BOOM!
A single thought.
Mei's power crushed down with absolute, irresistible force. The immeasurably vast body of the corpse was almost instantly annihilated.
An indescribable, forbidden aura diffused, stirring massive waves in the void tide. A clash of powers on a hyper-abstract level manifested as energy on the fundamental material plane.
All forms of energy in this void clashed with extreme ferocity. The sea of energy boiled, almost completely engulfing this void.
In the shattered void, the concepts of time and space no longer existed. Tracing back to the past was utterly impossible. With time gone, how could one return to the past?
And as an existence slumbering in this shattered void, the Tier 10 corpse was undoubtedly a witness, and quite possibly the culprit behind this void's destruction.
"Luck isn't bad."
Thinking this, Mei's actions didn't cease. She mercilessly destroyed this half-dead Tier 10 entity, seeing him off completely.
In the deep, shattered void, a halo containing ultimate Veritas bloomed. It was the Root of the Tier 10 corpse, containing all the remaining power of a Tier 10.
Not just power.
But also the most fundamental information and concepts of existence.
Mei had started encountering the Root long ago, roughly at Tier 6-7. Since then, battles between high-tier beings, if they couldn't erase the opponent's Root, couldn't be considered truly killing the opponent.
What was the Root?
The Root was the most fundamental information and concept of one's existence recorded in the infinite voids. It lay deeper than body, soul, mind, or any concept defining an individual that superimposes onto reality. It carried all the power and all information of that particular thing.
Once the Root was erased, revival was no longer possible. All means of resurrection and rebirth had to be built upon the premise that the Root still existed.
Mei might not have known this before, but since stepping into the infinite voids, she understood: the Root transcended all concepts of a single void, serving as a higher-order, more abstract information carrier.
It belonged to the infinite voids level.
The Tier 10 corpse's Root, radiating magnificent brilliance, appeared before Mei. Apeiron instantly shattered all superficialities, directly reaching the essence it carried.
At this moment, Mei understood the information within.
Once, a terribly brutal battle had taken place in this void, a clash between two Tier 10s. One was defeated, its Root shattered and incomplete, becoming a half-dead corpse.
The defeated entity, missing most of its Root and having lost most of its power, couldn't even remember who it was. However, it still remembered its opponent's name.
"Dacth."
This was why the corpse held such resentment for that name. The useful information recorded within the Root was so severely incomplete; the rest was worthless.
Mei had originally hoped to learn the opponent's advancement method through the corpse's Root, but the result was fruitless. She gazed at the Root in her hand, then crushed it.
Completely erasing it.
Mei's figure emerged from the depths of the shattered void. Each step transcended infinite dimensions, and she departed with a look of utter disinterest in everything else within the ruin.
The plump man, who had been searching for opportunities throughout the ruin, suddenly noticed something. He first looked towards the depths of the void, where void tides surged, a realm he dared not tread.
Then, he looked in surprise towards the direction Mei had left, and hastily gave chase.
"Hey, please wait!!"
"..."
The plump man, clad in an old grey robe, wore a benevolent expression. After confirming no one else was around, he mysteriously whispered to Mei, "Do you know there's a higher level beyond Veritas?"
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Mei was instantly interested.
Of course, she knew, but the faith marker network had always considered Veritas the limit, with higher levels existing only in wishful thinking.
Mei asked with curiosity, "You know?"
"Of course!"
The plump man nodded vigorously. After confirming no one was around again, he said earnestly to Mei, "Do you know that in an extremely ancient past, there was an existence who once attempted to shake the foundations of Hyperdimensional Space and Transcendent Space?"
Mei's eyes narrowed.
"Is that true?"
"Naturally, it's true."
The plump man said with certainty, "Although that existence was ultimately defeated and their traces of existence were erased by the two great Spaces, the shattered Root was scattered throughout the infinite voids. Even the two great Spaces couldn't completely overturn the infinite voids, so this past could not be entirely erased."
"It's said that existence once reached the pinnacle of the supreme level system with Veritas power, yet was not affiliated with either Space. Logically, they shouldn't have been weaker than the two great Spaces, but they still lost. The two great Spaces didn't even have to join forces; that existence was suppressed by Hyperdimensional Space alone."
Given this, such a speculation naturally arose.
Mei understood.
"So you realized there must be a level beyond Veritas. Only such unimaginable power could have shattered the challenger's Root."
"Exactly!"
The plump man nodded. "Only that makes sense. Otherwise, as supreme existences, that one shouldn't have had their essence easily shattered by Hyperdimensional Space. If Hyperdimensional Space had suffered any loss, Transcendent Space wouldn't have missed such a good opportunity."
Speaking of this, the plump man was filled with infinite yearning.
"Beyond Veritas, what unimaginable power truly lies there? I'm afraid no one possesses such power apart from the two great Spaces."
