"Brat, how much do you know about the force called Niflheim?"
Hearing Tian Yang's sudden question, Damien's eyes widened. Niflheim, with everything that had happened in the past few years, he almost forgot about them. Hearing them brought up now was an immense surprise.
"Hmm, an organization that called itself Niflheim was attempting something with the World Core of my homeworld a few years ago. I remember they clashed with forces dispatched from this world, but I'm not sure if it's the same Niflheim you're talking about." Damien answered.
Tian Yang shook his head. "No, it is most likely the same force. In fact, Niflheim has been in conflict with our Cloud Plane for a few decades already. As for the reason, it is because they are the Nox's main subsidiary force in our sector of the universe."
Damien's eyes hardened. Although he didn't know much about Niflheim, he understood the significance of their position. Basically, Niflheim was a cornerstone of the Nox's plans.
But Damien decided to ask a different question first. For him to better understand the big picture, he couldn't be ignorant about information that others considered common knowledge. "Sectors? Can you explain more about them?"
"Well, it's not very difficult to understand. With how vast the universe is, it's only natural for it to be split into sectors. As for the total number of known sectors, there are nine.
"Each sector is home to hundreds or thousands of worlds. However, most of these are simple beginner worlds like the Earth that you have mentioned before. For a world to promote its level is not a simple task. Middle worlds like our Cloud Plane only number in the thousands even when considering the universe as a whole.
"The nine sectors were never given specified names, and even if they were, there is too little contact between sectors for it to matter. For convenience, we tend to call the sectors simply by the numbers 1-9 based on their ranking.
"Each sector has a different ruling race that is more prominent than other races in the same area. As for us, we are Sector 3, the Human Domain."
Damien furrowed his brow. The information Tian Yang gave was indeed simple, but it once again drilled into Damien's mind the true vastness of the universe.
"Apart from the 9 sectors you mentioned, what about the rest of the universe? There must be a reason why you specified that they are the nine "known" sectors."
Tian Yang smiled. "The universe is infinitely expanding. How can we mere creations dare claim we know the true depths of it? Even Demigods might not be able to comprehend that much. The universe outside of the 9 Sectors is often called the void, the abyss, or many other names along the same lines.
"It's a dangerous place where time doesn't flow linearly like we are used to, where dead zones filled with destroyed stars and rampant energy are common. The reason why the 9 Sectors are considered the "known" universe is because these 9 Sectors are the only places where true "order" exists.
"The time flow within the 9 Sectors is consistent, and they are widely inhabitable by living beings. The vast starry sky beyond the sectors is a place where not many dare to traverse."
Damien's eyes were slowly filled with hunger as he continued listening to Tian Yang's information. His love of adventure was sparked aflame once more.
But he quelled his excitement soon enough. As he thought more about what Tian Yang said, he became a little worried.
"How about the Nox? Hasn't their Main World gone undiscovered even to this day? Doesn't that mean it exists within the Abyss? And doesn't that mean the Nox can traverse the Abyss safely? If so, haven't they conquered far more of the universe than we're aware of?"
Tian Yang accepted Damien's barrage of questions without complaint. After all, it was completely normal for him to question these things that all before him had questioned as well.
Tian Yang let out a tired sigh. "Are you beginning to understand the true danger that the Nox bring? Of course, many have had the same thoughts as you, but that wasn't able to change anything. No matter how much we desire to confirm our suspicions or delve into the Abyss, we are still unable to do so, whether through artifacts or human resources."
Damien pursed his lips. He was most definitely underestimating the danger of the Abyss since he had never personally witnessed it. But that didn't change his thought process at all.
'I want to go there. No, I need to go there.'
The Abyss was a sea of horrors for others, this much he understood. But, as a Star Master, as a Celestial, wasn't the starry sky his territory? Would something like chaotic space really be able to stop him?
Smack!
A sudden smack to his head cleared Damien's mind.
"Idiot disciple, don't think I'm unaware of your thoughts. Even I can traverse the chaotic space without worry, but that doesn't mean I am able to safely traverse the Abyss. The scariest part of the Abyss isn't the chaotic space, or even the terrifying cosmic beasts that reside within. The scariest part has to be time.
"Time within the Abyss isn't constant. In some places, it could flow extremely fast, while sometimes it crawls to a snail's pace. Dead Zones are places where all essence, including mana itself, are void. In those spaces, time doesn't flow at all. A single day's journey could suddenly last for a million years. And once you enter that terrifying cycle, it is almost impossible to remove yourself.
"The reason why the Abyss is unexplored even with the large number of powerful practitioners in the 9 Sectors is because nobody has been able to escape this vortex of time with their sanity intact. It's the same even for those who specialize in Time Laws. No, it might be even worse for them."
Damien fell into thought once more. Indeed, the gnawing loneliness and silence of the vacuum weren't things that ordinary people could endure. When the timespan was increased to years numbering in the thousands, even 4th class existences would fold.
But even knowing this, Damien's resolve to one day visit that place didn't waver. There were multiple reasons for this.
For one, the Nox. Their Main World was most likely deep in the Abyss. Therefore, to root out the threat, going there was necessary.
Secondly, his class as a Celestial. The whole universe was his to conquer. Perhaps it was an arrogant way to think, but Damien was sure that this was his path as a Celestial. If he couldn't even be this arrogant, he had no right to pursue such a wild dream.
And lastly, it was to satisfy his curiosity. He felt a strange pull to the Abyss, something like a calling. He couldn't pinpoint exactly where this feeling came from, since it was different from the intuition that allowed him to meet Zara, but he wanted to pursue it and find out.
Regardless of the reason, going to the Abyss became one of Damien's top priorities.
But the war still came first.
"Alright, since I've gotten a better grasp on the scale of things, let's get back to the main point. Tell me more about Niflheim."
