Chapter One: A Strange World

Domain of the Buried Gods

Atop a mountain peak, Leng Tian stood quietly, clothed in azure, gazing down at the shattered earth and the endless void below. This place lay deep in the western reaches of the Chifeng Continent, a desolate land seldom touched by man.

Within the void drifted countless corpses, vast in number. Though far away, their forms remained chillingly clear.

"What a strange place. So many powerful beings met their end here. An ancient battlefield, perhaps?" He lifted his gaze to the dusky sky and sighed. "I did not expect to escape with my life, yet my cultivation has fallen greatly!"

A rumble echoed from his belly, and he frowned. "I can't remember the last time I felt hunger." A faint smile tugged at his lips as he turned and descended the mountain.

Leng Tian—once a peerless prodigy of the Tianyuan Continent—had created the supreme martial art, the Ninefold Heaven-shaking Force. In a mere two centuries, he pushed his cultivation to its limits, stunning all as he shattered the void and soared toward the heavens. Yet, at the very moment of his ascension, calamity struck.

The void suddenly collapsed entirely. From its depths poured forth monstrous beings, towering and grotesque, swarming across the land and unleashing a blood-soaked massacre. Leng Tian watched, eyes nearly splitting with rage, but his body was shackled by an irresistible power—he could not move.

He pushed his mystical arts to their utmost, platinum light swirling around him, and just as he tried to break free, an overwhelming force descended—one that could not belong to the mortal world. His mind went blank, and he knew no more.

When he awoke, he found himself in this strange place. At first, he thought it might be a remote corner of Tianyuan Continent, but every investigation proved otherwise. It belonged to no region he had ever known.

It was only upon discovering the countless corpses of experts, and the endless void riddled with the broken remains of giant beasts, that he realized he was no longer anywhere near Tianyuan.

Three days later, atop a hill, Leng Tian ate a red fruit as he gazed at an emerald stretch in the distance, lost in thought. With a few quick bites, he finished the fruit, glanced back at the tangled, barren mountains, and without hesitation, sped toward that streak of green.

A solitary azure figure flitted across the desolation, his passage trailing shadows that stretched behind him like ribbons. Reaching the green’s edge, Leng Tian observed in silence: the verdant boundary was in fact a vast, unending prairie. Separating it from the wasteland was a wall as clear and thin as a soap bubble, dividing one world from another.

He pressed a finger to the light wall. It felt soft and elastic. With a bit of force, he suddenly pierced through with a pop.

Surprised, he withdrew a few steps, then lunged forward and passed through entirely, feet landing steady on the grass as he inhaled the fresh, vibrant air.

"The energy here is so rich—several times denser than on Tianyuan Continent!"

He moved swiftly, his figure flickering like a breeze as he raced deeper into the prairie.

Across the broad expanse, a lonely azure silhouette swept by, his ghostly afterimages bending the grass in his wake, graceful as the wind.

"What a beautiful prairie, what a magnificent world," Leng Tian marveled. Such splendor had never graced his homeland.

"Though I do not know where I am, I may as well find peace here," he told himself. Images of the monstrous invaders and the ravaged Tianyuan Continent flashed through his mind, sparking concern for those left behind, uncertain if the martial artists there could repel the invaders.

"No use dwelling on it! There's nothing left for me there, anyway. Wherever I am, I can still live as I please." With a carefree laugh, he dashed onward, a streak of blue across the grasslands.

After some time, Leng Tian found himself before a towering stone stele. Three ancient characters were inscribed upon it: Domain of the Buried Gods.

An ancient, somber aura washed over him. He glanced back at the depths of the prairie. "Could that barren land really be the Domain of the Buried Gods named on this stele?"

"Buried Gods… Do gods truly exist in this world?" He laughed at himself. "Even if they do, what of it? Gods die all the same. Are they any freer than I?"

Without lingering, he continued on his way.

He had not gone far when he spotted an old shepherd ahead. The old man was gaunt, hair and beard white as snow, his frail body hunched as he sat upon a blue stone, his cloudy eyes staring blankly at his flock.

Leng Tian quickened his pace and addressed him: "Elder, forgive my intrusion, but I have some questions for you."

Startled, the old man returned to himself and saw the young stranger. "Ah! Young man, are you speaking to me?"

"I am. Could you tell me where this place is?" Leng Tian noticed the old man seemed a bit hard of hearing.

"Oh!" the elder muttered, then said, "Just head that way, over the mountain, and you'll find a town." With that, he returned his gaze to the sheep, ignoring further questions.

