Spending time with Xue'er was something Damien rarely got to do, but now that he had a modicum of time, he could finally spend a few days appeasing the grievance of this little sister that he'd been neglecting for so long.
While it was a shame that he couldn't take her out of Theavel to enjoy the sights of Grand Heavens Boundary, he did his best to make up for this by providing Xue'er an experience like she'd never felt before.
Using Void Mana and his absolute control over the Sanctuary's laws, Damien could essentially do anything as long as it wasn't at the level of resurrecting the dead.
As such, building a few amusement park rides, a movie theater, and other novel entertainment areas wasn't a problem at all.
For Damien, the definition of fun was his memories of earth, those days when he could game and watch tv as much as he wanted, when he could go out and experience the beautiful nightlife of his home city and enjoy weekends with his friends.
He couldn't give Xue'er the exact same experience she would've had as a regular girl on earth, but it wasn't hard to emulate it.
Besides, Xue'er was quite the popular lass among her peers. She had no small number of friends that eventually joined her and Damien on their escapades.
From appeasing Xue'er, Damien randomly found himself satisfying the whims of an entire horde of children.
He looked over at Xue'er, only for her to flash him a fox-like smile.
'I've been tricked.'
He smiled wryly when he realized it. Xue'er was a teenager after all.
Without much ability to resist, Damien spent the next three days with the group of children that rapidly grew with the passing of time. At the end, he even threw something akin to a mini-rave for the brats.
If there was one thing Damien learned, it was that children and mana did NOT mix well together. These kids had endless energy and endless curiosity that they had the mental capacity to actually satisfy,
It was like giving a steroid and cocaine smoothie to someone with ADHD.
Nevertheless, the seemingly endless headache eventually found its conclusion. 3 days and 3 nights later, Damien finally tucked Xue'er into bed and walked out to a peaceful scenery devoid of parties and raves.
'Theavel's sky needs some stars.'
The starless sky had been bothering Damien for years, but his current circumstance didn't allow him to fix it.
When he returned to the Real Plane, he could eventually solve this problem, but before he did that, there were still a few things left to do on the Wild Continent.
'It's been over a month since the second batch arrived. I don't know if a third batch was sent afterwards, but with how much time has passed, everyone should be properly herded by now.'
For a phenomenon as prominent as a Void Corridor, it was obvious that both the Nox and Heaven's Army would send powerful experts. It was likely that there were even 9th revolution masters present within the Void Corridor.
Honestly, it would've been far easier for Damien to pick apart the Nox forces while they were separated so he could avoid the eyes of those extreme peak experts, but his circumstances didn't allow such an easy route.
He was trapped in the Sky Emperor's palace until Xinyue finally completed the trial, after all.
'No matter. I'll make do with what I have. Besides, even though my level has been constantly improving, my strength seems to have stagnated.'
Damien's actual strength had seen no drastic changes in the 2 years he'd been in the Void Corridor. For Damien, who progressed at an ungodly speed, 2 years of stagnation felt fatal.
However, what he gained in return for this stagnation was a sea of fragmented memories.
He'd devoured so many remnant souls that the remaining dead emperors created such an unflattering nickname for him. While these remnants didn't have the full memories of their living selves, they at least had enough recollection to define their egos.
As such, Damien was able to learn much about the power structure of the forgotten era, the territories that were most valued at the time, and even a large majority of the heroic experts whose names would've been passed through the generations if not for the complete erasure of information about the distant past.
Along with these truths…
'Grand Heavens Boundary…used to be far bigger.'
There were currently 7 inhabitable Sectors remaining in Grand Heavens Boundary.
However, in the vestiges of the past…
'Where did the other 11 Sectors vanish to?'
Grand Heavens Boundary used to be a massive universe more than double its current size. It was home to an infinite number of races, most of which Damien had never seen or even heard of before, and hosted a mana density that was unfathomable in current society,
90% of those ancient races had gone extinct.
The mana density weakened to around half of its former glory,
And 11 Sectors vanished into thin air.
'At first, I wanted to believe that the Sectors are merely what we know as the Abyss that exists outside of Eien, but it isn't so simple.'
The Abyss was the Abyss. It wasn't an area that came into existence due to the result of an ancient war.
If one circled Eien until they reached the Elven Domain, they would clearly be able to tell the difference between the Dead Zone that the Elven Domain had become and the Abyss that stood parallel to it.
So then, what happened to those 11 Sectors?
Even if the Abyss wasn't directly the answer to this question, it was definitely related.
Damien's thought to explore the Abyss became firmer, but now wasn't the time for it.
'After I escape the Void Corridor, there are still several matters to solve within the universe. The Bloodlock Clan should start chasing me soon, the Grand Assembly will start within a year, and there are still several traitors polluting Heaven's Army and even the upper echelons of the universe. Until at least a majority of these problems are solved, I cannot leave the universe behind so easily.'
Damien didn't care much for those living in the universe. He had no interest in acting for the greater good.
What he wanted to save wasn't the universe's people, but the universe itself, this place that allowed him to exist and grow.
'I'll be able to see Rose and Ruyue again at the Grand Assembly, so staying until then is a must.'
Damien sighed longingly.
This separation from his wives was the longest he'd experienced thus far, and though he reaffirmed his love for them every time they were apart, the feeling he got this time was different.
'I don't want to continue like this.'
He would eventually have to leave his wives again even after he reunited with them. This was the fate he shouldered as he walked the path he walked. However, he refused to be separated from them indefinitely.
'Production is almost finished…'
Damien's eyes widened. His gaze pierced Theavel's atmosphere and observed the Void where only a single sun and moon resided.
However, clear fluctuations of hot and cold could be felt from the celestial bodies that opposed them.
For some reason…
…it made one feel as if the sun and moon were being refined.
