Understanding the Rules of the Vast World, the Seal of Destiny

The oppressive aura suddenly dissipated.

The crisis was averted.

The spirit beast in the sea of clouds, which had initially poked its head out, now withdrew once more.

However, unnoticed by all—

Deep within the clouds, a massive shadow slowly emerged.

It was a spirit beast, its body pure white, towering like a mountain peak. Its scales shimmered with icy-blue lightning, each imbued with the power of cosmic laws.

Its eyes were as deep as the stars, and wherever its gaze fell, the sea of clouds churned, and spiritual light swirled.

Upon its head grew a pair of crystalline horns, wreathed in tendrils of frost.

Its form was slender yet majestic, its limbs treading upon the waves of clouds, each step seeming to ripple through the very fabric of the world.

The other spirit beasts in the sea of clouds bowed their heads at its appearance.

Even those usually unruly and prideful creatures prostrated themselves in submission.

The colossal spirit beast swept its gaze over them, its eyes unreadable, as if their deference was only natural.

Finally, its attention settled on the heart of the Netherfrost Sacred Domain—on Qin Luo and Su Muwan.

Originally, it had come to this sacred domain simply because the spiritual energy here was rich, the fortune long-lasting, making it ideal for cultivation and rest.

But now, a flicker of intrigue flashed in its eyes.

"Interesting."

Its voice, ethereal as celestial music, echoed across the sea of clouds.

"I had assumed this newborn sacred domain was merely another gathering place for spiritual energy. Yet, these two rulers... they are rather peculiar."

Its gaze lingered between Qin Luo and Su Muwan, curiosity gleaming in its eyes.

It had witnessed countless powerhouses and the rise and fall of innumerable sacred domains.

But never had it encountered individuals like Qin Luo and Su Muwan.

They were mere newcomers who had just ascended to the Great Thousand Worlds, yet they displayed strength and resolve far beyond ordinary Supreme Realm cultivators.

Especially Su Muwan—her mastery over cosmic laws was so profound that even it felt a hint of disbelief.

Such talent... and yet she was merely an ascendant from a minor world?

However, the malevolence coiled around her was a sign of great calamity.

A pity, truly. If she could endure such a cursed fate, she would undoubtedly stand at the pinnacle of the Great Thousand Worlds.

But... it would be far, far too difficult.

Heh.

No matter.

This place was rich in spiritual energy—perfect for observing them a while longer.

Its gaze swept over the other spirit beasts once more as it spoke indifferently, "From this day forth, this sacred domain shall be my dwelling."

"Do any of you object?"

The spirit beasts in the sea of clouds growled in unison, signaling their submission.

Satisfied, the colossal spirit beast gave a slight nod.

Suddenly—

It let out a soft sound of surprise as its eyes fell upon a peculiar creature: a spirit beast with five heads.

"Roar! Meow! Woof! Gurgle!"

Little Shark-Shark blinked its five pairs of eyes, brimming with naive intelligence, showing not a trace of fear.

"Fascinating. A shark from the mortal world that evolved into a spirit beast on its own?"

"You’ve caught my eye. Then, I shall grant you a boon."

"Consider it a gift to awaken your wisdom."

With that, a single scale detached from the colossal spirit beast’s body and merged into Little Shark-Shark.

Crackle—boom!

Lightning erupted.

It was a strand of cosmic law!

The other spirit beasts watched in envy.

Once done, the colossal spirit beast spread its form, transforming into a streak of icy-blue light as it soared toward the heart of the sea of clouds.

Except...

Little Shark-Shark remained floating in place, blinking dumbly.

Its five heads looked down at its fins—crackle, boom!

"Roar! Meow! Woof! Gurgle!"

Panicked, the five-headed shark spun in circles.

Why was it leaking electricity now?!

The other spirit beasts: "......"

......

Within the main hall of the sacred domain—

"Come forth."

Qin Luo held the Ten Thousand Demon Banner and summoned the four envoys he had refined into its spectral servants before Su Muwan.

The four knelt respectfully, their voices unified. "Master."

Qin Luo gave a slight nod. "Tell me everything about the Great Thousand Worlds."

