In a desolate part of the vast, starry sky, a human form was floating in the void. It was a man, too bloodied to make out any distinct features. His hair was long enough to cover parts of his face, and he was nearly naked, with only bits and pieces of fabric hanging from his body. He bore multiple wounds, but they were in the process of slowly closing.
A little distance away from this figure was a life-sustaining planet named Valdor, part of a planetary network called the Four Sage Confluence. As the name suggests, four sages guarded their respective planets within the network. They were the strongest beings on their planets and cooperated on security matters, though they refrained from interfering in intra-planetary issues.
Valdor, along with the three other life planets, revolved around one of the Purple Demon Stars. Various solar systems like this one collectively formed the Purple Demon Star River. This star river's name originated from the Purple Demon Sect, its ruling power.
The Four Sage Confluence was only a mid-tier solar system within the Purple Demon Star River in terms of overall strength. The four sages were experts belonging to the Purple Demon Sect. Among the four life planets, Valdor was undoubtedly the weakest.
The other three life planets looked down on Valdor. In the starry sky, there is only one rule: "Might is Right." It's a law of the jungle, no matter the place. Without the sage who guarded Valdor, it would have already been plundered by nearby forces.
Anyone who can survive the power of the void with just their physical body and heal their wounds must possess immense strength. The four sages, even though being immortal existences themselves, were far from that level of power. To end up in such a condition, what must this man have endured?
A few days later, his condition had slightly stabilized, and he opened his eyes. His gaze was like that of two sharp swords forged in countless battles. His eyes shone for a second, and the surrounding space shattered. He calmed himself, and everything returned to peace. He tried to move, but to his surprise, he couldn't. At his strength, when was the last time this had happened? He could barely access his divine power.
However, he wasn't agitated. His expression remained calm—too calm, as if everything was under control. Remembering something, he closed his eyes and began sensing the laws around him. That's when he realized that the spatial laws were incomplete. No, to be precise, they were broken and extremely inconsistent.
With this realization came a rush of complex emotions. Was it happiness that he'd finally reached this place? Anger toward the one who had fled? Or contentment, knowing he was closer to his goal?
Recalling his purpose, he suddenly felt a surge of nerves. Using his divine sense, he summoned a compass from his own space. At his level, creating an independent space within his body with its own set of laws was simple. He injected what little divine power he could access into the compass. It glowed, projecting a blue arrow into the void, pointing in a specific direction. He was relieved, and a smile appeared on his face. What could make such a calm individual show such raw emotion?
Realizing he couldn't accomplish much in his current state, he began absorbing the surrounding creation laws to heal. However, due to their fractured structure, the healing slowed after two months. Every day, he checked the compass; its direction remained constant, pointing toward the adjacent life planet. At this point, he could finally move his limbs.
Checking the compass again, he noticed a change. The arrow was still directed the same way, but its color had shifted from blue to green. His expression turned cold, but after careful thought, he suddenly grew ecstatic and hopeful. He knew what this meant. This was her chance—no, their chance. There were only two possible outcomes, but he was confident she could prevail. Despite his improved physical condition, he remained heavily injured internally. He decided to speed up his recovery.
Using his divine sense, he retrieved a golden, four-petaled flower radiating pure divine energy from his space. Without hesitation, he swallowed it, beginning to heal his body and soul.
It took a year and a half to complete his physical recovery and partially heal his soul. Opening his eyes, he assessed his condition. His soul was only partly healed, leaving him at about 30% of his prime strength. But this was still enough to completely destroy Purple Demon Star River with a full powered attack. While full recovery would take years, he didn't want to waste a second.
Opening the compass, he looked at the green arrow with anticipation. It pointed toward Valdor. He took a deep breath, regaining his composure. His divine sense swept over the planet, revealing it was a mortal planet. This stirred memories; he, too, had once been from a mortal planet. He shook his head, realizing the planet's strongest inhabitant was only a peak mortal realm practitioner.
Mortal realms have various energy systems based on a planet's inherent laws, but upon ascending to the Immortal realm, practitioners convert their energy to the corresponding immortal energy. Likewise, when immortals ascend to higher realms, they convert their power into divine energy, a universal energy across the starry sky.
