My body floated several meters above the ground, my legs folded beneath me.
My eyes were closed.
My breathing was steady.
And within my body, a storm was gathering.
The Primordial Azure Beast Scripture.
I circulated the technique.
Instantly, the energy surrounding me responded.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Energy surged toward my body from every direction, converging like rivers flowing into an ocean.
It entered through my skin, coursed through my meridians, and flooded my lower abdomen.
My energy sea churned.
My meridians pulsed.
My acupoints opened one after another, greedily absorbing the energy rushing through them.
I could feel everything.
Every heartbeat.
Every movement of blood through my veins.
Every vibration within my bones.
Even the smallest pathways through which energy circulated became clear to my senses.
It was as though my body had become transparent to my own perception.
Nothing escaped my awareness.
Then, deep within my lower abdomen, something began to take shape.
My Dantian.
It formed at an absurd speed, its foundation stabilizing as energy continued pouring into it.
Normally, establishing such a foundation should have required time, discipline, and painstaking refinement.
But here?
It felt almost effortless.
The energy density of this world was simply overwhelming.
Yet my body absorbed it without resistance.
I continued circulating the scripture.
Deeper.
Further.
My Spirit Sea trembled as divine laws flowed into my consciousness.
They were not violent.
They did not attack my mind or force their way into my body.
Their presence was simply immense.
Ancient.
Heavy.
As though the fundamental principles governing this world were pressing against my existence, testing whether I could endure their weight.
I gritted my teeth slightly.
Then I steadied my breathing.
I would not allow myself to be overwhelmed by something I had chosen to pursue.
The Azure Thunder White Tiger Scripture adjusted its circulation.
Energy flowed through my body in increasingly precise patterns, connecting my physical foundation with my energy sea and the deeper pathways of my cultivation.
Something fundamental began changing within my flesh.
Not merely strengthening.
Transforming.
I could feel the difference, even if I couldn't yet explain it.
Then—
Something stirred.
Deep within my bloodline.
In that vast, mysterious place where the beast within me slumbered, a faint movement rippled through the darkness.
My circulation faltered for a fraction of a second.
I felt it.
That familiar presence.
The same ancient instinct that had surfaced when I spoke the words that reality itself had acknowledged.
Sovereign of the Azure Flame.
My expression tightened.
The presence did not speak.
It did not reveal itself.
It simply stirred before sinking back into the depths of my being.
I resumed cultivation.
Energy continued flowing into me like rivers pouring into a bottomless abyss.
And yet, despite the tremendous amount I absorbed, it felt like pouring a cup of water into an ocean.
My body wanted more.
My energy sea could contain more.
My bloodline seemed capable of swallowing far beyond what I had already taken.
But I refused to lose myself in the sensation.
Power without control was a liability.
I had learned that lesson the hard way.
So I continued circulating the scripture, allowing the energy to settle rather than forcing my body to absorb everything at once.
The strange force seeping into my flesh grew stronger.
My foundation deepened.
My senses sharpened.
And the connection between my body, energy, and bloodline became increasingly clear.
The natural energy here felt different from what I had experienced before.
Sharper.
Closer.
Almost eager to respond.
I couldn't explain why.
I didn't need to.
Not yet.
For now, I had only one objective.
Cultivate.
Understand the scripture.
And prepare myself for the next step.
Because whatever waited beyond my current limits, I had no intention of approaching it unprepared.
---
Time passed.
Or perhaps it didn't.
I couldn't tell.
With my consciousness immersed in cultivation, the passage of time became meaningless.
Eventually, I opened my eyes.
And froze.
The green field was gone.
The herbs.
The rare plants.
The natural treasures scattered across the land.
All of them had vanished.
The grass had withered.
The soil had cracked.
Dry earth stretched in every direction, forming a desolate wasteland beneath the golden sky.
It looked like an ancient battlefield abandoned after a war that had lasted for countless ages.
I slowly lowered my gaze.
"...What happened?"
A blue screen appeared.
«[System Notice]
Master absorbed all available energy.»
I stared at the message.
Then at the wasteland.
Then back at the message.
"...All of it?"
«[Confirmed.]»
My expression twitched.
I had known the energy density was absurd.
I had not expected to drain an entire hidden world.
I rubbed my forehead.
"...I need to be careful when I return home."
A thought struck me.
"Wait. Will the same thing happen if I cultivate in my clan's territory?"
The response appeared almost immediately.
«[Negative.]
This space possesses no regenerative cycle.
Your clan's world does.»
I exhaled.
"Good."
At least I wouldn't turn my home into a wasteland every time I decided to cultivate.
I descended slowly, landing on the cracked earth.
The ground crumbled slightly beneath my feet.
I examined the surroundings once more.
The sky remained untouched, bright and peaceful above the ruined landscape.
But something was missing.
I turned in a slow circle.
No golden door.
No ancient building.
