Chapter 211 – The Will of a Universe Master
It wasn't just others— even the Lord of Darkness himself was curious about where his little disciple's first destination would be.
Before long, a report came in, leaving him with a strange expression.
Jiang Zhe… had fallen asleep inside the manor on the Headquarters Continent, refusing visitors altogether.
The Lord of Darkness couldn't help but recall the first time he met Jiang Zhe. He softly hummed one of Jiang Zhe's favorite ancient chants:
"Sleeping Immortal, Sleeping Immortal,
Lying upon stone roots, forgetting the years.
The three lights sink, and the spirit is whole.
Breath returns to the hidden void,
Each inhale and exhale follows nature.
…
Five dragons leap from the deep pool,
Heaven bestows this method to Tu Nan.
His lineage will endure—
The shabby Daoist, Zhang Sanfeng."
As the pinnacle figure of humanity's "Illusionary Path" martial artists, the Lord of Darkness valued the cultivation of willpower above all. After learning about Earth's unique effects on the heart and mind, he had studied those teachings carefully.
Naturally, he understood which ancient lineage of Earth's sages Jiang Zhe's mental path originated from.
That lineage… was one deeply intertwined with dreams and slumber.
"Jiang Zhe's path of heart and will is simply absurd. Not even Luo Feng, Lei Shen, or Hong's mental cultivation can be compared to his…"
The Lord of Darkness sighed.
"Heaven and I were born together; all things and I are one."
From Jiang Zhe, he realized something painfully clear—effort was worthless in the face of true talent.
Jiang Zhe loved to sleep. And according to the Virtual Universe's tests, his comprehension of laws would surge drastically every time he awoke.
The bald Lord of Darkness rubbed his head with a wry smile.
"So… dreams really do contain everything?"
Deep within the Dark Temple, he turned his gaze toward the phantom standing silently at the center.
"Shadow One, what's the situation inside the Silent Wind Prison?"
The phantom—Shadow One, a Universe Overlord—answered in a low tone, "It has calmed. That silver-white serpent seems locked in a stalemate with the prison itself…" After a brief pause, he added, "I suspect they are locked in a tug-of-war. Perhaps that serpent truly has a chance of subduing the prison."
Shadow One had not been told of the serpent's true identity. He never asked unnecessary questions, loyally carrying out every order given.
The Lord of Darkness nodded.
"Stay vigilant. From intercepted intelligence in the Virtual Universe, the demon race already knows something is happening inside. They will definitely send people to investigate. Remember—many races have their eyes on the Beast God Clan's legacy, not just humanity."
Other races weren't fools. Of course, they knew this was bait.
And yet, they would still risk it. The lure of benefit was great enough.
"Remember," the Lord of Darkness ordered solemnly, "your only task inside the Silent Wind Prison is to protect that silver-white serpent. Everything else can be abandoned."
Shadow One froze for a moment, then bowed respectfully.
"Yes, my lord. Then I shall take my leave."
"Go."
This time, Jiang Zhe's dream was particularly interesting.
Perhaps because he had thought about the "Beast God of Thunder" too often, the protagonist of his dream… was actually a descendant of that Beast God—
The Destruction Beast.
An infant starry sky beast of peak bloodline.
Such a creature was a treasure in itself. It could be enslaved, possessed… and if allowed to grow freely, it would at the very least reach the level of a powerful World Lord.
Thus, Jiang Zhe's dream-self spent his early life fleeing for survival. Only after reaching the Domain Lord stage did things finally settle down.
Despite a harsh upbringing and meager inheritance, his innate talent—on par with Berlan and Rong Jun—combined with Jiang Zhe's own willpower, carried him forward.
In just five thousand years, he accumulated enough energy, mastered the Laws of Lightning, and broke through to the Immortal level!
Unlike most so-called geniuses who delayed their advancement to maximize comprehension, this dream-self took the common, straightforward path.
Following inherited memories, he sought out the Starry Sky Beast Alliance, and was welcomed back to his kin.
There, under the personal guidance of a Universe Master of his race, he began his immortal cultivation.
As the greatest prodigy of the Destruction Beast lineage, he naturally earned the right to ascend Starry Sky God Mountain, to bow before the ancestor, and to enter Beast God Realm to receive the Beast God inheritance.
When Jiang Zhe awoke from this dream in Year 5703 of the Hanxia Calendar, he found himself sitting blankly on his tatami bed.
Only when Orianna called softly—
"Master?"
"Ah? Nothing…" He rubbed his forehead, steadying the disorientation of time.
"How long did I sleep? What year is it now?"
"Master, you've been asleep for over a hundred years. It is now April of Year 5703."
Jiang Zhe clicked his tongue softly. A hundred years was acceptable. What he feared most was waking up to find millennia had slipped by.
This time, it wasn't death that ended the dream. Instead, as the dream grew faint, he naturally regained self-awareness and woke—just like ordinary people do from sleep.
After four more months of quiet meditation, Jiang Zhe finally finished digesting the dream's countless years of memory.
When he opened his eyes again, they shone with clarity and calmness. Yet hidden within was a pressure so immense that even a Universe Venerable would feel weighed down before him.
He had begun to wield the power of will—the very domain belonging to Chaos Masters.
…
And so, Jiang Zhe continued diving into dream after dream, journey after journey—sometimes as a machine race, sometimes as a gladiator, sometimes even as a special lifeform. Each dream honed his spirit, ground his will, and deepened his comprehension of the laws.
Years blurred into centuries, centuries into millennia.
By Year 6547, when Jiang Zhe finally woke again, his body radiated exhaustion and age. Even ancient invincible kings who had lived for countless epochs looked more vigorous than him.
Orianna panicked.
"Master, you must stop! Any further and you'll lose yourself!"
Jiang Zhe smiled tiredly.
"Relax. I know my limits. If I keep going, I'll eventually confuse dream with reality… and that would be disastrous."
For ordinary mortals, mental illness was tragic. For someone at Jiang Zhe's level, it could destroy entire worlds.
Closing his eyes, he allowed true slumber to take him. For the first time in ages, he simply… rested.
Meanwhile, far away in the Silent Wind Belt, his Silver-Clad True Body—who shared senses with him—finally felt the transformation.
The years of torment, of resisting "consciousness collapse," of enduring endless dreams… had finally pushed Jiang Zhe's will beyond the final barrier.
His will had ascended to the level of a Universe Master.
The silver figure laughed madly, tears in his eyes.
"Universe Master! Universe Master! Hahaha—Heaven truly does not forsake the determined!"
With his newfound strength of will, he crushed the golden threads' suppression in an instant, imprinting his spiritual mark upon them.
The recognition was complete.
The treasure was his.
"A domain-type supreme treasure, at the very peak level, eh? Hah! Just what I needed. Let's call you… Silken Nest."
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