Emperor of the Source

After a few days, within the relic world in the Virelith Galaxy, Adrian stood in the inner-zone base of the Azure Garden, observing the now fully completed construction. The base had taken shape exactly as planned, with multiple towering structures rising across the area, each resembling the architectural style of the sect headquarters while being adapted to the unique environment of the garden.

He walked slowly along the central pathway, his gaze sweeping across the complex. The structures weren't uniform in design; some rose tall and narrow, whilst others spread wide and low, their entrances marked by crimson banners bearing the sect's emblem. Every structure had been assigned a clear function, ranging from cultivation chambers and disciple housing to storage facilities and administrative buildings, forming a complete and efficiently organized operational base.

And because the garden's dense mana could be depleted if too many people absorbed it at once, this entire base was tightly regulated, with disciples rotating through them based on a sect-points allocation system. Every aspect of the operation reflected the plans discussed during the earlier meeting, and from Adrian's perspective, everything was progressing exactly as intended.

As he observed the surroundings, a voice called out from behind him.

"Elder Adrian, the items you requested have been prepared. They are all within this spatial ring."

Adrian turned to see Elder Varcain approaching. He accepted the ring from him with a nod of acknowledgment, "Thank you, Elder Varcain."

Varcain inclined his head. He did not linger and departed shortly after, leaving Adrian alone to inspect the contents. Adrian watched him go, then channeled a thread of mana into the spatial ring, examining its interior.

Within the ring, everything was exactly as he had requested. A time crystal containing approximately ten million units of time essence rested securely within, alongside large stacks of pure mana ink.

Adrian had specifically arranged for these materials to construct a large-scale time formation covering the entire base.

The cost of this time crystal alone had reached one hundred million UNI-Coins, a sum far beyond what the Crimson Vital Sect could afford despite its recent growth. Adrian had therefore used his personal funds to acquire it.

The auction had yielded him an unexpected gain of 2.85 billion UNI-Coins, and now that the war between the Crimson Vital Sect and the Everlasting Pill Sect had effectively resumed the moment Yselia acquired the Core-Reforging Lotus, Adrian's priorities had shifted entirely.

He glanced toward the horizon, where the massive tree at the garden's centre rose above everything else. Its branches stretched wide, casting shadows across the base below. Somewhere within the Andromeda galaxy, Yselia was preparing her forces, gathering allies, refining strategies.

At this point in time, it was no longer a question of whether war would happen, but rather who would make the first move and when that move would come.

According to Hestia's assessment, even an Upper Minor Sect like the Everlasting Pill Sect would require at least a month to fully mobilize. Preparing fleets, securing mercenary contracts, refining needed pills, gathering artifacts, and organizing logistics on such a scale could not be accomplished in mere days.

Adrian had attended enough strategic meetings within these few days to understand the scope of such preparations. Fleets needed maintenance checks and formation calibrations. Mercenaries demanded upfront payments and binding contracts. Artifacts needed to be purchased, and existing ones required divine essence crystals for operation. Every piece had to fall into place before a sect could wage war at this scale.

This window of time, though limited, was more than sufficient for Adrian to act.

And he intended to use every moment of it.

His objective was clear. Whilst his Absolute Source Order granted him an overwhelming advantage in direct confrontations, he understood that war at the Rule Stage was never a simple one-on-one engagement.

If he alone bore the burden of victory, then the risk remained high.

To ensure success, the entire Crimson Vital Sect had to be strengthened. Only if the sect's forces were capable of holding their own could Adrian operate freely within the battlefield, focusing on decisive actions without being constrained by the need to constantly protect others.

Adrian began walking toward the central administrative building, from where he planned to start inscribing the time formation. Disciples bowed as he passed, and he acknowledged them with brief nods.

Before the auction, Adrian's original plan had been entirely different. He had intended to explore the Virelith Galaxy and establish a production facility for willforce artifacts, as he needed a steady flow of income to support the growth of his companions.

But now, that plan was no longer feasible. The time required for such an endeavour was too great. He would have to learn more about the Virelith Galaxy, identify a suitable location, establish large-scale material supply contracts with blacksmith centres, and then, after all this, he needed to negotiate contracts with various sects, who would be his potential buyers.

