Solanky stepped out of the portal leading from the Third Forbidden Space, looking somewhat battered. The moment he emerged, his wristband emitted a series of beeps.
He tapped the device, and a holographic message appeared before him.
Congratulations on your breakthrough. You are now eligible to leave the Newbies' Continent and join the ranks of the senior disciples. You have also successfully completed the trials and survived within the Third Forbidden Space for an extended period. You have been awarded ten million sect points.
Without hesitation, Solanky crushed the jade slip in his hand.
A spatial fluctuation enveloped him, and he was instantly teleported to the main hall of the Sky Hybrid Sect.
Landing softly, he immediately knelt on one knee before the three sect masters.
The red-haired ancestor quietly studied him before asking,
"Is what Cilia told us true? Were you truly targeted by that old man called Zenom?"
Solanky nodded.
He recounted everything that had happened, stopping only at the point where Lord Zenom's mysterious hand appeared, seized the corpse, and vanished.
The three sect masters exchanged solemn glances.
Zuloch spoke first.
"What did that corpse look like?"
Solanky tapped his wristband again.
A projection appeared in mid-air, replaying the moment the corpse had been taken away.
The instant Zuloch saw it, his expression changed dramatically.
"That's... that's the corpse of an Ancient Devil-God from over eighty quadrillion years ago."
His face turned pale.
"This is bad."
He looked toward the other sect masters.
"Is Zenom attempting to possess that body and break through to the Creation and Destruction Realm?"
The red-haired ancestor slowly nodded.
"Yes."
"Knowing Zenom's temperament, he has most likely already begun the repossession process."
She paused before continuing gravely.
"I estimate his chances of success to be between sixty and ninety percent."
"If he succeeds, the entire God Realm will suffer the consequences, especially the Sky Hybrid Sect."
"We were the ones who agreed to seal him away and force him to guide the younger generations of the God Realm for billions of years."
Hearing this, Solanky was stunned.
He had always believed Zenom had secretly entered that hidden space or had somehow reached an agreement with the various sects.
He never imagined Zenom had actually been imprisoned there.
Without wasting another moment, the three sect masters broadcast the recorded footage across the entire God Realm.
The news spread with astonishing speed.
Every major sect was thrown into panic.
Everyone understood the consequences.
If Zenom successfully repossessed the body of the Ancient Devil-God, the balance of power within the God Realm would collapse completely.
...
Meanwhile...
Inside an isolated dimension within the Lower Realm, a lone figure sat cross-legged inside a magnificent hall completely sealed from the outside world.
His long crimson hair flowed behind him.
Two elegant curved horns protruded from his forehead.
His ears were pointed, his face flawless, and his golden eyes radiated an overwhelming majesty.
Although breathtakingly handsome, the terrifying pressure surrounding him was enough to force even the sect masters of the God Realm to bow their heads.
This figure was none other than Lord Zenom.
By now, he had already merged seventy percent with the body of the Ancient Devil-God.
Slowly opening his eyes, he smiled.
"As expected of the strongest race beneath the Source Gods."
"My strength has risen from the Eighth-Dimensional Realm to the Tenth-Dimensional Realm in only six days."
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"I can feel this isn't my limit."
"The final step is completely inheriting the memories of this body."
"That process should take approximately ten thousand years."
"Once I have perfectly merged my abilities with this body..."
"...the God Realm will enjoy peace for only ten thousand more years."
"When I emerge from seclusion..."
"...I shall reign terror upon the entire God Realm."
...
Back in the God Realm...
The sect masters of every major sect gathered within the residence of the Sword Heart Sect Master, located at the very edge of the God Realm.
Among disciples and juniors, he was respectfully known as the Sword-Heart Saint.
His fellow sect masters simply called him Sword Heart.
Sword Heart slowly rose from his seat and looked around the hall.
"We all know why we've gathered here."
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"If Zenom truly succeeds, the demons and devils will undoubtedly seize this opportunity."
"They will dispatch spies into the God Realm to monitor our every move."
"They will also secretly place spatial markers throughout our universes so that once Zenom begins his assault, their invasion can proceed without resistance."
The ancestor of the Sky Hybrid Sect stood.
"I suspect the Bloody Sea Sect."
"Their disciples mysteriously disappeared after the trials."
