Chapter 248 – The Five Realms of Mortality, The Three Realms of Legend

“The arena is now open.”

“Those wishing to witness the Legendary Ascension Ceremony may enter upon payment.”

“Note: Admission tickets are charged per individual. Whether you are a Chosen One, Hero, or troop type, all must pay the same ticket price. Do not summon troops within the arena.”

A certain official responsible for maintaining order in the arena broadcast his resonant voice in all directions.

This was an individual billing system, not a Lord billing system.

Many players showed disappointed expressions. As expected, free viewing wasn’t possible. But never mind—they were just here to join the excitement, experience the atmosphere, and motivate themselves to advance further.

Frog-Selling Bro had come alone anyway.

Tan Moumou stored his generals back into his Lord’s Mark.

Then he saw Mu Yuan summon a magnificent large bird with azure feathers.

Looking again, all three of Brother Mu’s generals were preparing to pay for admission.

Tan Moumou: “???”

He immediately summoned his own three generals again. Upon careful thought, he, Tan, wasn’t short of these few Soul Crystals. He had just considered it unnecessary before. His generals were still at the early Elite stage, their intelligence only just budding—watching a Legendary ceremony would be pointless for them.

But since Brother Mu was being so generous with his own generals, how could he, Tan, allow himself to be inferior?

To be fair, cultivation should start from childhood… generals with newly budding intelligence were roughly equivalent to children. Giving them some enlightenment at this stage indeed wasn’t a bad idea.

Lesson learned.

Mu Yuan didn’t care whether others were here for excitement, atmosphere, or auspiciousness—he was serious. He needed to get his money’s worth from the ticket price.

For this ‘commercial ceremony’, the Ascension Arena had undergone special modifications.

The spectator stands were located in the east, west, and north, surrounding the enormous main arena. They were separated by shimmering barrier screens emitting faint light, through which the interior was clearly visible. At the center of the spacious arena, a three-meter-high dodecagonal platform had been erected.

Candles burned around the platform.

Mysterious runes glowed brightly along the platform’s outer edge.

Mu Yuan’s eyes lit up, “Just seeing this ceremonial platform alone makes the ticket price worth it!”

Merely observing from afar naturally wouldn’t reveal its inner workings, but it might spark some inspiration. Even he, an outsider, found the platform ceremony profoundly mysterious, let alone Isloria, who was an insider.

She was already staring intently, unable to look away, seeing if she could learn a thing or two.

Tan Moumou and Frog-Selling Bro, however, were looking around.

“There are really many spectators. The organizers must be making a fortune, right?”

“But with so many of us gathered here, won’t we disturb the breaking-through expert?”

“Only the weak think that way. If an expert could be so easily disturbed, they wouldn’t be an expert.”

A Lord passing by, hands in his pockets, briefly glanced at Mu Yuan, then cast a casual look at Tan Moumou as he spoke indifferently.

Then he walked away without looking back.

Tan Moumou felt offended but didn’t dare retort, choosing to follow his heart’s decision. There was no other reason—this Lord and the several generals following him all exuded a faint… yet almost suffocating pressure.

Definitely a powerful expert!

“That person seems to be the Mad Blade City Lord, a Fourth-Order Commander Tier expert! They say his Saber Intent has reached Major Achievement, making him a renowned powerhouse even among Commander Tier experts.”Frog-Selling Bro lived up to his identity as an employee of First Hand Commerce, possessing sharp eyes indeed.

Mu Yuan touched the barrier’s shimmering surface, inwardly affirming the words of Mad Blade City Lord.

Breakthroughs indeed should not be disturbed, but the disturbance here referred to more direct contact or conflict—such as directly slapping the person attempting the breakthrough. If mere observers could disrupt the state of someone breaking through, then that person would never have been capable of reaching the legendary tier in the first place.

Moreover, this barrier isolated everything from the outside, functioning like a one-way mirror.

The northern spectator stands.

This was the main observation platform, where the Lords of the breakthrough experts and distinguished guests were seated.

Boulder City Lord sat in the main seat, gazing around.

“Quite a few people have come, but many don’t seem to be here with the intention to learn—they’re just here for the spectacle.”

He had spearheaded this event not merely to earn money.

Such a small amount of Soul Crystals was insignificant to him.

