The queen’s entire universe seemed to be immersed in immense pressure. All cultivators in the divine realms across galaxies felt the heavenly laws cowering. It was a premonition of something unimaginable about to erupt.
Almost all the major sects of the universe moved at once. The most powerful cultivators emerged, aware and ready for a confrontation that would go down in history.
It wasn’t just the old cultivators at the peak of cultivation. Due to the power of an Empyrean Sovereign, even young ones in the Divine King Realm now wielded combat strength rivaling those veterans. Despite being almost three realms below, their power was so absurd and unique that no elder would dare claim they could easily defeat them.
At first, the Shadow God Sect and the Heavenly Spirit God Sect had only sent their three top disciples, accompanied by their private armies. Most of the slightly lower-level young cultivators stayed behind, so the benefits wouldn’t be diluted. But now, those remaining cultivators joined the final battle.
All available members of the Path of Righteousness Alliance, representing hundreds of sects, had gathered around a circular, multicolored formation at the center of a massive galaxy.
The Heavenly Spirit God watched in silence, analyzing the energies of that formation. Then, one of his High Elders approached and spoke calmly:
"Leader, there hasn’t been any movement on the planets of the Alliance of Heaven’s Will."
The god snorted, indifferent. That goddess was certainly the same one aiding their opponents in battle. The birth of a god was so rare that fewer than ten had been recorded in the universe’s history. There was no chance it was anyone else.
The leader of the Shadow God Sect stepped closer, bringing information he had uncovered:
"That other small human… there are records of her from more than two decades ago. She was an important figure in the Yinblood Sect but simply disappeared. She was never seen again in sealed worlds or anywhere else. For an important Empyrean leading disciples, it’s inconceivable that she stopped competing for karmic fortune. Her sudden appearance now is extremely suspicious…"
The Heavenly Spirit God snorted again and, with an extremely serious expression, turned his gaze to the void above.
"We have enough evidence. Maybe it’s not directly tied to our little war, but there’s certainly a Heaven-Defier involved. Besides, the fact that I was completely fooled, even with my power, makes everything clear."
The High Elder and the demon leader looked up, tense, but they noticed nothing in the void above. Shortly after those words, a subtle fluctuation in the laws was felt.
"Good." A cold, ethereal feminine voice echoed. "It really does seem like something is here. Calling us was the right decision. We’ll wait. We can’t underestimate a Heaven-Defier. He’s surrounded, and everyone is here. There’s no chance of escape, but we need to act at the exact moment to ensure success."
Everyone swallowed hard and nodded in agreement. Knowing everyone had shown up brought them some relief.
Hours passed, and an uncountable number of cultivators already covered a colossal area in all directions. The core of that galaxy looked like an anthill, almost no space between cultivators.
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A day went by…
Two days…
Until, suddenly, the Heavenly Spirit God gestured, and his golden halo radiated light once more.
The light of the world seemed to converge toward him. All the cultivators turned, recognizing the signal.
The sound of weapons being drawn echoed through the space. Cultivation, laws, and the power of countless cultivators surged as everyone entered a state of high alert, ready to fight.
Their eyes were fixed on the multicolored formation in the center. They felt its power gradually weakening. Silent, tense seconds dragged on, and no one dared to even breathe.
Until… the formation’s runes scattered, revealing… nothing. Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
They saw no sign of the circular mass of runes that had once marked the entrance to the sealed world.
Instead, there was a spatial distortion that slowly stabilized. Then, five figures appeared. The stunned gazes of everyone quickly turned into deep fury and hatred.
"Vrix! YOU BASTARDS!"
The leader of the Shadow God Sect roared, utterly enraged. Members of the Heavenly Spirit God Sect were equally furious.
Before them were the figures of a Cerberus and two Heavenly Elemental Spirits, all gravely injured and unconscious, hanging on the brink of death.
They were bound by chains made of Yin runes. Beside them stood two human women, each smiling slightly—one holding a dagger, and the other wielding a strange curved-blade sword.
"Oh? Look at all these guests," Rehvka mocked, her tone dripping with scorn. "Well, you all must already know what we’re up to here, right? Let’s make this quick. If you want them to live, don’t even think about attacking the spatial flux we’ll use to escape. Along the way, we’ll drop them somewhere safe. We’ve got pills to restore them just enough to not die. It’s a good deal, don’t you think?"
No one dared to respond or even make a sound. The two leaders glared coldly at the women but didn’t dare act without the consent of the other entities present.
’Please, save our disciples. They’ll surely become heroes in the future.’ The Heavenly Spirit God sent the message mentally through the heavenly laws.
