On one of the western mountains, known as Mount Hualian, Zhao Li sat at the summit in a meditative posture, refining his Dantian roots and attempting to heal his injuries.
The mountains bore names with Chinese or Korean influences, a reflection of their inhabitants; 90% of the population consisted of "Gu" masters—or, more broadly, Dantian cultivators—while the remainder comprised users of Qi (aura) or Mana. The Qi users were primarily Orcs and Ogres, while the Mana users were Dark Elves. Very few humans—those who harnessed mental or physical power—resided in these mountains. This was partly because Qi users tended to be nomadic mercenaries, while Mana users preferred flat, open terrain; their wide-area abilities were too dangerous to employ within the confines of the mountains. For cultivators in general, however, these mountains were rich in primordial Qi and "springs of life"—resources that aided in refining Dantian roots, deepening one's cultivation, and replenishing the "primordial sea" via the spirit stones found near these springs.
As Zhao Li practiced refining his Dantian roots, he felt his strength surge significantly, allowing him to wield his power once more. His rank had ascended from "Low Outerverse" to "Beyond Outerversal." Although this represented not even an infinitesimal fraction of the true power he once possessed—back when he, Alessandra, and the spirit of Ji Yao Li shared a single body—it was, nonetheless, deeply satisfying to him. As days passed, spent refining and strengthening his spiritual roots, his power and authority over this world grew ever greater.
One day, a chaotic aura began to spread through the atmosphere, surging like a colossal flood across the sky. He opened his eyes, revealing depths as bottomless as abysses. Zhao Li's power had reached an immense level; with absolute mastery over concepts such as chaos, death, fortune, destiny, probability, causality, and the very end of all things, his control was far more profound than ever before. He let out a deep sigh while gazing down at the world from the summit of Mount Hua Lian. His voice, calm and steady, carried the weight of the absolute power he had attained after centuries spent refining his Dantian roots and healing his past injuries. Possessing both Dantian roots and a Primordial Sea simultaneously served as a trump card for Zhao Li, allowing his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds. Such a dual endowment is exceedingly rare—and even rarer still is the constitution possessed by his ten children, whose innate talent is nothing short of terrifying.
"The world is truly vast, yet I remain confined within this ordinary realm... How pathetic! I wonder how my descendants will perceive this world... *Sigh*."
The sigh escaped Zhao Li's lips, unbidden. The future was like a river whose course remained unknown—shifting now to the west, now to the east. Deep down, he knew that no matter how intelligent, brilliant, unconventional, or profound the members of his lineage might be, their understanding of power and existence remained fundamentally superficial. The aspirations of the Zhao Li clan were limited: they sought to reach the rank of "Master Ruler" (among *Kono* users), attain the 9th Rank of *Gu* Master, or ascend to a "post-immortal" tier of refinement—becoming, in their Buddhist-influenced belief system, divine entities. Mana users among them aimed for the "MA∞" rank, while those who harnessed *Ki* or *Aura* aspired to reach the "Outerverse" level.
Their thinking was constrained; even those at the highest echelons could only govern—or perhaps create—ordinary worlds. The ability to command a "Fantasy Realm" was beyond even their wildest dreams. Yet, they revered those who held such ranks—or even lower ones—failing to realize that these figures, too, possessed only shallow, limited minds. Warriors equivalent to "Master Rulers" were powerful solely within their own Fantasy Realms; outside of them, they were mere insects—unworthy even to serve as menials to the various non-human masters of Fantasy Realms. This realization colored his sigh with a trace of sorrow and pity for his descendants. Yet, he was certain of one thing: upon his reincarnation, he would inevitably kill many of his own kin.
Every thousand years—specifically, in the year following the completion of a millennium—Zhao Li would die, provided he was not engaged in battle against Alessandra.
After spending several minutes contemplating the world, Zhao Li rose and headed toward the dwelling he had constructed three years prior, perched atop Mount Hua Lian. As Zhao Li headed toward his home, he heard the voice of a young girl calling out to him. He turned his gaze to find a girl with hair like moonlight—silvery and radiant—and eyes of the same hue. She possessed a breathtaking beauty; with skin as fair as milk, wide, silvery eyes, and soft, crimson lips, she was a vision of perfection. This child was known as the "Empress of the Desolate Moon," the second of Zhao Li's children, following the "Emperor of the Radiant Sun." Zhao Li's children were referred to as "Unique Physiques" and also as the "Ten Divine Emperors"—a designation used among Gu Masters who followed the path of the Buddha, while among Muslims, they were known as the "Ten Blessings of God."
The Empress of the Desolate Moon—who was six years old—leapt toward Zhao Li. He caught her, pulling her into his embrace with a faint smile on his face. A few seconds later, her expression shifted to one of annoyance; she began to tap lightly against his chest, puffing out her cheeks in a display of displeasure:
"Father, you're so late! You haven't been home for two months. My brother, Zhao Bing, and I were quite worried about you."
