Battle Through the Heavens: Beyond the Great Thousand

A vast and boundless void stretched infinitely before him, yet Xiao Yan felt neither fear nor excitement. Instead, there was a strange stillness in his heart.

He drifted weightlessly, surrounded by endless darkness. There was no land, no sky, no stars—only silence and an eerie nothingness that seemed to exist outside of time itself.

He had fought, struggled, and climbed to the peak of cultivation, overcoming countless trials that should have broken him. Shattered the schemes of the Hun Clan, defeated Heavenly Sovereigns, and secured peace for the world he had sworn to protect.

Yet, standing at the edge of the unknown, he felt something unexpected.

A question.

"What now?"

For the longest time, strength had been his pursuit, his reason to push forward. But now that he had reached the peak of the Great Thousand World, was power still his goal? What was he seeking beyond this? A challenge? Knowledge? Purpose?

The thought lingered in his mind, a soft whisper barely heard. But then—

A shift.

The flames within his body trembled. His soul shuddered.

In an instant, something vast, something unfathomable, unfolded before him.

It was as if a veil had been lifted from reality, revealing layers of existence that had always been there but remained unseen. The Dou Qi he had mastered, the cultivation paths he had followed—all of it suddenly felt small.

He saw it.

The limitations of the Great Thousand World.

Dou Qi was not the ultimate power—it was just a fragment of something far greater. There were other energies, other forces, realms where beings wielded powers that could erase everything he knew with a mere thought.

The realization struck deep, shaking him to his core.

So… this is enlightenment.

His body, his soul, his very essence resonated with this newfound understanding. His flames burned brighter, merging with the surrounding void. His strength… it was growing. No, it was evolving.

But then—fear.

A coldness crept into his chest.

If I continue forward… will I lose them?

The faces of his loved ones flashed in his mind.

Xun'er, with her gentle golden gaze, always watching over him with unwavering devotion.

Cai Lin, the fierce yet tender mother of his children, standing beside him as his equal.

His children, too young to understand, too young to remember him if he never returned.

The weight of his own rising power pressed down on him. It was as if the universe itself was demanding that he move forward, that he transcend beyond mortality.

But at what cost?

His breathing grew heavy, but there was no air. His heart clenched, but there was no heartbeat. He was already changing.

If I go too far… will I even be the same person when I return?

But even as the fear took root, he knew the truth. If he stayed, he would stagnate.

When the next calamity struck, without the strength to surpass it, everything he loved would crumble.

He closed his eyes.

"I will return."

The moment that thought took root, the flames within him erupted. His power surged, as if responding to his urge, the void around him trembling in response.

His ascension was no longer a mere possibility—it was happening now.

And then, from the depths of the void, a voice echoed.

"Another one who dared to step beyond?"

Xiao Yan's eyes snapped open. The darkness stirred, and from it, a pair of ancient, glowing eyes emerged.

A presence unlike anything he had ever encountered. A force beyond his comprehension.

For the first time in a long while, Xiao Yan felt something other than certainty.

The unknown had taken notice of him. His flames roared. His soul steadied.

Along with the pair of ancient eyes, he stepped forward.