After acquiring Ymir, Lianchen returned home. As for the remaining locations in this world that might hold connections to outer space, he entrusted Fang Yan and Ymir to investigate further. Meanwhile, he focused on overseeing the expansion of Eternal Blossom Enterprises, capitalizing on the drastic shifts caused by the recent earthquake.
The catastrophe had reshaped the entire world—continents had fractured, islands had vanished, and new landmasses had emerged. The world map had been rewritten, and amidst the chaos, Eternal Blossom Enterprises introduced an innovative concept: insurance.
With countless people left homeless, Lianchen saw an opportunity. He initiated the construction of large-scale apartment complexes, providing much-needed housing. Thousands of people could be accommodated in these buildings, but moving in wasn't as simple as paying rent. Each applicant had to undergo a thorough background check, which determined their eligibility and monthly payment.
By leveraging the upheaval to establish a stable foundation, Eternal Blossom Enterprises not only secured its place in this new world but also positioned itself as an indispensable force in rebuilding society.
The money was flowing in, but Lianchen didn't stop there. He continued introducing new concepts, pushing innovation forward. In the cultivation world, ships designed for traversing water were commonly used for flight, an outdated practice in his eyes. This led him to a question: what if these ships were integrated with engines, enhanced by arrays and other energy sources? How would they perform? How much could they be improved?
Meanwhile, the world gradually found a semblance of stability about three months after the earthquake—though "stability" was a generous term. The disaster had done more than reshape continents; it had sparked an all-out war between humans and demonic beasts, their lands now forcibly merged. And as if that wasn't enough, the upheaval had also drawn the attention of the demon race, who saw this as the perfect opportunity to invade the planet.
"Young Master, you have a guest," Lan Mei announced with a faint bow.
Lianchen, who was meticulously working on a puppet, attempting to imbue it with a soul, paused and set his tools down.
"Oh?" he asked, his expression indifferent.
"Someone who calls himself the Demon Emperor," she replied, causing Lianchen's eyebrow to arch slightly.
The Demon Emperor? Lianchen knew the demon race was unified under a single ruler, and if their leader had come personally, it meant something significant.
With a subtle nod, he signaled for Lan Mei to let him in. It didn't take long before she returned, leading a towering red-haired man into the room. The man bore a striking resemblance to a human, but Lianchen's keen eyes caught the imperfections in his transformation—small details that hinted at his true demonic nature.
"What's up?" Lianchen asked casually, his eyes gleaming with curiosity as he studied the unexpected visitor.
The red-haired man gave a polite nod. "Young Prince, I have heard much about you from Chin Chong. I came personally to discuss the possibility of us working together." His tone was surprisingly gentle—far from what Lianchen had anticipated from someone bearing the title of Demon Emperor.
Lianchen leaned back, scrutinizing him more closely. "What level of Spirit Ascension are you at? You don't seem to be at Level 1 like the others, but your strength doesn't feel significantly greater either."
The Demon Emperor met his gaze calmly. "I am at Level 6 Spirit Ascension… You see, the Demon Realm is about to undergo its rebirth."
Lianchen's eyebrow arched in intrigue. "Rebirth?" Sensing his curiosity, the Demon Emperor nodded, preparing to explain.
A realm is ever-growing. In a single galaxy, hundreds of thousands of stars are born every second, and entire galaxies emerge every day. Similarly, realms constantly expand, with space and time stretching every moment.
This is why a universe has two parts: the observable universe, which can be seen, and the unobservable side, where no light reaches due to the realm's expansion surpassing the speed of light. As a result, galaxies appear to drift apart—not because they are moving independently, but because the very fabric of space between them is expanding.
However, there's a critical flaw. Cultivators absorb immense amounts of Heaven and Earth energy, depleting the realm's natural reserves. Eventually, a point is reached where the realm can no longer sustain its expansion. When that happens, the process reverses—the realm begins to shrink. Space and time collapse toward each other, compressing everything in an attempt to conserve energy. If the energy still isn't sufficient, this process continues until all matter and existence crash inward, triggering an explosion that resets the realm entirely.
The Demon Realm was now approaching this point.
This was the best-case scenario. If the realm ran out of energy before reaching that point, it would face a much grimmer fate. Stars would flicker out one by one, leaving behind an empty, frozen void. Without energy to sustain movement, even the concept of light would cease to exist. The entire realm would be reduced to a state so cold and lifeless that even the idea of motion would become meaningless.
Another possible end for a realm was overexpansion. If it grew too fast, the very fabric of space-time could tear apart, unraveling its existence and leading to total collapse.
