The Black Dragon Fortress materialized in Earth's orbit with the familiar hum of spatial engines cycling down from dimensional transit. Su Chen stood on the observation deck, his newly advanced Formation Arrangement Realm perception allowing him to see Earth with clarity that would have been impossible weeks ago. The planet had changed during his absence—not drastically, but enough that his enhanced senses detected the differences immediately.
Dragon City had expanded. The fortified settlement he'd established as his primary Earth base now sprawled across what had once been barren wasteland, its walls extending outward to encompass new districts and defensive installations. The spiritual energy concentration within the city limits had increased substantially, suggesting that the formations he'd left were functioning properly and accelerating the area's transformation into a cultivation-suitable environment.
"Saya, full status report," Su Chen commanded, his attention divided between observing Earth and processing the various notification formations that had activated upon their return. "Summarize all major developments during our absence."
The pink-haired genius's holographic avatar materialized beside him, her expression showing the satisfaction of someone who had managed complex operations successfully. "Dragon City status: stable and growing. Population has increased from eighty thousand to one hundred thirty-seven thousand—mostly refugees from collapsed settlements seeking protection. Lin Que's military administration has integrated them smoothly. No major security incidents."
She manipulated holographic displays showing detailed statistics. "Economic status: positive growth across all sectors. Trade agreements with neighboring survivor coalitions generating approximately fifteen million Origin Stone equivalent weekly. Agricultural production exceeds consumption by forty percent. Industrial capacity has doubled through acquisition of pre-Convergence manufacturing facilities that Lin Que's forces secured."
"Military status: the garrison forces have repelled seventeen monster incursions, six bandit raids, and three attempts by rival factions to seize Dragon City's resources. Casualties were minimal—your defensive formations and the weapons we left proved more than adequate. Additionally, Lin Que reports that several talented awakened individuals have emerged from the refugee population. She's requesting permission to begin formal recruitment and training."
Su Chen nodded approval. "Grant permission. Establish a proper recruitment program—test all refugees for cultivation potential and awakened abilities. Those with talent get training and integration into our forces. Those without talent but useful skills get assigned to appropriate departments. Idle population is wasted population."
"Understood," Saya confirmed, making notations. "Diplomatic status: five major survivor factions have initiated contact requesting trade agreements or military alliances. Three minor factions have pledged direct subordination, offering tribute in exchange for protection. Lin Que has been conducting preliminary negotiations but waited for your return before finalizing any agreements."
"Schedule meetings with representatives from all factions over the next three days," Su Chen decided. "I want to assess their leadership personally before committing to formal relationships. What about the Four Sovereigns?"
Saya's expression became more serious. "Sovereignty status: mixed. Ignis the Dragon in the South remains friendly—he sent a messenger requesting another meeting, apparently interested in discussing something he calls 'ancient pacts.' The Insect Queen in the West has expanded her territory but avoided conflict with our interests. The Lich King in the North has been... quiet. No activity detected for the past month, which Lin Que considers ominous rather than reassuring."
"And Lin Feng?" Su Chen asked, referring to the eastern sovereign he had defeated and extracted the Supreme Sword Bone from.
"The Eastern territories are fragmenting," Saya reported with evident satisfaction. "Without Lin Feng's unifying presence, the various factions that pledged him allegiance are competing for dominance. Three separate warlords have declared themselves his successor. They're more focused on fighting each other than on external threats. The region has effectively neutralized itself as a concern."
Su Chen processed this information while his gaze tracked across Earth's surface. His enhanced perception could now see individual spiritual energy signatures from orbit—a capability that would have seemed absurd mere months ago. He noted the distribution of power across the planet: concentrated nodes where major factions had established themselves, scattered points indicating lone powerful cultivators, and vast empty regions where the Convergence's changes had rendered the land too hostile for normal habitation.
"What about dimensional anomalies?" Su Chen asked. "Any new rifts or gates manifesting?"
"Seventeen new dimensional rifts detected," Saya confirmed, highlighting locations on the holographic Earth map. "Twelve are minor—low-level monsters emerging periodically but nothing our automated defenses can't handle. Three are moderate—require active monitoring and occasional military response. Two are major concerns."
She expanded the display to show details on the two problematic rifts. "The first major rift opened in what used to be the Pacific Ocean region. It's generating aquatic monsters with cultivation levels reaching Engravement Realm. They've been attacking coastal settlements. Lin Que's forces have contained them to a limited area but lack the capability to close the rift permanently."
