The Chaos Sea, the graveyard of the universe.
This is the very edge of the Known Cosmic Sea, the end of all order and law. There are no stars, no planes, no living beings, only an Eternity, churning, chaotic sea of primordial energy. This energy has no attributes, no form, no will; it simply exists, surges, and collides, like a Nightmares from which one can never awaken.
But deep within the Chaos Sea, amidst the most Berserk energy vortexes, occasionally something that doesn't belong to Chaos will appear.
Those are ruins.
The remnants of what once existed—the Multi-Cosmic Sea powerful enough to stand in the Chaos Sea —were Destruction. They floated on the waves of the Chaos Sea like sunken ships, eroded, transformed, and reshaped by the power of chaos, ultimately forming a strange existence that belonged neither to order nor to chaos.
These ruins are known as the "Chaos Ruins".
Each Chaos Ruins is a tombstone of a realm, recording the birth, prosperity, and Destruction of a once glorious multiverse. They contain everything that remains of that realm—fragments of laws, essence of matter, imprints of the world, and glimmers of wisdom. For any being that craves power, Chaos Ruins are the most precious mine, a shortcut to a higher realm.
Spirit Ruins is one of the countless ruins in the Chaos Sea.
It originally had no name—because all the civilizations that named it have perished. Those who once discovered it, explored it, and tried to possess it eventually became part of it, transforming into one of the countless Spirit Wisdom floating within it.
But the ancient beings who sailed through the Chaos Sea gave it a name:
Spirit Ruins.
"As the most outstanding being of the Earth Guardian lineage, Spirit Ruins is entirely a gift from me, the Pathfinder. I hope that you can ascend to Eternity with the best foundation, and play a greater role in the future when crossing the Destruction Tide, protecting the entire Astral Realm."
"Perhaps, in the future, you will be able to open up a fourth career stage beyond the Star Watcher, a stage belonging to the Eternity level, which can be called -- Astral Realm Guardian!" The smile on the Mother of the Stars' face disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression.
In reality, this was not a deception by the Mother of the Stars to Lancelot. In the Mother of the Stars's eyes, Lancelot, the Lord of Endless and a super genius of the Earth Guardian lineage, would definitely be her right-hand man in the future after she took control of the Astral Realm.
The Mother of the Stars truly valued Lancelot, which is why she used resources to lure Lancelot away. Once everything has settled down, even if Lancelot ascends to Eternity, he will have no other choice.
"The Chaos Ruins, the Spirit Ruins..."
Lancelot's eyes flickered, clearly interested.
He had actually guessed the Mother of the Stars's idea: to move himself, the great variable, away from the Astral Realm to make things easier for Her.
I just didn't expect the Mother of the Stars to go to such lengths.
It is important to know that, according to the Mother of the Stars, the reason why Her Path of Laws was able to rapidly advance to the Eternity level, instantly widening the gap between Her and other powerful beings in the Astral Realm, and making Her the first Eternal in the First Era, was undoubtedly due to the immense role played by the Spirit Ruins.
It could even be said that without Spirit Ruins, there would be no Mother of the Stars as we know her today.
Such a precious Chaos Ruins, comparable to a twelve-star Miracle Creation, is it really going to be handed over to me for nothing?
Even though they were actually on opposing sides, Lancelot couldn't help but develop a great fondness for this great being.
Unfortunately, those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.
Lancelot, Logo, and Gustavo didn't have much of an opinion on the idea of a single life form completely controlling the Astral Realm source, provided that such a life form was one of the three of them.
Otherwise, even the Mother of the Stars would have to fight with all her might.
In short, this is still about consolidating resources.
The Chaos Sea provides the resources needed to advance to the Third-Step Eternity; that's all.
The Astral Realm is right here, within arm's reach.
A realm of such size, once its origin is refined, will inevitably be able to advance to the Third-Step Eternity, thus enabling it to cross the Tide of Destruction and ascend to the Land of Origin.
The cake is only so big, and no one will give it up or let their Fate be in the hands of others.
However, the Mother of the Stars is currently unaware that Lancelot and Logo are the same person. Their greatest advantage lies in the covert cover while the enemy is in the open, and thus Lansibote plays his role well.
His face showed surprise, hesitation, a slight wariness, and gratitude.