"And we all share a complicated history with Zenom."
She paused before shaking her head.
"However, accusations can wait."
"Our priority is strengthening our defensive barriers."
"We must also dispatch more spies throughout the God Realm to establish our own markers and neutralize any infiltration from the demons or other hostile forces."
After hours of discussion, the sect masters unanimously reached a decision.
Every disciple above the Elementary God Realm would be dispatched throughout the countless universes, galaxies, star fields, planets, and continents of the God Realm.
Officially, they would serve as envoys.
Secretly, they would become hidden guardians and intelligence agents.
One by one, the sect masters disappeared to make the necessary preparations.
Only Sword Heart remained.
Standing at the edge of the God Realm, he sighed softly.
His gaze pierced through layers of space and time until it landed upon a magnificent palace hidden far beyond ordinary perception.
Upon a grand throne sat a mysterious figure.
The being slowly smiled.
A sinister smile.
He had clearly sensed Sword Heart's gaze.
Without fear, he stared back.
...
Elsewhere...
The ancestor of the Sky Hybrid Sect projected her massive form into the sky above the sect and sent an announcement to every disciple who had reached the High-Level God Realm or above.
At that moment, Solanky was strolling through the senior disciples' city alongside Cilia and several other disciples who had successfully passed the trials.
As they entered a large public square, they noticed an enormous screen suspended high above the city.
One disciple tapped Solanky on the shoulder.
"Look."
A flashing notice appeared across the display.
All eligible disciples are to check their virtual profiles immediately for an urgent assignment.
Everyone quickly opened their virtual accounts.
The notification explained that every disciple above the Elementary God Realm, except those who had already reached the God of Gods Realm, would be assigned throughout the God Realm to identify and eliminate infiltrators from the Demon Race.
Solanky carefully read through his assignment.
He discovered that he had been placed in the same squad as Cilia and four other disciples from their batch.
Their destination was a galaxy known as the Blue Ice Region.
The Blue Ice Region contained over six thousand life-bearing planets and was located six hundred million light-years away from the Sky Hybrid Sect.
Their deployment would begin in three days.
The system then requested each squad to vote for a team leader.
Mission details would first be distributed to the chosen leaders before being relayed to the rest of their teams.
Without hesitation, every member of Solanky's squad voted for him.
They had all witnessed his remarkable survival abilities during the trials.
The sect soon arranged numerous spaceships to transport every squad to their assigned regions.
...
Three days later...
Countless enormous spacecraft floated above the Senior Disciples' Continent, ready to depart.
Solanky shared his location with his teammates.
Within minutes, everyone gathered around him.
Smiling warmly, Solanky spoke.
"I am Solanky, your team leader for this mission."
"Before we leave, I'd like everyone to introduce themselves."
"You can call me the Ghost of the Void."
"Or simply G.O.V."
Before anyone else could speak, Cilia laughed.
"Ooooh... Ghost of the Void."
"Sounds flashy."
The others burst into laughter.
She grinned.
"As for me, just call me Tippy Toes."
"Or Tee for short."
A tall young man stepped forward confidently.
"My name is Marcus."
"But everyone calls me Thunder King."
"Or T.K."
The remaining members soon introduced themselves as well.
Star God.
Beast God.
Blade Emperor.
Light Seeker.
At that moment, the spaceship assigned to the Blue Ice Region slowly descended above them.
Solanky looked around at his teammates before speaking seriously.
"From today onward..."
"Tee, T.K., Star God, Beast God, Blade Emperor, and Light Seeker..."
"...we are comrades who will stand together through life and death."
"Our team is meant to endure the test of time."
He glanced toward Cilia and Tasha.
"We have two ladies on our team."
"They chose to walk this dangerous path while many others did not."
"We'll protect them with everything we have."
Cilia and Tasha smiled before nodding.
The spaceship finally landed before them.
Solanky instinctively turned and gave his teammates a formal salute.
Cilia immediately burst into laughter.
"Ghost..."
"Relax."
"We're not marching off to war."
The entire team laughed.
Even Solanky rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"I thought it was appropriate."
Everyone laughed once again.
Together, they boarded the spaceship.
Moments later, it lifted into the sky and departed toward the distant Blue Ice Region.