Chapter 72: The Unseen Horizon and The Great Chronicles of the Nine Realms

Night fell over the western district, wrapping the quiet warehouse in a peaceful calm. Inside, the soft breathing of people filled the space. For the first time in years, they slept without fear of whips, chains, or immediate death.

Yu Liang stood by the tall window on the upper floor, looking down at the quiet scene. Yet beneath his relaxed exterior, his mind was racing with panic.

’I’m moving way too fast,’ Yu Liang thought, running a hand through his hair.

To anyone watching, he was a mysterious, supremely confident young master with an endless spiritual stones. But the truth was far less impressive. Until a short while ago, his entire world had been confined to the small bubble of a handyman’s routine. He knew local market prices and basic sect rules, but beyond Jade City? His knowledge was practically a blank slate.

Yu Liang had spent most of his time focused on cultivation and the things directly in front of him.

Only now was he beginning to realize how little he actually knew about the world around him. The Empire, its territories, the major sects and clans, the different regions, and the powers operating beyond Jade City there was far more to understand than he had expected.

He couldn’t keep making decisions based only on the small amount of information he had.

It was time to learn more about the world he had found himself in.

Leaving Meihua to oversee the final arrangements, Yu Liang quietly slipped out of the warehouse and made his way toward the commercial heart of Jade City.

The Pavilion of Azure Ink was the grandest bookstore in the city, a three story tower with rumors of countless old parchment. It’s also expensive as it has spatial preservation arrays.

Yu Liang walked past rows of High Tier Techniques jade slips which have records of their respective founders and process, heading straight for the geography and world history section. He didn’t look for secret ancient scriptures; he grabbed every thick, leather bound encyclopedia, regional maps and historical records he could find.

He piled a dozen massive volumes onto the counter. The shopkeeper, an old Qi Refining scholar with thick spectacles, blinked in surprise.

"Young Master... these are just general continental records and basic domain information," the old man said hesitantly. "There are no secret martial arts inside these."

"I know," Yu Liang replied, tossing a small pouch onto the counter. "I’ll take them all."

The old man checked the pouch and bowed quickly. The total came to barely five thousand Low Grade Spiritual Stones, a minor sum for basic, Common Knowledge books.

As soon as the transaction completed, a crisp sound echoed in Yu Liang’s mind.

[ Ding! Host has spent 5,000 Low Grade Spiritual Stones ]

[ Multiplier Triggered: 1,500x ]

[ Host Receives: 7,500,000 Low Grade Spiritual Stones ]

Yu Liang didn’t even glance at the notification. He casually swept the heavy books into his storage ring and walked out into the night, heading toward his private room at the inn.

Inside the quiet inn room, a single spirit lamp illuminated the table. Yu Liang poured himself a cup of warm tea, pulled up a chair, and opened the thickest volume: The Great Chronicles of the Nine Realms.

As he flipped through the pages, the sheer scale of the world began to unfold before his eyes, washing away his initial panic and replacing it with genuine, breathtaking wonder.

The Cloud Water Empire, the vast land he used to live in wasn’t even a full drop in the bucket. It was merely a minor vassal territory on the southern edge of the Grand Human Realm.

Beyond the empire’s borders stretched a world far more magnificent than anything his mortal imagination had pictured. The Grand Human Realm alone was a colossal continent span, home to ancient dynasties that had ruled for a million years, immortal sects built atop floating sky mountains, and trading capitals where divine beasts pulled golden carriages through the clouds.

Yet, humanity did not hold sole dominion over the heavens.

Flipping to a hand drawn map spanning several pages, Yu Liang’s eyes locked onto the regions to the west. Bordering the human territories lay the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Tribes.

Unlike the structured empires of humans, this boundless expanse of ancient forests and towering mountain ranges are ruled by the Beastkin clans.

Here, life followed a bit differently than Human Region. Powerful ancient bloodlines from the Majestic Celestial Cranes to the formidable Bear-kin and Fox tribes governed vast tribal territories. The book described wide valleys filled with spirit flowers, ancient trees that had grown for thousands of years, and rivers carrying rich spiritual energy through the untamed wilderness.

If one has to know how different it is from the Human Domain then let’s say there was no single empire that ruled the entire region. Countless tribes occupied its forests, mountains, plains, and valleys, each controlling its own territory. Some were small enough to disappear after a single defeat, while others possessed powerful bloodlines and had existed for generations.

Conflict between tribes was common.

When one tribe defeated another, the survivors were often absorbed into the victorious side. Warriors became subordinates, while those unable to fight were used as labor. To the Beastkin, this was simply one of the consequences of losing.

Further beyond the Northern Void Seas stood the Abyssal Sovereign Domain.

The region was covered in a constant twilight and was home to the Demon Clans. The book made it clear that they were nothing like the mindless monsters described in mortal stories.

They had their own cities, families, and territories. Some of their largest cities were built from dark obsidian and starlight ore, and ancient demon lineages held considerable influence there.

To most human cultivators, the region remained largely unknown and dangerous. Still, the records described a land beneath violet skies, with pale towers rising above its cities and silver moons hanging overhead.

In short, Its lands were controlled by demon clans with powerful bloodlines, and various ancient forces.

Together, these three territories were collectively known as the Three Realms of Heavenly Cloud.

Yu Liang leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as he let the information sink in.

’Three Realms.... of Heavenly Cloud,’ he whispered to himself.

Yet, as impressive as Heavenly Cloud name sounded, the author of the book added a humble note at the bottom of the page:

’Let the reader be warned: The world marked upon these pages is merely the sandbox of my perception while traveling. Beyond the Three Realms, there were still many places that remained unexplored. Ancient ruins, dangerous seas, hidden realms, and regions that even powerful cultivators rarely visited. For most cultivators, however, none of that mattered. They would spend their entire lives within a single city, sect, or empire, with little chance to see what existed beyond it.’

Yu Liang looked down at his own hands, a strange, electric feeling rose in his chest.

Growing up as a handyman disciple in a top tier sect, Yu Liang had still seen very little of the world beyond the sect.

Most of his days had been spent completing chores, cultivating, and dealing with the people around him. His understanding of the outside world was limited to what he had heard from others or read in passing.

Now, as he read through the records and looked at the illustrations of distant cities, ancient ruins, vast seas, and places he had never even heard of before, he found himself becoming more interested.

There was far more to this world than he had realized.

For the first time, Yu Liang wanted to see some of it for himself.

’This world isn’t just dangerous and brutal... But also beautiful,’ Yu Liang thought, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips.

There were sky ships that could cross void seas, divine fruits that could extend life by centuries, and grand martial tournaments where geniuses from Numerous Tribes competed under the eyes of Immortal Patriarchs. It was a world of breathtaking wonder, waiting for everyone to step out and see it.

He closed the heavy book with a soft thud and closed his eyes.

The more he learned, the more he realized how little he actually knew.

Until now, most of his decisions had been based on what he could see around him. He knew Jade City, understood the sects and forces he had dealt with, and had enough resources to handle most problems that came his way.

But beyond that, his knowledge was limited.

If he wanted to go further, he couldn’t keep relying on assumptions. He needed to understand the world, the major powers, and what existed beyond the places he already knew.

That was something he would have to change.

Yu Liang looked at the records in his hands and smiled. "First, I’ll build something strong enough to stand on its own."

Then his gaze shifted toward the distant sky outside the window.

"And then, I’ll see just how big this world really is."