Chunibyo in Cultivation World

”It’s time to return… I wonder how my elder brother is doing now.”

”I’m already at the peak of Foundation Establishment. How far apart are we now?”

Li Tianchen, who had escaped from the Heaven-Burning Abyss, gazed into the distant horizon.

”That was truly lucky. I almost perished in there.”

At this moment, the Remnant Soul in the Ring still felt lingering fear. In his mind replayed the scene of the Heaven-Burning Abyss — that ancient place which had existed for countless millennia — collapsing upon itself.

”Elder Ling, do you truly not know what happened?”

Li Tianchen’s hand rested upon the ring as he questioned, the image of the collapsing secret realm surfacing in his mind, along with that sudden sensation of a sealed force breaking free. Everything pointed to something truly extraordinary having occurred this time.

”I do not know. From the time my flesh perished until now, thousands of years have passed. Great changes in the cultivation world are more than likely.”

”Just like those Evil Demons — in my era, they were but legends.”

”And now, they suddenly emerge again.”

The Remnant Soul in the ring lightly shook his head.

”However, if you return to the Sacred Land of Lingxu, perhaps you’ll hear some news.”

”Don’t forget — you have a remarkable elder brother.”

The Remnant Soul teased.

When he heard Elder Ling mention Li Tianwei, Li Tianchen’s brow furrowed slightly. His grip on the ring tightened, and he could clearly feel the turmoil in his heart.

”I’m curious — why is there such estrangement between you and your brother? Did he do something to wrong you?”

Seeing his reaction, Elder Ling asked with interest.

Li Tianchen took a deep breath and answered softly.

”Jealousy, perhaps. After all, that’s just the kind of person I am.”

Upon hearing this, Elder Ling understood that Li Tianchen had no intention of saying more, and thus fell silent.

Seeing Elder Ling quiet, Li Tianchen lowered his head slightly, as though steeling his resolve. ”Besides jealousy toward him… perhaps my mother’s death had something to do with him. I have no answer to that.”

”I only wish to compete with him, to see him fall, to trample him beneath my feet. This thought is strange, yet it has always lingered. The strangest part is that I feel such jealousy only toward him — no matter how excellent or strong others are, I never feel this way.”

”Perhaps our fates simply clash.”

Li Tianchen spoke every word that revealed why he bore such hostility toward Li Tianwei.

After listening, Elder Ling let out a soft sigh, unsure of what to say.

”I’ll do my best to help you. But as for stepping on him — that might be impossible. At most, perhaps you could one day stand alongside him.”

Elder Ling intended to lift Li Tianchen’s morale, yet upon reflection, he realized the gap between them was still immense.

Although Li Tianchen’s fortune was good and his spiritual root of the highest grade, even comprehending divine ability during the Foundation Establishment stage — Li Tianwei had already long accomplished all of that.

In the previous era, Li Tianchen could have undoubtedly suppressed an entire generation.

But now, in this era with a monster like Li Tianwei, that was impossible. One could even say — it was not Li Tianwei who suppressed the age, but that this age was radiant because of Li Tianwei.

”I’m not weak either. I too possess divine ability, stand at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and have comprehended Dao Intent.”

”To contend with him — it may not be impossible.”

”Perhaps that inexplicable jealousy I feel toward my brother is merely the resonance of two people walking the same era’s path.”

Li Tianchen regained his confidence.

Seeing his expression, Elder Ling was at a loss — this was truly excessive confidence.

But he could not blame him. After all, if he himself had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment in such a short time, obtained an immortal inheritance within a secret realm, and comprehended divine ability and Dao Intent — he likely would not be any less arrogant.

”Let’s go — back to the Sacred Land of Lingxu.”

Li Tianchen formed a hand seal, soared into the sky, and flew straight toward the Sacred Land of Lingxu.

——

After the Evil Demons’ seal was completely lifted, cultivators above the Out-of-Body Realm began reappearing in the cultivation world one after another.

Conflicts soon arose. Having been suppressed for millennia, these cultivators, once released, inevitably caused upheaval.

Those who emerged did not first seek revenge against the Evil Demons responsible for all this.

Instead, they fought amongst themselves — seeking the descendants of old enemies and taking revenge upon their sects.

Few had survived through the Evil Demon seal of several thousand years, and for that reason, even if one’s old foe had died, the forces they left behind still had to be eradicated.

Thus, the entire cultivation world descended into chaos.

The Four Great Sacred Lands had no time to maintain order among the righteous path — they were already struggling on their own.

The Sacred Land of Lingxu, due to Li Tianwei, had already entered a crucial stage of internal reform.

As for the other three Sacred Lands — since Zhang Linyuan had leaked the information about Lan Yu, they now knew that the Spirit Transformation Realm elders they had sent to deal with Li Tianwei had all been slain by him.

No matter how one viewed it, they had completely offended this peerless Heaven-Defying Genius.

Thus, they faced two choices. The first: wait within their sects until Li Tianwei transcended tribulation and ascended — then they would no longer fear his revenge.

The second: eliminate Li Tianwei before he fully matured, leaving no room for unforeseen consequences.

Naturally, the three Sacred Lands chose the latter — to kill Li Tianwei before he could grow.

When they first learned that Li Tianwei could, with the Golden Core Realm, suppress and slay a Spirit Transformation cultivator, the three Sacred Lands were utterly shaken — even contemplating mobilizing all their strength to annihilate him.

Yet due to the Evil Demons’ seal, they could only dispatch those at the Spirit Transformation Realm. How many such experts would it take to bring down Li Tianwei?

Before long, however, the seal was broken. This time, cultivators of the Out-of-Body, Union, and even Tribulation Transcendence Realms could emerge.

This was nothing less than heaven’s favor — now, the three Sacred Lands could send Out-of-Body and higher cultivators to assassinate Li Tianwei. In that case, wouldn’t capturing him be effortless?

As for these matters, Li Tianwei within the Sacred Land of Lingxu knew nothing.

In his eyes, with his immense talent, being attacked and envied was perfectly natural.

At present, he was still focused on the reform of the Sacred Land of Lingxu.

Meanwhile, deep within the Sacred Land, the Sacred Lord of Lingxu and several Ancestors who had been guarding Bai Muxu’s tribulation had also returned to the Twelve Peaks.

The Sacred Lord of Lingxu was the first to return to the Main Peak of the Twelve Peaks.

”Strange… why is the peak so silent?”

Hovering in midair, the Sacred Lord looked down upon the Twelve Peaks — quiet, still, devoid of the usual vitality of the Sacred Land of Lingxu, filled instead with an eerie strangeness.

”Virtue…”

Immediately after, the Sacred Lord faintly heard a disciple below utter this single word.

Then another disciple responded, ”Virtue.”

The two parted ways afterward — the scene bizarre and unsettling, stirring ominous thoughts.