are like ants crawling under an unseen boot.
And it does not tolerate it when an ant dares to bite.
It is a cruel existence, posing as the savior of all, yet silently erasing anything that threatens its dominion.
Cultivation is merely the name given to rebellion against such an existence.
Yet even in rebellion, all creatures remain chess pieces upon its vast board, moving according to rules they never wrote.
Kings, emperors, prodigies—
All pawns.
And when a piece attempts to step beyond the board, what remains is nothing but nihility.
From rivers to sky, from mortal realms to the endless universe, its laws are absolute. Its words are resolute.
But I was never meant to remain a piece.
I exist to defy that existence.
When it sought to confine me within its board, I shattered the grid.
When it tried to reduce me to nothing, I endured.
Now I stand beyond its reach, alone in the universe, unrestrained by Heaven or earth.
I follow my own heart, untouched by the filth of the world.
I have conquered every path, reigning supreme over all things.
Yet at the very summit—
There is no opponent left.
Only silence.
And I… stand alone."
When Long Long Tian heard this, he could envision it—the arrogance and dominance of a person, yet the loneliness at the end of the journey.
In an instant, everything was overturned.
The dragons let out weak chants, not daring to raise their heads.
The darkness vanished.
And what stood amidst it was revealed.
A black-coated being—it was as if it did not exist.
It held a scythe that exuded a chilling aura.
It was like the apex of predators.
The scythe was like the reaper of all life.
It was the Judge of All.
Long Tian was shocked. He could sense that the entity that had let out that sigh was stronger than the dragons and even this reaper-like being.
As he was still thinking, he suddenly found himself back in the room.
Another piece of information appeared in his mind.
When he examined it, he heard a domineering voice.
"My fate is not decided by the heavens. I am in control of my life."
The moment Long Tian heard this, he felt uneasy, as if shackles had broken from his body.
His body felt light and free. It was as though his former body had not truly been his.
He delved into the information and discovered it contained a cultivation technique.
When he skimmed through it, he nearly fainted from shock and excitement.
"Infinite Source Canon."
This cultivation technique allows its wielder to harmonize with the origin of all energies, enabling them to cultivate and integrate every path, element, and technique without conflict or limitation.
It derives the source of a cultivation technique, forming an image of it within one's dantian.
This had essentially solved the problem of cultivating two techniques simultaneously.
Long Tian began cultivating the Infinite Source Canon.
In the outside world, dark clouds gathered. Thunder roared, and lightning crackled.
A gash tore open the sky, and a gigantic eyeball appeared, sweeping its gaze across the world.
Only a few were aware of its presence.
And they were shocked, wondering what had happened to cause its descent.
Everyone felt as though they were being scrutinized beneath that eyeball; all their secrets seemed laid bare before it.
They felt naked under its gaze, helpless and exposed.
This continued until the gigantic eyeball slowly disappeared, unable to find what it was searching for.
An old man witnessed this scene and stared at the enormous eye in the sky.
"It seems an anomaly has appeared."
He took out his instruments and began to divine the cause.
Suddenly, his eyes widened. He immediately discarded the instruments and mobilized his strength.
His instruments exploded, and his body was sent flying. Both of his hands were destroyed.
"What kind of existence is this?" the old man spat out mouthfuls of blood, his eyes still wide with terror as he lost consciousness.
Long Tian, still processing those words, felt chills run down his spine.
His instincts flared with danger; for a moment, his body would not move.
"The cosmos is infinite, its paths endless, and its laws uncountable—yet I seize the Infinite Source itself, and from me, all paths shall begin."
Long Tian heard the voice again.
The words struck him, and he felt his body regain movement as the sense of danger vanished.
A massive diagram appeared within his dantian. His mind tried to grasp its shape, but he forgot it every second.
He could not discern it.
Eventually, he gave up, surprised that completing it was easier than he had expected.
When it was formed, he learned its name—the Infinite Source Genesis Diagram.
This diagram derives the images that encompass cultivation methods.
It traces all cultivation methods back to their origin.
Long Tian then began cultivating the Nine Dragon Scripture.
He chose to cultivate it first, as the Netherworld Reaper Codex required death energy, yin energy, or a connection to the netherworld.
His figure disappeared and reappeared within the Nine Dragon Space—that was what he had decided to call it.
He stood at the center of the nine dragon pillars.
The pillars glowed with golden light, and energy flowed from them into his body, refining it.
Long Tian closed his eyes and activated the Nine Dragon Body Refinement Art.
He did not notice the gigantic pair of draconic eyes that appeared above him.
The moment they did, the nine dragons coiled around the pillars came alive and entered Long Tian's body.
The draconic eyes dispersed once they witnessed this.
Meanwhile, within the Infinite Source Genesis Diagram, a genesis ring formed, and the nine dragons descended into it, turning into stone.
Long Tian slowly opened his eyes, exhaling foul air.
His skin appeared glossier than before. When he examined himself carefully, he discovered that the injuries he had sustained in the forbidden area of Devil's Island had completely healed.
Not only that, but his senses were sharper—three times stronger than before.
His battle instincts had heightened, and his physical strength had increased.
But there was a problem.
His entire body was covered in solidified impurities, filling the air with a foul stench.
Long Tian could not endure the smell. He hurried to the bathroom to wash himself.
After a few minutes, he emerged.
He practiced several boxing techniques to familiarize himself with his new strength.
These were techniques his master had taught him.
Afterward, he sat cross-legged and entered meditation once more.
His consciousness descended into his dantian, where he saw the diagram and the nine stone dragons within the genesis ring.
Confusion filled him as he wondered what had occurred.
The stone dragons glowed, and a stream of light pierced into Long Tian's mind.
At last, he understood what had happened from the information he had just received.
The Nine Stone Dragons were nine dragon souls, and he would need to reach a certain level of strength to awaken them.
He also now had full access to the Nine Dragon Space, and the stone dragons were the same dragons that had once coiled around the pillars.
Long Tian frowned in confusion.
'Why did this happen?'
According to the information within the Nine Dragon Scripture, this was not supposed to occur.
What he did not know was that a crack had appeared in one of the stone dragons.