There was no doubt about it.

The Bladeleaf standing at the very end of the River of Time was the same Bladeleaf in Caelum’s hand.

More accurately, it was Bladeleaf from countless ages in the future.

Caelum and the four figures faced one another across the endless flow of time for a brief moment.

Then he stepped back into the River of Time and returned to the Celestial Arc Realm.

With the future Bladeleaf projected across the River of Time, those figures could never cross over.

Caelum had no reason to worry.

Without that certainty, how could he have laid plans stretching across countless ages?

As long as no being at the ultimate pinnacle of the Dao descended personally, even Lesser Transcendence experts would be sent tumbling back downstream no matter how many times they came.

Anything else would simply be asking for humiliation.

Sixty years later.

[Cultivation Increased]

[Realm: Voidwalker Layer 360]

[Voidwalker Realm Complete]

[Obtained: Lesser Transcendence Art]

Buzz.

Ripples spread across the River of Time.

Once again, Caelum stepped beyond it.

This time, he was not relying on Bladeleaf’s power.

He had reached this level through his own cultivation.

At the peak of the Voidwalker Realm, he now possessed the cultivation of the Lesser Transcendence Realm.

Boom!

A muffled peal of thunder echoed across the sky.

Before the tribulation clouds could fully form, a strand of Yin and Yang Qi scattered them.

[Cultivation Increased]

[Realm: Worldbinder Layer 1]

Threads of profound Dao aura drifted from Caelum’s body.

Each carried the mysteries of heaven and earth and the secrets of the Great Dao.

Upon entering the Worldbinder Realm, both his cultivation and his realm rose to an entirely new level.

Empowered by the Lesser Transcendence Art, he gained strength that surpassed the Lesser Transcendence Realm itself.

Though he had not yet reached the true pinnacle beyond Lesser Transcendence, his power was already sufficient to shake the River of Time and disturb the countless Daos of heaven and earth.

Within him, the Worldbreaker Physique Art and the Secret of Transcendence circulated on their own.

Caelum quietly assessed the changes.

"At this rate, it will take several thousand years to reach the Paragon Realm."

He paused.

"And it’s about time I settled things with the ancient kings of the Primordial Age."

His arrangements in the Celestial Arc Realm had run their course.

There was no reason to remain any longer.

With a flick of his finger, he released a strand of Yin and Yang Qi infused with immense power.

It instantly vanished into the Divine Firmament Blade resting within Skyspire Order’s secret realm.

As long as that strand remained, Skyspire Order would endure through countless calamities without falling.

"Our karmic ties end here."

"Farewell, everyone."

His voice echoed throughout Skyspire Order’s secret realm.

Everyone froze.

At Skyreach Monastery, the attendant looked up in surprise.

"Heir Apparent?"

Raising his head, he saw Caelum standing beneath the heavens with his hands behind his back.

His figure gradually faded away.

Just like Wyrmvine and the others when they ascended to the Immortal Realm, he departed with effortless freedom.

The attendant bowed deeply.

"Farewell, Heir Apparent."

Throughout Skyspire Order, countless disciples spoke in unison.

"Farewell, Heir Apparent!"

One step.

One world.

One instant.

An eternity.

Countless galaxies streamed past him.

Caelum crossed innumerable lesser worlds, forcing his way through the void with overwhelming power and breaking through the barrier separating them from the Infinite Realms.

Then he took another step.

And arrived.

The Infinite Realms.

Vastheaven Realm.

Outside Eternal Vale.

A magnificent ancient city stretched across the vast land.

The prosperity of immortal cultivation within the Infinite Realms far surpassed anything found in the Celestial Arc Realm.

Everywhere one looked were cultivators.

Their numbers were impossible to estimate.

From Initiate Realm cultivators all the way to Immortal Realm Ascendants, they filled the city.

Only true immortals were rare.

Even within the Infinite Realms, Immortal Realm cultivators were far from common.

Above the heavens floated enormous stars.

The density of World Essence was astonishing.

The sight was enough to leave anyone speechless.

Within the Infinite Realms, immortals sat high above the clouds and ruled powerful factions.

