Scenes from the River of Time unfolded before Caelum’s eyes.

The vast and savage glory of the Primordial Age felt so vivid that he could almost step into it himself.

War banners filled the heavens.

Endless slaughter stained the world.

The first Worldbreaker Physique was born.

And with that, the Primordial Age came to an end.

The Celestial Court rose to suppress the destiny of the Ancient Age.

The kings of the Primordial Age fell one after another and were buried throughout the Infinite Realms.

Their burial grounds became Eternal Forbidden Lands.

Reflections of those lands stretched across countless worlds as they waited for the day of their return.

"Eternal Forbidden Lands..."

Caelum searched through the River of Time and found them.

Eternal Vale.

Immortal Execution Grounds.

Tomb of the Dead.

Spiritblade Peak.

These four Eternal Forbidden Lands held the remains of the Primordial Kings.

Yet the Primordial Kings had never truly died.

They slumbered within the forbidden lands.

Waiting.

Plotting across the ages.

The rise of the first Worldbreaker Physique had ignited the Infinite Realms’ first great crusade against the Primordial Kings.

At Immortal Execution Grounds, the heads of kings had rolled like rain.

Only with the establishment of the Ancient Celestial Court was the chaos of the Primordial Kings finally brought to an end.

A new age began.

A new order was forged.

A new path of cultivation emerged.

Even so, the remnants of the Primordial Kings remained powerful enough to influence both the Infinite Realms and countless lesser worlds.

Only through the combined destiny of the Celestial Court and the Infinite Realms had the kings buried within the Eternal Forbidden Lands been forced into slumber.

However...

The Ancient Age eventually passed.

The kings within the forbidden lands began to stir once more.

Without the Celestial Court to suppress them, the Eternal Forbidden Lands projected their influence into countless worlds.

Their goal was simple.

To restore their strength.

A look of understanding flashed through Caelum’s eyes.

"The disaster in Highmoor Province of the Western Expanse..."

"One of the Eternal Forbidden Lands has manifested within Celestial Arc Realm."

Of the four forbidden lands, Immortal Execution Grounds maintained the strongest suppression over the Primordial Kings.

Even after the fall of the Celestial Court, the kings buried there remained firmly imprisoned.

It could not project itself into other worlds.

That left only three.

Eternal Vale.

Tomb of the Dead.

Spiritblade Peak.

And the forbidden land that had appeared within Highmoor Province was none other than Eternal Vale.

Caelum fell silent in thought.

"Eternal Vale..."

Aurelius noticed his growing interest in both the Primordial Kings and the forbidden lands.

"You’re better off staying away from those things."

His tone was unusually serious.

"Get involved, and you may never escape the consequences."

As the Divine Heir of the Ancient Celestial Court, Aurelius understood exactly how terrifying the Primordial Kings truly were.

Very few people ended well after becoming entangled with them.

Even the Ancient Celestial Court at the height of its power had failed to destroy the forbidden lands.

Merely suppressing them had pushed the court to its limits.

And now, during the Age of Imperial Calamity, the cultivation world was only a shadow of what it had once been.

Anyone foolish enough to covet a forbidden land was courting disaster.

Caelum had already made up his mind.

"If we’re talking about the Eternal Forbidden Lands within the Infinite Realms, I wouldn’t dare approach them."

"But their projections within lesser worlds are another matter."

Aurelius glanced at the fishing rod in Caelum’s hands and immediately understood.

"Then I can only wish you luck."

"I’ll take that blessing."

Suddenly—

Thunk.

The fishing rod jerked downward.

Caelum raised the rod and pulled something from the Sea of Transcendence.

A wine jug emerged from the water and landed inside the boat.

Aurelius casually caught it.

"I told you."

"The Sea of Transcendence only contains my wine jugs."

Then he looked up again.

Caelum had already vanished.

Back beside the lotus pond at Skyreach Monastery, neither Wyatt nor the attendant noticed anything unusual.