Realizing divine energy might attract unwanted attention, he sealed most of it, leaving only a sliver. He converted this sliver into Immortal Sword Essence, his unique brand of immortal energy. The natives of this star river might think him overly cautious; in the entire Purple Demon Star River, only top forces possessed experts who could use immortal energy. Divine energy users were a legendary myth in this region.
He used his immortal essence, swiftly following the green arrow's direction. To create a spatial distortion in the void, he would need divine energy along with mastery over space laws, but with his divine power sealed, this was the only method.
(Approximately 1 year and 10 months earlier)
From the vast ends of the starry sky, a flaming woman moved forward, breaking through the void toward a massive vortex on the horizon. This vortex, with a diameter of millions of kilometers, was a result of spatial and temporal distortion. Only a select few understood the mysteries beyond it.
This woman was one of them. She was an ethereal beauty, almost perfection itself. Yet she was heavily bleeding, with blood tears marking her face.
Ignoring and destroying obstacles, she continued toward the vortex. The terrifying pull near the vortex forced her to use all her strength to resist. Looking into the vortex, her expression grew complex, tears flowing as she looked back, as if her gaze could pierce through space. She gave a sad smile filled with infinite love, wiping her tears, then turned toward the vortex with a resolute, icy expression. Flames erupted around her, incinerating all debris that came close. She transformed into a long, burning sword with a phoenix emblem on its hilt, moving forward into the vortex.
Had she been a few minutes later, she would have seen a man step out of a space crack behind her. A little less than two meters tall, with disheveled hair and minor wounds, he possessed a commanding aura, his entire demeanor that of a sharp sword capable of cutting through all existence. Unlike the woman, he stood before the vortex effortlessly.
When he sensed the familiar but fading presence near the vortex, he grew furious. His eyes reddened as he shouted, "How could you be so foolish? Did you think I would abandon you?" Though he expected no answer, he knew where this vortex led.
It was once one of the most prosperous galaxies in the previous era. A place where powerful beings from various races thrived. This galaxy housed the Heavenly Spirits, a weak but unique race capable of bestowing humans with special physiques. Descendants of these blessed humans inherited these traits, a blessing for humanity's survival.
By the end of the previous era, this race had nearly vanished due to persecution. A catastrophic war devastated this galaxy, distorting universal laws and breaking most transport formations. The vortex was now the only known entrance, giving this place the ominous name, "The Abandoned Galaxy."
Many had tried entering through this vortex, never to return. After a moment, the man encased himself in a divine energy barrier and leaped into the vortex.
(Present Time - 2 months later)
It was nighttime.
Deep in a forest, an eerie tension filled the air. Beside a small lake was a red sword embedded in the outer wall of a cave. Strangely, no beast dared to approach within a hundred meters. The sword slowly pulsed, absorbing energy from the lake's aura.
Footsteps echoed as a girl, around 14 or 15, ran from a 20-meter-long green snake. Exhausted, she was covered in bloody bruises and staggered into the lake area. She bore a bloody sword wound on her stomach and was losing blood quickly.
An experienced hunter would see that the snake was toying with her, confident in its prey. The girl, seeing the lake with a cave beside it, moved forward but collapsed just short of the shore.
Despair filled her eyes as she looked back at the snake. Her miserable life flashed before her as her eyes reddened, and she cried, "Why? Why do I have to suffer like this? I can't. I just can't endure this anymore. This is unfair. This is unfair..." She sobbed, wondering how her life had come to this.
Just as she prepared for death, the red sword by the lake emitted a fiery sword qi, obliterating the snake instantly. The girl was shocked to see her predator incinerated. She looked at the sword embedded in the wall, mesmerized by its beauty—the hilt bearing a phoenix emblem, its double-edged blade gleaming.
As she lost blood, her vision blurred. Mustering the last of her strength, she crawled toward the sword.
She made it. Though still lying on the ground, her pale face drained of life, a fierce will kept her moving as she lifted her hand to grasp the hilt.
The moment she touched it, she finally lost consciousness.