Time in the cultivation world is usually measured in decades or centuries. A three-month period is often just a nap for a high-level cultivator—a blink of an eye in the grand river of history. But the Three Months following the opening of the Sky Sovereign's Tomb felt like an eternity to the Southern Region.
Because for the first time in history, the great powers of the region weren't fighting for territory. They weren't fighting for resources. They were fighting to pay their bills.
The Twin Peaks Valley, once a bustling hub for rogue cultivators and treasure hunters, had become a Forbidden Zone. The valley was silent. The birds didn't sing. The spirit beasts had fled, sensing a lingering, predatory pressure that chilled the marrow. In the center of the valley, where the entrance to the Tomb used to be, a swirling distortion in space remained. It was a jagged tear in reality.
It was the first day of the second month. The Due Date.
Sect Leader Jian of the Heavenly Sword Sect arrived alone. He wore a heavy hooded cloak made of Spirit-Dampening Silk, trying desperately to hide his identity. He moved with a slight limp—a permanent reminder of the gravity crush he endured inside the Tomb. He held a heavy Bag of Holding containing 5 Million Spirit Stones.
To gather this sum, his sect had to sell two Spirit Iron mines and mortgage their disciple dormitory. "I am a Sect Leader. I rule millions," Jian muttered, his face burning with shame. "And here I am... paying rent to a Junior."
He tossed the bag into the rift. WHOOSH. A withered, spectral hand reached out from the void. It radiated the terrifying pressure of a Dao Sovereign. It was Old Sky, the former God of this world, now reduced to a butler.
The hand caught the bag. The voice of the Sovereign echoed from the rift. "Payment received. You are four minutes late."
Sect Leader Jian froze. "Senior... the teleportation array..."
"My Master detests tardiness," Old Sky rasped. "A late fee of 10,000 stones has been noted."
The rift snapped shut. Sect Leader Jian stood there, trembling. He didn't know how Jiang Chen controlled this ancient monster. He didn't know about the Slave Contract or the System. All he knew was that Jiang Chen possessed a power that could leash a God.
Inside the Realm: The Unexplainable Monster
While the world outside panicked, inside the Divine Dragon Realm, the atmosphere was peaceful. Thanks to the Time Dilation Array, three months outside became Three Years inside.
In the Celestial Garden, the sun was warm and the breeze carried the scent of Spirit Peaches. Jiang Chen sat on a lounge chair made of Cloud Silk. He wasn't meditating. He wasn't circulating Qi. He was fishing in the Koi Pond.
"Master," Old Sky (The Sovereign) poured a cup of Nine-Leaf Immortal Tea. The old ghost's hands shook slightly.
He watched Jiang Chen with a mix of fear and confusion. For three years, Old Sky had watched this young man. He never trained. He never took pills. He just sat there, reading books, drinking tea, or sleeping. And yet... he was getting stronger. Terrifyingly stronger.
The Silent Harvest (Internal Monologue)
While Jiang Chen looked relaxed, his internal world was a cascade of notifications that only he could see.
The Magma Chamber. Down in the core, Ye Kai shattered his Golden Core and reformed it into a Titan Nascent Soul. Jiang Chen sat in his chair, peeling a grape. DING.
[System Alert: Disciple Ye Kai has achieved 'Titan Nascent Soul'.] [Triggering 10,000x Cashback...] [Reward: Indestructible Golden Body (Patriarch Edition).]
RUMBLE. A golden light exploded from Jiang Chen's skin. Old Sky dropped the teapot. "Master?! What is this pressure? Did you just... break through body refinement while eating a grape?"
Jiang Chen didn't answer. He felt his bones hardening, becoming denser than dragon steel. He casually caught the falling teapot before it hit the ground. "Just a sudden insight," Jiang Chen said calmly.
The Data Ascension. Su Ling uploaded her soul into the array, creating a Digital Nascent Soul. Jiang Chen was napping. DING.
[System Alert: Disciple Su Ling has mastered 'Heavenly Calculation'.] [Triggering 5,000x Cashback...] [Reward: The Eye of Truth (God-Tier).]
Jiang Chen opened his eyes. His pupils briefly turned into vertical golden slits. He looked at Old Sky. He could see everything—the cracks in Old Sky's remnant soul, the flow of Qi in the dimension, even the microscopic dust in the air. "Master?" Old Sky stepped back, feeling naked under that gaze.
