Chapter 1183: Another Plan

Three Wardens surrounding her could not be a coincidence. If the only reason they had come after her was because the Null Realm had detected the release of the Twelfth Soul Current, then why had they found her first? And why were they fighting her rather than immediately pursuing me?

The more I thought about it, the more obvious it became that something else was happening. There was another variable on the board, something I hadn’t accounted for, and Aurora’s situation might be connected to it.

I stood there for a long time, considering whether I was making the wrong choice by continuing toward the Prime Territory. Eventually, however, I realized that turning back would not necessarily save her.

I didn’t know what the Wardens wanted from her, and I didn’t know whether I possessed enough strength to change the outcome even if I arrived there. What I did know was that the longer I delayed, the closer I came to losing the only advantage I currently possessed: time.

My gaze slowly shifted toward the black ocean contained within the Dawn Core.

A thought began taking shape.

If I couldn’t afford to stop, then I needed to become stronger while moving.

I had been carefully refining the black ocean in small portions, using only enough Soul Force to sustain my Echo Reversion jumps. That was no longer sufficient. There was still an enormous reserve of Soul Force within the ocean, and most of it had originally belonged to the countless souls that had been consumed by Viserys.

I could draw that energy into my Soul Sea, expand its capacity as far as possible and force my existence to adapt to the increased reserves while continuing toward the Prime Territory.

It would be dangerous.

My Soul Sea could only contain so much before the pressure became destructive, and I had already pushed my body beyond its limits several times. But if I wanted to confront Verilux, survive the Eternals and potentially face Demigods afterward, playing safely was no longer an option.

I looked once more in the direction where Aurora was located.

"I hope you survive," I murmured. "If you don’t, then I’ll remember your sacrifice."

There was nothing else I could do for her right now.

I turned away and began preparing Echo Reversion once more. The three runes of Time, Space and Soul appeared before me, rotating faster as my perception locked onto the next location along the route to the Prime Territory.

And I disappeared toward the Prime Territory.

While Echo Reversion carried me toward the Prime Territory, I withdrew my consciousness from the Dawn Core and returned to my Soul Space. The familiar expanse unfolded before me, and I found myself standing within the vastness of my own soul. Above the endless ocean floated my gigantic soul manifestation, its form towering at roughly 333 feet while silver radiance continuously flowed across its body.

Beneath it stretched the enormous Soul Sea, and unlike before, the ocean was now overflowing with Soul Force. Waves of energy repeatedly crashed against the boundaries of my Soul Space, yet instead of dispersing, they continued accumulating as more refined power entered from the Dawn Core.

I stared at the scene thoughtfully. If I had been in the outside world, increasing my strength would have been relatively straightforward. I would fight, kill powerful opponents, absorb their Soul Force and use the accumulated energy to advance my level.

Even here, the Generator Core within my body continued converting energy into Soul Force, while the black ocean inside the Dawn Core provided me with another enormous reservoir. I could also hunt the native creatures of the Null Realm and harvest their Soul Force through Thousand Soul Blossoms. The resources weren’t the problem. The question was how I could use them to push myself to the absolute extreme of the Saint Realm.

My gaze eventually moved from the vast Soul Sea toward my floating soul.

That was when I began considering the difference between Saints and Demigods.

The distinction wasn’t merely a matter of having more Soul Force or stronger Laws. A Saint could comprehend Laws to an extraordinary degree and use them to construct a Domain, but a Demigod took that foundation further by completing the fundamental core within their existence.

Once that foundation was successfully established, they had effectively placed one foot into the God Realm, which was precisely why the realm was called Demigod.

Their Domains were fundamentally different as well. A Saint’s Domain imposed their Laws upon the surrounding world, but a Demigod’s Domain could go much further. It could effectively replace the existing Laws within its territory with the authority of its owner. That difference alone created an enormous gap between the two realms.

I slowly narrowed my eyes.

If I wanted to contend with Demigods, then increasing my Soul Force alone wouldn’t be enough. My current Domain was powerful, but it was still ultimately the Domain of a Saint. I needed to push its foundation further before I could even think about confronting beings whose Domains could overwrite the Laws of the world itself.

And the foundation of my Domain came from my soul.

My comprehension wasn’t something I was particularly worried about. My understanding of the Laws I possessed had already reached a level that I was confident in. What I lacked was the sheer strength of my soul itself.

If I could strengthen my soul to the absolute limit that a Saint could endure, then perhaps my Domain could be pushed to an entirely different level without requiring me to immediately break into the Demigod Realm.

The decision formed naturally.

I would use everything.

The Soul Force floating throughout the Dawn Core had already been refined. I opened the connection between the two and directed the accumulated energy toward my Soul Space. An immense torrent immediately poured into my Soul Sea, causing the already vast ocean to swell further.

The boundaries of my Soul Space trembled beneath the pressure as the volume of Soul Force continued increasing.

At the same time, I continued moving through the Null Realm.

My physical body emerged from another Echo Reversion jump, and before the momentum of the teleportation had even settled, my perception spread across the surrounding region. Thousands of native creatures were moving through the Soul Sea, completely unaware of my presence.

I raised my hand.

"Thousand Soul Blossoms."

The authority of the technique spread outward.

Ten thousand creatures died simultaneously.

Their bodies collapsed as their souls were extracted, and the resulting Soul Force rushed toward me. I immediately absorbed the energy and directed it toward my Soul Space, adding another layer to the growing reserves within my Soul Sea.

Then I activated Echo Reversion again.

Space folded around me, carrying me farther toward the Prime Territory.

The moment I arrived at the next location, I once again opened my connection to the Dawn Core and continued refining the black ocean. More of its dark substance was separated, the souls within it were refined, and the resulting Soul Force was transferred into my Soul Sea.

Then I jumped again.

The process became a continuous cycle.

Teleport. Hunt. Refine. Absorb. Teleport again.

Every jump consumed Soul Force, but every expenditure was immediately compensated by the energy I harvested from the native creatures and the black ocean. Rather than allowing the excess to simply circulate within my body, I continued directing it toward my Soul Space, forcing the Soul Sea to expand.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, the boundaries began moving outward.