Back at the Li family estate, Lu Lang sat quietly on her bed, gazing out the window.
It had been a month since she returned with Li Ha-rin. In that short time, she had broken through into the Profound Realm. To the eyes of the Li family, she was now a rare genius and had been granted her own residence. Masters at the Perfect Void Realm, including Li Ha-rin herself, now guided her cultivation.
This was her new life.
She often thought about Li Hao, wondering how he was progressing. He, too, had reached the Perfect Realm, and in his final moments of breakthrough, he had entered deep seclusion.
Just then, a knock came at her door. Lu Lang turned toward it, then rose and opened it. One of the guards stood outside, speaking in a respectful tone.
"Madam, the Head of the Family has summoned you."
"Oh… is it for the same thing as last time?" Lu Lang asked thoughtfully.
The last time she had been called was when the matriarch discovered her pregnancy. The patriarch had wanted her to abort the child, something she ultimately refused.
She followed the guard through the estate to the Great Hall.
Inside, the head of the Li family, Li Min-seo, was seated. Li Xiu stood beside her, silent and composed. Lu Lang approached the center and respectfully bowed.
Li Min-seo regarded her calmly. "Why do you refuse to abort the fetus?" she asked. "It hasn't even been born yet. With your talent, you could conceive again in just a few years. Why choose to burden yourself now?"
Lu Lang raised her eyes. "Because this child was given to me by someone very special. He is my lover—and this child is the one thing I asked of him. The only thing I ever wanted."
"This child will be my eternal proof of our love, something no one can take from me."
"Oh?" Min-seo asked, eyes narrowing. "And who is this man you speak of? Is he a powerful elder martial artist… or just a weak young one?"
"He is both," Lu Lang replied, without hesitation. "As young as the stars and as strong as the rising moon. His name is Li Hao."
Min-seo let out a slow breath. "Do you understand? With this fetus, you can only gather spiritual power, but cannot cultivate it. You'll essentially be stagnant for the next year. And even then, the child has shown no growth. Four months in, and not even an inch of development."
She considered expelling her—but then remembered her disciple, Li Ha-rin. With a reluctant sigh, she added, "You may keep the fetus. But if you do not give birth within five years, we will assume it died. Is that clear?"
"Understood," Lu Lang replied firmly.
Five years meant nothing to her—not when it came to Li Hao's return.
She turned and walked out of the hall, returning to her residence. From that day on, she continued cultivating quietly. No one brought up her pregnancy again; they had been ordered not to.
One year and seven months passed.
Inside Li Hao's secluded chamber, he sat in lotus position.
Spiritual power roared like a storm around him, the room blazing with Yang energy. Yet the space remained intact—bent to such a degree that the two meters to the walls were actually ten thousand miles apart.
Time flowed slightly slower, one minute stretching into two. This was the power of the great law.
Li Hao slowly opened his eyes, calming the storm. Raising his hand, he looked at himself. Eighteen years old now, his body stood at peak condition—1.82 meters tall, lean like a calisthenics master, with muscle sculpted like a divine statue.
He turned inward, gazing upon his Primordial Spirit—a reflection of his true self. Identical in form, it hovered within his spiritual sea, its chest housing three colored spheres, each perfectly round.
His cultivation technique, the Nine Revelations of Immortality, had reached its Fourth Revelation – Universal Absorption, greatly enhancing his ability to absorb and refine Qi from the heavens.
Now, his goal was to combine the Law of Space with the Law of Time—a feat few dared attempt unless they stood at the peak of a realm. Success would double his combat ability, elevating him above cultivators with only a single-law foundation.
He knew it was no easier than ascending to heaven itself—but the strongest were those who challenged the heavens.
His spiritual will plunged into his vast sea of heavenly yellow spiritual power. In the center floated the gray-and-gold figure of his primordial spirit—ancient, tribal in appearance.
Li Hao approached, and as his will merged with the spirit, he saw the three orbs: space, time, and yang.
He tried to make them cooperate—but the space and time laws repelled each other like clashing magnetic fields. They refused coexistence, each trying to dominate the other.
