David was moving cautiously toward the spaceship wreckage when a voice echoed in his mind, sending a chill down his spine.
"Successor."
He spun around, but the desolate, blood-red landscape was empty. For a moment, he thought it was an illusion. Then his eyes fell upon the center of the now-dry blood pond. There, nestled in the dirt, was a miniature model of a house, small enough to fit in his palm.
As he reached down to pick it up, a powerful force yanked him forward. The world blurred, and when his vision cleared, he was standing inside a simple, ancient-looking hall. Before him stood the translucent figure of an old man who seemed to radiate an aura of absolute control over the space.
"So, you are the one who has gained the Lord's favor," the old man stated, his voice echoing with ancient power.
"Who are you? Where am I?" David demanded, his heart pounding.
"You are inside the artifact you saw outside. I am its spirit," the figure replied. "You may call me Kael."
"The blood, the monster... What happened? Where did it all go?"
"Shut up, kid! Can't you figure it out, or are you dumb?" Kael snapped, though his eyes held a glint of amusement. "To put it simply, you devoured it. The blood and the monster's carcass. It was the first test of inheritance. The blood was a key, and your body passed the verification."
"So... I'm the first to come here?"
"No. Many have come before you, powerhouses from across universes. The monster you saw was one of them. None survived. Frankly, it's a shock that a Star Realm child like you was recognized."
David's eyes widened. "What kind of inheritance is this?"
Kael looked at him over appraisingly. "This artifact is a treasure beyond your comprehension. Its functions are vast, but for your current level, two are crucial. First, a virtual combat space. It's similar to what your human race has, but far superior. It contains the combat data of ancient powerhouses for you to spar against, honing your fighting instincts until they become second nature."
"Second," Kael continued, "is the Monument Cave, where the Lord inscribed his understanding of the fundamental laws. You may have heard of Law Monuments; this is a monument to all laws. Additionally, you will receive cultivation methods to temper your body and soul. More will be unlocked as you grow stronger."
David listened with rapt attention. "When can I start?"
"Patience," Kael chided. "Your body has been flooded with power. Your bloodline has evolved over a thousandfold, which is a good start. But before you even think of touching the laws, you must learn to control this new body perfectly. Your first task is body tempering. Use the blood of the strong monsters you'll find among the wreckage. Your cultivation level is fine for now; focus on foundation."
With a wave of Kael's hand, David was ejected from the artifact, finding himself back in the forbidden realm, the small house model once again in his hand.
He looked toward the distant spaceship wreckage, its scale now truly apparent. As he moved closer, the sheer carnage became clear. It wasn't just a crash site; it was a graveyard. The bodies of monsters and warriors from countless races lay scattered for miles, frozen in their final moments.
"This place... what happened here? Is it cursed?" David muttered to himself.
Kael's voice echoed directly in his mind. "This is the Dark Lord's Forbidden Secret Realm. Even a True God would perish here without permission. You are fortunate. The others who sought this inheritance were the strongest of their eras. Who would have thought a Star Realm boy would be the one?"
Having lived his entire life confined to his mother's ancestral planet, David was both terrified and fascinated. He moved cautiously, memorizing the features of the fallen beings and collecting the space rings that littered the ground like stones. He didn't stop to check them, stuffing them all into his pockets.
Near a particularly large wreck, he saw a skeleton kneeling, its bony fingers clutching a space ring as if trying to retrieve something in its final moment. David gently took the ring. Nearby, he spotted a black sword, its blade stained with ancient, dried blood. He stored that away as well.
The scene suggested a massive, ancient battlefield. He felt a surge of grim luck—he had survived where legends had fallen.
Finally, he reached the main spaceship. It was a colossal, S-grade or even higher Immortal-class vessel, but it looked as if a giant hand had crushed it. The hull was scarred with terrifying weapon marks. He recognized the logo of one of the five great economic powers of the human race. This ship was from his home universe.
He climbed inside, moving vigilantly. In a corridor, he found a body slumped against a wall, its face a mask of exhaustion. Another corpse lay near a central console. David collected their rings and found the ship's inventory room. The door, perhaps due to lost power, gave way after a few punches.
Inside was a trove of wealth: crates of A-grade and even a few S-grade weapons, over a hundred sets of battle armor, and rare cultivation resources. It looked like a military transport that had been ambushed.
After gathering everything, David approached the reinforced door to the ship's mainframe, hoping for one last discovery. He forced the door open.
The moment he did, a blinding red light flashed and a harsh, automated voice blared through the dead ship.
"Breach in the mainframe! Unauthorized access detected!"
"Automatic self-destruction protocol initiated!"
"Detonation in T-minus 30 seconds!"
David's blood ran cold. He had misjudged catastrophically. An SSS-grade spaceship's self-destruction could vaporize an Immortal Realm expert. He turned and ran, pouring every ounce of his enhanced strength into his escape. He leaped from the ship and sprinted toward the tiny artifact house, his only possible refuge.
He had only taken a few strides when a voice behind him calmly stated, "29."
He risked a glance back. Standing calmly between him and the ship was the artifact spirit, Kael, who was counting down as if bored.
"28... 27..."
A wave of unimaginable heat began to build as the ship's core went critical. The world turned white.