"That's right, those aren't ordinary beings—they're way stronger than me. Every single one is at the Immortal Lord Realm, all absolute top-tier figures. And they're not the only ones: you also had the Silver Thirty-Six War Gods, and the Four Supreme Immortal King Spell Gods. All of them are the highest-level monsters, while me? I'm nothing!" Marcus Wu said this with a look of deep envy in his eyes. Even Lily was left stunned, clearly not expecting any of this.
Of course, it wasn't just her—Ryan was also totally lost, obviously not expecting this kind of backstory. He knew a bit about cultivation: right now, his realm was only Da Luo Golden Immortal, and above that is Primordial Immortal, then Ancestor Immortal, then Saint Immortal. Saint Immortals are like saints among immortals, supreme great gods. And above Saint Immortal, there are even stronger beings—the Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors, who, as the name suggests, are kings among immortals, absolutely invincible!
But Immortal Emperor isn't even the end point—there are even higher realms, like those whose lifespan is equal to Heaven and Earth itself. And above that is the so-called Immortal Lord Realm!
And those Twelve Golden War Gods Marcus just mentioned? They're all Immortal Lord-level beings—just imagine how terrifying that is. And above Immortal Lord, there's Immortal Emperor, whose strength is honestly beyond imagination!
Compared to them, Ryan's current strength is just way too weak—like, embarrassingly weak. Not even on the same scale. The difference is astronomical, which just means the path ahead is super long, and he's still got a ton of leveling up to do!
"Alright, I've said a lot, but honestly, the only truly terrifying existence is you. Back in the day, even the Heavenly Emperor was afraid of your power. But for now, this identity has to stay secret—just between us!" Marcus Wu added quickly, "So our only goal now is to figure out how to get your old strength back!"
"So, what's your plan for getting it back? I wanna hear your thoughts!" Ryan chimed in immediately.
"If you want to go even further, you'll need a massive amount of resources. Honestly, I just don't have enough!" Marcus Wu totally got it—Ryan's basically a bottomless pit when it comes to cultivation, a top-tier existence, and keeping him supplied is no easy task!
"So what do you suggest?" Ryan was already thinking about his next cultivation strategy. Right now, the power in that severed hand was totally spent, and all the Da Luo Golden Immortal power he'd built up, plus the half-step Primordial Immortal power, was pretty much gone too. The only thing left was the Barbarian City Ancestor's body, which might help a bit, but Ryan knew better than anyone that even if he squeezed it dry, it might only be enough to push him to mid-stage Da Luo Golden Immortal—late stage was still a big question mark!
The amount of essence Ryan needs for cultivation is just insane. That's why coming to the Immortal World gave him a sliver of hope—if he were in any other world, leveling up again would be basically impossible unless he managed to capture an Ancestor Immortal, which is pretty much a pipe dream!
"I may not have what you need right now, but there's a place near War City that might help you break through again!" Marcus Wu said quickly from the side.
"Where?" Ryan asked urgently. Finding another piece of his body in a short time was obviously tough—it all comes down to luck. Plus, he couldn't sense any of those auras around War City right now.
"There's a massive War Tomb near War City, packed with all sorts of treasures. You could try your luck there!" Marcus Wu paused for a moment, then added, "But the War Tomb isn't some ordinary spot—it's insanely dangerous, crawling with threats. Tons of people go treasure-hunting there, hoping to strike it rich, but most of them end up dead. So we have to be super careful and come up with a foolproof plan before we go. That's the safest way!"
"Alright, I'll do whatever you say!" Ryan had come to Marcus Wu for a reason—he was happy to follow his lead. After all, Marcus was half-step Ancestor Immortal, way stronger than Ryan right now, and in War City, he carried the War God title. His authority was no joke.
"Great! For now, just stay here and get your body in top shape. If you can break through to late-stage Da Luo Golden Immortal while you're here, you'll be much safer. And don't worry about anything else—I'm pretty sure nobody's stupid enough to cause trouble in my manor!" Marcus Wu added.
"Sounds good!" Ryan replied without any hesitation and settled in at Marcus Wu's place.
Night fell heavy. Ryan cultivated in the best spot at Marcus Wu's manor—after all, Marcus was a powerful half-step Ancestor Immortal, and the area was flooded with Primordial Immortal qi, which was a huge boost for Ryan's training!
Ryan felt like breaking through to mid-stage Da Luo Golden Immortal was no problem at all, but late-stage would take a bit more time!
"Master, need a little help?" At that moment, Lily popped up beside Ryan, cheeks flushed. She knew better than anyone that solo cultivation was nothing compared to dual cultivation!
"What do you think?" Ryan didn't hesitate for a second. He grinned and pulled Lily into his arms—Marcus Wu's place was saturated with immortal energy, and dual cultivation here was sure to be twice as effective, with huge benefits!
"Hehe!" Lily smiled, clearly excited. The two of them embraced, and soon the power of dual cultivation wrapped around their hearts. Ryan felt several streams of energy surging inside him—it was pure bliss!
After a wild, stormy night, Ryan fully enjoyed the pleasures of cultivation!
His strength finally reached mid-stage Da Luo Golden Immortal. Ryan could feel that the stronger he got, the harder it was to break through—the speed just wasn't what it used to be. But every breakthrough now brought insane power, and even a small step forward would mean huge gains for him.
But just as he reached mid-stage Da Luo Golden Immortal, loud shouting suddenly erupted outside the gates of War God Manor.
"Open up! Open up!" The voice was deafening, as if they didn't care about the name 'War God' at all.
"Coming! Who do you think you are, do you even know where you are?" The old butler from Marcus Wu's household went out, grumbling and cursing.
But his words only made the shouting outside even louder.
"Damn you, old man! Open the door, or I'll skin you alive!"
The old butler was clearly furious now. He clenched his fists and headed to open the door, ready to give them a piece of his mind.
But just as the old butler opened the door, one of the intruders suddenly lashed out with a vicious kick, sending the poor guy flying straight into a stone lion statue nearby. The impact shattered the stone lion instantly—the scene was brutal, savage, and absolutely ruthless.
"Old geezer, you drag your feet opening the door and dare block the path for us Heaven-Earth Sect envoys? You’re lucky we don’t take your life right here—got it?" The burly man swaggered in like he owned the place, eyes full of contempt and a terrifying aura that was almost as strong as Marcus Wu’s. And he wasn’t alone—seven or eight more muscleheads followed, each one radiating peak Primordial Immortal power. They were clearly here to stir up trouble, and every last one wore the Heaven-Earth Sect colors.
Ryan knew exactly how dangerous the Heaven-Earth Sect was, and the power backing them was no joke. Even when Marcus Wu stepped in before, these guys never let things go—they were relentless.
"These guys..." Ryan muttered. He knew this whole mess was because of him, so without a second thought, he strode right out to confront them.
But the moment he stepped out, Marcus Wu threw out an arm to block him: "Don’t bother. I’ll take care of everything here. These bastards must really have a death wish, barging straight into my manor. Do they think this Lord Shaman is just a pushover?"