A month passed quickly after the departure of the Sun and Moon Squadrons, marking the completion of a third of their voyage.
In this time, Damien obviously didn't stay in his small cabin. His figure could be seen atop the flight artifact's surface, basking in the feeling of outer space around him.
He didn't think he'd ever get tired of this feeling. The feeling of spatial essence blanketing everything and declaring its dominion was fascinating.
Not to mention, his comprehension always felt a major boost whenever he went into the starry sky. Since it was the purest and most complex spatial essence in the entire universe, this was only natural.
'The essence is so thick and complex that most people would be shredded on contact. I used to think that any 3rd class could traverse the starry sky, but I was dead wrong.'
Even a 3rd class would need to be equipped with special artifacts to be safe in space. It was only after passing the Universe Baptism that one would become free of this restriction.
And as if to prove his thoughts, Bai Xieren's figure surfaced on the hull, walking towards him with casual steps.
"You are training even now. If there's one thing I'll commend you for, it's your spirit." She commented while observing the surrounding space.
"I didn't know Sect Masters could be so harsh to their precious disciples. Don't you care about my feelings?" Damien retorted sarcastically.
"Why should I? You no longer possess the power of a Star Master, so do you truly hold the same worth?"
Damien raised his brow at her obvious provocation. "Do you even believe your own words? Even if I can't defeat you without my Star Master abilities, do you think I won't be able to escape?"
Bai Xieren shook her head. "It isn't about escaping, it's about battle prowess. Regardless, you no longer hold the qualifications to speak casually to me."
"I'd say our current environment is where my qualifications are the highest, though? I might be even more empowered here than within the Cloud Plane since I haven't completely grasped World Force yet."
"If you wish to believe so, then that is up to you." Bai Xieren shrugged. "Nevertheless, I did not come here to squabble with you."
She extended her arm and flicked a jade slip through space. Damien also reached his arm out, and the jade slip appeared in his palm without problem.
"This is?" He asked curiously.
"Your new identity. Do you think your…appearance…makes it easy for you to stay concealed? If anything, you stand out most within a crowd."
Damien frowned at her words, but couldn't really say anything back. On one hand, they could be considered a compliment, but he surely didn't take it as one.
His fingers moved through the streaks of silver hair among his otherwise midnight black. If he had to be honest, he wanted to get rid of them too.
As he grew older, he started liking the flashy appearance he currently had less and less. Whether it be his eyes or his hair, they no longer seemed as desirable as they were when he was 19.
But, he couldn't do anything about it.
"Haa, I understand. So I just have to become this guy, right?" He acquiesced.
"Yes." Bai Xieren confirmed. "As long as you can emulate the individual described in the jade slip, you will be set. We have a master among us who can aid with your appearance."
Damien thought of Jiang Hualing, the transformation woman, and nodded. "Fine, but don't make me some kind of ugly bastard."
"So that your ability to pick up women won't be affected?"
"Hm?" Damien's eyes widened at her sudden words.
"Your wives talk about you often." Bai Xieren cracked a small smile as she walked away. Waving lightly, she gave her goodbyes.
"Practice well until we arrive. It is unknown when you'll be able to extricate yourself from this operation, so mentally steel yourself as well."
Damien rolled his eyes and nodded, switching his attention to the jade slip as Bai Xieren returned inside the flight artifact.
'This guy, let's see…his name is Damien Grey? 24 years old, male, it seems they didn't stray much from my original person…'
As he continued to read through, his face became black.
'Head Researcher of Evotech Industries? Academy-certified professor? All around genius in the mana science field? What the fuck?'
Although he had to respect the fake identity that had been made for him, he doubted how much of it would actually work.
Frankly, he was too stupid to play this role.
It was then that he noticed something else among the contents of the jade slip. It was a small mechanical chip, no bigger than a grain of rice.
'This is…!'
According to the jade slip, it was something the Cloud Plane forces acquired through trading with Asgard.
Its identity was the most updated model of an artificial assistant program that had been in development for a very long time. With its help, playing the role of a genius wouldn't be difficult for Damien at all.
However…
'This technology isn't something I'm familiar with at all. If someone within Asgard is able to control it remotely…things could get dangerous.'
It was a risk, an extreme one. Although it was also an immense benefit, it was like potentially handing over control of his life.
But would that stop Damien?
'Ha! Let's see how they try to control me.'
Damien took the chip into his mouth and swallowed it. Unexpectedly, it melted on the top of his tongue and turned into countless nanomachines that attempted to spread through his body.
Damien's eyes hardened. He immediately set up a barrier of Void Essence so that the nanomachines couldn't spread.
He was taking a gamble.
'The Void Physique has always acted as if it has a mind of its own. It let's beneficial energies stay within my body, while anything remotely harmful is devoured and converted. The only question is whether or not it'll work in this situation.'
It was already known fact that the Void Physique only worked on anything energy-based. Physical constructs wouldn't be subjected to its scrutiny. It was for this reason why the Eclipsing Shadow Sect members were able to poison him all those months ago.
'The Eclipsing Shadow Sect…'
It was truly a strange twist of fate. Yet another occurrence that took place without Damien's presence.
It was also the reason why Damien never ended up joining the purge.
As it turns out, the Eclipsing Shadow Sect sent assassins after him after news of his performance in the Empyrean Dragon Realm spread. But when the assassins arrived, Damien was already on Tang Lingzi's floating island, comatose after his tribulation.
Tian Yang took care of those assassins easily, only informing Damien about it after he returned to the Cloud Plane.
And along with the failure of the assassins, the entire Eclipsing Shadow Sect vanished into thin air.
'Did they flee? To Niflheim?' Damien wondered. If they wanted to flee, it was their only safe haven.
After all, forces like the Eclipsing Shadow Sect were under Niflheim's direct control. They didn't have any contact with the Nox's main forces.
'If you truly fled to Niflheim, it's good for me. I'll be able to exterminate you with my own hands.'
Damien clenched his fist as he thought about it. The humiliation from that day, he'd never forget it as long as he lived.
It was the first time since the dungeon that he was forced to flee so miserably, and it was the first time "humans" were able to push him into dire straits.
It wasn't that Damien looked down on humanity, but he understood how powerful beasts of the same level could be.
So to be pushed back by a group of humans, especially ones in the same Class as him…
He abhorred the thought.
As Damien's tangent came to an end, the gamble he made within his body finally bore fruit.
The nanomachines were a mix of physical construction and foreign energy, so he really was unsure whether things would work out as he expected.
But, there were no problems.
The Void Physique moved into action the second the nanomachines came in contact with his Void Essence.
Almost every single one of them was broken down into energy and devoured. The only cluster that remained intact was the one headed to his brain.
'Strange…the control chip wasn't harmful, but the devices attached to it were. This must also be how they fooled the Cloud Plane forces.'
Damien's eyes narrowed inadvertently. 'Now…is this just a crude safety measure, or are we surrounded by enemies on all sides?'
As soon as the thought entered his mind, Damien realized he needed to take action.
'Things will be interesting from now on.'
