Chapter 362 202: Epiphany
After passing through the brief, fantastical void passageway, the sight before them instantly took everyone's breath away.
They found themselves in a bizarre Star Domain that defied simple description.
Above and below was the profound, boundless, and ever-changing canvas of the void.
But this void was not pitch-black; instead, it flowed with billions of indescribable, faint glimmers of light.
It was like the chaotic, unformed colors of the universe at its genesis.
Countless massive, nebula-like islands, resembling shattered continents, floated in the void.
They were not composed of land and stone, but of pure, chaotic energy of the Laws.
On some islands flowed long rivers of liquid fire, yet within those very rivers, frigid ice crystals condensed.
Other islands were shrouded in frenzied spatial storms, yet the eye of the storm paradoxically revealed stable geometric structures.
Farther in the distance, enormous, translucent cocoons of light could be seen pulsing slowly. With each throb, they released specks of starlight, as if nurturing something within.
There were also distorted ribbons of light that snaked through the void like living things.
Their paths marked regions of abnormal time flow, where one could occasionally glimpse illusory flora undergo an entire cycle of life and death in an instant.
It was as if the rules here had been utterly shattered and then kneaded back together, appearing extremely crude and unstable.
Space folded and stretched at random, while the flow of time accelerated and decelerated in localized pockets.
Shattered Law runes flickered in some areas, blinking in and out of existence like stellar fragments.
The air was suffused with an energy that was primordial and chaotic, yet teemed with infinite vitality. Each breath felt like an intake of the universe's foundational fragments.
This was the "Prototype of Creation"—a bizarre space where rules clashed and evolved violently, a realm far from settled.
Everyone present, regardless of their strength, was profoundly stunned by this vast, chaotic, yet vibrant panorama of creation, their minds utterly captivated.
The Celestial Martial King's profound gaze swept across the wild and primitive Star Domain.
The fragmented, flowing Laws and the distorted, life-giving structures of spacetime were reflected clearly in his eyes.
An indescribably complex emotion surged within him—a mixture of awe and a faint, imperceptible trace of melancholy.
'If, back then... I had been able to comprehend... the complete Venerable Level system of Martial Arts here... perhaps...'
The thought flashed through his mind before he immediately suppressed it.
He knew that past regrets could not be changed, but this place represented an unprecedented opportunity for these future hopes of the Human Race.
He had to ensure their safety.
The King of the Nine Netherworld, however, had a fiery light erupting in his eyes.
The frenzied energy storms and the strange cocoons of light that birthed life from destruction all resonated faintly with the path he cultivated.
Countless fragments of insight regarding the nature of power and the fusion of Laws flashed through his mind.
'This place... is simply a supreme holy land for attaining enlightenment! If I could immerse myself here for a few years... creating a true Venerable-level ultimate art of my own... would not be a mere fantasy!'
An intense craving churned in his chest.
Li Wen floated silently, his [Absolute Focus] talent operating at near-maximum capacity on its own in such an environment.
His gaze swept over the flowing river of fire and ice, the distorted ribbons of light, the pulsing cocoons...
The comprehension of the Dao of the Blade, long dormant within him, reacted violently, like ice dropped into boiling oil.
The bottleneck separating the peak of the Dao Realm and the Domain Realm, which had seemed so unbreakably solid, was now showing clear signs of loosening!
He had originally estimated that breaking through this bottleneck would require several more years of painstaking effort.
But now, in this place where the Laws were made manifest, he was certain:
'If I can continue to comprehend things here... a few months... might be enough.'
This realization invigorated him.
Ling Feng, Sun Rui, and the other Marquis-level geniuses.
They were equally captivated, their respective Daos resonating with the wondrous spectacle.
The genius from Ice Soul Star stared at the river of fire and ice, ice crystals flashing in his eyes, seemingly on the verge of an epiphany.
The Marquis from Red Flame Star, on the other hand, was more interested in the violent energy storms.
Meanwhile, the expert from Cangwu Star stared intently at the life-filled ribbons and cocoons of light.
Shock and ecstasy were written on every face. They all felt as if they were touching the threshold of a breakthrough, their gains far exceeding all expectations.
Immersed in this cosmic spectacle, the group lost all track of time.
...
「Meanwhile, at the other end of the Demon Realm.」
The spatial ripples caused by the Star Domain's formation were also keenly detected by the upper echelons of the Demon Race.
Inside a mountain palace suffused with a malevolent aura.
A Tiger Demon Saint, its body the size of a mountain and its back covered in bony spikes, sat enthroned.
Below its throne, several Great Demon Kings with terrifying auras were prostrated.
The peak Great Demon King at the forefront presented several treasures that flowed with brilliant light and billowed with intense demonic energy.
The Tiger Demon Saint nodded in satisfaction. It raised a giant claw, and with a surge of immense Demon Power, tore through space as if it were fragile silk. A stable, ten-foot-tall void passageway instantly formed.
The group of peak and top-tier Great Demon Kings below, no longer able to restrain themselves, immediately transformed into streaks of vicious demonic light. They scrambled to surge into the passageway, afraid that a moment's delay would mean missing this golden opportunity.
...
