Alex was about to turn and leave when he felt a tremor in the ground beneath his feet. Then another. Then a third.“The tunnel is collapsing,” he realized. The realm is destabilizing. We need to get out. Now."David! Smith! We're leaving!" he shouted.He extended his space law outward, weaving a portal in the air before them. The silver light shimmered, pulsed, stabilized. He grabbed David and Smith by their arms and pulled them through.They emerged above the surface just as the tunnel collapsed behind them, the ground caving in with a thunderous roar. Alex stumbled, caught himself, and looked up.His blood ran cold.The surface was covered in centipedes. It is not dozens or hundreds but more than tens of thousands or maybe even hundreds of thousands. They stretched across the landscape like a living carpet, their mandibles clicking, their eyes burning with cold hunger.They had been waiting for them. So they weren’t afraid of the place but they were looking at the prey trapped insid

"Got it in one." Emma paused, her grey eyes searching his face. "Alex, what is really going on here? Great grandfather told the Council you found a secret realm, something about a spatial rift that's difficult to access. But I've been watching the delegates. They're not just curious. They're suspicious."Alex felt a chill run down his spine. "Suspicious of what?""Of us. Of the base. Of why we're really building it here." Emma lowered her voice. "Some of them think we're hiding something. Something valuable and something we don't want to share."‘They're not wrong,’ Alex thought. But he didn't say it. He simply nodded and turned to face the delegates.Henry Blackwood was the first to approach. His storm-cloud eyes were sharp, his expression unreadable. But there was a hint of a smile on his lips, the smile of a man who knew more than he was letting on."Alex," Henry said, extending his hand. "Good to see you. I hear you've been busy.""Busy is one word for it." Alex shook his hand. "W

Reina was still sitting by the fire when Alex returned. She looked up as he appeared, her grey eyes searching his face."Did you find it?" she asked.Alex sat down beside her and drew out the vial. The iridescent liquid glowed softly in the darkness, casting strange patterns of light across his mother's face."This," he said quietly. "I found it in a pocket dimension months ago. I didn't know what it was. I still don't, not exactly. But the script on the glass says it's for healing wounds that time cannot touch."Evelyn who was inside the Reina core finally spoke, “ you have such a rare medicine.”Reina stared at the vial, her eyes wide. "Evelyn ... this could be exactly what we need."Evelyn spoke again, “ yes this is one of rare medicines and even Universe lords keep this thing for future problems. Alex, you are really a lucky star.”Alex was surprised then he thought he still had a few vials then spoke, “ it’s okay grandfather can use it. I have a few but don’t let others know abou

Alex took her away from the Law Tower, away from the pressure of Starlight Base, away from the constant reminders of her stalled cultivation. They traveled to Blue Star, to the real cities and the real people, to the places where life was simple and joy was easy to find.They walked through the markets of the capital, tasting exotic foods and laughing at street performers. They visited the gardens of the Aurelian Empire, where Diana had grown up, and she showed him the places she had played as a child. They sat by the fountains and talked about everything and nothing about their childhoods, their dreams, their fears. They watched the sun set over the mountains and the stars emerge in the sky.And slowly, gradually, the tension in Diana's shoulders began to ease."You know," she said one evening, as they sat on a balcony overlooking the capital, "I think I forgot how to relax. I've been so focused on cultivation for so long that I forgot there was a world outside the Law Tower."Alex

The morning sun cast long shadows across the valley as Alex made his way toward the construction site. The base was taking shape rapidly; the perimeter wall was now nearly complete, its reinforced stone gleaming in the pale light of the inner zone. The foundations for the main buildings had been laid, and the engineers were already beginning to erect the framework for the training halls and meditation chambers.Alena stood near the center of the site, her silver hair pulled back in a practical knot, her grey eyes fixed on a data slate. Beside her, a team of engineers was examining a massive chunk of ore, the strange, dense material that Alex had brought back from the centipede realm."Alex," Alena said, looking up as he approached. "Perfect timing. You need to see this."She gestured for him to follow her, and they walked toward a testing area where several chunks of the ore had been arranged on a reinforced platform. An engineer was running a series of tests, using spiritual energy