At a blue-glowing node in the endless void, Lord Thunder and Evan Chu waited quietly. After about half an hour, an old man in a blue martial robe appeared from the light, laughed heartily when he saw them, and said:
"The Third Person has finally emerged! The Holy Emperor is absolutely delighted by this news. With this opportunity, our Frostbane Dynasty might take another step forward and become an upper‑middle‑tier power in the Star‑River Dominion!"
The old man’s gaze toward Evan Chu grew even more animated. Lord Thunder smiled and introduced Evan, saying, "This is Elder Lin—Henry Lin—the vice‑commander at the Holy Emperor’s side. He was also once a Destiny Guardian who walked out from the Three Realms."
Hearing this, Evan Chu felt deep respect. Even though the old man’s aura didn’t seem particularly strong, anyone trusted as the Holy Emperor’s right‑hand man could never be weak!
What’s more, as someone else who walked out of the Three Realms, Evan Chu naturally felt a sense of kinship toward Elder Lin.
"Good! Excellent! Let’s hurry—His Majesty the Holy Emperor can’t wait any longer."
From Lord Thunder’s introduction, Evan Chu learned that this vice‑commander named Henry Lin, who looked so easygoing now, was actually terrifyingly powerful in battle!
Back when Lord Thunder was first brought to the Frostbane Dynasty, Henry Lin personally dragged him onto the battlefield to temper him into a true Destiny Guardian. That period left a lasting impression on Lord Thunder.
Henry Lin’s reputation as the Heaven‑Severing Blade Lord is legendary in the Frostbane Dynasty. Many rival factions fear him—his smile hides a blade, and his saber‑dao is merciless!
Following Henry Lin, Evan Chu and Lord Thunder passed through the blue light point, arriving in another realm. At last, they had truly crossed the endless void and entered the territory of the Star‑River Dominion.
But the Star‑River Dominion is vast. Reaching the Frostbane Dynasty’s homeland is still a long journey away. If Evan Chu tried to fly there by his own power, it would take tens of thousands of years and exhaust all his strength.
That’s why, in the Star‑River Dominion, travel is usually by star‑boat warships. The stronger a dynasty is, the more powerful its star‑boats.
A star‑boat warship over a hundred zhang long housed a full hundred‑man squad, and every squad member’s cultivation surpassed Evan Chu’s—early Saint realm! The squad leader, even more terrifying, was late‑peak Saint realm.
Don’t be fooled by the gap between squad members and their leader—early and late‑peak Saint realm may sound close, but in the Star‑River Dominion, each stage is a massive leap!
In other words, a late‑stage Saint squad leader could easily wipe out a hundred early Saint cultivators single‑handedly!
To put it bluntly, anyone on this star‑boat could defeat Evan Chu with ease—or even kill him outright!
Shocked as he was, Evan Chu felt even more excited. A force like this was just a standard escort unit for the Frostbane Dynasty, which was only mid‑tier in the Star‑River Dominion!
So what about the top dynasties, the very peak powers—or even the Five Holy Emperors who rule the Three Thousand Dynasties? What kind of beings are they?
"Alright, the last member has boarded. We depart!"
"Yes, Commander!"
The squad leader shouted in reply, then ordered the star‑boat warship to launch. The instant it started moving, the speed was so fast it startled Evan Chu.
At such speed, even without activating the ship’s offensive artifacts, a direct collision with Evan Chu’s body would mean his soul would scatter and his flesh be destroyed!
And these are just ordinary passenger‑class star‑boats. The dynasty also has much larger, far more terrifying war‑grade starships used for opening up territory in battle—their power is on a whole different level.
Lord Thunder whispered this in Evan Chu’s ear, leaving him even more amazed.
Following Henry Lin deeper into the vessel, Evan Chu found that besides himself and Lord Thunder, there were over a hundred cultivators inside—all at about his own Saint realm level. Most looked confused and lost, though a few had sharp eyes filled with confidence for the future.
Noticing Evan Chu’s confusion, Henry Lin smiled softly and sent a divine‑sense transmission:
"Don’t be surprised. These people are much like you—they’re all chosen trialists. But unlike you, they don’t have your pre‑ordained inheritor status. They weren’t selected from a trial Great World, but are outstanding talents picked from various Small Worlds."
Henry Lin went on to explain the broader situation in the Star‑River Dominion—the current power structure and divisions.
In total, there are over ten thousand powers of all sizes in the Star‑River Dominion, but only three thousand dynasties have endured over time.
Each of these three thousand dynasties controls its own trial Great World and a variable number of Small Worlds—meaning they own portions of the Billion Small Worlds.
Each of the three thousand dynasties attaches itself to one of the Five Sacred Lands at the very peak of the Star‑River Dominion. But because relations among the Five Sacred Lands are strained, dynasties backing different Sacred Lands often compete—or even become mortal enemies.
To protect their foundations, the spatial coordinate nodes of each dynasty’s Three Thousand Great Worlds are tightly guarded secrets. Whenever a powerful cultivator emerges, the dynasty arranges for him to travel alongside other Small‑World trialists, blending in so enemies can’t easily target the true inheritor.
If a chosen successor falls before maturing, it’s a devastating loss for the dynasty—especially for the Frostbane Dynasty, which waited over ten thousand generations for a new Third Person. They take security very seriously.
That’s why more than a hundred early Saint or late God‑Emperor cultivators are grouped together now—to help Evan Chu blend in and hide his true status.
"Don’t worry. The exit node for the Three Realms is just like those of other Small Worlds. As long as you don’t say anything, no one will know you’re the dynasty’s chosen seed."
"Got it! I’ll be careful. I won’t reveal my identity until I’ve fully grown."
Evan Chu nodded, then thanked Henry Lin.
He glanced at the other passengers in the star‑boat, offering a polite smile. But inwardly he thought, "Looks like the Star‑River Dominion’s situation is even more complicated than I imagined…"
"Hey, brother! We’ve all just left our original worlds, and our strength is about the same. I can sense you’re pretty strong—I want to spar with you!"
A horned Demon‑Clan cultivator stepped forward and came up to Evan Chu.
He laughed, "Don’t worry, I’m just war‑loving, not a slaughter maniac. I just want to exchange pointers! My name’s Haze. What about you?"
"My name is Evan Chu."
Evan Chu smiled politely but didn’t intend to accept the challenge. At that moment, everyone in the star‑boat looked over—most of those with early Saint cultivation had already fought Haze, and all had lost!
Now they all wanted to see whether this final newcomer would meet the same fate.