The Void Sword. Wei Wu cut his own Dantian to birth a Void Sword Soul. Jiang Chen was fishing. DING.
[System Alert: Disciple Wei Wu has awakened 'Void Sword Intent'.] [Triggering 10,000x Cashback...] [Reward: Grand Completion Void Sword Dao.]
HUMMM. The [World-Severing Sword] beside Jiang Chen began to vibrate violently. It wasn't Jiang Chen controlling it. The sword was bowing to him. A massive, invisible Sword Intent shot into the sky, cutting the clouds above the Floating Island into perfect ribbons.
Old Sky fell to his knees. The pressure was suffocating. "Grand Completion Sword Intent?! You didn't even draw a sword! How?!"
Jiang Chen reeled in his fishing line. He caught a golden koi. "I just felt like it," Jiang Chen smiled lazily.
To Old Sky, Jiang Chen was a monster. A reincarnated Ancient God who recovered power by breathing. In reality, Jiang Chen was just enjoying the dividends of his investments.
The Secret of the Sky
The timer on the system interface ticked down. [Time Dilation Ending in: 00:00:00]
Jiang Chen stood up. He dusted off his white robes. He checked his status. [Cultivation: Half-Step Sovereign (Hidden).] To the naked eye, Jiang Chen looked like a mortal. He had no Qi fluctuation. He was like a deep ocean; the surface was calm, but the depth was unmeasurable.
"Assemble," Jiang Chen whispered.
WHOOSH.
Three figures appeared in the garden. Ye Kai: A giant of dark gold metal. Su Ling: A woman surrounded by data streams. Wei Wu: A blind swordsman with a silver soul.
They knelt. "Master!"
They looked at Jiang Chen. They couldn't sense his power at all. "Master," Ye Kai hesitated. "You feel... ordinary."
"That is the point," Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "When you reach the peak, you return to simplicity."
He walked to the edge of the island, looking up at the artificial sky of the realm. "The world outside has opened up. The Ye Clan Tournament is today. The Blood Soul Sect has placed bounties on your heads."
"Are you descending with us, Master?" Su Ling asked.
"No."
Jiang Chen turned his back to them. "I have a task that requires me to stay."
He looked at the sky. Only he, with the Heart of the World and the System, could see the cracks forming in the fabric of reality.
[System Warning: Regional Barrier Dissolving.] [The 'Great Barrier' separating the Southern Region from the Central Continent is breaking.] [Estimated Time to Connection: 6 Months.]
"The Southern Region is a cage," Jiang Chen said enigmatically. "For thousands of years, a barrier has protected this backwater land from the rest of the world. That barrier is dissolving."
The disciples' eyes widened. They had heard legends of the "Outside World," where Spirit Severing experts were common soldiers and Void Treading experts were merely captains.
"The wind is changing," Jiang Chen continued. "When the mist clears, we won't be the big fish anymore. The giants of the Central Continent will look at our land and see fresh meat. I must prepare the foundation of this realm to withstand the impact."
"A storm is coming," Wei Wu whispered.
"Yes. A Regional Merger," Jiang Chen revealed. "I need to make sure our home doesn't collapse when the borders fall."
He threw three golden tokens to them. [Sect Mandate: Collect the Debt.]
"While I reinforce the walls, you go and clean the yard."
"Ye Kai. Go to the Ye Clan. Remind your father that gravity works differently for Titans." "Su Ling. Bankrupt the Blood Soul Sect." "Wei Wu. If anyone draws a sword against us... break it."
"I will be watching," Jiang Chen sat back down on his fishing chair. "Go. Make the world fear the name Divine Dragon."
"Yes, Master!" The three disciples bowed deeply. They turned and walked toward the massive jade gates.
Old Sky pulled the lever. CREAAAK. The gates opened.
As the disciples left, Old Sky looked at Jiang Chen. "Master... is the Barrier really breaking? How do you know?"
Jiang Chen didn't smile this time. He looked at the cracks in the sky that only he could see. "Old Sky," Jiang Chen said softly. "I scam people. I never scam the Heavens."
"Now, pour me more tea. I have a lot of work to do."