Chapter 510: A Screw Loose

Deeply embedded at the depths of Amphoreus, far beyond even the most secretive Tomb of the Thirteenth Titan and the Exomyth, was a Divine Kingdom. It was formed for eternity, hence it shall exist for eternity.

“Was it fine to leave them like this?”

Hysilens broke the stifling silence inside the throne room. The two were accustomed to staying inside it for hundreds, if not thousands of years, without doing anything. The concept of time had long been blurred on their perception. Any change was significant, and so was her speaking out.

She rarely spoke ever since the events of his death.

“If not, what else?” Cerydra maintained her laid-back attitude, resting her back on the throne. “I won’t stop pursuing the things I have my eyes on. A simple warning and a little intrigue would do.”

The golden blood on Cerydra’s palm was naturally hers. She left it to gain Cerydra’s trust. If it had been anyone else who told her to stop investigating, she would not follow it. Only she could stop herself. 

“Are you certain?”

The future Cerydra fell silent at Hysilens’ words. She looked at her friend-slash-retainer. It has been such a long time since she was this expressive. The future Hysilens lost all forms of emotions when he died. Even when she herself died, she did not show much. If it wasn’t for Cerydra’s intervention, she would have been the same as others, losing the chance to manifest as a future projection.

“Why won’t I be? I left her with no other choice than to believe me.”

A black king piece appeared between her fingers, clamping it lightly. She used her pointy finger to play around the piece’s carved crown, reflecting its crystal-like sheen. 

“If we are talking about uncertainties, we should have talked about her.”

At the mention of that woman, the future Cerydra’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t the ultimate trump card—as Kiana was the one who got closest to the truth—but she sure was the ultimate wild card.

There was a good reason why she wasn’t included in the meeting they held prior.

Cerydra never trusted her at all!

“I wonder, what is she doing now..?”

*****

The two greatest powers affecting the cosmos are the Tree and the Sea. They possessed a unique and miraculous connection. Reason explained that they should be at odds with each other, yet they were mutually reinforcing instead. Nevertheless, the Aeons’ jurisdiction always remained at the Imaginary Tree. 

The Sea of Quanta was left untouched by them!

True to the Federation’s expectations, it was a place filled with countless unknowns. Countless Bubble Worlds floated around, each representing a possibility abandoned by the Tree. These were the only places with the sole semblance of ‘order’. The space between them was chaotic enough for a cultivator to be ‘lost’.

Click-!

Siegfried shook the compass-like instrument, closing its silver lid. A sea breeze swept over his cheek. His eyes reflected nothing but an endless expanse of water. He boredly scanned the group of personnel taking all sorts of samples back to the continent-sized flat silver ship hovering above. All they needed to do was to step on the pillar of light to be transported back inside.

Thinking of his daughter far away, a smile inadvertently broke out of his face.

“Should I expect some grandchildren once I come back?”

Siegfried personally saw how close the two were. It wouldn’t be surprising if he came back to Earth with more than a dozen grandchildren. Inevitably, his thoughts went to his sister-in-law, the now-big Teriri. 

‘If Cecilia was still here…’

Across the thousands of Bubble Worlds they came across—whether they are in the solar system or far beyond—there was no shortage of people who bore the same appearance as Cecilia. Yet Siegfried knew more than to treat them as her.

No matter how heavy his heart felt, he did not make that mistake. It was a testament to his insanely strong mental will.

‘The River of Time…’

The ‘Reincarnation’ plan was the one he looked forward to the most. It could be said that it was the main driving force behind Siegfried’s strong will. He knew he could see the Cecilia he loves in the future, a luxury that Otto Apocalypse never had.

Just as he was daydreaming, he was jolted awake by the sudden phenomenon in the distance. Something was dropped in the middle of the boundless ocean, causing strong winds to ripple outwardly. The space ship automatically deployed its shields. A film of purple light emerged to coat its metallic body. The people below had the same luxury.

Each of them possessed a watch that acted as a safety talisman. Once facing danger that could endanger their lives, a shield would automatically activate. It would then transport them back to the ship, be it through teleportation or direct flight transfer.

Siegfried wore the same thing, hence he wasn’t affected by its impact.

The outside world? Not so much.

Water evaporated in an instant, transforming a boundless sea into an empty space. Wherever the wind swept, its fate was to be destroyed. Siegfried floated midair as he investigated ‘what’ had dropped. The spiritual consciousness of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator came from him.

With it, he understood more what had truly happened. It wasn’t a simple destruction, but rather, conversion. The thing responsible for this phenomenon converted the entire Bubble World into a type of energy he hasn’t seen before!

All of them converged towards a specific point. Siegfried went still before making a decision. He flew straight to its source. Bearing the speed of light, it wasn’t long before he arrived.

The moment he tried to get closer…

Bam-!

…he was sent flying by its barrier. 

It did not just rebound the force generated during his flight, instead amplifying it thousands of times!

It was a complete miracle Siegfried did not turn into a blood mist. His body crashed to the edge of the Bubble World. Its inherent ‘membrane’ barely caught him. 

Seeing their commander-in-chief, the people inside the ship didn’t remain still. They went straight to the place where Siegfried was sent flying and beamed him up. After a series of recovery spells, pills, and talisman, he had barely recovered to normal. As soon as the buzzing on his mind disappeared, he immediately stood up. He walked straight to the main bridge before announcing to the people there:

“It’s a cultivator thing. A formation.”

Everyone went deathly silent. They were the only known expedition team sent to the Sea of Quanta. To encounter another cultivator, one that was powerful enough to set-up a formation that incapacitated Siegfried, was no less than a grave threat.

Just as they were deliberating on their next move, a voice only audible to Siegfried’s ears resounded.

“It is bad to interrupt a Magician’s preparations, you know?”

The voice sounded so familiar, and when Siegfried recalled who it was, surprise and confusion filled his mind.

“Why the hell are you here?”

A large virtual face emerged from the main bridge’s screen. It was composed of light blue particles, only visible to Siegfried alone. The iconic brown hair styled into ‘vents’ dug up his memories about the ‘Flamechasers’ of the Previous Era.

“The heavenly secrets cannot be spoken easily, much like a Magician’s tricks. All you need to know is that I am here… and that I needed to hitch a ride.”

*****

A/N: The future projection arc ends here. The other setups were completed too (i.e., Aeons and the world outside the solar system). The upcoming chapters would entail fluff (and lemons of course) before moving on to one of the biggest arcs of this fic—the Dao Integration Realm breakthrough. 

All I can say is that I would try my best to write it without making it complex. If you know the final showdown of Klein and Amon at the end of Lord of the Mysteries, you know exactly what I am talking about, haha.

PS: I am saying this in advance. I am very open to reader feedback on this upcoming arc. It is my first time writing something like this (with setups spanning dozens, if not hundreds of chapters), so I am excited, and at the same time, slightly nervous on how it’d turn out. This was, after all, my longest fic up to date.