Each step would consume weeks, if not months. Exploration alone could take that long, given the galaxy's size and the need to verify security, resources, and political stability in whatever region he chose.

With war looming on the horizon, there was no room for such long-term endeavours. So for now, Adrian's entire priority turned towards the upcoming war.

Fortunately, the wealth he had acquired from the auction had already solved his immediate problems. With these funds, he could directly enhance the mana reserves of his companions and even support the development of the Crimson Vital Sect as a whole.

For this preparation phase, Adrian had already thought of some plans that he could use to increase the overall strength of the Crimson Vital Sect. On that, his first major decision had been to purchase the time crystal.

From his previous experiments, Adrian already understood the energy consumption of time formations. When he used five million units of pure mana crystals before, only one million mana units had been consumed, with most of that cost going toward concealment. If he abandoned concealment and relied purely on time formation, the consumption would be significantly lower.

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However, the cost still became higher due to scaling the formation to cover an entire base.

Fortunately, Adrian had both the resources and the experience to estimate the requirements. Back in the Milky Way Galaxy, he had used time formations to sustain massive areas, consuming billions of low-tier mana crystals. Now, due to the amount of mana within high-tier mana crystals, that requirement could be reduced to mere millions.

That was precisely why he had purchased this time essence crystal containing ten million mana units. It would likely sustain the formation covering the entire inner zone of the Azure Garden for several months, and even if his calculation was wrong for some reason, then he was prepared to invest further in this.

The only thing that bothered him slightly was the cost. Spending one hundred million UNI-Coins for a time crystal containing ten million mana units felt inefficient, especially knowing that if he used the Origin Ink, then merely pure mana crystals with ten million mana units within them would have been enough.

But since he had chosen not to use Origin Ink, this was the price he had to pay to follow the conventional methods of the universe.

Setting these thoughts aside, Adrian arrived at the central administrative building and rose into the air above the entire base. With a subtle motion of his will, he summoned the mana ink from the spatial ring. Vast quantities of liquid energy emerged, each droplet suspended and controlled with precision through his mana and willforce.

The ink moved like living water, thousands of droplets hovering in perfect stillness around him.

Below, the disciples began to notice the shift in the environment. Many of them looked skyward as the air itself seemed to respond to Adrian's actions, the ambient mana stirring in response to his presence.

A young disciple pointed, "What's Elder Adrian doing?"

"Look at all that ink," another whispered.

Lara and Maelis, who had been instructing disciples on the properties of certain plants within the garden, also noticed this. They stood near a cluster of Moon-Silver Root, their lesson forgotten.

"Do not get distracted," Lara said calmly, though her own attention remained skyward. "Elder Adrian is establishing a time formation."

Adrian had already discussed this plan in a recent meeting, so the elders were aware of what he was doing.

However, confusion quickly spread among the disciples observing the spectacle. One disciple from the inscription department frowned, his brow furrowing as he watched the suspended ink. He turned to his companion. "Why is he using all the mana ink at once?"

His companion shook her head, equally baffled.

The doubt spread rapidly. Even though most disciples, and even elders like Lara and Maelis, were not inscribers, they understood the difficulty of inscription. Etching large-scale formations demanded multiple inscribers working together over extended periods. The earlier construction of the space formation within the base had been a clear example of this, where multiple inscribers had collaborated, and even Adrian had guided them through some of the most complex sections.

Now, seeing Adrian summon such a massive amount of mana ink at once left them unable to understand his method. Even Lara and Maelis paused what they were doing, fully focused on the spectacle above.

Maelis crossed her arms, "How can one person handle that much ink simultaneously?"

Lara didn't answer. She simply watched.

High above them, Adrian began guiding each droplet of mana ink, inscribing runes directly into the space itself.

His fingers moved in subtle gestures, and the ink responded. Droplets shot outward in perfect trajectories, each one tracing luminous symbols that hung suspended in the space. The runes appeared one after another, flowing from his will with absolute precision.

Each symbol interlocked with the next, forming chains of meaning that stretched across the sky.

