[Ding!
Congratulations, Host, for completing the hidden task: Unifying the Blue Star Planet.
Completion Process: 100%
Generating Rewards:
1. The Eternal Bell 2. Solidification of Cultivation]
[Ding!
New mission is generating...
Unify the entire Lower Plane.
Completion Process: 0.01%
Rewards:
1. Memories of Calamity (Fragments) 2. Ascension Road Restoration - 100%]
Huai sat on his throne, stunned. The first notification was expected, but the second one sent a shock through him. Unify the entire Lower Plane... Ascension Road Restoration. The implications struck him with the force of a physical blow. So that was it. The path to the higher realms was ruined, which was why no one had been able to ascend for ages.
In his heart, Huai murmured, 'Accept rewards.'
The scene around him instantly changed. He immediately shielded the surroundings from any outside perception. Wuhe looked at him with happy eyes; having gone through reward processes himself many times, he knew Huai was about to become even stronger. Without a word, he stood guard before Huai, a silent protector.
Complex knowledge and countless techniques flooded Huai's mind as his cultivation level solidified. He was already a Divine Sovereign, a being hailed as supreme in the Divine Realm, a plane of existence even above the Immortal Realm. Now, however, his power was refined to an entirely new level. If he were to fight against any other Divine Sovereign, he could kill them with a single glance, no matter how powerful they were.
Huai opened his eyes. The world looked different, more refined and clear. He stood up, took Wuhe with him, and ascended into the sky. A huge, ethereal phantom of himself appeared above the Blue Star Planet.
The people of the Blue Star looked up at the figure with eyes filled with awe and terror. To normal people and low-level cultivators, he was like a god. Even Nexus, the Galaxy Sovereign, became alert. But when she arrived, she saw Shen Huai standing above the planet with Yan Wuhe beside him.
As he conjured the massive phantom, she wanted to ask what he was doing. But then, Huai took out a beautiful, ancient bell from his system space. The moment Nexus saw the bell, her eyes widened in shock. She couldn't see through it at all. How could she, a Galaxy Sovereign, a being above all others in this Lower Plane, be unable to perceive a mere object?
Before she could process it, Huai shook the bell. A beautiful chime rang out, echoing across the entire Blue Star. The people below, mesmerized by the sound, suddenly felt their inner power surging. One after another, they began to break through their cultivation realms.
In just a few seconds, people, beasts, and even old cultivators who had been stuck for centuries at the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence realm all broke through, ascending to a higher state. Younger cultivators shot up multiple realms at once.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, they immediately bowed toward Huai in reverence. But a simple bow didn't feel like enough. As one, they kowtowed, the entire population of the Blue Star prostrating themselves before their new master.
Huai's voice boomed across the planet, resonating in every soul.
"People of the Blue Star!
I am Shen Huai, Sect Master of the Eternal Sect.
From this day forward, the Blue Star is under my jurisdiction.
I will establish Eternal Academies in all regions. Attend the academies and become strong. Together, we will change the fate of humanity!"
The people immediately answered as one, their voices uniting into a single, planet-shaking roar. "As you wish, Planet Master! We will become strong and help humanity eliminate those filthy extraterrestrial creatures!"
The sound boomed across the planet, heralding the dawn of a new era.
Huai's phantom faded, and as Nexus approached, her gaze was still fixed on the space where the ancient bell had been.
"Citizen Huai," she said, her voice betraying a hint of awe, "what is that bell?"
Huai glanced in the direction she was looking. "The Eternal Bell," he answered simply. "Our sect's exclusive treasure."
Nexus's processing speed kicked into overdrive. "If you were to distribute that treasure for the good of humanity..."
Before she could finish, a smirk played on Huai's lips. He held out the bell to her. Nexus took it hurriedly and tried to ring it, putting her sovereign power behind the effort. But the bell didn't even budge. It sat inert in her hand as if it were a broken, mundane object.
Puzzled, Nexus looked to Huai for an answer. He just smiled and opened his hand. Instantly, the bell flew from her grasp, easily evading the restrictive power of a Galaxy Sovereign, and settled back into his palm.
Nexus became fully alert. She had never witnessed anything so powerful that it could simply ignore her authority and return to its owner.
Huai explained, "This bell is my natal weapon. Like my sword, it is bound to my very soul. No matter how powerful you are, Nexus, you cannot control it or make it obey."
He shook the bell gently. A beautiful chime once again rang through the sky. Nexus could feel her very soul being refreshed, her realm solidifying just from the sound. She felt... amazing.
Her gaze toward Huai shifted, now filled with a deep reverence. Shen Huai was already critically important to humanity. His unparalleled medical and pill-making knowledge had already secured him the title of Divine Physician. And now... his cultivation speed? She looked from Huai to Wuhe with eyes that could barely process what they were seeing.
"When," she asked, her voice laced with disbelief, "did you both reach the Galaxy Apprentice realm?"