He simply wanted to provide a learning platform for the younger generation of Lords. If even a few Fourth-Order Commander Tier individuals could gain some insight, even if it only increased their breakthrough probability by 1% or 0.1%, it would be worthwhile.

He smiled wryly, “Well, if these still-weak youngsters can better understand the might of the legendary tier and develop the ambition to strive toward it, that would be good too.”

In the main breakthrough arena, the first expert had already stepped forward.

This was a Grand Archmage of Outstanding Three-Star grade, wearing robes that shimmered with halos of light and holding an exquisitely crafted staff, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.

He had long completed all preparatory work and had honed his ‘vessel’—including physique, spirit, and energy—to a peak where no further improvement was possible.

The Grand Archmage sat down upon the high platform.

After half an hour of meditation, vast energy radiance began steaming from his body.

In an instant, it was as if a tsunami had risen, with those outside the arena feeling like tiny boats before colossal waves.

Many players turned pale.

But this was only the beginning—no, it hadn’t even truly started yet.

In the distance, on the northern observation platform, Boulder City Lord, seated in the foremost position, stood up. He raised his palm slowly like a conductor, the Lord’s Mark on the back of his hand glowing.

An invisible force traveled along the contractual bond between Lord and troops, descending upon the Grand Archmage.

This Grand Archmage was clearly one of Boulder City Lord’s subordinates.

This was an advanced application of ‘Lord Power,’ only possessed by Lords of Level 5 or higher.

“It’s starting,”

Mu Yuan murmured.

The Grand Archmage’s Aura surged again. A ritual on the high platform activated, assisting him in igniting the first spark of ‘Ultimate Ascension.’

Brilliant energy radiance burst forth from him, with various elemental particles intertwining, enveloping, and dissipating around him.

The Grand Archmage had practically transformed into light itself.

Under the combined enhancements of Lord Power, expensive equipment, exceptional structures, altar rituals, and the state of Ultimate Ascension, his Aura had already shattered the clouds. Terrifying energy stirred up storms, causing ripples to continuously form across the surrounding barrier.

Many exclaimed in surprise.

Yet they couldn’t clearly see what was happening inside.

“In this state, his strength is immensely powerful. I fear even Bone would be no match for him. However…”

“His energy is dissipating too rapidly, and he can’t control it. This person doesn’t possess a Domain.”

Deadbone remarked thus through the Mental Link.Isloria nodded, “For a legendary breakthrough, one must first enter the ultimate sublimation state, allowing their power to surge at least tenfold. After that, they must be able to stably control this energy to continuously ascend and strike at the Heavenly Gate.”

Mu Yuan spoke up, “But a Grand Archmage’s energy is already eighty to ninety percent depleted by the time they reach the Heavenly Gate, let alone striking it.”

Dolai: “(*⊙~⊙)”

Should it say something too? But why couldn’t it understand a single word?

Sure enough, within less than twenty seconds, the raging energy torrent within the barrier gradually weakened, and the terrifying aura collapsed like an avalanche.

The breakthrough dojo was in complete disarray.

On the ritual platform sat a figure.

It was the former Grand Archmage. However, he no longer appeared youthful; his form was withered, his disheveled hair now streaked with gray, and his face had become wrinkled, resembling a man in his seventies or eighties.

“Hiss—”

In the distance, the Boulder City Lord’s expression remained unchanged.

As if failure had been expected all along.

The Grand Archmage had lost a significant amount of life origin, but Mu Yuan guessed this could be replenished.

It was all a matter of treasures, treasures, and more treasures.

The Grand Archmage was sent for medical treatment, and after repairs, a second fully prepared ritual platform soon rose in the main breakthrough dojo.

“The main function of the platform is to boost and stabilize the ultimate sublimation state.”

“And this venue itself likely possesses beneficial effects like stabilizing the mind and reducing energy consumption.”

Isloria speculated.

Of course, the capabilities of an outstanding-grade building might far exceed that.

Mu Yuan couldn’t guess either. In comparison, his own rare-grade breakthrough dojo mainly served to save money and offered no assistance to a powerhouse’s breakthrough.

If he really had to choose a breakthrough site, he might as well pick the ‘Cultivation Chamber’—at least it had a mind-calming buff.

The second powerhouse soon made an appearance.

It was an ‘Earth Rock Dragon’.

“It’s a dragon!”

“And a top-tier sub-dragon species just a step away from being a true dragon.”

