âThis kid, eavesdropping on our conversation.â
Huang Zhen was instantly filled with rage.
âDonât speak nonsense!â Elder Zhen quickly stopped him, saying, âStrength is what commands respect. With their level of power, we might even have to address them as seniors. And if they wanted to know what we were doing, a single thought would suffice.â
âSince theyâve invited us, letâs all go together!â
Elder Zhen, leaning on his cane, led the way.
He understood clearly that if the other party intended them harm, whether they boarded the spirit ship or not, the outcome would be the same.
The members of the Demon-Slaying Alliance followed Elder Zhenâs steps and boarded the spirit ship.
Once aboard, Elder Zhen and his group gathered together, observing the others.
Before them stood a dozen or so young men and women, whose depths they couldnât begin to fathom.
Even more astonishing were the guards standing watch nearby, who also seemed unfathomably powerful.
âAre you⊠from beyond the realms?â
Elder Zhenâs seemingly cloudy eyes flickered slightly as he asked.
âBeyond the realms?â
Aside from Bai Jun, the other young men and women sneered and walked away without a word.
âBeyond the realms? Thatâs your mistaken way of putting it!â
Bai Junâs expression remained calm as he spoke indifferently. âWe are all part of the same world. What is this talk of âbeyond the realmsâ?â
Elder Zhen furrowed his brow and clasped his hands together.
âSenior, you must be joking.
Our Nine Realms, along with countless lower planes, have always formed a self-contained world since ancient times!â Elder Zhen stated firmly, though in his heart, he now understood that these were likely the legendary outsiders.
Bai Jun didnât elaborate further. Instead, he waved his hand.
A surge of immortal energy materialized, and an image appeared before Elder Zhen.
In the image, a sphere with alternating patches of brown and blue floated in space.
âThis is called a planet. It is our world. The brown you see is land, and the blue is the ocean.â
âWe come from here.â
Bai Jun pointed to one of the continents.
âAnd youâŠâ
He gently tapped another spot.
His finger stopped near the edge of the land, close to the ocean.
âYour location is here, on this small islandâŠâ
After saying this, Bai Jun poured himself a cup of tea and began sipping it leisurely.
Elder Zhen and the others stared wide-eyed, their minds thrown into turmoil.
The young manâs words had completely overturned their understanding of the world.
Their world⊠wasnât a world at all?
Just a tiny island in this greater world?
How⊠how could that be?
They shook their heads, unable to believe it.
âStop trying to deceive us! Tell us, what is your purpose here?â Huang Zhen couldnât help but shout.
Bai Jun paused mid-sip, then flicked his teacup. Huang Zhen let out a cry of pain and was instantly flung off the spirit ship.
âI donât like being shouted at.â
âHe deserved death, but for the sake of smoother conversation, Iâve spared his life.â
âOf course, I never act without compensation.â
Bai Jun spoke impassively, holding a storage ringâHuang Zhenâs, to be precise.
He effortlessly erased Huang Zhenâs spiritual mark and opened it.
Frowning, he began to inspect the items one by one, his expression growing increasingly disdainful.
What Elder Zhen and the others considered priceless treasures were casually destroyed by Bai Jun without a second thought.
Finally, in his impatience, he destroyed the entire storage ring, leaving only a single book titled *Nine Realms Compendium*.
He poured himself another cup of tea and began flipping through the book.
Hearing that Huang Zhen was unharmed, Elder Zhen and the others felt somewhat relieved. However, watching Bai Jun destroy Huang Zhenâs possessions and listening to his tone left them deeply uncomfortable.
Yet, faced with such overwhelming power, they dared not voice their grievances.
Glancing at the still-visible image, their hearts remained unsettled. They couldnât bring themselves to accept Bai Junâs earlier claims.
âMay I ask⊠what level of power do you possess?â
Elder Zhen shifted the topic, hoping for clarity.
âHmm?â
Bai Jun, who had been reading, tilted his head slightly and replied, âBy your standards, I would be beyond the 99th level of True Immortal.â
âWhat?!â
The shock nearly made their jaws drop, and Elder Zhen trembled so violently that his cane almost slipped from his grasp.
âYou⊠you⊠youâre a god?â
Elder Zhen exclaimed in disbelief.
Bai Jun smiled.
It was the first time he had shown any emotion.
âLook at the image again.â
âBeyond this planet, there are countless others.â
Elder Zhen and the others turned their gaze back to the image. Indeed, beyond the planet, there were innumerable others.
âThese planets are what you see as stars in the night sky.â
âAnd beyond the planets lies the cosmosâŠâ
At this point, Bai Jun closed the book and looked up at the sky with a longing expression.
âAnd the gods⊠reside beyond the cosmos.â
âIn our world, who dares to call themselves a god? Who is worthy of such a title?â
âAs for your so-called 99th level of True Immortal, itâs nothing. Even your entire cultivation system is just a self-delusion!â
His words struck like a thunderbolt.
Once again, their understanding of reality was shattered.
âNo⊠this canât be.â
Elder Zhen shook his head. âOur Nine Realms were created by the Eight Great Sovereigns, and the cultivation system was passed down by them. After the 99th level of True Immortal, one ascends to godhood. This is what weâve known since childhood. How can it be as you say?â
âThe Eight Great Sovereigns⊠Lin Jiao, Chen YuâŠâ
Bai Jun reopened the book, tapping his finger on the page as he murmured, âFamiliar names. So itâs them.â
âIf Iâm not mistaken, youâve simply been⊠cultivated by them.â
âAs for their purpose, given their level of power, what they likely seek is your faith energy.â
âCultivated?â
Elder Zhenâs face turned pale, as if struck by lightning.
The others were equally stunned.
Yet, none of them were fools.
There was no smoke without fire. Why else would Bai Jun and his group bother explaining this to them?
For a moment, their minds were in chaos.
On one side was the deeply ingrained knowledge they had held since childhood.
On the other, they couldnât find a single flaw in Bai Junâs words.
âIf you still donât believe me, consider this: why do we speak the same language?â
Bai Jun said leisurely.
This statement left Elder Zhen and the others frozen in place.
The implications were terrifying.
If they werenât from the same world, how could they share the same language and culture?
âNo⊠noâŠ
How can this be?â
Elder Zhen and the others were deeply unsettled, their beliefs shaken to the core.
âBai Jun, why waste so much time on them? Whether they believe it or not doesnât matter.â
Another young man approached, his tone impatient. âWeâre here to claim territory, not to educate these frogs at the bottom of a well.â
He turned to Elder Zhen and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument.
âFrom now on, this unoccupied land is under our control. Weâll carve out a small area for you natives to live in. You have no choice but to accept.â
âNo.â
Elder Zhenâs expression turned cold.
This was nothing short of outright invasion.
âNo?â
The young man sneered. âOld man, do you not understand the situation? Your so-called Nine Realms combined probably couldnât even take down that low-level demon from earlier. What gives you the right to refuse? What do you have to refuse with?â