Lance laughed in the face of Sovereign Glacia’s warning, delivering a piece of news that made her expression shift instantly.
“The Black Dragon Lord? You’re going after him? Brat, have you lost your mind? Do you think you have the strength to take him down? Don’t be reckless!”
Glacia’s words tumbled out in a frantic rush. Though she harbored a deep, burning hatred for the Black Dragon Lord—the man who had murdered her over a cultivation technique—and though she claid to find Lance insufferable, she had no desire to watch him throw his life away.
“Throw my life away? Hardly. Look behind you.”
Lance rely smiled and pointed into the void behind her. Both Glacia and Selina turned instinctively to look.
In the distance, a massive starship, roughly a million kiloters in diater, hung suspended in the vacuum.
“You expect to use that? It’s tiny. It’s Tier 9 at best, isn’t it?”
Glacia’s voice dripped with dismissal; a ship only a million kiloters wide could never be higher than Tier 9.
Suddenly, a strange, humming vibration erupted from the vessel. In the next heartbeat, the ship began to expand at a terrifying rate. Its growth was so rapid it made Glacia’s blood run cold.
Within a second, the ship had reached a staggering size of one light-year.
A single light-year—9.4 trillion kiloters of cold, hard tal. If ten billion Mother Planets were lined up side-by-side, they would barely span that distance.
Yet, it didn't stop there. The ship continued to swell until it reached a diater of 10,000 light-years. Its colossal fra was so vast that if it were placed within the Milky Way, it would have crushed the entirety of human territory. The re pressure of its aura had already pulverized every living being in dozens of surrounding major star systems.
Such a monstrous vessel now lood before their very eyes.
“Is... is that a Tier 13 starship?!”
Glacia was so horrified she began to stamr. She had seen plenty of Tier 12 ships, but none were this gargantuan. Even the few Tier 13 vessels she’d encountered couldn’t compare to the leviathan before her.
“Correct. A High Tier 13 starship. So? Do you still think I’m walking into a death trap?”
Lance grinned at the speechless Sovereign. Glacia sucked in a sharp breath. It really was a High Tier 13 ship. Then, a surge of excitent washed over her. Did this an she could actually have her revenge? It didn't matter if she dealt the killing blow herself; as long as she saw him die, she didn't care how it happened. In fact, she wished the Black Dragon Lord would drop dead this very second.
“Well? Coming with ?”
Lance gave her a knowing look, a subtle smirk playing on his lips.
“Just apologize! It’s not like it’ll kill you,” Selina whispered urgently.
“Hmph. Fine. I’m sorry. Happy now?”
Glacia pouted, huffing the words out with an annoyed glare.
“Sorry, didn’t catch that. A bit louder? And if you’re asking for a favor, you might want to work on the attitude.”
Seeing her acting like a brat, Lance t her with a cold, indifferent gaze.
“You little...”
She looked ready to fly into a rage and strangle him, but Selina managed to hold her back. Glacia fud, but as she watched Lance’s smug face, a glimr of mischief flickered in her eyes. She suddenly drifted toward him.
“What now? You want to go a round?”
Lance imdiately braced himself. Even with his increased power, if she went all out, she could still exert the strength of the Galactic Realm. It wouldn't be fun to get blindsided.
Instead of attacking, Glacia’s expression shifted into one of pitiable vulnerability. She reached out, timidly taking his hand.
“Lance... please take with you? Pretty please?”
As she spoke, she pressed his hand firmly against her chest, letting it brush against her soft curves. Selina stood nearby, completely dumbfounded by the display.
Lance’s face flushed a deep crimson. He jerked his hand away as if burned.
“Fine, fine! You win! Just get on the ship!”
He sighed in defeat. However, as he turned away, he couldn't help but linger slightly on the sensation.
“Hehe! Selina, let’s go!”
Glacia shot Lance a triumphant look before grabbing her stunned disciple and flying toward the vessel. Lance had no choice but to follow.