"Impossible… how is Elder Adrian doing this?" murmurs spread through the crowd.

A senior disciple stared upward, his mouth slightly open. "He's not even using a tool. He's controlling every single droplet individually."

"There must be thousands of runes," another whispered.

Etching into the space or void itself was not unheard of within the universe, but what left everyone speechless was the scale. One individual, working alone, was constructing a formation large enough to encompass the entire expanded base.

The ink continued to move, weaving intricate patterns that expanded outward in all directions. The formation grew layer by layer, each section connecting seamlessly to the whole.

Within minutes, the sky above them transformed. A vast lattice of glowing symbols took shape, lines connecting seamlessly into complex geometric patterns. Circles formed within circles, layers upon layers of runic structures expanding outward until they covered the entire space above the base.

At the centre of it all, Adrian hovered in complete control. His expression remained calm, his movements precise and unhurried. Then, with a final motion, he summoned the time crystal and placed it at the heart of the formation.

The crystal settled into position, and the formation awakened.

A surge of golden brilliance erupted outward, rippling through the air in waves that cascaded across the entire base. For a brief moment, everything was bathed in radiant light, the essence of time itself settling into place.

Adrian descended slowly, his figure framed against the glowing structure above.

Only then did the full realization strike those below. This was mastery at a level they had never imagined.

Even the elders, who had already witnessed Adrian's capabilities, found themselves unable to speak. What he had accomplished was beyond anything they had seen, even when considering the rumoured capabilities of inscribers from major sects.

As Adrian landed, nearby disciples bowed instinctively. Among them, Lyra stepped forward, unable to contain her excitement. Her pale blue skin flushed slightly, her elongated ears twitching with barely restrained enthusiasm.

"Elder Adrian, that was incredible!" she said, her voice filled with admiration. "I have never seen anyone inscribe like that. Can you teach me?"

Adrian turned toward her, recognising her immediately. Lyra could be considered the very reason he had joined the Crimson Vital Sect. Her actions during Varkas's attack in the UNI-Hub and her selfless nature had been the catalyst for his decision to align his people with this sect. She had embodied the kind of environment he had been searching for.

A faint smile appeared on his face. "Did a woman named Lysandra visit the inscription department recently?" he asked.

Lyra nodded eagerly, her eyes brightening. "Yes, Elder Adrian. She is one of the mortals you brought, right? She had only recently ascended to the Early Rule Stage, but her knowledge of inscription is incredible. She has already challenged several senior disciples and won them all." She paused, tilting her head. "Did you teach her, too, elder? Can you teach me too?"

Adrian was slightly surprised. He had not been closely observing the activities within the inscription department, and it seemed Lysandra had already begun making a significant impact.

In truth, Lysandra possessed more experience in inscription than he did. Whilst Adrian's abilities were guided directly by his Source, allowing him to inscribe formations flawlessly once conceptualised, such an approach was not something others could replicate easily. Others had to spend time and practice properly to achieve these results. Still, most couldn't achieve it.

The only few Adrian had seen to have such skills were Lysandra, Selena, Mira, and Morvain. They could do what Adrian did just now. Of course, they couldn't do this on the scale of inscribing an actual star system scale formation that Adrian created back in the Milky Way, but they were skilled enough to do what he did today, etching a formation that was just large enough to cover an area within the planet.

And people like Lysandra were suited for teaching more than Adrian himself.

"I did not teach her," Adrian replied. "But she is the best person to teach you. Lysandra can do what I just did, and she has far more experience in guiding others. If you become her disciple, you will learn much faster."

Lyra's eyes widened. "Really?"

Adrian nodded. "I will inform her. If you are serious and willing to work hard, you can reach this level as well."

Lyra bowed deeply, her hands clasped before her. "Thank you, Elder Adrian!"

Several other disciples from the inscription department exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from doubt to determination.

Adrian glanced upward at the formation one final time, confirming its stability. The golden light had settled into a steady pulse, the time dilation already taking effect. Four years inside for every day outside.

He turned and walked toward the administrative building, leaving the disciples to their awe.