At this moment, Ryan Ling was feeling absolutely on top of the world—like he’d just punched his ticket to the peak of existence. His heart was buzzing with anticipation for the future of the Immortal World, and his Ancestor Immortal Realm power was so overwhelming, it felt like he’d redefined the ceiling. In this whole realm, he’d basically set a new record for Ancestor tier, and his Primeval Heavenwood had exploded in strength—growth so monstrous, it was almost unfair. No one could even dream of catching up.
War City? That chapter was closed for good. Now, what he craved most was to storm into a stronger city and officially join the Elysium Sect—time to get himself a real backing. Plus, there was one more must-do: he had to track down the missing piece of his old body, no matter what. Only then could his strength truly skyrocket. Ryan knew he’d hit an all-time high, but he’d also made some terrifying enemies. Every step from here would be a minefield, and one wrong move could drag a ton of innocents down with him.
So yeah, sticking around here was out of the question. If he stayed, more innocent people would just get swept into the chaos. War City had already paid a heavy price—countless lives lost in the crossfire. Ryan had zero interest in letting more bystanders get hurt because of him.
“Ryan, let’s hit Dragon Province next! That place is basically the heart of the Immortal World, and I heard the King of a Hundred Cities Tournament is kicking off there right now. If you can snag a top spot, your future prospects will go through the roof!” Lynn Long chimed in, her excitement clear—she knew this chapter was done and it was time to move on.
“You got it. We’re done here—let’s pack up and head for Dragon Province!” Ryan grinned, knowing better than anyone that this place had nothing left for him. The only way to level up now was to dive straight into the toughest battleground. If he could win, the resource haul would be insane.
Dragon Province was a whole tier above War Province—now that the War Province arc was closed, Dragon Province was calling. Ryan figured there’d be loads of Saint Immortals there, and with his current power, he was itching to test himself. Only by taking on the strongest could he push his cultivation to the next level!
Ryan didn’t waste a second—packed up and hit the road. Over the next few days, he dug deep into the details on this so-called Hundred-City War. The King of a Hundred Cities Tournament was a massive deal: a hundred cities, each sending their top dogs to brawl it out. Not only could he stand out, but if he came out on top, his faction would rake in wild resources—enough to supercharge his cultivation for real.
Ryan knew he needed every edge, and this was the perfect shot—no way he was letting it slip. But first, he had to handle one thing: officially join the Elysium Sect and become one of their own. That way, he could fight under their banner and get their protection. Double insurance, just the way he liked it.
With Lynn Long’s recommendation, Ryan breezed through Elysium Sect’s approval and became an official disciple. The process was a cakewalk, but the sect itself? Not so simple. Elysium had strict ranks and fierce status divides. Lynn Long was only mid-tier in her own sect—not top dog—and even as a Saintess candidate, she had rivals. To stand out, she’d need monstrous strength and a killer backing. Ryan could tell her path inside Elysium was gonna be anything but easy.
But Ryan had no time to sweat the details. With his Elysium Sect credentials in hand, he finally had a legit identity for the King of a Hundred Cities Tournament. If he went in representing War City, he’d get crushed—War City was toast, its reputation in ruins, and Heaven-Earth Sect would be out for blood. Elysium gave him a fresh start and way better odds.
“Ryan, we’re almost at Dragon City. Don’t forget, this place is next-level—it’s one of the Immortal World’s four mega-cities, not the kind of spot you wanna mess around in. Low profile’s the way to go!” Lynn Long whispered in Ryan’s ear as the giant city loomed ahead. Ryan wasn’t clueless—he’d already picked up on the insane auras all around. Saint Immortals everywhere, and even scarier presences above that. Saint Immortal Realm was tough, but above that was Immortal King—the absolute top dog. Ryan hadn’t met an Immortal King yet, but you could just feel that power in the air. No way he was gonna stick his neck out.
Ryan, Lynn Long, and Lily slipped into Dragon City as quietly as possible. Marcus Wu stayed behind, busy rebuilding the new War City. But even with their low-key entrance, walking in with two drop-dead gorgeous women was basically asking for trouble—local creeps were already sizing them up.
“Bro, check out those babes! Why not nab them tonight? Our young master could use a little ‘tonic’—help him crush the tournament and grab a top spot in the King of a Hundred Cities.” A sleazy guy whispered, voice cold and creepy, like he’d just crawled out of a grave.
“Damn right, you’ve got good taste. Those two are prime picks. Let’s snatch them tonight—Dragon City’s a madhouse right now, everyone’s glued to the tournament, nobody’s gonna notice a couple missing faces!” Another, even slimier dude chimed in.
Right as those two finished plotting, a wave of cold, sinister energy started creeping toward Ryan’s crew.
But Ryan was way too sharp to get jumped. He’d already clocked their freaky aura and wasn’t fazed—in fact, he found it pretty funny. Their energy was cold and death-tinged, kinda like his own. After a quick probe, Ryan realized they were from a place called Ghost City.
“These idiots are begging for a beatdown, thinking they can mess with me! I’ll make sure they regret it!” Lynn Long snapped. Her power was off the charts—mid-stage Ancestor Immortal Realm, absolutely unstoppable. And Lily, juiced up by Ryan, was Ancestor-tier too. These punks had no clue what they were up against. Of course, they’d all masked their real power to keep things low-key in Dragon City. If they cut loose, it’d be chaos, but for now, stealth was the move.
“Relax, don’t waste your breath on these bugs. If they actually try something, I’ll make sure they get what’s coming. And I’m curious to meet Ghost City’s so-called rep—if I can get my hands on him, it’ll give me an edge in the King of a Hundred Cities Tournament.” Ryan said, flashing a wicked grin...