Chapter 311: Guiltmaster Aleph

There was a reason why Aleph felt Terminus' familiar aura from Han Xiao. Both of them are considered de-facto controllers of their worlds. They have unimaginable powers simply because they have that position.

'There should be different cases… but their power should be the same.'

Aleph did not close the possibility that there are Controllers who do not get affected by their worlds. Han Xiao is naturally weaker compared to Terminus.

There was also the Original Creator Aleph knew of. Their descriptions from the information he decrypted outright stated they created that entire universe.

If that was Terminus' endgame…

'What did they do outside?'

Outside refers to the real universe.

Now, Aleph is extremely sure. They did something outside. As to what it was, he can only know once he breaks this entire 'Lostbelt'.

He looked at the mobius strip atop his palm for the third time and sighed.

"Let's do this."

He flicked it straight to the open-space filled with gray fog.

Then…

The world changed.

*****

The biggest thing that happened one week ago was the cosmic phenomenon manifested as milky-white cosmic clouds. Later on, it turned into gray fog. There have been no updates since then.

Most of the people tried their best to study it. They did not do so in vain.

No matter which faction it was, they saw it as a brand new world—a completely different universe from their own. 

It spanned throughout the entire physical universe. It was an event no less shocking than the Anti-Organic Equation that spelled the Mechanical Wars. The protagonist of this event was none other than an Aeon. Moreover, the said Aeon had appeared for less than two years.

What was different in him that other Aeons did not have?

That became the talk of everyone.

"Fu… I heard the entire Yuque is listless now."

"Oh? I heard that the new world has an effect on divination?"

"It's not just that. They said it's like a super-enhanced Matrix of Omniscience. The effect must be huge if they reacted like that."

In peacetime, Luofu's diviners had time to do casual talks. They, the diviners, were more involved in gossip than anyone else.

"There are other Pathstriders of Perpetuity who surfaced. From their words, becoming one is completely up to luck."

"Right, right. I heard from the cousin of my brother's brother that they are given a reward of sorts."

"Damn."

Perpetuity's fame already reached sky-high. He is the most recent Aeon to surface. He is also the Aeon who stirred up so much trouble these days.

With both of these aspects combined, Perpetuity became very famous. Many people wanted to tread this Path. The only problem was that they did not know how.

Other Aeons were clear about the requirements. Destruction manifested on those who destroyed things (i.e., warmongers). Abundance appeared on people willing to sacrifice anything for life. Erudition accepted scholars devoted to the pursuit of knowledge.

Perpetuity's requirements were still vague. The known ones were luck and willpower.

While everyone was whispering silently, Fu Xuan's mind was in a completely different space. Her physical body remained in Luofu, but her 'mind' came to a different world.

It was none other than the topic of the diviners' gossip—the Spirit World.

She found herself in front of a majestic gray castle. It stood tall at the highest point of this world. Beneath, Fu Xuan's eyes reflected different sceneries. The huge lake filled with countless reflections, the sophisticated 'temple', the door leading to an endless labyrinth…

Finally, her eyes looked up at the sky.

Instead of the usual sun and moon, she saw a silver curve. The rest of its body could not be seen due to the gray fog above coupled with the seven different colored stars.

Still, she was sure what it was.

An infinity symbol.

"Are you lost?"

Suddenly, a voice called out to her.

She looked sideways and saw a woman. She wore something straight out of steampunk. Her hat complemented her outfit very well.

"No…"

"Hm? Alright, then."

Fu Xuan found out that this woman did nothing except stare at the locations below. It was as if she was responsible for optimizing the arrangements for newcomers.

"Signs for directions… then automatically place them in one place. The special ones will use the signs… The layout should be…"

The more she muttered, the greater the light on her eyes became. Vill-V had the same feeling as playing a sandbox game.

"Hm, hm. That will work."

It did not take long for her to 'disconnect'.

To her eccentric actions, Fu Xuan said nothing. She attempted to divine all by herself. Using her third eye, she did not need any matrices.

Brand new images were reflected on her eyes. It was normal at first…

"Huh?"

Her heart skipped a beat. What she saw was Abundance and Destruction's legion besieging Xianzhou. Several familiar faces appeared when they did so.

The leader of borisins, Hoolay.

The infamous Lord Ravager, Zephyro.

Just then, someone confronted them.

An unyielding sea of fire.

The cry of a mythical bird.

Eyes that see through all memories.

The compliment of two extremities.

She saw two immortals in action.

Fu Xuan took a deep breath.

When she thought of getting out, she returned to her physical body.

"Divination… This is the Spirit World."

*****

Aleph stood at a familiar place. In front of the imaginary barrier, the Parallel Earth remained at peace. It was fueled by the imaginary tree's energy, followed by the Cocoon of Finality.

Today, he will break it down.

"Metatron. Maintain the Spirit World in full operation. Once I break the barrier and complete the Tree of Life, you need to take action."

"Understood."

The Bronya behind me disappeared on the spot.

"Alright." 

Aleph began calling their names out.

"Hua. Senti. Deal with the incoming scourge first. I will call you later."

"Mobius. Prepare to connect with the Parallel Earth.'

"Vill-V. Call her out. Ask her if she can help establish a door on the Sea of Quanta."

"Mei. We will find your other version later."

"Kurumi. Get ready to hijack the Cocoon's authority over time."

He then sighed.

"Elysia."

"Ah..?!"

She was surprised to hear Aleph's voice out of nowhere. She was currently in the Moon.

"We won't use your last wish. I will need your help with my power later."

"Ah… Alright…"

Aleph currently has six confirmed people for his Tree of Life. The Spirit King authority he has will be upgraded to the next level once all ten positions are completed. Elysia was the seventh.

His mind traveled back to Earth. He managed to create a loophole using Lord of the Mysteries, thus arriving at…

"Sakura."

"..!"

In a blink of an eye, a katana's blade was placed on Aleph's neck.

The pink-haired fox was surprised to see him. He was gone for two years.

"Aleph..?"

"I need your help this time."

Shiing-!

She sheathed her blade in a blink of an eye. She stood straight. Her typical uniform fluttered along the wind.

Unsurprisingly, she was on her vacation with Rin.

"You told us you are sent to outer space."

"I am about to return."

"..!"

She did not hesitate to ask:

"How can I help?"

"Later on, I will be forming a connection with you."

"..?"

Sakura became absent-minded after thinking of it. His two years of absence gave her enough time to think about it.

She might have fallen in love.

The next problem she faced was that she does not know how to face it.

"...I understand. You can rely on me."

"Thanks."

Seeing her expressions, he felt extremely guilty. She was one of the first partners he ever had. Their deal back then brought them closer. He was able to save Sakura and her sibling from the councilors' grasp. Gone were the days Rin was held hostage just to get Sakura to work.

'I will definitely make it up for her.'

Before he disappeared, he decisively came closer to her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Sakura's brain got fried. She went completely still. Even if it was only a projection, she felt Aleph's lips on her cheek.

"Ah…"