Even Wyatt, who had been sitting right beside him, remained completely unaware.

At that moment, the aura within Caelum suddenly surged.

[Cultivation Increased]

[Realm: Soulbound Layer 11]

Immediately, his consciousness sank inward.

Guided by the Worldbreaker Physique Art, he located another unopened hidden treasure within his body.

He shattered its seal in a single strike.

Boom!

Without warning, the surge of power knocked Wyatt backward.

The man stared in astonishment.

Then realization struck.

Caelum had been cultivating the entire time.

The power of the hidden treasure burst forth.

A mysterious symbol appeared upon Caelum’s forehead.

This hidden treasure granted the ability to pierce illusions and falsehoods.

Ordinary deception would never fool his eyes again.

He could see through obstructions and perceive the true nature of things.

Caelum withdrew his aura.

Wyatt stared at him.

"Heir Apparent... is that the State of Effortless Freedom?"

Caelum nodded.

"I gained a little insight."

Wyatt found it difficult to believe.

Then again...

This was the Heir Apparent.

Achieving such a state somehow felt completely reasonable.

He had assumed Caelum was tempering his mind.

Instead, the man had entered a state where every breath advanced his cultivation.

Cultivating without pause.

Cultivating without effort.

Caelum glanced at him.

"You spend every day coming here. Don’t you need to cultivate?"

Wyatt smiled bitterly.

"I’ve hit a bottleneck."

"My cultivation hasn’t progressed in quite some time."

"That’s why I wanted to spar with you."

"Maybe I’d gain some insight."

Caelum shook his head.

"I think you’re the one who should be competing with the other prodigies."

"That’s exactly what I intend to do."

Wyatt’s eyes brightened.

"Before I leave to gain experience in the outside world, though, I was hoping the Heir Apparent would send me off."

Caelum stood and set aside his fishing rod.

"Fine."

"I’m in a good mood today."

"But prepare yourself."

"I won’t hold back."

Wyatt froze for a moment.

Then his face lit up with excitement.

"Naturally."

Forming a hand seal, he summoned his sword.

Sword energy swept across the surroundings.

"Heir Apparent, please."

Caelum answered with a single palm strike.

He wasn’t even using his full strength.

If he did, Wyatt would be erased from existence on the spot.

Buzz.

The symbol of a hidden treasure appeared in his palm.

The divine power of suppression erupted.

Mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests within a hundred miles trembled.

Storm clouds churned across the heavens.

Borrowing the might of heaven and earth itself, Caelum struck.

Wyatt’s expression changed instantly.

His sword energy looked like a lone boat in a storm-tossed sea.

One wave would be enough to annihilate him.

The force of heaven swept forward.

His sword energy shattered immediately.

"Heir Apparent—"

Boom!

A deafening explosion followed.

Wyatt was launched clear across the secret realm of Skyspire Order like a blazing meteor.

His figure vanished beyond the horizon.

Caelum calmly dusted off his sleeves.

"You asked me to send you off."

"So I did."

"Now maybe you’ll stop bothering me every day."

After Wyatt’s departure, Skyreach Monastery became quiet once again.

The days passed.

One after another.

Caelum enjoyed a peaceful life atop Skyreach Monastery.

His cultivation continued to rise.

At the same time, he nurtured more flowers and plants.

Fed by Primal Essence, they gradually awakened intelligence and strange powers, much like Bladeleaf had before them.

As for Bladeleaf itself...

Its Sword Intent continued growing stronger with every passing day.

[Cultivation Increased]

[Realm: Soulbound Layer 36]

...

Time flowed on.

Ten years passed in peace.

[Cultivation Increased]

[Realm: Soulbound Layer 360]

A full decade.

Only then did Caelum finally bring the Soulbound Realm to its absolute limit.

On that same day, he opened his three hundred and sixtieth hidden treasure.

[Soulbound Realm Complete]

[Achievement Unlocked: Perfect Grand Cycle]