Restorer

What in the world was a Pursuer, anyway?

Was it hunting... had it come to hunt this Elf elder?

No, that didn't add up. Earlier, when Lu Yuan had asked why the elder sought him out, the old man had said he'd understand shortly.

Wait — this thing couldn't actually be coming for *him*, could it?

An odd expression crept across Lu Yuan's face.

That seemed impossible.

He was just a weak, pitiful, helpless little Battle King. What possible reason could an Emperor Grade Aberration Feral Beast have to come after *him*?

Since when was he that important?

Surely not.

While Lu Yuan was still turning this over in his head, the massive Aberration Feral Beast let out a roar. Its gaze swept over Lu Yuan and the Elf elder below, sinister green light churning across its entire body.

Its terrifying power radiated outward. Even at the distant Gnoll stronghold, the Gnolls already mired in chaos felt the oppressive aura wash over them.

The desperate Gnolls craned their heads toward the source, eyes filled with bewilderment and dread.

"What is happening?"

"Such a powerful, unsettling aura — could this be the one who sealed the spatial gate?"

Panic gripped the Gnolls. A being radiating this much power could wipe them out without a second thought. They couldn't help but wonder whether the only reason they were still breathing was that this powerhouse was toying with them — a cat playing with mice.

Why would someone like that bother with them? They couldn't fathom what they had done to deserve this attention.

But it wasn't just the Gnolls. Far across the frozen plain in the human encampment, a number of human powerhouses also turned their gaze toward the source of that aura.

An aura that vastly surpassed any ordinary Battle Emperor — one that could be felt across the entirety of Ice Vein Star, even by human warriors stationed at the farthest reaches.

Those human warriors exchanged uneasy looks, unease written plainly across their faces.

Just as the Aberration Feral Beast coiled to attack, the Elf elder gave a soft chuckle and extended his right hand toward it.

In the next instant, the creature froze mid-air as though pinned in place like a specimen in a display case, the churning green light vanishing from its body.

Then the space around it simply shattered. The beast was torn apart along with it, dissolving without a sound into a fine mist of blood. Its aura extinguished on the spot.

Lu Yuan stood there, momentarily speechless.

A creature that far surpassed any ordinary Battle Emperor... just died like that?

So calmly. So quickly. It was almost impossible to believe that had been an Emperor Grade Aberration Feral Beast.

*This Elf elder... he must be even stronger than the Tianming Sage.*

He stared at the old man — who wore a perfectly amiable expression — with barely concealed shock.

At that moment, a dense, refreshing wave of energy seeped into Lu Yuan's body and flowed into the Evolution Cube.

The Evolution Cube within him flickered with a deep, pale-blue radiance.

Lu Yuan snapped back to his senses, a pleasant surprise blooming in his chest.

He hadn't expected this bonus. The unknown energy from this kill was second only to what he'd absorbed from the grotesque flesh mass in the Valley of Night.

With this latest absorption, the Evolution Cube was one step closer to its next metamorphosis.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before it could begin its third transformation.

After dispatching the Emperor Grade Aberration Feral Beast as casually as swatting a fly, the Elf elder turned to look at Lu Yuan, a smile on his face.

"Now do you understand why I came looking for you?"

Lu Yuan: "...Not entirely."

The elder smiled and explained, "This Aberration Feral Beast is called a Rift Pursuer. Whenever a Spatial Rift is repaired, a Pursuer will track the one responsible and come to kill them. You repaired a Spatial Rift earlier — so the Pursuer came."

Lu Yuan was taken aback. "Repairing a Spatial Rift attracts Rift Pursuers?! Why?"

He suddenly recalled something his mentor had mentioned long ago — that spatial rifts existed scattered throughout the entire universe.

And that their numbers seemed to be growing.

He had wondered about it back then: why were so many rifts appearing so suddenly? But this he hadn't anticipated at all. Even the act of repairing one could draw a creature this powerful?

That was entirely beyond anything he'd expected.

The Elf elder tilted his head at the question.

"Heh... how much do you know about the Aberration?"

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Very little, I'm afraid. I know only that it manifests throughout the universe. A friend once told me that Aberration Entities don't belong to our universe — that they can't truly be destroyed."