"The second major rift is more interesting," Saya continued, her tone suggesting she had saved the best for last. "It opened approximately two weeks ago in the ruins of what our databases identify as Kyoto, Japan. The energy signature is... familiar. Cross-referencing with your dimensional travel logs suggests it connects to the Demon Slayer universe."
Su Chen's attention sharpened immediately. He had visited the Demon Slayer world during his early dimensional travels, acquiring breathing techniques and befriending Nezuko. But he had left before fully exploring that dimension's potential—there were still breathing styles to copy, demons whose abilities he hadn't analyzed, and several individuals who would make valuable additions to his organization.
"A Demon Slayer rift," Su Chen mused, his mind already calculating possibilities. "Convenient timing. I was planning to return to that dimension eventually to complete my acquisitions. If a stable rift has manifested naturally, it saves me the energy expenditure of forcing dimensional transit."
He turned to face Bibi Dong, who had entered the observation deck during the briefing. "Thoughts on priority? We have Earth consolidation to handle, the aquatic rift threatening coastal populations, and an opportunity to complete the Demon Slayer world's resource extraction."
The Spider Empress considered carefully, her hybrid nature allowing her to process multiple strategic frameworks simultaneously. "The aquatic rift is contained for now—unpleasant but not immediately critical. Earth consolidation is important but largely consists of administrative work that doesn't require your personal involvement. The Demon Slayer rift, however, represents time-sensitive opportunity."
"Natural rifts are unstable," she explained. "It could remain open for months or collapse within days. If you want to complete your operations in that dimension, sooner is better than later. Additionally, from organizational perspective, successfully recruiting powerful individuals from another dimension would demonstrate to Earth's factions that you can offer opportunities beyond what any local power provides."
Saeko had been listening quietly, but now she spoke up with evident interest. "A world focused entirely on sword techniques? That sounds like an environment where I could refine my abilities significantly. And if I recall correctly from your previous reports, that world's power scaling tops out around Spirit Transformation Realm equivalent—well within our capabilities to dominate."
"Exactly," Su Chen confirmed. "The Demon Slayer world's peak powers are the Hashira—elite warriors roughly equivalent to Formation Arrangement Realm in the cultivation framework. The strongest demon, Muzan Kibutsuji, might reach Spirit Transformation equivalent. With my current Formation Arrangement Realm cultivation and our team's capabilities, we wouldn't be challenging that world—we'd be overwhelming it."
Esdeath's expression showed predatory satisfaction. "So this would be a resource extraction operation rather than a genuine challenge. We go in with overwhelming force, acquire everything valuable, and depart before the local powers can mount organized resistance."
"Not quite that ruthless," Su Chen corrected. "I have existing relationships in that world—Tanjiro and Nezuko in particular. I won't treat it as pure conquest. But yes, the fundamental dynamic is that we're significantly more powerful than any opposition we might face. The challenge won't be combat—it'll be efficiently identifying and acquiring all valuable resources within whatever time window the rift remains stable."
He made his decision. "We deploy to the Demon Slayer world within twenty-four hours. Saya, prepare mission logistics. I want full intelligence workup on that dimension—current timeline status, locations of interest, individuals to contact or acquire. Cross-reference my previous visit logs and extrapolate how much time has passed in that dimension relative to Earth."
"Additionally, prepare equipment appropriate for that world's tech level. We'll bring some modern equipment, but I want to avoid appearing too alien. The goal is to integrate smoothly enough to access what we need without triggering defensive responses from the entire dimension."
Saya nodded, already compiling data. "Recommended team composition?"
Su Chen considered carefully. "Myself, Saeko, Esdeath, and Xiao Yi Xian as primary team. Saeko's sword focus aligns perfectly with that world's combat style. Esdeath's overwhelming power provides security. Xiao Yi Xian's poison expertise will synergize with the Insect Breathing users I plan to recruit."
"Bibi Dong remains on Earth as acting administrator—you've proven capable of managing the organization during my absence. Albedo supports you for security. The Abyssal Sword Sect provides military backup if any Earth situations escalate. Lin Xiya maintains psychic communication network connecting all elements."
"What about me?" a voice interjected, and Su Chen turned to see Nezuko had entered the observation deck. The demon girl had adapted remarkably well to life aboard the fortress, though she still preferred her wooden box for sleeping. Her crimson eyes showed unusual intensity—she had clearly heard the discussion about returning to her home dimension.
"You're coming," Su Chen confirmed. "Your presence will help establish legitimacy with the Demon Slayer Corps. Additionally, you can identify which demons might be recruitable versus which need elimination. I'm interested in potentially recruiting some demons if they prove compatible with our organization—particularly those with tragic backgrounds or useful abilities."
