Titanis Continent.
The colossal tree that had once seized a portion of the world's laws still towered over everything on this continent. Its vitality remained incredibly strong, even though its consciousness had long since vanished.
A group of people hovered high in the sky above the colossal tree, gazing down at its awe-inspiring form.
"I still can't believe there's really a tree this big," Mia Fafifa said in wonder.
From this height, the tree's massive canopy looked like an endless, incredibly dense jungle stretching out in every direction.
Lin Wei chuckled softly beside her. "You didn't believe me when I told you about it last time."
"How was I supposed to believe something like this existed without seeing it with my own eyes?" Mia retorted.
"Didn't Angela and Lana also confirm it?"
"Hmph. I thought you three were just trying to make fun of me," Mia pouted. She still held some lingering resentment toward Angela and Lana.
Right now, Lin Wei, his three wives, and the dozens of carefully selected subordinates he had recruited were waiting for Senior Raisho to finish his preparations. He was re-establishing the void path that would lead them back to the Galactic Center.
It was far easier to reopen an existing void path than to create a brand new one from scratch.
The people Lin Wei had chosen to bring with him were all individuals he had encountered during his journeys, those he considered extremely talented or possessing rare, unique abilities.
If Leyvi were here, he would immediately recognize two of them.
A skinny, pale man and a powerfully built, muscular man.
They were Asmondol and Prince Ozan.
Years ago, during the Holy Cat City disaster, Lin Wei had a brief but memorable encounter with Asmondol.
The stealth technique Lin Wei used at that moment was instantly learned and replicated by Asmondol, which greatly shocked him. It was a difficult and complex technique that should have been nearly impossible to copy just by seeing it once. From that day onward, Lin Wei became deeply interested in the mysterious man.
After that incident, he investigated Asmondol's background and reached a clear conclusion: the man possessed a Unique Heavenly Body that allowed him to copy other people's techniques.
Later, he met Asmondol again just before entering the Mystic Realm. At that time, Asmondol had switched his profession to a beast tamer. This only strengthened Lin Wei's belief in his extraordinary copying ability.
At the end of the Mystic Realm expedition, Lin Wei noticed Asmondol disguised among the survivors returning to their home planet. He immediately guessed that the disguise was yet another technique Asmondol had copied.
Since Leyvi had rejected his offer, Lin Wei approached Asmondol instead. The temptation of a much broader and grander new world was too great an opportunity to pass up, so Asmondol accepted. After passing Lin Wei's test, he formally became one of his subordinates.
As for Prince Ozan, he had been recommended by several of Lin Wei's other subordinates. They told him the prince was extremely powerful and dominating in battle.
Learning that he would have the chance to travel to the place where Senior Raisho originated from, Prince Ozan naturally did not want to miss it. After all, the main reason he had joined the Mystic Realm expedition in the first place was simply because he was bored, unlike the other participating princes and princesses who had more serious motivations.
Additionally, the overwhelming power of a Divine Lord had left a deep, lasting impression on him. He had been wanting to follow in those footsteps ever since.
In a sparring test against Prince Ozan, Lin Wei was extremely surprised to discover that he could only defeat the prince after relying on his supreme treasure. Without it, he would have definitely lost. He acknowledged that the rumors about Ozan's strength had not been exaggerated at all.
"Alright. I'm done. Get ready," Divine Lord Raisho announced.
With a casual wave of his hand, the entire group was enveloped in a large, intricate spherical barrier. Its purpose was to protect them from being accidentally pulled into random, dangerous void tunnels during the journey.
Excitement was visible on almost everyone's faces. After stepping through this void path, they would arrive in an entirely new world, one filled with greater opportunities and a brighter future.
Staying on Archipela Planet, the Dao Manifestation Realm would likely be their limit. But in the place they were heading to, there was a real chance to reach god-like realms similar to Senior Raisho's level.
Raisho reached up and touched the purple pendant hanging around his neck. He activated it while pointing upward. A brilliant beam of light shot into the sky for about a hundred meters before it suddenly vanished, as if swallowed by something invisible.
The next moment, a thin purple slit appeared exactly where the beam had disappeared. It rapidly expanded, tearing open the fabric of space itself.
A few seconds later, a large, stable portal had fully formed.
