From the darkness beyond the crimson statues, a towering crystalline figure slowly emerged.
Behind the final crimson statue, a colossal man with twelve majestic wings stepped into view.
It was none other than the Forsaken God.
This time, however, he was not surrounded by the Velvet Cloud of Contamination, nor were the seven billion void holes accompanying him. Instead, he carried himself with quiet majesty. A velvet crown rested upon his head, lending him the appearance of a true royal among the forsaken.
Solanky's heart skipped a beat.
He had never expected to encounter the ancestor himself within these mountains.
As the Forsaken God approached, his form changed.
The twelve wings dissolved into countless motes of crimson light before disappearing entirely.
His velvet crown melted like flowing silk, cascading over his crystalline body until it became an elegant velvet robe.
Despite watching him walk closer with his own eyes, Solanky could not perceive even the slightest trace of aura or life force.
It was as though the Forsaken God simply did not exist.
Without hesitation, Solanky knelt respectfully.
The Forsaken God raised a hand.
Instantly, every crimson statue dissolved into countless glowing characters and ancient engravings that floated throughout the inheritance space.
Then he pointed toward Solanky.
Nearly half of the floating engravings shot forward like crimson meteors and entered the space between Solanky's eyebrows.
Within his consciousness, endless crimson inscriptions drifted across the vast star-filled world.
Unlike cultivators below the Entity Level, whose consciousness existed as an immense Sea of Consciousness where every memory, experience, and insight dissolved like drops into an endless ocean, Solanky's consciousness had already undergone its final transformation.
For beings below the Entity Level, the Sea of Consciousness was usually stored within their internal worlds if they belonged to the Creation and Destruction paths or had reached the Infinite Source God Realm. Others typically housed it within their brains, although rare lifeforms possessed the ability to relocate their consciousness throughout their bodies.
Entity-Level beings were fundamentally different.
Their Sea of Consciousness evolved into an independent universe.
Stars, planets, oceans, and countless celestial phenomena filled that inner world.
Even an early Entity-Level cultivator possessed only stars within that world, yet that alone granted them consciousness powerful enough to suppress every being beneath their realm.
Their consciousness could freely shift to any part of their bodies or merge seamlessly with their internal worlds.
Most importantly, this was the final evolution of consciousness.
From this point onward, their thoughts alone possessed the ability to manifest matter and even create entirely new lifeforms from nothing.
The Forsaken God quietly walked past the still-kneeling Solanky.
Standing before the golden statues, he released a faint sigh.
Meanwhile, Solanky gradually recovered from his shock.
As he adjusted to the overwhelming flood of inherited techniques within his consciousness, one question lingered in his mind.
How?
He knew better than anyone how difficult it was to engrave even a single profound technique directly into one's consciousness.
It required talent beyond imagination, painstaking refinement, and perfect conversion of the original inheritance.
Yet the Forsaken God had accomplished the impossible with nothing more than a casual wave of his hand.
If someone capable of such a feat wished to control him...
Resistance would be meaningless.
Rather than fear, that realization ignited an even stronger desire within Solanky.
He had to become stronger.
Much stronger.
Without turning around, the Forsaken God spoke calmly.
"Come."
"I wish to show you something."
"And do not concern yourself with the golden statues."
A trace of helplessness entered his voice.
"Even at my current level, I cannot comprehend most of them."
"Among the eight statues, I have mastered only the first two."
"The third remains exceedingly difficult."
Solanky immediately rose and followed behind him.
As they walked beyond the chamber of statues, the scenery surrounding the Forsaken God gradually changed.
It was as though he existed within an entirely different timeline.
Solanky could still see him walking ahead.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not sense the Forsaken God's existence.
The ancestor casually kicked a small stone lying on the ground.
Solanky instantly understood.
The Forsaken God knew exactly what he had been wondering.
Roughly ten seconds later...
The sound of the stone tumbling across the ground finally reached Solanky's ears.
By then, it had already stopped rolling.
His pupils contracted.
There could only be one explanation.
A being of the Forsaken God's caliber could manipulate the senses of anyone below the Nine Peak-Turns.
Time...
Space...
Sight...
Sound...
All could be controlled at will.
The Forsaken God waved his sleeve.
The mountain range outside disappeared.
The cave walls became transparent before dissolving completely.
In their place stretched an endless universe filled with stars, galaxies, and countless magnificent worlds.
The breathtaking sight left Solanky speechless.
The Forsaken God looked into the endless cosmos.
"Everything you see before you is a replica born from every dream I have ever experienced and every person I have encountered throughout my life."
