Emperor of the Source

Adrian walked slowly through the quiet corridors of the Crimson Spire.

His thoughts drifted as he walked, still lingering on the conversation he had with Hestia. He was contemplating the mysteries of the Astral Stage, the ethereal chime that had echoed through the consciousness of millions, and the future path of the Origin Sect. The universe was vast, and he knew his current strength, while overwhelming in Andromeda, was only a stepping stone in the grander scale of existence.

Suddenly, the ambient mana in the corridor shifted.

It wasn't a spatial tear, nor was it an attack. The space a few meters in front of him rippled like the surface of a calm lake disturbed by a single drop of water. From that ripple, a brilliant, glowing golden essence began to coalesce. The light folded inward, taking the shape of a featureless humanoid silhouette made entirely of radiant energy.

Adrian stopped, his eyes narrowing slightly. He did not summon his sword, nor did he expand his domain. He recognized this familiar form and energy instantly.

"Guardian Spirit," Adrian thought, a myriad of memories flashing through his mind in a fraction of a second.

He could guess why the Guardian Spirit had come here. Back when the demon war had ended and the Milky Way entered an era of peace, the Void Emperor had reached out through the Guardian Spirit. They had offered Adrian a place within the Void Sect, a true Great Sect that governed vast swaths of the universe.

However, their offer had come with a caveat: Adrian was to leave his attachments behind. He was to abandon the people he had sworn to protect, leaving them in the Milky Way while he ascended alone.

Adrian had rejected the offer, stating his unwavering desire to walk his own path, the Origin Path, alongside his people.

The Void Emperor and Sylas had not believed in his path. They had deemed it flawed, warning him that carrying the burden of an entire empire would inevitably drag him down and damage his boundless future. Yet, when Adrian stood stubbornly by his ideals, they had offered a final test. A test not just for him, but for all his people.

If Adrian could establish his faction as a recognized major power within the Andromeda Galaxy, not simply by relying on his own overwhelming strength, but by ensuring his people established their own strength and proved the Origin Path viable, the Void Sect would reconsider. If he succeeded, the Void Emperor promised to allow every citizen of the Origin Empire to enter the Void Sect as outer disciples.

Adrian had never formally sworn to undertake that test. He had simply left for Andromeda to ensure his people's survival and growth. But now, looking at the reality of the situation, he had effectively completed it. He had successfully guided his people, transformed them into an army of monsters, and seized supreme power in Andromeda.

"It has been a while, Adrian," Guardian Spirit spoke.

"Guardian Spirit," Adrian greeted, his tone measured, keeping his hands resting loosely at his sides.

"You can call me Sylas." The Guardian Spirit's voice resonated directly within the surrounding space.

Adrian nodded and said, "I suppose you haven't traveled across the universe just to check on my health."

Sylas let out a soft, echoing chuckle. "No, I have not. I have been watching, Adrian. My master has been watching."

The golden silhouette floated a few inches closer, casting long, luminous shadows down the quiet corridor. "When my master laid out that test, we expected it to take you tens of thousands, perhaps millions of years. To guide a mortal empire from the edge of the universe, to integrate them into a developed galaxy, and to forge them into a power capable of claiming supremacy... it is a feat that defies conventional logic."

The spirit paused, its energy pulsing with genuine respect. "You did not simply pass the test, Adrian. You shattered it. You manipulated the political landscape of Andromeda and broke its dominant sects in an impossibly short span of time. You have done far better than we expected, and extremely faster than we ever anticipated."

Adrian kept his expression perfectly neutral, neither accepting the praise nor denying it. "I did what was necessary to protect my own. That is the essence of my path."

"And that dedication has yielded extraordinary results," Sylas acknowledged smoothly. "Because of this, my master, the Void Emperor, is a being of his word. You have proven that your Origin Path has merit. He is willing to extend his offer once more, but the terms have been altered to reflect what you value most."

Sylas raised a hand, as if presenting a grand gift. "My master is willing to take all of your people into the Void Sect. Not just the citizens of Origin Empire from the Milky Way Galaxy, but even the new people of the Crimson Vital Sect. Every elder, every disciple, and mortal. They will all be granted entry. Since we know about your path, and we understand now that you cannot and will not separate from them, my master is willing to make this unprecedented exception."