It took two seconds for him to hear a dry sigh: ’Accept the deal. They can’t escape us. If they don’t try to kill them now, everything will be fine. In the middle of the spatial flux, they won’t manage to act before we seal them.’
The Heavenly Spirit God felt some relief at the reply, but harsher words soon followed. It was a deep, malicious voice:
’That’s still risky. We don’t know the Heaven-Defier’s power. He might have that thing from before.’ The voice clearly challenged the earlier feminine one, which stayed silent as if coldly agreeing. Then, it spoke again, this time directly to the god:
’Accept the deal, but the moment they activate the channel, attack with everything, by surprise.’
The Heavenly Spirit God’s eyes widened: ’But… the three will die.’
’Yes, it’s inevitable,’ the voice replied flatly. Unfortunately, he lacked the heroic power to force that god to act differently. Thinking quickly, he continued: ’They are not to blame, but they must be sacrificed to eliminate a greater evil. We’ll commit a lesser wrong, but it’s unavoidable. This is for the good of the entire universe... and for your race as well.’
The ending carried a weight far deeper than it seemed. The Heavenly Spirit God clenched his fists tightly. Sacrificing three promising youths just because there was a slim chance the Heaven-Defier was hiding something? It felt absurd. But… if he disobeyed that hidden entity…
Everyone believed his race had thrived because of his power alone. In truth, he had relied on heroes… and above all, those entities.
Even if he refused the grave voice’s plan, and the feminine voice’s succeeded, he knew he wouldn’t escape repercussions. In that case, his entire race would suffer… everything he had fought for could collapse, and his kin would once again be mere slaves to the cultivators.
’This humble one understands your words. The world is cruel, and sacrifices are, unfortunately, necessary. But…’ He responded tensely, accepting the cruel fate.
’Yes, after your initial attack, they’ll retaliate, and we’ll intervene. Those three, already gravely injured, caught in the crossfire, won’t just die—their souls will be destroyed by our power. After all, we won’t hold back; we’ll strike with everything to ensure success.’
The cold feminine voice spoke now, clearly trying to make the god reconsider and avoid such an action. At the same time, a sharp tongue click came from the other voice, clearly displeased by the emotional manipulation.
Even so, ’I understand, but there’s no choice. The future of my race and the entire universe is at stake.’ The god replied emotionlessly, and the feminine voice let out a faint sigh.
The entire dialogue lasted less than ten seconds. Ruri and Rehvka waited patiently, indifferent, as silence reigned around them.
The Heavenly Spirit God took a deep breath. The leader of the Shadow God Sect knew he had consulted those hidden figures and could only trust whatever decision came.
"We agree to the deal. You may leave, but leave a subtle spatial fluctuation near the location where you’ll drop them. It costs you nothing and will help us locate them in this vast universe within a few days."
The two women smirked sarcastically at the statement. Ruri and Rehvka immediately discerned his intentions, despite his expressionless face and lack of fluctuations. To those who had met someone truly inscrutable, much deeper and more sinister, this god was simple and easy to read.
"Great, then farewell. Next time, I’ll aim for your head, not your chest; you hide your real body well." Rehvka said calmly, while Ruri waved and began distorting the space around the five.
Spatial laws gathered slowly, as Ruri fed the process with Qi, unhurried. All the cultivators surrounding the area watched the two sharply, gripping their weapons, but none acted.
When the laws stabilized, time-space cracked, and the group began to be drawn in. Nothing seemed abnormal. Everything followed the plan.
Until… as the five started becoming blurry, everyone’s eyes widened!
An immense spear of green energy emerged from the void, aiming straight at the two women from behind.
The cultivators surrounding the area smirked with excitement, but… the two didn’t react.
They didn’t take a single step, nor did their expressions change. The spear stopped inches from their bodies, suspended in the air as if time itself had frozen it. Then, without warning, it disintegrated entirely, vanishing into the void as though it had never existed.
And then… it happened.
Suddenly, the world’s light was swallowed by an oppressive veil.
The hearts of all cultivators stopped; their breaths were stifled. Qi, souls, consciousness—everything froze in an instant.
Even the Heavenly Spirit God was rendered catatonic, feeling his power stripped away like leaves in the wind. His connection to the heavenly laws vanished, leaving him as vulnerable as a mortal. He, like everyone else, felt an instinctive, absolute fear.
Then he appeared.
In the center of the now pitch-black void, a pair of eyes opened, glowing like sinister beacons. It wasn’t ordinary light; it devoured the sanity of anyone who dared to look. It was as if primordial evil, the essence of universal malice, had awakened.
Around those eyes, a silhouette began to form. Dark, vast… and strangely round.