After all, even the one who once attempted to shake the two great Spaces never ascended beyond Veritas.
However, in reality, it might not be so.
Mei knew perfectly well what lay beyond Veritas: Apeiron, an existence transcending the normal level system, an unassailable foe, an unassailable annihilator.
Once one possessed Apeiron's power, the situation of a shattered Root basically wouldn't exist. Mei had always directly erased her opponents' Roots completely.
This was a supreme, paramount law. More specifically, it was as if the infinite voids was obeying Mei's will, following her will to accomplish everything.
If Hyperdimensional Space were truly Apeiron, then the one who once challenged it would never have been able to leave even a trace of their Root. This suggested that Hyperdimensional Space wasn't Apeiron?
Similarly, was Transcendent Space also the same?
This was merely speculation.
Perhaps Hyperdimensional Space deliberately acted that way; it was impossible to say.
Speaking to this extent, the plump man finally revealed his true intention: "I once discovered a void ruin, seemingly connected to that existence. If we can find his Root there, perhaps we can glimpse the power beyond Veritas. Are you interested?"
Needless to say, the fact that Mei could calmly walk out of the depths of the ruin just now was enough to show her unfathomable strength. A Tier 10 corpse was slumbering within.
To the plump man's surprise, he had expected Mei to eagerly agree, but Mei's reaction was remarkably placid, leaving him astonished.
"Not interested."
"Ah?"
This was about the level beyond Veritas!
...
Advancing step by step from Tier 1, all the way to Tier 8, Tier 9, and even Tier 10, and perhaps even higher levels—this was the most common path of advancement in Space.
The ordinary level system referred to this mainstream, or "core," level, because the core level was the source of power.
From the Tier 6 to Tier 7 stage, the core level presented another branching path, a completely new, more powerful tier.
To push open this door, "All Concepts" was a threshold that absolutely had to be crossed. The difficulty, needless to say, was immense. Many, even with their utmost efforts, might not even be able to control a single higher-order conceptual normal, let alone all abstract concepts.
Beyond "All Concepts" was "Counter-Conceptual." Once one could merge the two opposing aspects of Forces, one could touch an unimaginably powerful realm.
Veritas.
Because this was a power level independent of the core level system, transcending the core level's purview, it was also called the "unique" level.
Unique levels were invincible within their tier; there was no possibility of being defeated by an equal-tier opponent, unless the opponent also possessed a unique level. And Mei was a forbidden, surpassing Veritas.
Apeiron was transcendent above the core level.
It was an unassailable peer, an unassailable annihilator.
Even a Tier 10 was powerless against Mei.
However, Apeiron still relied on the core level's power. For example, even though Mei was currently only Tier 8 and could destroy all voids with a single blow, her observational range was limited.
The core level's advancement still couldn't be neglected. This was akin to expanding Mei's horizons. The higher the core level, the more of the voids she could observe.
Furthermore, during this process, any void she stepped through would be anchored by the Infinite Secretary. All anchored voids would then fall within Mei's observational range.
Mei opened the Infinite Secretary.
——
[Item: Infinite Secretary]
[Type: Item]
[Grade: Tier 9]
[Description: Automatically anchors any traversed void. Through this item, one can achieve instantaneous, cross-void teleportation regardless of distance.]
[Anchor Record: Endless Space Void, Earth Void, Void Ruin]
——
Presumably, the voids of the worlds within Endless Space were all categorized under the Endless Space Void, hence not individually recorded.
After returning to the Earth void via the faith marker network, just about enough time had passed.
With the prompt, Mei entered Hyperdimensional Space.
TZZZ...
Mei's figure flickered, vanishing again.
...
[Mission Type: Tethered Mission]
[Mission Difficulty: Tier 3]
This was Mei's second Tethered Mission since reaching Tier 3. To be honest, she felt she was truly disrupting the balance in low-level missions.
"Damn it, I'm going!!"
A guy next to Mei suddenly shouted, poised for battle as if facing a great enemy. Every mission start, someone always felt like they were heading to the execution block.
3!
2!
1!
The countdown ended.
Mei and the others vanished, entering the mission world.
...
The mission world.
A dim day.
Medieval Western European style architecture. A wide, flat cobbled street for carriages, but at the end, it was muddy and unbearable.
Black-haired, blue-eyed residents in rough linen clothes walked back and forth. A few dusty children stood at the muddy end of the cobbled street, gazing at this scene.
Clearly, based on the state of the roads, the muddy path area was the slums, the cobbled road area was the inner city, and further in, stood the magnificent aristocratic mansions.
"Hm?"
Upon entering the mission world, Mei immediately noticed that this void was teeming with high-level powerhouses, like carp crossing a river.
