After that, the two of them chatted casually for a while, talking about various things that had happened during the past years.

Eventually, people around them began to stir.

One by one, those who had been knocked unconscious started waking up, confused and disoriented.

Seeing this, Lin Wei nodded to Leyvi. "It’s time for me to go."

With that, he bid Leyvi farewell and left the area.

Leyvi watched him disappear into the distance before turning back.

He sent Stripey, Scarlet, and Mr. Bison back into the spirit beast bag, then walked over to where Anda had just regained consciousness, along with several others.

As expected, they were filled with questions.

Leyvi could only smile helplessly before explaining everything that had happened after they passed out.

Others outside Leyvi’s group had been listening as well. So when they heard that a powerful expert had saved them and would soon send them all back to their home planet, the reaction was immediate.

Cheers erupted everywhere.

People who had just survived what they thought was the end of the world laughed, shouted, and even cried in relief. The sound spread quickly across the massive gathering.

As more unconscious survivors woke up and learned what had happened, the celebration only grew louder.

Even those who had previously been trapped under the strange curse at Princess Waniwani’s plaza found that the strange compulsion had completely vanished. Free at last, they eagerly joined the joyful crowd.

Then suddenly, a voice echoed clearly in everyone’s ears.

"Hello, everyone. I am Divine Lord Raisho from the heart of the galaxy. You may also call it the Galactic Center."

Most cultivators present had never heard of such a place. The terms alone were enough to leave them baffled.

Raisho quickly realized this.

"Hahahaha! I forgot that most of you don’t know about these things. Let me show you something interesting."

The next moment, a vast vision appeared directly within everyone’s minds.

They saw an enormous spiral structure of light and stars.

A galaxy.

Countless stars burned like scattered jewels. Planets drifted in silent orbits. Vast clouds of glowing gas stretched across unimaginable distances. Endless darkness surrounded it all.

The scale was so overwhelming that many people felt their hearts tremble.

Compared to the endless cosmos, their world suddenly seemed unimaginably small.

Every time a question like "what is that?" appeared in their minds, an answer was given immediately.

"From now on," Raisho’s voice continued, "I will oversee this planetary system."

"Later, I will announce this to all living beings on this planetary system. Don’t worry. You can continue ruling your territories as usual. I have no intention of disturbing the current balance. Of course, things might change in the future. Who could say for sure?"

His tone was calm and reassuring.

"For now, I will send all of you back to your home planet."

"We could do this through a void tunnel, which would be faster. But I think it would be much more fun if we travel through space directly." There was a hint of excitement in his voice.

"So get ready for the ride, everyone. We will arrive at your planet in a few hours. Enjoy the view."

As soon as Divine Lord Raisho finished speaking, the surroundings changed.

The illusory cosmic display inside their minds disappeared.

The next thing they saw was the real outside. The fake scenery in this place had been replaced with the real outside view. The enormous Colossal Tree appeared once again in the distance, towering over the world exactly as before.

Many people gasped in shock when they realized something else.

They could also see the ground far below. Mountains, forests, rivers... all stretching out like a giant map beneath them. They were extremely high in the sky.

For many cultivators who had been unable to fly for years due to the tree’s suppression, the sight alone was enough to make their hearts race.

Leyvi looked around calmly before muttering to himself. "Brother Lin Wei was right..."

He glanced toward the vast sky outside. "This Senior Divine Lord really is quite friendly."

"Kekeke! In the end, I can go to your world without even needing to use the void tunnel," Lapin’s voice sounded from inside the spirit beast bag. "I even allowed myself to become a spirit beast for this purpose. What a plot twist."

Leyvi chuckled softly.

"Hahaha. Are you worried I won’t let you go?" he replied through a sound transmission directed into the bag. "Don’t worry, Senior Lapin. If you want, I can remove my spiritual imprint right now."

Inside the bag, Lapin’s laughter continued.

"Back then, that was my plan. But the situation has changed."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"I discovered that your Golden Spiritual Imprint is actually quite beneficial to me. So, Human Leyvi, allow me to remain your spirit beast for the time being."

His tone sounded extremely pleased.

"In return, if you ever need my help, just say the word. Kekeke! Deal?"

Leyvi was genuinely surprised. He had never expected the Golden Spiritual Imprint to be useful for someone as strong as Lapin. If it could benefit Lapin, then it might also bring advantages to the others.

A thought immediately formed in his mind.

Once we return home, I should upgrade Stripey, Mr. Bison, and Scarlet’s spiritual imprints into the golden version.

"No problem at all, Senior Lapin," Leyvi replied cheerfully. "My family will be much safer with you around. Your presence is more than welcome. Stay as long as you like!"

"Snort!" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Another voice suddenly came from inside the spirit beast bag.

"Boss! Where did you find a rabbit this strong?" Mr. Bison demanded. "He can even transform into human form!"

His voice grew suspicious. "Did you recruit him to suppress me, the protagonist?"

Leyvi rubbed his forehead.

"As expected of my boss," Mr. Bison continued dramatically. "Doing everything possible to stop my rise to greatness!"

