Xu Jingming stepped onto the undulating mountains of the Heart Realm, taking in his surroundings with a sense of awe. This mountain actually extends beyond my senses.
Whoosh!
He immediately flew up to the mountaintop. But upon closer inspection, he found nothing special about it.
Whoosh.
Xu Jingming soared down the mountain, his eyes scanning the ancient ruins below. This territory was massive, far larger than the one he had established himself.
But as a mere cosmic legend, it was no surprise that his territory ranked last across the infinite Heart Realm.
With a swift whoosh, he flew past the towering peaks and gazed upon the sprawling canyons. Even he couldn't help but be awestruck by the enormity of these ruins. According to the Heart Realm Exploration Guidelines, more than 90% of the territory in the Heart Realm was left behind by powerful Eternal existences.
The Heart Realm had very high requirements. Those who could establish a territory here were often capable of reaching the Eternal Realm.
Half-step third realm is very rare in the Heart Realm, and third-realm territorial ruins are even harder to come by. Xu Jingming knew the basics of this situation.
Huh? Xu Jingming stared straight ahead, his eyes locked on the massive azure lake that stretched out before him. It was a sight that commanded his attention, a body of water that seemed to go on for hundreds of kilometers in diameter.
This is? He couldn't help but approach it.
The lake rippled with mist as he walked closer, and when it touched his skin, the Cleansing Lotus Fire that burned within him sizzled to life. It burned away the mist, revealing a host of incredible phenomena.
Xu Jingming saw mountains of money, vast stretches of planetary territory, and precious legacies that were beyond measure.
He whispered to himself, "This is a Lake of Greed."
There is a saying that all lifeforms in spacetime have all kinds of emotions projected into the Heart Realm. Emotions like greed, madness, and sin all converge in the chaos and will only stabilize when they touch some form of territory or territory ruins, thought Xu Jingming.
The only 'creation' in the Heart Realm was territory, and the Lake of Greed was constantly adrift, unable to stop until it touched a creation.
I can't be sure if this theory is true, but there are indeed all kinds of emotions, desires, and sins that have converged into a corporeal form and are entrenched in the Heart Realm, Xu Jingming thought.
Whoosh!
Xu Jingming pushed forward, determined to uncover the secrets of this ancient ruin. As he explored, he stumbled upon not just the Lake of Greed but also a Pool of Lust and a Sea of Sin. However, even the Sea of Sin couldn't compare to the sin contained within the first petal of the Sin Flower.
What about the core of the territory ruins? Xu Jingming searched. The territory owner naturally left his strongest mental imprint after establishing this place. Where is his mental imprint?
Xu Jingming searched for more than three days, but with the territory being so vast, it was no easy task.
Xu Jingming revealed a look of delight when he sensed a boulder. This boulder…
It was the core, the very essence of the entire place. A complete mark, etched into the very fabric of the land.
Boom! Boom!
As Xu Jingming sensed and touched it, the world around him shifted.
Suddenly, he was surrounded by a new landscape—one of towering mountains and sparkling lakes. The once chaotic and ruined territory was now filled with vibrant flowers and lush trees, bathed in the light of a mysterious dark star shining in the sky.
Xu Jingming stood there, taking it all in. He knew this was no ordinary illusion. It's a natural formation at the heart of the ruins.
"Wow, what a good dream." Suddenly, a figure lying on a boulder in the distance stretched and sat up languidly, revealing a thin, ghostly appearance. His upper body was solid, but his lower body was shrouded in black mist. In his hand, he held a black flask adorned with strange alien beast carvings.
Without warning, the figure opened his mouth and sucked in, causing rainbow lights to fly out of the flask and into his mouth.
"The One Who Comes After Me," the figure said in a detached tone, his eyes fixed on Xu Jingming. "There are countless ruins in the Heart Realm, and many masters of ruins leave behind tests, but I can't be bothered. I'm already dead, so there's no need to care so much."
Xu Jingming's eyes lit up when he heard that, and he thought to himself, That's the way! I don't want to do a test either!
"For me, I've been half-awake my entire life," the figure continued. "After reaching the Eternal Realm, I unknowingly arrived in the Heart Realm. There are only two methods I'm proudest of in my life."
"Pay attention. Absorb as much knowledge as you can, but don't expect me to hand over an entire legacy. I'm already dead; what's the point of preparing one for you?"
With that, he extended his hand, and black mist began to swirl around it, slowly taking shape and forming a massive bow. In his other hand, the mist condensed into an ancient arrow.
The process was slow and methodical, and it was clear that the figure was deliberately allowing Xu Jingming to observe and absorb the high-dimensional information contained within.
Xu Jingming watched intently.
Devotion to the bow and arrow—that's his lineage? Xu Jingming accepted the incongruent high-dimensional information.
The figure deliberately made his movements very slow for observation. It took nearly a minute to condense the bow and arrow.