Although the Earth Rock Dragon couldn’t fly, setting it apart from other dragon kinds, that didn’t hinder its might. Regardless of flight capability, the vast majority of people present couldn’t even obtain a single scale from the Earth Rock Dragon.

The Earth Rock Dragon stepped onto the massive platform prepared for it.

Just like the Grand Archmage before, its aura began to surge, and a dazzling earthy yellow energy radiance burst forth from its body.

Simultaneously, from the northern stands, a light of power bloomed from a certain lord.

It was an old man, appearing quite ordinary.

“Who is this big shot?”

Tan Moumou looked at Frog-Selling Bro.

However, after staring for a moment, Frog-Selling Bro shook his head; he couldn’t identify the old man either.

Mu Yuan was somewhat surprised—he recognized this old man.

They had met once… well, Rakshasa had met him once.

It was the Fishing Old Man who had served as an examiner in the simulated battlefield.

This Earth Rock Dragon of the Fishing Old Man had scales mottled with the marks of merit, its eyes full of vicissitudes and authority.

After receiving the infusion of power, the Earth Rock Dragon also stirred up an energy frenzy, which persisted for twenty seconds, thirty seconds, without fading.

“This Earth Rock Dragon already possesses ‘Willpower Light’,”

Deadbone said.

Mu Yuan nodded; Willpower Light could ‘fix’ a state.Previously, the Grand Archmage’s ultimate sublimation state had only lasted ten to twenty seconds before he could no longer maintain it and collapsed completely. However, the Earthrock Dragon’s ultimate state persisted for forty seconds, then sixty seconds, and still remained stable.

There is a reason why breaking through to the Legendary Realm requires both a Domain and Willpower Light.

Mu Yuan could vaguely “see” the Earthrock Dragon charging against the invisible Gate of Heaven several times, causing it to tremble slightly. But in the end… the Earthrock Dragon still couldn’t sustain its state, and its energy began to decline.

It had failed as well.

“The Earthrock Dragon’s aura was so terrifying. Was it just a little bit short?” someone asked.

No, it was still far from it, Mu Yuan murmured inwardly.

Perhaps at its peak moment, the Earthrock Dragon possessed a trace of legendary power, but… Mu Yuan could tell that it was still nowhere near shattering the Gate of Heaven.

And this Earthrock Dragon was already a top-tier powerhouse far beyond ordinary Fourth Order beings.

Breaking through to the Legendary Realm was indeed extremely difficult.

After the Earthrock Dragon, three more Peak Fourth Order powerhouses took the stage one after another to attempt breakthroughs, all ending in failure without exception.

“The failure rate is so high!”

“Could it be that all breakthroughs today will end in failure?”

The players were stunned.

But the experts remained unfazed, as failure was within expectations.

Mu Yuan pondered, “Perhaps this is also an attempt to rely on external forces to ascend to the Legendary Realm?”

He seemed to have heard that powerful nations like Eternal Star and Godwood had relatively mature external breakthrough methods—after all, unlike other things, if you can’t comprehend a Domain, you simply can’t comprehend it. No amount of desperate potential activation can change that.

Taixuan was probably conducting experiments as well.

None of the first five powerhouses possessed both a Domain and Willpower Light.

However, the earlier attempts seemed not just experimental but also served as warm-up acts.

The sixth powerhouse to take the stage was a Lord.

“Desert Mad Axe – Zhuo Qingwu, the City Lord! He’s ranked 29th on the Dragon Gate List!”

“Dragon Gate List?”

“It’s a list compiled by Taixuan that ranks various Peak Fourth Order powerhouses based on their combat achievements, symbolizing the meaning of a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Not all top Fourth Order experts are on the Dragon Gate List—those without combat records won’t be listed. But once someone makes it onto the list, it means they have a significant chance of breaking through to the Legendary Realm. Actually, this Dragon Gate List is mainly compiled by our First Hand Commerce.”

Frog-Selling Bro said proudly.

Mu Yuan had vaguely heard of the Dragon Gate List before.

This list was actually quite famous, with many listed powerholds engaging in sparring exchanges. Often, a well-matched spar could lead to immediate epiphanies and substantial gains.

It’s just that newcomers didn’t belong to these circles, so they rarely heard about it.

And ‘Desert Mad Axe’ Zhuo Qingwu was a top-ranked powerhouse even on the Dragon Gate List.

