Chapter 2707: Becoming one with the Universe Matrix

The awakening of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe Will caused a strange sensation to spread across the souls of every life form within the universe. It was not merely a surge of energy, but a feeling of rejuvenation that washed through their very existence, as if the universe itself had finally opened its eyes and taken its first breath after an eternity of slumber.

Yet that was far from all.

Soon, bursts of golden light began appearing throughout the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe, each one enveloping a particular individual. The Universe Will might have been asleep during the later stages of the conflict against the Root and the Curse Eaters, but now that it had awakened, it understood everything that had happened.

It knew of every battle.

It knew of every warrior who had stood upon the front lines, every desperate struggle against overwhelming enemies, and every moment when the inhabitants of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe had risked their lives to defend their home. It understood the courage of those who fought despite knowing death was almost certain, the sacrifices made by countless warriors, and the determination that allowed the Six Sacred Races to survive an enemy that had once seemed impossible to defeat.

And naturally, the Universe Will would reward them.

Leonidas, Bael, Amon, Zarak, Gabriel, Zero Mint, Rylanor, and countless other warriors of the Six Sacred Races looked toward the golden radiance surrounding them with expressions of pure exhilaration.

The energy of the universe flooded through their bodies and souls.

At the same time, countless golden runes began appearing within the deepest parts of their souls. Each rune carried an extraordinary amount of knowledge regarding the laws of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe. They were not simple memories or teachings, but direct imprints of the principles that governed their home, allowing the warriors to comprehend laws they had struggled with for countless years as naturally as breathing.

Their willpower was washed by the golden energy, impurities being erased while their foundations were strengthened.

Their talents improved exponentially.

Their potential rose to levels that many of them had never even imagined possible.

Some warriors who had been trapped at bottlenecks for hundreds or even thousands of years suddenly experienced massive breakthroughs on the spot. Their auras surged as their cultivation advanced, causing waves of cosmic energy to spread through the surrounding void.

For the Universe Will, empowering the members of the Six Sacred Races was incredibly simple.

The very foundation of their existence had been engraved into the core of the Universe Matrix. Their laws, bloodlines, souls, and racial origins were all connected to the universe itself, meaning the Universe Will could easily understand their essence and reinforce it.

Yet things did not proceed nearly as smoothly when the Universe Will turned its attention toward the True Depravita of Hope.

Meylin had been smiling as she watched her friends and comrades receive their rewards, genuinely delighted by their sudden improvement.

Then she froze.

A faint frown appeared on her beautiful face as she felt the attention of the Universe Will descend upon her.

That gaze was hostile!

The Depravita Race was alien to the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe. After the Great War, when the Depravitas of Paradise had descended upon this universe, wreaked havoc, and slaughtered trillions of lives, the entire race had been marked as an enemy that should be destroyed at all costs.

Meylin's essence was fundamentally different from that of ordinary Depravitas. She was a True Depravita, a member of the rare lineage that had surpassed the limitations of its Core Sin and evolved into a flawless life form.

But the hatred of the Universe Will toward the Depravita Race was so immense that even a resemblance to that lineage was enough to place a death sentence upon her.

The only reason the Universe Will hesitated was because of Meylin's role in defending the universe.

It knew she had fought alongside its inhabitants.

It knew she had bled for its survival.

It knew she had stood against the enemies threatening its existence.

For a moment, the Universe Will seemed to be weighing what course of action it should take against this alien life form.

Then it discovered something deep within Meylin's soul.

A fragment of Primordial Essence.

The moment the Universe Will sensed it, everything changed.

Deep within the soul of the True Depravita of Hope rested a fragment of the Primordial Essence belonging to a being so revered and worshiped throughout the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe that even the Universe Will itself had no choice but to bow before its presence.

The scarlet Primordial Essence.

Combined with the extraordinary feats of heroism Meylin had accomplished during the war, it was enough for the Universe Will to make an exception.

Meylin's eyes widened.

She suddenly felt a connection forming between her soul and the Universe Will.

It was not an ordinary blessing.

She was being accepted.

A bond was forged between them, allowing Meylin to become a part of the universe itself.

The next instant, a magnificent golden light enveloped her.

While the golden cocoons surrounding Leonidas and the other generals were roughly the size of stars, the radiance surrounding Meylin rapidly expanded until it became as large as a moon.

Yet Meylin had no time to concern herself with the size of the cocoon.

An indescribable feeling of delight flooded through her entire existence.

The Universe Will could not access the laws that had forged her racial essence in the same way it could with the Six Sacred Races. However, it possessed something else.

The essence of countless Depravitas that had been slaughtered within its domain throughout the ages.

And now, the Universe Will granted all of that accumulated essence to Meylin.

Her path had already been established.

She was the True Depravita of Hope, and her essence was the Force of Hope.

Yet the essence of countless Core Sins would allow her to reinforce the Seven Deadly Sins that formed the foundation of the Force of Hope.

It would not grant her an overwhelming increase in cultivation.

It would not suddenly transform her into an invincible warrior.

But Meylin smiled.

The expression on her face carried nothing but pure bliss.

She could feel it.

This was exactly what she had been missing.

This was the final piece she needed to take the last step forward and evolve into a true, fully actualized Fourth Realm Life Form.

While the warriors who had fought and bled for the safety of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe were already enclosed within their golden cocoons, brighter and brighter streams of pure cosmic force continued gathering around another figure.

The Scarlet King.

The entire universe could rally behind him.

He was the warrior who had commanded the will, respect, and admiration of every great fighter within the alliance. To countless inhabitants, he had become more than a king or leader.

He was the greatest life form their universe had ever produced.

He had destroyed the Worlds of the Root.

He had split the Monster of the Root apart and bathed the stars in its blood.

He had killed the leader of the Curse Eater invasion.

And he had overcome the Incarnation of an Eternal.

Therefore, the reward awaiting Cain was equally extraordinary.

The golden cocoon surrounding the Scarlet King continued expanding.

It grew larger and brighter, its radiance becoming so immense that the surrounding void was completely swallowed by golden light.

Soon, the cocoon had grown to such a colossal size that it appeared as if a brand-new Empyrean World had manifested within the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe.

And at its center stood Cain Laurifer, silently receiving the gratitude of the universe he had chosen to protect.

Cain closed his eyes and allowed the power of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe to permeate his entire existence.

The Universe Will could not reward the Scarlet King in the same manner as it had the others. Cain was already a Fourth Realm Life Form, and in terms of quality, the laws he had comprehended and the forces he controlled surpassed anything the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe could directly provide.

However, there was still something the universe could give him.

A golden matrix slowly began expanding across Cain's body. It first manifested within his flesh and blood, before spreading into his soul and will, engraving itself into the deepest foundations of his existence.

What was being imprinted upon Cain was the full extent of the Universe Matrix.

Every principle, every law, and even every conceptual force that existed within the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe was being integrated into his flesh, blood, soul, and spirit.

Although none of these individual laws could compare with the might of Omega Horizon, there were thousands upon thousands of them, all interconnected through the profound structure of the Universe Matrix. Their interaction created a perfectly harmonious system in which each force reinforced the others without producing even the slightest instability.

Having the entire foundation of the universe engraved into his existence meant that Cain could now glimpse its greatest mysteries simply by closing his eyes. More importantly, he could draw inspiration from those mysteries and incorporate their insights into his own Fourth Realm Forces.

It granted him an almost endless realm of possibilities for future evolutions.