Chapter 27: The Weight of the Cosmos
The sky cracked apart, spirals of collapsing space swallowing the battlefield. The air trembled under the strain of two forces—one foreign, one born from the impossible. Wu Tian was no longer just fighting the intruder—he was fighting against the very nature of this world.
Yan Xue, still kneeling on the fractured ground, coughed up blood. The pressure was suffocating, and the mere remnants of their battle threatened to crush her completely. Spirit Awakening Realm—High Stage. That level should have been untouchable here.
Yet Wu Tian stood, unyielding.
The intruder exhaled slowly, brushing dust from his robes. "You shouldn't exist."
Wu Tian cracked his knuckles, his aura stable. "You talk too much."
The man tilted his head. "You control space here, but do you understand why?"
A flick of his wrist, and the broken void around them began to mend itself. The once-collapsed space flowed back into position, as though the very laws of reality were bending at his command.
Wu Tian's eyes narrowed. He's repairing the damage?
The intruder continued, stepping forward. "Space is weak in lower realms. Its very foundation is malleable, unfinished. That is why you can manipulate it here."
Yan Xue's expression darkened. "You mean…"
Wu Tian understood immediately. The higher the world, the stronger its principles. The reason this man controlled space so effortlessly was because he had come from a world where this realm's Dao of Space was beneath him.
A lower world was like loose soil—easily disturbed, easily reshaped. But the true Mortal Realm? The Higher Planes? There, space was solid. Stable. Untouchable.
Wu Tian clenched his fists. If I were in his world, I wouldn't be able to do this.
The intruder smirked. "Your power is only relevant here. Once you leave this world, you'll be nothing."
Wu Tian met his gaze, unshaken. "Then I'll just have to grow beyond it."
The intruder's smirk faded slightly. Then—
He moved.
Breaking the Sky
The entire battlefield trembled as the intruder vanished.
No sound, no shift in the air—he was simply gone.
Wu Tian's instincts flared. This was different.
He turned his head, sensing the distortion before it happened. His body flickered—
And the next moment, a hand materialized from the void, inches from his throat.
BOOM!
Wu Tian countered, his arm slamming into the intruder's wrist, redirecting the attack. But the force behind it still sent him sliding backward, the ground beneath him cratering from the impact.
The intruder's voice was calm. "You adapted quickly."
Wu Tian exhaled. "You're fast."
"No." The intruder smiled. "I am just not bound by your understanding of movement."
He disappeared again.
This time, Wu Tian didn't hesitate. His foot slammed into the earth, and he moved.
Not through speed. Not through power.
Through space.
The world bent, and Wu Tian stepped beyond the battlefield.
He reappeared above the intruder's head, golden energy surging through his veins.
Ethereal Step—Full Release.
He struck down, his fist cutting through the collapsing void—
The intruder grinned.
Wu Tian's attack hit nothing.
The man reappeared behind him, his palm glowing with unfathomable energy. "You're still too slow."
A devastating strike landed against Wu Tian's back, sending him crashing into the valley floor.
CRACK!
The earth split apart, swallowing his body in a cloud of debris.
Yan Xue's breath caught in her throat. "Wu Tian!"
The intruder lowered his hand, his expression indifferent. "I told you. Your power is only relevant here."
He turned—
Then froze.
A golden light pulsed from the broken ground.
A slow, steady heartbeat filled the air.
Wu Tian rose.
The book in his mind flickered.
The Eighth Gate—Heavenly Stride.
His body burned with power beyond anything he had ever felt. Ethereal Step had made him weightless. But this?
This made him limitless.
He exhaled, his gaze steady. "You think my strength is only relevant in a lower world?"
He took a step forward.
The very fabric of reality rippled.
Wu Tian smiled. "Then let's test that theory."