Evergod's heart instinctively pounded with the ferocity of a thousand volcanic eruptions, and his Mystic Power violently seethed within the confines of his body, exerting terrifying pressure across the immediate space. This forceful display did nothing to intimidate the incoming presence that he sensed.
"Why are you here?" Evergod asked rhetorically, not expecting an answer from an unintelligent, abhorrent creature of the Dark Void. Directly before him, the spatial wakes unleashed were signs of an Apex Predator of the Dark Void. A near-mythological legend told amongst Void Pirates and Void Hunters that was greatly feared, mentioned throughout written history with different names in each era, and folded into countless dread-inducing, soul-terrorizing stories.
In the first fully recognized era of the Sealed Regions, when the cultivation society had breached the Mortal Limits, allowing cultivators to soar into the Dark Void freely, existing and exploring the depths of the vast unknown, this creature was referred to as 'The Spirit of the Void'. It was revered by the elites of that time, highly regarded, heavily feared, and deeply respected as an entity born from the void and should be left untouched.
There were incidents where the greedy and curious sought to capture this creature yet the reports of that time was only marked by a single line: "...None returned."
Its sight-seen activity then than it was today; those of that era could often see it from the surface of planets and flat continental earths as ripples in the greater sky, and so it birthed countless myths and even religions. On certain days, they could make out its elongated silhouette.
As the society of the cultivation world continued to grow, so did the exposure to the creature and the understanding of its nature. When the Mystic Enlightenment Era ended, bringing forth the I leaven-Bound Imperial Heaven, the Wu Clan gave it the title of 'The Warden'. The Wu Clan preached unity amongst all and sought to congregate the world's experts into a single unit to bring forth greater change. This inevitably allowed the world to experience its most significant advancement cultural advancement before the War of Fallen Stars unfolded, especially in regards to travel.
The collapse of countless civilizations and the thieving of various Solar Stars had brought endless despair and boundless agony before the arrival of a bloody war of the desperate, greedy, and fearful. When the Dark Stars Era began, the Spirit, or the Warden, was given another name: The Vanishing Serpent.
It began to enact acts of terror; many Ascended beings of that time lost their lives due to their unfettered traveling across the Dark Void, seemingly disturbing its natural habitat. No one knew why it began to act aggressively, with some scholars suggesting that Voidship activity had disturbed it or that it had been injured by a reckless expert, but reports of entire fleets of Voidships vanishing without cause or reason kept occurring. Those who witnessed those Voidships vanish often reported seeing the silhouette of a long, serpentine creature at that moment.
Some saw' it clearer than others, while a few reported these events as sporadic 'Vanishing Points' incidents; for those who traversed the Dark Void were simply unlucky to encounter this phenomenon. This later became a known potential danger that many had to begrudgingly accept when they wished to travel across the starry skies. To Void Hunters and Void Pirates that sought fortune outside of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region in the current era, it was an accepted risk.
It was only during the Aeternal Sky Era that most of the populace was concentrated in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, and those reports had slowly and naturally decreased, kept to those brave enough to search the dead stellar regions and collapsed starfields of the past eras as a horror story.
Due to this creature's almost complete lack of presence in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, it hadn't gained a new name in recent years. Evergod was aware of this creature's existence as one of the few that had lived during its most hostile period-the Dark Stars Era-but he hadn't expected to encounter it today. His eyes subconsciously looked beyond the ripples, seeing the brilliance of Baby Defiant in the far distance, and his emotions boiled.
He didn't know why he was unlucky enough to encounter this bizarre and ancient creature here, but he didn't have time to delay, given that each second that passed granted Wei Wuyin an additional chance to escape or prepare. Unbeknownst to him, his target was receiving pleasures that few in the Sealed Regions could ever experience, completely uncaring of his existence or intent.
As for why?
Evergod would soon find out.
BOOSH!
With a tempestuous emission of Mystic Aura, a burst of world-rending, rnana-crushing strength exploded! Evergod's body moved using a wide arching maneuver, avoiding the faint outline of the creature at extreme speeds. While it might delay him a few seconds, going around was much faster than going through.
WOOSH!!
"!" Evergod's senses warned him yet again, and he felt fixed space bend as a cascading ripple bore down on him with unerring accuracy! From the faint slender outline gathered by his Ocular Spell, Evergod instantly knew that a colossal tail was swatting towards him with planet-crushing strength.
Just as before, his legs pressed down softly, and a foundation of condensed Chaos Mana formed via Mana Dominance. The platform served as a foundation as he pushed off, dodging the strike. He bounced from his jump and redirected himself, his intentions not changing as he sought to avoid the creature.
WOOSH!!
