026 : The Boundaries of Power.

The Celestial Void was gone.

Its rulers—erased. Its laws—devoured. Its foundations—consumed into nothingness.

Lin Tian stood at the center of it all, surrounded by an endless void of nothingness. His golden-black aura pulsed softly, no longer chaotic, no longer seeking more—because there was nothing left to take. The universe had surrendered itself to him, and now, he stood alone at the peak.

He lifted his hand. The fabric of space rippled in response. A simple flick of his fingers could rewrite reality, collapse planets, or create them anew. He could see everything—every corner of existence within this universe, every remnant of what once stood against him.

Yet, as he gazed into the depths of this endless dominion, a strange feeling crept into his mind.

It was not fear. Not hesitation.

But something far more dangerous.

Emptiness.

For the first time in his existence, Lin Tian felt no struggle, no resistance, no path forward. He had taken everything, consumed everything. The heavens, the gods, the strongest beings of this universe—they were all beneath him now.

He had won.

Yet, why did victory feel so hollow?

Was this truly the end?

Was this all there was to power?

A cold wind swept through the void, though there was no air, no sky, no world left to generate it. It was a mere echo of something beyond.

And then, he heard it.

A voice.

A whisper from beyond this universe.

"So you've reached the peak of a lower realm."

Lin Tian's golden-black eyes narrowed.

"Then let me show you what true power looks like."

And in that moment—reality shattered.

A force unlike anything Lin Tian had ever felt descended upon him. It was not an attack, not an external enemy—but a pull, as if something from beyond this universe had taken notice of him.

The infinite void around him cracked.

Space twisted.

Time froze.

Lin Tian's entire existence trembled as something far greater than the heavens he had destroyed—something beyond this universe itself—dragged him into the unknown.

And before he could resist—

He was gone.

When Lin Tian opened his eyes, he was no longer in the shattered remains of his old world.

Instead, he stood within an endless cosmos, vast and incomprehensible. He could feel it instantly—the difference. The very air, the very essence of this place, was different from the lower universe he had dominated.

The qi here was denser, more refined. It was not just spiritual energy.

It was something beyond that.

Something higher.

For the first time in an eternity, Lin Tian felt suppression.

Not because he was weaker—but because this realm was stronger.

His Devourer God Realm cultivation still burned brightly within him, his power still absolute compared to his old universe. But now, he realized a truth he had never considered before.

He had reached the top of one world.

But this was not the only world.

There were higher universes.

And here, in this new existence, he was no longer an unstoppable force. He was powerful, but not supreme. There were beings here—entities beyond gods, rulers of cosmic realms—who stood even higher.

And to challenge them, to stand above even this greater universe…

He would have to cultivate once again.

As Lin Tian adjusted to the overwhelming presence of this higher realm, a presence descended upon him.

A being materialized before him—a figure wrapped in golden-white radiance, eyes burning like miniature stars. Unlike the gods and immortals Lin Tian had devoured, this entity did not feel like something born from cultivation.

It was beyond that.

Beyond mortal understanding.

The figure studied Lin Tian for a moment before speaking, its voice resonating like an entire cosmos speaking at once.

"You have defied the rules of your universe and risen beyond it."

Lin Tian smirked. "And?"

The figure's expression remained unreadable.

"Then you already know what comes next."

Lin Tian chuckled. "Let me guess. You're here to stop me?"

The golden-eyed being shook its head.

"No."

"I am here to tell you the truth."

Lin Tian's expression darkened.

"The power you held in your old world—your ability to devour, to erase, to consume—was supreme in that lower universe. But here, it is only a fraction of what exists."

Lin Tian remained silent, listening.

"This universe is governed by laws beyond what you know. Here, there are beings that stand at the peak—rulers of existence itself. If you wish to reach the top once more, you must fight them. You must surpass them. You must cultivate again, not as a mere devourer of worlds, but as a challenger of the cosmos itself."

Lin Tian's eyes burned with new ambition.

A new battlefield.

A new challenge.

A new realm of power waiting to be taken.

"And if I refuse?" he asked.

The figure's gaze did not waver.

"Then you will remain as you are—powerful, but never supreme. A king in a realm where gods exist."

Lin Tian smirked.

He had no intention of stopping.

If there were beings above him, he would surpass them. If this universe had a peak, he would stand on it.

And so, for the first time in an eternity, Lin Tian took a deep breath.

He would cultivate once again.

But this time—it would not just be for dominance over a single world.

This time—he would conquer the higher universe itself.

And no one would stand in his way.

Lin Tian stood upon an unfamiliar landscape, his golden-black eyes scanning the vast expanse before him. Unlike the shattered remains of his old universe, this world was alive, brimming with power unlike anything he had ever encountered. Towering celestial mountains floated in the sky, each one exuding an aura greater than the strongest sects of his former world. Rivers of glowing, liquid energy flowed across the land, weaving through ancient ruins and crystalline forests, their presence radiating a power far beyond mere qi.

But what struck Lin Tian the most—was the pressure.

This world, this Higher Universe, was not like the one he had consumed. Every breath he took felt dense, filled with an unfamiliar energy that resisted his natural instinct to devour. In the lower realm, the universe had submitted to him, surrendering its power effortlessly.

Here, however…

It rejected him.

For the first time in a long time, Lin Tian felt the weight of the world pressing against him. His body, once an existence beyond the heavens, now struggled to fully harmonize with the energy around him. The vast cosmic forces that governed this place were not willing to be consumed so easily.

He clenched his fist, his Devourer God aura flickering, but instead of expanding outward as it once did, it met resistance. The energy in this realm was not like the spiritual qi he had devoured before—it was Cosmic Qi, a force refined over eons, one that required understanding, not just absorption.

Lin Tian smirked.

"So, even I have to cultivate again?"

Far from being discouraged, he felt excited. He had reached the peak of one universe, but now, he was at the beginning of another.

And he would climb again.

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