He realized—combination required understanding, not force.
So he began his next seclusion, dedicating himself to observing their behavior. For months, nearly a year, he sat unmoving.
He witnessed the clash between space and time hundreds, then thousands of times.
And then—it clicked.
Time was the unstoppable river that flowed forward forever.
Space was the paper upon which time was written, bendable, foldable.
But for time to exist, it needed space. And for space to have meaning, it needed the flow of time.
Under this enlightenment, the two laws suddenly surged toward each other—and merged.
His strength exploded.
His primordial spirit turned black-purple, with golden patterns and star-like motes floating within it. The space-time law became a central sphere—immovable, indivisible. The yang law, like a planet, orbited it.
Li Hao emerged from his spiritual sea. His eyes opened.
His power had skipped all conventions.
He stood up.
He was ready to leave.
[You have taken another step in your cultivation, reaching the Fourth Turn.]
Reward: Twilight Star Celestial Art
[Name: Twilight Star Celestial Art
Grade: Lower Earth
Quality: Divine
Description: Forged by a Heaven's Master Perfect Realm cultivator who sought to harness pure Yang Energy, the Twilight Star Celestial Art refines radiant heat and celestial brilliance into devastating attacks. It was inspired by the setting sun's final burst of power.]
As Li Hao walked out, the technique flashed in his mind. With his deep comprehension of the Yang Law, he instantly perceived its true nature.
He didn't dwell on it. Instead, he spread out his divine sense—ten miles in radius. Beyond that, things were hazy, indistinct, like faded shadows behind a veil.
Failing to detect her presence, he activated his spiritual power, locking onto the mark he had left on her.
A pulse responded from the inner city.
Li Hao looked in that direction, stepped forward, and bent space.
He vanished.
Lu Lang was cultivating her spiritual power in one of the inner mansions of the Li family. Over the years, thanks to the sphere of Yang energy left behind, her strength had improved.
She had broken through to the Nature Realm. Her belly had also changed—it now looked like that of a woman halfway through pregnancy.
The child inside had been absorbing Yang energy and spiritual power, cultivating himself.
If her estimation was correct, he was already terrifyingly strong—perhaps even invincible within the same realm.
Just as her thoughts turned to the child, space suddenly trembled.
A ripple surged forth like a volcanic eruption.
Space twisted violently before shattering open—Li Hao stepped through from the void.
Lu Lang, upon seeing him, leapt up with joy and threw herself into his arms without hesitation.
She kissed his lips and said softly, "Master, I missed you so much."
He smiled faintly, gently holding her. "It's been a while. You've grown, Lu Lang."
His gaze fell to her stomach—it was far larger than the last time.
"Oh? Looks like this little guy still wants to stay cozy in mommy's belly." He placed a hand on it. "Why haven't you come out yet, hmm?"
With a soft chuckle, Li Hao used his Time Law, accelerating time several years in an instant.
Simultaneously, he infused his spiritual power, nurturing the fetus.
Now fully developed, the child was ready.
With his mastery of Space Law, Li Hao teleported the child out gently—into his arms.
Looking at the small being in his embrace, he pondered for a moment.
Finally, he said, "Since you take after your father, I'll give you a name worthy of our path."
"From now on, your name will be Li Tian. Tian, as in 'Heaven.' You are the first under me. When you grow up, come and find me."
He placed a divine necklace around the infant's neck. It gleamed with golden light, engraved with the words: ETERNAL HEAVEN.
With everything done, Li Hao passed the child to Lu Lang.
"I'll be speaking with the Li family patriarch. I hope you'll stay here."
And he disappeared.
In the great hall, Li Min-seo, the head of the Li family's local branch, was in silent meditation. She was comprehending the Law.
Unlike the Immortal Path, the Martial Path relied heavily on Law comprehension.
Without reaching a certain threshold, one could not advance. Yet, progress in Law could also allow someone to skip realms entirely.
This was the Martial Path's advantage—but its ceiling came early. Few ever broke past the second level of comprehension without a breakthrough.
As she delved deeper, space began to fluctuate. Spiritual power shifted without moving.
