In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed.
Led by the Golden Seal King, Luo Feng and the others returned to the Gan Wu Secret Realm. Because Gan Wu Country Lord had already entered deep seclusion, Hu Yanbo—who was originally supposed to cultivate under him—could only follow Luo Feng into the Initial Universe instead, temporarily settling there under Bai Yue's arrangements.
Primitive Mystical Region
At the fixed God Kingdom passage linking the Ganwu Universe Country and the Primitive Mystical Region, the watery light curtain rippled.
Bai Yue and his group stepped out.
"Luo Feng, Teacher Hu Yanbo, you can head to the Initial Universe on your own," Bai Yue said, stopping in place. "I still have other matters to attend to, so I won't accompany you."
Luo Feng nodded without hesitation, leading Hu Yanbo toward the passage to the Initial Universe.
With a thought, Bai Yue teleported again—this time bringing Hong and Thunder God straight into the core region of the Thousand Treasure River.
The vast river surged endlessly through the starry void, its currents roaring like a celestial torrent. At its center, atop one of the grand palaces, Primordial Chaos City Lord sat cross-legged, gazing calmly at the flowing river beyond.
Whoosh.
Bai Yue, Hong, and Thunder God appeared atop the palace.
"Teacher."
"Greetings, Primordial Chaos City Lord!" Hong and Thunder God immediately bowed.
Primordial Chaos City Lord opened his eyes and looked at the two newcomers, his expression curious. "What is this?"
He naturally knew of Hong and Thunder God, but they had only appeared in passing within Bai Yue and Luo Feng's background information. He had never examined them closely.
Bai Yue laughed. "Teacher, let me keep you in suspense for a moment. I'll explain once Darkness arrives."
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a strange, cold aura spread through the surrounding space.
Darkness Master appeared.
Clad in a black outer robe, with silver-black armor faintly visible beneath, he seemed to blend into the void itself. His presence alone caused the surrounding space to feel heavy and oppressive.
"Senior Brother. Lord of Hunyuan," Darkness Master greeted calmly. His gaze then shifted to Hong and Thunder God—and in that instant, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Impressive willpower."
The praise was brief, but genuine.
Willpower and consciousness were notoriously elusive qualities. A cultivator at the apprentice level could, in pure willpower alone, rival a World Lord—though their consciousness strength would be vastly inferior.
Willpower was the general.
Consciousness was the army.
Even if a World Lord possessed mediocre willpower, their overwhelming consciousness could still crush Planetary or Stellar-level beings with ease.
"Haha! What do you think?" Bai Yue laughed. "Disciples I specifically found for you, Darkness."
He turned to Hong and Thunder God. "This is Darkness Master of our Virtual Universe Corporation lineage. I'll soon grant you permission to enter the Illusion Sea. Whether you can impress him—and whether he accepts you as disciples—will depend entirely on your performance."
Hong and Thunder God straightened immediately. "Greetings, Darkness Master."
Illusion Sea
All core members of the Virtual Universe Corporation were qualified to challenge the Illusion Sea.
This was a special trial that tested consciousness and willpower—two factors critical to cultivation, breakthroughs, and high-level combat.
The Illusion Sea consisted of twenty-one islands.
From the outermost island, challengers flew inward, island by island. Each deeper layer carried exponentially stronger illusionary suppression and mental pressure. Only by completely breaking through the illusion of the current island would the next one manifest.
Illusion Sea Plane
Boom—!
The black sea churned violently, towering waves crashing against the cliffside with deafening roars.
Bai Yue, Primordial Chaos City Lord, Darkness Master, and the others stood atop the cliff, gazing at the endless, pitch-black sea. Beside them stood the black-scaled elder who guarded this plane.
"For a true powerhouse," Darkness Master said slowly, "talent, comprehension, diligence, and resources are all important. But above all else… is the heart."
"This Illusion Sea exists for that reason."
Primordial Chaos City Lord nodded in agreement. "A peerless genius with terrifying willpower has only two endings—either collapse and fall, or rise to become a supreme expert."
"Are you ready?" Bai Yue asked, turning to Hong and Thunder God.
The black-scaled elder bowed. "Sirs, the Illusion Sea is currently empty. The trial may begin at any time."
"Ready," both replied in unison.
With a boom, the two transformed into streaks of light and shot toward the first island.
Their hearts were calm.
A heart clear as a mirror—this was a realm both Hong and Thunder God had reached long ago. Absolute tranquility, unshaken by external disturbances.
The moment they set foot on the first island, illusionary force surged.
And in the very next instant, it shattered.
Their expressions did not change in the slightest as they continued forward.
The second island appeared.
Then the third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
In an astonishingly short span of time, they cleared nine islands in succession.
The illusions barely slowed them.
Even Primordial Chaos City Lord and Darkness Master glanced sideways in surprise.
Initially, they had assumed Bai Yue was simply helping old companions from Earth. Darkness Master had even planned to accept them as registered disciples out of courtesy, provided they performed decently.
But this… was far beyond "decent."
Both were Domain Lords—yet their willpower rivaled terrifying veterans.
"This is no coincidence," Darkness Master thought. "These two are truly extraordinary."
As they pressed deeper, the difference between them slowly emerged.
Thunder God began to struggle.
Hong did not.
Gradually, Hong pulled ahead—one island, then two, then three.
"Thunder God has reached the sixteenth island," Bai Yue said. "Teacher, Senior Uncle—do you think he can pass it?"
"The sixteenth island's pressure is already comparable to early Champion level," Primordial Chaos City Lord replied with a chuckle. "It's a huge leap from the fifteenth. Passing it won't be easy."
Darkness Master smiled faintly. "You're all discussing whether Thunder God can pass the sixteenth… yet no one doubts Hong passing the nineteenth. You seem very confident in him."
His gaze returned to Thunder God. "Still, I believe he can clear the sixteenth."
The prediction proved accurate.
Under crushing pressure—like a mountain smashing down—Thunder God's will circulated in perfect harmony, Yin and Yang flowing together. At last, the illusion shattered.
He emerged onto the seventeenth island.
At nearly the same moment, Hong broke through the nineteenth and flew toward the twentieth.
By now, Youhou Lord had also appeared atop the cliff, quietly observing.
Soon, Thunder God reached his limit.
Upon stepping onto the eighteenth island, his consciousness was instantly overwhelmed.
Failure.
Yet even so, his achievement was unprecedented—a Domain Lord clearing seventeen Illusion Sea islands, breaking historical records of the Human Race.
Unfortunately for him…
Hong was still moving.
The twenty-first island—the final one—represented illusionary pressure at the Universe Exalt level.
Since records began, even invincible Undying who could clear all twenty-one were exceedingly rare.
And now, a Domain Lord stood there.
Time seemed to freeze.
Then—
"He… he passed!" the black-scaled elder shouted, eyes wide with shock.
The cliff fell into stunned silence.
A miracle had been born.