"Senior Noah, I... broke through?"
Giant Axe stared at Noah in disbelief, but he could feel his miniature universe slowly taking shape.
He was absolutely certain that he had broken through to the level of a True God, but...
"I know you have a lot of questions, but this is indeed the truth!
For now, set all that aside. Your top priority is to finish building your miniature universe!"
As he spoke, Noah tossed him a plan for constructing a miniature universe.
"This is..."
"Just take it and use it. Why all the questions?" Noah said, sounding exasperated.
Giant Axe accepted the Mini-Universe Architecture Diagram without hesitation.
"Follow the methods in this diagram to build your miniature universe, and you can bring it to a perfect level!
Of course, just do your best. If you can't manage it, don't force yourself!"
"Understood!"
Giant Axe nodded, then immersed himself in his miniature universe once more and began accelerating its evolution.
At the same time, he took advantage of the opportunity to focus on comprehending the laws of the universe.
In truth, Giant Axe and the others had not been here for very long—only ten years.
But the things Noah had given him...
Combined with the fact that Giant Axe had already been just one step away from a breakthrough, they had allowed him to reach the True God level in such a short time.
Of course, this was only because the secret techniques for cultivating and improving one's divine body in the Primal Universe were so difficult. Otherwise, even if it meant exposing himself, Noah would never have let such an exceptionally gifted human powerhouse break through so hastily.
Besides, even after reaching True God Level, Noah had ways to bring his divine body to its peak. In the end, the result would be the same!
"Ugh..."
Looking at the other four, still in seclusion, Noah could only shake his head in exasperation. They were all Fifth Order Peak powerhouses, so why were those four so slow?
Back when he and Yuan had broken through, it hadn't taken them long at all!
In less than a million eras, they had risen from the very bottom to become Universe Masters.
And in less than a million years, they had all become True Gods.
Yet now...
They had been stuck at this level for a million eras. Even if their foundations were a little weaker than Giant Axe's, they should have been about ready by now.
But they were still just as they had been before. Neither their comprehension nor their accumulation of energy had made much progress.
Noah couldn't help feeling that they were a hopeless lot!
At that thought, Noah's consciousness drifted toward a remote corner deep within the Virtual Universe.
It was as if he were telling his old friend of many years: You're too weak. I can't carry you!
"How is this possible?"
When the Beast Ancestor, concealed in a corner of the universe, sensed that Giant Axe had successfully broken through, he let out a thunderous roar.
After all, Giant Axe was a True God with a supreme treasure. And he...
He was a destitute outcast, driven away by the very race he had raised with his own hands—so poor that even among solitary True Gods, he was a complete pauper.
How was he supposed to deal with Giant Axe Creator, who wielded a supreme treasure and had eighth-order combat strength?
"Human Race! Monster Race! I... sigh!"
Feeling powerless, the Beast Ancestor could only turn his anger into a faint sigh.
An eighth-order True God?
Even in the Universe Sea, he would count as a top powerhouse.
Even the God Eye Clan, overlords of the First Reincarnation Era, had only one at that level: their strongest, the First True Master.
And yet...
"The Human Race of this Reincarnation Era really is blessed beyond measure!"
Though the powerhouses of the Universe Sea couldn't enter the Primal Universe, they had plenty of ways to gather information.
So whenever a new miniature universe appeared beyond the Primal Universe, they would use those channels to find out more.
The one who had just spoken was Lord Wuhun of the God Eye Clan, a being from the Primal Universe.
He was a Fifth Order Peak Universe Master. If a miniature universe could withstand the birth of a True God, he might have become the God Eye Clan's Eighth True Master.
But such talk was pointless. If one failed to become a True God during a Reincarnation Era, then no matter how gifted one was, that was as far as one could go.
"That's right!" said Lord Jingyan, disciple of the First True Master.
With the end of their Reincarnation Era approaching, these God Eye Clan powerhouses naturally kept a close eye on developments in the Primal Universe.
Though they didn't know exactly what use it would be, for the past million eras, the two of them had been tasked with monitoring the Primal Universe.
Once they obtained reliable information, they immediately sent it back to their clan.
But the True Masters weren't interested in this news. After all, the God Eye Clan had existed for three Reincarnation Eras and witnessed countless True Gods rise and fall.
They had also encountered the first two Reincarnation Eras, which the current Primal Universe had never encountered. So they cared even less about Giant Axe's breakthrough.
As long as the Human Race of this era didn't produce a second powerhouse like Original Ancestor or Noah, the God Eye Clan would remain the strongest faction in the Universe Sea!
(Note: The lords of the Two Great Holy Lands have already passed through the cycle of reincarnation, and their true forms are no longer in the Universe Sea.
The remaining True Gods have been greatly weakened by the destruction of their miniature universes and can no longer make further progress.
Therefore, in this Universe Sea, the strongest faction is the God Eye Clan!)
Even so...
"Life is infinite, but eternity is beyond reach!"
After the First True Master, God Eye, spoke these words quietly, he sank back into endless cultivation.
To win a sliver of hope for their clan, all the True Masters except the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh were fighting back with everything they had.
But for them, it was no more than a drop in the ocean.
After all, once their Reincarnation Era ended, even True Gods would find it nearly impossible to advance further.
But the cycle of reincarnation...
For the sake of their clan's eternity, these powerhouses had to fight for it!
"Understood, Teacher!"
At the same time, Tiga, who was exploring Flowing Heavy Mountain, one of the Universe Sea's Three Great Forbidden Lands, received Noah's instructions.
"Good. From now on, you can have Joneas bring back everything you've gathered over the years.
Tiga, you and the clan... even I, your teacher, owe you a great deal!"
Noah couldn't help feeling a pang of sadness as he met Tiga in the Virtual Universe.
This disciple had been with Noah and Yuan since the days they fought to build their power. Yet even now, he was still working tirelessly for humanity's future.
"We're doing it all for the clan! Besides..." Tiga faltered. "For the sake of eternity, it's all worth it!"
"Mm!" Noah nodded solemnly. "I'll have Joneas bring you the things you need.
Also, because of the recent war, I hope you'll keep an eye out for more origin-type treasures.
You know the Primal Universe is still very reluctant to allow treasures above the True God level to be forged!"
"Understood!" Tiga said nothing more. Between master and disciple, everything went without saying.
Flowing Heavy Mountain, Universe Boat, Inclined Peak Realm—the Three Great Forbidden Lands of the Universe Sea.
Of these, the clans of this Reincarnation Era had explored the Inclined Peak Realm the most, mainly because it was the least dangerous.
But less danger also meant fewer gains.
So the human powerhouses tasked with operating undercover in the Universe Sea spent most of their time exploring the Universe Boat and Flowing Heavy Mountain.
These were also the main sources of the many Supreme Treasures the Human Race had acquired.
The Universe Boat, in particular, held a vast number of relics from the Ancient Civilization. Much of the technology used by the Human Race and the Machine Race came from there.
It was also where the Machine Race had found a wealth of Mechanical Flow inheritances, allowing it to rise into a peak race.
And Tiga...
Looking at the boundless sea of clouds before him, he felt a trace of fear—but still charged into it without hesitation.
Before you continue