The Omnis had already adapted to the dark energy.
Though they couldn't generate it, they could manipulate the surrounding dark energy to shroud themselves.
Even before, when an Omni latched onto a Tier 13 dark beast roaming the Aeon Plane, it didn't react.
Yet now, staring at the giant eye quietly scrutinizing one of the Omnis, Maximus couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Is this a special dark beast?" he guessed.
Special dark beasts, or Origin Dark Beasts, were parasitic entities that grew within a plane, siphoning its energy.
Recalling the time he fought an Origin Dark Beast in the Outer Plane, Maximus felt solemn in his heart.
That beast, only at the Tier 11 realm, had required both his and Zar's combined power to defeat.
Though not stronger than a Tier 12 dark beast, its abilities and intelligence far surpassed them.
Now, sensing the same aura emanating from the giant eye scrutinizing the Omni, Maximus felt a chill.
"This must be the one triggering my premonition of danger!"
The Aeon Plane was just tens of thousands of years away from this special dark beast.
Once it finished gnawing away at this plane, they would be next.
Much less this dense number of dark beasts that eclipse the one in the Aeon Plane, just this origin dark beast was already enough to send them to death.
As Maximus's mind raced, the Origin Dark Beast couldn't trace the source of Omni and impatiently devoured it.
Ignoring the particle it had just crushed, it returned its focus on the plane before it.
In a flash, it vanished, lifting the pressure that weighed on Maximus' heart.
"This beast is too terrifying," he muttered.
It seemed to project despair remotely through the Omni. Even with his tempered mind, seeing it up close was horrifying.
Calming himself, Maximus quickly mobilized the Omnis near the plane to investigate further.
As they closed in on the plane the dark beast had attacked, he noticed the energy it emitted was weaker than that of the Aeon Plane.
"Is this a newly birthed plane? This plane must not have even grown for a million epoch," Maximus mused.
Unlike the Aeon Plane, which had seen both peak and decline, this plane still looked tender and green.
As a result, it could only passively defend itself and be at the mercy of the dark beast.
As the Omnis entered, Maximus witnessed a far worse scene.
The void lay in total ruin, dimensions were being massacred, laws were in disarray, and wails of misery rang out.
"It's terrible. In just a few million years, this place will be shattered to pieces," Maximus said, frowning as he calculated.
If not for the plane's barrier preventing higher-tier dark beasts from entering, this young plane wouldn't even last a thousand years. Sighing, he felt a growing urgency in his heart.
He could no longer waste time and needed to complete the Trial of Origin.
With this in mind, Maximus sent the Omnis to latch onto the Origin Dark Beast.
Sensing the same unknown particle in its body, the Origin Dark Beast didn't react, dismissing it as mere dust in the chaos void.
Unbeknownst to it, the Omnis began integrating into its body, adapting, evolving, and multiplying.
In a critical moment, Maximus could use them to maneuver around the Origin Dark Beast, defeating the strong with the weak.
Having done all he could to prepare, Maximus regained his consciousness in the Aeon Plane.
"Father! What happened to you?" Lily asked, relieved, as Maximus finally woke up.
Earlier, her father had suddenly closed his eyes and began to emit a gloomy aura, similar to those influenced by the dark beast.
Thinking he was under attack, Lily couldn't help but fall into a panic.
Fortunately, her father's expression soon returned to normal.
Seeing him awake, Lily heaved a sigh of relief.
"It's the origin dark beast…" Maximus said, explaining what he had discovered to Lily.
"An Origin Dark Beast?! How could we be so unlucky?"
Just after solving a few problems, another heavy threat loomed over their plane.
The Aeon Plane seemed cursed with doom. If not for Maximus and their efforts, it would have been destroyed long ago.
Hearing his daughter call them unlucky, Maximus could only smile wryly. Unlucky? Perhaps now, but every challenge thrown his way had a purpose.
With the True Path tugging the strings of fate, as long as he remained weak, the danger would never cease.
It gave him urgency, trained him through tribulations, and provided opportunities to reach his goal.
The power of True Path was to pave the road to his dreams, whether invincibility, freedom, eternity, or simply a happy life.
Though filled with thorns and pitfalls, it was a steady path to success.
After comforting Lily, Maximus instructed her one last time.
Having seen the Origin Dark Beast, he knew that if he didn't start training soon, he wouldn't be able to focus on anything else.
Transmitting all the information he had about the ether chip, Maximus hurried to inform the others of his impending seclusion.
"Don't worry about us. Just focus on yourself," Etheria said with confidence.
"That's right. In just a few thousand years, I'll have a batch of void ants ready to help us," Hazel said, smiling as she shared the success of her task.
"You're always worrying. We're already this strong; you can leave us be," Luna encouraged.
"That's right, Father. These dark beasts are no longer a threat to us. You should prepare for the greater danger!" Max said, his eyes gleaming with excitement at the thought of facing the Origin Dark Beast.
"Leave any internal problems to me. I'll deal with anyone who stirs trouble," Nathan said, his voice laced with cold killing intent.
"Just leave everything to us. You don't need to worry about things here," Skye said, clenching her fist.
Hearing about the incoming Origin Dark Beast had reignited her fighting spirit.
She didn't see the path of thorns as a burden but as an adventure that added spice to her life.
As long as they were together, what was there to fear?
"Then I trust you with everything. My seclusion might take a long time, so take care…"