At the same time Carla was looking around as her competition qualification was finished. But Everywhere Carla went, she heard the same conversations.About The competitions. The new era that was dawning for the human race. The streets of the Holy Land were filled with cultivators from every corner of the thousand universes, all of them eager to prove themselves, all of them hungry for glory. The market districts buzzed with speculation. The training grounds echoed with the clash of weapons. Even the servants in the noble estates whispered about the rising stars of the competition.Carla walked through the market district, her identity hidden beneath a simple cloak. She had been training for months, preparing for the next round of the competition, and she needed a break. The crowds, the noise, the energy it was overwhelming, but it was also invigorating. It reminded her why she was fighting.“I am here to prove myself,” she thought. “I am here to make my mother proud. I am here to sh

The next round of the competition began the following week.Carla stood in the waiting area, her body loose, her mind calm. She had spent the past several days consolidating her breakthrough, adjusting to the new power that flowed through her body. The Immortal King realm was vast, and she had only just begun to explore its depths. Every hour brought new discoveries, new depths of strength, new levels of perception, new ways to channel her immortal energy. But she was ready. She had to be.Her opponent was a young man from the Voss family, a distant relative of Commander Voss, the fortress guardian who watched over the Chronos Abyss. He was an Immortal King as well, his cultivation solid and steady. But Carla could see the tension in his shoulders, the uncertainty in his eyes. He was afraid of her. Afraid of the Blackwood name. Afraid of the power she had displayed in the qualifying rounds.“Good,” she thought. “Fear is an advantage. If he is afraid, he has already lost.”The announ

David emerged from the Chronos Abyss to find the same massive space station orbiting the same fortified galaxy. The weapons platforms were still there, their sensors sweeping the void with mechanical precision. The soldiers were still there, their uniforms crisp, their expressions alert. But something was different. Something had changed in the three thousand years he had been gone.It took him a moment to realize what it was. The concentration of laws in the air was denser than it had been when he first arrived. The cosmic energy that flowed through the fortress was stronger, more vibrant. The ascension was already having an effect on the outside world."Sir?" A voice spoke from behind him. David turned to see a young officer approaching, her eyes wide with something that might have been awe. "Sir, we detected your emergence from the Abyss. The fortress commander has been notified. He requests an audience with you at your earliest convenience."David studied the officer. She was an

The emergency meeting was called within hours of Matilda receiving the news.The senior Universe Lords gathered in the Council chamber, their expressions a mixture of concern and curiosity. Lord Erevan sat at the head of the table, his ancient eyes scanning the room. Matilda sat near the center, her face carefully composed. Lady Mira sat to her left, her sharp eyes missing nothing. Lord Toren sat to her right, his expression thoughtful."Thank you for coming on such short notice," Erevan began. "I've received word from the fortress commander. David has emerged from the Chronos Abyss. He has now made progress and he might be a Universe Lord. He is returning to the Holy Land as we speak."A murmur ran through the chamber. The other Lords exchanged glances, their expressions a mixture of surprise and concern. A new Universe Lord was always significant. But David was not just any Universe Lord. He was the boy who had been thrown away by the Blackwood family. And haunted for nothing more

Lord Erevan's transport was a sleek vessel, smaller than David's ship but exquisitely designed. It glided through the void with the grace of a fish through water, its hull shimmering with defensive arrays that could have withstood the attacks of an Immortal King. When it came alongside David's ship, the two vessels docked with a soft clang.The airlock cycled, and Lord Erevan stepped through.He looked exactly as David remembered an old man with white hair and a face that seemed carved from ancient stone. His eyes were still sharp, still full of the wisdom of eons. But there was something different about him now. A tension in his shoulders and a wariness in his gaze. He was not afraid of David or something like that, but he was cautious of the current situation in the world.“He's trying to sense my cultivation,” David realized. “Trying to measure how much I've grown.”David did not resist. He let his aura flow freely, allowing the old Universe Lord to perceive what he had become. Er