From the fake emperor to the concubine

He paused, then added, "Of course, if you're willing to pay one million spirit stones, I can make an exception and let you pass."

One million spirit stones?

Zheng Bowen angrily retorted, "This is extortion!"

The middle-aged man scoffed, "Take it or leave it. If you don't want to pay, go back and get your token."

Zheng Yi's eyes turned cold.

He could tell that these officials from the town's administrative office were simply using the opportunity to make money. The so-called pass was probably just a facade. As long as you paid, any rule could be circumvented.

“I don’t have that many spirit stones,” Zheng Yi said calmly, “but I must pass through the domain gate today.”

"Oh?" The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? Are you trying to force your way in?"

“If that’s how you want to understand it,” Zheng Yi said.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man burst into laughter. The dozen or so cultivators from the Town Guard behind him also laughed, as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Boy, do you know what crime it is to forcibly enter a domain gate?" The middle-aged man finished laughing, his face darkening. "This is disrespect for the Domain Control Division, punishable by death according to the law!"

"I don't care about laws or anything like that," Zheng Yi said coldly. "Today, I must get through. Whoever stands in my way will die."

These words immediately created a tense atmosphere.

The middle-aged man's face darkened completely. Sensing Zheng Yi's aura, he discovered that the other party was also at the mid-stage of the Integration Realm, and he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

But he quickly calmed down.

This is a Domain Gate, their territory under the Domain Control Division. Even if the other party is strong, they wouldn't dare cause trouble here. Besides, there are over a dozen of them; why would they be afraid of a mere mid-stage Integration Realm cultivator?
"Such arrogance," the middle-aged man sneered. "Since you're courting death, don't blame us for being impolite. Brothers, take them down!"

"Yes!"

More than a dozen cultivators from the Town Commandery attacked simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of spells and supernatural powers upon Zheng Yi and his companions.

"Watch out!" Liu Ruyan exclaimed, quickly summoning her Xuanbing Sword for defense.

Zheng Bowen and Zheng Hongzhi also used their supernatural powers to protect Xiao Tianxing.

But Zheng Yi stood still, motionless.

"A spacetime barrier."

He raised his hand and waved it, and a transparent barrier appeared before everyone. All the attacks that struck the barrier were deflected; none could break through.

"What?!" the middle-aged man exclaimed in shock. "What kind of supernatural power is this?"

Zheng Yi did not answer. He flashed and instantly appeared in front of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, thrusting out his sword.

The cultivator didn't even have time to react before a sword pierced his chest, killing him instantly.

"what--"

A scream rang out, and the other cultivators from the Town Command were terrified. They hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary young man to be so ruthless, killing their companion in a single move.

"Kill him!" the middle-aged man roared. "He dared to kill someone from the Town Guard; he's making an enemy of the entire Tianyuan Domain!"

He struck first, slapping Zheng Yi with a palm.

This palm strike contained the full power of the early stage of the Integration Realm, and its power was astonishing. The air was compressed by the force of the palm strike, emitting a piercing whistling sound.

But in Zheng Yi's eyes, this palm strike was ridiculously slow.

"Time and space stand still."

Zheng Yi said softly.

In an instant, the middle-aged man's movements slowed down, as if he were stuck in a quagmire. Before his palm strike even reached Zheng Yi, it had already been mostly dissipated by the power of spacetime.

Zheng Yi unleashed a sword strike.

With a flash of sword light, the middle-aged man's arm was severed at the shoulder, and blood gushed out.

"what--"

The middle-aged man let out a shrill scream and stumbled backward. He couldn't believe that he, a powerful expert at the early stage of the Integration Realm, couldn't even withstand a single move from his opponent.

"Who exactly are you?" he asked in a trembling voice.

"Just some nobody," Zheng Yi said calmly, "but enough to kill you all."

He flashed again, his sword light flashing continuously. With each slash of the sword, a cultivator from the Town Guard fell.

In just over ten breaths, only five of the dozen or so cultivators from the Town Guard were left. Two of them, both at the early stage of the Integration Realm, were severely injured and had no fighting ability whatsoever.

"Please, please don't kill me!" The middle-aged man knelt on the ground, trembling all over. "I was wrong, I shouldn't have blocked your way, please spare my life!"

Zheng Yi stared coldly at him: "You just said that forcibly breaking into a domain gate is a capital offense. Then what about your extortion and bullying of passing cultivators? What should your punishment be?"

The middle-aged man opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

“I won’t kill you today,” Zheng Yi sheathed his sword, “but if I hear of you blackmailing others again, you won’t be so lucky next time.”

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the domain gate.

"Wait!" another cultivator at the early stage of the Integration Realm suddenly shouted. Although he was also injured, he was in better condition than the middle-aged man and could still speak with difficulty.