"What?!" Evergod was now a little pissed and flabbergasted as another unseen tailing swipe came his way. He spun, twisting his body as he kicked off another mana platform, displaying incredible agility as he dodged yet again. After two more attempts, both of which were accurately thwarted, Evergod found himself further away from Little Defiant than before.
He briefly retreated. As he did, the creature remained silent. Then, he halted with a solemn light flickering within his indifferent gaze.
"You're stopping me?" The glow in his hand intensified as a rage-filled heart roared; outwardly, Evergod's expression was the picture of darkened cairn. He didn't believe this creature to be a slave under Wei Wuyin's control. This creature's existence was an enigma, a byproduct of the unknown Dark Void's environment, and from what he knew, it was an unintelligent, untameable, and unfathomable being. It was extremely similar to the Star-Devourer that destroyed the Everlore Starfield in that its purpose was very difficult to determine.
However, the creature was indeed stopping him from moving forward. He had tried to take a roundabout route, but his intentions seemed to be read, and the creature would react, violently swatting towards him with its tail. If he were an ordinary Earthly Saint by the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region's standards, roughly about a 2nd Runic Ascendant, he would've died a few' times by now.
But why?
Evergod could not determine why this ancient creature that had likely existed before the written history of the Sealed Regions wras actively trying to hinder him at the edge of the Earthbound Wave Stellar Region. The question floated in his soul, unanswered. His eyes grew increasingly colder with each passing second, especially since this would give Wei Wuyin additional time to make preparations.
He couldn't trust the Grand Sage-no, he could trust the Grand Sage to an extent, but he could not trust the Grand Seer. That conniving white-eyed bitch was black-hearted, insidious, and selfish long before she joined the Golden Gate Pavilion. There was no guarantee that she hadn't placed a mark on him silently to move this creature or simply made a profitable deal with Wei Wuyin to delay him.
Perhaps his thoughts were filled with negative emotions and perceptions, but this felt increasingly likely the more he dwelled on the entire thing. The creature had arrived just shortly after the Ever-Key was retrieved. Moreover, the creature wasn't actively trying to kill him but trying to prevent him from approaching the Neo-Dawn Starfield. If all this was put together, the thought of their collusion was a completely feasible conclusion.
And if there w'as an existence that could rear or manipulate this creature, then the Golden Gate Pavilion and the Void Voyage Sect were the two forces that could do so. Considering how the latter had been completely silent for the past few decades, it seemed more likely to be the Golden Gate Pavilion.
"Fine, I'll deal with you first." Evergod knew that the creature had a strange, innate power to traverse the chaotic dimensions of space silently and swiftly. Unless it was breaching fixed space as it attacked, it was extremely difficult to notice it, and its movement speed was peerless. Given his understanding of its power, trying to outrun it was a fool's errand, especially since he was unable to tap into Spatial Shifting with 'that' in his hand.
Evergod briefly glanced at his glowing hand, then his eyes exuded murderous light. He had to waste a trump card for this. The thought infuriated him, but he didn't hesitate!
Suddenly, the light, mana, gravity, energies, space, and time began to fluctuate, bend, and twist around Evergod's figure. As an Alchemist, Evergod was often overlooked when it came to top-tier experts. He never fought publicly, not even exerting any trace of his Mystic Aura unless it was a subconscious response, and even then, he never fully unleashed his cultivated strength.
Countless have long forgotten the terror of the Dark Stars Era, the struggles that every being in existence had to deal with as greed ran rampant, murder was as common as eating, and death occurred in literal droves. The population of the eighteen Stellar Regions of the world had undergone a drastic decrease that, even to this day, it had never recovered from. The viciousness of those days was unheard of.
As an Alchemist of those early days, an originally unprotected class that was often abused and exploited, Evergod had established himself as possessing the Number ONE Alchemic Association without anyone else. The sheer terror and respect that his original name and title induced was unheard of.
"How long has it been?" He thought to himself.
How long had it been since he last fought outside of sparring with his Ever-Knights?
Too long.
Suddenly, Mystic Runes, by the tens of thousands, began to manifest around Evergod as a pulse of power rippled out. The creature's silhouette grew clearer as space was pushed aside, excavating it from its hidden location.
One...two...four...
The number of different Mystic Runes kept rising!
Five...six...eight...
NINE!
ALL NINE!!
Evergod placed his glowing fist behind his back, his eyes revealing the imposing presence of a trained, lethal expert-intense, chilling, and unsettled. If Evergod had decided to actively participate in the discussion of Number ONE Earthly Saint of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, if he had proclaimed himself as second, no one, not the Soul Saint King, not the Boundless Martial High King, and not the Imperial Advisor, would dare confidently claim first!
BOOSH!
Evergod moved! His body was effusing a faint light radiance, allowing him to arrive instantly below the silhouette, and with a single punch, his Mystic Power roared!