"We were able to save our realm by going on a slaughter," the Demon Emperor said softly. "A war that was waged primarily to eliminate as many Nascent Soul realm cultivators as possible. The more that died, the more energy the heavens could reclaim, slowing down the shrinking process. But it was too late. My realm will perish in a few thousand years, and I seek to move my people into this realm."
Lianchen remained silent, lost in deep thought.
"What are you willing to offer me?" he finally asked, his tone calm and calculated. "I'm a businessman, and taking in your people seems like an investment with returns that would only manifest far into the future. By then, I'll likely already be in the Immortal Realm."
The Demon Emperor paused for a moment, his crimson eyes flickering with complex emotions before he spoke again.
"You would have the full loyalty of the Demon Realm," he said firmly. "With that comes the treasures accumulated over billions of years—artifacts, resources, and knowledge that even those at the peak of the Spirit Ascension realm would covet. That is the price I am willing to pay to ensure the survival of my people."
Then, to Lianchen's surprise, the Demon Emperor lowered his head in a faint bow, an act that carried the weight of both humility and desperation.
"Oh? Now I'm curious, what's stopping me from just taking those treasures from you?" Lianchen asked with a smirk, his fingers idly tapping the armrest of his chair.
The Demon Emperor met his gaze without hesitation. "You're a genius, far above the level of a petty thief. Such a small profit wouldn't be worth lying for someone like you. But it is worth using to build your business empire." His voice was calm, yet resolute, as if he had already calculated Lianchen's response.
Lianchen studied him for a moment before nodding. "Fair enough." He leaned forward slightly, the smirk still playing on his lips. "Alright, how many demons are we talking about?"
The Demon Emperor exhaled slowly. "Over ten septillion," he said evenly. "We only need one galaxy for ourselves."
Lianchen's breath caught in his chest for a split second. His fingers stilled. One galaxy? Ten Septillion? That wasn't a migration; it was an invasion in all but name.
"A whole galaxy?" Lianchen repeated, leaning back in his chair as he calculated. "Let's say, for a moment, that a single planet can sustain at least ten billion demons... you'd only need around one quadrillion planets. Does a single galaxy even have that many planets?"
The Demon Emperor shook his head. "No, a typical galaxy contains only a few trillion planets within star systems. While there are more planetary-sized objects drifting in the void, they lack the necessary conditions to sustain life. Because of that, the lower realm's heavens won't divide its energy to maintain balance on those dead worlds." He paused, meeting Lianchen's gaze. "In truth, we would need about ten thousand galaxies to house our entire population. But I understand that may be asking for too much. We can make do with just one."
Lianchen chuckled, shaking his head. "Then I'll give you ten thousand galaxies."
The Demon Emperor's eyes widened as he witnessed the impossible unfolding before him. Within Lianchen's hand, space itself seemed to warp and twist. His palm was the cauldron, his will the flame, reshaping raw energy into matter.
Reality flickered and glitched, as though struggling to keep up with his command. Then, in an instant, a telescope materialized in his grip.
Lianchen's mastery over matter manipulation had advanced significantly. This was the ability he had pursued from the very beginning—his attempt to replicate Janemba's power.
It wasn't yet refined to the level where he could rewrite reality at will, but he was getting closer. One day, he would reach that point.
"This is called… well, let's just call it a telescope for now," Lianchen said casually, handing the object over to the Demon Emperor. "Use it to look into deep space and scout for the galaxies you want to call home. If you combine it with your ability to perceive Heaven's secrets, you should be able to zoom in on specific planets."
The Demon Emperor studied the telescope in his hands, his expression unreadable.
"I can't use Heaven's secrets outside my own Heaven," he admitted, his tone calm but laced with an underlying frustration.
Lianchen blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "Huh. That actually makes sense." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before narrowing his eyes. "Wait… does that mean your weakened state has something to do with you being in another Heaven?"
The Demon Emperor shook his head. "No. My current weakness is because I haven't absorbed Heaven and Earth energy in thousands of years. I imposed a restriction, preventing anyone at the Spirit Ascension realm from drawing in Heaven's energy."
Lianchen arched an eyebrow. "That explains a lot." He paused for a moment, piecing together the implications before speaking again. "So, you don't actually want those galaxies just yet. Instead, you want to remain by my side—so that when the time comes, the inhabitants of this realm won't be as opposed to the idea of demons settling here?"
The Demon Emperor nodded lightly, confirming Lianchen's suspicions.
It was a sound strategy. The inhabitants of this realm would naturally resist the idea of an entire race of outsiders moving in and draining their already-limited Heaven and Earth energy. That alone could explain why the demon race faced so much opposition when they initially tried to migrate.