The stars above Crimson Nebula World had never looked more ominous.
I stood on the highest floating island of our new palace, spirit sword drawn, God Rock pulsing like a second heart in my Spatial Storage Ring. Li Qing was safely inside the reinforced inner sanctum with Xingchen and Qinglan, protected by the strongest arrays I had ever crafted. I had spent the last week turning every bracelet request into raw materials and techniques — Star Dao fragments, void ores, nebula sword manuals — and the God Rock had devoured them all. My cultivation sat firmly at mid-Core Formation, and my fused techniques had grown terrifying.
But Void Sovereign Hei Ming had finally come.
The sky tore open like black silk. A colossal vortex of pure void energy swallowed the light of three nearby suns. Hei Ming emerged alone, mid-stage Void Shattering Realm, his black robes billowing as if the universe itself feared him. Behind him, a legion of void puppets — faceless warriors at peak Nascent Soul — poured through the rift like a tide of darkness.
"So this is your little kingdom," Hei Ming's voice echoed across the entire planet, cold and mocking. "A pretty cage built with trinkets you gave away to insects. The God Rock belongs to one who can wield the 3000 Grand Daos properly. Hand it over, boy, and I will let your wife and spawn live as my slaves."
I raised my sword, lightning and spatial ripples dancing along the blade. "You talk too much for someone who is about to die."
He laughed and pointed one finger.
The void puppets charged — hundreds of them, each wielding black energy blades that could slice through mountains.
I moved first.
Space folded around me as I blinked into their midst. The God Rock fed me their techniques instantly. I copied the Void Blade Art on the spot and fused it with my Imperial Dragon Sword Art and the new Star Dao strands from the bracelet requests.
My first slash was a storm.
Silver-purple light exploded outward. Three puppets lost their heads in a single arc, black blood spraying like ink across the crystal forest. I spun, Time strands slowing the next wave by a heartbeat, and drove my sword through two more chests. Their cores shattered with wet cracks, bodies collapsing into void mist.
Blood and void essence rained down.
Hei Ming's eyes narrowed. "Not bad for a Core Formation ant."
He descended personally, palm outstretched. A black vortex the size of a small mountain formed above the palace — Void Devouring Palm, powerful enough to erase an entire star island.
I activated every defensive array I had built for Crimson Nebula World. Golden light flared across the planet. Then I countered with my own technique, newly perfected from the merchant guild's gifts: Star-Severing Dragon Slash.
Space compressed the distance between us. Time slowed the falling vortex just enough. Star Dao amplified the strike with cosmic force.
Our attacks collided.
The sky screamed.
The vortex shattered like glass, shards of void energy slicing into the puppets below and turning dozens into mist. My sword continued upward, carving a deep gash across Hei Ming's left shoulder. Black blood sprayed, his robes tearing open to reveal pale, ancient flesh.
He roared in fury and pain.
"You dare wound me?!"
He unleashed his true power. The entire planet trembled as he summoned the Grand Dao of Void at full strength — reality itself began to collapse around him, stars winking out one by one.
I blinked back to the palace balcony, sword dripping, chest heaving but eyes burning with excitement. The God Rock was singing, absorbing more Void Dao strands with every second of the fight.
"This is what I needed," I whispered. "More Daos. More techniques."
Below, my new territory's arrays held. The floating islands glowed with protective runes I had forged from bracelet materials. Li Qing's voice reached me through a private transmission jade — calm, fierce, loving.
"End him, husband. Our family is watching."
I smiled savagely and charged back into the fray.
The battle for Crimson Nebula World had only just begun.