It was an offer that would cause any sect leader in Andromeda to weep with gratitude. To have an entire minor sect absorbed directly into the ranks of a Great Sect, bypassing millions of years of brutal universal struggle, was a miracle that could not be bought with any amount of UNI-Coins.

Adrian looked at the glowing figure, his mind thinking of the offer. He thought of Hestia, of Aerin, of his parents, and the thousands of disciples who had just survived a grueling war. He thought of the absolute safety a Great Sect could provide.

Then, without a trace of hesitation, he slowly shook his head. "I decline."

The golden light around Sylas flickered violently, a rare display of shock from the ancient entity. "You decline? Adrian, do you understand the magnitude of what you are refusing? I know you hold an immensely valuable Prime Arcane Concept, which, when pushed with an energy form, grants you a hundred percent authority. But don't think that is enough to survive in this universe. Your raw talent and a powerful concept are not enough to survive the storms that are gathering."

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Adrian's eyes narrowed. He knew that back with the fight against the demon emperor, the guardian spirit had seen his hundred percent authority. At that time, even Adrian had no clue what authority itself is… Till now, he had a doubt about how much knowledge they had of him and about the source, but now he can see it clearly. They don't know about his source; they were only thinking of it as a prime arcane concept.

"I said no," Adrian repeated, his tone firm and unyielding. "I appreciate the offer, Sylas, but I wish to walk my own path. I am building the Crimson Vital Sect, and I will establish my own foundation."

"Your own foundation?" Sylas argued, his voice taking on an edge of pragmatic frustration. "Adrian, be reasonable. You can become extremely powerful if you join us. With the Void Sect's boundless resources, your potential would be fully realized in a fraction of the time. And your people? They would be placed in a safe, secure environment. You would no longer need to constantly fight, bleed, and scheme just to keep them alive. You are rejecting absolute security for a stubborn ideal. Because of this, your people will die!"

Adrian's eyes darkened. The ambient mana in the corridor suddenly grew heavy. The white-grey essence beneath his skin began to pulse faintly, reacting to a sudden, sharp spike in his emotions.

"die?" Adrian took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance between them. His voice dropped into a cold, dangerous register. "Are you forcing me to join your sect, Sylas? Is that what this is? If I refuse your 'generous' offer, will the Void Sect destroy my people? Are you threatening me?"

The space around Adrian's fists cracked faintly, tiny fissures in reality appearing and mending in fractions of a second as his killing intent flared. He had just finished a war to secure his people's freedom; he would not let a Great Sect place a collar on their necks through coercion.

"No!" Sylas said quickly, raising both hands in a placating gesture. The Guardian Spirit could feel the genuine, lethal intent radiating from the young man. "Calm yourself, Adrian. That is not our intention."

Sylas lowered his hands, his light stabilizing. "My master does not stoop to petty coercion, and I never meant to threaten you or your people. You are an exceptional candidate, a genius that we truly value. We have no bad intentions toward you. My master's offer is born purely from recognition of your worth, not a desire to subjugate you through fear."

Adrian's aura stopped expanding, the spatial cracks sealing shut, but his eyes remained narrowed, cold, and calculating. "Then why did you say my people will die? If you don't intend to force me, why do you insist I abandon the foundation I am building?"

"Because of what you are stepping into," Sylas urged, "Adrian, you have just ascended to the Astral Stage. And already, you reached the Chime of Consciousness the very moment your Astral Core fused. You are wondering about it right now, aren't you? The mysteries of the mind, that strange condensation within your consciousness, the true nature of willforce?"

Adrian's expression shifted infinitesimally.

"The Void Sect holds those answers," Sylas continued, pressing the advantage. "We hold the secrets of consciousness that you are currently groping in the dark to understand. If you join us, you will learn the true progression of the Astral Stage. You will learn how to wield willforce as a weapon, without having to stumble through dangerous, time-consuming trial and error."

