Leyvi stared at the Colossal Tree, his brows tightly furrowed.

"What happened? It stopped glowing. That Colossal Tree sounded so terrified just now."

He could not tell whether Lin Wei’s attack had succeeded or failed, but the shriek that he had heard earlier still lingered in his mind. Just remembering it sent chills crawling down his spine.

From his position, the entire scene had been vague and distant. All he had seen was the vast canopy suddenly thrashing as if something inside it had panicked. Then a streak of light descended from the sky like lightning. Brief. Clean. Terrifyingly precise.

There was no doubt it had been an attack.

Gradually, the suffocating pressure that had frozen his body began to fade. Sensation slowly returned to his limbs, as if invisible chains were loosening one by one. The moment he could move again, Leyvi quickly rushed to Anda’s side.

He crouched down and checked her condition.

A moment later, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"She’s just unconscious..."

Aside from him, the only other person here who was not unconscious was Prince Ozan.

Ever since he had been stopped back then, Prince Ozan had been following his group silently. Surprisingly, he had been behaving and caused no trouble. As wild as he was, he probably understood the gravity of the situation and was trying his best to survive like everyone else.

With everyone unconscious, there was nothing he could do for now except wait. Several minutes passed in uneasy silence.

Then something finally happened.

He saw the pyramids merging back into one.

"Huh? Who is that?" Leyvi spotted a man descending from above, heading into the pyramid.

Even from this distance, he could feel an incredibly majestic presence emanating from that figure. It was nothing like he had ever felt before. It was as if he was in the presence of something godlike.

Leyvi was not sure if the man was a real god or not. But now he was certain that the lightning streak he had witnessed earlier must have been an attack from him, not the pyramid.

Suddenly, Leyvi felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere.

He could not immediately describe what had changed. The sky looked the same. The land was still silent with unconscious people scattered everywhere. Yet something in the air felt different, lighter somehow.

The strange pressure that had been lingering over the world seemed to have quietly vanished.

Leyvi frowned slightly.

He was certain he wasn’t imagining it.

"Kekeke! Kekeke! Kekeke!"

The sudden laughter made Leyvi jump.

A rabbit man appeared beside him as if he had always been standing there, shoulders shaking with uncontrollable amusement.

"Senior Lapin!" Leyvi blurted out. "Is it fine to go out now?"

Lapin turned his head toward him. His long rabbit ears twitched energetically, wiggling from side to side in obvious delight.

"Of course!" he said cheerfully. "Didn’t you feel it just now, Human Leyvi? The restriction upon this world has been lifted. That means this stupid tree is dead!"

"Really?"

Leyvi’s eyes immediately brightened.

He had been hoping the Colossal Tree was destroyed earlier, but he had not been completely certain. Everything had happened so quickly and from such a distance that he could only guess.

But hearing Lapin say it so confidently made the realization finally sink in.

The tree was dead.

The world-ending disaster was over.

"Kekeke! If you don’t believe me, why don’t you try it yourself?" Lapin said, pointing upward with a grin.

Leyvi followed the direction of the gesture and suddenly remembered something he had almost forgotten.

"Right! It’s been so long I completely forgot about this," he muttered.

For a long time now, flying has been impossible in this world. The mysterious suppression from the Colossal Tree had sealed the sky itself, forcing everyone to remain grounded.

If the tree was truly dead...

Then that restriction should be gone.

"That strange feeling just now must have been the flying restriction disappearing," Leyvi realized aloud.

Carefully, he placed the unconscious Anda down on the grass. Then he stepped back a few paces, drawing in a steady breath as he circulated his Qi.

Leyvi focused his Qi, willing himself upward.

His feet left the ground.

Slowly at first, hovering just above the earth. Then higher. And higher.

The feeling was surreal. It had been years since he had last flown freely, not just riding a celestial cloud. He had almost forgotten what it felt like.

He flew faster. Then faster still.

"HAHAHA! YES! THIS IS IT! I MISSED THIS!"

Leyvi laughed uncontrollably, soaring through the air in wide arcs, looping and diving like a child experiencing flight for the first time. He had forgotten how much he loved this. How much he took it for granted before coming to this world.

Below him, Prince Ozan watched.

A moment later, the muscular prince shot into the sky. His massive form cut through the air with incredible speed, heading straight toward the Colossal Tree.

Leyvi paused his celebration, watching the prince disappear into the distance.

Is he going to look for his subordinates? Wait. If the flying restriction is gone, then the climbing restriction must be gone too. That means anyone can now enter the ancient palaces. Is that where he is going?

Leyvi watched Prince Ozan’s figure disappear.

---

Inside the pyramid, Lin Wei and his wives, Angela Wight and Lana Rod, stood before the man they had summoned. All three of them bowed deeply.

