Solanky felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon him, as though his entire body were being tightly constricted from every direction.
The Sect Ancestor stared at him with an unyielding gaze.
"Answer me."
Her voice carried an unquestionable authority.
"How do you know about my race?"
Solanky remained calm despite the immense pressure.
"You... look like a friend of mine."
The Ancestor's eyes narrowed.
"Liar."
Her voice instantly turned cold.
"Tell me who this friend of yours is."
She took another step forward.
"Perhaps then, I might spare you."
Solanky stood his ground.
He neither retreated nor uttered another word.
Seeing his silence, the Ancestor's expression darkened.
"Then you leave me no choice."
Without hesitation, she released her spiritual sense and sent it directly into Solanky's consciousness, intending to uncover the truth herself.
However, the instant her spiritual sense entered his sea of consciousness, her expression froze.
The next moment, she abruptly withdrew it as though she had encountered something incomprehensibly terrifying.
Her pupils trembled.
"H... how..."
"How is that possible?"
Solanky quietly looked at her.
"What did you see, Ancestor?"
Instead of answering directly, she asked in return,
"How did you meet her?"
Solanky frowned.
"Who?"
"Elena."
The Ancestor became visibly confused.
"Is... that what you call her?"
Solanky nodded.
The Ancestor fell silent.
The confusion in her heart only deepened.
Never in her wildest imagination had she expected a mere cultivator from the Lower Realm to attract the attention of her Queen...
The Great Primordial Ancient Dragon Emperor.
With a casual wave of her hand, the shattered space surrounding Solanky instantly returned to normal.
She looked at him thoughtfully.
"So..."
"If she is the friend you were referring to, then joining this sect was no coincidence."
Solanky nodded once more.
The Ancestor let out a long sigh.
"Huh..."
"She even gave you a portion of her own blood essence along with her protective seal."
She looked directly into Solanky's eyes.
"So that if one day you encountered a danger you could not escape from, she could personally intervene."
Again, Solanky nodded.
The Ancestor slowly returned to her humanoid appearance.
As she looked at Solanky, countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
"What is so special about this young man..."
"...that the Empress was willing to bestow a portion of her own blood essence upon him?"
She looked at Solanky once again.
"The fact that she personally sent you to my sect can only mean one thing."
Her tone became unusually serious.
"Either you are someone extremely precious to her..."
"...or your origins are secrets that must never be exposed."
She paused briefly.
"Because the moment they are revealed, unimaginable danger will descend upon both you and everyone you hold dear."
With a snap of her fingers, the sleeping disciples gradually regained consciousness.
None of them remembered what had just transpired.
The Ancestor smiled faintly.
"Since all of you are awake..."
"I shall personally introduce you to the realms beyond the God Realm."
She stepped forward.
Her body shrank until she stood among the disciples upon the floating rock fragment.
With a single thought, she guided the fragment through space as effortlessly as though it were an extension of her own body.
She began her explanation.
"All of you already possess a basic understanding of the God Realm, so I will not dwell on it."
"The realm above it is known as the Dimensional Realm."
"It exists simultaneously with both the Lower Realm and the God Realm."
"However, cultivators below the Dimensional God level cannot perceive its existence, much less enter it."
She slowly raised her hand.
"The Dimensional Realm is divided into seven distinct levels."
"The Fourth Dimension."
"The Fifth Dimension."
"The Sixth Dimension."
"The Seventh Dimension."
"The Eighth Dimension."
"The Ninth Dimension."
"And finally..."
"The Tenth Dimension."
She looked at the disciples.
"Each dimension represents a qualitative evolution."
"The gap between consecutive dimensions is absolute."
"A cultivator from a lower dimension stands virtually no chance against someone only one dimension above them."
The disciples listened with complete attention.
"The Dimensional Gods you commonly encounter exist between the Fourth and Eighth Dimensions."
She continued,
"Those who have reached Half-Step beyond the level of ordinary Dimensional Gods are known as Quasi-Mysterious Gods or Quasi-Oblivion Devils."
"They reside within the Ninth Dimension."
She pointed toward herself.
"Your Third Ancestor and Second Ancestor are both at this level."
She raised one final finger.
"The Tenth Dimension is known as the Mysterious Realm."
"The beings who reside there possess the ability to rewrite the laws governing every realm beneath them."
"I, too, reside within this realm."
She smiled slightly.
"The Dimensional Realm is also referred to as the Caged Realm."
The disciples could barely hide their excitement.
None of them had imagined that their Sect Ancestor stood at such an unimaginable level.
The Ancestor continued,
"The leaders of every major sect also stand within this realm."
"It is this balance that prevents any one faction from dominating the others."
She paused before speaking again.
"Above the Caged Realm lies another world."
"It is called the Void Realm."
"Only beings who have surpassed the Dimensional Realm may enter it."
"There exist the Gods of Creation and the Devils of Destruction."
"With a single wave of their hands, they possess the power to create or destroy entire Caged Realms."
"When they descend into a Caged Realm, the laws governing that realm no longer have any authority over them."
She gazed into the endless void.
"It is said that the true war between the Gods and Devils takes place within the Void Realm."
Silence filled the air.
Only now did the disciples truly realize how insignificant they were before the vastness of existence.
The Ancestor noticed their expressions and smiled gently.
"There are still realms beyond the Void Realm."
"Even I cannot fully comprehend them."
"I have only heard fragments of their existence."
She continued,
"The first is called the Source Realm."
"It is said to be the origin of every form of energy that exists throughout our worlds."
"It is ruled by beings known as Source Gods and Source Devils."
She shook her head.
"The realms beyond that have never been confirmed."
"Not even by the Source Gods themselves."
"However..."
"There are legends."
She slowly listed them.
"The Perfect Source Realm."
"Also called the Supreme Realm."
"The Infinite Source Realm."
"And finally..."
"The Unknown Realm."
The disciples' eyes blazed with determination.
Instead of discouraging them, the overwhelming hierarchy only ignited their fighting spirits.
The Ancestor smiled with satisfaction.
Without another word, she teleported together with the disciples.
When they reappeared, they found themselves floating within a distant region of space surrounded by countless magnificent star fields.
The Ancestor gestured toward them.
"These eighteen star fields belong to the various sects of the God Realm."
"The smallest spans roughly twenty million light-years."
"The largest exceeds one hundred and thirty million light-years."
She pointed toward even more distant regions.
"The remaining star fields belong to the Devil Race and several powerful Special Lifeforms who remain unconcerned with the eternal conflict between Gods and Devils."
One of the disciples respectfully stepped forward.
"Ancestor... how large is our own sect?"
She answered calmly.
"Our territory measures approximately ninety million light-years across at its widest point."
"Every sect measures its territory using the diameter of its star field."
Before anyone could ask another question, she waved her hand once more.
Space twisted around them.
The next moment, they appeared before an enormous arena suspended within the endless void.
The Ancestor smiled.
"This is where the God Realm Sect Genius Competition is held for cultivators below the Dimensional God level."
"The next competition will begin one hundred and fifty years from now."
She looked at the eager disciples before her.
"But before then..."
"There is something more important."
"I will first take all of you to choose the treasure that will accompany each of you on your journey toward true strength."