Unbeknownst to the Sages of the No-Name Galaxy, an Emperor and a Guardian Divinity had a hectic clash of supreme powers beneath them. They had touched the gates of death unknowingly several times.

First, when Wei Wuyin intended to eradicate everything.

Second, when their Guardian Divinity threatened to detonate the World Core and halt Wei Wuyin's decision.

And lastly, after that threat had failed!

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Sage Imentet's deliciously irresistible lips twisted into a pout and her heart-snaring eyes watched a black-haired, dark-eyed, young woman walk off indifferently as she went opposite of the procession traffic. She left without a single word. Then, those eyes widened as the young girl vanished like a shadowy haze and a faintly glowing light as she entered the divided space between halls with ease.

She was about to take action after a particular incident of this young woman touching the doors directly and a strange aura poured into it, but Luo Ning halted her with a tinge of panic in her eyes. The panic was abnormally intense, and while she tried to remain calm, Luo Ning hastily warned that doing anything, even touching the edge of this young woman's robes, regardless of their relationship, to this young woman was a path to disaster.

Sage Imentet was a mighty Sage, and her pride was repeatedly tempered and confirmed by her constant achievements and immense possession of power and authority, yet when she saw the genuine concern in Luo Ning's voice and eyes, her heart softened and she seriously began to consider the situation. She inspected the door, and after seeing no damage, she decided to let it go.

After seeing Sage Imentet stay her hand, Luo Ning felt an indescribable relief ripple across her soul like a cool breeze on a hot summer morning. She was fully aware of Wei Wuyin slaying Sage Springfield, and Su Mei wasn't just a simple Valkyrie or Prime Ascendant. She was no different than Wei Wuyin's right-hand man. Wei Wuyin might not be here, but he was certainly paying attention.

"How did you disappear?" Sage Imentet asked Luo Ning with shock.

"Disappear?" Luo Ning was taken aback. She was right here. The Earthly Saint Alchemist was baffled by Sage Imentet's question. She looked at her hands and faintly felt the glistening glow of Void Energy from her Saint Ring.

"You didn't notice? It did happen quite fast..." Sage Imentet had just watched Luo Ning vanish. Unable to track her, see her, or hear her for the briefest of moments despite sending out her Sage-level Spiritual Sense and executing an Ocular Spell that could perceive through dimensional layers of space.

She thought for a moment and held Luo Ning's hand, sending a strand of Spiritual Sense into her body. Luo Ning didn't resist. After their nightly sessions, her cultivation base and body had more or less been fully exposed on both ends, explored thoroughly by this woman before her.

Sage Imentet was unable to find out what had happened, only confirming that Luo Ning's cultivation foundation was exceedingly outrageous for a Rune King, especially for an Earthly Saint Alchemist. Furthermore, she was barely over two thousand years old!

Luo Ning had been an Exalted, a Mystic Star Phase cultivator, prior to meeting Wei Wuyin on that fateful day at the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit, so her age was certainly young when the Rune King's average age was considered! The only reason she was so old was her extensive time spent in the Neo-Dawn Vortex-Zone, especially to practice her alchemy.

One of the reasons Sage Imentet felt a stronger connection to Luo Ning was because she didn't consider her inferior, and could be rightfully regarded as an equal despite the severe age difference, simply because of her means, skills, and cultivation potential. She was certainly destined to reach greater heights, at least the Mystic Overlord in her lifetime given her astonishing foundation and age.

Luo Ning tried to explain, "If something happened, it was likely His Majesty took action." Her words were suffused with certainty, especially after sensing the faint Void Energy which was Wei Wuyin's soft attempt at alerting her of something if she had noticed any irregularities.

"You mean your emperor? Never mind then," Sage Imentet decided to not dwell on that incident. Luo Ning seemed perfectly fine. It was only after verifying she hadn't been swapped out or turned into an illusion that she decided to suppress her urge to find out the truth.

At this point, the portion of the test for Mystic Star Phase experts was completed, and Starlords could now take action to try their destiny. It was unfortunate that no one had been selected yet. When the Prime Ascendants had taken their test and caused all sorts of phenomena, this had shaken the Sages initially, but after realizing that the signs were notably different than their bestowal of destiny, they were all curious.Sage Shattered Sphinx was confused as he eyed the door. A shroud of shadowy darkness had engulfed the door, and when he inspected it, he couldn't find out the cause. Even after taking action, he couldn't sense anything, not even the door despite physically touching the shadowy film enveloping it. The feeling was heart-chilling.

'Law of Shadow?' He had read an ancient scripture regarding the Laws and knew that the Law of Shadow was renowned for having top-tier assassination potential. It was far more profound than one would initially think because a shadow was the reflection of anything and everything in an illuminated world.

There was a theory that there existed a dimension of shadows that existed, like a shadow of the world, that could be used like fixed space when it came to traversal, and unless one was specifically attuned to that world or had a Spiritual Spell designed to view it, they wouldn't be able to observe it at all. The only exception might be Soul Perception.