Then, the arrow was nocked!
Draw!
Xu Jingming's heart raced as he watched the figure before him fully drawing the bow without even releasing the arrow. The indifferent gaze sent shivers down his spine.
This is… Xu Jingming thought to himself in surprise. In that moment, he sensed a massive amount of high-dimensional information, as if being targeted by this bow and arrow meant certain death.
"When I was a low-dimensional lifeform, I was obsessed with archery. But little did I know, as I became a high-dimensional lifeform, my love for it only grew stronger," the figure said, his voice calm and collected. "I entered the Heart Realm at the Eternal realm thanks to my archery.
"Not only can my arrow strike the enemy's body, but it can also strike their mind." The figure spoke with pride in his voice. "I may only have reached the Eternal realm, but with this archery technique, I've remained undefeated by anyone below the half-step third realm! Ordinary Eternals die just from a single arrow. Hahaha…"
Xu Jingming was stunned. High-dimensional Eternal lifeforms have extremely strong life-preservation means. Although Eternals of the Heart Realm Force lineage is powerful to begin with, it's too terrifying to say that he can one-shot, one-kill an Eternal.
According to the information he had gathered, half-step third-realm experts could easily kill Eternal powerhouses. Be it Gumo or the monster Monhado, they had killed plenty of Eternals.
But this ancient existence in front of him, not even at the half-step third realm, claimed to be able to kill ordinary Eternal experts with one shot!
"An arrow that strikes the body and the mind?" Xu Jingming muttered to himself.
"Go." The figure finally released the fully-drawn bow.
The arrow was a thing of beauty, akin to a shining Primordial Star, and in an instant it was gone, tearing through space and disappearing.
There's no way to dodge; it's impossible. Xu Jingming received a large amount of high-dimensional information from this move and was shocked by its might. I have the high-dimensional Eternal weapon, Sin Flower, but even at its limits, it wouldn't be comparable to this shot.
The third realm of the Red Lotus Fire, he thought, must require the ultimate mastery of the Red Lotus Fire to surpass it.
Those who had grasped the Red Lotus Fire were already half a step into the third realm and could naturally surpass it.
As for the Black Lotus Fire, Xu Jingming didn't have the confidence to compare it to this archery technique unless he mastered it himself in the future.
"Archery is my first and only means of killing the enemy," the figure said with a smile. "I don't have a detailed legacy for this method. Moreover, you probably won't be able to learn this shot from my legacy. Only by comprehending the essence of archery can one have a chance of grasping a similar move."
The figure said, "My second method is a Karma Severance move."
"Behold."
Xu Jingming's eyes widened as the figure before him began to transform. The black mist from his lower body spread throughout his body in a slow, mesmerizing process. Xu Jingming could clearly see the transformation taking place and received a massive influx of high-dimensional information.
The figure dissipated into mist before condensing back into its original form.
"All the powerhouses of the Heart Realm lineage are masters of cloning," the figure explained. "With a single thought, they can split into thousands of clones. It's nearly impossible to kill them completely, but they have one weakness—attacks that trace karma."
"That's why Karma Severance is so important," the figure continued. "I've even learned a technique for it through archery."
"A bow and arrow must follow the path of karma and find its target. With one arrow, all of the enemy's clones will be eliminated."
"Karma Severance is the opposite," the figure said. His figure coexisted in a corporeal and mist form.
Xu Jingming listened and thought to himself, There's no need for me to learn Karma Severance! The Red Lotus Fire is incredibly skilled at it. Even with my basic mastery of the Cleansing Lotus Fire, it's difficult for the enemy to follow karma, let alone the Black Lotus Fire and Red Lotus Fire later on.
Karma Severance—Red Lotus Fire—was much stronger. But what about offensive means?
Xu Jingming couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
He's devoted to archery, and I'm devoted to spearmanship. Perhaps some of its insights can be applied to my spearmanship. Xu Jingming's mind expanded as he began to envision new possibilities for his high-dimensional spearmanship.
The Heart Realm lineage consisted of countless schools, each with their own unique abilities.
Some were experts in manipulating the minds of their enemies, using control and extermination to devastating effect.
Others were skilled in creating vast worlds, while others wielded psychic weapons of immense power concentrated within.
This master archer was one such weapon wielder. His bow and arrow were infused with endless mental strength, allowing him to strike at both the body and mind of his enemies. Only then could it truly be considered a psychic weapon.
"I lived for half an Abyssal Era," the figure said, looking at Xu Jingming. "I am only skilled in these two methods. Also, my name is Granddreamer."
With that, his figure dissipated, and the entire illusion around them crumbled.
The territory ruins and the boulder in front of him returned to their original positions.
"Granddreamer?" Xu Jingming whispered. "He left his name behind. It seems he cannot accept death and wishes to be resurrected."
For a high-dimensional Eternal lifeform, half an Abyssal Era was considered a short life.