Immortal Kings stood above immortals and governed entire regions spanning countless millions of miles.

Within a single great realm existed countless such regions.

Only Immortal Emperors could rule an entire realm and command the Immortal Kings beneath them.

Even so, no Immortal Emperor could shatter an entire realm.

A great realm was simply too vast.

Ordinary Immortal Emperors lacked such power.

Within the city, Caelum wandered leisurely through the bustling streets.

As he walked, he listened with interest to the discussions taking place around him.

The rumors and stories of the Infinite Realms fascinated him.

"Have you heard? An Immortality Elixir has appeared in the Deepheaven Realm!"

"Is that true?"

Even Immortal Emperors possessed lifespans of only a million years.

They had not attained true immortality.

Immortal Kings and immortals had even less hope.

Who in heaven and earth did not long for eternal life?

The Immortality Elixir had always been little more than a legend.

But if one had truly appeared, chaos and slaughter would surely follow.

"It’s absolutely true!"

The speaker grew more animated as he talked.

"I heard the elixir has already taken human form. Its cultivation is incredibly powerful, and its innate Divine Power is terrifying."

"Then even Immortal Emperors must be fighting over it."

"Of course."

The Ascendant nodded vigorously.

"Even Emperor Azuretide of the Vastheaven Realm has joined the hunt. Whether anyone can actually obtain it is another matter."

A nearby cultivator sighed.

"Eternal life..."

"People like us have no chance at such fortune."

Someone else leaned in curiously.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know what the Immortality Elixir originally was?"

"I heard its name is Dragonvine."

"Many thanks."

Life and death were determined by fate.

Fortune belonged to heaven.

Caelum merely continued on his way, heading toward Eternal Vale.

Before long, his figure disappeared into the crowded streets.

A short time later, several figures emerged from Eternal Vale.

The leader coughed up blood as he walked.

He was gravely wounded, yet the aura surrounding him remained terrifying.

Immortal light shimmered around his body.

Imperial might shook heaven and earth.

Everyone who saw him drew a sharp breath.

An Immortal Emperor?!

Boom!

A terrifying pressure swept across billions of miles.

Countless people dropped to their knees.

Many nearly suffocated.

The earth trembled.

All living beings within range fell silent in terror.

"Your Majesty!"

An elderly man beside Emperor Azuretide cried out in alarm.

The emperor’s body was covered in horrific cracks that refused to heal.

Boundless immortal light spilled from the wounds, releasing overwhelming pressure.

"Cough..."

"I’m fine."

Emperor Azuretide’s face was deathly pale.

He forcibly suppressed the ominous energy within his body and retracted his immortal aura.

Yet the cracks remained.

Nothing could erase them.

The Eternal Forbidden Lands were also known as Imperial Tombs.

Even Immortal Emperors might not survive a journey inside.

They were the greatest sources of calamity beneath heaven. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Places of unimaginable terror.

In hopes of obtaining a second life, Emperor Azuretide had ventured into Eternal Vale.

Not only had he failed to find the opportunity he sought, he had nearly died there.

Hundreds of thousands of subordinates had followed him into the forbidden land.

Only a handful emerged alive.

Turning back, he gazed into the depths of Eternal Vale.

The memories of those terrifying figures resurfaced.

Fear and caution filled his eyes.

The greatest calamity across countless ages.

The greatest terror beneath heaven.

His voice grew heavy.

"What happened during the Ancient Age?"

"What kind of disaster could leave behind beings this terrifying?"

"I’m afraid there is no one in this era capable of matching them."

Even an Immortal Emperor could not stand against those horrors.

Who possibly could?

Boom!

Suddenly, the forbidden land erupted.

The earth cracked apart across billions of miles.

Yin and Yang Qi flowed through the devastation, returning everything to its primordial state at the dawn of creation.

Then a calm voice echoed from within Eternal Vale.

It spread across the forbidden land and reached every corner outside.

Even Emperor Azuretide was stunned.

"You rats hiding in the shadows."

"Didn’t you want me to come to the Infinite Realms?"

"Well, I’m here."