The Heavenly Calamity Cult's Dossier

The Mirage Dragon regarded Lu Yuan and spoke:

"Given your current degree of Origin Awakening, you should be able to sense the connection between the Origin and the Land of Origin, yes?"

Lu Yuan recalled those earlier sensations and nodded.

"Yes, I can sense it."

"The areas connected to the Origin mark the locations of Origin Fragments. Each fragment has a guardian — beings like myself who protect the fragments while awaiting you, the Inheritor, to come face their trials. Of course, not all guardians are as agreeable as I am. Whether you can earn their recognition and convince them to hand over their fragments... that will be entirely up to you."

Lu Yuan nodded thoughtfully.

"Understood. Thank you for the guidance, Senior Mirage Dragon."

His original purpose in coming to the Mist Forest had been to find a way to evolve Divine Grade genes beyond Divine Grade using the Evolution Cube — and ideally to learn the Cube's true origins.

Both objectives were accomplished. The trip had already been worthwhile.

On top of that, the Heart of Laws and the Origin Fragments were unexpected bonuses.

Lu Yuan was more than satisfied.

As for the other guardians' territories, he planned to wait until he broke through to War God and tempered all his Divine Grade genes to perfection before paying them a visit.

Whether to use the Heart of Laws first — that could wait.

For now, he had a clear direction and a solid grasp of his path forward. There was no need for the urgency he'd felt before.

Once he returned, he'd temper the Sands of Time to perfection, then break through the final Gene Lock and reach War God. Everything else could come after.

The Mirage Dragon observed his contemplative expression. Its majestic voice rumbled forth:

"Very well, Inheritor of the Origin. You may leave now. Continue your growth."

A pause, then it added:

"When you are ready to venture into the Chaos Space and destroy the Aberrant Beast Mother Nest, come notify me. I will lend you my strength."

Lu Yuan nodded. "Understood. Thank you, Senior Mirage Dragon."

The Mirage Dragon dipped its great head. White mist churned and slowly sank, descending back into the central reaches of the Mist Forest. The fog rolled and settled, and silence reclaimed the land.

Lu Yuan gazed down at the mist below, then noticed the devastation their battle had wrought upon the forest. Vast swaths of trees lay in ruin, and enormous craters and jagged trenches scarred the landscape in every direction.

He frowned slightly.

Then he dismissed Shadow Divine Kingdom, deactivated all his other Combat Techniques, and let Spirit Power surge from him in torrents.

In the next instant, bronze-colored sand swirled into the air, carried on the wind. Countless grains spread outward until they blanketed the entire Mist Forest.

His Spirit Power pulsed. Clock hands materialized in his eyes and spun counterclockwise. The massive craters slowly filled themselves in. Trenches sealed shut. Trees reconstituted from ash and splinters, merging together and rising once more as towering giants.

Time flowed in reverse. Everything returned to its original state — even Feral Beasts that had perished in the battle's shockwaves stirred back to life.

These were all below Third-rank, far too weak to cost him any significant effort to restore. A casual gesture, nothing more.

The revived beasts blinked in bewilderment, clearly unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Outside the Mist Forest.

The Tianming Sage and the others had been waiting for a full ten days.

Throughout that time, the bronze-shimmering Shadow Divine Kingdom and the Mirage Dragon's Illusory Realm continued to roil with terrifying power. Neither side's aura had diminished in the slightest.

The gathered onlookers exchanged uneasy glances.

"Don't they ever get tired?"

"Seriously — a battle this intense, sustained for this long?"

"How much longer is this going to last?"

Just as confusion reached its peak, the fluctuations of combat between the two domains ceased.

Everything went still.

"What happened? It stopped?"

"Has someone won? Who?"

All eyes fixed on the sky above the Mist Forest, burning with curiosity.

But only silence answered them.

It wasn't until much later that the white mist began to churn and descend, finally settling back into the forest's central region.

Relief and excitement rippled through the crowd — they believed Lu Yuan had won.

Then the Shadow Divine Kingdom dissolved as well, revealing the figure within. That familiar silhouette was instantly recognizable.

"It really is Yuan. What a kid — absolutely incredible!" Li Xinghai laughed.

The others nodded in agreement.