Hearing this, the envoy from the Nine Heavens Profound Domain spoke first.

"Reporting to the Master, the Great Thousand Worlds are vast and boundless, divided into five major realms: the Eastern Radiant Heaven, the Western Nether Abyss, the Northern Profound Frost, the Southern Blazing Flame, and the Central Sacred Expanse."

"Each major realm is further divided into sacred domains, each ruled by one or two domain lords."

"Conflict between domains is constant, especially over resources."

"Our Nine Heavens Profound Domain reveres the law of thunder. Its ruler, the Thunder Heavenly Lord, has reached the half-step Dominator Realm and commands the Eight Thunder Divisions, overseeing countless thunder cultivators."

The envoy from the Netherghost Domain continued, "The most vital resource in the Great Thousand Worlds is people."

"With people comes faith, fortune, virtue, malevolence..."

"In the Great Thousand Worlds, these seemingly abstract forces are the very keys to breaking through to higher realms."

Qin Luo was quite surprised upon hearing this. "What is the method of advancement in this world? Tell me."

"Reporting to you, my lord, the method of advancement in the Great World is unique, and the realm hierarchy is also different from that of the lesser worlds."

"The realms are, in order: Supreme Realm, Peerless Realm, Dominator Realm, Eternal Realm, Chaos Realm, and Heavenly Dao Realm."

"As for breaking through from the Supreme Realm to the Peerless Realm, the method is extremely simple."

"One only needs to absorb any one of these forces to a certain degree, and they will advance."

"However, it must be noted that once one absorbs a particular force, they can only rely on that same force for further advancement."

"The Nether Ghost Domain, where I previously resided, is a land where lost souls gather. Its ruler, the Ghost Nether King, advanced to the Half-Step Dominator Realm using the power of Yin Energy. Under his command are twelve Ghost Generals, ruling over countless ghost cultivators."

"The Ghost Domain is different from other domains—it is saturated with Yin Energy, making it nearly impossible for the living to enter. However, it is an excellent place for refining ghostly artifacts."

The Ghost Domain envoy then added, "If the Ghost Nether King were to be refined into a corpse puppet, its quality would undoubtedly be exceptional."

Well, well, aren’t you just settling a personal grudge under the guise of duty?

Qin Luo thought to himself.

The envoy from the Blazing Flame Domain then spoke up, "Reporting to you, my lord."

"There is also the crucial matter of the Sacred Domain Wars in the Great World."

"Wars between Sacred Domains are mandatory. That is to say, if one Sacred Domain declares war on another, the targeted Sacred Domain has no choice but to fight, even if they have no desire for conflict."

"Moreover, the war must continue until a victor is decided."

"The Sacred Domain I hail from is called the Blazing Flame Domain. Its ruler, the Flame Phoenix Empress, possesses the bloodline of an ancient phoenix and wields the power of ten thousand flames. Her strength is at the Half-Step Dominator Realm."

"Cultivators in the Blazing Flame Domain revere artifact forging and pill refining. The domain is filled with volcanoes and rivers of magma, making it a holy land for fire-aligned cultivators."

"The reason I’ve come today is to seize a River of Fortune from your Netherfrost Sacred Domain."

"Although the Flame Phoenix Empress does not rely on fortune for advancement, fortune can nourish a Sacred Domain, allowing it to produce more opportunities."

"Thus, nearly every faction, even those who don’t depend on fortune for advancement, will still seek to seize more of it."

After listening, Qin Luo nodded thoughtfully and then asked, "Among all these Sacred Domains, which one is the strongest?"

The four envoys pondered for a moment before the envoy from the Nine Heavens Profound Domain finally answered, "Reporting to you, my lord, if we consider only the four Great Worlds—East, West, South, and North—then the strongest are four Sacred Domains: the Azure Nether Profound Domain, the Nine Nether Domain, the Blazing Heaven Flame Domain, and the Soul Spirit Domain."

However, the envoy shook his head, his expression grave.

"But even these four strongest Sacred Domains of the Great Worlds pale in comparison to the Central Heavenly Sacred Realm."

