Alm and Bruno felt the Queen’s presence clearly, and, naturally, she sensed them too. In that instant, they realized a profound similarity: the Queen was like them. Her existence had reached the same level they had just attained.
Of course, they’d skipped a few steps. The Celestial state they were experiencing was temporarily sustained by the laws they had absorbed and would soon revert to normal. The Queen, however, had reached this level through cultivation, step by step, refining her existence permanently. She was like a fish in the ocean, while they were only wearing diving suits, with limited time before they’d be forced back up.
"Hmm… how interesting," she murmured softly, moving the heavenly laws with a voice only they could hear.
"So, it was you all along... That other missionary who ran was just a distraction? What a waste of time; I even captured his body, waiting for him to return from wherever he ran off to."
Alm and Bruno sighed at the news. That’s why Mihkriel hadn’t been sent back after completing his mission. The truth was, he had nowhere to return to; his body had been captured, and Heaven’s Will wouldn’t send him back.
"That bastard only caused me trouble…" he muttered dryly.
The Queen replied with a playful tone, "This is even better. There has never been anyone in history who got this close to me. You reached part of my level using just your soul. That’s impressive."
They sneered, "So what? I’ll reach you sooner or later."
A light laugh echoed, "Why don’t we have a real conversation? We might come to an understanding someday; I’m open to negotiating. We don’t have to kill each other; after all, a queen deserves a king at her level, don’t you think?"
"Fuck you." He spat coldly, "My queen’s already by my side. She isn’t pathetic or mediocre like you. Save your head; I’m just sharpening my blade to take it off. It won’t be long."
"Oh? Comparing me to some random mortal? Well, it doesn’t matter. It always makes things more entertaining." She responded lightly, eyes glinting. "It’s exhausting not having anyone at my level. I even left a bit of Heaven’s Will loose on purpose, and finally, someone interesting has emerged to amuse me."
He snorted heavily. Heaven’s Will had always been hanging by a thread, but she never wanted to destroy it completely. Alm and Bruno understood the reason perfectly: she was the sovereign of everything; nothing could grow to threaten her without her knowing long before.
So, allowing the missionaries to rise under control was a way to get labor. They remembered what the Yang Chaos Dragon mentioned before dying: among the missionaries, there were those who chose to surrender and were accepted by the Queen. (Chapter 722)
"Well, now I’m really curious. I want to see how you plan to escape; are you in my micro-universe? Let’s see if we’ll have a good time together soon, or if you’ll manage to keep me entertained even longer." The Queen’s voice sounded softly.
Of course, she wouldn’t let them escape. They were already running low on time, and now the Queen knew exactly where they were. With a single thought, her will surrounded the micro-universe, sealing off any escape.
At the same time, all her heroes were mobilized. In seconds, countless golden spatial channels appeared. For those inside, battling the Dragon, they felt an infinite blessing fill their bodies.
Alm and Bruno just laughed dryly. With a thought, the micro-universe seemed to vibrate.
Then, all the golden spatial channels exploded immediately.
"Messing with me?" They waved slightly and turned their gaze toward the heroes who had previously been fighting the Dragon. "Vanish."
"NO!"
*Plop!*
All the heroes exploded into a blood mist, without any chance to defend or resist. At that moment, they were no weaker than the Queen.
Then, they sighed heavily and focused on sensing the entirety of the micro-universe. They detected what kept the place in existence. It was an energy unknown to them, something sustaining it. But even unknown, they could still control it for something simple.
They quickly moved it and sealed the entire micro-universe. Nothing could enter, not even the Queen. But... this would only last while they were in the Celestial state.
’We have… maybe an hour before it’s all used up,’ they thought quickly.
The desperate situation hadn’t changed; in fact, it had only worsened. Outside the micro-universe, they could clearly feel millions of heroes positioned. They were like turtles in a jar. There was nowhere to run.
They turned and focused on the Nine-Star Tree. "Disappear."