Then they saw countless bronze grains materialize in the sky. The sand swirled and danced, and the shattered Mist Forest seemed to have its rewind button pressed.

Everything began playing in reverse. The devastated forest restored itself, and even the Feral Beasts within came back to life.

The spectators outside the Mist Forest fell utterly silent, staring slack-jawed at the transformation.

To the Tianming Sage and the others, this was nothing short of a miracle.

"Is this... the power of a War God?"

Someone's trembling voice broke the hush.

Every face turned toward Lu Yuan, expressions fraught with complex emotion.

The ability to reverse time and restore everything to its original state — it defied imagination.

Yan Liang watched Lu Yuan wreathed in swirling bronze sand, and something like reverence crept into his gaze. Witnessing such power firsthand sent ice shooting down his spine.

Anastasia looked at Lu Yuan with a new gleam of admiration. In the past, her pride would never have allowed her to concede that anyone was her equal. But encounter after encounter with Lu Yuan had forced her to acknowledge the truth — compared to him, she was still far outmatched.

After restoring the Mist Forest, Lu Yuan gave a nod toward the central mist. He knew the Mirage Dragon was watching.

The nod served as his farewell.

Then he turned his attention to the crowd gathered beyond the tree line. He'd sensed their presence earlier, but the battle with the Mirage Dragon had consumed his focus.

His body vanished from where he hovered and reappeared before the Tianming Sage's group. A smile spread across his face.

"Elders, what brings you all the way out here?"

He nodded to the others as well. "Senior Gladys, Anastasia — you're here too."

The Tianming Sage gave him a helpless look. "Your battle with that Divine Grade entity in the Mist Forest made enough noise for the entire White Cloud Continent to notice. What did you expect?"

Lu Yuan smiled sheepishly. "Couldn't be helped. When I go all out, it's hard to hold back."

Li Xinghai glanced at the dense fog in the forest's center, curiosity getting the better of him. "So, Yuan — was the thing fighting you that Mirage Dragon you mentioned before? Who won? How did it end?"

"Yes, that was Senior Mirage Dragon. A draw, more or less. I sought him out to confirm a few things."

"A draw?"

Sharp intakes of breath sounded all around. Shocked gazes darted toward the fog-shrouded depths.

Over the years, plenty of Battle Emperors and Battle Saints had ventured into the Mist Forest's interior to discover what lurked within. Every last one had died trying.

Now they learned that the being inside could fight Lu Yuan to a standstill — no wonder no one had ever returned with answers.

Then another realization struck them.

Si Qi looked at Lu Yuan. "Confirm a few things? What things?"

Lu Yuan smiled. "Some matters related to the Aberration and the Spatial Rifts."

The group nodded and didn't press further. Only those at Battle Saint level and above had any real understanding of such topics. For Battle Emperors, it was simply beyond their tier — asking wouldn't help.

"So it's all settled now?" the Tianming Sage asked.

"Yes, it's done."

"Then what's your plan from here?" Adams asked with a smile.

Lu Yuan considered for a moment, then answered with a grin. "Keep training, I suppose. I'm still too weak."

After witnessing the Mirage Dragon's power, he realized that what he'd once thought was formidable strength was nowhere near enough. He might rank among the universe's elite, but merely being the universe's elite wouldn't suffice.

He needed to reach the absolute pinnacle. Only then would he stand any chance of destroying the Aberrant Beast Mother Nest and protecting everything that mattered.

This universe — and the people he cared about.

The crowd: "..."

Mouths twitched. Expressions turned strange.

*Too weak...*

If even Lu Yuan at Divine Grade called himself too weak, what did that make the rest of them?

Nobody wanted to talk anymore.

"Well, if everything's resolved here, let's disperse," the Tianming Sage said.

The other powerhouses who'd gathered nodded, offered Lu Yuan respectful greetings, and departed one by one.

Wenge approached with a smile. "How's Amy been lately? She hasn't been causing you any trouble, has she?"

Lu Yuan paused, remembering how Amy always wore a vaguely terrified expression around him. The corner of his eye twitched.

"No, no trouble at all."

He was just curious what exactly Gwen had been telling the girl.

"Good to hear. Well, I'll be heading back. Come over for dinner sometime — Gwen will cook personally."

