Chapter 269: The Clock Emperor

Kael stared at Cassian.

"A Heavenly Flame," Kael repeated. "Located inside the Inheritance Ground?"

Cassian sipped his tea. "Based on conclusions drawn from my own System and my future sight—yes. There’s surely a Heavenly Flame in the Inheritance Ground." He set his cup down with a soft clink and smirked. "But the method to taming one is hard to come by."

Kael’s eyes narrowed. Then a smirk spread across his face.

"You sly bastard."

Cassian inclined his head slightly. "You are one to call me sly."

"So you’re trading me a taming method for a Heavenly Flame that you haven’t even confirmed exists," Kael said. "And in exchange, I help you find something. What’s the something?"

Cassian leaned back. His pocket watch dangled from his fingers, the chain swaying gently.

Tick-tick-tick-tick.

"The ruins of the Clock Emperor."

Kael blinked.

Then he snorted.

Pfft.

"The Clock Emperor?" He laughed—a short, sharp sound. Hahaha. "That’s one very lame name to have. Clock Emperor. Seriously?"

Cassian nodded, completely unbothered. "Seriously."

"Who names themselves after a timepiece?"

"Someone who controlled time itself," Cassian said quietly. "Someone whose mastery over temporal manipulation was so absolute that entire civilizations rose and fell at his whim. The Clock Emperor wasn’t a title chosen for aesthetics. It was chosen because time bent around him like clockwork."

Huh.

"Alright," Kael said. "How do I help?"

Cassian met his eyes. "I know the general location of the Clock Emperor’s ruins. I’ve narrowed it down to a specific region within the Inheritance Ground. But I don’t know the exact location. The ruins are hidden—shielded by temporal wards that distort perception and scramble conventional detection methods."

He paused.

"Your soul sense, however, operates on a different frequency. Soul perception bypasses temporal distortion because it reads the fundamental essence of existence rather than physical markers. With your soul sense range, you can pinpoint the exact location once we’re within the general area."

Kael’s eyes widened.

"You know about my soul path cultivation?"

Cassian smirked.

"Don’t be so shocked. You ain’t the only one with a System."

Kael’s jaw tightened slightly.

He really does have one.

Kael had suspected for a long time but never confirmed it.

Cassian’s eyes narrowed further. "I can’t sense your System."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "You can’t?"

Kael paused.

My System is evolving. So it’s probably in like a dormant state right now.

"It’s just shy," Kael said flatly.

Two days passed quickly.

The ship descended through Planet Verenthos’s atmosphere, and Kael down through the viewport.

Whoa.

Planet Verenthos was large—larger than any planet he’d visited in the Skyfall Galaxy. The IGF Central Base dominated a massive landmass that stretched across the planet’s primary continent. From above, the base looked like a city unto itself—sprawling complexes of crystalline buildings, training grounds, residential quarters, and administrative towers connected by elevated transit lines that crisscrossed like silver threads.

Beyond the base, the planet was densely populated. Cities dotted the landscape, separated by expanses of cultivated farmland, industrial zones, and natural reserves. Traffic filled the skies—transport vessels, cargo ships, personal skimmers—moving in organized lanes that pulsed with navigation runes.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh.

"Busy place," Kael murmured.

Brody remained in the cockpit. "I’ll wait with the ship, sir."

"Alright."

Kael and Cassian disembarked and walked toward the IGF Central Base’s main entrance.

As they walked, Cassian continued his explanation.

"This Inheritance Ground causes quite a stir every time it opens. Not just people from the Western Universe—even cultivators from the Northern and Eastern Universes will be present."

Kael glanced at him. "How? Different universe sectors?"

"The Inheritance Ground—called the Verenthian Void Realm—has multiple gateways. There’s one here in the Western Universe, one in the Eastern, and one in the Northern. Each gateway leads to the same pocket dimension, just different entry points. The tokens are allocated by sector."

Cassian held up fingers as he counted.

"Western Universe: 96 tokens. Eastern Universe: 92 tokens. Northern Universe: 124 tokens. Places like the Central and Southern Universes have no such gateway. That’s why their cultivators come to the Western, Eastern, or Northern sectors to attend academies and compete for tokens."

Kael nodded slowly. "Ohh. That’s quite complicated."

"Right now," Cassian continued, "the top four academies of our Western sector receive 12 tokens each—48 total for the academies. The remaining tokens go to hunter guilds, major families who request them, and IGF trainees. I don’t know the exact distribution for the Eastern and Northern sectors, but the structure must be similar."

"Surely, there’s an entry restriction?" Kael asked.

"Mana Heart cultivators and below," Cassian confirmed. "Anything above Mana Heart can’t enter the realm. The gateway rejects higher cultivation signatures."

Kael smirked. "What if a person breaks through inside the realm?"

Cassian mirrored the expression. "It’s possible to enter as a Rank 9 Mana Heart and breakthrough to Spirit Soul inside the Inheritance Ground. A flaw many people have exploited over the centuries since the Inheritance Ground was discovered."

"I’ll keep that in mind," Kael said quietly.

The IGF Central Base’s main entrance was a fortress of security.

Hiss. The outer gate opened. They entered a checkpoint.

Armed guards in IGF uniforms scanned them—mana signature, identity crystal, Credentials. Runic arrays pulsed with light, passing over their bodies.

Bzzt-bzzt-bzzt.

"Identity confirmed: Kael Cassian Vorn. Heaven’s Gate Academy. Tournament Rank: 2nd."

"Identity confirmed: Cassian Vale. Heaven’s Gate Academy. Tournament Rank: 4th."

Beep. Ding.

They passed through three more checkpoints. Blood signature scan. Soul signature verification. Mana fluctuation analysis. Spatial tracking implant—temporarily attached to the wrist, removable upon exit.

Click. Click. Click.

Finally, they reached the token distribution office. An IGF officer sat behind a counter, flanked by two armed guards.

"Names and academies," the officer said.

Kael and Cassian provided their information. The officer cross-referenced with the tournament records, confirmed their identities through three additional scans, and then opened a secure container.

Click-whirr-click.

Two tokens materialized—small crystalline medallions, each one inscribed with runic symbols that pulsed with faint light. The IGF insignia was embedded in the center.

"Your entry tokens for the Verenthian Void Realm," the officer said. "Do not lose them. Do not transfer them. They are bound to your mana signature."

They both pocketed their tokens.

They turned to leave.

Step. Step. Step.

"KAEL!"

A familiar voice shouted across the lobby.

Kael stopped mid-step.

A smile appeared on his face.