Without hesitation, Divine Lord Raisho flew upward and entered the portal first. The spherical barrier containing the group followed closely behind him.
Once they had all passed through, the portal began to close. The purple slit slowly shrank until it disappeared completely, leaving no trace behind.
---
The Universe Airship was currently carrying the entire Leyan Family toward the Mountain Dew Sect. The journey would take roughly a week.
Vivian, Bobori, and their son Jojori were traveling with them. However, the true nature of the Universe Airship had to remain hidden. Using Alita's advanced illusion capabilities and interior rearranging functions, they were made to believe they were simply riding on the Leyan Family's regular airship.
Leyvi, who was about to upgrade Jojori's spirit root, suddenly heard a calm voice echo in his mind.
"I'm leaving now. I'm counting on you."
It was Senior Raisho's voice. Leyvi recognized it immediately. Senior Raisho was entrusting him with a tiny portion of his Divinity as a backup, in case his breakthrough attempt failed. However, Leyvi could not help but wonder if that was truly the only reason behind it.
"So they have finally departed," Leyvi muttered quietly to himself.
Thinking about Lin Wei, he wondered whether his friend would be able to survive and thrive in that new world. The resources and opportunities there were undoubtedly far greater than here, but so were the dangers and hardships. Without any strong background or backing, it would not be an easy path at all.
"Uncle, why are you daydreaming right now? You said you wanted to give me something good," Jojori asked, looking up at him curiously.
After interacting with Leyvi a few times during this trip, the old sense of familiarity from when he was six years old had returned. He remembered that he used to really like his uncle.
"Hahaha. I was just thinking about what to give you," Leyvi replied with a warm smile.
"If Uncle can't decide, you can just give me everything. Problem solved," Jojori said cheekily.
Leyvi chuckled. "You're still a kid but you're already this greedy. Here, eat this."
He handed the boy a peach.
"A peach?" Jojori looked at the fruit in Leyvi's hand. "Uncle, it looks yummy, but I can buy one with my pocket money too. How about you give me a spirit artifact instead? That way, I can use it when I start cultivating soon."
Leyvi could not help but roll his eyes. This peach was a precious treasure capable of improving one's cultivation talent, yet the boy wanted to trade it for a mere spirit artifact. Kid, you've got it completely backwards. You can buy spirit artifacts almost anywhere, but you definitely cannot buy this peach.
"Just eat this first," Leyvi said patiently. "When you manage to draw in spiritual energy and enter the Qi Refining Realm later, you can come find me. I'll give you another reward then."
"Really, Uncle? Don't take back your words!" Jojori's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Hahaha! Your uncle never lies!" Leyvi laughed. "In fact, every time you break through, you can come to me and redeem a reward. I'm quite rich, after all."
"Yay! Uncle is the best!" Jojori cheered happily.
Leyvi smiled warmly. His roots were deeply tied to the Mountain Dew Sect. If the sect had not conducted its recruitment back then, he and Anda might still be living as ordinary mortals, never achieving what they have today. For that, he was extremely grateful.
The Leyan Family was doing exceptionally well now. They had more than enough resources for every member to cultivate all the way to the peak of the Soul Formation Realm.
With the family's foundation secured, Leyvi felt he could finally spare some attention for Mountain Dew Sect. What the sect currently lacked most was a suitable successor to take over from Sect Master Gunung in the future.
That was why Leyvi planned to groom Jojori as the next leader. With a top-grade spirit root, Jojori would be able to cultivate much faster than his peers and would have a significantly higher chance of reaching higher realms.
Even Sect Master Gunung himself was only at the Core Formation Realm. With the abundant resources Leyvi could provide, Jojori had the potential to become the first Soul Formation Realm cultivator produced by the sect. There had been a few Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in the sect's history, but none remained today.
Jojori had been born and raised in the Mountain Dew Sect, and both his parents were respected elders there. His roots in the sect were undeniable. It wouldn't be wrong to say that he was the child of the Mountain Dew Sect.
Leyvi believed he was the perfect choice to inherit and lead the sect one day. He had always liked the peaceful nature of the Mountain Dew Sect and wanted it to remain that way.
---
A week later, the Universe Airship arrived at Mountain Dew Sect.
To Leyvi's surprise, the sect was not peaceful at all.
The sect's Grand Formation had been fully activated, its defensive barrier glowing brightly in the sky.