Zheng Yi stopped and looked back.

"Are you really going to force your way through the dimensional gate?" the cultivator said. "I advise you not to. The dimensional gate is protected by restrictions; anyone who doesn't possess a token and forces their way through will suffer a backlash from the restrictions. With your strength, I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand it."

"Oh?" Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow. "What kind of restriction?"

"The domain gate's restrictions were set up by an ancient powerful being, and their power is boundless," the cultivator said. "Anyone entering the domain gate without a token will be attacked by the restrictions. That attack contains destructive power, and even a Mahayana stage expert would find it difficult to withstand."

Zheng Yi remained silent for a moment.

He could sense that the cultivator was telling the truth. The domain gate did indeed contain a terrifying power, far beyond what he could currently contend with.

But he had no way out.

Returning to Cloud City to obtain the token would definitely cause trouble. Moreover, he didn't want to stay in the Profound Heaven Domain for even a moment longer. Xiaoyue's death had instilled in him a deep aversion to this land.

“Thank you for reminding me,” Zheng Yi said, “but I still have to go.”

"You...you're insane!" the cultivator exclaimed in disbelief. "The power of the restriction is no joke! You're courting death!"

"Whether you live or die is not up to you," Zheng Yi said calmly.

He turned around and strode towards the domain gate.

Liu Ruyan and the others quickly followed.

"Fellow Daoist Zheng, perhaps we should think of another way?" Liu Ruyan asked worriedly, "If the restriction is really that powerful..."

“There’s no other way,” Zheng Yi said. “And I want to give it a try.”

He looked at the light screen in front of him, a determined glint in his eyes.

Since receiving the inheritance from the Venerable Kongming, his understanding of spacetime laws has greatly improved. Coupled with the newly acquired Hunyuan Jade Pendant, he is confident that he can withstand the attack of the restriction.

Of course, this is just his guess. Whether it will work or not, we'll only know after trying it.

But no matter what, he was going to give it a try.

The group arrived at the gate.

Upon closer inspection, the light barrier was even more awe-inspiring. Countless runes flowed within it, exuding an ancient aura. Zheng Yi could sense the terrifying power contained within those runes; once triggered, they would unleash devastating force.

"Everyone, stay close to me." Zheng Yi took a deep breath. "I will use the spacetime barrier to protect you. No matter what happens, don't panic."

Everyone nodded, their expressions solemn.

Zheng Yi circulated his spiritual power to its limit, and the power of spacetime condensed around him, forming a transparent light shield that enveloped everyone.

"Walk!"

At his command, he was the first to step into the light curtain.

As soon as Zheng Yi entered the light barrier, he felt a terrifying power. The power came from all directions, as if it wanted to tear him apart. Countless runes lit up, transforming into attacks that slammed into his spacetime barrier.

Boom boom boom——

A series of impacts rang out. Zheng Yi's spacetime barrier trembled violently, and cracks appeared.

"What a powerful attack!" Zheng Yi's expression changed.

The power of this restriction was far more terrifying than he had imagined. Those rune attacks, though seemingly ordinary, actually contained power far exceeding that of the Mahayana stage. If it weren't for the protection of his spacetime laws, he would probably have been reduced to ashes long ago.

"Hang in there!" Zheng Yi said through gritted teeth.

He continuously channeled his spiritual power to reinforce the spacetime barrier. However, the attacks from the restriction grew increasingly fierce, and his barrier became increasingly difficult to maintain.

"puff--"

Zheng Yi spat out a mouthful of blood. The attack from the restriction was too fierce and had begun to backfire on him.

"Fellow Daoist Zheng!" Liu Ruyan exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm fine! Keep going!" Zheng Yi said in a deep voice.

He suppressed the surging blood and qi within him and continued to push forward.

The distance within the light barrier wasn't far; normally, it would only take a few breaths to cross. But under the attack of the restriction, every step was incredibly difficult.

"Damn it. This restriction." Zheng Yi gritted his teeth.

He could feel his spiritual energy being rapidly depleted. If this continued, he would be completely exhausted before even passing through the dimensional gate.

Just then, the Hunyuan Jade Pendant in his arms suddenly emitted a warm light.

The light enveloped Zheng Yi, and a powerful force surged into his body, replenishing his depleted spiritual energy.

"The Primordial Jade Pendant?" Zheng Yi was overjoyed.

With the help of the Primordial Jade Pendant, his spiritual energy consumption was greatly reduced. The spacetime barrier also became more stable, and its ability to resist restrictive attacks was significantly enhanced.

"Hang in there a little longer!" Zheng Yi shouted, quickening his pace.

