Announcement Cultivation Realms of the Voidsea:
1: Dao initiate( five stages; early, middle, top, peak, pseudo.)
2: Dao master( five stages as above)
3: Dao grandmaster( five stages as above)
4: Dao king( five stages as above)
5: Dao emperor( title—God emperor, five stages as above)
6: Dao sovereign( title—eternal sage, stages???)
Back at the maw, Quintessa and Merita reformed their bodies and immediately deployed a defensive barrier that surrounded them.
Quintessa sat on the ground of what remained of her grand palace, while Merita returned to her task of tracking Lex's universe.
Quintessa closed her eyes and attempted to sense the Oracle drive's location, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pinpoint its exact position.
"Hmm, is this origin technique interfering with my ability to locate the drive?" she wondered, frustration flickering across her face.
"How is it going?" she asked Merita as she stood up.
"I still can't locate the enemy," Merita replied. "But I can tell it's not in the Voidsea. If it were, my tracking technique would have worked. It's strange, though—this devouring ability is at the origin level. Anyone capable of forcing us to act personally should be powerful enough to use a Dao Initiate technique, not rely on something this weak."
Quintessa's expression darkened. "Only our master knew where our soul fragments were placed. No one else should have been able to find us here."
Merita's voice grew cold. "Then it must be someone inside the sect. One of the internal factions must've leaked our location and sent this amateur killer before our fragments even remembered themselves."
"Hey, you—the owner of this technique," Quintessa called out, her voice echoing through the darkness of the maw.
"You've hidden yourself well," she said with mockery in her voice, "but not well enough."
Her eyes narrowed and a faint smirk tugged at the corners of her lips.
"Did you really think an Origin-level technique would be enough to deceive us?"
Each word was sharp and deliberate, designed to provoke. She didn't expect the enemy to take the bait outright.
She just needed his mask to crack, even if only for a moment.
Lex, still in his garden furrowed his brow as he said, "Deceive? What is she talking about?"
Luna who was hovering beside him said in a thoughtful voice. "Master, she thinks you're a Dao Seeker, someone powerful who's masking their presence with Origin-level techniques. In her eyes, you're not weak, just cautious and hiding."
"So they've mistaken me for a high-tier Dao Seeker playing games from the shadows," Lex said amused.
"That's dangerous, Master," Luna said softly. "They are treating you like a threat, no more testing, no more hesitation."
"Looks like I have to be what she is mistaking me for," Lex thought.
The darkness in the maw vibrated, and then the devouring dark energy coalesced into a humanoid figure.
This figure appeared as if it were made of a starry night, with nebulae and galaxies swirling within it.
The figure waved its hand, transforming the dark void of the maw into a beautiful star-filled sky.
Quintessa and Merita looked up at the stars in the sky. They paused their operation of the defensive barrier, their gazes locking onto Lex's newly created humanoid clone.
"Even the clone he is using is too weak. This enemy is a professional at not leaving any traces behind," Merita remarked telepathically to Quintessa.
"Who are you, and who sent you to kill our soul fragments?" Quintessa demanded with authority.
Lex didn't respond but just observed them, unmoving.
"Oh, so you're not speaking," Quintessa continued.
"She's aggressive, but it's not just mindless rage," Lex thought, observing her closely.
"She's trying to protect their soul fragments. She's afraid I'll destroy them—and if I do, she might get hurt. Maybe even lose part of her soul. Without that piece, advancing through the realms would be nearly impossible for her. Looks like I'm the one with the upper hand here." Lex reached his conclusion after quietly watching the way Quintessa reacted.
He knew well enough that a disciple of the god emperor would not take this long to chat with him unless there was something fishy going on.
"Someone paid me to erase your soul fragments," Lex's voice echoed from the star-forged clone, calm and deliberate.
"The reward they offered was beyond imagination. Tempting enough that I acted—even knowing the risk of angering your master."
He paused, watching their eyes as he thought. "Let them think I'm just another greedy operator, easy to dismiss or underestimate."
Quintessa stepped forward, her presence crackling with fury. "You think you'll enjoy those rewards? You think the vastness of the Voidsea will shield you?" Her voice turned deadly.
"You don't understand the real horrors of the God Emperor. When he finds you—and he will—he'll erase not just you, but everything you've ever touched. Every soul, every world, every breath."
Lex smiled faintly. "Maybe. But maybe I'm not as easy to trace as you think. Maybe I've been walking in the blind spots of Dao Seekers long before your soul fragments were scattered."
Merita narrowed her eyes. "You're bluffing."
"Am I?" The stars in his clone's body flared subtly. "What if I didn't take the job for the reward? What if I took it… because someone else shouldn't have it?"