Guided by the ship’s tractor beam, the three of them were pulled into the interior. With a low hum, the hangar doors sealed shut. The titanic hull began to compress, shrinking back down to a diater of one million kiloters in an instant before vanishing from the secret realm.
When it reappeared, it was in the open void, hurtling toward the deepest reaches of the stars.
Inside, Lance led them to one of the massive storage vaults. This was where all the treasures of the late Umbra Sovereign were kept. Any single item in this room would cause a total upheaval if it appeared in an ordinary Star Sector. The sheer volu of the hoard was staggering; even Glacia, a Peak Domain Lord herself, was wide-eyed with shock. There were piles upon piles of Peak Tier 11 artifacts.
“What a tycoon... Back in the day, I had to fight tooth and nail just for a Mid-Tier 11 item. We were both Peak Domain Lords—how did the Umbra Sovereign end up with all this?”
Glacia felt like a country bumpkin who had just walked into a royal palace.
“You only spent ten million years in the Domain Lord Realm. My master, however, stayed at that level for hundreds of millions of years,” Blake’s voice drifted over them, hauntingly calm. “He spent those eons accumulating power, hoping to one day break into the top ten thousand of the Domain Lord Class on the Dark-Heaven Universal God-Realm Power Rankings. In the end, he only managed to reach the ten-millionth rank. He never even saw the top million.”
Glacia’s face paled at the revelation.
“What? The Umbra Sovereign was ranked in the top ten million? Heh... That ans he was strong enough to slaughter ordinary World Lords. No wonder he was this wealthy.”
The ntion of the Power Rankings made everything click. Anyone capable of breaking into the top ten million on such a prestigious list had to be a monster.
“What exactly is the Dark-Heaven Universal God-Realm? And what is the Domain Lord Class Power Ranking?”
Selina looked up, her voice full of confusion. She knew these concepts were far beyond her current reach—after all, she was still only Gold Tier. Every ti she rembered Lance’s claim that he could already kill Galactic Realm experts, a crushing sense of powerlessness washed over her.
Comparing herself to Lance was likely the grandest delusion Selina had ever entertained. From the very beginning, they were never even in the sa league of genius.
After Sovereign Glacia noted her disciple’s confusion, she began explaining the fundantal powers and structures of the cosmos.
Selina stood frozen, her mind reeling as she learned of the staggering number of factions and the sheer scale of the Star Sectors that filled the universe.
Even her own ntor—a powerhouse capable of obliterating the entire Milky Way with a flick of her wrist—sounded insignificantly small against the backdrop of such a vast universe, to say nothing of The Supre God-Realm.
In the Dark-Heaven Universal God-Realm alone, which was rely one of the countless divine kingdoms ruled by The Supre God-Realm of Destruction, the number of Domain Lord Class powerhouses was too vast to count.
The Umbra Sovereign, soone her ntor openly admired, was only ranked within the top ten million. More importantly, that ten-million figure didn't represent all cultivators—it was the ranking for the Domain Lord Class alone.
"I see. So every Divine Kingdom has its own set of rankings—twelve in total, spanning from the Bronze Tier all the way to the World Lord Class. The more powerful you are for your level, the higher your rank, which directly correlates to your talent?"
Lance summarized the situation, finding the prospect intriguing. He was genuinely curious to see what the geniuses of the wider universe were truly capable of.
Rumor had it that those at the top of the leaderboards were monsters who could fight opponents an entire major realm above their own. The thought made Lance's blood stir with anticipation.
"Exactly. You should give it a try. I honestly believe that with your true strength, you could take the number one spot on the Dark-Heaven Universal God-Realm’s Grandmaster leaderboard! If you manage to hit rank one in a Divine Kingdom, the Virtual Universe issues incredibly generous rewards!"
Blake chid in eagerly. Having witnessed Lance's terrifying power, he was dying to see just how much of a splash Lance would make in the Virtual Universe. Seeing Lance express interest, he didn't hesitate to push the idea.
"It’s worth a shot. But first, let’s handle your problem. You need to restore your Soul, don't you? Blake, bring out every dicinal ingredient we have for soul restoration."
