CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 74 - A TRULY MONSTROUS STRENGTH WITHIN THE LOWER REALM

The Frozen Wastes - Ancient Beast Domain

In the perpetual winter of the northern wastes, something stirred that had been sleeping for three millennia.

The Frost Wyrm Empress, a primordial beast whose cultivation had reached the legendary Transcendence realm, opened eyes like blue stars as the golden energy washed over her domain.

Her presence revealed how, even in this lower realm, there were hidden monsters hiding not because of fear, but because they wanted solitude.

Their presence here was a matter of choice, not because they were forced.

Her massive form, easily the size of a mountain, shifted slightly, causing avalanches across a dozen peaks.

When she spoke, her voice carried the weight of eons:

"A new apex predator emerges."

The lesser beasts of her domain—ice tigers, frost eagles, glacier bears—all prostrated themselves as their Empress contemplated this development.

Her spiritual sense, refined over countless centuries, could perceive details that even Great Vehicle cultivators would miss.

"Male. Human. Recently ascended. And..." Her ancient eyes narrowed. "Breeding energy. He carries the essence of fertile females. Pregnant females."

This was significant and the only thing pulling her attention; otherwise, she wouldn’t have even lifted her eyelid 15 years ago when a woman had ascended, causing a human ruckus about some unknown Emperor.

But this time, there was strong breeding energy.

In the beast world, a male who could successfully breed with multiple powerful females while ascending to such heights was marking himself as the ultimate alpha.

The natural hierarchy demanded that such a being be either acknowledged... or eliminated.

"Gather the council," she commanded, her psychic voice reaching across thousands of miles. "We will observe this newcomer. If he proves worthy, he may live. If not..."

She didn’t need to finish the threat. Every beast in the northern wastes understood perfectly.

The Celestial Academy - Observatory Tower

Master Astronomer Chen Weiyuan had been tracking celestial movements for sixty years, his specialized cultivation allowing him to perceive the hidden patterns in heaven and earth.

When the golden pillar erupted, every instrument in his observatory exploded simultaneously.

"Impossible!" he gasped, stumbling backward as crystal arrays shattered and bronze formations melted from energy overload. "Nothing should be able to disrupt the Celestial Measurements Array!"

His assistant, a nervous young woman named Li Meixiu, pointed at the ruined stargazing platform with shaking hands. "Master... the constellations... they’re moving."

Chen Weiyuan looked up, and his face went white.

The stars themselves were shifting, ancient patterns that had remained constant since the dawn of time rearranging themselves around the golden pillar.

The Dragon constellation was bowing toward it, the Phoenix constellation was spreading its wings in salute, and the Turtle constellation was retreating in what looked suspiciously like fear.

"This isn’t just a breakthrough," he whispered. "This is a heaven-acknowledged ascension. Someone has just forced the universe itself to recognize their authority."

He grabbed his emergency communication jade, pouring qi into it with desperate urgency. "All Masters! All Elders! Priority Alpha emergency! We have a confirmed Heaven-Acknowledged Ascension in the southern territories! Repeat: someone has just bypassed normal tribulation protocols and forced direct heavenly recognition!"

The response was immediate—a dozen voices erupting from the jade simultaneously, all shouting questions and demands for clarification.

But Master Chen was no longer listening.

He was staring at a particular set of calculations that had just appeared on his surviving measurement array.

"Three months," he whispered. "In three months, there will be births. Multiple births. All connected to this ascension."

The implications made his ancient heart race. Whoever had just ascended wasn’t just changing their own fate—they were creating a new generation of potential immortals.

The Wandering Merchant - Mountain Road

Not everyone who sensed the disturbance was a powerful cultivator.

Old Wang, a simple Foundation Establishment merchant who spent his life traveling between remote villages, was camping beside his cart when the golden light erupted.

His horse, a sturdy mare named Precious, began whinnying in terror, but not from fear—from joy.

The animal was prancing and dancing, her coat taking on a healthier shine as the distant energy washed over them.

"What’s gotten into you, girl?" Old Wang muttered, then looked up to see the pillar of light stretching across half the sky. His mouth fell open.

He’d lived through enough to recognize power when he saw it.

This was the kind of event that changed the fate of nations, the kind of disturbance that meant the old order was about to be swept away—not by destruction.

Normally, such turbulence affects the zone, but right now it appeared as if shockwaves were carrying some kind of vitalizing energy, like healing everything.

"Well, Precious," he said to his horse, "looks like interesting times are coming. You know what they say about interesting times."

But instead of feeling afraid, Old Wang found himself grinning.

