"How long do we have to keep waiting? It has already been two years. I don’t think he is still in this region anymore... or perhaps he is already dead?" the man said.

"It would be far better if we focused on something more productive, like conquering this heaven with our power, Zelric. With our original cultivation restored, there is no one who could stop us. We could spread our god’s influence while also searching for a way to ascend to the Second Heaven," he added.

The strongest devil immortal present, Zelric, let out a quiet sigh.

"The fact that the change occurred in the First Heaven and has remained this way until today is already a red flag. It is a sign that the one behind all of this might still be alive, Irkus. We cannot simply leave a place where there is a high chance that figure is still hiding there," he said.

Irkus frowned and looked toward the poisonous nebula.

"Do you really think he is inside that region filled with deadly poison, something even we cannot enter? Or are you implying that this person is far stronger than us, strong enough to withstand such poison?"

Zelric remained silent. He did not know the answer. Irkus noticed the uncertainty in his expression and sighed, scratching his head.

"If we continue doing nothing, I’m afraid we will lose all of our influence in the First Heaven. We have already lost many territories because we were forced to abandon them due to these changes. If we focus only on this place and neglect the others, our forces may end up confined to the central region of heaven as our last remaining territory."

Zelric pondered Irkus’s words for a moment before finally nodding.

"Well, what you said is also true. Then you can bring a few—"

Before he could finish speaking, both he and the other devils noticed a sudden change within the nebula region.

The nebula that covered billions of square kilometers began to drift, as if something deep within the area was pulling it in. At first, the movement was slow, almost subtle. Then it grew faster.

The vast nebula moving toward a single direction. In the distance, near the center of heaven, a massive vortex took shape. Countless streams of nebula spiraled inward, forming a towering funnel that stretched billions of kilometers high.

The vortex continued to shrink. Its height decreased steadily as everything was drawn into unknown object, faster and faster, until it finally vanished.

The sight of the nebula being consumed by something left every devil speechless. Their hearts trembled.

What happened?

In just a short span of time, the nebula was completely gone. The region returned to how it had been before the supernova, except for the absence of the Arsien Star.

The devils narrowed their eyes as they began to move. One after another, they flew toward the place where the nebula had disappeared. Millions of devils filled the region, and every single one of them focused on the same point.

After flying for several minutes, they finally saw what they believed to be the source of the change.

A figure.

Even from millions of kilometers away, they could already make out its form.

A man with long red hair float facing the center of heaven.

Zelric, upon seeing him, narrowed his eyes. His body tensed as he prepared to attack. To think that his guess had been correct, and that the figure he believed to be the cause of everything that had happened in the central region and the First Heaven was still alive.

The devils stopped their advance.

At that moment, the figure’s aura burst forth, creating a shockwave that spread across billions of kilometers. The instant Zelric sensed that overwhelming presence, his heart shook and his eyes trembled.

The immortals shared the same reaction. They understood what kind of existence before them. A chill ran through their bodies, and a single thought rose in their minds.

Escape.

That was because the figure’s cultivation far surpassed all of them.

An Immortal Overlord stage cultivator.

Two entire realms above Zelric!

Before any of the devils could move, their bodies froze in place. A second later—

Rumble! Rumble!

Heavenly lightning appeared.

It did not descend from any spatial rift. It simply manifested, as if it had emerged from nothing itself. It felt as though it came from another dimension, making it impossible to sense beforehand.

The power within those lightning strikes was beyond anything the beings of the First Heaven had ever experienced.

In an instant, it fell.

Millions of strands of lightning tore across the vast region, spanning billions of kilometers. They twisted and surged like living beings, devouring everything in their path.

Every devil was reduced to ashes.

There were no screams of pain. They all died without leaving any trace, before their nerves could even register what had happened.

The interstellar vessels met the same fate. They were not merely destroyed, their very forms were erased. The moment the heavenly lightning touched their hulls, they turned to ashes, killing everyone inside.

