Chapter 803: Shattering Perceptions

"This kid is eavesdropping on us," Huang Zhen said, visibly furious.

"Don't speak nonsense!" Elder Zhen quickly intervened. "Strength commands respect. Given his power, we might even have to address him as an elder. Knowing what we're up to is as simple as a thought for him."

"Since he has invited us, let's all go together," Elder Zhen said, leading the way with his cane.

He was well aware that if the other party intended harm, whether they boarded the spirit vessel or not, the outcome would be the same.

The members of the Demon-Slaying Alliance followed Elder Zhen onto the spirit vessel.

Once aboard, Elder Zhen and his group huddled together, observing the others.

Before them stood a dozen young men and women whose depths they couldn't fathom.

Even more alarming were the several guards standing nearby, who also seemed unfathomably powerful.

"Are you from beyond our realm?" Elder Zhen asked, his seemingly cloudy eyes flickering slightly.

"Beyond our realm?" Except for Bai Jun, the other young men and women sneered and walked away.

"Beyond our realm is your mistaken term," Bai Jun said calmly, his expression unreadable. "We are all from the same world; there is no such thing as 'beyond our realm.'"

Elder Zhen frowned and clasped his hands together. "Elder, you must be joking. Our Nine Realms and countless lower planes have always formed our own world since ancient times," he said firmly, now convinced that these were the legendary outsiders.

Bai Jun didn't argue further. Instead, he waved his hand, and a surge of immortal energy projected an image before Elder Zhen.

In the image, a blue and brown sphere floated in space.

"This is called a planet, our world. The brown represents land, and the blue represents the oceans," Bai Jun explained, pointing to a specific continent. "We come from here."

He then pointed to a small island near the ocean. "And you... are here, on this tiny island."

After speaking, Bai Jun poured himself a cup of tea and sipped it leisurely.

Elder Zhen and the others stared wide-eyed, their minds in turmoil.

The young man's words had completely shattered their worldview.

Their world wasn't a world at all, but just a small island in this vast world?

How could this be?

They shook their heads in disbelief.

"Stop trying to deceive us! Tell us, why are you really here?" Huang Zhen couldn't help but shout.

Bai Jun paused mid-sip and flicked his teacup. Huang Zhen let out a cry and was instantly thrown off the spirit vessel.

"I don't like people shouting at me," Bai Jun said indifferently. "He deserved death, but for the sake of our conversation, I spared him. Of course, I never act without reason."

He held a storage ring, which belonged to Huang Zhen, and easily erased its imprint.

As he inspected the contents, his expression turned disdainful. Items that Elder Zhen and the others considered treasures were casually destroyed by Bai Jun.

Finally, he destroyed the entire storage ring, leaving only a book titled "Nine Realms Compendium."

He poured another cup of tea and began flipping through the book.

Hearing that Huang Zhen was unharmed, Elder Zhen and the others felt slightly relieved. However, seeing Bai Jun destroy Huang Zhen's possessions and hearing his tone made them deeply uncomfortable.

But faced with such overwhelming power, they dared not voice their grievances.

Glancing at the still-visible image, their minds were in chaos, unable to accept Bai Jun's earlier claims.

"May I ask, what is your level of strength?" Elder Zhen changed the subject.

Bai Jun looked up from his book. "By your standards, I would be beyond the 99th level of True Immortal."

"What?" They were stunned, their jaws nearly dropping. Elder Zhen trembled, leaning on his cane.

"You... you're a god?" Elder Zhen exclaimed.

Bai Jun smiled for the first time.

"Look at the image again. Beyond this planet, there are countless others," he said.

Elder Zhen and the others looked at the image. Indeed, beyond their planet, there were innumerable others.

"These planets are what you see as stars in the night sky. Beyond the planets lies the universe," Bai Jun continued, closing the book and gazing skyward with longing.

"And gods reside beyond the universe. Who among us dares to call themselves a god? Who is worthy? As for your so-called 99th level of True Immortal, it's nothing. Even your cultivation system is just your own presumptuous creation."

His words struck like thunder, shattering their beliefs once more.

"No, no, this can't be," Elder Zhen shook his head. "Our Nine Realms were created by the Eight Great Sovereigns, and our cultivation system was passed down by them. After the 99th level of True Immortal, one ascends to godhood. This is what we've known since childhood. How can it be as you say?"

"The Eight Great Sovereigns... Lin Jiao, Chen Yu..." Bai Jun reopened the book, tapping the pages. "Familiar names. So it's them."

"If I'm not mistaken, you are merely their livestock. Their goal, given their strength, is likely your faith."

"Livestock?" Elder Zhen's face turned pale as if struck by lightning.

The others were equally incredulous.

But none of them were fools. There had to be some truth to Bai Jun's words; otherwise, why would he bother explaining all this?

Their minds were in turmoil.

On one side was the deeply ingrained belief they had held since childhood.

On the other, they couldn't find any flaws in Bai Jun's explanation.

"If you still don't believe me, consider this: why do we speak the same language?" Bai Jun said leisurely.

This statement left Elder Zhen and the others frozen in place.

The implications were terrifying.

If they weren't from the same world, why would they share the same language and culture?

"No, no... How can this be?" Elder Zhen and the others were deeply unsettled, their faith shaken, their minds reeling from the impact.

"Bai Jun, why waste so much breath on them? Whether they believe it or not is irrelevant," another young man walked over, impatient. "We're here to claim territory, not to educate these frogs at the bottom of a well."

He turned to Elder Zhen, his tone leaving no room for refusal. "From now on, this unclaimed land is under our control. We'll allocate a small portion for you natives to survive. You have no choice but to accept."

"No," Elder Zhen's expression turned cold.

This was blatant invasion.

"No?" The young man sneered. "Old man, do you not understand the situation? Your entire Nine Realms combined probably couldn't even defeat that low-level demon from before. What gives you the right to refuse? What can you possibly use to refuse?"