Lance nodded slightly but didn't rush off. He glanced at Sovereign Glacia before giving the order. He had promised to share the treasures of the vault before they arrived, and he had no intention of going back on his word. He would keep what he needed; the rest didn't matter as much.
"Hehe, thanks, you little devil!"
Glacia perked up instantly, her excitent palpable. She could finally begin nding her soul. Living with a fragnted soul ant enduring the constant, agonizing sensation of her spirit being torn apart. While she could slowly repair it on her own, at her current rate, it would take tens of millions of years to fully recover without dicinal help.
Surely, a vault like this would at least have Grade 11 soul-type ingredients.
"Right away."
Blake bowed, his right hand sweeping through the empty air.
Hum!
The contents of the entire treasury shifted instantly. A small mountain of dicinal crates materialized before them.
Glacia rushed forward, her eyes bright with hope, only to freeze in confusion. The highest grade of these soul-restoring treasures was only Grade 9.
There was a massive quantity, but for soone of Glacia's level, they were of little use.
"Are you kidding ? Blake, are you holding out on us? Why is the best stuff only Grade 9?" Glacia’s voice rose with frantic desperation.
"It’s like this..." Blake began, looking helpless. "My previous master didn't die instantly back then, but his physical body was obliterated, leaving only a remnant soul. His injuries were far worse than yours. He used all the Grade 11 and Grade 10 ingredients himself. Even then, he couldn't be saved. These Grade 9 herbs were left behind because they were useless to him."
Glacia went still, the realization sinking in. It made sense. Even with a Grade 13 Soul-type defensive artifact, she had ended up in this state. Her opponent’s strength had been monstrous, but his pursuers must have been even more terrifying to be ranked in the top ten million.
After all, several hundred million years ago, The Black Dragon Lord had already been at least a Fourth-Level World Lord.
"Only Grade 9? It looks like you'll have to settle for this for now," Lance said, offering little more than a shrug. If his alchemy reached Grade 9, he could refine these into Legendary Grade pills for her. With the help of his 'Exploits' to boost the refinent, he could probably bring her back to full health on the spot.
However, while he had plenty of 'Reconstruction' opportunities, he wasn't about to waste them on soone he wasn't that close to yet. He had a pile of his own equipnt waiting for repairs; those took priority. Furthermore, he was still two major realms away from reaching Grade 9 alchemy. Even at his current progression speed, that was still a few hours away.
"Waaaah! My life is so bitter! Your poor master is dying and nobody cares!"
Glacia imdiately turned to Selina, wailing in mock sorrow. She shot a teary-eyed glance at Lance, who remained unimpressed.
The way she was acting, anyone would think he was the one who had wounded her.
"Alright, alright, stop it. Didn't you say the number one spot on the rankings gets good rewards? I'll go give it a try. If I take first place, the rewards should include high-level ingredients. And if they don't, we’ll just go kill The Black Dragon Emperor and rob him blind."
Lance’s words worked like a charm. Glacia’s eyes lit up, the imaginary tears vanishing instantly. She hadn't even considered those two options.
"Heh, thanks then! Once I'm recovered, I’ll marry Selina off to you. Heck, if you want, I’ll even throw myself into the deal!"
In her joy, Glacia didn't hesitate to sell out both her disciple and herself. Selina could only stare at her ntor in speechless exhaustion, while Lance rolled his eyes.
"I don't believe a word of that. Once you’re healed, you’ll probably be the first one to make a run for it."
Lance shook his head, moving past the banter. "Blake, prepare a room. I’m heading into the Virtual Universe now."
Blake bowed respectfully and waved his hand. Lance vanished instantly, teleported directly into a private cultivation chamber.
"Selina, let's go check it out too! Blake, get us two chambers and Virtual Universe connectors!" Glacia demanded. Now that she didn't have to fear The Black Dragon Lord, she was eager to see the world again.
"Of course, my future mistresses."
Blake gave a knowing smile. Ignoring Glacia’s indignant sputter, he swept his hand and sent both won to their respective chambers.
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