Just like that, millions of devils near the center of heaven perished.

A swift death.

Less than five seconds.

The heavenly lightning disappeared after completing its task, leaving behind a rare serenity in the center of heaven after years under the devils’ presence.

Silence lingered.

After a few moments, the figure slowly turned.

Aldrian’s figure had grown slightly taller compared to two years ago. His already handsome face had become more refined, carrying a calm maturity that made him even more striking.

His long hair remained the same, yet its red color had deepened, shining with a healthy, faint glimmer that gave it a natural brilliance.

His gaze held a depth wisdom, as if it carried the weight of many years. Despite his youthful appearance, he gave the impression of someone who had lived far longer than he should have.

He took a deep breath, and his powerful aura slowly receded before disappearing completely. Even so, the presence of a strong cultivator could not be hidden.

His very existence drew attention. It was instinctive, natural. Anyone who saw him would think the same thing.

An expert.

Not just in power, but in bearing.

Aldrian took another breath. Even that simple action caused the heaven and earth energy around him to stir in response.

He smiled faintly as he felt the strength within his body.

It was unlike anything he had experienced before.

A sense of absolute control.

’This is it... the power of the Immortal Realm.’

His body was undergoing a qualitative transformation.

His meridians and dantian became more solid, as if they had been reforged. His soul grew far stronger, to the point that it could manifest outside of his physical body.

This was one of the defining differences between an immortal cultivator and a mortal one.

The soul of an immortal, strengthened to such a degree, could survive for a period of time even after the destruction of the physical body.

This was also why immortals were far harder to kill.

The moment they lost their bodies, their souls could escape at a speed far beyond what they could display in their normal state. If given the chance, they could even possess another body. They could erase the original soul entirely and take its place if needed.

Because of this, anyone who wished to kill an immortal had to destroy both body and soul.

’Even after turning the entire First Heaven into my domain, I only reached Low Immortal Overlord stage. I thought I might step into the Immortal Saint realm... but this is already enough. With the power of the entire heaven in my grasp, my strength goes beyond Immortal Overlord stage.’ He thought.

He could already imagine the kind of power he would wield if he fully drew upon the strength of the First Heaven in battle. Back then, using only the domain of several worlds, he had already brought destruction to the central region of heaven.

Now, he had the entire First Heaven.

The difference was beyond comparison.

A sense of anticipation rose within him.

He wanted to test it.

To face someone worthy.

Aldrian then opened the system screen to check his current state.

--------------------------------------

Aldrian Aster

Domain : First Heaven

Age : 24 years

Cultivation : Low Immortal Overlord Stage

Current energy : 125,004,645 (+20 /1m)

Energy needed for the next stage : 140,000,001

----------------------------

He was surprised by the speed of his cultivation.

From his calculations, at this rate, he could reach the middle stage in at most one and a half years!

Such a rate was impossible for any being at the Immortal Overlord stage, no matter who they were, at least under normal circumstances.

Unless one possessed a divine elixir or some rare treasure capable of forcing a breakthrough, advancing at this level within such a short period was unheard of.

How could he not be satisfied with such progress?

Even if he did not create a new domain in the Second Heaven, his cultivation speed still exceeded his expectations.

Aldrian closed the system screen and looked at his surroundings.

There was no one else.

After killing all the devils near the center of heaven, he was alone in this region.

He then closed his eyes.

While he was in the process of turning the First Heaven into his domain, he had been able to sense everything within it, from its vast expanse to all that existed inside.

The First Heaven was divided into the inner realm and the outer realm, separated by a barrier.

The outer realm had a lower density of heaven and earth energy, resulting in weaker individuals compared to those in the inner realm.

Even so, the inhabitants of the outer realm had their own methods of growing stronger, much like cultivators of the inner realm.

They followed various systems of cultivation, different from those used in the inner realm.

Aldrian found this somewhat interesting.

However, his attention was drawn elsewhere.

To a very small world within the outer realm.

A blue world dominated by oceans.