There was a beat of silence then Quintessa said coldly. "You're playing both sides."
"No," Lex said. "I'm playing my own."
Quintessa's eyes narrowed, her voice sharp and unwavering. "What do you want? These fragments are invaluable to us, and I believe you understand the consequences of their loss."
Lex's clone exhaled slowly, the stars within his form dimming momentarily. "The reward for your heads is maddeningly tempting—enough to make me consider abandoning all caution. Yet, the shadow of your master chains my hands."
"Get to the point," Quintessa snapped, her mind racing. "Through the nature of the reward, I might guess what kind of enemies we are dealing with."
Meanwhile, in the garden, Lex turned to Luna. "List treasures that could drive an assassin to the brink of madness, enough to consider attacking disciples of the God-Emperor."
Luna's expression grew solemn. "Master, the Voidsea holds many such temptations. Treasures like the Dao Gems of a Dao King, innate chaotic weapons, or even Dao Sovereign weapons could incite such recklessness."
Lex shook his head. "Dao Sovereign weapons are beyond belief. They wouldn't be offered so lightly."
"What about a pseudo-Dao Sovereign technique?" he pondered.
Luna's eyes widened. "No. Possessing even a pseudo-Dao Sovereign technique would paint a target on our backs. The entire Voidsea would turn against us. Even a Dao Emperor technique would provoke a similar reaction."
"I'll go with Dao King gems," Lex said. "Makes me sound like a greedy rogue and someone with a weak cultivation base."
"Alright," Luna replied simply.
Back in the maw, Lex's clone finally spoke.
"The reward I was promised for destroying your soul fragments are Dao King gems."
Quintessa and Merita exchanged a glance.
"Dao King gems?" Quintessa said telepathically. "Although rare, but nothing we'd lose sleep over."
"I expected something outrageous," Merita replied. "This assassin is just a loose Dao seeker chasing petty gains."
Quintessa stepped forward, her voice steady. "We can offer you more than that."
Lex's clone tilted its head, amused. "More than Dao King gems? Now I'm listening."
Quintessa's expression didn't change. "You seem like someone who values risk and reward. We'll match what you were offered—and add something extra special."
"What kind of extra?" Lex asked, eyes narrowing through the clone.
Merita answered, her voice calm but cold. "A Dao king cultivation technique. It's not Dao peak level, but it's close and it was refined from an early draft of a god emperor's own cultivation path."
Lex didn't answer right away. In his garden, he glanced at Luna. "They're bluffing?"
Luna frowned. "Hard to say. But if it's even half-true, that kind of technique is priceless."
Back in the maw, Lex's clone gave a small smile. "Tempting. But before I consider the offer… let me tell you, I don't know who's willing to pay so much for your heads."
Quintessa's eyes darkened. "That's our business. What we want from you is simple; go back to your client and report that the mission was a success."
"When do I get the reward you promised?" Lex asked.
Quintessa clenched her jaw as she cursed inward. "Greedy bastard." She then forced a calm tone. "You'll get a quarter of the technique now. The rest will be waiting for you at the Misty Empire, after you complete the mission."
"Fine by me," Lex replied, feigning excitement. "But first, withdraw your fragments from this universe. I need to erase all traces."
Merita gave a sly smile as she thought. "Enjoy it while it lasts. Once you're no longer useful, we'll erase you."
She then materialized a talisman paper and tossed it to Lex's clone. "This contains the incomplete technique. As for the Dao King gems, we don't have them on hand, as you can see."
The clone caught it and slipped it into a pocket dimension."Pleasure doing business."
Quintessa and Merita exchanged a glance, masking contempt behind their polite smiles. "Pleasure working with you," they said in unison, though inwardly they plotted revenge for the loss of their reincarnation plan.
Their bodies turned into streaks of light, vanishing into a talisman paper that quickly faded from sight.
"Damn," Lex exhaled, collapsing into his recliner. "Talk about walking a tightrope."
••••
Back in the young universe, only Lex's clone remained, floating in the void where the Vereti Empire had once been.
The clone retrieved the talisman paper and suspended it in the empty space. After scanning to confirm no hidden tracking marks, it placed the talisman against its temple.
The talisman glowed a deep violet, and in his distant garden, Lex received a rush of new knowledge. After fully absorbing the technique the glow didn't fade.
Lex's eyes narrowed. "That fox… she tried to trace me."
Without hesitation, he snapped his fingers. The talisman exploded into ash.
"That wretched foxspawn." he muttered. "Underneath all that polite talk, she was trying to get coordinates on me."
"Good thing I didn't use my real body, or expose my true universe