Sylas drifted closer, his tone turning grave. "Furthermore, staying here as an independent faction will only make things difficult for you. The chime you produced did not go unnoticed. The eyes of Major Sects are already turning toward Andromeda. That is why I said your people will die if you stubbornly stay on this path. Your people could be in danger at any time against forces much larger than the Ashen Vortex Sect. But within the Void Sect? No one would dare touch them. You would have the ultimate shield."

Adrian listened to the promises of knowledge and safety. It was a perfectly constructed, highly tempting narrative. But Adrian had seen enough of the universe's inherent cruelty, to look past the pristine facade.

"A shield," Adrian repeated softly, a faint smile touching his lips. "Tell me something honestly, Sylas. Is it really that simple?"

Sylas remained silent, waiting.

"If I bring my people into the Void Sect," Adrian said, his voice piercing and analytical, "would every single elder, every single disciple, and every hidden faction within your great sect truly treat them well? I possess Prime Arcane Concept. I reached the Chime of Consciousness upon ascension. I am an anomaly that defies your established rules."

Adrian stepped closer, staring directly into the faceless golden visage of the Guardian Spirit. "Would your people not target me out of jealousy? Would they not target my people to control me? Can you promise me, with absolute certainty, that no elder driven by hidden greed, no faction hungry for political power, would scheme against my people inside your own walls?"

The golden light of Sylas's form rippled unsteadily. The spirit did not answer.

"Can you promise me that?" Adrian demanded, his voice echoing sharply down the stone corridor.

Sylas remained silent.

The Guardian Spirit knew the internal politics of the Void Sect intimately. It knew the ruthless ambition of its ancient elders, the cutthroat competition among disciples, and the sheer, venomous jealousy that a peerless anomaly like Adrian would inevitably attract.

Even if the Void Emperor commanded it, he could not micromanage the hidden greed within the hearts of billions of subordinates. Schemes would be hatched in the shadows. Adrian's people, mortals and newly ascended Rule Stage cultivators who were relatively weak compared to the titans of a Great Sect, would be seen as the perfect leverage to leash a monster.

Sylas could not answer because he could not guarantee their safety from the sect itself.

Seeing the silence, Adrian nodded slowly. His smile faded entirely, replaced by an expression of terrifying resolve.

"That is exactly what I thought," Adrian said softly. "I know how it will be if I joined the Void Sect with my people. We would just be trading external enemies for internal ones. Enemies we couldn't even fight openly because they would wear the same robes as us, hiding behind sect laws and hierarchy."

He turned slightly, his gaze looking past Sylas, as if viewing the vast, uncaring universe beyond the walls of the Crimson Spire. "I do not wish to join your sect. I will build my own Sect. I will protect my people with my own hands, and I will carve my own knowledge out of this universe."

Then, Adrian's gaze snapped back to Sylas. The white-grey essence beneath his skin flared violently, and the suffocating pressure of his full, unrestrained willforce pressed down on the corridor.

"But hear this clearly, Sylas," Adrian's voice dropped to a lethal whisper, "If the Void Sect decides to take offense to this rejection... if you or your master do anything petty because of this, if you try to hurt my people here in Andromeda, or if you dare touch the people I left back in the Milky Way Galaxy..."

Adrian took one final step forward, his white-grey eyes burning with absolute certainty.

"I will make sure you pay for it. I do not care if you are a Great Sect. I do not care how many Astral Stage monsters you have hidden in your ranks. I will tear your sect apart from its very foundations."

The golden silhouette of Sylas flickered under the sheer weight of that promise. The Guardian Spirit looked at the young man, realizing that the mortal who had once struggled through the trials of the Edge was completely gone. Standing before him was a sovereign who had grasped the true nature of his own power, a being whose willforce had grown to a terrifying magnitude.

Sylas knew Adrian held a concept that granted him 100% authority and even the void emperor had said such an anomaly is capable of achieving the impossible.

And looking at Adrian now, Sylas knew the threat was not an empty boast.

"I understand your resolve, Adrian," Sylas said softly, his golden form beginning to dissipate into motes of light. "I will convey your decision to my master. May your Origin Path carry you through the storms to come."

Without another word, and left with no other options to persuade him, the Guardian Spirit faded completely into the void, leaving Adrian alone in the quiet corridors of the sect headquarters.