However, that was an ability of Enlightened Sages and Supreme Sages, not ordinary Sages like himself. After trying a few spells, he wasn't able to locate the source of the door, and he didn't dare to launch an attack upon it for fear of causing wanton destruction of the Land of Manu. He could only send this development to the others, but before they could send their replies to test out their own theories, the shadowy veil enshrouding the door vanished as if the sun was descending until nothing remained.

The feeling was extremely eerie, and Sage Shattered Sphinx's expression turned grim. What in the hell just happened?

Strange scenes happened throughout the Land of Manu. A bare-footed, while-haired handsome young man had almost gone into a full-on brawl against a Sage after he had taken a bite out of a few esoteric runes in a mind-boggling manner. Sage Khepri didn't even think that was possible. It was so startling that he was genuinely stunned for a very long period as the young man crunched on the runes ruthlessly.

Fortunately, the runes had returned after a brief while as he was unleashing his Spiritual Aura to seize this strange young man. After realizing that no damage was dealt to the door nor its functions, and reminded once again by the Spiritual Senses of fellow Sages that this young man was one of the foreigners that had arrived with the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint, Sage Khepri stood down.

Zuhei's scarlet eyes observed Sage Khepri intensely. A savage aura wafted from his body after being suppressed by a Sage's Spiritual Aura. When Wei Wuyin was a Starlord, he could already fight against Sages! Long ago, when he initially fought against Lin Ming all those years ago, he swore to become fangs and claws that would never disappoint, and he was about to attack!lightsnovel

If not for Su Mei mysteriously arriving and acting as Wei Wuyin's proxy, a cataclysmic fight between a Prime Ascendant and an ancient Sage would have erupted!

Shockingly, however, Sage Khepri made a comment after realizing that Zuhei was partially a beast.

"Please tell your emperor to keep your beast on a leash, the value of these doors wouldn't be enough to replace with a few Mystic-Earth products."

While his comment was essentially an opener to negotiate for damages, Zuhei halted his footsteps at that very moment and Su Mei looked toward him with a flat, indifferent gaze!

Sage Khepri furrowed his brows seeing her response.

"What? You both may go in."

He didn't want to lower himself by clashing with two vastly inferior cultivators that would only cause him to offend a Worldly Saint Alchemist. As for his comment, given Zuhei's origins and what he had just done, nothing was wrong with it in his mind!Su Mei softly said, "Go in."

lightsΝοvεl ƈοm Zuhei normally wouldn't listen to orders, but Su Mei was acting as Wei Wuyin's proxy, so he didn't resist at all. He simply left without causing trouble.

When Zuhei left for the Main Hall, Sage Khepri's furrowed brows deepened.

"You can go too," he gestured for Su Mei. While she had arrived here quite mysteriously, the Land of Manu was strange and had unique spatial pathways that he couldn't control properly.

Su Mei stared at Sage Khepri, and she warned:

"When the meeting is over, I advise you to apologize for your earlier words. If you don't want to, that's fine too."

She only said those words before walking off, vanishing into another hall. However, her final words lingered in Sage Khepri's ears, "You'll serve as a great whetstone for his heart."

Cao Cuifen and Grey Rose were observing the Mystic Star Phase experts entering the Main Hall while the former discussed random topics with Sage Khonshu.

"So many incidents have happened..." he commented as he stared at Cao Cuifen. The latter only smiled lightly as if it was nothing at all. "One of them ate the runes on the door, another burned them, and then a veil of shadows enveloped an entire door? Your ways of trying to forcefully seize destiny are a little aggressive."

In Sage Khonshu and the others' eyes, the Ascendants were trying to use whatever means they could to force this destined opportunity. This was why they didn't take any aggressive action after the first and second incidents. Since they wanted to try, and their cultivation bases were far too low to do anything significant, as long as they didn't just whip out a Heavenly Treasure or a Supreme Heavenly Treasure, they would simply watch.

Moreover, if something did threaten the doors, the Guardian Divinity would certainly take action. Since that didn't happen, there was no need to care too much.

"I'll have to offer my apologies then. My husband's trusted subordinates are taught to do whatever means necessary to seize opportunities, so they'll try everything they can," Cao Cuifen explained without much of a genuine apology in her tone or words. What cultivator would apologize for trying to seize an opportunity?

Sage Khonshu didn't mind and felt that if the apology was genuine, his impression of Cao Cuifen would have tanked a few degrees for sure. Fortunately, her Heart of Cultivation was properly directed. "It's just that..." As his voice trailed with implied meaning, Cao Cuifen interrupted with a laugh.

"If any damages are sustained, I'll do my best to compensate for any losses on your end," Cao Cuifen said.

Sage Khonshu chuckled, "I had no doubt. No doubt at all that you would do so given your stellar character, Lady Cao." This offering was enough to satisfy the eavesdropping Sages as they were already discussing how to exaggerate the damages to obtain more.

After an hour, there was a significant change to the eight doors!

All eight illuminated and released a deep hymn that could shake the very soul! Every last one of the Sages perked up as nostalgia surged through their eyes.

Eight cultivators of the No-Name Galaxy, all natives, were chosen!