"Such a precious Chaos Ruins, you just gave it to me like that?" His words were filled with disbelief.
This kind of reaction is very real.
Anyone faced with such a huge windfall would hesitate for a long time.
Seeing this Mother of the Stars simply smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't harm you. You'll know how beneficial that place is to you once you get to the Spirit Ruins. Besides, at our level, all conspiracies are just a joke. In the end, it all comes down to a true comparison of strength. And if I wanted to deal with you, frankly speaking, you would be completely powerless to resist."
Upon hearing this, Lancelot remained silent for a long time, then nodded slightly and solemnly said, "If I can truly use this Chaos Ruins to successfully advance to the Eternity level, then I will definitely use my life to protect the Astral Realm."
As for whose Astral Realm Lancelot was protecting, he didn't say.
In the current context, his words seem to mean helping the Mother of the Stars Astral Realm and becoming Mother of the Stars right-hand man, but what is the reality?
Protecting one's own Astral Realm is also a form of protection.
However, due to the information gap, the Mother of the Stars was unaware of Lancelot's ulterior motives.
He slowly extended his star-studded finger and gently touched it.
A chaotic coordinate appeared in Lancelot's mind.
"This is the location of the Spirit Ruins, and I have taught you all the methods for activating and deactivating the Spirit Ruins Formation."
"You can choose to advance to the Eternity Realm at your own pace, but I suggest you go immediately. After all, the situation is becoming increasingly critical. The expansion rate of the Destruction Vortex is increasing exponentially. I suspect that a very powerful Beast of Destruction has been born."
The Mother of the Stars ' tone turned solemn as she finished speaking.
Lancelot could tell that the solemnity was not feigned, but a genuine reaction as if facing a formidable enemy.
He was startled. Could the situation have deteriorated to this point? But according to the information left by the Spirit Saint, there was still some time before the Tide of Destruction of this Chaos Zone would completely sweep in.
But Lancelot understood in an instant.
Just as the core of his Endless Divine Body is the Way of Change, the changes within the Chaos Sea are even more intense. With countless variables intertwined, a prediction accuracy of 30% is already quite remarkable. Under such circumstances, anything can happen.
As for the Beast of Destruction... an existence that makes even the Mother of the Stars feel threatened is most likely at the level of Second-Step Eternity One, and may even have already touched the threshold of Third-Step Eternity.
Thinking of this, Lancelot felt an extreme sense of urgency. He should indeed head to the Spirit Ruins immediately. In any case, advancing to the Eternity level as soon as possible and possessing greater power was always the right thing to do.
"Moreover, I think I should bring Gustavo along. According to the Mother of the Stars, the Spirit Ruins is a sacred place for cultivation that is very beneficial to the Law System. Although my Law of Endless have touched the threshold of Eternity, my foundation is the weakest among the three major systems. Under such circumstances, the absorption efficiency will definitely not be high. But if Gustavo is there to help, it will be a thousand times faster, and Gustavo will also be able to completely open the gate to Eternity."
Gustavo's Law of Devouring has always been extremely efficient in absorption and transformation; only by incorporating it can the utilization rate of the Spirit Ruins be maximized.
Moreover, any one of the three who is strong can help the other two become stronger at a faster pace.
So Lancelot made his decision quickly.
The Mother of the Stars, seeing Lancelot's quick agreement, was quite satisfied. She thought to herself, "Back in the Spirit Ruins, it took me over a thousand years to advance from the Peak Supreme God to the Eternity Realm, even though the speed was extremely fast. Even if Lancelot's talent is more outstanding than mine, it would still take him at least several hundred years, right?"
"What I didn't tell Lancelot is that the flow of time in the Spirit Ruins is much slower than in the Astral Realm. Spending a few hundred years there is equivalent to spending thousands of years in the Astral Realm. In such a long period of time, I have already completely taken control of the Astral Realm. Even if he returns with the power of the Eternity Realm, it will be of no use. He can only obediently submit to me."
The Mother of the Stars's scheme was perfect.
But his calculations were based on his own knowledge and the information he had gathered. What he didn't know was that there was a fatal flaw in this information: Lancelot, Logo, and Gustavo were the same person.
Once it was confirmed that Lancelot was heading to the Spirit Ruins, the subtle tension that had been hanging between them completely vanished.