"So you’re the one who finished the task," the man said calmly. "What’s your name, boy?"

Even though he had already concealed his aura, the pressure around him remained extraordinary. It was not the suffocating force from earlier that had knocked the world unconscious, but something quieter and far more refined. Just standing in his presence made the air feel dignified, as if reality itself had straightened its posture.

At his level, discovering simple information such as names or identities required nothing more than a passing thought. Still, he preferred ordinary conversation.

"Senior Divine Lord, my name is Lin Wei," Lin Wei replied respectfully. "I’ve successfully completed the task I was required to do without much difficulty. I was... fortunate."

The man referred to as Senior Divine Lord chuckled.

"You’re right about that. I’m also surprised by how lucky you are."

He glanced out toward the distant Colossal Tree before continuing.

"That World Piercer Tree was already one step away from transcending. Its strength had surpassed what this pioneer ship could withstand. When I arrived, it was in the middle of comprehending the Laws of Space."

He looked back at Lin Wei with mild amusement.

"If you had attempted this at any other time, you would have died without a doubt."

Lin Wei, Angela, and Lana were stunned.

They had never considered such a possibility.

From the records left within the pyramid, the defensive barriers of the structure were described as extremely powerful. They had believed it was more than capable of withstanding the tree’s attacks, especially since they had carefully followed every instruction left behind.

"Hahahaha! You youngsters must be confused, right?" the Divine Lord said, clearly entertained.

The three of them nodded almost in unison.

They were indeed confused.

"This pioneer ship was originally meant to establish the void pathway connecting this planetary system to the heart of the galaxy over a million years ago," the Divine Lord explained. "Back then, that tree was probably one or two realms weaker than it is now. Under those circumstances, this ship would have had no problem withstanding its attacks."

He paused deliberately, enjoying the shocked expressions spreading across their faces.

"I wonder what exactly happened back then," he continued thoughtfully. "The mission ended up being delayed for more than a million years. For a long time we believed this region was already beyond saving."

He gestured lightly toward the vast sky outside.

"In just a few more years, every planet in this system would have been destroyed completely. Only the star would remain. When that happens, the entire region gets labeled a dead zone."

The three listened in silence, their hearts trembling slightly as the scale of what he described sank in.

"But somehow," the Divine Lord said with a grin, "you completed the mission at the very last moment."

He folded his hands behind his back, clearly pleased.

"This kind of situation is the first of its kind. And I’m quite glad I didn’t skip my duty today."

His laughter echoed through the chamber. "A big bonus is waiting for me. Hahahaha!"

Lin Wei blinked.

What do you mean by that? Are you saying that if you had skipped your duty, he would have had to wait a long time for someone else to emerge from the portal?

Now he felt even more lucky than he had initially thought. Everything could have gone very, very wrong. This was a mission that was supposed to be completed a million years ago. His supreme treasure had never informed him anything about this.

Now that he thought about it, his supreme treasure had been initially broken. He had put a lot of effort into finding its pieces. Even now, it was not completely fixed. This must be the reason.

Wait a minute. Then what about his test? It was a million years late. Was the reward even still valid?

Lin Wei grew anxious. He had been dreaming of going to the most prosperous place for cultivators in the entire galaxy ever since he had been informed about it. If he could not go, he would be very depressed.

"Uh... Senior Divine Lord. I know it has been a million years late, but is the reward still valid?" Lin Wei asked cautiously.

"What reward?" The Divine Lord replied, raising an eyebrow.

Lin Wei’s heart sank.

It’s over. His chance to go to the best cultivation zone is gone.

"Oh, you mean going back with me to the heart of the galaxy? I suppose from your perspective, that does count as a reward." The Divine Lord’s expression softened into understanding.

Lin Wei’s mouth twitched. He wasn’t sure if that was on purpose.

"Right, right. You can bring a group of people with you and return with me later. Once you arrive, we will provide a place for you to stay along with sufficient cultivation resources until you reach the Dao Manifestation Realm."

He spoke as if this arrangement were completely ordinary.

"After that, you’re on your own. Whether you rise to prominence or fade into obscurity will depend entirely on your own ability."

Then he added with a faint smile, "Of course, you can also choose to stay here. If you do, you’ll still receive the same resources. With them, becoming the strongest cultivator in this world would be quite easy."

"You could rule this place if you wished. That’s not a bad life."

Lin Wei remained silent for a moment before asking carefully, "Senior Divine Lord... if I stay here, could I reach your level?"

The Divine Lord chuckled.

"That would be almost impossible. This region lacks too many things."

Hearing that answer, Lin Wei no longer hesitated.

He cupped his hands again and spoke firmly.

"Then it’s decided. I want to go with Senior Divine Lord to the heart of the galaxy."

His eyes burned with determination.

"I want to reach the highest level of cultivation that I possibly can."