Chapter Four: When I Cultivate, All the Heavens Bow Before Me

The sky remained a persistent yellow, a sign that the world’s transformation was ongoing, relentless. Countless inheritance halls had risen from the earth, appearing all across the globe. Bold souls and those with ambition flocked through their doors, undertaking trials of questions and answers to claim a legacy as their own.

While many marveled in awe and disbelief that legendary cultivation techniques truly existed in this changed reality, Wang Fan had already begun his practice. Seated cross-legged in a house on the outskirts of the city, he embarked upon his first true cultivation.

Following the foundational method of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art—an imperial path—he began laying the groundwork, establishing his base. The guiding art instructed him to search within for the “Sea of Bitterness,” then absorb vital energy to open the spring of life within.

True to its name, the guiding method was infused with demonic intent. The moment he set it in motion, his mind was drawn deep into his body, plunged into the Sea of Bitterness at the lower dantian. Emperor-level cultivation arts were indeed domineering and peerless; this one, named for demons and created by the Ruthless Emperor herself, was all the more so.

In an instant, Wang Fan’s consciousness was submerged in his Sea of Bitterness. He observed its appearance with a wry smile; his was indeed like any ordinary person’s—no unusual phenomena, just a deep blue, as plain as the common sea, without the slightest extraordinary sign.

There was no vast golden sea, no golden lotus rising, no bright moon ascending—just an utterly mundane Sea of Bitterness, as nondescript as the Ruthless Emperor’s at the beginning, who had possessed no special constitution, merely a mortal body.

Learning that he was an ordinary mortal came as no surprise to Wang Fan—he had long suspected as much. Yet when faced with the fact, a trace of disappointment still arose.

That brief disappointment faded as quickly as it appeared. Wang Fan knew that even mortals could rise to greatness. The creator of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art, that peerless Ruthless Emperor, had proven herself on the path from a mortal’s body to an unrivaled imperial existence.

So what if he was a mortal? When my cultivation is complete, kingly bodies, imperial bodies, immortal constitutions—all the physiques beneath the heavens shall bow before me!

With this conviction burning in his heart, Wang Fan began his true cultivation in earnest. He activated the internal routes of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art imprinted in his mind. At the moment of activation, the unique and wondrous nature of this emperor-level method revealed itself—the demonic power of devouring heaven and earth began to emanate!

Over thirty million pores on Wang Fan’s body radiated an endless suction, not directed at matter, but at the vital energy within living things.

The devouring force surged unceasingly. The life force within the myriad flowers, grasses, and trees surrounding the house was drawn out and absorbed by the art Wang Fan was circulating. Once lush and verdant, the plants began to wither, their green shifting towards a dull yellow as their essence was stolen away.

After circulating the art once around his Sea of Bitterness, Wang Fan immediately felt his essence growing, strengthening at a pace as if he were under the influence of potent elixirs.

Even those with divine constitutions could not achieve such growth while cultivating; on the contrary, merely existing or exploring the Sea of Bitterness would consume some of their vital energy.

Wang Fan’s spirit and vitality grew ever stronger. With firm resolve, his spirit, girded with courage, plunged into his unremarkable mortal Sea of Bitterness. As it entered, the calm waters were stirred—just the faintest ripple—but Wang Fan could feel the oppressive force of the deep blue sea closing in from all sides, bearing down like a mountain, threatening to crush his spirit utterly.

Confronted with this endless bramble, Wang Fan did not retreat. He wielded his essence as a sword, cleaving through the Sea of Bitterness, forging a new path, striving to transform his ordinary sea into something extraordinary.

The first realm of the Wheel Sea—the Sea of Bitterness!

Wang Fan pressed forward toward this realm, hacking through all obstacles with his sword of essence, propelled by the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art’s imperial might, constantly absorbing energy from the outside world, integrating it into his sword, making it ever sharper.

His spirit, wielding the sword of essence, churned the blue sea into endless waves. Each stroke drove back the encroaching waters, carving open his Sea of Bitterness. He swung the sword tirelessly for hours, until at last, a tenth of the vast sea began to merge with the vital energy and undergo transformation.

He had entered the first realm of the Wheel Sea, the Sea of Bitterness, in only half a day, without relying on any precious treasures—simply through cultivation.

Such cultivation speed was utterly defiant of the natural order. Ordinary people might need half a month of persistent effort to open this sea, enduring endless fatigue and powerlessness. Even those with divine bodies or prodigious talent would require several days.

Yet with the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art—this demonic emperor-level method—Wang Fan had reached the Sea of Bitterness in half a day. If the people of Earth learned of this, the entire world would be shaken.

For now, most on Earth remained ignorant of cultivation. Even those with earth-rank arts were still fumbling with the guiding methods, exploring the vast Wheel Sea and the first realm, the Sea of Bitterness.

Upon reaching this first realm, Wang Fan did not pause; instead, he pressed on with his cultivation.

As a transmigrant, familiar with countless myths and immortal tales, he knew that only with a solid foundation could one’s path stretch far into the future. This truth was deeply ingrained in him, so his journey did not cease—he advanced relentlessly.

On the path of the Sea of Bitterness, he was far from perfection; he had only taken the first steps. He continued his cultivation, suppressing his inner elation for the sake of transcendence, of rising above others, of seizing a different fate in times to come.

With his spirit wielding the sword of essence, he cleaved through the waters of the blue sea, splitting them apart, fusing essence into the water, instilling extraordinary qualities into the Sea of Bitterness, making it something he could truly command!