With a simple thought, the soul controlling that immortal body was destroyed. The Queen had placed an ordinary soul to control that body. Over time, maybe that soul could fully adapt, and being there had the chance to evolve.
They gestured, and the divine seed shot toward the Nine-Star Tree’s body. Soon, they clearly felt a tiny fragment of a divine soul entering the divine seed.
In a few seconds, a voice echoed in their minds. ’Thank you. Finally, after so long, I am free...’
"We don’t have much time. You need to tell me everything you know. I need to understand more about this place, about Anima cultivation, or any relevant info. I need to find a way," he said quickly, staring at the tree and moving closer to its trunk.
’Hnm... I’ve been sealed in the mental sea of my body this whole time, but I’ve seen everything that’s happened here over the years,’ he explained seriously. ’Anima cultivation... is something I created a long time ago.’
Alm and Bruno focused on him, feeling some pieces click into place. ’That greedy woman... she was my disciple in the past. I taught her my technique. And it was thanks to me that she made it to the immortal realms and did everything she did.’ He continued with regret.
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"How did you create this?" they asked suspiciously.
’Before me, there were no records of another immortal cultivator. Like everyone who reaches the peak of cultivation, I was looking for a way to go beyond. I went to the underworld, and there I found something unbelievable. From that, I laid the foundations of Anima cultivation.’
Alm and Bruno looked at him curiously as the Nine-Star Tree let out a heavy puff and its roots moved. The ground opened up, releasing a strange aura.
Alm and Bruno hadn’t noticed it before because the energy was very similar to what was keeping the micro-universe alive. They thought it was just part of the environment... until something emerged, making their eyes light up.
It was like a small fragment of light, the size of a fist, with no defined shape. So white and pure that it went beyond comprehension. It had a connection to Yang, but it was something more, mixed with other essences. With their immortal knowledge of Yang, they immediately realized it was a unique energy.
’That’s the Primordial Light...’ The voice of the Nine-Star Tree began to explain calmly.
The Primordial Light is one of the oldest substances that exists; it was born alongside the Law of Chaos. However, when it first shone, several others emerged together. After that, none have formed again. It’s a fragment of Light, precisely what gave rise to the universes.
All the fragments of Primordial Light have been consumed. This one, by luck or fate, was the last one preserved. The Nine-Star Tree found it so long ago that it’s impossible to calculate.
’When I was born, almost all the other universes were still young. Everything was just starting. That’s why I was able to find this fragment that was nearly disappearing,’ he explained.
The rest of the story was simple. He managed to seal time and space around the Primordial Light, preventing it from going extinct. Then, he spent thousands of years studying and understanding it.
This light gives life to the universes and inspired the creation of micro-universes in the cores of cultivators. His technique was a weak version of that concept: the micro-universes of cultivators can only sustain laws, with a trace of the Will of the Heavens emerging within.
If the cultivator was talented and persistent, after other stages, that trace offered a way to break free from the shackles of mortality and achieve immortality.
As for the Nine Divine Star World, it was actually the heart of the queen’s universe. She used the Primordial Light to create this isolated micro-universe, devoid of Qi, and there she created the Divine Inquisitors. Then, she captured the Nine-Star Tree, turning it into the source of the laws of that place.
By studying the Primordial Light over the centuries, the queen learned to use it to steal or recreate aspects of the other universes, like high-level laws, or everything she managed to bring to life in her experiments.
Everything that exists in the queen’s universe originated from that small fragment of light; it was fundamental to the development of her powers. Currently, that universe continued to slowly devour all the others around it, growing in size and power.
Alm and Bruno nodded excitedly. "Awesome, this seems valuable enough."
’Yeah, but it’s pretty weakened. That woman used the light once to create this place and then sealed it here. This power is impossible to control, even for her. So there’s no risk of it being stolen. She only uses it for research...’
Alm and Bruno interrupted, "Great, I’m taking this."
’Hum? The Primordial Light can’t be moved or stored. Not even she could do that, or it wouldn’t be in this state.’
"I’m not gonna store it or take it. I’m gonna use it right now. I have an interesting idea..."