He was a heavyweight figure.

As a Lord, he drew power from his own generals and troops.

Above him, the phantom of a desert corps could faintly be seen.

Like the Grand Archmage and the Earthrock Dragon, he erupted with energy, bursting forth with radiant brilliance as his aura continuously climbed, opening the floodgates to ultimate sublimation.

However,

The energy surge stirred up by City Lord Zhuo Qingwu wasn’t violent. Instead, the light of energy around him grew increasingly visible, brilliant, and dazzling.

A pillar of light shot into the sky, impacting against the invisible Gate of Heaven.

“It’s a Domain.”

Both Deadbone and Isloria confirmed.Dolai stared intently for several moments, “Yes, yes, it’s the Domain, Dolai can see it too.”

Clearly, this City Lord Zhuo possessed both a Domain and Willpower Light, and had naturally honed his body to its limit.

Thirty seconds, sixty seconds.

The light on City Lord Zhuo’s body remained dazzling.

Mu Yuan could vaguely see the Gate of Heaven trembling incessantly.

“The interference is quite severe,” Isloria glanced over, “Lord, quickly, lend me a bit of power, or I won’t be able to analyze it anymore.”

After all, she had only come in the form of an Incarnation.

A Starlight Avatar.

This skill had transformed after she stepped into the Epic tier, becoming almost indistinguishable from her true self. It could use all the spells of her true form and shared consciousness with it. Apart from requiring constant energy to maintain and being relatively fragile, it had no other flaws.

But now it seemed there were still some.

When the Incarnation was too far from the true self, the signal would weaken and it would be directly affected by the impact of the Domain.

Mu Yuan quietly loaded Isloria’s template, manifesting a Starlight Orb for her to use.

Time had already ticked away to one hundred and seventy seconds.

The radiance on City Lord Zhuo, the Desert Mad Axe, grew even more dazzling, and his Aura had risen to a terrifying level.

The stronger one was, the more one could understand the sheer terror of City Lord Zhuo at this moment.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him half-step into the Legendary Realm.

Within the vast main breakthrough area, yellow sand had filled the sky at some point, and the elemental particles in the world had become active, converging toward City Lord Zhuo like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea.

Inside the venue, high-tier troops skilled in manipulating earth energy faintly sensed this change.

“It’s not just the venue!”

Dolai said.

A hundred meters, a thousand meters, three thousand meters, six thousand meters!

Elemental particles swarmed and gathered, clustering around City Lord Zhuo, obeying his command.

“He’s broken through!”

Mu Yuan murmured.

The gale, the sand waves, the tide of energy—all ceased at this moment, and the light dissipated, returning into his body.

City Lord Zhuo was no longer on the ceremonial platform.

He stood in mid-air.

No wings, no swirling green winds, no anti-gravity field. He stood directly in the air, using the energy of heaven and earth as his ground.

He raised his hand slightly, and endless yellow sand materialized out of thin air, lifting dozens of meters high before slowly settling.

“Manipulating the power of heaven and earth.”

At this moment, lifting endless yellow sand with one hand was probably not even a casual strike for City Lord Zhuo.

This was the might of a Legend.

Those in the Legendary Realm could use a single point of energy to leverage ten or a hundred points of the world’s power. Their casual strikes were combined skills, and their charged strikes were large-scale skills.

How could a Fourth-Order Commander Tier hope to block that?

Moreover, the Domain of a Legendary Realm was ten or a hundred times greater than before the breakthrough, not to mention their base attributes far surpassing the Fourth Order.

The gap between the Peak of Commander Tier and the Legendary Realm was like an unbridgeable chasm.

Even the most elite Commander Tier experts were no match for a newly ascended Legend.

“No wonder there’s a saying that some experts categorize the Zero-Order Apprentice Tier to the Fourth-Order Commander Tier as part of the ‘Mortal’ ranks.”

“Five Mortal Realms, Three Legendary Realms.”

Heaven-Earth Realm, Soul Realm, Law Realm.

Even among Legends, there was a vast difference. The gap between major Realms might be greater than the difference between Zero-Order and the Peak of Fourth-Order.

How big was the gap? Mu Yuan didn’t know.

This was his first time seeing someone newly ascended to Legend. When he had met powerful figures like Cold Moon City Lord and Evening Elephant City Lord before, they had never taken action.

