Emperor of the Source

Octaven and Kaelar remained kneeling before him, their foreheads pressed against the cold, polished floor of the throne room.

"Rise," Adrian said, his voice calm and steady.

The two leaders obeyed immediately, standing slowly and respectfully, though neither of them lifted their gaze fully.

Adrian looked at them quietly. For a brief moment, his thoughts drifted toward the [Crown of the Source]. Establishing a link with them would be beneficial. Their willforce, their strength, and their position within this galaxy would all be valuable additions to the Origin Path he was building.

But he pushed the thought aside.

The technique required something more than gratitude or temporary loyalty. It required genuine trust from both sides. If even the slightest unwillingness or hidden doubt existed, the connection would fail. He had saved them, yes. They had shown reverence and loyalty, yes. But Adrian had only met them today.

More importantly, they had just been freed from chains that had bound them for a million years. Their minds needed peace before anything else.

Rushing that process would only be foolish.

Adrian let the thought pass and said instead, "You both have suffered enough for more than a million years. Go back to your people. Rest. Live your lives. You have earned at least that much."

For a brief moment, neither of them responded. Then Octaven let out a slow, bitter sigh.

"My lord," Octaven began, his voice rough and heavy, "I wish it were that simple. But for us to live a normal life within this galaxy… that is close to impossible now."

Adrian's brow furrowed slightly. "Explain."

"There is nothing left to return to," Octaven said, his gaze lowering toward the polished floor. "Most planets within the Virelith Galaxy are nearly dead. Literally dead. There are no mortal empires left here anymore. Even the main worlds that once belonged to the Void Fang Sect and the Obsidian Rift Sect are now barren beyond imagination."

Kaelar nodded grimly beside him and continued, "For a million years, we have lived under nothing but endless labor. There was no place for entertainment, no culture, no families, no life outside the forges and the mines. Morka stripped entire worlds of their vitality. He plundered every single resource a planet could produce and sold it." His voice dropped. "There are not even planets left that can naturally grow plants anymore. We do not even have food."

"Because of this," Octaven continued, "the entire galaxy could no longer reproduce. Even if a mother gave birth, there would be no food for the child to survive. Higher-stage cultivators like us do not require food. We can sustain ourselves through ambient mana and essence alone. That is the only reason we survived." He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice cracked. "That is also the reason almost every mortal died."

Kaelar's expression darkened further. "Even now, after freedom, where are we supposed to go? Where do we rest? What do we rebuild from? All we have left are these factories, these mining sectors, and the remains of worlds that no longer know life."

Adrian did not need them to explain further.

As they spoke, the immense flood of memories he had absorbed from devouring Morka aligned more clearly in his mind, confirming every word. He remembered Morka's obsession with production. To him, the people of this galaxy were never people at all. They were livestock, labor units to build his fortune. The entire Virelith Galaxy had been transformed into a colossal production facility.

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Adrian searched deeper through those memories and found the true reason behind everything.

The Virelith Galaxy was extraordinarily rich in Void Alloy.

Across the wider universe, Void Alloy was immensely valuable. It served as one of the primary structural materials for starships, spatial rings, and almost every artifact that needed to remain stable under spatial distortion and pressure. It was rare, profitable, and essential.

That abundance was the true reason Morka had conquered this galaxy. He had not come here for glory. He had come for resources.

Through Morka's memories, Adrian also saw what Virelith had once been. The Void Fang Sect had originally specialized in military strength, mercenary forces, and direct combat. The Obsidian Rift Sect had specialized in mining, refining, and artifact forging. They had once balanced one another naturally. They had been proud, powerful sects with identities built over countless generations.

But Morka erased those identities completely.

Even the warriors of the Void Fang Sect, proud cultivators forged through battle and blood, had been reduced to tools. Their high-tier divine concepts were no longer used for combat, but for production. They were chained to assembly lines and turned into blacksmiths, laborers, and inscribers.

An entire galaxy had been broken and repurposed into a machine.

"We do not have a single proper world left if our people wish to live normal lives," Kaelar said quietly. "There are a few surviving planets, perhaps, but nowhere near enough to sustain what remains of our population."

Silence settled heavily inside the throne room.

Adrian looked at the two men standing before him.

In galaxies like Andromeda, beings like these would be untouchable figures. They would be rulers, sect leaders, and supreme authorities living in luxury and commanding empires. Yet here, they stood like survivors of an apocalypse, asking not for greater power, but simply for a world where their people could breathe, eat, and exist without chains.

Adrian's voice was calm when he finally spoke. "I will take care of it."

Both Octaven and Kaelar looked up immediately, stunned.

"You do not need to worry about the dead worlds," Adrian continued. "You will soon have enough planets within the Virelith Galaxy for everyone to live on. Lush worlds. Worlds with food, water, forests, cities, and life. For now, focus only on the immediate matters. Stabilize the people, calm their minds, and organize your remaining forces. I will inform you when I have restored a planet for them."

Neither of them spoke for several seconds.

Restoring dead worlds… creating habitable planets for an entire ruined galaxy…

That sounded like something one would attribute to the Heavenly Order itself.

Octaven's throat worked. His hands trembled at his sides. When he finally spoke, his voice broke. "We hear and obey, Lord Adrian."

For the first time since entering the throne room, genuine hope burned in his eyes.

Kaelar followed the same motion, his voice equally firm. "We will prepare everything."

The two leaders turned and departed quickly, their footsteps echoing through the vast chamber. They hurried to restore order among their people and spread the first true hope the Virelith Galaxy had seen in a million years.

As the doors closed behind them, Adrian remained alone inside the vast, opulent chamber. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

His thoughts moved immediately as a faint smile touched his lips. "This is the perfect situation for Hestia…"

If there was one person who could turn the restoration of dead worlds into a true foundation for civilization, it was her. Verdant Genesis was not merely a divine concept of growth; it was creation itself. If she came here, she could oversee the restoration of worlds, the movement of people, the rebuilding of civilization, and the management of an entire recovering galaxy whilst maintaining order.

And more importantly… doing this would increase her familiarity with Verdant Genesis.

Without wasting another moment, Adrian raised his hand, summoned a portal, and stepped through it.

…

Back within the headquarters of the Crimson Vital Sect, Hestia stood alone inside her chamber at the peak of the Crimson Spire.

The room was quiet, filled only with the distant hum of formations running through the sect. She had been reviewing reports, though her thoughts were far from calm. Adrian had left for the Virelith Galaxy, and whilst she trusted his strength completely, there was always a part of her that disliked how he seemed to walk alone into dangerous, unknown situations.

At that exact moment, she felt a fluctuation in space behind her.

She turned.

There, standing as though he had never left at all, was Adrian.

For a brief moment, she simply looked at him. The tension she had been carrying eased, replaced by something warmer. Then a faint smile formed on her lips. "Daring to enter my chamber without even knocking?"

Adrian smiled slightly as he walked closer. "Can't I?"