He stomped proudly inside the bag. "Go ahead, Boss! Throw every hardship at me! The more trials I face, the stronger I will become! My recent power-up already proves that!"

Leyvi stared silently at the spirit beast bag. At this point, the bison’s delusion had reached such an advanced stage that he could probably become a professional novelist if he wanted.

"Kekeke!" Lapin’s laughter echoed again.

"Human Leyvi, your cow here is quite the special one." Lapin’s tone shifted slightly as he evaluated Mr. Bison.

"His bloodline power has already reached the General Level, even though his cultivation is only at the Commander Level. That means his bloodline is exceptionally strong."

Lapin chuckled. "He might actually be the strongest demonic beast at his level."

Then he added casually, "Although there does appear to be a small problem with his head."

"Snort!"

"I’m a bison! Get it right, rabbit!" Mr. Bison’s offended voice echoed from inside the spirit beast bag.

Leyvi blinked slowly. General Level bloodline...?

That revelation hit him harder than expected. This delusional bison had actually awakened a bloodline that powerful?

You must be kidding me.

Now he finally understood why Lin Wei had said Mr. Bison played such a huge role. Leyvi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Is his delusion... somehow slowly turning into reality? It was a ridiculous idea. Yet the more he thought about it, the harder it became to completely dismiss.

While Leyvi was lost in his thoughts, the pyramid quietly began to move.

Outside, the scenery slowly shifted.

Mountains shrank. Rivers became thin silver lines. Forests turned into green patches as the structure rose higher and higher into the sky.

Then suddenly, a soft voice echoed in Leyvi’s mind.

"Thank you."

Leyvi’s eyes widened instantly. He snapped out of his thoughts. He recognized that voice. It was the same voice that had once asked him for help inside his dream.

The consciousness of this world.

Did... it thank me? Leyvi frowned slightly. But I didn’t actually do anything.

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head. It must be thanking Senior Raisho for killing the tree. He had probably only heard it because of the Universal Language benefit.

Around him, the crowd had grown quiet.

Everyone’s attention was focused on the view outside. The pyramid had already broken through the atmosphere. For the first time in their lives, many of them saw the world from beyond the sky.

The planet was round.

Its surface curved gently into the horizon. The enormous canopy of the Colossal Tree still spread across part of the world like a vast green scar.

Nearby, two moons floated in silent orbit. One hung relatively close to the planet, large and pale. The other was much farther away, smaller and faint.

In the distance, the sun burned brilliantly. Without the planet’s atmosphere dimming its light, it shone with a fierce radiance that made the stars around it look like scattered dust.

No one spoke. Some people stared with pure awe, overwhelmed by the beauty of the cosmic scenery. Others felt a chill remembering the terrifying predators Raisho had mentioned earlier. Some gazed into the endless darkness beyond, wondering what unknown worlds might exist out there.

And within many hearts, new dreams quietly took root.

Dreams of exploration.

Dreams of power.

Dreams of reaching beyond the small world they had always known.

In the vast darkness ahead, two faint spheres slowly became visible.

They were small from this distance, but unmistakable.

One looked barren, its surface dull and uneven, a lifeless world of rock and dust. The other, however, carried similar shades of blue, green, and white as the Mystic Realm planet they had just left.

That was their home.

For many of the people inside the pyramid, their hearts began beating faster the moment they recognized it.

They were finally going back.

Two hours passed quickly as the pyramid traveled through the silent sea of space. As they drew closer to the planet, the massive structure noticeably slowed down.

Instead of heading straight in, it began circling the planet first.

Almost as if someone was deliberately giving them time to admire it.

The differences between the two worlds were now obvious.

The Mystic Realm planet they had just left was slightly larger, perhaps half a size bigger than this one. Its landmass was dominated by a single gigantic supercontinent that stretched across most of the surface.

Their home planet, however, looked very different.

Several smaller continents were scattered across the globe like islands in an endless ocean, separated by vast stretches of water.

The sight stirred many emotions among the travelers.

Just then, Divine Lord Raisho, who had been silent for most of the journey, spoke again.

His voice echoed clearly in everyone’s ears.

"I see. There are a total of twenty-three Dao Manifestation Realm cultivators on this planet."

The casual tone of his voice made it sound like he was reading numbers from a ledger.

"All of them achieved their realm through Qi cultivation. Body cultivation and spiritual cultivation are lagging way behind, as usual. A common pattern throughout the galaxy."

Then he added thoughtfully,

"Considering that this planetary system sits at the outermost region of our galaxy, having this many Dao Manifestation Realm cultivators is actually slightly above average."

Inside the pyramid, many cultivators from the Protogaea Continent were completely stunned.

Twenty-three?

Their minds nearly froze.

According to everything they knew, each kingdom possessed only one Dao Manifestation Realm powerhouse. Those individuals were the pillars that maintained the balance of power across the continent.

Yet Raisho had just revealed that there were twenty-three of them.

That meant eleven of those experts were completely unknown to the public.

Hidden experts? Cultivators living in seclusion? Experts from other continents, perhaps?

For many listeners, it felt like a secret of the world had just been casually exposed.