I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Time moved on to the moment when Ji Tian was undergoing his tribulation—

Deeper into the Xiling Mountains, the red dragon was dozing in a cave, its tail tip idly brushing against the various glittering stones in its lair.

Suddenly, it opened its vertical pupils and abruptly raised its head.

On the horizon, a jet-black bolt of lightning cleaved through the clouds, slicing away the mountain peaks, and the intense white light engulfed the entire sky.

"What the hell?! (Birds chirping and flowers blooming)! Which godfather cast a forbidden spell in the mountains?!" The red dragon leaped up, its wings unfurling, whipping up a whirlwind. "No matter how bad this place is or how nobody cares, it's still a buffer zone between the human kingdom and the elven court. Aren't they afraid of retaliation from both countries?"

Even a physically powerful dragon like the Red Dragon must avoid the sharp edge of forbidden spells, especially lightning-based forbidden spells known for their destructive power.

It stared at the direction of the lightning pillar—only a few dozen miles away, yet its terrifying power still made its scales stand on end.

"What bad luck!" As a veteran that had lived for over two thousand years, it had long been prepared for such an unexpected turn of events. It simply grumbled as it took to the air, grabbing a handful of treasures it had accumulated over the millennia with its claws, and flew off in the opposite direction of the forbidden spell.

"I was beaten up by a human just two days ago, and he even took me in as a guest elder. I had finally settled down, and now this kind of mess has to happen again..."

Golden cups, jewels, and magic scrolls fell from between its claws. It gasped in pain, but didn't turn its head.

Further away, the brave team was speeding along the edge of the mountain range.

After the elven archers had rested, they secretly went to the vanguard of the Demon King's army's command tent, preparing to avert war through a decapitation strike.

Although there may have been better ways to avoid war, it was too late; the Third Army had already set out.

Legolas, the elven archer, was the first to stop and look up at the pillar of lightning shooting into the sky.

"That's... a forbidden spell?" Mason's voice was slightly unsteady.

As a former outstanding graduate of the Royal Capital Magic Academy and now a Grand Magister, Mason is no stranger to the forbidden spells that symbolize the birth of a Grand Magister.

Bruno gripped his greatsword tightly: "Is it a demon? Or that dragon?"

Alex gazed at the lightning on the horizon, gripped the sword in his hand, and wondered: Could the Holy Sword in its Awakened state withstand the forbidden spell?

He should be able to; he had seen the relevant files of the hero who was ambushed three hundred years ago in the church's archives.

After the surprise attack, only the hero protected by the Holy Sword survived in the hero's party. He was almost unable to move at the time, but he managed to awaken the Holy Sword and kill the demon raiding party that was lying in ambush with them and preparing to escape. He then slaughtered all the demons within a hundred miles before he perished.

Only when Anna's prayers reached his ears did the hero Alex turn his gaze away from his memories: "Whoever it is, it's none of our business. Let's keep going."

Further into the valley, the shadow guards, who were lying in ambush, also witnessed this scene.

The lead shadow guard knelt behind the bushes, his pupils slightly contracting as he gazed at the pillar of lightning that had turned half the sky white.

"Red Dragon..." he murmured, his tone complex, "It actually has the audacity to use forbidden spells in its own territory... It's a ruthless dragon! It's a pity it can't be used by His Majesty."

Forbidden spells require the caster to chant with all their might to release them. However, in direct combat, most enemies will not give you the chance to chant. Only dragons can use their powerful bodies to withstand attacks and complete the chanting.

Therefore, this forbidden spell was most likely cast by that dragon!

Fortunately, the high priest beside His Majesty had foreseen everything, and as a royal guard, he also overheard the conversation between the king and the priest.

The Red Dragon is nothing to worry about!

He lowered his body again and said to his subordinates, "Get ready. The Third Legion's mage corps is almost here."

……

"The brains of those in the Nascent Soul stage are truly remarkable!" Ji Tian exclaimed, his first exclamation after reciting the poem. "In the past, I could only compose a poem a few days before breaking through, but I never expected to be able to compose one on the spot today."

Next, Ji Tian began to introspect, sensing the changes within himself.