"Sure, sounds good."

Lu Yuan smiled and nodded.

Adams, Li Xinghai, and the others said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. At their level, daily life alternated between training and managing affairs. Lu Yuan's battle with the Mirage Dragon had sent shockwaves across the continent, and now that they'd confirmed the situation was under control, they needed to return and handle the fallout.

Gladys and her group departed too. In the end, only Anastasia remained.

Nina and Xia Zhi had wanted to stay as well, but Gladys seized them with her power and hauled them away by force.

Lu Yuan looked at Anastasia and smiled. "Anastasia, why didn't you leave with them?"

She brushed a strand of dark crimson hair from her face and met his gaze with that characteristically bold, direct smile of hers.

"I want to go with you."

"Hm? Go with me?"

Lu Yuan blinked.

"Yes. Wherever you go, I go."

He studied her with a peculiar expression.

Anastasia arched an eyebrow. Nervousness fluttered inside her chest, though none of it showed on her face.

"What, you don't want me to? Didn't you say to let you know when I broke through to Battle Sovereign? I'm going to break through any day now."

Lu Yuan chuckled. "It's not that I don't want you to."

He thought of Li Qinghe and the others waiting at home, and a headache began to form.

Still, they all knew Anastasia. She'd run into them plenty of times during her previous visits.

They just didn't know each other particularly well yet.

*Oh well. Might as well bring her along.*

*Worst case, Qinghe and the others give me a proper scolding.*

"Let's go, then. Time to head back."

Anastasia froze for a beat, then broke into a smile. "Mm."

Without hesitation, she looped her arm through his.

Compared to the others, Anastasia's personality had always made her this direct. Now that things were settled between them, she saw no reason to be coy about it.

The real world. Heavenly Calamity Star.

Inside the great hall of the Heavenly Calamity Cult's headquarters.

The Grand Archbishop sat upon his elevated throne, gaze fixed on Xue Han below.

Xue Han knelt on one knee. Under the weight of that stare, cold sweat beaded across her forehead.

She spoke carefully. "Your Eminence, we have obtained intelligence on that human Divine Grade powerhouse."

"Go on."

The Grand Archbishop straightened slightly in his seat.

"Through our operatives embedded in Great Qi Star's lower echelons, we collected information from public networks and the Battle Net regarding this human powerhouse. What we discovered is... highly unusual."

"Unusual?" The Grand Archbishop's brow creased. Green eyes bored into Xue Han. "How so?"

"This human powerhouse appears to have Awakened as a Gene Warrior only a little over four years ago. Yet in that brief span, he demonstrated extraordinary talent and power. His first notable appearance was four years ago, during the opening of the Aier Mechanical Ruins in the Land of Origin's White Cloud Continent. At the time, he was a Second-Rank Battle Master with a Lord Grade gene inscription. Working with allies, he managed to kill a Second-Rank Battle Master who possessed a Battle King-grade gene. From that point on, he advanced at a staggering pace, accomplishing feats across Great Qi Star that defied belief."

She paused, then continued. "However, what's particularly concerning is that he appears to have been concealing his true strength the entire time. Even after claiming the top position on the Prodigy Rankings, the King Rankings, and the Emperor Rankings, he never displayed power consistent with a Divine Grade gene inscription. When he killed the Gaston Demon Dog, it's likely no one on Great Qi Star suspected he possessed Battle Saint-level combat power. It was only recently that he fully revealed his strength. This is someone with an exceptional talent for concealment."

Frankly, if Xue Han hadn't already known that this human powerhouse had recently demonstrated Divine Grade strength in public, she would have looked at his file and seen nothing more than an exceptionally gifted Gene Warrior — someone with a brilliant future ahead, certainly, but never someone she'd have believed was already a War God.

The Grand Archbishop did not interrupt. When she finished, he looked down at her. Green flames flickered in his eyes, tinged with disbelief.

"...You're telling me this human War God has only been Awakened for a little over four years?"

The corner of Xue Han's mouth twitched. She kept her head lowered, not daring to meet his gaze.

"As difficult as it is to believe, based on the intelligence my subordinates have gathered... yes."

"..."

The great hall plunged into dead silence.