In his long life, he’d noticed something most cultivators missed—the truly great upheavals always created opportunities for smart people who were willing to take risks.

He began hitching his horse to the cart.

If he rode hard, he could reach the southern territories within a few days.

Whatever was happening down there, there would be people who needed supplies, information, and discrete transportation.

"Come on, girl," he said to Precious. "Let’s go see what’s shaking the world."

The Southern Border - Garrison Fort

Commander Li Zhao was a simple man with simple responsibilities: guard the border, tax the merchants, and keep the peace in the lawless southern territories.

His Peak Core Formation cultivation was nothing special, but it was enough for dealing with bandits and minor demon beasts.

It was not enough for dealing with whatever was happening thirty miles to the southeast.

The golden pillar had erupted so close that his fortress walls were glowing with reflected light. Every soldier under his command was on their knees, overwhelmed by the sheer pressure of the distant energy.

Several of the weaker ones were bleeding from their ears.

"Sir!" gasped Sergeant Yang, stumbling into the command post with his armor askew. "The prisoners—they’re all kneeling toward the light! Even the ones in the deep cells! And... and some of them are crying!"

Commander Li felt a chill run down his spine. The fortress dungeons held some of the most hardened criminals in the southern region—murderers, demon cultists, and worse. If even they were being affected...

"Sir," another soldier called from the watchtower. "Movement in the forest! Something big coming this way!"

Li Zhao climbed to the battlements, his spiritual sense probing toward the disturbance.

What he sensed made his blood freeze.

Not one presence—dozens. Powerful cultivators, demon beasts, and things that didn’t fit into any category he knew, all converging on whatever was causing the golden pillar.

"Sound the evacuation," he ordered grimly. "Everyone out. Now."

"But sir, our orders—"

"Our orders didn’t cover this!" Commander Li pointed at the pillar of light. "That’s not a normal breakthrough. That’s the kind of power that levels mountains and boils seas. We’re getting our people to safety before this entire region becomes a battlefield."

The Deep Places - Ancient Sealed Vault

A thousand miles beneath the earth, in chambers that hadn’t been opened since the last great war between realms, something that had been imprisoned for eons felt the distant energy signature and laughed.

The sound echoed through the absolute darkness, carrying notes of madness and infinite hunger.

"Free..." it whispered in a language that predated human civilization. "Soon, I will be free. The seals weaken... the chains rust... and now there is power in the world again. Delicious, breeding power..."

Ancient formations, crafted by immortals and powered by the sacrifice of entire sects, flickered as the entity pressed against its bindings.

For the first time in millennia, hairline cracks appeared in the containment arrays.

"I smell fertile female essence... pregnant with divine potential... Yes, yes, the new alpha will serve my purposes perfectly. When I am free, I will make him an offer he cannot refuse..."

The laughter continued, growing louder and more unhinged, until even the deepest earth trembled with its malice.

The Convergence Begins

All across the Seven Realms, the pattern was the same.

Every major power, every hidden master, every ancient monster that had been slumbering in forgotten places—all of them were moving.

Some came seeking opportunity, others driven by curiosity, and still others compelled by instincts they didn’t fully understand.

The Immortal Sect dispatched their fastest scouts, followed by a full war party led by Elder Liu Changming himself.

The Azure Dragon Sect’s aerial cavalry took flight, their flying swords cutting contrails across the dawn sky.

The Blood Moon Valley’s corrupted legions began pouring out of their pocket dimensions, hungry for the chance to twist such pure power to their dark purposes.

Lone wanderers emerged from hidden valleys and secret caves. Merchant caravans changed course, their leaders scenting profit in the chaos.

Even the common people felt the pull—farmers abandoning their fields, villagers packing their belongings, all drawn south by instincts older than civilization itself.

Within six hours of Tianlong’s ascension, a flood of humanity was moving toward the southern territories.

Warriors, scholars, merchants, refugees, cultists, and monsters—all converging on the remote mountain region where a fallen emperor had just announced his return to power in the most spectacular way possible.

Though it appeared that uncaring of whatever was happening outside, scene of that place was comoletely diffenrce specially for the person who should be the one caring for the turblunce most.

"My balls itch." Tianlong looked up towards the sky, his hand itching his crouch as he turned. His fingers snapped before the gate of the Pleasure Palace arrived, and he instantly vanished into it just as a streak of light hit the spot where he had been.

SCCCCNNKKKK!

A single bolt of lightning devastated half a mile of area, leaving nothing but a tower standing above.

Slowly, the barrier that had been made to protect the gate from damage began to dissipate, revealing how it might not withstand for long.