「In the depths of a deathly still, ancient swamp.」
The sludge churned as a giant turtle of unimaginable size slowly revealed its true form.
Its shell was covered in profound, natural patterns that seemed to carry the weight of eons.
It raised its head and let out a silent roar. Fueled by its Demon Power, its body rapidly swelled, growing to ten thousand feet in an instant, resembling a moving mountain range.
It slowly and heavily lifted a forelimb as thick as a mountain ridge. Its massive claw, covered in scales and wrinkles, swiped violently at the void!
Space groaned, unable to bear the strain, as a small fissure only five feet long and wide was laboriously torn open.
A spectral light flickered in the giant turtle's eyes. Its massive body rapidly shrank, finally transforming into an old, wizened man with a turtle shell on his back. His figure flickered, and he slipped through the narrow fissure.
In the territories of other Demon Saints, similar scenes were playing out.
Some Demon Saints tore through space with the ease of reaching into a bag, and large groups of their subordinates swarmed in.
Others had to expend immense power, even using secret treasures, just to open a channel and send in some of their elites.
Almost every powerful Demon Saint sent their top Great Demon Kings—and even some peak Great Demon Kings on the verge of a breakthrough—into this newborn Star Domain.
In that moment, countless powerful members of the Demon Race, in all shapes and sizes, flooded into this nascent land of chaos like a hundred rivers flowing to the sea.
...
「The scene cut back to the Human Race's party.」
A full ten minutes passed before the mind-bending initial impression began to subside.
The steady voice of the Celestial Martial King, their leader, broke the spellbinding atmosphere:
"Everyone, snap out of it. We are only in the outermost region of this new Star Domain."
His voice carried a power that calmed the mind, and everyone turned their gazes from the spectacle toward him.
"The Laws here are nascent and chaotic, the energy is violent, and though Law fragments are plentiful, they are too crude and disordered."
The Celestial Martial King gestured toward the violent energy storms and unstable spatial folds.
"Trying to gain enlightenment here would not only be highly inefficient, but it is also fraught with peril. A moment of carelessness could trigger spatial turbulence or a backlash from the Laws. The risks far outweigh the rewards."
His gaze swept over everyone before settling on the core region deep within the Star Domain, faintly visible and glowing with an even more profound and brilliant light.
"The real opportunities are in the center of the Star Domain."
The Celestial Martial King said with conviction,
"Only in places where the Laws are relatively stable, where energy converges, and where their evolution is trending toward order can the kind of natural wonders suitable for our comprehension be born. Those places are our destination. Follow me!"
With that, the power of space once again radiated from the Celestial Martial King, forming an invisible shield that enveloped Li Wen and two others. He took the lead, flying toward the core of the Star Domain.
The King of the Nine Netherworld and the other Kings tacitly fanned out around the party, each protecting the Marquis-level geniuses from their own home planets.
The party began to travel through the magnificent yet dangerous Star Domain.
As they ventured deeper, the surrounding scenery began to change noticeably, just as he had said.
The violent energy flows of the outer region gradually became relatively 'tame.' Although still chaotic, they seemed to possess a certain rhythm.
The fragmented Law shards became more numerous and no longer flickered randomly. Instead, they began to converge on specific areas, as if drawn by magnets.
Even more bizarre phenomena began to appear in the void.
At times, they saw massive, mirror-like spatial layers that reflected a distorted, inverted world.
At other times, they would encounter slow-moving 'rivers' formed from the pure Law of Light.
There were also slowly rotating crystals suspended in the void, within which miniature galaxies seemed to be born and annihilated...
As he was carried along, Li Wen focused his spirit, observing the increasingly dense and clear processes of Law evolution along their path.
The shifting light and shadows of the spatial layers, the rhythmic flow of the rivers of light, the birth and death of stars within the crystals...
All of it contained the profound and unfathomable principles of the universe.
They were like the greatest of teachers, presenting the mysteries of the cosmos directly before his eyes.
He silently gauged the speed at which the bottleneck of his Blade Dao was loosening.
He had originally estimated that he would need a few months at the Star Domain's core. Yet now, merely on the journey there, the rate at which his bottleneck was loosening just from observing these wonders had already far surpassed his expectations.
'Maybe... I really won't need several months after all.'
The thought was crystal clear in his mind, and his anticipation for the Star Domain's core reached a fever pitch.
His gaze grew even more focused, ready to face the unknown yet tantalizing spectacle awaiting them at the core.
...
Not long after the party left the edge of the Star Domain and started toward the central region, the Celestial Martial King, who was leading them, frowned slightly as he noticed a problem.
The speed of the three peak Kings behind him—the King of the Nine Netherworld, Yan Dan King, and Myriad Phenomena King—had clearly fallen behind.
He had already reduced his speed to thirty percent of his normal pace, but the three Kings carrying others were still struggling to keep up.
Flying alone and flying while carrying someone are two entirely different things.
The King of the Nine Netherworld and the others were not slow by themselves, but carrying one or two Marquises each hampered their speed significantly. They were likely moving at less than half their top speed, perhaps even slower.
The extent of this drag largely depended on the carrier's depth of understanding of their own domain.