The barrier seemed to sense his resistance, and its attacks intensified. Countless runes materialized into pillars of light, bombarding him from all directions, intent on annihilating him completely.

But Zheng Yi had already seen hope.

Not far ahead, the edge of the light barrier was already faintly visible. Just a few more steps and they could break through.

"Time acceleration!"

Zheng Yi unleashed all his power, his figure transforming into a streak of light, leading everyone forward.

The barrier unleashed its final attack. A massive beam of light descended from the sky, heading straight for Zheng Yi's head.

That pillar of light contained the power to destroy everything; even a powerful expert in the late stage of Mahayana cultivation would have to avoid its sharp edge.

But Zheng Yi had no way out.

"Time and spacetime annihilation!"

He concentrated his last bit of spiritual power at the tip of his sword and met the pillar of light head-on.

boom--

A loud noise like the collapse of heaven and earth.

Zheng Yi was struck by the beam of light and sent flying backward. But at the same time, he successfully shattered the beam, clearing a path for everyone.

"Charge out!" Zheng Yi shouted hoarsely.

Zheng Bowen and the others didn't dare to delay and rushed to the edge of the light screen.

Liu Ruyan wanted to go back to save Zheng Yi, but Zheng Bowen grabbed her arm.

"Get out of here first! The patriarch will be alright!"

The group burst out of the light curtain and arrived in another world.

Inside the light screen, Zheng Yi was enduring the final backlash from the restriction.

That power was too strong. Even with the protection of the Hunyuan Jade Pendant, he felt his meridians trembling violently, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.

"Damn it. So close."

Zheng Yi gritted his teeth and persevered. His body was already covered in wounds, and blood kept gushing from his mouth and nose. But his eyes remained firm, without the slightest sign of retreat.

Finally, the attacks from the restriction began to weaken.

Zheng Yi seized the opportunity and activated the power of spacetime one last time, his figure transforming into a blur as he rushed out of the light curtain.

puff-

He fell heavily to the ground and could no longer move.

"Fellow Daoist Zheng!"

Liu Ruyan and the others rushed over and helped him up.

Zheng Yi lay on the ground, covered in blood, his breath terribly weak. But a smile played on his lips.

"We made it through."

After he finished speaking, he fell into a coma.

When Zheng Yi woke up, he found himself lying on a grassy field.

The sky was a clear, deep blue, and the sun shone warmly. In the distance, rolling green hills stretched out, with wisps of white clouds drifting among them. A faint fragrance of flowers filled the air, making one feel refreshed and relaxed.

"Is this the Tianyuan Domain?" Zheng Yi murmured.

"Fellow Daoist Zheng, you're awake?" Liu Ruyan's voice came from the side.

Zheng Yi turned his head and saw Liu Ruyan standing beside him, her eyes full of concern.

"How long have I been asleep?" Zheng Yi asked.

"Three days," Liu Ruyan said. "Your injuries were severe; we used many healing pills just to barely stabilize your condition."

Zheng Yi nodded and tried to sit up.

A sharp pain shot through his body, causing him to groan involuntarily. His meridians were severely damaged, and several internal organs were ruptured. Although his life was not in danger, a full recovery would likely take a long time.

"Don't move, your injury hasn't healed yet." Liu Ruyan quickly helped him up.

"It's alright, I won't die," Zheng Yi said with a wry smile.

He looked around and saw Zheng Bowen and the others nearby. They were all delighted to see Zheng Yi wake up and gathered around him.

"Master, you're finally awake!" Zheng Bowen exclaimed excitedly. "That's wonderful! I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Master, how are your injuries?" Zheng Hongzhi asked with concern.

"I'm alright, nothing serious," Zheng Yi said. "Where am I?"

"We're on the other side of the domain gate, already inside the Tianyuan Domain," Zheng Hongzhi said. "However, this seems to be the border of the Tianyuan Domain; it's very desolate, and we haven't seen many people."

Zheng Yi nodded, feeling relieved.

They finally left the Xuan Tian Domain and arrived in the Tian Yuan Domain. Although they paid a heavy price, they succeeded in the end.

"By the way, what about those people from the Town Commandery?" Zheng Yi suddenly remembered something.

“They didn’t chase after us,” Liu Ruyan said. “Maybe they were scared by you, or maybe they thought we’d die in the barrier, so they didn’t bother.”

"That's good," Zheng Yi said. "Let's find a place to rest first, and we'll talk again once my injury has healed."

Everyone nodded.

They helped Zheng Yi walk towards the distant mountains and forests. The spiritual energy in Tianyuan Domain was much denser than in Xuantian Domain, which was very helpful for cultivation and healing. Finding a secluded place should allow Zheng Yi to recover more quickly. (End of Chapter)