"Although these beings cannot compare to their original counterparts, they faithfully recreate the personalities and memories I experienced alongside them."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You also exist here."
"Or perhaps..."
"A doppelganger of you."
He casually made a grasping motion.
The countless worlds froze.
Time itself came to a halt.
Turning toward Solanky, the Forsaken God slowly opened his palm.
Standing upon it was a young boy.
He looked exactly like Solanky during his childhood.
The miniature figure remained perfectly motionless.
Activating his Eye Observation Technique, Solanky carefully examined the doppelganger.
He quickly noticed several differences.
Instead of Source-Defying Flames...
The boy wielded Heavenly Thunder.
His cultivation path was also completely different.
Judging by his aura alone, the doppelganger's strength was roughly comparable to that of a God of Gods.
The Forsaken God spoke once more.
"If one wishes to become a Saint Emperor Transcendent Entity..."
"They must merge their consciousness with their internal world and reign over it as its one absolute ruler."
"Within that world, countless lives unfold."
"Every experience, every triumph, every tragedy becomes nourishment for the creator's consciousness."
"In this way, one's mind continuously grows stronger."
"There is another path."
He extended a finger toward the surrounding universe.
"One may construct a world outside their body within a secluded space."
"Such worlds are known as Cave Worlds."
"The beings within them are born from the creator's dreams or molded from their life's experiences."
"The inhabitants of a Cave World often surpass the strength of their counterparts residing within an internal world."
"The reason is simple."
"A Cave World directly absorbs the energies of the realm where its creator resides."
"An internal world depends solely upon its creator's own filtered energy."
His gaze settled upon Solanky.
"As for you..."
"I can already see the reason behind your bottleneck."
"You have never truly stepped into the Beyond Realm."
The Forsaken God raised his hand.
The Source-Severing Blade immediately flew out of Solanky's internal world before landing gently in his palm.
Solanky's body stiffened.
His entire existence seemed transparent before the ancestor.
Nothing could be hidden.
At that moment, he understood a terrifying truth.
Standing before a hostile Nine Peak-Turns being meant absolute annihilation.
The Forsaken God gently examined the blade.
"Leave this sword with me."
"It contains your Life Mark."
"Even if you perish, you will be able to revive through it and recover your strength."
He smiled faintly.
"This weapon is extraordinary."
"Even Nine Peak-Turns beings can wield it in battle."
"Do not misunderstand."
"I have no intention of taking it from you."
"I shall merely safeguard it until you reach that level."
He extended his other hand.
Golden light condensed before forming a magnificent spear resembling a golden halberd.
The weapon radiated an indescribable aura of dominance.
The Forsaken God tossed it toward Solanky.
"Take this."
"I refined it personally."
The moment Solanky grasped the weapon, he felt an overwhelming surge of power coursing through his body.
Without thinking, he thrust the spear forward.
"Fate-Piercing Thrust!"
RRRIIIPPPP!!
BOOM!!
Space itself split apart.
The seemingly indestructible void shattered instantly beneath the spear's tip.
The Forsaken God nodded in satisfaction.
"With this spear, you can contend against Saint Emperor transcendent entities."
"The only disadvantage you possess is your cultivation."
"But your techniques compensate for that weakness."
"They already rival those of powerful Saint Emperors."
His expression became serious.
"Never prolong such battles."
"The burden of sustaining your techniques consumes far more energy than it does for genuine Saint Emperors."
"When facing an opponent beyond your limits..."
"Make your decision immediately."
"Either escape..."
"Or kill."
"There is no third option."
Solanky solemnly nodded before bowing deeply.
"Thank you, Ancestor."
The Forsaken God waved his sleeve.
The endless Cave World vanished.
Stars disappeared.
Galaxies faded.
The familiar rocky cave walls returned.
He looked toward the spear.
"Place a drop of your blood upon it."
"Then send a strand of your consciousness into the weapon."
"It will become your second anchor."
"Even if you fall in battle, the spear will disappear and return to the place where you resurrect."
Solanky immediately followed the instructions.
After refining the spear, he stored it within his consciousness world, where it resonated harmoniously with the crimson inheritances.
The Forsaken God gave a satisfied nod.
"I shall send you directly to the Beyond Realm."
"There, you may absorb its native energies."
"Only then will you break through the bottleneck that has restrained you."
With another wave of his hand, space folded around them.
The cave disappeared.
An instant later, both figures appeared within the sacred grounds of the Ancestral Beast.
They stood before the ancient temple of Elisa.