"Every Sacred Domain in the Central Heavenly Sacred Realm is on par with the strongest Sacred Domains of the four Great Worlds!"

"Among them... the Linglong Heavenly Domain, ruled by the Linglong Empress, has been the most active recently. This is why the Sacred Domains of the four Great Worlds are so tense, fearing they might be targeted for war and resource plundering."

Su Muwan, who had been listening with great interest, suddenly interjected, "Then what about the Netherfrost Sacred Domain? Where does it stand in the Great World?"

The envoy from the Nether Ghost Domain hesitated before replying in a low voice, "Reporting to you, my lady, although the Netherfrost Sacred Domain is newly established, the strength of you and our lord far surpasses that of ordinary Supreme Realm cultivators."

"In terms of top-tier combat power, the Netherfrost Sacred Domain is no weaker than some minor domains in the four Great Worlds."

"But in terms of overall foundation, the Netherfrost Sacred Domain still requires time to accumulate."

Well, that was a fair assessment.

Su Muwan nodded. Of course, the most important thing was—

Hehe.

She glanced happily at Qin Luo.

She had been called "my lady"!

She had only ever read about such things in novels—never had she imagined she’d be addressed like this herself.

Meanwhile, Qin Luo’s mind raced.

Something was still missing.

Ah, right.

He asked, "What exactly are the 'Game Pieces' that the Upper World keeps investing in the Lower World? And why do they do this?"

The moment he asked, the four envoys immediately replied, "Reporting to you, my lord, this is the default rule of the Great World."

"At regular intervals, the Great World randomly initiates one of three types of world wars: the War of Fortune, the War of Merit, or the War of Faith."

"Those in the Great World must rely on Game Pieces—the so-called 'Chosen Ones' of the lesser worlds—to compete for these three forces in these wars."

"If they fail to secure any..."

The envoys' expressions turned solemn. "Then that person will be instantly erased by the laws of the world."

"Finding Game Pieces to bet on and bringing them to the Great World to participate in these world wars is crucial."

"Game Pieces who seize opportunities can reflect benefits back to their backers, as well as to the Sacred Domain itself."

"Those who fail to seize opportunities will either perish, erased from existence, or their backers must expend their accumulated fortune, merit, or faith to survive."

"Thus... this is the law of survival in the Great World."

"But with so many people, naturally, not everyone can find a Game Piece."

"So it's possible to establish a faction within the Holy Domain, where the [Fate Acquisition Rate] of everyone in the Holy Domain is distributed among each member of this faction."

"You can choose, or it can be randomized."

"And the members within this faction must also seek corresponding fate, virtue, or faith."

"But the benefits that come with it..."

The four of them took a deep breath and said, "Are limitless. Those who bear the greatest share of acquisition will also reap the rewards of that power."

"These benefits include cultivation breakthroughs, enhanced fate... and all other advantages."

"But finding a Chosen One is incredibly difficult. We’ve even tried artificially creating Chosen Ones across the myriad worlds."

"Unfortunately, all attempts failed—those artificially crafted could never gain the recognition of the Heavenly Dao."

High risk, high reward...

Qin Luo understood now.

He snapped his fingers.

The four of them were pulled back into the Ten Thousand Demon Banner.

In summary...

The myriad worlds are a ruthless battleground where fate, virtue, and faith are fiercely contested.

A survival-of-the-fittest system—if you can’t compete, you die...

Then without powerful pieces, wouldn’t you just be sitting there waiting for death?

But...

Qin Luo realized he might have found a loophole...

This world has no Chosen Ones, so they have to search for them in lesser worlds.

From this, it can be deduced that...

The pieces are essentially Chosen Ones.

Then...

Qin Luo opened his palm.

His expression turned odd as he examined the item he had previously obtained.

[Seal of the Chosen (Can create Heavenly Dao-certified Chosen Ones. Requires means to infuse fate (fulfilled) and the ability to manipulate destiny threads (fulfilled))]

(For details, refer to Chapter 538)

So what does this make me?

He glanced at Su Muwan, who was blinking at him curiously.

If I drop the young miss into the world battlefield, wouldn’t the myriad worlds just explode?