No portal.
Not even a trace of the formation that had brought me here.
My eyes narrowed.
"...How do I leave?"
The instant the question crossed my mind—
KRRRRRRAAAAAK!!!
Space tore open in front of me.
A black rift appeared, its edges twisting like a wound carved into reality.
I immediately raised my guard.
The surrounding energy changed.
A dark, oppressive force seeped through the opening, carrying a pressure that made the air feel heavier.
My senses sharpened.
"...Demonic energy?"
Red light pulsed from within the rift.
Once.
Twice.
Like the heartbeat of something waiting on the other side.
Then a foot emerged.
Followed by a leg.
A figure stepped through the tear in space.
And the moment he entered the hidden world, my instincts screamed.
Danger.
The man standing before me was covered in deep red fur that flowed around his body like a battle cloak.
Black stripes stretched across his torso, following the contours of muscles that looked carved from obsidian.
A long tail swayed behind him with controlled precision.
His hair spiked wildly, giving him an untamed appearance, while his blood-red eyes remained fixed on me.
Obsidian gauntlets covered his hands.
Ancient runes glowed across their surfaces, though several markings had cracked or faded.
His armor was in similar condition.
Fractured.
Worn.
Scarred by battles that had left their marks upon the metal.
Yet the damage did nothing to diminish his presence.
If anything, it made him more intimidating.
This was not the appearance of someone who had avoided battle.
It was the appearance of someone who had survived far too many.
The scent of blood lingered around him.
Fresh blood.
Not an old stain trapped within his armor.
Not the remnants of some distant battle.
Fresh.
As though violence had followed him through the rift.
His presence was divine.
But unlike the stable, refined energy I had encountered in the hidden world, his aura carried something darker.
Something predatory.
His energy seemed to devour the space around him, leaving a subtle distortion wherever his presence extended.
I didn't move.
Neither did he.
We stared at each other.
Seconds passed.
Neither of us blinked.
The silence stretched between us until even the faint movement of my tail felt unbearably loud.
I studied his face.
Something about him felt familiar.
Not his appearance.
Not his energy.
Something deeper.
A faint sensation stirred within my bloodline, but before I could identify it, the feeling disappeared.
I narrowed my eyes.
Who are you?
Before I could ask, the blue screen appeared.
«[Analysis: Unknown Being]
Name: Nyxarion
Race: Red-Eyed Red Tiger (Vorzarion)
Realm: Apex God — Final Divine State
Path: Slaughter / Soul Ascension
Laws: Devouring Flames, Abyssal Gravity, Void Pressure, Chaos, Authority (1%)
Title: Abyssal Heaven-Devouring Beast
Bloodline Purity: 30%»
My pupils contracted.
Apex God.
Final Divine State.
Even before considering his laws, his realm placed him far beyond the level of an ordinary divine being.
And he possessed Authority.
Only one percent.
Yet the fact that he had comprehended even that much was enough to make me reassess the situation.
I had only recently begun to understand what Authority meant.
I certainly wasn't ready to face someone who had already grasped a portion of it.
Especially someone whose other laws included Devouring Flames, Abyssal Gravity, Void Pressure, and Chaos.
I kept my expression neutral.
But internally, my guard rose another level.
The man finally spoke.
"You are the Pure One."
His voice was deep and steady.
There was no obvious respect in it.
No contempt.
Only certainty.
I said nothing.
He studied me for another moment before continuing.
"I am Nyxarion."
A brief pause.
"Demon God of the Red Tiger Clan."
His blood-red eyes narrowed slightly.
"From Neraphyx."
Neraphyx.
The Land of Endless Death.
The realm where strength determined survival and the weak risked being consumed by those who possessed greater power.
I had heard of it before.
But hearing its name from someone standing directly in front of me was different.
My body tensed.
Nyxarion noticed.
Of course he did.
Yet he showed no sign of hostility.
"I came to confirm something."
I opened my mouth.
"Confirm wha—"
Something snapped inside me.
My words died.
My vision blurred.
For a fraction of a second, the world seemed to stretch, as though reality itself had become a thin membrane separating me from something ancient.
Then my vision sharpened.
My pupils narrowed into vertical slits.
My body remained mine.
My consciousness remained present.
Yet something deeper had risen to the surface.
Something that recognized the being standing before me.
And then—
A voice emerged.
Not from my throat.
Not from my thoughts.
But from the very depths of my existence.
"I am Velzahar..."
The air trembled.
Nyxarion's expression changed.
Not with surprise.
With recognition.
"The Burning Roar of the Heavens."
Space bent around me.
Azure light flickered across the wasteland, and the energy surrounding my body responded as though it had been waiting for those words.
Then came the final declaration.
"Sovereign of the Azure Flame."
The words echoed through the hidden world.
But they were not merely sound.
They carried something deeper.
Something that pressed against reality itself.
