Back in the forest, Reon's breathing turned ragged.
"Oi... oi... what the fuck is happening?! This is way beyond a simple talent awakening!"
A cold sweat trickled down his temple. Panic gnawed at him as he realized he couldn't feel anything—not the energy, not his own body—only an overwhelming pressure that crushed down upon his existence.
It was as if the entire universe was trying to erase him.
Gritting his teeth, he growled, "Hey, fucking system! What the hell is going on?! Why is all this energy still gathering? And... why can't I feel anything yet?"
A familiar chime echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Host, it seems you are awakening something extraordinary. That is why your body requires an immense amount of energy to fully awaken this latent ability.]
Reon stiffened.
"Extraordinary? Just how extraordinary are we talking? This is already on a world-altering level! Even the protagonist's awakening wasn't this flashy!"
Then another, far more pressing thought hit him.
"Wait, wait, wait—did you seal my location?! If someone from the sect notices this, I'll fucking become their tool for life, just like Yang Lie!"
"And if someone from another sect finds out I possess an extraordinary physique or constitution, they'll either kill me to eliminate a potential rival or—worse—turn me into their cultivation cauldron, especially those damn freaks from the Great Demonic Sect!"
[Ding! No need to worry, Host. From the moment the awakening began, I have scrambled all energy fluctuations, making them chaotic across the entire forest. Even a Peak-stage Earth King Realm expert won't be able to pinpoint your exact location.]
Sigh!
Reon exhaled in relief.
"You're actually pretty reliable for once."
[Ding! Of course, I am.]
Despite the system's assurance, Reon couldn't shake off the growing unease. The darkness had expanded beyond anything he could have imagined.
And then—
He felt it.
Something deep inside him shifted. A pulse. A whisper in the void.
A presence awakening within him.
His breath hitched.
"Oh... I can feel it now."
[Ding! That means the energy gathering is complete. Host, be prepared... It's about to begin!]
Reon clenched his fists. "Bring it on."
But just as he braced himself—
Everything blurred.
His soul was violently wrenched from Xue Taiyang's body and hurled into an unknown space.
Outside, Reon's body went completely still. If anyone were watching, they would think he had become nothing more than a lifeless husk.
Little Tiger twitched its ears, sensing something amiss. It nudged Cloudia, trying to alert her.
However, Cloudia, resolute in her determination to protect her master and honor his wishes, refused to go to Reon's side.
As he had instructed before leaving, she would not disturb him—no matter what.
.
.
Meanwhile, Reon's consciousness drifted in an unfamiliar realm, an endless void of pitch darkness and absolute silence.
"...?!!!"
"Where... Where is this place?"
No matter where he looked, there was no end to this place. Just an infinite, suffocating emptiness.
He glanced downward.
But there was nothing—only an endless abyss stretching infinitely below him.
There was no ground, no solid footing.
And yet, he was standing. Suspended in the air, weightless.
Then—
GRRRRRRRRRRRR...
A deep, guttural growl reverberated through the void, its rumble echoing through the vast nothingness, shaking him to his very core.
Reon's heart pounded as he spun around, his breath quickening.
But there was nothing.
Only the oppressive darkness and the eerie silence that followed.
GRRRRRRRRHHHH...
The sound came again, low and menacing, echoing through the abyss.
He strained his eyes, searching, but still found nothing.
No figure. No shape. Just an overwhelming emptiness.
A chill crawled down his spine.
Anxiety coiled tight in his chest.
Then—
Compelled by a strange instinct, he looked upward..
And what he saw made his Blood Freeze.
Above him, faint traces of light shimmered, but they never reached the depths where he stood.
Every glimmer, every spark was devoured—consumed by something vast and unspeakable.
It was a Single, Colossal Eye.
It loomed above him, an unfathomable presence, staring down at him.
From the edge of the colossal eye, a cascade of Prismatic Flames poured downward—like a Celestial Waterfall of World-Ending Lava.
Its sclera was Pure Black, a darkness as deep as the void itself—an emptiness that defied reality.
But the iris... the iris burned a deep,Crimson Red, swirling like an Endless Ocean of Blood.
And the pupil... it was Black—but not just any black.
It was the Purest Darkness, deeper than the sclera, darker than the void itself.
It was an UnfathomableVoid—so immense it resembled a Black Hole, a Depthless Abyss that devoured all existence.
A Cosmic Maw capable of swallowing Infinite Galaxies, Countless Universes, and even the Boundless Multiverse itself.
Reon's breath caught in his throat.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him To Run, To Flee, To Escape—
But he couldn't Move.
In an instant, an unseen force seized him, rotating his body effortlessly and turning him to face the colossal eye directly.
Then—
A voice echoed, deep and primordial, as if it came from the depths of eternity itself.
"Master... You Have ARRIVED."
"You Are About To Awaken Me... AGAIN."