While preparations to lay a trap for the culprit responsible for the mysterious disappearances of the Anomaly Hunters quietly progressed within the Realm of Eden.
Far away from all the schemes, conspiracies, and silent battles unfolding there, upon a barren and uninhabited planet drifting through the endless expanse of outer space.
Silence reigned.
The lifeless world possessed neither oceans nor rivers, neither vegetation nor signs of civilization, with nothing but endless stretches of cracked brown earth extending toward the distant horizon beneath a sea of countless stars that illuminated the darkness with an ancient and everlasting radiance.
At the very center of that dead world, Ash remained seated in a lotus position without moving in the slightest.
His breathing had become so slow that several minutes passed between each breath, while even the beating of his heart had become nearly imperceptible, making him resemble a statue that had existed since ancient times.
The surrounding stars continued shining peacefully as though nothing had changed, yet the space around Ash had long since become completely different.
An enormous translucent sphere spanning hundreds of kilometers had silently enveloped him, completely separating the space within from the outside world as though two different realities had begun overlapping one another.
From the outside, the Domain appeared strangely unstable, with its transparent boundary constantly flickering between existence and nonexistence.
Sometimes it became distorted as countless ripples silently spread across its surface, twisting the surrounding space along with it, while at other times every imperfection vanished completely, causing the entire boundary to become flawlessly transparent until it disappeared from sight altogether, as though the Domain had merged perfectly with reality itself.
At irregular intervals, the enormous sphere would suddenly expand by several kilometers before violently contracting once again, causing the surrounding space to fracture momentarily beneath the overwhelming pressure before rapidly returning to normal as the unstable Domain desperately struggled to stabilize itself.
Everything appeared calm.
Yet everything also seemed only moments away from collapsing.
Inside the Domain, however, the scenery was completely different.
There was no sky.
There was no earth.
Instead, the entire Domain resembled an endless blank expanse that seemed to reject every natural concept of existence, leaving behind nothing but an emptiness that had yet to witness the birth of creation itself.
Nothing existed within that boundless world except an indescribable emptiness stretching endlessly in every direction, making it impossible to distinguish where the Domain began or where it ended.
The Domain itself had been created by taking the embryonic Universe within his heart as its foundation.
Using the knowledge contained within the Runes of Space, Time, Balance, Stability, Harmony, and Concealment, Ash had gradually established the fundamental Laws supporting this incomplete world.
While simultaneously incorporating countless insights regarding Domain Creation left behind by Henry, allowing him to avoid mistakes that would have otherwise taken years of experimentation to uncover.
Naturally, the Domain was still far from complete.
The Rune of Gravity was still absent, and once he comprehended it in the future, its corresponding Law would naturally become a part of the Domain.
That, however, wasn’t today’s objective.
A Domain was never something that reached perfection the moment it was born.
Just like a Soul Weapon, it would continue evolving alongside its master throughout his entire life.
Ash had never intended to create a perfect Domain from the very beginning.
He was merely laying down the first cornerstone.
And now...
Only one final step remained.
Everything is almost complete. Now I only need to establish a link between my embryonic Universe and this Domain...
That final step was the very reason Ash had chosen this path.
He wanted to synchronize his Domain and Universe, allowing the Domain to become a projection of the embryonic Universe residing within his heart rather than an entirely separate existence.
Because it would exist only as a projection, any damage sustained by the Domain would never be reflected back onto the Inner Universe itself, allowing him to unleash it without worrying about harming the very foundation of his future path.
At the same time, as his embryonic Universe gradually evolved and countless planets, stars, and celestial bodies were eventually born within it, every one of those changes would naturally be reflected within the Domain as well, causing it to continuously evolve and grow stronger alongside its true source.
That...was the true purpose behind Ash’s Domain.
Without wasting another moment, Ash carefully guided his consciousness toward the embryonic Universe residing within his heart before simultaneously extending multiple strands of consciousness throughout the entire Domain, attempting to establish a bridge between the two.
The moment the two came into contact, the entire Domain violently trembled.
The transparent sphere surrounding Ash instantly became even more unstable as countless distortions spread across its surface, while the empty world inside the Domain began cracking.
Ash’s brows immediately furrowed.
As expected...
This was not his first attempt. He had tried many times, but has yet to succeed.
No matter how carefully he guided his consciousness, the synchronization between his Domain and Inner Universe did not happen.
Several invisible cracks silently spread across the Domain before repairing themselves moments later, only for new ones to appear elsewhere.
Ash remained completely still though he never stopped.
He continuously guided the process without hurrying.
This time reducing the connection to the smallest thread imaginable, patiently allowing the Domain to adapt to the presence of the embryonic Universe little by little instead of attempting to merge the two in a single step.
Minutes quietly passed.
Then hours.
The instability gradually weakened.
The violent distortions surrounding the Domain became less frequent.
Even the invisible rejection slowly diminished.
Finally...
A faint resonance ’click’ silently echoed throughout the empty Domain.
It was incredibly weak.
Almost nonexistent.
Yet the moment that resonance appeared, Ash immediately seized it, allowing the invisible bridge connecting the Domain and the embryonic Universe to strengthen naturally one thread at a time.
The process was painfully slow, but unlike before, neither side showed any signs of rejection.
The resonance gradually deepened.
The connection quietly stabilized.
Until finally...
The entire Domain suddenly became perfectly still.
The countless distortions covering its boundary vanished without a trace, while the empty world within no longer fluctuated between stability and collapse, having finally found the perfect stability he had been searching for from the very beginning.
Ash slowly opened his eyes.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It worked."
From beginning to end, Ash had taken only ten days to create his Domain from scratch.