For one impossible moment, the laws surrounding us seemed to fall silent.
Then the pressure vanished.
My vision returned to normal.
I blinked.
My thoughts caught up with what had just happened.
Again?
I had experienced this once before, in the Elder Hall.
I had hoped to understand it before it happened again.
Apparently, whatever existed within my bloodline had other plans.
I immediately raised my guard.
Lightning surged around my body, blue arcs snapping across my arms and shoulders.
Prime Instinct activated.
My senses sharpened.
My breathing steadied.
I watched Nyxarion carefully, prepared to respond to the slightest hostile movement.
But he did not attack.
Instead, he lowered his head slightly.
"I pay respect to the Pure One."
I stared at him.
"...Pure One?"
The title irritated me more than it should have.
I had no idea what it meant, why he used it, or why the voice within me had apparently recognized him.
My tail flicked sharply.
Lightning crackled around my body.
"Explain."
Nyxarion's expression shifted.
Then he smiled.
Not mockingly.
Not arrogantly.
It was the smile of someone who had finally found what he had been searching for.
"You wish to understand Authority, don't you?"
My body went still.
For several seconds, I simply watched him.
Then I slowly nodded.
His smile widened.
"Good."
He turned away from me and looked across the wasteland.
The cracked ground stretched beneath his feet, silent and lifeless.
"I cultivated this place myself."
His voice carried a faint trace of nostalgia.
"Long ago."
I glanced at the barren landscape.
"You created this world?"
"Not exactly."
He paused, looking toward the empty horizon.
"I cultivated it. Shaped its environment. Prepared it for a purpose."
His gaze moved across the cracked earth.
"I wanted to see what the world on your side looked like."
I frowned.
"My side?"
Nyxarion glanced at me.
"The world you came from."
He looked toward the sky.
"You rarely see trees in Neraphyx."
His tone remained casual, but something in his expression suggested that the statement carried more meaning than he was willing to explain.
"Life there takes a different path."
He looked back at the ruined land.
"But now..."
A faint smile returned to his face.
"This place has returned to what it was meant to be."
I looked at the wasteland again.
Then at him.
"...Because I absorbed its energy?"
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
Instead, he studied me with renewed interest.
"You have awakened something, Velzahar."
My expression hardened.
"What?"
Nyxarion's smile faded slightly.
"Something you do not yet understand."
I took a step forward.
"Then explain it."
He looked at me for a long moment.
For the first time, I sensed something behind his calm expression.
Not fear.
Not hostility.
Patience.
The patience of someone who had waited a very long time and had no intention of rushing the final step.
"Not here."
I frowned.
"Then where?"
He raised one hand.
Space twisted behind him, and the black rift began to reopen.
"Come find me in Neraphyx when you're ready."
I stared at the opening.
Then back at him.
"Ready for what?"
Nyxarion stepped backward.
His red eyes remained fixed on mine.
"To understand what you are."
The words struck deeper than I expected.
Before I could respond, he entered the rift.
Red light flashed.
Space closed.
And the Demon God disappeared.
Silence returned to the wasteland.
I remained where I stood, my lightning slowly fading.
For several seconds, I did not move.
Then I lowered my gaze to my hand.
A faint blue spark danced across my fingertips.
Authority.
The Pure One.
The Burning Roar of the Heavens.
Sovereign of the Azure Flame.
And now, a Demon God from Neraphyx who seemed to know more about my existence than I did.
I clenched my fist.
"...What exactly am I?"
The hidden world offered no answer.
But I wasn't going to remain here searching for one.
I had already taken everything this place could give me.
It was time to return.
My body lowered slightly.
Then I released the restraints on my transformation.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Azure lightning erupted around me.
My human form dissolved beneath a surge of energy as my body expanded into its primal form.
White fur swept across my limbs.
My claws emerged.
My tail lashed behind me as lightning crawled over my body, illuminating the barren landscape.
The stormfire within my bloodline stirred.
I raised my head.
The space before me trembled.
I gathered my energy and struck forward.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Reality split.
A violent rift tore open before my claws, its edges twisting beneath the force of my attack.
The hidden world shuddered.
Cracks spread across the barren ground as the remaining energy destabilized.
I stepped toward the opening.
Beyond it lay my clan.
My family.
And a world that still had no idea what I had discovered.
I paused at the threshold and glanced back once.
The ruined field stretched beneath the silent sky.
The library was gone.
Its treasures were gone.
Its energy had been consumed.
But the knowledge it had awakened within me remained.
And somewhere beyond my understanding, the path to Authority was waiting.
I turned away.
Then stepped through the rift.
The moment I crossed the threshold, the hidden world began collapsing behind me.
Space folded inward.
The sky distorted.
The barren land disintegrated into streams of fading light.
And the rift closed.
I had returned home.
But I was no longer standing at the beginning of my journey.
I had found a new path.
And at its end waited a Demon God who knew my name.