She had initially thought this was just a regular Tethered Mission. She didn't expect Hyperdimensional Space to throw such a big event at her. No, not just Hyperdimensional Space, but also Transcendent Space.
After becoming an Apeiron, the Grand Travelers of Space could no longer conceal their identities from Mei's observation, unless they were outside her observational range.
"A grand brawl between the two great Spaces?"
Mei felt this time would be very interesting.
The Main Mission updated on the interface. Unlike before, this Main Mission had no phases, only one requirement.
[Main Mission: This is an unimaginably grand war. In this war, you have only one task: to survive with all your might, or to dominate everything and become the witness of this history. Please, do not rashly participate in high-tier battlefields. At least until you attract the attention of high-tier existences, you are relatively safe...]
[Mission Reward: 5,000,000 Points]
[Mission commencing.]
"..."
[Name: Mei]
[Grade: Tier 3]
[Points: 25,009,508,100]
[Pet: Shiro ·LV50 (Tier 7)]
[Abilities: Primordial Daemon ·LV60, Limit Break ·LV10, Super Burst ·LV24.6, Apeiron · Void]
[Items: Personal Spatial Storage ·Universe, Chapter of Gaia, True · Death Substitute *1, True · Source Annihilation *2, Tier 8 ticket *19, Tier 9 ticket *2, Infinite Secretary, Demon-Quelling Manifestation, Cloud Water Sword, Azure Light Sword, Wait until Heavenly Pagoda...]
...
As Mei expected, this was truly a grand war on the infinite voids level. In this void alone, Mei had already discovered two Space Grand Travelers.
It was highly unlikely that other void forces hadn't been drawn in.
Upon further reading the Main Mission's details, Mei understood. Each tier had its own battlefield. As long as one didn't foolishly participate in high-tier battlefields, one wouldn't generally suffer high-level crushing.
The two great Spaces' protection mechanisms were well in place. High-tier beings couldn't easily participate in low-tier battlefields but could observe and watch. They could leverage low-tier Legion members to target observed individuals.
Mei was currently on a continent on a certain planet, surrounded by sea. Besides her, many other Void Wanderers and Transcenders had also descended upon this planet.
This planet was their battlefield.
According to the Main Mission requirements, whether one merely survived or dominated everything, as long as their battlefield was completely unified by someone and they were still alive, the mission would be considered complete.
Theoretically, if a low-tier inadvertently participated in a high-tier battlefield, they would have to wait until the high-tier battlefield was unified to complete the mission. That time span might not be something a low-tier could endure.
This time, Hyperdimensional Space was unusually generous. As long as the mission could be completed, 5 million points would be awarded. This was a huge sum for a Tier 3 Void Wanderer.
It had to be said, this mission truly presented an unprecedented grand spectacle.
Even more unexpectedly for Mei, at this very moment, the long-awaited opportunity finally arrived.
Infinite time, having been gestated, transformed into a real miracle.
An incomparably powerful Ideal amount suddenly erupted, surging continuously from within her body.
The immense power caused even this void to tremble.
A smile appeared on Mei's face.
"Finally fully formed, is it?"
If the birth of a cosmic consciousness was a miracle, then the gestation and formation of a Willpower Vessel from Ideal was a miracle within a miracle, especially the birth of a high-tier Willpower Vessel.
Ideal was a completely irrational power, capable of breaking through all restrictions and limits. With the formation of the Willpower Vessel, infinite power surged within Mei's body.
Transcending all concepts and restrictions of time and space, the colossal power from the infinite voids instantly shattered Mei's Tier 8 shackles.
[Primordial Daemon ·LV61⬆]
[Primordial Daemon ·LV62⬆]
[Primordial Daemon ·LV63⬆]
"..."
[Primordial Daemon ·LV80⬆]
...
That invisible sense of obstruction vanished instantly.
Mei's power surged. Her perspective ascended above this void, observing more void spaces.
From one to two, then from two to three, followed by dozens, hundreds, thousands... countless voids were observed and measured by Mei.
Wherever her gaze reached, the Infinite Secretary automatically anchored these voids.
Power, like a tide, converged back into herself. Mei's perspective, having ascended above the void, descended back to this particular void.
The moment of her breakthrough was erased from Spacetime.
No one noticed.
Mei checked her level. Like Veritas, after breaking through to Tier 9, Apeiron instantly pulled her level to the maximum of Tier 9.
"It seems LV80 will be Tier 10."
Unconsciously, she had finally taken this step. From then on, Mei was a forbidden Tier 9.
Mei extended her hand. A halo of light appeared in her palm, transforming into a lustrous, transparent, irregularly shaped crystal: pure, flawless, and utterly ethereal.
This was Mei's Willpower Vessel.
The Subjective Aspect!
Its ability, or rather its function, was singular: to grant subjective power to others, and in turn, through others' strong emotions, beliefs, and willpower, continuously elevate its own level.