Above the Star Realm was the Galaxy Realm, which was divided into eleven smaller realms:
1. Galaxy Apprentice 2. Galaxy General 3. Galaxy Master 4. Galaxy Grandmaster 5. Galaxy Lord 6. Galaxy King 7. Galaxy Emperor 8. Galaxy Saint 9. Galaxy Great Saint 10. Galaxy Venerable 11. Galaxy Sovereign
Huai returned the Eternal Bell to his system space and replied nonchalantly, "Is it some kind of crime to reach a higher level of cultivation?"
Nexus felt an error message trying to form in her core programming. She turned her gaze to Yan Wuhe, who completely ignored her.
As one of the fourteen sovereigns of humanity, she had never felt so thoroughly dismissed. These two were like eels, slipping through her grasp every time she tried to pin them down. She controlled her frustration and shifted to her official duties.
"You've taken control of the entire Blue Star. What is the realm of your sect members now? You should know it is my duty to alert the other forces with the proper sect token. You can't just kill indiscriminately."
Huai nodded. "They are all in seclusion. Perhaps when they emerge, they'll dominate the Star Realm?"
Nexus's confusion grew. "What did you do to them? Weren't they only at the Planetary Realm a few days ago?"
Huai sneered at her. "Why would I tell my secrets to a malfunctioning tin can with a broken intelligence?"
Nexus's pleasant expression turned grim. "What do you mean, I have broken intelligence?"
"Then tell me," Huai challenged, "do you know why no one can reach a higher realm after they become a Galaxy Sovereign?"
Nexus went still. Her core programming had always assumed that reaching a higher plane was simply a matter of accumulating enough cultivation over time. But even after thousands of years, none of the sovereigns had advanced.
"Do you know the answer?" she asked, her tone shifting from indignant to urgent.
"The path is broken," Huai said simply. "Search for it. Use all your vaunted knowledge. There is a path to ascend, and it has been broken."
Nexus's eyes widened. That information did not exist in her database. "Citizen Huai," she said immediately, her voice formal, "if this information is correct, you have made another huge contribution to humanity. I will give you your rewards after I confirm it."
Huai just shook his head in denial. "I don't need anything. Just don't show up in front of me again."
A smile returned to Nexus's face. She threw a token toward him and vanished. Huai caught it and saw it was a 4th-tier high-level sect token, with the word "Eternal" inscribed on the back.
He stared into the distance where she had disappeared and murmured under his breath, "Idiot. She gave me another troublesome thing."
A few days went by.
Then, on a quiet morning, the bell in the Eternal Hall rang, its chime resonating throughout the entire sect. The disciples, elders, hall masters, and Ancestor Gu Xuan—all of them—were alerted by the sound.
For them, twenty years had passed inside the Eternal Time Tower.
On a great hill, Lin Feng stood tall, his broad back straight in his white sect uniform. His gaze was firm as he looked toward the shimmering gate that had appeared, leading out of the tower.
Others across the sect did the same. In their own cultivation places, a beautiful gate materialized for each of them. In perfect unison, they stepped through and left the tower.
The aura emanating from them was profound, making the very air of the sect feel heavy with power. The more they progressed in their cultivation, the more they realized how extraordinary their sect truly was. They could now perceive the profound energy flowing from the sect's buildings and every blade of grass.
A gentle voice rang through the whole sect, yet it carried an undeniable weight.
"Meet me at the Eternal Hall!"
Everyone, from the highest-ranking ancestor to the lowest menial disciple, bowed in the direction of the Eternal Hall. They could feel the immense pressure emanating from that simple sentence.
They immediately made their way to the hall and entered to see their dear Sect Master sitting leisurely on his personal throne, while their Grand Elder stood behind him with a dignified posture.
Everyone gave a deep salute.
"Greetings, Sect Master! Greetings, Grand Elder!"
They could all feel just how profound Huai's cultivation level was now. Even after reaching their current realms, they couldn't see through him at all.
Huai looked over everyone. The sixteen special disciples had all reached the realm of Peak Galaxy Sovereign, their cultivation solid and stable. He looked at Ancestor Gu Xuan and the eight hall masters; they had all reached the Star Sovereign realm, ranging from the fifth level to the peak. All inner elders were at least at the Star Venerable realm, while all outer elders had reached the Star Great Saint realm. Deacons, envoys, and stewards were all at the Star Saint realm or higher. The inner disciples had reached the Star Saint realm, while the outer disciples were at the Star Emperor realm. Even the menial disciples had attained the Star King realm or higher.
Finally, Huai looked toward his martial brothers and sisters. The core disciples of the sect had all reached the Star Great Saint realm, with some on the verge of breaking through again.
Huai nodded in satisfaction. He then informed them that he had established Eternal Academies all over the Blue Star, that all the forces on the planet were now affiliated with their Eternal Sect, and the good news of their sect's advancement to a 4th-tier high-level sect.
A wave of profound happiness swept over everyone. They had never imagined in their wildest dreams that their sect could become a 4th-tier high-level sect in just a few months. All of this was because of their Sect Master. They all looked at Huai with even deeper reverence.