Her tone was heavy with deep-seated concern and sorrow, and as she buried her face against his chest, tears began to fall from her eyes. Zhao Li patted her back, a gentle smile still gracing his face:
"Do not worry, my daughter, Zhao Minghua—have no fear, for your father is incredibly strong." The names given to the "sons of Zao Li" were merely labels derived from their physical forms. However, the bodies of the actual sons of Zao Li—those he had sired—differed from the forms that others came to be associated with over time; their bodies were Stronger, they possessed both the body of Divine Emperors plus the supporting Dantan roots. Moreover, Zhao Minghua possessed the body of the Desolate Moon Empress and the roots of the Dantan of the Desolate Moon Empress as well, and she was of the Beyond Outerversal level. However, she was not immortal by being merely a body; Zhao Li's sons were born in completely different ways. Both Zhao Ping and Zhao Minghua were born from Zhao Li's eyes and the rest of his sons were like this from his body parts, so they did not have a soul. However, their sons would have a spirit but they would be weaker than Zhao Li and his sons, and the same applies to their bodies as well.
Zhao Li walked towards his house with steady steps, when a girl's whispering voice that was familiar to him rang out in his ear:
"Aren't you going to wake up yet, Zhao Li?"
Knowing that it was not the right time, Zhao Li ignored the voice and decided to continue his way home. Once he arrived, Zhao Li noticed that his son, "Rising Sun Emperor" Zao Ping, was cultivating the Dantan Root of the Rising Sun Emperor in order to balance it with his Primordial Sea so that the energy would be more pure. Although they were of the Beyond Outerversal rank, even the Imagination Realms had a will of their own and was called the "Mother Heaven's Will" or "Heaven's Mother's Will," which was so powerful that it was able to subjugate entities of the Beyond Outerversal rank and above to the extent of the Boundless rank. The will of Heaven Mother was able to subjugate them easily, which was why Zhao Li's sons had to refine their Dantan Root and the Primordial Sea regularly to maintain stability between them.
A slight smile appeared on Zhao Li's face as he looked at his son Zhao Bing, and he muttered in a low voice that held a hint of the future: "You don't have to be a Gu Master to be a refiner, and you don't have to be an immortal to be a refiner."
His words stemmed from his wisdom and long experience. He knew that there were members of his lineage who would claim that only a refiner is a Gu Master or only someone who has Dantan roots can be a refiner, and this happened over the course of successive times when many conflicts occurred between Gu Masters and immortals for this reason, and it was a reason for the development of Kunu and Mana users by exploiting their wars to gain lands and build empires, kingdoms, and countries over the years, but this does not mean that there were no giant and great sects like the Sun, Song, and Yao sects. ting.
Then, Zhao Li placed Zhao Minghua on the ground and lightly stroked her head: "You should practice refining your Dantan and Primordial Sea roots."
Zhao Minghua lowered her head with some slight annoyance as she walked over to her brother Zhao Ping's side, the Rising Sun Emperor, to begin refinement. Zhao Li's gaze was calm and full of dignity; Wisdom, Perseverance, Law, and Fate Gu were surrounding him, with Wisdom and Perseverance Gu on his right, and Fate and Law Gu on his left. Their gazes were calm as a slight smile appeared on their faces as they looked towards Zhao Li.
Zhao Li was unique to them; Even though they were thousands of years old, they were powerless against Zhao Li. He was wiser than Wisdom Gu, more understanding of laws than Law Gu, more persistent than Perseverance Gu, and more manipulative than Fate Gu. This made them unable to escape from Zhao Li's grasp, and they had to just wait for his death to be free.
Zhao Li's death was less than 400 years away, so they only had to be patient, but Zhao Li's smile held many secrets about the future fate of Wisdom, Perseverance, Law, and Fate Gu, so they were patient and did not want to earn Zhao Li's enmity because he was able to easily crush them, and they were aware of that.
200 years later, Zhao Li had ten sons, who had reached their peak and began to wander the land.
Zhao Li's facial features were as calm as the surface of a lake reflecting the light of the full moon, looking towards the sky. Zhao Li was preserving his youth because he had found the Thousand Year Longevity Gu to increase his lifespan, however, the amount of time he would spend before being reincarnated was longer, and this was true for Alessandra since their lives were connected to each other, and this made the Wisdom, Perseverance, Law, and Fate Gu very upset, but he ignored it.
One day, Zhao Li decided to do something he had neglected for a long time:
"The promised day has come. I did not imagine that I would meet her after more than 800 years have passed since our separation. Although we have met several times, we have avoided clashes." His tone was calm, with some slight concern.
Alessandra was just as powerful as him, his equal in every way. He then decided to head towards her place where they were born, because he felt that he would meet her there.