Could it be... the dawn of a glorious era is upon us

"ROAR—!"

A dragon's roar shook the entire [Dragon Binding Abyss], sending tremors through the air.

Its colossal form erupted from the molten lava below, soaring into the sky.

Even bound by multiple chains of darksteel,

it showed no sign of weakness.

Every scale blazed with crimson-gold flames capable of incinerating mountains.

It chose not to flee.

Three thousand underground rivers of molten fire surged from the depths of the caverns.

Meeting the violet thunder dragon head-on, it collided with unyielding defiance!

"Heaven's Dao mocks my aged frailty?"

"Then let the skies burn—what does it matter?!"

BOOM—!!!

A towering dragon of crimson-gold flame, forged from the molten rivers, took shape.

Even a fire serpent was caught in its wake, shrieking in panic.

Then, the blazing dragon and the violet thunder of heavenly punishment clashed violently above the Qixia Gorge.

No earth-shattering explosion followed—only an eerie, absolute silence.

Two opposing forces of annihilation raged against each other, eroding and canceling out in a frenzy.

Yet the spilled energy was anything but calm.

Violet lightning intertwined with crimson flames, tearing deep, bottomless fissures into the supposedly indestructible depths of the Dragon Binding Abyss.

The mere shockwaves of their clash upheaved the earth for miles, twisting the land beyond recognition.

From the thunderclouds above came a cold sneer.

"Hmph!"

The fire dragon retaliated with equal disdain: "Hah—!!!"

For minutes, the storm and the dragon remained locked in stalemate.

Then, a pair of violet lightning eyes hidden within the clouds slowly receded, and the thunderclouds dispersed.

...

Within the Love-Longing Sect.

In the forbidden depths of the back mountain, inside a jade coffin sealed by millennia-old black ice, the desiccated corpse of an emaciated elder twitched a finger.

The next moment, spiderweb cracks spread across the unyielding ice.

"CRACK—!"

The coffin shattered explosively as the skeletal figure sat upright. His clouded, lifeless eyes fixated on the direction of Qixia Gorge.

His Golden Core trembled with desperate longing.

"Heavenly Tribulation…?"

"Yes! The aura of Heavenly Tribulation!"

"Ha… hahahaha!"

His rasping laughter, hoarse and mad, carried the weight of millennia of suppressed frenzy.

"The Dao of Heaven is flawed, the path to Nascent Soul severed… all lies! All of it!"

"My lifespan… can still be saved!"

The aura of death clinging to him vanished, replaced by a surging tide of vitality.

With a single step, he appeared outside the forbidden grounds.

The sect master of the Love-Longing Sect paled, collapsing to her knees under the crushing pressure before she could even glimpse the figure.

Despite also being at the peak of Golden Core, she coughed blood from the mere force of his presence.

"W-Welcome, Grand Elder, upon your awakening!"

Yet the figure didn’t spare her a glance. A streak of light tore through the sky as he raced toward Qixia Gorge.

Sect honor?

Suppressing rivals?

Before the path to immortality, all were meaningless!

...

The Blood Fiend Sect, within the Demonflame Mountains.

At the heart of the blood pool, thick crimson liquid churned endlessly, reeking of putrid decay.

Suddenly, the entire pool boiled violently.

A throne of bleached bones rose from its depths.

Upon it sat a figure, flesh melted beyond recognition.

"Kekeke…"

"Heaven’s Dao… have you finally opened your eyes?"

"This Sovereign has waited nine hundred years for this day!"

The figure stood abruptly, vaporizing the surrounding blood.

A crimson tongue licked cracked lips, eyes gleaming with naked greed.

"Which fellow Daoist has invoked such fortune?"

"Allow this Sovereign… to safeguard your tribulation!"

Before the words faded, he transformed into a streak of bloody light, staining the sky an ominous crimson in his wake.

...

Simultaneously.

In the Great Xia Empire, a nameless ancient tomb’s stone gate burst open after centuries of silence.

Deep within the Southern Wilderness, a pair of jade-green eyes snapped open from within the hollow of an ancient tree.

Beneath the Northern Wastes’ frozen tundra, a slumbering presence stirred.

These forgotten monsters, sealed away for untold ages, now emerged like sharks scenting blood.

Once the geniuses of their eras, they had been driven to desperation by the merciless passage of time and the severed path of immortality, resorting to forbidden arts to prolong their withering lives.

And now—their chance had arrived!

The Great Xia Empire had witnessed Heavenly Tribulation once more!

Dozens of terrifying auras, each capable of dominating an era, surged from all directions, converging toward a single destination—

Qixia Gorge!

...

Within the underground cavern.

Su Jiu remained oblivious to the cataclysmic events unfolding outside.

All she knew was that the oppressive force above, after its initial fury, had inexplicably quieted, leaving only faint tremors.

…The heavenly punishment seemed to have been blocked by something.

Her focus swiftly returned to Su Ji.

At this moment, Su Ji was at the critical final stage of Foundation Establishment.

The vortex of spiritual energy in his dantian spun at its limit. Under the tyrannical guidance of the [Fallen Dragon’s Desolate Ruin Art], the liquefied energy was compressed and refined relentlessly.

Finally, at the instant all liquid spiritual power condensed into a single point—

"HUM—!"

A resonance echoed from his soul.

The point exploded—yet instead of scattering, it transformed into a radiant, crystalline Dao Platform!

Heavenly Foundation Establishment!

Power several times greater than the Qi Refining stage surged through Su Ji’s meridians.

He exhaled a long, steady breath.

...

Meanwhile.

Above Qixia Gorge.

Dozens of figures arrived in an instant, burning their life essence to hasten their arrival.

They were the forgotten legends of this era, monsters clinging to life in the crevices of time.

Each carried the stench of decay—and the hunger for the Dao.

A hoarse, urgent voice called out:

"May we ask which fellow Daoist is undergoing tribulation here?"

"This old man is Li Changgeng of the Azure Cloud Sect! Show yourself!"

"Fellow Daoist! Tell us—what form does this Heavenly Tribulation take?!"

Yet the response they received was far from friendly.

Deep within the cavern, the true dragon that had just clashed with heavenly punishment flicked its tail in irritation.

First, it was struck by heavenly lightning. Now, a swarm of flies buzzed overhead.

Its molten-gold eyes swept over them with disdain.

"SCRAM!"

One word.

Simple. Brutal. Devoid of mercy.

Yet that single syllable carried power beyond the comprehension of Golden Core cultivators.

The soundwave materialized into a shockwave, erupting from the depths and slamming into the gathered experts.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

A chorus of blood sprayed from their mouths as they were sent flying.

The group of previously arrogant old monsters were sent flying back several miles like flies swatted by an invisible giant hand, their faces deathly pale and their figures in disarray before they barely managed to steady themselves.

All of them stared in horror at the devastated canyon below, their minds trembling with fear.

A single roar had wounded dozens of Golden Core cultivators among them—just how terrifying was this existence?

"A… a True Dragon…"

The Blood Fiend Sect's old demon wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice hoarse, his eyes filled with unprecedented dread.

"No mistake… this draconic might… it’s a True Dragon!"

What in the world was happening to Great Xia?

Now, even the long-extinct legends—True Dragons—had reappeared.

Could it be…

That a glorious, unprecedented era was upon them?

This thought ignited like a spark in the hearts of all the old monsters.

At this moment, none of them wished to leave.

Even forgetting their status, they descended to the ground one after another, touching the lingering arcs of lightning with intoxicated reverence…

As if only by doing so could they take one step closer to the Nascent Soul realm…

They could only curse their misfortune—why hadn’t this heavenly tribulation struck them instead?

...