Emperor of the Source

"You took control of an entire galaxy in a matter of days," Hestia said, her voice carrying unmistakable disbelief as she stood before him within her private chamber. "And the leaders of those two sects… how exactly did you deal with True Peak Rule Stage cultivators?"

Adrian had already explained the general events of the Virelith Galaxy to her. He had told her about Morka, about the liberation of the enslaved cultivators, about the Void Fang Sect and the Obsidian Rift Sect submitting themselves, and about the strategic opportunity that the galaxy now represented for their future. But there were still things he had deliberately left unsaid. He had not spoken about the Source itself. He had not revealed the true nature of his hundred percent authority. Those things were not something he could explain casually, even to Hestia.

Because of that, Hestia's understanding was left with a massive gap, and that gap naturally created confusion. A man who had once stood at seventy percent authority had somehow walked into a galaxy ruled by beings stronger than the Andromeda Galaxy's strongest sect leaders and returned having conquered it entirely. No normal explanation could make that sound reasonable.

Adrian did not answer with words. Instead, he allowed his Source Domain to expand. The white-grey domain rippled outward, filling the chamber instantly. He did not unleash full hundred percent authority, but deliberately suppressed it, revealing only up to ninety percent authority. Even suppressed, it presented him flawlessly as a True Peak Rule Stage being.

Hestia's eyes widened, and she stepped back as the oppressive, suffocating pressure of a True Peak Rule Stage existence washed over her.

She had felt this kind of pressure before, when the envoy from the Aegis Forge Sect had arrived at the auction. That same crushing weight, that same absolute dominance.

But this time, it was Adrian.

She knew he wielded an ultimate-tier divine concept, but before, his comprehension was only at seventy percent. Had he advanced within the time formation? She didn't know... But it made sense. His own willforce technique accelerated comprehension for everyone within the sect. If that method benefited everyone else, then naturally Adrian himself would gain the greatest advantage from it. With that advantage, the absurd pace didn't look impossible after all.

The domain receded as quickly as it had appeared, but the silence it left behind felt heavier than before.

Hestia stared at him for a moment, her hands still trembling faintly at her sides. She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to steady. When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter than before. "You have ascended…"

Adrian did not correct her assumption. Instead, he simply gave a small nod and allowed her to settle into that explanation. In truth, it was easier this way.

Hestia exhaled slowly, but her expression did not relax. If anything, it became more complicated.

"This makes things much worse," she said, her brow furrowing deeply as the strategist within her immediately moved past shock and into consequence. "If we move our empires and the sect into that galaxy, we are not simply escaping one war. We are placing ourselves in direct line of a much larger threat."

"Morka had backing from the Starfall Sect. A Lesser Major Sect, yes, but still a Major Sect. If his father discovers his death, or if he eventually visits the Virelith Galaxy to inspect his son's conquest, then what follows will not be a conflict with an upper minor sect. It will be the wrath of a Major Sect."

Her jaw tightened, "And that could be catastrophic."

Adrian nodded slowly. "I agree," he said calmly. "But we should only worry about those things if we remain weak."

He stepped closer, his tone steady. "Do you remember what I said before? If we want to break these chains of endless war and consequence, then we need absolute power. Not temporary victories or survival through compromise. We need strength so overwhelming that others fear even the thought of standing against us. A cycle of war is only broken by undeniable supremacy."

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"If we step into the Astral Stage," Adrian continued, "then we can stand against the Major Sect that will inevitably come for us in the future. More importantly, the galactic war here in the Andromeda Galaxy becomes something we can control instead of merely survive. This plan is not new. We already discussed it before."

Hestia fell silent. They had discussed it many times, but discussing it and achieving it were two entirely different things. Ascending to the Astral Stage was not simply another breakthrough. It was a threshold that demanded perfection. Two fully mastered divine concepts had to be fused into one stable path, and those two concepts had to be compatible.