Nezuko's expression brightened immediately, though she made the small humming sounds she used for communication rather than speaking. Su Chen had learned to interpret her nonverbal language over time—this particular sound indicated excited agreement.
"Saya, also prepare holding facilities suitable for potentially converting demons to our service," Su Chen added. "If we encounter demons worth recruiting, I want infrastructure ready to contain them safely during the conversion process. The research Tamayo has been conducting in that dimension might provide useful methodologies."
"Tamayo?" Bibi Dong asked, not recognizing the name.
"A demon physician in the Demon Slayer world," Su Chen explained. "She's spent centuries researching methods to free demons from Muzan's control and potentially cure demonism entirely. Her knowledge would be invaluable for our Research Department—she'd work well with Xiao Yi Xian on projects combining demonic biology and poison techniques."
"So she's a recruitment target as well," Bibi Dong concluded.
"One of several," Su Chen confirmed. "The Demon Slayer world has multiple individuals whose capabilities or knowledge would benefit our organization. Shinobu Kocho—Insect Hashira and poison master. Mitsuri Kanroji—Love Hashira with unique muscle composition granting extraordinary strength. Kanao Tsuyuri—exceptional swordswoman with enhanced visual perception. Possibly others depending on who proves compatible with our organizational culture."
Esdeath's smile was knowing. "You're planning to expand your harem again. You always get that particular tone when discussing female recruitment targets."
Su Chen didn't deny it. "The individuals I mentioned are all powerful, skilled, and possess qualities I value. If they prove willing and compatible, I see no reason not to pursue multiple relationships. The harem structure has worked efficiently thus far—each member contributes meaningfully while maintaining cooperative dynamics."
"Plus you just like collecting beautiful, dangerous women," Saeko added with dry amusement.
"That too," Su Chen admitted without shame. "Now, unless anyone has objections to the basic plan, let's proceed with preparation. Saya, I want that intelligence workup completed within twelve hours. Everyone else, review your equipment and techniques—focus on capabilities that will be relevant in a world where swordsmanship and breathing techniques dominate combat styles."
The team dispersed to their respective preparation tasks, leaving Su Chen alone on the observation deck. He took a final long look at Earth, noting the changes and calculating the implications. His organization had grown substantially, his personal power had increased dramatically, and his reputation was beginning to spread across multiple dimensions.
But he was still far from his ultimate goals. Formation Arrangement Realm was impressive by Lower Realm standards but merely adequate by Upper Realm metrics. His organization commanded respect in local contexts but would struggle against truly cosmic-scale threats. His harem was growing but still relatively small compared to some cultivation world protagonists who accumulated dozens or hundreds of companions.
There was so much further to go. So many more worlds to explore, powers to copy, allies to recruit, enemies to overcome. The journey toward true transcendence—toward becoming a being who could stand against gods, demons, and cosmic entities as an equal—was far from complete.
But that was exactly what made it worthwhile. Su Chen had never wanted easy victory or guaranteed success. He wanted the challenge of ascending from nothing to everything through his own efforts. He wanted to collect every interesting ability, recruit every worthy companion, and eventually reach a state where no entity in any dimension could dictate the terms of his existence.
The Demon Slayer world was just the next step. A relatively low-power dimension compared to what he'd eventually face, but valuable nonetheless. He would complete his operations there thoroughly—copying every breathing style, analyzing every demon ability, recruiting every useful individual—before moving on to higher-tier realities.
After Demon Slayer would come the real challenges. The Marvel Cinematic Universe with its Infinity Stones and cosmic entities. The DC multiverse with its reality-warping meta-humans. Warhammer 40K's grimdark vastness. SCP Foundation's reality-breaking anomalies. World after world, each one offering new powers to copy, new allies to recruit, new horizons to conquer.
Su Chen's smile was cold and anticipatory. "Twenty-four hours until departure. Let's see what else the Demon Slayer world has to offer beyond what I took during my first visit. By the time we're done, that dimension will have contributed everything valuable it possesses to my advancement."
He turned and walked toward his private chambers. He had preparations of his own to complete—reviewing his previous visit logs, planning optimal routes through that dimension, and considering which breathing styles and demon abilities would synergize best with his existing capabilities.
The Heavenly Tomb had granted him knowledge of how to forge his own path to divinity. Now he needed to gather the raw materials—powers, techniques, resources, and allies—that would fuel that ascension.
One world at a time. One breakthrough at a time. One step closer to transcendence.
The journey continued, and Su Chen intended to extract maximum value from every dimension he visited along the way.