The nascent soul looked like he did in his childhood in his previous life, with delicate features, but the expression in his eyes was exactly the same as his current self: calm, indifferent, and without any emotion.

The nascent soul's body is translucent, like a piece of carefully polished crystal, with golden light flowing inside.

He reached out his hand, and the Nascent Soul also reached out his hand.

He clenched his fist, and the Nascent Soul clenched his fist as well.

We are in perfect harmony!

After transcending the tribulation, there was no longer any barrier between him and the Nascent Soul!

Indeed, it was the right thing to actively seek out lightning tribulations and inner demon tribulations to temper myself!

The lightning tribulation tempers the body, cleanses the marrow and changes the blood, shedding the mortal form.

The mental tribulations refine the mind, the spiritual refinement transforms into nothingness, and the spiritual consciousness undergoes a qualitative change.

Only through the extreme yang and strength of the lightning tribulation forging the physical body, and the extreme yin and softness of the inner demons tormenting the soul, can the two be combined to achieve the beginning of the Great Dao and the foundation for longevity!

With another thought, Ji Tian moved his nascent soul to the upper dantian, where it settled in the Purple Mansion and governed all the meridians in his body.

In this way, if the physical body is destroyed in the future, as long as the Purple Mansion does not collapse and the Nascent Soul does not perish, the physical body can be reconstructed, or one can be reborn by seizing another's body.

What delighted him even more was that he had already begun to understand the tribulations of lightning and inner demons. Once he became the Dao Ancestor of this world, he would reshape the Heavenly Dao so that every future cultivator would be struck by lightning and suffer a tribulation of the heart. This would be a great act of merit!

Thinking of this, Ji Tian got excited and tore off the charred rags from his body, then began to chew them.

In this world, dragon cubs eat their eggshells after hatching. In the cultivation world, there is also a saying that "transformation from the mortal realm into medicine." This charred shell is the remnant of the dragon after being tempered by lightning tribulation, containing the ultimate yang energy. Swallowing it can solidify the foundation of the nascent soul, so it cannot be wasted.

"It's just a pity about my affectionate spirit of the Emperor's Banner," Ji Tian mumbled to himself as he chewed, "It even gave up its entire cultivation just to help me withstand a bit of the residual power of the tribulation lightning... If it hadn't died, it might have become my natal magic weapon in the future. What a pity."

After the body was shed, a completely new body was revealed, with fair and delicate skin, as tender as a baby's.

After tidying up, Ji Tian changed into a clean white robe and took out a bronze mirror from his Purple Mansion space to look at himself.

His skin was whiter than before the tribulation, with a warm, lustrous sheen like jade after being washed with water.

His facial features remained unchanged, but the aura between his brows and eyes was different. In the past, he was like a sword hidden in its sheath. Now the sword is still in its sheath, but there is a faint chill on the sheath.

"Not bad, still as ethereal as ever." He put away the bronze mirror and stepped into the void.

……

The afternoon sun slanted in through the window, cutting a bright golden square on the floor.

Lilith sat on the edge of the bed, her long, silvery-white hair cascading over her shoulders, uncombed.

She held the sect token in her hand, turning it over and over to examine it, her purple eyes reflecting the shimmering light flowing across its surface.

Beside it lay a bag of gold coins, its opening wide, with a few coins scattered on the bed sheet, shimmering in the sunlight.

She has been staring at these two things in a daze for almost fifteen minutes since she woke up.

Master is not here.

The money pouch and token were placed on the bedside table, presumably left specifically for her.

Her mind raced with various thoughts—Where did Master go? Why didn't he take her with him? Did he think she was too weak and a burden? Or had something happened to her?

She couldn't help but recall the night her father gave her the hidden ring and had his guards escort her away...

Footsteps came from outside the door.

Lilith looked up abruptly, the token slipping from her hand and hitting the blanket with a dull thud.

The footsteps stopped at her door.

Then, the door was pushed open.

Ji Tian stood at the door, dressed in white, expressionless, but his face looked even whiter and younger.

Lilith opened her mouth as if to say something, but it felt like something was blocking her throat.

Seeing that the other person seemed to want to say something, Ji Tian waited patiently.

The two stared at each other for almost a minute.

Finally, Ji Tian spoke first:

"I'm back."