If news of such an achievement were ever to spread throughout the the Realm of Eden, it would undoubtedly leave innumerable cultivators dumbfounded, because what Ash had accomplished wasn’t merely astonishing, it was something that could only be described as legendary.
After all, apart from the knowledge and insights left behind by Henry, Ash had received no guidance from any master, no assistance from any expert, and no ready-made path to follow, instead relying solely upon his own comprehension, intelligence, and understanding to create a Domain that belonged to him alone.
As Ash quietly immersed himself in analyzing the abilities and intricacies of his newly formed Domain, every combat clone scattered throughout the Realm of Eden simultaneously received the memories of the entire process through the Akashic Mind.
In that instant, the Domain was no longer exclusive to Ash’s main body.
Every clone now possessed the same understanding, the same insights, and the same complete comprehension regarding its creation and usage.
None of them showed any visible reaction.
There was no need.
Because every clone was Ash.
The only difference was that while the main body remained on the barren planet continuing to analyze his Domain, the clones quietly resumed their respective tasks throughout the Realm of Eden, now carrying yet another trump card that none of the three great organizations could have possibly anticipated.
****
Transcendent Circle Headquarters
Inside one of the highest towers standing at the very center of the Transcendent Circle Headquarters, a spacious office remained unusually quiet.
Towering bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling, countless ancient records floated neatly in the air under the influence of formations, while the enormous window behind the desk overlooked an endless sea of floating islands connected by colossal bridges, a sight that countless people could only dream of witnessing.
Seated behind the desk was the Transcendent who had attended the meeting with the Angel and Devil to lay out a Trap for the Anomaly.
His name was Kevin Augustus.
One of the Twelve Grand Executives of the Transcendent Circle.
A cultivator who had already stepped beyond the Celestial Rank and reached a Higher Realm, placing him among the absolute highest authorities governing the entire organization.
Yet despite possessing enough strength to shake worlds, his brows remained tightly furrowed.
That damned Devil...
His attitude alone is enough to make me want to throw him out of the conference hall.
Kevin leaned back in his chair before letting out a tired sigh.
...Still, I hate admitting it, but some of his reasoning wasn’t without merit.
Whether the culprit is truly the Anomaly or someone merely taking advantage of the current chaos, we have already lost far too many people. If this continues much longer, even the prestige of the Transcendent Circle will begin to suffer.
Just then...
Knock.
Knock.
The rhythmic sound echoed from outside the office, pulling Kevin out of his thoughts.
"...Come in."
The heavy doors slowly opened.
A young man who appeared to be around 25-26 years old calmly walked inside.
His long black hair rested behind his back, while his tall and well-built physique gave off a feeling of restrained power.
Fastened to his waist was a black longsword with dark green patterns engraved along its sheath, yet despite carrying a weapon, the young man radiated an unusually calm and composed aura.
The moment Kevin saw him, the stern expression on his face immediately softened.
"It’s been quite some time."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I trust your training has been worthwhile."
The young man respectfully bowed his head.
"It has, Executive Kevin. I learned far more than I expected, and although I haven’t completely achieved my objective, the journey itself proved worthwhile."
Kevin carefully observed him for several moments before slowly nodding.
"I can see that."
His gaze lingered upon the young man’s aura.
"Four years ago, before you departed, you had already reached the Peak God Rank. Four years have passed, yet you still haven’t stepped into the Celestial Realm."
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"Knowing anyone else, I would have assumed they had encountered a bottleneck."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But knowing you..."
"...I suspect you’ve been tempering your foundation instead."
The young man smiled faintly without denying it.
"A stable foundation determines the height of the future."
Kevin nodded approvingly.
"Exactly."
He remained silent for several moments before the smile gradually disappeared from his face.
"I didn’t summon you merely to catch up."
With a wave of his hand, several reports appeared above the desk before floating toward the young man.
"The Anomaly Hunters have encountered an unexpected problem. Over the past week, thousands of our combat personnel have mysteriously disappeared without leaving behind even the slightest trace, and despite deploying every available investigative method, we have yet to uncover the identity of the person responsible."
The young man quietly accepted the reports.
Kevin continued.
"The three organizations reached a temporary agreement. Rather than continuing to blindly search for the culprit, we will instead prepare a trap and force the culprit to reveal themselves."
He paused briefly.
"The operation will be led by several God Rank and few Celestial rank experts hidden behind the scenes, while several elite combat unit will unknowingly serve as bait."
The young man’s eyes slowly scanned the reports.
"The Anomaly..."
For the first time since entering the office, the calmness within his eyes subtly fluctuated.
It lasted only an instant.
So brief that it was almost impossible to notice.
Then...
His expression returned to normal as though nothing had happened.
Kevin, naturally, failed to notice the subtle change, as his focus was on the reports.
"I want you to protect a combat unit that will have the most people in it, you just have to stay hidden and if something happens, then intervene."
The young man slowly lowered the reports.
"I understand."
Kevin’s gaze became unusually serious as he heard his reply.
"Although many within the Circle questioned your decision years ago, I never did."
A faint smile appeared on his face once more.
"You rejected the invitation of the Eternal Supreme himself."
"You chose to walk your own path instead of becoming his disciple."
"Many considered that arrogance."
"Others believed you had thrown away the greatest opportunity of your life."
He slowly stood up.
"But after watching your growth over these past several years..."
"...I believe they were all wrong."
His eyes carried unmistakable expectation.
"I have very high expectations for you."
"So don’t disappoint me."
The young man respectfully bowed.
"I won’t."
As he turned around and quietly walked toward the office doors, Kevin’s voice echoed behind him one final time.
"Good luck..."
A faint smile slowly appeared on the Executive’s face.
"...Ray Dawson."
*****