Li Hao emerged from the void, clad in flowing white robes. His hair was like silvery snow, ancient yet youthful.
Li Min-seo opened her eyes.
She saw his stunning visage, his overwhelming cultivation, and a presence unlike anything she had felt in centuries.
"And who might you be, fellow cultivator?" she asked calmly.
Li Hao offered a clasped-fist salute. "Li Hao. Known also as the Stellar Void Master. I am Lu Lang's partner—and the father of her child."
Recognition sparked in her eyes. She remembered the young girl from five years ago—the one who swore her lover was strong, young, and unrivaled.
She had doubted it then.
Now, she understood.
This man… was terrifying. Even with all five elders, she doubted they could survive a clash against him.
"I see," she replied simply.
Li Hao continued, "I'm grateful for the care you've shown her. I ask that you continue to protect her. She was once my disciple—her talent is high. She has the potential to reach the Heavenly Realm."
"I need her to be in a safe, stable environment."
"Couldn't you protect her yourself?" she asked, sensing that he was a direct, no-nonsense man.
"My time is limited," Li Hao said, his gaze turning distant. "I can only complete two missions before I must leave."
She didn't press further.
"Very well," she nodded. "But we would like something in return."
Li Hao considered it, then reached through space, retrieving a technique manual.
Heavenly Blossom Sword Art.
He flicked it forward. She caught it midair.
Her spiritual sense scanned its contents—and her heart trembled.
A Divine-grade technique.
Even her most treasured skill was merely Elite-grade.
She smiled as she put the book away. "Then we have no further transaction. I will shelter her under the Li Family's name. But I have one final question."
"Ask."
"…How old are you?"
Li Hao looked at her and replied, "If I'm right, I should be turning twenty this year."
Then he vanished.
Li Min-seo stood frozen.
A being so mighty, yet younger than her by centuries.
Only Heaven's most blessed prodigies could match his level at this age—and even they were barely at the First Level of the Third Turn.
What kind of monster was this man?
She calmed herself and called out, "Li Xiu."
A man appeared beside her, his breath like still air.
"Yes, Family Head."
"Inform the elders and the family. Lu Lang is to be treated with the utmost respect—as if she were one of us."
"Yes, Family Head." He turned and left the hall.
As he stepped outside, a blinding light engulfed the estate.
Then came a powerful westward wind—violent and unstoppable.
It could reduce a Perfect Third Turn cultivator to dust.
It had already carved a massive hole in the Zhuo family estate. A quarter of it had vanished, along with countless elders and disciples.
And above it all stood a lone figure—Li Hao.
Unmoving. Steady. Immense.
From the Zhuo family emerged their grand ancestor.
[Name: Zhuo Ji-Yoo
Title: Sovereign of the Zhuo Family
Age: 4001
Realm: Willful Entry, Mid Stage]
He looked up, locking eyes with Li Hao—hair white, golden eyes burning, and three miniature suns rotating behind him like a divine halo.
Just then, from the northeast, came the Song Family's aura—their ally in this region.
Their ancestor rose above his building, his gaze sharp and cold.
[Name: Song Ji-Fen
Age: 3998
Realm: Willful Entry, Mid Stage]
Zhuo Ji-Yoo called out, "Fellow martial artist, why have you attacked my Zhuo family?"
Li Hao stared back in silence, then spoke.
"Your elder ambushed me and my disciple outside the forest. Your family's branch attacked me and my sister."
"You destroyed a quarter of my estate and killed thousands over a petty feud?" Zhuo Ji-Yoo countered.
Li Hao's voice turned mocking. "And what of it?"
Suddenly, Song Ji-Fen leapt forward, vanishing from sight.
He soared through the air like a falling leaf, aura blazing, and struck with a fist aimed at Li Hao's face.
But Li Hao sidestepped, twisted, and countered with a downward Caesar Kick.
Song Ji-Fen rocketed down, but recovered with a midair flip, landing on his feet.
The ground cracked violently under the pressure.
Without pause, he leapt again.
At the same time, Zhuo Ji-Yoo ascended into the sky.
Li Hao grinned.