Chapter 7

I didn't rush to enter the secret realm. Instead, I let my soul sense trace the patterns etched into the door, studying them for any hidden dangers.

I had to be certain this was a true secret realm, not a disguised void fracture.

Secret realms were usually remnants left behind by powerful cultivators nearing the end of their lives—gifts meant for the younger generation to inherit their legacy. But a void fracture was the complete opposite.

Some twisted cultivators would willingly turn themselves into false realms, disguising their corrupted remnants as opportunities.

Naive cultivators would enter, only to be devoured—mind, body, and soul. These predators sought to possess the bodies of the talented and return to life through them.

In my past life, I'd encountered too many such fractures and witnessed the tragic fates of those who wandered into them unprepared.

After making sure there was nothing wrong with the secret realm, I walked toward the door, stopping a few inches away from it.

A slight pull came from the door as my body moved through a warm, transparent veil.

The next moment, thick spiritual energy rushed into my face, washing away the fatigue I had accumulated after the intense cultivation.

'This pure Qi….' A rare expression of surprise appeared on my face.

The Qi here was ordinary. Nothing extraordinary. If any other cultivators in the Mortal Realm came here, they would feel no difference.

But I am not an ordinary cultivator.

There are three known and distinct types of Qi in the world, which cultivators at different stages use for cultivation:

Mortal Qi. Immortal Qi. And Divine Qi.

Until the First Ascension—which occurs when a cultivator becomes an Ascendant, the twelfth cultivation stage in the Mortal Realm—one can only absorb Mortal Qi.

The First Ascension allows them to mutate their constitution, enabling them to absorb Immortal Qi.

Different from Mortal Qi, Immortal Qi not only contains elemental essence but also the properties of those elements.

A cultivator needs Immortal Qi if they wish to create their own legacy. This is one of the crucial requirements to pass the Third Ascension.

People born in the Immortal Realm are exposed to Immortal Qi every day. So even if they can't absorb Immortal Qi directly, their bodies naturally adjust to contain it.

Thus, they never undergo the First Ascension.

When a cultivator passes the Third Ascension, their core transforms into a divine state, and they sense Divine Qi. Divine Qi comprises the laws that the universe creates each day.

These laws are ownerless until a cultivator binds themselves to them and becomes a god.

And as their compatibility and understanding of that law grows, they can fully integrate it into the fabric of the heavens and become one with the cosmos—a true god.

I was a True God of Order in my previous life—one of the true gods ordained to govern the structure and rhythm of the universe.

I reached a state where my law almost surpassed the heavens themselves. And how I achieved that was by sensing a type of energy far beyond anything Divine Qi could compare to.

I named it Void Qi.

Void Qi didn't carry the elemental presence of Mortal Qi…

Didn't contain the properties like Immortal Qi…

Didn't align with the universe's laws like Divine Qi…

It was utterly flawless and without blemish. Something too pure to exist in this world. Simply sensing this energy had nearly pushed me beyond the True God stage.

And now, that very energy was overflowing from this secret realm.

Words couldn't describe the depth of my astonishment.

Suddenly, my eyes snapped toward the sky. Something zoomed toward me at an alarming speed. I internally cursed and stepped aside to avoid it.

'Boom.'

The impact yanked my body backward, sliding me across the hard floor before slamming me into a nearby tree. My vision blurred for a few seconds before focusing on the burning crater in the ground.

If I had moved a little later, I would've been smashed by the object that had fallen from the sky. I exhaled sharply and glanced upward—more and more burning meteorites were falling down.

'Damn it…'

Struggling to stand properly, I dodged another meteorite. Luckily, it was a lot smaller than the previous one, so I evaded it without injury.

However, more and more were coming my way. Wasting time dodging wasn't a viable long-term option.

I looked around at my surroundings. I was in an open area, with small craters scattered everywhere.

The trees nearby had been reduced to bare trunks. I turned my eyes toward the direction the meteorites were coming from.

Squinting, I noticed a massive shadow moving across the clouds.

A gigantic foot descended from the sky along with the clouds, and at the moment of impact, debris exploded in all directions—these were the projectiles raining down like meteorites.

'What's that? A titan?' I turned around and ran.

"Why the hell is a titan here? Aren't they supposed to be extinct?"

Titans were one of the extinct races of the world. I'd explored many ruins bearing their remnants.

Every such adventure taught me just how powerful this race once was and how lucky humanity was that they went extinct long before humans were born.

Even their ordinary steps spelled catastrophe for everything around them. I could only imagine what destruction they could cause if they intended it.

No wonder historians called them walking disasters.

"Void Qi… a fucking titan…" All of this cemented a suspicion I had into the truth. This secret realm wasn't created by a True God—or rather, not by someone from this world.

Someone from outside the universe had left their legacy here. And now, I had the chance to claim it.

An excited grin stretched across my face. Even after being grazed by a few burning rocks and having several ribs broken, I couldn't help but feel thrilled.

Perhaps my dream of breaking through the heavens now had a path pointing forward—from here.

I ran for half an hour before collapsing to the ground, exhausted.

I had finally escaped the impact zone of the titan's movement. Coughing blood, I watched its footsteps fade into the distant horizon.

Wiping the blood from my lips, I looked down at my body.

Horrible.

It felt like my bones and blood had merged into one.

"Haha…"

Still, I laughed.

The Void Qi in the air had begun to be absorbed into my body. The pure energy was already healing my wounds. I activated my constitution with the last bit of stamina I had.

My body automatically initiated its self-dual cultivation, doubling the healing speed.

"I'll learn a healing Astra first…"

Honestly, I regretted challenging this realm without having learned even a single Astra. I had to remind myself—I wasn't a true god anymore. I was no different from any ordinary cultivator.

And I could die just like them.

My eyelids felt heavy, but I forced myself to crawl across the ground, desperately trying to find shelter so I wouldn't be eaten by a wandering beast, if any lived here.

Luck stayed with me as I spotted a crater nestled beside a small hill.

With great difficulty, I pushed my body into it. After making sure the entrance was hidden beneath a pile of stones, I finally allowed myself to lose consciousness.