Leng Tian asked several more times, finally raising his voice at the old man’s ear, but received no response.

For a moment he was speechless. What was this? He looked at the mountain the old man had indicated, then at the elder himself, and, helpless, turned to leave.

After Leng Tian had gone, a spark flickered in the old man’s cloudy eyes. "Little one, since you’re here, you might as well accept it. I risked my old life to save you—don’t let me down!"

The midday sun blazed, heating the lake water. Leng Tian bathed, changed into clean clothes, and was relieved to find his storage ring intact—a treasure he had crafted upon mastering the spatial laws during his breakthrough to the Saint Transformation stage.

Relaxed and refreshed, he sat atop a great tree, savoring wild fruit and the beauty of nature. Suddenly, a discordant voice intruded.

"Hey kid, can you spare me some?"

Leng Tian started—someone had approached unnoticed. He scanned the area. "No one?" he thought, puzzled.

"Hey kid, what’s with your eyes? I’m right here!" the voice grumbled.

Only then did Leng Tian notice a tiny bear, no bigger than a tabby, perched on a branch, eyeing him curiously.

"A spirit beast!" he thought, amused. With a flick, he sent a red fruit flashing through the air, landing before the little bear.

The bear bared its teeth, shot Leng Tian a look of disdain, and with a phantom movement, caught the fruit in its paw.

Seeing the bear’s agility, Leng Tian knew it was no ordinary creature. He invited it over. "Why not join me?"

"I thought you’d never ask!" The pudgy bear’s form blurred and suddenly appeared beside him. "What’s your name, kid?"

"Leng Tian. And you, sir?"

"You can call me Zhuang Zhuang," the bear replied, swallowing the fruit in one bite.

"Forgive my curiosity, but these fruits grow everywhere in these mountains. Why ask me for one?" Leng Tian’s eyes gleamed with amusement, though a trace of chill flickered within.

If Zhuang Zhuang noticed his hostility, he gave no sign. Lounging casually against the trunk, he said, "No need to be so tense, kid. You’re not a beauty—old Bear here has no interest in you!"

A black line crept across Leng Tian’s brow; he almost wanted to throttle the bear, but reined in his temper. "So, you just liked the look of me?"

"Exactly! Bear here took a liking to you. How about we become sworn brothers?" Zhuang Zhuang’s expression turned suddenly serious as he met Leng Tian’s gaze.

"Uh, isn’t that a bit abrupt? We’ve no foundation for such a bond," Leng Tian thought the world here was as odd as its beasts.

First, an old man points him down a path before he even asks. Then, out of nowhere, a spirit beast wants to swear brotherhood!

"Heh, feelings can be cultivated. It’s not like I mean right now—what are you so nervous for?" Zhuang Zhuang rolled his eyes, grabbed another fruit, and munched away.

Without further ado, Leng Tian leapt to the ground. Turning, he said, "I have matters to attend to and must take my leave." Without waiting for a reply, he strode off.

"Heh heh!" Zhuang Zhuang chuckled slyly; in a flash, he vanished, only to reappear perched on Leng Tian’s shoulder.

"Why the rush, kid? I’ll leave the mountains with you—how about some company?"

Leng Tian shot him a helpless look. He wanted to refuse, but Zhuang Zhuang had just demonstrated teleportation—a hallmark of a Saint Transformation expert! Though he found the bear irksome, he dared not provoke him; his own strength was currently nothing to boast about.

And so, man and bear wandered the mountains together.

This world, aside from being several times larger than Tianyuan Continent, shared a similar hierarchy of martial cultivation.

On Chifeng Continent, martial arts flourished; even children practiced combat techniques, a tradition passed down for generations, making the people fierce and bold.

Martial cultivation was divided into three great realms: the Realm of Power, the True Martial Realm, and the Sovereign Realm, each with nine stages.

Body Tempering, Qi Gathering, and Heaven Position corresponded to the Realm of Power.

Profound Entry, Transcendence, and Saint Transformation matched the True Martial Realm.

God Return, Transcendence, and Immortality belonged to the Sovereign Realm.

As for the legendary Celestial Realm, no one had reached it since ancient times. Even Sovereign experts were now but legends; Saint Transformation was the peak of this world.

Leng Tian and Zhuang Zhuang stood atop a high place, looking down at the bustling town below.

"Got any money, kid?" Zhuang Zhuang asked out of the blue.

"No," Leng Tian replied coolly, face expressionless.

Martial Edge—Book One: Chapter One, A Strange World—End.