Chapter 1: First Steps into Another World


    There are many things in the world that are difficult to explain, and some things you would never believe unless you experienced them yourself.


    Han Ming is one such individual, who could be considered either lucky or unlucky. He had just stepped into the gates of university, hadn''t even attended a single class, when he inexplicably found himself in this world. He only remembers being in the restroom, not even having time to pull up his pants, when he heard a commotion outside and the sky changing colors. Driven by curiosity, he rushed out only to witness the most unbelievable scene of his life.


    The entire sky had turned into a massive gray vortex, with clouds spiraling upwards as if being sucked in, lightning flashing intermittently, and thunder so loud it felt like it could shatter hearts. The sun was completely obscured, and black rain poured down. People standing on the playground watching were all covered in black, as if they had just climbed out of an ink vat. The playground was in chaos, with cries and screams everywhere. From a distance, the sound of car horns blaring on the streets could be heard. People were running around in fear, some falling and being trampled by countless others. It was as if the world was ending.


    Han Ming wiped his face, staring at the ink-black rainwater on his hand, momentarily stunned. He couldn''t process what was happening. It all felt surreal, like a dream. Before he could make sense of the situation, he heard countless people start screaming. Following their gaze, he saw a black object falling from the center of the massive vortex in the sky. At first, it was unclear what it was, but as it hurtled towards the school playground, getting closer and closer, everyone screamed in terror—it was a dragon! An actual dragon!


    Everyone was stunned. It was a dragon, a gigantic one. Its length was impossible to gauge accurately, far larger than anything seen in movies. Han Ming believed that if it fully extended, it could be several kilometers long. He desperately tried to get a good look at the rapidly descending dragon-like creature, wanting to see its features clearly. After all, this was something far beyond human comprehension—a creature that only existed in legends was now right before their eyes.


    But before Han Ming could get a clear view of the dragon, the crowd grew even more chaotic. Countless people began to flee in all directions as the dragon plummeted towards them at an alarming speed. But it was too late. Before anyone could evacuate, the dragon crashed heavily onto the ground, reducing the entire school to ruins. Not just the school, but nearly half the city was split in two. The tremendous impact sent countless people flying into the air, and the sky was filled with dust, making it impossible to see anything clearly.


    Han Ming felt a loud boom in his head and then lost consciousness. When he woke up, he found himself lying on the ground. He shook his head vigorously but couldn''t hear anything; his ears were ringing, and his brain couldn''t function properly. Luckily, he had been on the playground and was only thrown into the air by the shockwave. Those near the buildings weren''t so fortunate—shards of debris rained down, crushing people to the ground. Some died without even a scream, while countless others were flattened by the massive black dragon.


    The visibility was almost zero, with black dust everywhere, making it hard to breathe. Those classmates who, like Han Ming, were lucky enough to survive sat up one by one, their eyes unfocused, seemingly devoid of thought, like lifeless puppets. Some had blood trickling from their mouths, others were gasping for air, their faces turning purple from suffocation, a horrifying sight.


    Han Ming gradually regained his senses and struggled to sit up. Looking at the scene before him, he felt no fear. Everything had happened too quickly, leaving no time for thought or fear. It all felt absurd—absurdly unreal, absurdly laughable.


    Having lived for eighteen years, he never dreamed he would witness such an apocalyptic scene. The sky filled with dust, the ground covered in blood, wounded people wailing everywhere, even dismembered limbs scattered about. It was all too sudden.


    But in this situation, Han Ming made a bold decision—he decided to go see the dragon, to see this mythical creature up close. He didn''t have time for hatred or fear; he only had one thought: to see, to see what this thing really was. He slowly approached the dragon''s head and realized he wasn''t even as big as one of its teeth, not even a tenth of its size. He couldn''t see the dragon''s full form, but he saw its eyes staring unblinkingly at him.


    Han Ming felt a chill run down his spine. Being stared at by those enormous eyes gave him a feeling of his soul leaving his body. Before he could process what was happening, he collapsed to the ground. Suddenly, a red dot appeared in the sky, growing larger and larger, rushing towards the black dragon at an incredible speed. It was a massive, rolling fireball. The dragon, noticing the fireball, lifted its head, preparing to take flight. Han Ming didn''t know what the dragon was planning, but he didn''t have time to think. Instinctively, he grabbed onto one of the dragon''s tendrils and was carried into the sky, narrowly avoiding the fireball. The dragon swiftly maneuvered around the fireball and soared high into the air. Han Ming, unable to open his eyes due to the wind, felt his face go numb from the force. Suddenly, he heard a deafening explosion below. His hearing, which had just started to recover, was once again overwhelmed by the noise. Flames erupted into the sky.