The Subjective Aspect currently didn't even possess Tier 1 power. But it could awaken subjective power in its host. Once the host's subjective power awakened, it would inevitably surge, then pull the Subjective Aspect to a higher level.
Most importantly, if a host's strength stagnated, Mei could switch hosts, leveraging another host to advance the Subjective Aspect's power.
The Subjective Aspect had infinite potential!
To describe it more accurately, this was like making an investment. Mei invested in others and then secretly reaped the returns. Therefore, as the owner of the Willpower Vessel, she couldn't directly elevate its level.
Without external power input, this would simply be moving power from one hand to the other, utterly meaningless.
The interface updated.
[Target detected]
[Authority installation in progress]
[Installation completed]
[Entering random selection]
[Random selection: Transfinite Fusion]
"..."
[Upgrade Task 1: Subjective Aspect advances to Tier 1, receive one Transfinite Fusion.]
[Upgrade Task 2: Subjective Aspect advances to Tier 2, receive one Transfinite Fusion.]
[Upgrade Task 3: Subjective Aspect advances to Tier 3, receive one Transfinite Fusion.]
"..."
[Upgrade Task 10: Subjective Aspect advances to Tier 10, receive one Transfinite Fusion.]
Clearly, this was another one-time use Random selection.
Mei looked at the description of Transfinite Fusion.
——
[Ability: Transfinite Fusion · One-Time Use]
[Uses: 0]
[Description: A one-time use ability. Ignores Type, ignores Grade. Can fuse any two things, resulting in a higher quality fused product.]
——
Ignores Type?
Mei had a sudden thought. What if she fused an ability with an item? What would be the result? If anything was possible, then bloodlines or life forms should also be fine.
She didn't know if Primordial Daemon could still be improved. In any case, this seemed like a Random selection that could yield interesting results. Anything was possible.
The halo in her hand dissipated, the Subjective Aspect vanished. Mei looked up towards the aristocratic mansion in the inner city. A flag embroidered with an exquisite emblem fluttered in the wind.
Berkeley Autonomous Territory.
This was Mei's current location. This continent, surrounded by sea, was home to many kingdoms, and these kingdoms were formed by various autonomous territories.
Before these outsiders like Mei descended, this planet's continent had no supernatural powers. From now on, perhaps it wouldn't be the same.
This Main Mission was trivial for Mei. She only needed to focus on the ten upgrade tasks. First, she had to find a suitable host for the Subjective Aspect.
"You little brat, don't run!"
"Commoner, how dare you steal from the lord's house! I think you're tired of living!"
Amidst the shouts, a young man in rough linen clothes brushed past Mei. He clutched some exquisite silver implements and tableware to his chest, then swiftly vanished without a trace.
BOOM! BOOM!
Lightly armored lord's guards swarmed in pursuit like angry bees, but the young man was simply too fast, utterly uncatchable. They could only curse as they chased.
THUD!
Running all the way back to the gloomy alleys of the slums, the young man suddenly pushed open a door and hastily closed it. Inside the room were two people, a boy and a girl. Seeing the silver implements in the young man's arms, their eyes widened.
"Wow, it's silver!"
"Brother, you broke into the lord's mansion?!"
"Yeah."
Gilbert put down the silver implements and tableware he held. In the admiring gazes of his younger brother and sister, he said expressionlessly, "We'll sell them quietly after a while. They should fetch a good price; they're noble goods after all."
The boy was immensely excited.
"They must be worth a lot of money!"
They had never encountered such high-quality goods, and could only describe them as "worth a lot of money," even though it was merely the lord's family's everyday dining set.
"Even sneaking into the lord's mansion, you only dare to steal a few things. Your life's path is visible from the start. Do you want to rot away in these slums your entire life?"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang out from beside them.
SWISH!
Almost as an instinctual reaction, Gilbert instantly drew a dagger from his waist and slashed towards the shadowy figure. However, it was as if time in the world had jumped.
The dagger cut through empty air.
Turning to look, Mei's figure had appeared in a different position, as if she had been there from the very beginning. Gilbert's pupils contracted, shielding his younger brother and sister behind him.
What exactly happened? What just occurred? He couldn't understand.
Gilbert's vigilance was higher than ever before. He said gravely, "Who are you? You don't seem to be the lord's guard."
Mei answered with a question, simply extending her hand, her eyes flashing with profound intensity. "Who I am is unimportant. What's important is, do you crave power?"
HUM!
A dazzling halo flashed and disappeared. Regardless of her question, Mei gave Gilbert no chance to choose, directly embedding the Subjective Aspect into Gilbert's body.
Simultaneously, the flow of time on this continent underwent a drastic change. Compared to other parts of the planet, it was almost like two different worlds. The Subjective Aspect's growth required time, and this was no issue for Mei.