Chapter 35 - Domain Challenge

Chapter 35 - Domain Challenge

"So, Young Miss, that's all I know. If you want to learn more, you should ask your mother. She seems to be even stronger than my father," Scillia said seriously.

Ella nodded, recalling how Yula had effortlessly dealt with Horizon Realm Gods with just a touch. That alone made it highly likely.

Should I ask the system about Mother's realm?

Ella's curiosity flared, and she was about to ask when suddenly—the entire palace trembled. The walls shuddered, and the ground beneath them quaked violently.

"What the hell is going on?" Ella thought, alarmed.

Olivia jolted awake, looking around as the palace continued shaking. Scillia frowned and extended her divine sense, instantly grasping the situation.

"Young Miss, don't worry. Someone is trying to advance their domain, and a challenge has erupted. It's likely your father—the Domain Head—is fighting a challenger," Scillia said, her voice tinged with excitement.

Her divine sense stretched out ten thousand miles beyond the palace, clearly capturing the battle unfolding in the distance. Her expression grew complicated as she observed.

Ella, noticing Scillia's intense focus, was confused. "What are you looking at?"

Scillia turned to her and patiently explained, "Young Miss, it's normal that you can't sense anything. Horizon Realm Gods have completely integrated with space, making them incredibly difficult to detect unless you are also at their level."

Hearing this, Ella frowned.

"What the hell? I can cover the entire palace with my divine sense, yet I can't even sense a battle just ten thousand miles away?!"

The sheer difference between Inferno Realm and Horizon Realm was now painfully clear.

Damn, I need to reach that realm soon. If I don't, I'll be far too easy to detect…

Ella steeled herself, trying to suppress her unease, but Scillia noticed. She smirked.

"You're probably thinking that if you master space, you won't be detected, right?" Scillia chuckled knowingly.

Ella flinched. She was completely exposed.

Still, she nodded, waiting for Scillia's explanation.

"Hehe, I thought the same when I reached this realm," Scillia admitted, smiling. "But trust me, there are always higher realms. To those beings, you're like someone standing completely naked in front of them—they can locate you anytime they want. So it's best not to offend something you can't fend off."

Ella gulped.

This information made her even more cautious. She had always been careful, but now? She would be paranoid.

Scillia noticed the tense atmosphere and quickly changed the subject. "Young Miss, do you want to watch the battle?"

Ella's hesitation vanished in an instant.

"Yes, I want to see it," she said, eager to study how Horizon Realm beings fought.

Scillia then turned to Olivia. "How about you?"

But Olivia had already fallen back asleep.

The two shared a helpless look.

"Looks like it's just the two of us, then," Scillia said, visibly excited at the chance to be alone with Ella.

"Alright, let's go. I want to see what kind of battle this is," Ella agreed, though she felt reluctant to leave Olivia behind. Still, growing stronger was her top priority.

"Then hold my hand, Young Miss," Scillia said, extending her palm.

Her heart pounded as she watched Ella's reaction.

Ella hesitated, sensing something off in Scillia's gaze—it was almost predatory.

"What the hell is this woman thinking?"

Still, despite her reluctance, she reached out and took Scillia's hand.

The moment their hands connected, Scillia's entire body trembled. She barely suppressed her reaction, maintaining her usual serene smile as she closed her eyes in preparation.

Then—without delay—she waved her right hand, ripping open a spatial crack.

Ella stepped in without hesitation. In an instant, they arrived at the battlefield—a vast, barren land where no trees or vegetation remained.

Looking ahead, Ella spotted six figures. Among them, two stood out—one of whom was her biological father, Jade.

Jade sensed their arrival but didn't react. Instead, his attention remained locked onto a woman standing before him. His voice was laced with anger as he spoke:

"Amy, you ungrateful brat. Even though you're my niece, I won't hold back for daring to challenge my domain!"

Jade trembled with rage. He didn't want anyone beneath him to surpass him. His ambition burned—to reign over all eighteen heavens and elevate it to twenty.

Amy sneered. "Uncle, don't take it personally. I'm simply following the rules—challenging you as the Head of the Seventeenth Heaven Domain. Show some respect."

Her voice was icy, her presence commanding.

Amy's appearance was striking—clad in a flowing black robe with a mysterious veil concealing her face. Her long black hair cascaded down her back, and her aura was nothing short of formidable.

She briefly turned, sensing Ella and Scillia's presence, and her expression softened.

Then, she ordered two black-robed subordinates, "Go. Protect them from the debris."

The two figures nodded and swiftly moved toward Ella and Scillia.

Ella wasn't alarmed—she felt no killing intent from them. More importantly, if she wanted, she could obliterate them with a single punch.

Right now, her focus was entirely on the duel between peak Horizon Realm Gods.

Jade's aura shifted, becoming mysterious—his entire being now blended into space itself. The air distorted around him as he bent his surroundings, causing massive space fractures to erupt around Amy.

Then—he clenched his fist.

The space around Amy compressed violently, forming an overwhelming force meant to crush her instantly.

But Amy remained unfazed.

She teleported, appearing behind Jade in an instant.

With a mere wave of her hand, she released cosmic essence—a drop of Void Energy forming at her fingertips.

Then—she threw it.

The moment the tiny fragment of Void Energy was released, the world lost its color.

The 18th Heaven Domain trembled violently.

CRACK!

A massive black void formed—an abyss that devoured space itself, leaving behind permanent destruction.

But Jade reacted instantly.

His perception wasn't just sharp—it was space itself.

He evaded with ease, his eyes cold as he spat, "You! Are you trying to destroy my domain? Void Energy is forbidden—it can't be used for attacks!"

Though he, too, could manipulate Void Energy, its true destructive nature meant that once used, the space it erases will never recover.

Amy sneered. "You old fart, stop whining. This place will be mine soon anyway."

She charged forward—each clash between them ripping through space and shattering reality itself.

Ella observed in shock.

The entire sky had turned black.

The battle didn't produce thunderous booms—instead, silent devastation swept across the land.

Blackened space cracks revealed distant stars, and the battlefield became a void-riddled wasteland.

"Damn… this power is ridiculous."

Ella felt a chill run down her spine.

She was confident she could destroy a Horizon Realm God's body, but their absolute control over space and teleportation made them nearly impossible to hit.

"If I ever have to fight one… I better kill them in a single sneak attack. Otherwise, I'll be at a huge disadvantage."

As the battle raged on, she felt an overwhelming sense of urgency.

She had to get stronger.

And fast.