She looked down at her hands, feeling the faint hum of her Crimson Vital Dominion circulating through her body. "I already possess Crimson Vital Dominion and Verdant Genesis. They are compatible, but Verdant Genesis has not yet reached perfect mastery. That level of comprehension would normally require thousands of years."

Her voice dropped. "For Crimson Vital Dominion alone, I spent nearly a million years forging it into what it is now. I have always seen Astral Stage as a future goal, not something that could be forced under the pressure of an approaching galactic war."

Adrian did not allow that doubt room to settle. "You can train Verdant Genesis on the barren planets of the Virelith Galaxy," he said. "If you continuously pour life back into dead worlds, if you force yourself to embody that concept through action instead of theory, eventually you will trigger the epiphany needed. At that point, you will be able to master it fully and create the Ultimate-level divine spell for Verdant Genesis."

He looked directly into her eyes. "And with two fully compatible divine concepts, you can ascend to the Astral Stage."

Hestia considered it, but her expression remained tense.

She shook her head slowly, her crimson hair swaying with the motion. "There are too many risks," she said. "The war in the Andromeda Galaxy could begin in weeks, maybe months. I need to be here. I cannot leave the sect now and disappear into another galaxy for personal cultivation."

Her hands tightened slightly at her sides. "And even if I go, there is no guarantee I can fully comprehend Verdant Genesis in such a short time. For Crimson Vital Dominion, I spent an entire million years."

Adrian nodded. "That would be true if you were doing it alone, but who said you would be alone?"

He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "We will train and ascend together."

For a brief moment, something in her expression shifted, surprise, warmth, something deeper, but her protective instincts returned almost immediately.

She turned away, pacing toward the other side of the chamber. "This still creates massive issues with the sect," she said, her voice rising slightly. "What happens if the war begins while we are gone? What if the Ashen Vortex Sect attacks? What if the Everlasting Pill Sect moves first? What if Nightshade cannot hold the situation?"

Her hands gestured sharply as she spoke, frustration bleeding through her usual composure. "Adrian, I am the sect leader. I cannot simply abandon everything we have built because—"

"You need to believe in our disciples," Adrian replied, cutting her off gently but firmly.

She stopped mid-step, turning to look at him.

"They are not children anymore," he continued. "The elders are already approaching Peak Rule Stage. Lara, Maelis, Torvain, Varcain, Caelum, they are all standing at that threshold. The other disciples are already in the Mid Rule Stage, and many have reached High Rule Stage. They are only being held back from further ascension so they can properly master authority and combat."

He walked closer, closing the distance between them. "Our sect is stronger than it has ever been. But think carefully. Even now, against the strongest sects of the Andromeda Galaxy, we are only equal. If we enter the galactic war now, our disciples can fight as equals. Combined with my power as a True Peak Rule Stage cultivator, yes, we could force the war in our favor. But there are still variables."

"The other strongest sects may have backing from Major Sects as well. If those forces become involved, then we are dragged into the exact chain of war I warned you about before. Victory becomes temporary, and conflict simply expands. The war drags on for decades, centuries, maybe longer."

His gaze sharpened. "But if we reach the Astral Stage…"

"We can erase the Ashen Vortex Sect and the Everlasting Pill Sect without dragging the war into years of bloodshed. Even the Major Sects behind them would be forced to hesitate, because Astral Stage is not something they can casually provoke."

"That is the absolute strength we need to survive."

Hestia stood there in silence, thinking through every word. She understood his logic perfectly, and that was the problem. He was right. Even if she doubted her ability to force Verdant Genesis to completion within such a short time, she could no longer deny the greater truth. Their disciples were no longer helpless survivors clinging to their sect leader for protection. They were strong, they could hold the line, and they could survive.

And if Adrian and Hestia succeeded, they would no longer need to merely survive. They would dominate.

She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. When she opened them again, the uncertainty was gone.

Slowly, the last remnants of hesitation left her.

"Let's go," she said, her voice calm now, carrying the certainty of a final decision. "I will inform the others. They will take care of everything."