In fact, Lancelot had no doubt that if he refused the Mother of the Stars's offer, she would indeed descend and suppress him.
As a member of the Earth Guardian, Lancelot had one thing he was very wary of: he didn't know if the Mother of the Stars had laid any traps in the system she had created. If she had, he would be severely restrained in his battle against Mother of the Stars.
After all, the profession of Earth Guardian played an extremely important role in Lancelot's growth, and it had become deeply ingrained in his being, impossible to remove.
The Mother of the Stars would find facing Lancelot much easier than facing any other Eternity being.
However, Lanfeiluote kept these thoughts deep in his heart.
To solidify his persona, Lancelot continued, "I've always had a question: the Astral Realm is in such chaos, why haven't you, as the guardian of the Material Dimension, taken action? Have you been held back by something?"
Hearing this, the Mother of the Stars sighed and said, "I'm also helpless about this matter, but the Chaos Tide really can't do without me. Without my suppression and that of the Second-Step Eternity One from other realms, the Tide of Destruction will only spread faster, and we won't even have a last chance to prepare."
"Moreover... while the chaos in the Astral Realm has caused the Destruction and fall of countless lives, it has also given rise to countless powerful beings. Only those who grow up amidst iron and fire can better withstand the calamities suffered when crossing the Tide of Destruction Pool. This... can be considered a rehearsal." The Mother of the Stars ' words were indifferent yet carried a hint of coldness, as if they were the best proof of the ruthlessness of the Heavenly Dao.
Lancelot was slightly taken aback.
He then fell silent and said nothing more, instead slowly bowing down.
The Mother of the Stars nodded to him, and her figure slowly disappeared amidst the swirling starlight.
Lancelot gazed intently at the spot where the Mother of the Stars had departed for a long, long time.
Finally, he turned and left, arriving in a land Stars·Shine.
This is the Astral Spirit Kingdom.
The Astral Spirit Kingdom Lord was already waiting there.
I have come to return the Star Crown.
Lancelot reached out and removed the crown from his head, handing it to the Astral Spirit Kingdom Lord.
"Thank you for your help," Lancelot said.
"I dare not accept such praise," the Astral Spirit Kingdom Lord quickly waved his hand.
"Ultimately, it was your own talent that played the leading role; we were merely icing on the cake," said the Astral Spirit Kingdom Lord.
"No matter what, I will remember this favor," Lancelot said solemnly.
The Star Crown allowed Him to cultivate the Law of Endless to the threshold of Eternity even more quickly.
This is a huge help.
At this level, every step ahead can result in a huge lead.
"To my shame, I'm helping you for the sake of order and stability in the Astral Realm. I hope you can lend a hand to the Fantasy Dimension in its fight against the Primogenitor Mountain and the Nightmare Hydra," said the Astral Spirit Kingdom Lord.
Beside him, Song of Ages, the leader of the Void Whale race Orosa, also spoke up, "Lord of Endless, as the most powerful being of the Earth Guardian, you should become our leader and join us in resisting this behavior that disrupts the rules of world order."
"Our entire Void Whale clan is willing to be your vanguard and charge into battle for you," said Nova, the Battle Whale of the Void Whale clan. Compared to other Void Whale, Nova, being an anomaly, was extremely warlike.
But upon hearing their words, Lancelot, despite his complex expression, still resolutely refused.
"I cannot interfere with matters of the Fantasy Dimension for the time being; I have more important things to accomplish," Lancelot said.
"What could be more important than protecting the Fantasy Dimension? You must understand, once the Fantasy Dimension is completely overturned, the Astral Realm Order will be thrown into chaos, and the resistance of the Astral Realm Will will fall into an unprecedented state of weakness. How terrifying is that? Do you understand?"
Lancelot was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.
A flash of insight seemed to strike his mind, and he seemed to understand something.
Is this the reason why the Mother of the Stars allowed the Nightmare Hydra to invade the Fantasy Dimension?
Furthermore, when the Adrian Federation invaded the Elemental Dimension, the Mother of the Stars didn't directly intervene. Was this because of the Tide of Destruction?
No!!
The Mother of the Stars wouldn't be unable to even temporarily withdraw; he was more inclined to believe that this was intentional on Mother of the Stars part, and perhaps even something she was happy to see happen.
"So He was constantly weakening the resistance of the Astral Realm Will..."