The Elf elder nodded, his expression warm. "To be precise, the Aberration is an erosion originating from beyond our universe. Spatial Rifts are the cracks that erosion tears into space — the universe's 'wounds.' The more wounds it has, the weaker the universe becomes, and the deeper the erosion reaches. Eventually, the entire universe would be consumed. And now that someone is working to heal those wounds, naturally the Aberration pushes back. That is why, every time a Spatial Rift is repaired, a Pursuer comes seeking the one who did it."

Lu Yuan's eyes widened slightly as understanding clicked into place. "I see. If the Spatial Rifts are repaired, the fabric of the universe gradually stabilizes again, making it harder for the Aberration to continue its erosion?"

"Heh... precisely."

Lu Yuan's mouth twitched. He finally understood why an Emperor Grade Aberration Feral Beast of that magnitude had suddenly appeared here.

Because he had repaired the Spatial Rift. The Aberration had reacted on instinct — sending a Pursuer to eliminate the one who could heal those wounds.

*Well. How was he supposed to know that repairing a Spatial Rift would trigger something like this?*

Had he known, he absolutely would not have touched it — or at least, not until he was strong enough to handle whatever Rift Pursuer came tracking after him.

And just like that, he recalled his earlier plan — once he was stronger — to go and repair the Spatial Rifts in the two Forbidden Zones along the Red Maple Empire's borders.

Those rifts were far larger than this one.

If repairing this relatively small rift had summoned an Emperor Grade creature, what would repairing those larger ones bring?

Ice shot down his spine at the thought.

He pressed his lips together — they had gone a little dry — and looked at the elder.

"...Are Rift Pursuers always this powerful?"

The smile faded from the Elf elder's face. He regarded Lu Yuan with a grave expression for a moment before giving a quiet laugh.

"Trust me, Rift Pursuers are far stronger than you're imagining. The weakest among them are Emperor Grade."

Lu Yuan: "..."

*The weakest are Emperor Grade?*

*I'm sorry. I will never do this again.*

He decided then and there that he wouldn't repair another Spatial Rift until he reached Battle Sovereign rank — actually, no. Even freshly breaking through to Battle Sovereign wasn't enough. He still wouldn't dare.

Aberration Feral Beasts were generally far stronger than Gene Warriors of the same rank. Even at Battle Sovereign, he didn't think he'd be a match for an Emperor Grade Aberration Feral Beast.

Something else occurred to him. He looked curiously at the Elf elder. "Senior, then why did you appear here all of a sudden?"

The Elf elder let out a warm laugh. "If the universe has wounds, then someone must be there to heal them. Those of us who possess Spatial Type Transcendent Genes devote ourselves to repairing Spatial Rifts across the universe. We are the universe's Restorers — traveling from world to world, mending what we can, hoping to slow the Aberration's advance before it's too late."

A genuine swell of respect rose in Lu Yuan's chest. "I see. You are truly admirable, Senior."

The Elf elder shook his head. "The universe is the mother of all living things. If it is fully consumed by the Aberration, we all perish."

He sighed. "But repairing Spatial Rifts only treats the symptoms, not the disease. As long as the source of the Aberration beyond our universe remains, the erosion never truly stops. And Gene Warriors with Spatial Type Transcendent Genes are extraordinarily rare to begin with — those capable of handling the Pursuers, rarer still. Even with all of us Restorers working at full capacity, the best we can manage is to slow the rate of erosion. We can't even keep pace with how quickly new rifts are forming."

His expression darkened. "We are running out of time."

A weight settled in Lu Yuan's chest.

He thought of himself — if he could break through to Battle Emperor quickly enough, he might actually be able to help.

At Battle Emperor rank, he could handle Emperor Grade Aberration Feral Beasts without trouble. Even against Saint Grade ones, if he threw caution to the wind, he might have a fighting chance.

But even so, he was only one person. How much could a single person accomplish in a universe this vast?

Unless more Spatial Type Gene Warriors emerged — or he himself broke through to War God rank.

*No, that's not right either. There must be more than one or two War Gods in the entire universe, and things still haven't improved.*

And if the source of the Aberration existed beyond this universe — why hadn't anyone gone to destroy it?

