It was not as though the strongest individuals in the World of Myriad Races had never attempted to challenge the Lord of Abyss.

Once, there had been a top-tier elven awakener who had mastered the rules of time. Believing that this power gave him the qualifications to stand against the Lord of Abyss, he had issued a challenge.

Yet the Lord of Abyss had merely lifted a single finger and effortlessly changed the very manner in which the rules of time manifested themselves.

As a result, before that top-tier elven awakener had even figured out what had happened, he discovered that his ability to utilize the rules had been completely stripped away from him.

In an instant, he had fallen from being one of the most powerful awakeners in existence to becoming nothing more than an ordinary person.

It was only after this incident that an increasing number of awakeners finally came to understand that the Lord of Abyss and the Abyss itself could not simply be regarded as one and the same.

The truth was that the might of the Lord of Abyss was great enough to suppress everything.

In the face of such absolute power, the majority of people ultimately chose submission. Some even came to regard the Lord of Abyss as a true living god.

Therefore, from the very moment the Lord of Abyss departed from the Abyss, the World of Myriad Races had already begun making urgent preparations.

If the Lord of Abyss were truly to descend upon the World of Myriad Races, they had to be prepared in advance.

Furthermore, the Fragments of History collected by the various races were themselves an enormous source of trouble.

The logic behind the Lord of Abyss’s actions was, in truth, extremely simple. Since he had already chosen to issue an order forbidding the collection of the Fragments of History, then naturally, he would also need to see whether anyone had secretly hidden any of those Fragments away.

More importantly, many people were beginning to suspect that the Lord of Abyss might have discovered something.

Could it be that the Fragments of History recorded certain things that were disadvantageous to him?

Was that why he was going to such lengths to destroy them, to the point that he was even willing to personally intervene?

Under these circumstances, the Alliance of All Races unexpectedly demonstrated an unusual effectiveness.

For once, the myriad races actually agreed to bring out the Fragments of History in their possession and share the intelligence recorded within them with one another.

In truth, when the Alliance of All Races had first been established, the different races had already agreed that any Fragments of History they obtained could be exchanged, allowing everyone to share the intelligence contained within them.

Reality, however, had been very different.

Every race had been hiding its own little secrets. None of them had been willing to share Fragments of History that contained information of genuine importance with other races.

Had it not been for the sudden descent of the Lord of Abyss, forcing all of them to join hands, this exchange of Fragments of History would never have been possible.

Tomorrow was the day on which the meeting of the Alliance of All Races would be convened.

On that day, every race would bring the Fragments of History in their possession and exchange intelligence with the others.

By now, Caelan had already understood the true intention behind Caesar and Orlando’s words.

"Caesar, Orlando, you’re worried that someone else might seize my position as the Chosen One and reach the maximum level before I do, aren’t you? That’s why you want me to resolve Kate’s problem as quickly as possible, so that I can continue advancing my star rank."

At this point, Caelan finally understood the entire chain of events and the reason behind their urgency.

In the current era, only a single awakener could reach the maximum level.

If he was one step too slow, then it might prove that he, the Chosen One, was not the only candidate after all.

Strictly speaking, if one only considered the current era, then he was indeed the only Chosen One.

However, one could not forget the inheritors left behind by the Chosen Ones of previous eras.

They also possessed the possibility of reaching the maximum level.

If he were truly deprived of his path toward the maximum level because of such a reason, it would undoubtedly be an enormous loss to Caelan.

No, it would not merely be a loss to Caelan alone.

For the entire Ironclad Legion, and even for the whole human race, it would be an irreparable disaster!

Orlando and Caesar exchanged a glance. In each other’s eyes, they could see a faint trace of relief.

They nodded lightly, acknowledging Caelan’s conclusion.

"That’s right. This is precisely what we are worried about."

However, on the other side, Caelan could not help clenching his fists tightly.

He raised his head and looked at the two elders before him, his voice carrying a trace of resentment and unwillingness.

"But Caesar, Orlando, have either of you ever thought about one question? Why is it that, after so many years, there still hasn’t been anyone who managed to reach the maximum level?"

"Do you truly believe that what we are lacking is merely this small amount of time?"

Caelan truly could not bear to give up on Kate.

Especially after learning that he had once devoured Kate, the desire within his heart to make it up to her had only grown stronger.

More importantly, he had already made her a promise.

No matter what it took, he would find a way to allow Kate to live properly, to possess a life that truly belonged to her.

Therefore, he could not accept the idea of having Kate return to being a Mirror Image, reduced once more to nothing more than his shadow.

Orlando and Caesar had long since anticipated Caelan’s rejection.

They did not continue attempting to persuade him directly. Instead, they shifted the conversation to another subject.

"Little Caelan, we understand your current feelings very well. But have you ever considered something else? Why are all the inheritors desperately doing everything they can to increase their strength?"

"Why is it that even ordinary geniuses are also doing their utmost to improve themselves, not daring to relax in the slightest?"

Before Caelan could respond, Orlando continued speaking.

"I can tell you the answer very clearly. Although this answer may sound somewhat cruel, you should understand that, unlike you, the other inheritors possess inheritance items that can be obtained through robbery."

"If an awakener who is already close to the maximum level were to seize any one of those inheritance items, then it is entirely possible that he would occupy the position that should have belonged to you. Do you understand?"

Orlando and Caesar had no idea what sort of missions Caelan might encounter in the future.

However, there was one thing they did know.

If the maximum-level awakener of this era was not Caelan, then Caelan would ultimately destroy this world, only to be destroyed by this world in return.

After hearing these words, Caelan fell into a brief silence.

Caesar, meanwhile, continued trying to persuade him.

"Caelan, I know that you have immense confidence in your own strength. And your strength is beyond dispute. Among all the members of the younger generation, you are undoubtedly the strongest."

"But have you ever considered that there are still certain older monsters out there? Or perhaps peerless geniuses who have never once entered your field of vision? They too may possess unimaginable talents!"

Orlando immediately followed up, supporting Caesar’s argument.

"Little Caelan, there is something you may not know. Among every single race, there is a group of the most extraordinary geniuses, individuals into whom their races have poured an immense amount of resources."

"Every moment of every day, they are continuously clearing Instances and breaking through to higher levels, all for the sake of claiming the resources associated with reaching the maximum level."

"No race would ever entrust its own safety to someone else’s hands. Even the weakest tree frog would never do such a thing."

"Next, the Lord of Abyss is about to descend. And yet, for the myriad races, the emergence of the Lord of Abyss has instead become a kind of binding force."

"Every race is worried that the Lord of Abyss will seize all of the Fragments of History. Because of this, everyone hopes to break free from his control."

"Do you understand now?"