“Deadbone, what do you think?””So powerful, the legendary realm!”

It said.

Mu Yuan also wore a grave expression.

As the territory developed, Tianyuan Territory would inevitably be unable to remain hidden, eventually stepping onto the world stage. In fact, given the current scale of Tianyuan Territory, it was already quite conspicuous.

Mu Yuan couldn’t determine whether the Eye of Divine Radiance hadn’t yet located his territory, had shelved the mission due to the Crimson Mist disaster month, or…

He had actually already been discovered.

The experts of the Eye of Divine Radiance were preparing a certain-kill plan.

He had to make contingency plans for the worst-case scenario.

If a legendary expert were to suddenly attack his territory, how should he respond?

From the current perspective, it would be extremely difficult to deal with.

The Undead General possessed energy reserves hundreds of times greater than experts of the same rank, but this meant little in the face of legend.

An Undead Legion with solidified military soul? Its full output might not even match the energy tide stirred up by a legendary expert drawing upon the power of heaven and earth.

With the energy reserves of a legend, they could maintain their Domain for a considerable duration.

After Zhuo Qingwu, the Desert Mad Axe, advanced to the legendary realm, he received congratulations from all sides.

It was said that he would hold a legendary advancement banquet in Boulder City.

However, these matters had little to do with them.

After the advancement ceremony concluded, players gradually dispersed, though some still eagerly discussed the might of legends. But for ordinary players, both Fourth-Order experts and legends were pinnacle-level powerhouses—they couldn’t truly grasp the difference between them.

Only Fourth-Order experts understood!

The seasoned Lord, Mad Blade City Lord, turned pale as he conducted mental simulations.

“Even though City Lord Zhuo Qingwu has just advanced to legend, if I were to face him, I probably wouldn’t last more than two moves.”

With his life-saving trump card, he could withstand the first move.

The second move would surely mean his end!

“But precisely because legends are so powerful and begin to touch upon the mysteries of heaven and earth, we must strive toward this goal!”

“No use overthinking. Rest for a day, and tomorrow take the train to Stone Ridge Town.”

As ‘inland lords,’ during the Crimson Mist disaster month, they needed to respond to the call, leading their subordinates and legions to frontline strongholds.

The area Mad Blade City Lord needed to defend this time was around Stone Ridge Town.

“I do hope some stronger monsters come, so I can hone my saber techniques.”

“Set a small goal: first, hone my Saber Intent to Perfection level, then master the Domain—then the future looks promising!”

“Charge!”

The next day,

Mu Yuan took the train back to Stone Ridge Town.

Tan Moumou also returned by train, but he took a different line heading to the ‘Xingrong Town’ area.

Both places were under the jurisdiction of Boulder City, but they were still quite far apart.

“After this Crimson Mist disaster month ends, let’s schedule another time to meet up.”

Tan Moumou said this, then boarded his train and left with a carefree demeanor.

A day later, Mu Yuan returned to Tianyuan Territory.

West of Tianyuan Territory, in the area shrouded by black mist.

For days, constant rumbling sounds had been heard, accompanied by thunderous “thump, thump, thump” impacts, causing passing residents on the western road to shudder and quicken their steps.

“Day after day, can’t even let a person sleep properly.”

From within a certain burial mound, Red Robe emerged halfway, rubbing her drowsy eyes.

In the distance, the ground was pitted and scarred.

A frost dragon glanced at its own scales, which had cracked with fingernail-sized fractures, completely unconcerned.

Even Uta’s full strength could only barely break its defense.

It, the frost dragon Sario, was indeed invincible, worthy of the title Senior.Not far away in the pit, Uta struggled to get up, neither frustrated nor angry, only wearing a cheerful smile.

“Brother Sario is truly formidable. I’m still far from matching you.”

“That’s…”

Sario raised his massive Dragon head, exhaling a refreshing frosty breath. Just as he was about to boast about his unbeaten record for the forty-sixth time, he heard Uta say, “After working at the Hunting Corps this afternoon, I think I’ll be able to apply for an epic evolution loan. Brother Sario, is this epic evolution really that miraculous?”

Sario’s expression stiffened.

He suddenly remembered one thing—this persistent little brother who kept failing and trying again hadn’t evolved yet!

A certain frost Dragon suddenly began to harbor an ominous premonition.

6K two-in-one…

(End of Chapter)