The Origin of the Universe

The divine power within her had once flowed naturally, but now it was as though she had fallen into an invisible spiderweb.

With every breath, even the faintest fluctuation of air, even the slightest turn of divine awareness, was detected and sealed away in advance by a force beyond perception.

It was like standing before a mirror that reflected every possible future—before any action could be taken, it had already been seen through and dismantled.

"Another application of Ultra Instinct."

Chen Feng's voice was calm.

He still stood where he was, too lazy even to assume a stance, merely watching her with an indifferent gaze.

His silver hair was gently lifted by a breeze that had appeared from nowhere. Not a trace of aura leaked from him, yet he seemed to have merged with the entire space.

"It isn't meant for dodging, but for control. Reverse the evasive essence of Ultra Instinct—the ability to 'sense all things and merge with all things'—and use it to capture every movement of your opponent, every tremor in the airflow, every fluctuation of divine power, even the gaps between breaths and heartbeats. Then, before anything happens, seal off every possible trajectory and escape route."

After saying that, he casually raised his right hand, lightly curled his fingers into a fist, then slowly released them.

With that simple motion, the invisible restraint pressing down on Vados, nearly suffocating her, quietly ebbed away like a receding tide, as if it had never existed.

Yet once the pressure dispersed, Vados did not dare relax in the slightest.

Her slender waist arched back slightly, and with a tap of her toes against the void, she drifted several yards backward.

Her Angel Staff swept a smooth arc before her, moving so quickly it was nearly impossible to see—elegant and precise.

Silvery-white light flowed from the staff's tip. It did not erupt, but gathered and spread as swiftly as mercury, weaving a translucent shield before her. Complex divine runes flowed across its surface.

The faint light of distant stars reflected upon the shield, illuminating her stunning face, now serious and strained.

"Lord Chen Feng." Vados's voice remained as ethereal and pleasant as only an Angel's could be, though it carried a new gravity. "I admit that your understanding and application of power are far deeper... and more dangerous than I imagined. But if you think you can defeat me through such exquisite control alone, then you are being far too naive."

She was the attendant Angel of the Sixth Universe. What she possessed was not merely a long lifespan and powerful divine strength, but also a profound understanding and mastery of the laws of the universe.

Those were accumulations refined over countless eras.

Hearing this, a faint smile touched Chen Feng's lips, as though things had finally become a little interesting.

"Of course I know this won't be enough to defeat you."

He was perfectly frank, but then his tone shifted, and something like a sleeping galaxy awakening appeared in his eyes.

"So—"

He paused slightly, and his entire presence began to change.

It was not an eruption, but a restrained ascension, as something essential slowly emerged.

For an instant, a streak of pure golden radiance flashed through his eyes. It was not energy being released, but something more like a noble essence shining out from the depths of his soul.

"I'll add something else."

Just as that golden glimmer flashed past, Vados had been preparing to gather stronger divine power when her body suddenly trembled.

It was not fear, nor was she threatened. Rather, it was a strange palpitation and resonance rising from the deepest part of her life itself.

The feeling was difficult to describe. It was neither hostility nor goodwill. It was more like suddenly encountering a wave on the same frequency in an endless, lonely sea of stars; or like, amid cold laws, suddenly touching a warm aura of shared origin.

It was an instinctive, primordial closeness—equal, and above all ranks and statuses.

She had lived for hundreds of millions of years, served the God of Destruction Champa, witnessed Angels and deities from other universes, and had even stood before the Grand Priest. Yet she had never felt anything so clear, and yet so impossible to put into words, toward anyone.

For the first time, obvious uncertainty and confusion appeared on Vados's face behind the light shield.

Her icy blue eyes fixed on Chen Feng, trying to find the source of that resonance.

"Lord Chen Feng..." Vados suddenly spoke, her voice much softer than before, carrying a hint of inquiry she had not even noticed herself. "Do you... feel that there seems to be some... very special connection between us?"

Chen Feng raised an eyebrow slightly. He was not surprised by her sharp perception; instead, he looked as though he were saying, So you finally felt it too.

The change in him temporarily receded, and that golden gleam sank back into his eyes.

"You felt it too?"

He asked it as a question, his voice calm, but he had already given her the answer.

Vados nodded lightly, and the radiance at the tip of her staff softened as well.

"Ever since I first sensed that unique aura of yours at the edge of the Sixth Universe, I've had an indescribable premonition. It was not the observation of an Angel looking down upon mortals, nor was it the pity or assessment of the strong toward the weak. It was something... deeper, like a resonance and response on the level of laws themselves."

She tried to use words to describe that mysterious sensation. "Like two cosmic strings that had originally been independent suddenly vibrating at a harmonious frequency."

The void was quiet. The light and shadows of distant nebulae slowly drifted, rendering the two figures somewhat hazy.

"The Angels and Gods of Destruction of the Sixth Universe—their authority and status were indeed appointed directly by Grand Zeno and the Grand Priest." Chen Feng spoke slowly, his gaze seeming to pass through Vados and look into the depths of a far more distant universe.

"But the universe itself is not a dead thing. It has its own laws, its own will, and one could even say, its own 'preferences.' When someone's path, power, and essence are truly acknowledged by the origin of a particular universe, they will naturally form a connection with that universe's core. This connection does not depend on appointment—it originates from essence."

"That naturally includes order-keepers like Angels, as well as Gods of Destruction, who symbolize destruction and rebirth."

Vados fell silent.

Her long lashes lowered, casting faint shadows across her fair face.

She knew Chen Feng was right.

Though the will of the universe was vague and intangible, an existence like her could vaguely sense it.

It was simply that this will usually operated in silence, rarely revealing itself, and even more rarely directly "acknowledged" an individual.

Those who had earned such recognition were few and far between even in the history of the twelve universes.

Every one of them had once stirred up a massive storm across the multiverse.

"So..." Vados raised her eyes, her voice gentle yet edged with the sharpness of one who saw through everything. "Regarding the Grand Zeno system, regarding this divine order arranged by the supreme beings to rule all universes—"

"I have my own thoughts."

Chen Feng cut her off directly. His gaze left the starry sky and fell on Vados's face again, becoming unfathomably deep, like two vortices capable of devouring all light.

He stepped half a pace forward. There was no oppressive aura, yet it felt as though the weight of the entire space had tilted toward her.

"The authority Grand Zeno arranged and bestowed is all given from above. But why... should authority granted like that be enough to stand on equal footing with someone like me, who has gained resonance with the origin of the universe?"

He paused, each word striking the void like a hammer:

"If one day, through my own strength, I conquer and unify all twelve universes, making the wills of every universe resonate with my path, then—"

Gold resurfaced in Chen Feng's eyes, clearer and more resolute this time, carrying an irresistible majesty.

"At that time, would the true master of the entire universe still be the current Grand Zeno?"

Vados's usually composed and elegant expression turned deathly pale at once.

Her fingers tightened slightly, and even the knuckles gripping her staff had gone white.