Chapter 127: The Ruler of the Astral Realm
Victor appeared in the tenth realm.
The instant his astral body entered this forbidden domain, the entire astral world shook violently. Countless spatial layers trembled, ancient laws rippled across the void, and even the distant ninth realm seemed to respond to his arrival.
Inside the dark palace, the two subordinates both widened their eyes in disbelief. Their expressions were filled with shock, and for the first time in countless years, they seemed completely unable to comprehend what was happening.
"This is not possible. Mortals are not permitted to enter here."
Even the monarch sitting behind the darkness remained silent. The ruler of the astral world, was equally confused and dumbfounded by the appearance of this unexpected visitor.
Victor, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
He looked around the tenth realm with curiosity.
Unlike the previous realms, there were no endless storms of energy or terrifying landscapes here. Instead, the tenth realm was extraordinarily peaceful, with lush greenery stretching into the distance and magnificent mountains rising beneath a beautiful sky.
Countless flowers bloomed across the vast grasslands, swaying gently beneath the soft breeze. The entire realm seemed completely untouched by the passage of time, carrying an indescribable sense of serenity.
Victor looked around appreciatively.
"Flowers."
He nodded slightly.
"Not bad."
Just as Victor took another step, two overwhelming auras suddenly appeared behind him.
Victor immediately stopped and turned around.
Two enormous figures were approaching from the distance. One was a gigantic black cat with a pair of golden eyes that seemed capable of seeing through countless layers of space, while the other was an ancient turtle whose enormous shell seemed to contain an entire primordial world.
Victor’s expression became slightly serious.
The aura radiating from these two beings was astonishing.
It was far beyond the nine Progenitors he had encountered in the ninth realm.
The black cat stopped some distance away and stared cautiously at Victor. Despite possessing an aura powerful enough to shake the tenth realm, it did not immediately attack and instead carefully examined this strange mortal who had somehow entered their forbidden territory.
"Mortal, how did you come here?"
Victor tilted his head slightly.
"Is it forbidden to come here?"
The black cat’s expression immediately became strange, as if Victor had asked an incredibly obvious question. It stared at him for a moment before answering in a cautious yet slightly disdainful voice.
"Of course it is forbidden. The supreme ruler of the astral world resides here. He is the Primogenitor of the nine Noble Beasts in the ninth realm and our creator. How can a mere mortal come here?"
Victor did not seem bothered by the black cat’s words.
Instead, he casually asked, "Then can I meet your king? I want to ask him some questions."
The black cat and ancient turtle immediately looked at each other.
Neither of them answered.
Before they could say anything, an ancient voice suddenly echoed from the depths of the tenth realm. The voice was calm and majestic, carrying an indescribable authority that caused the surrounding laws to become completely still.
"Bring him here."
The black cat immediately lowered its head respectfully.
"As you wish, my lord."
It then turned toward Victor and stared at him for several seconds before speaking again. "You can come with us."
Victor nodded without hesitation.
"Sure."
He followed the two ancient creatures from behind, casually observing the scenery as they traveled through the tenth realm. The beautiful landscape seemed completely disconnected from the terrifying beings who resided here.
After traveling for some time, an enormous castle finally appeared in the distance.
The castle was unimaginably grand.
Its enormous walls stretched toward the heavens, while countless mysterious patterns covered its surface. Even from a great distance, Victor could sense the profound laws embedded within every part of the structure.
Victor looked at the magnificent castle and nodded.
"Worthy of the king."
The black cat glanced backward but said nothing.
The three soon entered the castle and passed through several enormous corridors. Eventually, they arrived before a gigantic hall.
Victor stopped as he looked inside.
The hall was absurdly enormous, stretching for at least three kilometers. Yet despite its ridiculous size, the entire area ahead was covered in pitch-black darkness, making it impossible to see what existed at the far end.
Victor looked around curiously.
"What is this absurdly big hall?"
The black cat and ancient turtle continued forward before finally stopping at the edge of the darkness. Both ancient creatures lowered their heads and bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, we brought him here."
Thud!
A heavy sound suddenly echoed from within the darkness.
The black cat’s eyes widened.
Thud!
Another heavy step followed.
The ancient turtle’s enormous eyes also opened slightly wider as both creatures stared toward the darkness.
"Would His Majesty show his true form?"
The black cat’s voice was barely above a whisper.
"Even we have never seen him in his true form."
The two ancient beings had served their king for an unimaginably long time. Yet throughout all those years, they had never once witnessed their king’s actual body.
They had always communicated with him from behind a barrier.
But now they were hearing his footsteps.
For the first time in countless years, the two ancient subordinates felt both fear and excitement.
Victor was also curious.
He wanted to know exactly what kind of existence could rule over this mysterious astral world.
Thud!
Another step echoed throughout the enormous hall.
Slowly, something began emerging from the darkness.
A gigantic head appeared first.
Victor’s eyebrows rose slightly.
"A dragon?"
The creature’s head resembled that of a dragon, possessing enormous horns and sharp teeth. However, before Victor could examine it properly, another head emerged from the darkness.
Then another.
And another.
One after another, enormous heads appeared from within the darkness until a gigantic eight-headed creature finally stepped completely into view.
It was an enormous hydra.
Its body was covered in dark scales, while its eight heads possessed an indescribably majestic appearance. Every movement it made seemed to carry the weight of countless ancient laws.
Victor calmly observed the creature.
But soon, he noticed something unusual.
Only one of the eight heads possessed genuine intelligence.
Its eyes were sharp and ancient, containing immense wisdom and an unfathomable depth. The remaining seven heads, however, possessed dull eyes and remained completely motionless.
"I am Astrion, the Ruler of the Astral Realm."
The intelligent head looked directly at Victor as Astrion introduced himself.
Victor’s body suddenly lit up with intense brilliance.
A terrifying white radiance erupted from his astral body.
The two subordinates instantly closed their eyes.
Victor’s light had been suppressed by the astral world throughout the previous realms because its intensity was simply too overwhelming for weaker beings. But now that he had reached the tenth realm, his suppression was vanished as the upper limit was higher here.
His entire astral body shone with a brilliant white light that illuminated the enormous hall.
Even the black cat and ancient turtle found it difficult to look directly at him.
Victor stood there like a living star, his presence becoming increasingly majestic.
Astrion’s enormous eyes narrowed slightly as he observed him.
"What do you want to ask, human?"
Victor looked directly at the eight-headed hydra.
"Would you form a contract with me?"
Silence.
The black cat froze.
The ancient turtle froze.
Even Astrion himself became completely motionless.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Astrion’s enormous mouth slowly opened.
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
His laughter suddenly exploded through the enormous hall, causing the surrounding space to tremble violently.
The black cat and ancient turtle looked at their ruler in disbelief.
Astrion continued laughing for a long time before finally looking at Victor again.
"I never imagined that one day, even I would be offered this."