Arriving at the Seventh Domain at Last!

The Seventh Domain. In the vast, ethereal void lay an enigmatic domain barrier. This domain was hidden behind the stars, or suspended within spatial rifts. In short, without permission, no one could enter this place, regardless of their cultivation realm. Only the world's apex figures had ever heard of the Seventh Domain. The vast majority of powerful cultivators still believed the Human Spirit Realm consisted only of the Six Domains and the Ancient Clan. Before the Abyss Demon outbreak, many who had newly ascended to the Mahayana realm did not even know of the Ethereal Immortal Domain. The Seventh Domain existed above the Human Spirit Realm, transcending it. At this moment, stretching out before the eyes was an undulating mountain range. These mountains were not precipitous like ordinary ranges in the mortal realm, nor were they indistinct and ethereal. They seemed as though outlined by flowing ink and spiritual luminescence, with an enigmatic silver light shimmering between the peaks. This light had formed from the leakage of immortal qi from the Immortal Realm, making them seem like mountains leading straight into the celestial heights. Shrouding the mountain range was a forest enveloped in a seven-colored haze. The trees of this forest were tall, ancient, and lush with foliage. Yet not a single leaf ever fell from these ancient trees. For every single leaf in this forest contained immortal spiritual qi that could never exist in the Human Spirit Realm! They drifted in the air, dancing with the wind, never withering. It was said that if anyone could fathom the mysteries within, they could absorb the immortal spiritual qi from the ancient trees. At the highest point of these mystical mountains stood an unbroken expanse of palaces and pavilions. Constructed of mist and strands of light, these structures flickered in and out of sight like phantoms. Such buildings were in the minority, however; most were similar to those in the outside world. Yet... even the ordinary buildings were extraordinarily luxurious, on par with the spatial dharma artifacts only powerful Body Integration realm cultivators in the outside world could possess. In fact, many of the sleeping chambers and pavilions were high-grade spatial dharma artifacts themselves. Though outwardly spanning merely a hundred zhang, their interiors were ten thousand zhang across. Everything in the Seventh Domain gave off a dreamlike sense of unreality. Yet within this mysterious realm stood six gates of light. Six... blood-stained gates of light! Each rose higher than the last, as if the starry vault above had been divided into tiers. And this mountain range was the lowest tier, the one subject to the least suppression from the Immortal Realm, known as the First Domain! The Seventh Domain... had seven tiers in total. Beyond that topmost gate of light was the true Seventh Domain! There, one could look up at the presence of the Divine Realm! The first tier: the White Jade Tower. Her eyes filled with worry, Meng Wanshu wrung out a cloth dipped in spiritual spring water and began wiping down the unconscious young man on the bed. As for the others... they all stayed in this very courtyard. Up on the roof, Cao Yan and Xiao Chen sat cross-legged in meditation, their expressions tranquil. Suddenly, an old man's teasing voice reached their ears. "Oho, cultivating again, young'uns?" "Come on, let's go have a drink! This old man's treat." Cao Yan and Xiao Chen couldn't help but frown. Xiao Chen's features contorted—he was clearly trying to hold his temper. Cao Yan's mouth twitched slightly. This old man lived in a nearby detached courtyard and had been pestering the two of them since the day they arrived. "Agh! I can't take this anymore!" "We've been here for half a month, bored out of our skulls every single day." "I don't care, I'm going drinking!" Cao Yan opened his eyes just in time to see Xiao Chen leap down from the roof. The old man, clad in coarse hemp robes, broke into an immediate beam, his stooped frame straightening noticeably. His wrinkled face crinkled with delight, and he smacked his lips, hurrying to say, "Hahaha! That's it, that's it! Now that's the spirit!" "Cultivation, eh? You've got ten thousand years of lifespan now—when can't you cultivate?" "But Lady Li's wine is only sold this one month out of the entire year. If you miss her Red Dust Brew, you'll be missing out big time!" Xiao Chen's eyes lit up. Slinging an arm over the scrawny old man, who barely reached his shoulder, he muttered, "Old Sun, you aren't pulling my leg, are you?" The old man shoved him away, beard bristling and eyes wide with mock indignation. "Why would an old codger like me lie to a wet-behind-the-ears kid like you?" "Shoo, shoo! Go if you want, or don't—saves me the wine money!" Hearing this, Xiao Chen shamelessly trotted after him, grabbing the little old man's arm. "Don't be like that! Look at you, getting mad over a little joke." "At your age, can't you take a little teasing?" The elder known as Old Sun glared, snapping testily, "Even if you dug up every ancestor from your family graves, none of them would be as old as me! Acting all cheeky with me, you insolent whelp." Arm in arm, the two sauntered off into the distance. Cao Yan sighed and didn't bother stopping them. The old man's name was Sun Changlin, a late Mahayana realm cultivator—and an old cultivator with exceptionally solid, well-grounded cultivation at that! For some reason, Sun Changlin took a particular liking to Xiao Chen and him, pestering them with endless questions since their very first day. From Sun Changlin, Cao Yan had learned quite a lot about the Seventh Domain. All told, there were roughly five hundred cultivators in the Seventh Domain from top to bottom. Among them, however, only three hundred or so were Mahayana realm cultivators; most of the rest were their descendants who had taken root in the domain. This was the apex fighting force of the Seventh Domain today. As for the children of the cultivators who had started families here, they had lived in the Seventh Domain from birth and were not permitted to leave. Hence, recently, many children and peers often came looking for them. After all... most of the cultivators who entered the Seventh Domain later were old monsters who, like Meng Jiangchu, had cultivated for one or two thousand years. By contrast, cultivators as young as Cao Yan and his companions—thirty-something Mahayana realm experts—were exceedingly rare! Moreover, the number of Tribulation Transcendence realm cultivators was not as small as Cao Yan had imagined. He had initially thought there were no Tribulation Transcendence cultivators besides the Four Kings. Yet in the Seventh Domain, there were still nearly a dozen top-tier experts at the Tribulation Transcendence realm. And legend held that there was an elusive elder who appeared and vanished like a dragon in the clouds. Apart from the Realm Lord, he was the figure holding the most exalted status. Emperor Chen! Ling Tianchen! Cao Yan murmured softly, "One Emperor, Four Kings, Eight Generals..." As for the elder known as the Realm Lord, they had yet to meet him. Sighing, Cao Yan hopped down, stepped into the room, and nodded gently upon seeing Meng Wanshu. "Sister-in-law, has Big Brother still not woken up?" Cao Yan had never imagined that a woman as aloof and haughty as a snow lotus blooming atop an iceberg would roll up her sleeves and wring out a cloth to care for Li Guanqi, just like a housewife tending to her home. Meng Wanshu herself, on the contrary, did not think much of it, instead thoroughly savoring this tranquil time. It felt... like living an ordinary life together. Meng Wanshu looked up with a smile. "He's fine, no need to worry so much." "Your big brother is tough as leather. His injuries are already mostly healed." "His lifespan took a hit this time, but it isn't severe. There's nothing truly amiss, so don't fret." Cao Yan nodded with relief. Then he stepped outside and turned to check on Tang Ru, whose hands were swollen.