Time to return.

Yao Jun felt space around him violently twist and contort after he stepped into the white crack, almost as if it was trying to tear him apart. He used his law of space to form a shield around him while also calming down the space around him, allowing him to get a better look at his surroundings.

The last time he had entered this hidden realm he had only seen a white light flash in front of his eyes and then he had arrived on the hellish wasteland filled with volcanoes and the scent of sulfur. But now that he had more control over the law of space he was able to prevent himself from simply being swept away to a random place within the hidden realm. And thanks to this, he was able to see that his surroundings were a white void, several large cracks in space spreading out around him.

Yao Jun was able to see a myriad of different areas when he looked through the cracks, he saw the large valley that Guo Luo had told him about, the forest where he met Wei Zhong Jun, the glacial wasteland where he met and acquired Zhuanxu, they were all there. But there were far more cracks than just these, there were so many that they were hard to count with just a quick glance. But most of these cracks were somewhat strange, leading into nothing but a black void filled with a violent energy that almost seemed like it was trying to reach out through the cracks.

Yao Jun placed his gaze onto the crack that led to the hellish wasteland covered in volcanoes, stepping into it and immediately appearing on the wasteland. The wasteland was just the same as it had been when he was here last time, the earth a reddish brown color, the air stinking of sulfur, a geyser spewing out hot gases or molten rock periodically appearing in the area.

Yao Jun didn't even need to scan his surroundings to find what he was looking for, the entire wasteland around him started to tremble shortly after he arrived. Massive cracks spread through the area, a large hole opening a short distance away from Yao Jun.

A massive claw dripping with molten stone reached up from the hole, a bulky body covered in deep crimson scales following the claw. Before long, a massive crimson dragon stood in front of Yao Jun, his four limbs so thick that it seemed like it would take at least a hundred people to reach around any single one of them. The dragon looked at Yao Jun with his golden eyes, snarling out in his draconic language.

"So the Little one has returned. It seems like seeing the wider world has done you quite good, you are far better than you were last time you were here. So, why exactly have you come back?"

The tone of the dragon was proud and haughty, but it was far better than the disdain and disregard he had for Yao Jun last time, at least he was talking to him this time. Yao Jun looked the massive dragon, the father of Zhuyin, up and down for a bit before speaking out.

"I want to know just what this place is. Why can it block my God Gate from absorbing Demonic beasts, why is there something in here that is resonating with, and calling for, my God Gate?"

It wasn't just these points that made Yao Jun curious about this place, there was also the existence of this Crimson Dragon and the Illusiroy Roc he had seen, both were Divine Beasts that had grown so strong that they seemed to be on par with the Origin Beasts that lived on this planet. The dragon seemed somewhat surprised at Yao Jun's question, tilting his head slightly.

"Oh? You came all the way here just for a few questions. But Little one, to answer that question, there is a lot of history about the God Gates you first need to learn. And that information is not something I am free to give out as I please, it is the greatest shame of my Master, so come back when you have learned the truth of this universe."

The dragon tried to hide it, but Yao Jun was able to detect a hint of grief in his voice when he spoke of his master. The dragon was about to turn around and dive back into the hole he had created so Yao Jun quickly stopped him.

"I already know about the truth of this universe, I already know that the previous God Gate holders have all turned back time, most likely because of something the first All God's Gate and Human God's Gate have done."

The dragon immediately stopped in his tracks, his motion so abrupt that the earth beneath his claws shattered and sank down. He turned around, surprise clearly visible in his eyes as he looked at Yao Jun.

"You...Where did you learn about that? You should be far from strong enough to learn about that truth."

The voice of the dragon had lost all haughtiness and pride, all that remained was utter confusion, he was clearly completely shocked that Yao Jun had already learned about those things. Yao Jun didn't see a need to hide it, simply telling the dragon the truth.

"I learned it from a man sealed in a castle at the bottom of the ocean on this planet, he called himself Nine Heavens Soul Emperor."

The eyes of the dragon grew a bit distant after hearing Yao Jun's explanation, the light of nostalgia appearing in his eyes. He shook his head after a short moment, looking directly at Yao Jun as he started talking.

"Ahhh, so Yu Dong still lives? That's good, he was a dear friend of Master. Very well, since you already know the truth, let me answer your questions."

The dragon suddenly shrunk after he finished talking, turning into a muscular and tall middle-aged man with long crimson hair and two golden eyes. The now human form dragon swept the surrounding wasteland with his gaze for a short moment, slowly starting to talk about what he knew.

"Ever since Yu Dong shattered the original God Gates, they have had a small defect, they lose a tiny piece of themselves every time their holder dies. This defect appeared the moment he shattered the original God Gates, meaning that even the original God Gates lost a tiny piece of themselves back then. The piece lost each time is so small that at least several tens of God Gate holders have to die before there will be a noticeable decrease in power, but that doesn't change the fact that a small piece of the God Gate has been lost, forever doomed to drift through the universe. This place is the piece that was lost when the original Demon God's Gate was shattered, when Master was shattered after having his mind controlled by those wretches."

The dragon's voice contained heavy disgust and fury as he finished his sentence, he was clearly filled with nothing but hatred for the first All God's Gate and the first Human God's Gate. This was something Yao Jun hadn't heard about before, that there were other pieces of the God Gates besides the nine main fragments. If this massive hidden realm was just a small piece of the original Demon God's Gate, Yao Jun dreaded to know just how large the inside of the Demon God's Gate had been back then. After taking a quick breath, the dragon turned his gaze back onto Yao Jun, a bright light flashing in his eyes.