"Senior," Lu Yuan asked, genuinely curious, "if the source of the Aberration lies beyond our universe, is it possible to destroy it?"

At that, the Elf elder's lips curved into a faint smile. But behind the smile, Lu Yuan could taste something unmistakably bitter.

"Young man, focus on your cultivation. When your strength is sufficient... perhaps you'll be the one to accomplish it."

Lu Yuan: "..."

*He has the feeling the old man is trying to comfort him.*

*Or perhaps comfort himself.*

Things were clearly far more dire than Lu Yuan had imagined.

A dull ache settled behind his eyes.

*If he broke through to War God and evolved all his Transcendent Genes to Divine Grade... would that be enough to eliminate the source of the Aberration?*

*Maybe even that wasn't enough. Maybe he'd need to push his Transcendent Genes beyond Divine Grade.*

The pressure bearing down on him suddenly felt enormous.

He forced a smile. "I'll do my best."

The Elf elder smiled back and looked him over.

"Your Spatial Type Transcendent Gene is impressive. A shame your overall strength isn't quite there yet. Once you break through to Battle Emperor, come find me in Sky-Mending City — it's in the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin. That is, if you're interested in becoming a Restorer."

Lu Yuan nodded without hesitation. "I will come find you, Senior."

The Elf elder gave an approving nod, then glanced toward the human base in the distance.

"Is that the Spatial Rift connected to your people's planet?"

Lu Yuan nodded, his feelings complicated. He wasn't sure whether the elder intended to repair it. Objectively, repairing it was the right thing to do — but if he did, the Red Maple Empire would lose access to the Ice Vein Crystal ore.

The Elf elder seemed to read his concern and smiled.

"Don't worry. Even we Restorers work by priority. Rifts that connect to resource-bearing worlds aren't the first on our list — they take lower precedence. We focus first on rifts that serve no useful purpose. After all, for any civilization to grow stronger by gathering resources is ultimately a benefit for all of us. The stronger everyone becomes, the better equipped they are to fight the Aberration."

Understanding dawned. Lu Yuan relaxed and smiled. "I understand, Senior."

The Elf elder smiled warmly and nodded. "Good. I should be going. Oh — one more thing: what I've told you today, keep it to yourself."

Lu Yuan blinked, then gave a small nod. "Of course."

If word spread that the situation was this grave — that the entire universe might be careening toward an end — people would lose all composure long before any crisis arrived. The result would only be chaos.

The elder had likely confided in him precisely because Lu Yuan had already demonstrated the ability to repair Spatial Rifts, and because he was deliberately cultivating him as a future Restorer.

"One more thing, Senior — may I ask your name?"

It had just occurred to him that he still didn't know.

"Heh. My name is Solomon Silver Moon. Young man, I hope to see you in Sky-Mending City soon."

With that, he vanished.

Once again, Lu Yuan had no idea how the old man had done it.

He stood there for a moment, then drew a slow breath, committing the name Solomon Silver Moon to memory. He needed to advance his cultivation as quickly as possible.

Once he reached Battle Sovereign rank and had tempered most of his Transcendent Genes to completion, he would resume repairing Spatial Rifts.

The thought sharpened a new urgency in his chest. He needed to get back and cultivate.

He was still at Battle King Rank. At his current pace, breaking through to Battle Sovereign would take roughly half a year — and after that, he'd need extensive time to temper whatever Transcendent Genes came next.

*The road ahead is long.*

He sighed, then vanished, reappearing at the human base.

In the shadows there, he found a cluster of human Battle King and Battle Sovereign warriors hovering in the air, staring in one direction with unsettled expressions.

He followed their gaze — and his step faltered.

They were staring toward exactly where he'd just come from.

*Right.*

The commotion from the Aberration Feral Beast had been felt all the way over here.

But it was over now.

He thought of the Emperor Grade Aberration Feral Beast — shattered into nothing along with the space around it. His mouth twitched.

*That old man is something else entirely.*

He shook his head, paid the warriors of Ice Vein Star no further attention, and vanished — slipping through a Spatial Rift back to Great Qi Star.

From there, he disappeared once more, arriving back in his room at home in the Imperial Capital.

Reflecting on everything that had happened today, he let out a slow breath — and returned to his cultivation.