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    Han Ming clung tightly to the dragon''s tendril, feeling his hands go completely numb. He couldn''t feel his strength or any sensation in his hands. He feared he might let go at any moment and fall. When he managed to look down, he realized he was already too high up with the dragon. The distant ground had turned into a sea of fire. Looking up, he saw a figure standing opposite the dragon in the air. It was a woman—or rather, a woman-like creature, because she was enormous... and breathtakingly beautiful. As Han Ming lost consciousness again, he felt his grip loosen, and his body began to fall. He could no longer hold on. Slowly, he closed his eyes.


    Han Ming didn''t know how long he was out, but he gradually regained consciousness. He could feel he was lying on the ground, but the pain was so intense he couldn''t open his eyes. His body felt as if it had been pummeled by rocks, and he didn''t even have the strength to groan. He lost consciousness again.


    When he came to once more, he forced his eyes open and stared blankly at the sky. The sunlight stung his eyes, but he miraculously found that his body had healed. There was no pain at all. He sat up abruptly, staring at his hands in shock. He pinched his arm and let out a long sigh of relief. Good, he could still feel pain, which meant he wasn''t dead. He chuckled wryly—this was a small blessing in the midst of misfortune.


    But the day''s events were just too bizarre, one strange thing after another. Before Han Ming could figure out why his body had suddenly healed, he was drawn to other, even stranger sights.


    There was no sun in the sky! Well, not exactly—there were three smaller suns hanging in the sky, along with several other unknown celestial bodies, some light blue, others pale red.


    Then, a sharp screech came from above. Han Ming turned to look and saw a bat—a bat so large it was indescribable, its wings blotting out the sky as it dove towards the ground at incredible speed. In the distance, a giant bear-like creature was fleeing, but it was no match for the bat''s speed. The bat swooped down, and when it rose again, it had the bear clamped firmly in its jaws, whether dead or alive.


    Han Ming rubbed his eyes in disbelief, only to find that the surroundings were filled with unfamiliar plants. Some towered into the clouds, others stretched for miles, their shapes bizarre and indescribable. These were nothing like any plants Han Ming had ever seen. He even noticed a giant cylindrical plant glowing faintly. Standing up in alarm, he realized he was on the edge of a grassland, with a forest of these strange plants not far away.


    A loud boom shook the ground, and Han Ming was thrown into the air. When he landed, he saw a giant bird lying nearby, and more dark shadows growing larger on the ground. Looking up, he saw countless black dots falling from the sky. As they got closer, he realized they were all giant birds. A miraculous scene unfolded...


    The sky began to rain "birds"—countless giant birds crashing to the ground. Han Ming felt like a small boat caught in a storm at sea, tossed about by the wind and waves. He kept landing, only to be thrown into the air again. Fortunately, the impact wasn''t as severe as the dragon''s earlier crash, but the continuous explosions and tremors eventually caused Han Ming to lose consciousness once more. It was probably the day he had passed out the most in his life—and also the day he had woken up the most.


    When he came to again, he finally couldn''t take it anymore. Looking at the endless sea of giant bird carcasses, he roared in anger, "Where the hell is this!? What the hell is going on!?"


    But he couldn''t hear his own voice. His ears had been through too much today. Damn it, he hoped this wouldn''t leave any lasting damage. He really didn''t want to go deaf. But what the hell was happening today? If this was a dream, he needed to wake up now. Everything was just too unbelievable. By now, he had a vague suspicion—had he somehow crossed over into another world? One thing was certain: this was definitely not his world anymore. But where was this? And how had he gotten here? Was it that massive vortex? Had the dragon brought him here? But he remembered letting go before he passed out. Had he died? Was this hell? Or had he not died, but instead crossed over to another world before death?


    He had no answers, but even if this was a crossover, his method of crossing was way too dramatic. He knew at least that the events before the crossover were real. What had happened to his world? Had it been destroyed? The entire sky had been covered by that massive vortex. It couldn''t have been visible only in his city. He wondered how his hometown was, how his family and friends were. Were they still alive? What was happening there now?


    Han Ming stood up, gazing blankly at this unfamiliar world, a sense of loneliness and isolation washing over him.


    Gurgle, gurgle—his stomach growled. Han Ming sighed helplessly. After all these bizarre events, he was actually hungry. Sighing, he thought, no matter where this was, he needed to find something to eat first. Weakly, he trudged towards the eerie forest. Maybe there was something edible there...


    And so, this person who didn''t belong to this world took the first step of his journey in a foreign land. From this day on, this outsider would set off a series of events that would shake the three realms. In a world of chaos and strife, life and death were left to fate.