"None of these lost pieces have ever appeared ever since the God Gates were first shattered, they have remained hidden within this universe, sealed up. Only occasionally are we able to catch a glimpse of the outside world and see how it has changed, how much time has passed. But this cycle is different from the previous ones, the lost pieces have started to resonate with the God Gates again, they have begun to open and call out to their masters. For the first time in countless years and eight cycles, there is a chance that all nine God Gates might return to their true glory, without any missing pieces, this is why the center of this piece is calling out to your God Gate, it desires to become whole again."

Yao Jun couldn't even imagine how many years this Crimson Dragon and the other Demonic beasts have been trapped inside this place, unable to leave until the Demon God's Gate became truly whole again. As for why the lost pieces were starting to appear, not even this crimson dragon knew. He only knew that other lost pieces had started to appear because of the fact that they slightly resonated with this lost piece. After all, the nine God Gates were just nine parts of a single whole, there would always be a connection between them.

"As for the reason your God Gate is being blocked in here is because of the fact that you have yet to collect the other eight fragments needed to return your God Gate to its original state, minus the lost pieces. This is, after all, a lost piece of the original Demon God's Gate, only when your God Gate has reached its full potential will it be able to once again absorb this piece and free the countless Demonic beasts who are still trapped here."

Even though this was just a small piece of it, this place still contained the majesty of the original Demon God's Gate, a fragmented version would never be able to fully absorb it. After hearing the full explanation from the dragon and learning just what this place was, Yao Jun rubbed his chin slightly and let out a whistle.

"A piece lost when the original Demon God's Gate was shattered, that's quite the grand thing. Yeah, if that's the case I can see why my God Gate would be blocked here. So how come there are some Demonic beasts I am able to absorb in here? Last time I was here I was able to pick up an Ice Kirin and a Crimson Dragon without problem."

Yao Jun didn't even for one second think that his fragmented God Gate could stand on the same stage as this small piece of the original God Gate, at least not yet. Of course, he was filled with confidence that there would be a day where his God Gate would be strong enough to absorb this piece, he would let his God Gate return to its true peak.

The eyes of the dragon softened quite a bit after hearing that Yao Jun had picked up a Crimson Dragon he was here last time. He muttered quietly to himself for a short moment before actually bowing his head slightly for a quick second.

"I see, so she is with you now... Please treat her well. The reason you were able to absorb them is that they are both Divine beasts, their bloodlines are strong enough to connect with your God Gate despite the blocking of this piece."

Divine Beasts were special, they wouldn't be called Divine if they weren't special. They were just a single step below Origin Beasts, Demonic beasts born alongside at the same time as a universe was born, it was not strange for them to be able to even somewhat resist the blocking that this place placed on Yao Jun's God Gate.

Yao Jun gave a fractional nod of his head, rubbing his chin a bit more as his thoughts wandered. He spent a short moment in silence before taking a few steps backward and circulating his law of space, slowly tearing open an exit to this hidden realm. The dragon slightly raised an eyebrow after seeing Yao Jun's action, questioning in a curious tone.

"You are leaving again?"

He had expected Yao Jun to scour this entire place for Divine Beasts to absorb after learning that he could absorb them. Most of the Divine Beasts here might not choose to follow him due to their previous loyalty, but there were likely some that were young enough to be willing to follow him. Yao Jun shrugged his shoulders lightly, tearing open a crack in space in front of him.

"I've gotten the answers I need, no point in sticking around here any longer. I also can't stay here for too long, I'll be forcefully transported away in a few days. I'll probably return in the future, but at that time it'll be to take over this piece and return my God Gate to its perfect state."

He simply didn't have the time to search this entire place for Demonic beasts, it was far too large for him to manage that before the token in his chest activated and brought him back to the competition. Since that was the case, he decided that he might as well spend his remaining days on his home planet in peace and then do a more intensive hunting session when he returned to the competition.

He stepped into the crack and vanished from the area, appearing a short distance away from the location where he had originally torn open a crack to enter the hidden realm. Yao Jun had learned a lot about this universe and his own God Gate in a short amount of time, but he was still exceedingly calm. What he had to do still hadn't changed, he had to become so strong that no one would even dare think of harming those close to him. And if he had to pick up all the pieces of his fragmented God Gate to achieve that, then that was exactly what he was going to do.

The crack started to close behind him, Yao Jun once again stepping through space and vanishing from the area. He appeared outside a town where the buildings were built using wooden logs, weeping willows spread all around the city. This town was called Willow's Whisper and it was a place that Yao Jun had once visited with Guo Luo while the two were traveling across this continent to meet his parents. They had enjoyed themselves quite a bit here so Yao Jun had come here to spend a few days in peace before he returned to the bloody competition.

He entered the town and walked over to the eastern part of the town, quickly reaching a lake surrounded by weeping willows and pavilions one could sit in. He sat down in one of the pavilions and swept his gaze over the lake, observing how the snowflakes were slowly fluttering down onto the various lotuses that were growing in the lake. He and Guo Luo had rowed a boat in this lake several times while they were in this town, it was a lake filled with peaceful memories.

Yao Jun swiped his interspatial ring and took out a blank canvas, some paint, and several brushes. He hadn't stopped painting ever since he started it after splitting up with Guo Luo, it had become a way for him to calm down and rest his mind. He slowly started to paint the scenery, overlapping it with his memories to paint the empty lake holding a solitary boat carrying a single couple.

Like this, the hours and days quickly passed without notice, the token in his chest eventually starting to release a large amount of energy, a tunnel in space appearing in front of him. Yao Jun put away the half-finished painting and his painter's equipment, his gaze growing calmer and colder, it was time to return to the blood-soaked battlefield.